JPH08241774A - Modular adaptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To insert a modular plug from two reverse directions. CONSTITUTION: An adaptor housing 14 is made of a synthetic resin, having a T-shape as the whole, and formed of a square pillar-like upper, cylindrical part 15, and a square pillar-like vertical cylindrical part 16 continued downward from the central lower surface of the upper cylindrical part 15. A modular plug 17 to be inserted and connected to a modular connector provided on a network equipment H is provided on the lower end part of the vertical cylindrical part 16, and modular plug sockets 24 capable of inserting the modular plug 11 are formed on both lateral end parts of the upper side cylindrical part 15, and connected in parallel to each other by an internal circuit. A double-insert is movably provided in the upper cylindrical that, when the modular plug 11 is inserted to one socket 24, the insertion of the plug 11 to the other socket 24 is arrested.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a modular adapter used when connecting a cable with a modular plug to a device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when connecting a cable with a modular jack to a device such as a computer or a HUB in order to form a computer network, a modular outlet arranged on the device side is generally opened rearward from the device. Therefore, a large cable routing space is required behind the device. This requires the device to be placed far away from the wall,
An L-shaped modular adapter used in such a case is conventionally known from, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-111066.

As shown in FIG. 10, this L-shaped modular adapter has a modular plug 2 which is inserted into a modular outlet (not shown) on the rear surface of the device 1, and a modular outlet (at the lower end of an L-shaped housing 3). (Not shown) is provided, and by inserting the modular plug 5 into the modular outlet, the cable 4 can be led out downward, and thus the cable 4 can be routed even when there is little space on the rear side of the device 1. is there.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned modular adapter, since the plug insertion direction is only one direction, it is desirable to pull out the cable in the opposite direction, for example, by changing the layout of the device after wiring the cable. In such a case, it is necessary to secure a space for routing the cable 4 on the rear surface of the device 1 as shown in FIG. 11, which may restrict the layout change.

Generally, in this type of modular adapter, the same modular adapter cannot be replaced upside down because the modular outlet and the modular plug have a specific direction of connection. Also, it is sufficient to manufacture an L-shaped modular adapter with the insertion direction reversed, but this requires two types of adapters, so the number of types of parts will increase and the cost and labor of parts management will increase. There's a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to allow a modular plug of a single type to be inserted in two directions opposite to each other, and to have versatility. There is an adapter available.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the modular adapter of the present invention has a T-shaped adapter housing as a whole and a device provided at a lower end of the T-shaped adapter housing. A modular plug to be inserted into a modular outlet, two modular outlets which are provided at opposite left and right ends of a T-shaped upper side in opposite directions and into which a modular plug connected to a cable is inserted and connected, and the modular plug And an internal circuit for connecting the two modular outlets (invention of claim 1).

In this case, when the modular plug is inserted into one of the modular outlets on the upper side of the T-shape of the adapter housing, the modular plug is pushed and moved to the other modular outlet, thereby It is preferable to provide a double insertion preventing member for preventing the insertion of another modular plug into the modular outlet (the invention of claim 2). Further, a cover for covering each insertion port of the modular outlet may be provided at the left and right ends of the T-shaped upper side of the adapter housing so as to be openable and closable (the invention of claim 3).

Further, the modular plug portion of the adapter housing is provided with an elastically deformable engaging lever for engaging and disengaging the modular outlet of the device.
An engagement releasing member that abuts against the engaging lever and elastically deforms the engaging lever may be provided on the upper side of the adapter housing so as to be able to be pressed (the invention of claim 4).

[0010]

When the modular adapter of the above construction is used, the modular plug at the lower end of the T-shaped adapter housing is inserted into the modular outlet of the device,
Insert the modular plug of the cable into one of the modular outlets on the upper side of the T-shape. As a result, the cable is connected to the modular outlet side of the device via the internal circuit of the modular housing.

Here, when it is desired to reverse the lead-out direction of the cable for changing the layout of the device, for example, the modular plug of the cable is simply removed to open the other modular outlet. You can replace it with.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the invention, when the modular plug is inserted into one of the modular outlets, the double insertion preventing member prevents the plug insertion into the other modular outlet, and the other modular outlets. I can't insert the plug. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the unused modular outlet can be closed with the cover.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, by pressing the engagement releasing member provided on the upper side of the adapter housing, the engaging lever at a position where it is difficult to operate can be easily elastically deformed.

[0014]

As described above, according to the modular adapter of the present invention, since the modular plug can be inserted into one kind of adapter from the opposite direction, the cable can be pulled out in the optimum direction and the layout of the device can be changed. It has an excellent effect that it can be widely used for various uses.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the insertion of one modular plug can be reliably prevented from being inserted into the other outlet, two insertion ports are provided. It is possible to reliably prevent a situation where two plugs are inserted at the same time and the network function is impaired. Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 3, since the unused modular outlet can be covered with the cover, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the outlet and causing an electrical defect such as poor contact.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 4, the engagement lever is operated by the engagement release member provided on the upper side of the adapter housing to engage / disengage the modular connector.
Since it can be released, the operability of engaging and releasing is excellent.

[0017]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Structure of Embodiment) The modular adapter M of this embodiment is used by being inserted and connected to a modular connector (not shown) provided in the network equipment H as shown in FIG. The provided modular plug 11 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 1, the modular plug 11 has a well-known structure in which a rectangular parallelepiped housing 12 is provided with, for example, eight contact terminal portions (not shown) arranged in parallel with each other. It is provided by upward integral molding. This engaging lever 13 also has an engaging protrusion 13 extending from the base end portion to the intermediate portion.
With a well-known structure in which a is provided so as to project to both sides in the width direction,
The tip of the engaging lever 13 can be pushed down to elastically deform it.

The adapter housing 14 of the modular adapter M is made of, for example, a synthetic resin, has a T shape as a whole as shown in FIG. 1, and has a rectangular tube-shaped upper side tube portion 15 corresponding to the upper side of the T shape. And a vertical tubular portion 16 which is also in the shape of a rectangular tube and extends downward from the central lower surface of the upper side tubular portion 15.

At the lower end of the vertical cylindrical portion 16 of the adapter housing 14, there is provided a modular plug 17 which is inserted and connected to a modular connector provided in the network equipment H. This modular plug 17 is provided with, for example, eight contact terminal portions 18 arranged in parallel in the same manner as the modular plug 11 described above, and an engaging lever 19 is integrated diagonally upward with the vertical cylindrical portion 16 on the opposite surface. It is provided by molding (see FIG. 2). The engagement lever 19 also has a known structure similar to the modular plug 11 provided by projecting the engagement projection 19a, and the engagement lever 19 is elastically deformed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 by pushing the tip. be able to. In addition, the upper side tube portion 1 of the adapter housing 14
As shown in the figure, an engagement release plate 20 corresponding to an engagement release member is provided on the lower surface of the movable body 5 so as to be movable in the left-right direction by a holding piece 21, and the right end thereof is the tip end portion of the engagement lever 19. Is in contact with. Therefore, the operation portion 2 of the engagement release plate 20
When 0a is pushed leftward in FIG. 2, the engagement lever 19 is bent and deformed in the arrow A direction.

On the other hand, on the upper side tubular portion 15 of the adapter housing 14, plug insertion ports 22 into which the modular plugs 11 can be inserted are formed in opposite left and right ends, respectively. Eight (only four in the drawing are shown in order to avoid complication) terminal pieces 23 with which the contact terminal portions of the modular plug 11 come into contact are provided in the respective plug insertion openings 22. A modular outlet 24 for the plug 11 is constructed. here,
An internal circuit 25 formed of an electric wire is built in the adapter housing 14, so that each of the two modular outlets 24 has eight terminal pieces 23.
And the eight contact terminal portions 18 of the modular plug 17
Are commonly connected for each pole, and two modular outlets 24 are electrically connected to one modular plug 17 in parallel. In addition, the plug insertion port 2
A locking protrusion 26 is provided on the inner side of 2, and when the modular plug 11 is inserted while deforming the engaging lever 13, the elastic protrusion of the engaging lever 13 causes the engaging protrusion 13a. Is the locking projection 2 of the adapter housing 14.
6 to prevent the modular plug 11 from coming off.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a guide wall 27 is provided in the adapter housing 14 above the plug insertion port 22 over the entire upper side tubular portion 15, and the upper side tubular portion 15 is provided there. A guide slit 28 extending along the longitudinal direction is formed, and a double insertion preventing member 29 is movably supported by the guide slit 28. As shown in FIG. 4, the double insertion preventing member 29 has a T-shaped cross section having a retaining piece 30 that juts out to the left and right, and its lower end is positioned in the plug insertion passage from the plug insertion opening 22. There is. Further, the lateral dimension L (see FIG. 2) of the double insertion preventing member 29 is smaller than the lateral dimension W in the upper side tubular portion 15 of the adapter housing 14 by the modular plug 17
The insertion depth is shortened by d (L = W-d), and the modular plug 17 has one modular outlet 24.
The double insertion preventing member 29 is pushed to move to the other modular outlet 24 side. Further, in this embodiment, the top plate portion 1 of the upper side tube portion 15 is
A cover 33 is provided on each of the left and right ends of 5a via a hinge 32, so that each plug insertion port 22 can be opened and closed. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 34
Is a locking projection of the cover 33, and reference numeral 35 is a jig insertion recess for opening the cover 33.

(Operation of Embodiment) Next, a cable wiring mode using the modular adapter M having the above configuration will be described. For example, as shown in FIG.
In order to pull out the cable 10 downward from the back surface of the cable, first, with the disengagement plate 20 on the upper side, the cover 33 of the lower modular outlet 24 is opened, and the modular plug 11 of the cable 10 is inserted therein. Keep connected. To do so, simply push the modular plug 11 into the plug insertion port 22 of the modular outlet 24,
As a result, the engagement lever 13 of the modular plug 11 is elastically deformed and inserted, and when the engagement projection 13a passes through the locking projection 26 of the modular outlet 24, the engagement lever 13 elastically returns. Both engage. Then, after that, the modular plug 17 of the modular adapter M is inserted and connected to a modular connector (not shown) provided on the back surface of the network device H, and the connection of the cable 10 is completed.

The cable 10 is preferably led out when there is a margin below the device H, and there is an advantage that the space between the back of the device H and the wall surface can be narrowed. In addition, the unused modular outlet 24 on the upper side
With respect to the above, there is a circumstance that the plug insertion port 22 is opened upward, and dust and dirt are likely to enter, but in this embodiment, the cover 33 is provided so as to be openable and closable, so that the upper modular outlet. In 24, by closing the cover 33, it is possible to reliably prevent the entry of foreign matter such as dust.

If it is necessary to pull out the cable 10 in the opposite direction after the cable is installed as described above, for example, due to a change in the layout of the device H, the following may be done. First, the modular plug 11 is pulled out from the modular adapter M while pushing down the tip of the engaging lever 13, and the cover 33 is closed to close the lower plug insertion port 22. Then, the upper cover 33 may be opened, and the pulled out modular plug 11 may be inserted into the upper modular outlet 24. With this, as shown in FIG.
The cable 10 is to be led out upward, and the device H
It is possible to deal with the case where there is no room below.

When the modular plug 17 is inserted into one of the modular outlets 24, the other modular plug 17 may be inserted into the other modular outlet 24 without noticing this. In such a case, if the insertion is easily permitted, the two cables 10 are connected to one device H, which may cause a failure in the network function.

With respect to this, in this embodiment, when the modular plug 17 is inserted into one of the modular outlets 24, the housing 12 of the modular plug 17 allows the modular adapter M to be inserted.
The double insertion preventing member 29 in the inside is pushed toward the other modular outlet 24 side, and as shown in FIG. 6, the end of the double insertion preventing member 29 causes a part of the plug insertion opening 22 of the other modular outlet 24. It will be in a closed state. Therefore, even if the modular plug 17 is accidentally inserted into the other modular outlet 24, the housing 12 abuts against the double insertion preventing member 29 and further insertion is restricted. At the same time, it is possible to reliably prevent the two modular plugs 17 from being inserted at the same time, and to stably maintain the network function.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment lies in the configuration direction of the modular plug 17 of the modular adapter M, and the other respects are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the duplicate description will be omitted. To do.

As shown in the figure, the modular plug 17
The contact terminal portion 18 is provided on the side surface portion of the vertical cylindrical portion 16, and the engagement lever thereof is located on the back side thereof and is not shown in the drawing. With such a configuration, when the modular adapter M is inserted into a modular outlet of the device, each plug insertion port 22 opens in the left-right direction, which is suitable when the cable 10 is to be led out in the lateral direction on the back surface of the device. To do.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, the cover 33 is provided on the adapter housing 14 so as to be openable and closable through the hinge portion 32. However, the cover 33 is not necessarily provided so as to be opened and closed through the hinge portion 32. For example, a detachable cap type cover may be used. Further, this cover is not essential to the present invention, and may be provided depending on the situation such as required dustproofness.

(2) Further, the double insertion preventing member 29 and the engagement release plate 20 may be provided if necessary, and even if they are omitted due to cost reasons, the initial object of the present invention can be achieved. You can

(3) The internal circuit 25 for connecting the modular plug 17 and each modular outlet 24 in the adapter housing 14 is not limited to the connection method using electric wires, but may be a flexible printed wiring board or a housing. Alternatively, a conductor layer may be directly formed on and connected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Vertical sectional view

[Figure 3] Front view

4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing a state where a modular plug is inserted.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the state of attachment to the device.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the modular plug inserted from different directions.

FIG. 9 is an overall perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which a conventional modular adapter is attached to a device.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state in which a conventional modular adapter is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Cable 11 ... Modular plug 14 ... Adapter housing 15 ... Upper side cylinder part 16 ... Vertical cylinder part 17 ... Modular plug 22 ... Plug insertion port 24 ... Modular outlet 25 ... Internal circuit 29 ... Double insertion prevention member 33 ... Cover

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication H01R 13/64 7354-5B H01R 13/64

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A T-shaped adapter housing as a whole, a modular plug provided at a lower end of the T-shaped adapter housing and inserted into a modular outlet of a device, and left and right ends of a T-shaped upper side portion. Two modular outlets, which are provided in opposite directions to each other and into which modular plugs connected to cables are inserted and connected, and an internal circuit connecting the modular plugs and the two modular outlets Modular adapter. 2. The T-shaped upper side portion of the adapter housing is pushed by the modular plug and is moved to the other modular outlet side when the modular plug is inserted into the one modular outlet. The modular adapter according to claim 1, further comprising a double insertion preventing member that prevents insertion of another modular plug into the modular outlet. 3. The adapter housing is provided at both left and right ends of a T-shaped upper side portion thereof with covers that respectively cover insertion openings of the respective modular outlets so as to be openable and closable. Modular adapter as described. 4. An engagement lever for engaging and disengaging a device from a modular outlet is elastically deformable provided on the modular plug portion, and the engagement lever is provided on an upper side portion of the adapter housing. The modular adapter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an engagement release member that abuts and elastically deforms the engagement release member is provided so as to be capable of being pressed.