JPH1186969A - Locking mechanism for cable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To lock a cable connector to a receptacle only by fastening one fixing screw thereto and to keep a contact in contact with the connector if pulled out. SOLUTION: A locking plate 1 pivotally supported at its folding edge by a lateral shaft 14 provided at the lower end of the front face 13 of a receptacle 12 has a vertical plate 15 arranged along the front face 13 and a lateral plate 16, perpendicular to the vertical plate 15, protruded on the front side of the receptacle 12. When a cable connector 10 is connected to the receptacle 12, the vertical plate 15 of the locking plate is raised at a right angle to contact the front face 13 of the receptacle 12 and the lateral plate 16 is rotated upward until it is horizontal, so that a locking pawl 2 provided at the end of the lateral plate can be forced into a hole 5 provided on the lower face of the cable connector 10 to lock the cable connector 10 into the receptacle 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for a cable connector, and more particularly to a locking mechanism for a right-angle cable connector used in a computer apparatus, which is locked to a receptacle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a conventional cable connector 22 is separated from a receptacle 20. The receptacle 20 is fixed to a vertical surface (not shown) of the housing of the computer device. Front surface 2 of receptacle 20
A large number of contact pins (not shown) for wiring connection are arranged in a fitting frame 21 provided in 5. A cable 23 is attached obliquely downward to the lower rear part of the right angle cable connector 22.

[0003] A fitting frame (not shown) provided on the front surface (mounting side) 26 of the cable connector 22 is fitted into the fitting frame 21 of the receptacle 20, and the cable connector 22 is attached to the front surface of the receptacle 20. The front surface 26 is brought into contact. Thus, the contact pins in the fitting frame 21 of the receptacle 20 and the contact pins similarly arranged in the fitting frame of the cable connector 22 contact each other and are connected.

[0004] Next, a fixing screw 24 for inserting a hole perpendicular to the mounting surface 26 on the upper part of the cable connector 22 is screwed into a female screw 27 provided on the upper part of the receptacle 20, and the cable connector 22 is fixed to the receptacle 20. I do.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 60-2273,
A lock structure is shown in which a hook provided at the tip of an elastically deformable lock bar attached to a receptacle is engaged with a connector and the connector is fixed to the receptacle.

[0006]

In the conventional cable connector shown in FIG. 2, only the upper portion of the cable connector 22 is fixed by the fixing screw 24, but usually the rear portion of the cable connector 22 is pulled downward. Although the entirety of the cable connector 22 is fixed to the receptacle 20, the cable connector 2 is fixed by the fixing screw 24.
If the lower portion of the cable connector 22 is pulled backward, for example, by pulling the cable 23 backward even in the locked state of the cable 2, the cable connector 22 may float from the receptacle 20, and the contact between the contact pins may not be secured. There is.

In the conventional right-angle cable connector, the fixing screw is attached only to the upper part of the cable connector because the cable projecting obliquely downward from the cable connector hinders the lower part of the connector cable. This is because they cannot be fixed by the above method.

In the lock structure described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 60-22773, there is a danger that a lock or the like will come off easily when a cable or the like comes into contact with the lock bar.

[0009]

A locking mechanism for a cable connector according to the present invention comprises a receptacle (12 in FIG. 1), a cable connector connected to the receptacle, and one end of the cable connector connected to the receptacle. Fixing means for fixing, and an axis at a position corresponding to the other end of the cable connector of the receptacle (14 in FIG. 1)
A vertical plate (1 in FIG. 1) which is pivotally supported and located on a joint surface (13 in FIG. 1) of the receptacle with the cable connector.
5) and a lock plate (1 in FIG. 1) comprising a horizontal plate (16 in FIG. 1) which is bent at a right angle from the vertical plate and is located along the other side of the cable connector connected to the receptacle. When the vertical plate provided on the horizontal plate is pressed against the joint surface of the receptacle with the cable connector by the cable connector, the vertical plate engages with the connector side locking portion provided on the other side surface of the cable connector. When the cable connector is locked in the state of being connected to the receptacle and the tip of the vertical plate is floating from the joint surface of the receptacle with the cable connector, the receptacle side which is disengaged from the cable connector side locking portion. The cable connector includes, for example, one end positioned upward and the other end positioned downward. Is location, the cable is connected right angle cable connector downward (1 in Figure 1
0).

In the lock mechanism for a cable connector according to the present invention, preferably, the fixing means is inserted into holes (6 and 7 in FIG. 1) provided in the connector and screwed into female screws provided in the receptacle. A fixing screw (3 in FIG. 1) provided with a drive board (4 in FIG. 1) for pressing the connector against the receptacle,
The vertical plate is provided with a hole (17 in FIG. 1) through which the fitting frame of the receptacle is inserted, and the receptacle-side locking portion is provided with a lock claw provided at a tip of the horizontal plate. In FIG. 1B, the connector side locking portion is a locking hole (5 in FIG. 1), and a stopper portion is provided to prevent the lock plate from rotating beyond a certain angle.

Further, the lock mechanism of the cable connector according to the present invention may be provided with an urging means for lifting a tip of the vertical plate from a joint surface of the receptacle with the connector.

[0012]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lock mechanism of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A lock plate 1 made of a sheet metal bent in an L-shape is attached to a front surface 13 of the receptacle 12. The lock plate 1 is supported by a horizontal shaft 14 provided at the lower end of the front surface 13 of the receptacle 12 with a fold line, and a vertical plate 15 extending along the front surface 13 and a horizontal plate orthogonal to the vertical plate 15 and protruding toward the front side of the receptacle 12. 2 and a fitting frame (FIG. 2) provided on the front surface 13 at the center of the vertical plate 15.
1 and not shown in FIG. 1), and a hole 17 for inserting the same is provided.
Is provided with a lock claw 2 at its tip.

The lock plate 1 receives the force of rotating the horizontal plate 16 downward when the cable connector is not connected due to the weight of the horizontal plate 16. Since the portion supports the vicinity of the fold of the horizontal plate 16, the lock plate 1 is held in a state where the horizontal plate 16 is tilted by a certain angle, and thus the vertical plate 15 is tilted forward by a certain angle.

A cable 23 is attached obliquely downward to a lower rear portion of the right angle cable connector 10. A hole 6 on the connector shell 11 and a hole 7 on the front surface 18 are provided at an upper portion of the cable connector 10 so as to be located on an axis perpendicular to the front surface 18.

Next, a method of connecting the cable connector 10 to the receptacle 12 will be described.

The fitting frame on the front surface 13 of the receptacle 12 and a fitting frame (not shown) provided on the front surface 18 of the cable connector 10 are fitted, and the front surface 18 is brought into contact with the front surface 13. At this time, the vertical plate 15 is pushed vertically by the front surface 18 of the cable connector 10 so as to be entirely in contact with the front surface 13 of the receptacle 12, and the horizontal plate 16 rotates upward until it becomes horizontal, and Is the cable connector 10
Into the hole 5 provided on the lower surface of the.

Next, the fixing screw 3 inserted through the holes 6 and 7 of the cable connector 10 is passed through the hole 8 provided on the vertical plate 15 and screwed into a female screw (not shown) provided on the front surface of the receptacle 12. The front face 18 of the cable connector 10 is pressed against the front face 13 of the receptacle 12 by the driving board 4 provided on the fixing screw 3.

Thus, the cable connector 10 is locked to the receptacle 12 by the fixing screw 3 at the upper part and by the lock claw 2 at the lower part, and floats up from the receptacle 12 even if the lower part is pulled backward by the cable 23 or the like. There is no.

When the cable connector 10 is detached, the fixing screw 3 is loosened, removed from the receptacle 12, and the lock of the cable connector 10 by the fixing screw 3 is released.
The cable connector 10 is pulled backward to separate the front surface 18 of the cable connector 10 from the front surface 13 of the receptacle 12. Then, the lock plate 1 rotates about the shaft 14 due to gravity, the horizontal plate 16 tilts downward, the lock claw 12 comes out of the hole 5 and the lock of the connector 10 by the lock claw 5 is released. Thereafter, the cable connector 10 is further pulled backward to completely remove the cable connector 10 from the receptacle 12.

The lock plate 1 is not limited to a sheet metal bent in an L shape, but may be a rod material bent in an L shape.

The fixing means is not limited to a fixing screw inserted through a hole provided in the cable connector and screwed into a female screw provided in the receptacle. For example, a bolt fixed to the receptacle is provided in the connector. The connector may be fixed to the receptacle with a nut passing through the hole and screwing to the bolt. Alternatively, the drive panel 4 may not be provided on the fixing screw, and the head of the fixing screw may be used to press the rear surface of the cable connector to press the cable connector against the receptacle.

The locking of the cable connector by the lock plate is not limited to the locking claw 2 being inserted into the hole 5; for example, a small projection provided on the cable connector may be inserted into a hole provided on the horizontal plate of the lock plate. May be something.

Further, in order to prevent the lock plate 1 from rotating beyond a certain angle, the lower side portion of the rising portion provided around the front surface 13 of the receptacle 12 supports the vicinity of the fold of the horizontal plate 16. Instead, other means such as providing a stopper for supporting the lock plate 1 can be used.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a right angle cable connector in which a cable is attached to a rear portion of a connector in a downward direction, but also to locking of various connectors to a receptacle. For example, the joint surface with the connector (FIG. 1
When the connector is connected and locked to a receptacle fixed so that the front surface 13 of the connector is horizontal, a fixing screw is provided only at one end of the connector and FIG.
The connector may be provided with a lock plate, and one side of the connector may be locked with a fixing screw and the other side may be locked with a lock plate. However, in this case, even when the connector is removed from the receptacle, the lock plate does not tilt due to gravity. Therefore, when the connector is attached or detached, the lock plate is tilted once by hand to pull out the lock claw 2 from the hole 5. Operation is required. Alternatively, a biasing means that acts like gravity on the lock plate is required. For example, in the case of FIG. 1, a structure in which a spring that biases the upper end of the vertical plate 15 in a direction away from the front surface 13 may be provided. Compared to the case where fixing screws are provided at both ends of the connector, such a locking mechanism of the connector only needs to handle one fixing screw, so that the connector can be easily attached to and detached from the receptacle. In this case, the vertical plate is substantially horizontal, and the horizontal plate is substantially vertical.

[0027]

According to the present invention, it is only necessary to operate one fixing means such as tightening one fixing screw to lock the cable connector to the receptacle. Even when the cable connector is pulled in the pulling-out direction, the contact between the cable connector and the receptacle can be reliably ensured.

The reason for this is that, together with the operation of the fixing means such as a fixing screw, the receptacle side locking portion provided on the lock plate and the connector side locking portion provided on the connector are engaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lock mechanism of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional lock mechanism of the cable connector of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lock plate 2 Lock claw 3 Fixing screw 4 Drive board 5 Hole 6 Hole 7 Hole 8 Hole 10 Cable connector 11 Connector shell 12 Receptacle 13 Front 14 Axis 15 Vertical plate 16 Horizontal plate 17 Hole 18 Front 20 Receptacle 22 Cable connector 23 Cable 24 Fixing screw 25 Front 26 Front 27 Female screw

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A receptacle, a cable connector connected to the receptacle, and fixing means for fixing one end of the cable connector to the receptacle.
A vertical plate pivotally supported by a shaft at a position corresponding to the other end of the cable connector of the receptacle, and a vertical plate positioned on a joint surface of the receptacle with the cable connector, and bent at a right angle from the vertical plate and connected to the receptacle; A lock plate formed of a horizontal plate located along the other side surface of the cable connector, and the vertical plate provided on the horizontal plate is pressed against a joint surface of the receptacle with the cable connector by the cable connector. When the cable connector is engaged, the cable connector is engaged with a connector-side locking portion provided on the other side of the cable connector to lock the cable connector in a state of being connected to the receptacle. When floating from the joint surface with the cable connector, the cable connector side Cable connector locking mechanism, characterized in that it comprises a receptacle-side locking portion. 2. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the cable connector is a right-angle cable connector having one end positioned upward and the other end positioned downward, and a cable directed downward. Item 2. A lock mechanism for a cable connector according to Item 1. 3. The fixing means is a fixing screw provided with a drive board inserted through a hole provided in the connector, screwed into a female screw provided in the receptacle, and pressing the connector against the receptacle. The locking mechanism for a cable connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The lock plate according to claim 1, wherein the lock plate is formed of a bent sheet metal, and the vertical plate is provided with a hole through which a fitting frame of the receptacle is inserted.
A lock mechanism for the cable connector as described. 5. A locking mechanism for a cable connector according to claim 1, further comprising an urging means for lifting a tip of said vertical plate from a joint surface of said receptacle with said connector. . 6. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle-side locking portion is a lock claw provided at a tip of the horizontal plate, and the connector-side locking portion is a locking hole. Cable connector locking mechanism. 7. The cable connector lock mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper for preventing the lock plate from rotating beyond a predetermined angle.