JPH0896882A - Connector unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a front connector from being broken, even when a connector unit is dropped on a floor or the like. CONSTITUTION: A bulge section 22 bulged forward of the front end of the first connector 3 is formed on the front of the housing 2 of a connector unit 1. The bulge section 22 is provided with a guide section 22d for guiding the housing 2 between a position for the first connector 3 to be coupled to a main device connector 8 and a position for the connector 3 to be detached therefrom, relative to a main device 7. Furthermore, the bulge section 22 is provided with an engagement section 22c for engagement with the device 7, with the connector 3 coupled to the connector 8. In addition, the rear side of the housing 2 is provided with a handle for the holding thereof and a cable bundling means 5 for bundling a plurality of cables 91a to 95a extended back from the connectors 91 to 95 of each peripheral device.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector unit for collectively connecting and disconnecting a plurality of peripheral devices such as a printer and an interface to a main device such as a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A connector unit as described above is used, for example, to easily and quickly connect and disconnect various peripheral devices in an office to a portable computer. . This connector unit is mounted on the front surface of the housing and has a first connector that is detachably fitted to a main device side connector mounted on a computer, and a tip of a plurality of cables that are mounted on the rear surface of the housing and extend from each peripheral device. And a plurality of second connectors removably fitted to the plurality of peripheral device-side connectors attached to the.
In addition, the first connector and the plurality of second connectors are electrically connected in the housing, and the first connector is connected to the second connector in a state where the peripheral device side connectors are fitted and connected.
By attaching / detaching the connector to / from the main device side connector, it is possible to connect / disconnect the peripheral devices to / from the computer all at once.

[0003]

However, in such a connector unit, the fitting portion of the first connector (the portion fitted to the main device side connector) has a structure protruding forward from the front surface of the housing. , For example, when the connector unit is removed from the computer and then dropped on the floor, the fitting portion of the first connector directly hits the floor or the table surface and is damaged, and the main unit side connector There was a problem that the connection might be disturbed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a connector unit having a structure in which the first connector is not damaged even if it is dropped on the floor or the like.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the connector unit of the present invention, an overhanging portion is formed at least at the front portion of the housing so as to project forward from the front end of the first connector. There is.

It should be noted that the overhanging portion guides the movement of the housing with respect to the main device between the position where the first connector is fitted to the main device side connector and the position where the first connector is detached from the main device side connector. It is desirable to provide a guide. Further, the overhanging portion may be provided with an engaging portion that engages with the main device in a state where the first connector is fitted in the main device-side connector. Further, a handgrip for holding the housing or a cable bundling means for bundling a plurality of cables extending rearward from the peripheral device connectors fitted to the second connectors may be provided at the rear part of the housing.

[0007]

With such a connector unit, for example, the first
When the connector is dropped on the floor with the connector facing downward, only the front end of the overhanging portion hits the floor and the front end (fitting portion) of the first connector does not hit the floor. Therefore, the front end of the first connector will not be damaged. If the guide portion is provided on the overhanging portion, the connector unit can be smoothly attached to and detached from the main device, and if the engaging portion is further provided, the first connector is fitted to the main device side connector. You can attach the connector unit to your computer without checking each one.

On the other hand, if the handgrip is provided at the rear of the housing, the connector unit can be easily carried and detached from the main unit. Moreover, by providing the cable bundling means, a plurality of cables connected to the peripheral device side connectors fitted to the respective second connectors can be neatly gathered and it is possible to prevent them from being twisted or entangled. .

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a connector unit according to the present invention. The connector unit 1 includes a housing 2, a docking connector (first connector according to claim 1) 3, five peripheral device connectors (second connector) 41 to 45, and a bundle band 5. It is configured. The housing 2 is made of resin and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.
A front protruding portion 22 that extends forward from the lower front portion of the main body portion 21 in a plate shape; a rear protruding portion 23 that extends in a plate shape from a lower rear portion of the main body portion 21; and a rear end portion of the rear surface protruding portion 23. Between the left and right ends of the hand grip 25 and a hand grip 25 formed so as to be bridged above the rear projection 23.

The front surface overhanging portion 22 has a parallel portion 22a whose upper and lower surfaces extend forward from the front surface of the main body portion 21 horizontally and in parallel with each other, and an upper surface inclined from the front end of the parallel portion 22a toward the lower front side. The groove 22b and the upper surface of the groove 22
It is composed of a hook portion (engaging portion according to claim 3) 22c that is vertically cut from the front end portion of b to the same height as the upper surface of the parallel portion 22a, and is then inclined again toward the lower front side. Further, a guide groove (a guide portion according to claim 2) 22d extending from the front end to the rear end of the front surface overhang portion 22 is formed in the vicinity of the left and right end portions on the upper surface of the front surface overhang portion 22.

As shown in FIG. 1, the docking connector 3 is attached to the upper part on the left side of the front surface 21a of the main body 21. The docking connector 3 is a notebook computer 7 (see FIG. 3).
(Refer to FIG. 1) A male connector that is detachably fitted to the expansion connector (main device side connector and female connector in claim 1) attached to the rear surface, and is a fitting that projects forward from the front surface 21a. It has a joint 3a. The fitting portion 3a holds a large number of contacts (not shown). The docking connector 3 has a front protruding portion 22.
, The front end of the front surface projecting portion 22 projects further forward by a length L1 than the front end of the fitting portion 3a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rear surface 21 of the main body portion 21.
Peripheral device connectors 41 to 45 are attached to b in a line in the left-right direction. Each of these connectors
External connection connector attached to the tip of a cable C extending from a peripheral device (not shown) such as a printer, a serial line or parallel line modem, a display, a mouse (a peripheral device side connector in claim 1).
91 to 95 (see FIG. 3), which is a male or female connector that is detachably fitted, and has fitting portions 41a to 45a protruding rearward from the rear surface 21b. In addition, each fitting part 41a-
A large number of contacts (not shown) are held by 45a, and these contacts are all connected to the contacts of the docking connector 3 via a printed board (not shown) built in the main body 21. These peripheral device connectors 41 to 45 are located above the rear surface projecting portion 23, but the rear end of the rear surface projecting portion 23 has the fitting portions 41 a to 4 a.
It projects further rearward by a length L2 from the rear end of 5a.

The hand grip portion 25 is a portion that is gripped by a hand when carrying the housing 2 (that is, the connector unit 1) or attaching / detaching it to / from the computer 7. Therefore, it has a front-rear width and a thickness suitable for being held by a hand. In addition, from the both ends of the rear surface 21b of the main body portion 21,
Side walls 26 extending vertically upward from the upper surface of the rear surface overhang portion 23 are formed across both ends of the rear surface overhang 5, and the rigidity around the rear surface overhang portion 23 and the hand grip 25 is secured.

In the center of the hand grip 25 in the left-right direction, a rectangular hole 25a and a slit 2 penetrating vertically therethrough are formed.
5b are formed adjacent to each other on the left and right. One end 5a of the bundle band 5 is fixed in the rectangular hole 25a by a pin (not shown) attached so as to cross the rectangular hole 25a. On the other hand, the other end 5b of the bundled band 5 looped in the space between the hand grip 25 and the rear projection 23 is passed through the slit 25b from the bottom to the top. On the other end side of the bundle band 5, there are several holes 5c.
Are formed at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction. A stop pin 51 is attached to the upper surface of the hand grip 25 at a position opposite to the slit 25b with respect to the rectangular hole 25a. The stop pin 51 has a head portion 51a having a diameter slightly larger than the hole 5c of the bundle band 5. Therefore, the size of the loop of the bundle band 5 can be arbitrarily fixed by pushing the head portion 51a and inserting the retaining pin 51 into the hole 5c.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the rear surface of the computer 7, there is formed a mounting surface 7a which is recessed further to receive the front end portion of the main body portion 21, and the mounting surface 7a is formed.
The expansion connector 8 described above is attached to the upper right side of the. Further, at the lower part of the mounting surface 7a, there is formed a guide hole 71 which opens at the mounting surface 7a and extends toward the front of the computer 7. The left-right dimension of the guide hole 71 is the same as the front projection 2 of the connector unit 1.
The height of the guide hole 71, that is, the distance between the bottom surface 71a and the top surface 71b is substantially equal to the left-right dimension of the front projection 2
The thickness of the parallel part 22a in FIG. However,
Guide rails 72 that project downward and extend in the front-rear direction are formed near the left and right ends of the upper surface 71b.

Further, the structure of the portion near the guide hole 71 in the computer 7 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. This part is located between the bottom surface 71a and the top surface 71b of the guide hole 71 and extends halfway in the front-rear direction.
1c, an inner space 71d whose upper surface is higher than the entrance space 71c in front of the entrance space 71c (that is, in the back), and a slit-shaped front end portion which extends forward and backward above the entrance space 71c. The first upper space 71e communicating with the upper rear end of the internal space 71d, the second upper space 71f formed to extend upward from the upper front end of the internal space 71d, and the lower front portion of the internal space 71d extending to the bottom surface 71
a and a front end space 71g sandwiched by an upper surface (not numbered) inclined to the front lower side.

The internal space 71d and the first upper space 7
A hook receiving fitting 75 is arranged in the 1e and the second upper space 71f. The hook receiving metal fitting 75 is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, and includes a horizontally extending base portion 75a, a pressing portion 75b bent in a V shape from the front end of the base portion 75a, and the pressing portion. It is composed of a guide portion 75c extending upward from the front end of 75b.
The base portion 75a is press-fitted into the first upper space 71e. As a result, the holding portion 75b is located inside the internal space 71d, and the guide portion 75c is located inside the second upper space 71f. Note that, mainly by elastic deformation of the front portion of the base portion 75a, the holding portion 75b and the guide portion 75c can move up and down in the internal space 71d and the second upper space 71f, respectively.

In the computer 7 configured as described above,
When attaching the connector unit 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the external connection connectors 91 to 95 are fitted in advance to the corresponding peripheral device connectors 41 to 45. On this occasion,
If the external connection connectors 91 to 95 and the cables 91a to 95a connected to them are passed through the loop of the bundle band 5, the bundle band 5 is tightened and the cables 91a to 9a are closed.
5a can be put together. This can prevent the cables 91a to 95a from being entangled or twisted.

Next, holding the hand grip 25, the front surface of the connector unit 1 is made to face the mounting surface 7a of the computer 7 as shown in FIG. It is inserted into the guide hole 71.
At this time, the guide rail 72 of the computer 7 is received in the guide groove 22d of the front protrusion 22. This allows
The fitting portion 3a of the docking connector 3 is positioned at a position facing the fitting portion 8a of the expansion connector 8. Then, when the front projecting portion 22 of the connector unit 1 is inserted into the guide hole 71, as shown in FIG. 4B, first, the hook receiving metal fitting 7 that abuts on the upper surface of the hook portion 22c.
5, the pressing portion 75b and the guide portion 75c move upward. At this point, the fitting portion 3a of the docking connector 3 and the fitting portion 8a of the expansion connector 8 are on the verge of fitting.

By fitting the fitting portions 3a and 8a, the front projecting portion 22 is further inserted, and the front end of the hook portion 22c enters the front end space 71g. As shown in, the pressing portion 75b moves over the hook portion 22c and moves downward due to the elastic force, and the lower end of the pressing portion 75b falls near the upper surface of the groove portion 22b. When the lower end of the pressing portion 75b and the rear end of the hook portion 22c contact (engage) with each other, the front projection 22 is pulled out of the guide hole 71, that is, the both fitting portions 3a,
The separation of 8a is prevented. Since the hook receiving fitting 75 and the hook portion 22c are engaged with each other only when the fitting portions 3a and 8a are fitted, it is necessary to check whether or not the fitting portions 3a and 8a are fitted. There is no.

A certain pulling force is applied to the connector unit 1 so that the hook portion 22c holds the pressing portion 75b.
Is moved upward, the front projection 22 can be pulled out from the guide hole 71 while the fitting portions 3a and 8a are separated, and the connector unit 1 can be removed from the computer 7.

By the way, when the connector unit 1 is removed and then accidentally dropped on the floor, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the bottom and front parts of the housing 2 are in a downward position. In many cases, the front end of the front projection 22 collides with the floor F, but the fitting portion 3a of the docking connector 3 does not collide with the floor F. Also, FIG.
As shown in (B), the bottom of the housing 2 may be on the top and the front of the housing may be on the bottom, and in this case as well, the overhang length L1 of the front overhang 22 with respect to the docking connector 3 may be reduced. The front bulge 22
The front end of the floor and the upper part of the front end of the housing 2 (main body 22) are on the floor F
Just by colliding with the fitting part 3 of the docking connector 3
a is escaped from the collision of the floor F. Therefore, the fitting portion 3a is prevented from being damaged by being dropped, and the fitting performance of the docking connector 3 to the expansion connector 8 can be maintained.

The peripheral device connectors 41 to 45 and the external connection connectors 91 to 95 connected to the peripheral device connectors 41 to 45 are surrounded by the rear projection 23, the hand grip 25 and the side wall 26. Therefore, when the connectors fall, the connectors are prevented from colliding with the floor and the interfering substances from entering the enclosed portion from the lateral direction, and each connector is protected.

[0024]

As described above, in the connector unit of the present invention, the overhanging portion provided on the front surface of the housing is
Similarly, the first connector is attached to the front surface of the housing and is detachably fitted to the main device side connector, and extends beyond the front end of the first connector. Therefore, for example, even if the connector unit is dropped onto the floor with the first connector down, the overhanging portion only hits the floor and the front end of the first connector does not hit the floor. Therefore, the damage of the first connector due to the drop of the connector unit can be reliably prevented, and the connector unit can be used for a long period of time without deteriorating the fitting performance to the main device side connector.

A guide for guiding the movement of the housing with respect to the main device is provided on the overhang portion between the position where the first connector is fitted to the main device side connector and the position where the first connector is detached from the main device side connector. By providing the portion, the connector unit can be smoothly attached to and detached from the main device. Further, if the protruding portion is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the main device in a state where the first connector is fitted with the main device-side connector, when the connector unit is attached to the computer,
It is possible to surely fit the first connector and the main device side connector, and it is possible to eliminate the need to check the fitting of each of them.

Further, if a hand grip is provided at the rear part of the housing, the connector unit can be easily carried and detached from the main unit. Moreover, if the cable bundling means is provided at the rear part of the housing, a plurality of cables connected to the peripheral device side connector can be neatly assembled and it is possible to reliably prevent the cables from being twisted or entangled.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the use of the connector unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of connection between the connector unit and a computer.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of use of the connector unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector unit 2 Housing 22 Front protrusion 22c Hook part (engagement part) 22d Guide groove (guide part) 25 Hand grip part 3 Docking connector (first connector) 41-45 Peripheral device connector (second connector) 5 Bundling band 7 Computer (main device) 8 Expansion connector (main device side connector) 91-95 External connection connector (peripheral device side connector)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A housing, and a first connector attached to a front surface of the housing and detachably fitted to a main device side connector attached to a main device at a front end thereof.
A plurality of second connectors attached to the rear surface of the housing and detachably fitted to a plurality of peripheral device side connectors attached to the ends of a plurality of cables extending from the peripheral device; A connector unit in which the connector and the plurality of second connectors are electrically connected in the housing, and an overhanging portion projecting forward of the front end of the first connector at least at a front portion of the housing. A connector unit characterized by being formed. 2. The main body of the housing between the position where the first connector is fitted to the main device side connector and the position where the first connector is disengaged from the main device side connector on the overhang portion. The connector unit according to claim 1, further comprising a guide portion that guides a movement with respect to the device. 3. The engaging portion for engaging with the main device in a state where the first connector is fitted to the main device side connector, is provided in the overhanging part. Connector unit described in. 4. The connector unit according to claim 1, wherein the rear portion of the housing is provided with a hand grip for holding the housing. 5. A cable bundling means for bundling the plurality of cables extending rearward from the peripheral device side connectors fitted to the second connectors is provided at a rear portion of the housing. , 2, 3 or 4 connector unit.