JP2005129258A - Connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector device in which a space, into which a flange part of a connector with flange part is inserted and arranged, can be protected from foreign matters and which is superior in user-friendliness, and in which there is no possibility of losing parts. <P>SOLUTION: The connector device 20 is broadly constituted of a cabinet 21 to be mounted on the main body device by having an eaves part 26 and a cam groove 21a, a housing 23 to be housed in the cabinet 21 capable of elevating by arranging and installing respective contacts 22, a contact cover 24 capable of sliding engaged to the housing 23 by having a guide protrusion 24a guided by the cam groove 21a, and a coil spring 25 to always drive a contact cover 24 to a complete-closing position (position in which the respective contacts 22 are closed), and by pushing in the contact cover 24 by the flange part 31 at loading the connector 30 with the flange part, the cover 24 moves diagonally downward to make the housing 23 descend. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector device that is attached to a main device side in order to connect an accessory device (accessory) such as an external light in a video camera or the like.

  In general, a main body device such as a video camera is provided with a connector device called a hot shoe for connecting an auxiliary device such as an external light. This type of connector device is such that the accessory device is electrically and mechanically connected to the main body device by attaching a hooked connector attached to the accessory device side. A connector device 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The conventional connector device 1 shown in FIG. 14 is for detachably mounting the hooked connector 10. The connector device 1 includes a housing 2 made of a metal plate that is attached to a main body device (not shown), a housing 3 in which a plurality of contacts (not shown) are disposed and fixed in the housing 2, and the contacts. The contact cover 4 is slidable between a fully closed position where the lid is closed and a fully opened position where the contact is exposed, and a coil spring (not shown) that constantly biases the contact cover 4 toward the fully closed position. A plurality of terminal portions led out from the respective contacts are connected to a flexible board (not shown) at the back of the housing 3 and are electrically connected to the main body device via the flexible board. Yes. The housing 2 is provided with a pair of flanges 5 formed by bending the upper end portions of both side walls inward. Both edge portions of the upper surface of the housing 3 facing the flanges 5 are band-shaped mounting surfaces 6 for slidably mounting the flanges 11 of the connector 10 with the flanges. The contact cover 4 disposed between them can be reciprocated along the extending direction of the belt-shaped mounting surface 6.

  On the other hand, the connector 10 with a hook is a convex member having a hook portion 11 having a substantially U shape in a plan view, and is provided with a plurality of screw holes 12 for attaching an attachment device (not shown). The flanged connector 10 is provided with a plurality of contact pieces (not shown) to which springiness is imparted, and the lower end portion of each contact piece projects downward from the flange portion 11. Terminal portions (not shown) are led upward from the contact pieces, and these terminal portions are electrically connected to the accessory device. Further, a pair of protrusions (not shown) are provided on the bottom side of the flanged connector 10 in the vicinity of the plurality of contact pieces.

  When the hooked connector 10 is not attached, the contact cover 4 of the connector device 1 is held in the fully closed position by the biasing force of the coil spring, as shown in FIG. To prevent the adhesion of dust and foreign matter. Further, when attaching the hooked connector 10 to the connector device 1 to connect the accessory device, the hook portion 11 of the hooked connector 10 is inserted between the hook portion 5 and the belt-shaped mounting surface 6. The flange portion 11 is slid on the belt-shaped mounting surface 6 with the flange portion 5 being overlapped. By this insertion operation, the flange portion 11 moves to the back side of the connector device 1, but when the flange portion 11 moves a predetermined amount, the protruding portion of the connector 10 with the flange comes into contact with the front end of the contact cover 4. If the flange portion 11 is further inserted against the urging force of the coil spring, the contact cover 4 is pushed back from the fully closed position to the fully open position. The contact cover 4 is positioned so that the corresponding contact piece of the hooked connector 10 comes into elastic contact with the contact exposed as the contact cover 4 slides backward. At the time of being pushed in, the hooked connector 10 is kept in a state of being electrically connected to the connector device 1.

In addition, as another conventional technique, a connector device configured so that the contact cover can be attached and detached at any time has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In such a connector device, when the hooked connector on the accessory device side is attached, the contact cover is removed to expose the contact, and in other cases, the contact cover is attached to protect the contact.
JP-A-9-163200 (page 3-4, FIG. 1) Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 7-41539 (page 7-12, FIG. 4)

  In the conventional connector device 1 shown in FIG. 14, the contact cover 4 is held in the fully closed position when the hooked connector 10 is not attached, so that the contact can be protected, but the hook portion 11 is inserted. Since the space (engagement recess S) defined between the flange 5 and the belt-shaped mounting surface 6 for placement is still exposed, foreign matter is stuck or pinched in the engagement recess S, etc. As a result, there is a risk of hindrance to the insertion of the buttocks 11.

  On the other hand, in the case of the conventional connector device configured so that the contact cover can be attached and detached at any time, a part of the contact cover is inserted into a space for inserting and arranging the flange portion of the connector with the flange. Thus, the space can be protected from foreign matter. However, this device is cumbersome and unusable because the contact cover must be removed and stored when the hooked connector is mounted, and the contact cover may be lost.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a state of the art, and its purpose is to protect the space for inserting and arranging the flange portion of the flanged connector from foreign matters, and also to improve usability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector device that does not have to worry about losing parts.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, in the connector device of the present invention, a housing having a top plate portion on which a flange portion of the flanged connector is mounted and a plurality of contacts are disposed, and the plurality of contacts with respect to the housing. A contact cover that slidably engages between a fully closed position that closes the contact with the lid and a fully open position that exposes the contact, and that has guide protrusions at both ends in the width direction perpendicular to the sliding direction; and the contact An urging member that constantly urges the cover toward the fully closed position, and a flange that protrudes inward from both side walls and overlaps each side of the top plate and the contact cover, A housing having a cam groove for inserting and guiding the guide protrusions on both side walls and accommodating the housing so that the housing can be raised and lowered. The guide projection moves obliquely downward along the cam groove along with the slide retraction operation in which the contact cover is pushed into the collar when moving and moves from the fully closed position to the fully open position. The contact cover lowered the housing, and the plurality of contact pieces of the hooked connector were configured to contact the plurality of contacts.

  The connector device configured as described above inserts the flanges of the hooked connector into the both sides of the contact cover and both sides of the top plate of the housing when the hooked connector is not attached. -Since it can be located in the space for arrangement | positioning, it becomes possible to protect this space from a foreign material. However, when the hooked connector is mounted, the contact cover pushed into the hook portion slides obliquely downward and the housing is lowered, so that the space is exposed. Also, when removing the attached hooked connector, the contact cover is pushed back to the fully closed position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the housing is also pushed up to the original height position accordingly, protecting the contact and the space. Therefore, it is easy to use and there is no worry of losing parts.

  In the connector device having such a configuration, the protruding amount of the flange portion inwardly is smaller on the front side in the insertion direction of the flange portion than on the back side, and the flange portion that pushes in the distal end portion of the contact cover when the insertion of the flange portion starts. The front flange does not overlap the narrow part of the cover, and after the housing is lowered by a predetermined amount in accordance with the sliding backward movement of the contact cover, the rear flange is compared with the narrow part of the flange. If it is configured to overlap, and the front side buttock overlaps the wide part of the buttock, both the narrow part and the wide part of the buttock are both lowered after the contact cover is fully lowered Since it can be inserted below the collar part, the collar part can be easily and reliably inserted and arranged, which is preferable. In this case, if the portion near the tip of the contact cover is an inclined surface for sliding the narrow portion of the flange after the slide retreat operation of the contact cover is completed, during the insertion operation of the flange It is preferable because the eaves portion that rides on the inclined surface of the contact cover pushed into the fully open position can be smoothly guided onto the top plate portion.

  In the connector device having such a configuration, the terminal portions are led out from the base end sides of the plurality of contacts through the bent portions, respectively, and the housing places the plurality of contacts in the plurality of concave grooves, respectively. And a holding member that holds the plurality of bent portions and elastically contacts the plurality of terminal portions on the base member, and the top member is provided on the holding member. A simple structure in which a flexible board is sandwiched and connected between each terminal portion and the base member at the inner back portion of the housing formed by integrating a holding member that secures a retracting space for the contact cover with the base member. It is preferable because it can be adopted.

  Further, in the connector device having such a configuration, auxiliary cam grooves that extend in the ascending / descending direction of the housing are provided on both side walls of the housing, which are located on the back side in the insertion direction of the flange portion with respect to the cam grooves, and the housing It is preferable to provide auxiliary guide protrusions that are inserted through the auxiliary cam grooves and guided in the up-and-down direction at both ends in the width direction of the housing, because the raising and lowering operation of the housing that follows the contact cover can be performed more smoothly. .

  In the connector device of the present invention, when the hooked connector is not attached, a space for inserting and arranging the hooked portion of the hooked connector between the contact cover in the fully closed position and the both sides of the top plate of the housing. The contact cover slides obliquely downward when the hooked connector is mounted, and the housing is also lowered. Therefore, the space can be protected from foreign matters, and there is no fear of hindering the insertion operation of the buttocks. Further, the contact cover of this connector device is pushed into the collar part at the time of insertion, moves to the fully open position, and is pushed back to the fully closed position by the urging force of the urging member, and the housing is added to the contact cover. Since it moves up and down, it is easy to use and there is no worry of losing parts.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state in which a hooked connector is attached to a connector device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connector device with the housing omitted, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the base member omitted in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a view of the constituent members shown in FIG. 6 is a plan view of the connector device, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the connector with hooks shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the contact cover fully opened in the connector device.

  The connector device 20 shown in these drawings is for detachably mounting the hooked connector 30. The connector device 20 has a cam groove 21a and is attached to a main body device (not shown) such as a video camera, and a plurality of contacts 22 are arranged to be moved up and down in the housing 21. And a guide protrusion 24a guided by the cam groove 21a, and between the fully closed position where the contacts 22 are closed with respect to the housing 23 and the fully open position where each contact 22 is exposed. A contact cover 24 that is slidably engaged and a pair of coil springs 25 that are urging members that constantly urge the contact cover 24 toward the fully closed position. Terminal portions 22b are led out from the end sides via bent portions 22a (see FIG. 7). In the connector device 20, a plurality of terminal portions 22 b led out from the contacts 22 are connected to a flexible board (not shown) at the back of the housing 23, and are electrically connected to the main body device via the flexible board. It is like that.

  The casing 21 is provided with a pair of flange portions 26 formed by bending the upper ends of both side walls inward, and the amount of protrusion of each flange portion 26 inward is small on the opening end 21b side. Since it is larger on the closed end 21c side, as shown in FIG. 6, the distance between the pair of flanges 26 is wide on the open end 21b side and narrow on the closed end 21c side. The cam grooves 21 a are formed at opposite positions on both side walls of the housing 21. The cam groove 21a has a short horizontal portion at both ends of the inclined portion, and has a groove shape extending obliquely downward from the open end 21b side to the closed end 21c side. Further, an attachment piece 21 d for mechanically connecting to the main body device is provided on the bottom surface side of the housing 21.

  The housing 23 has a base member 27 in which a plurality of contacts 22 are respectively placed in a plurality of concave grooves 27 a, and a holding in which a plurality of bent portions 22 a are held and a plurality of terminal portions 22 b are elastically contacted on the base member 27. The members 28 are integrated with each other by inserting the leg portions 28a of the holding member 28 into the through holes 27b of the base member 27 and fusing them. The base member 27 is provided with a pair of left and right mounting surfaces 27c that move up and down in the vicinity of the open end 21b of the housing 21, and a pair of left and right U-shaped grooves 27d in which the respective coil springs 25 are disposed. A wide portion 31a of the flange 31 of the connector 30 is mounted on the mounting surface 27c. In addition, the holding member 28 includes a housing space 28b (see FIG. 7) in which the low-profile portion 24b of the contact cover 24 is projected and retracted, a top plate portion 28c that covers the housing space 28b, and a pair of coil springs 25 that are always in elastic contact. Spring receiving surface 28d (see FIG. 5), and a narrow portion 31b of the flange 31 of the connector 30 with the flange is mounted on the top plate 28c. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, both side portions of the top plate portion 28 c of the holding member 28 are almost located below the flange portion 26, and the housing 23 is at the uppermost portion allowed in the housing 21. When arranged, there is only a slight clearance between the top plate portion 28 c and the collar portion 26.

  The contact cover 24 includes a pair of left and right guide protrusions 24a inserted into the cam groove 21a of the housing 21, a prismatic pressed part 24c connecting the both guide protrusions 24a, and a rear side of the pressed part 24c. An extended low profile portion 24b and a pair of spring receiving portions 24d with which the other end of the coil spring 25 is always in elastic contact are provided. Further, the pressed portion 24c has an inclined surface 24f between the top surface 24e on the opening end 21b side of the housing 21 and the upper surface. The pressed portion 24c is a portion that is pushed into the flange portion 31 when the hooked connector 30 is mounted. Even if the contact cover 24 slides with respect to the holding member 28, the upper surface of the pressed portion 24c and the top plate portion 28c The upper surface is always kept at a substantially equal height (see FIG. 7). Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, both side portions of the pressed portion 24c are located below the flange portion 26, and the housing 23 is disposed at the uppermost portion allowed in the housing 21. There is only a slight clearance between the pressed portion 24 c and the flange portion 26.

  On the other hand, the hooked connector 30 attached to an attachment device (not shown) such as an external light has a convex shape in which a flange portion 31 having a wide portion 31a and a narrow portion 31b is projected as shown in FIGS. It is a member. The flanged connector 30 is provided with a plurality of contact pieces 32 to which spring properties are imparted, and the lower end portion of each contact piece 32 protrudes downward from the flange portion 31. Terminal portions (not shown) are led upward from the contact pieces 32, and these terminal portions are electrically connected to the accessory device.

  Next, the operation of the connector device 20 will be described. When the hooked connector 30 is not attached, the contact cover 24 of the connector device 20 is held in the fully closed position by the biasing force of the coil spring 25 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. Therefore, each contact 22 is kept in a closed state to prevent dust and foreign matter from adhering. Further, when the contact cover 24 is held in the fully closed position in this way, there is a slight clearance below the flange portion 26 on both sides of the pressed portion 24 c and both sides of the top plate portion 28 c of the holding member 28. Are arranged. Here, the lower portion of the flange portion 26 is a space for inserting and arranging the flange portion 31 of the connector 30 with the flange. However, since the space is substantially blocked by the pressed portion 24c and the top plate portion 28c, the foreign matter Protected from.

  When the hooked connector 30 is attached to the connector device 20 in order to connect the accessory device, the hooked portion 31 of the hooked connector 30 is inserted from the open end 21b side to the lower side of the hooked portion 26. At this time, first, the narrow portion 31b of the collar portion 31 abuts against the distal end surface 24e of the contact cover 24, and the narrow portion 31b moves the distal end surface 24e toward the back in the insertion direction against the urging force of the coil spring 25. When pushed in, the guide protrusion 24a of the contact cover 24 moves obliquely downward while being guided by the cam groove 21a. However, since the contact cover 24 is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 23 (the base member 27 and the holding member 28), when the contact cover 24 moves obliquely downward with respect to the housing 21, the housing 23 is removed from the housing 21. To descend. As the contact cover 24 slides backward, the contacts 22 are exposed. When the contact cover 24 is pushed to the fully open position, the hook 31 is further inserted from the distal end surface 24e by the insertion operation of the hook 31. It rides on the inclined surface 24f and moves smoothly onto the top plate portion 28c (see FIG. 11). As a result, the wide portion (closed end 21c side) and the narrow portion (open end 21b side) of the flange portion 26 overlap the narrow portion 31b and the wide portion 31c of the flange portion 31, respectively, and each contact The corresponding contact piece 32 of the hooked connector 30 is elastically contacted with the hooked connector 30, so that the hooked connector 30 is electrically connected to the connector device 20.

  When the hooked connector 30 thus attached is detached from the connector device 20, the hook 31 is moved in the direction opposite to that at the time of insertion and extracted from the open end 21b. The contact cover 24 is pushed back toward the open end 21b by the biasing force of the coil spring 25, and the guide protrusion 24a moves obliquely upward while being guided by the cam groove 21a. Therefore, when the housing 23 is raised by following the contact cover 24 and the collar portion 31 is completely extracted from the open end 21b, the contact cover 24 is pushed back to the fully closed position, as shown in FIGS. Thus, each contact 22 is automatically returned to the initial state in which the lid is closed, and the space below the collar portion 26 returns to a state in which it is substantially closed by the pressed portion 24c and the top plate portion 28c.

  As described above, the connector device 20 according to the present embodiment has both side portions of the pressed portion 24c of the contact cover 24 and the top plate portion 28c of the housing 23 in the fully closed position when the hooked connector 30 is not attached. However, it is located in a space for inserting and arranging the collar portion 31 to protect the space from foreign matter, and when the connector 30 with the collar is mounted, the contact cover 24 slides obliquely downward and the housing 23 is also lowered. Since it is comprised in this way, the collar part 31 can be reliably inserted in this space. Further, the contact cover 24 of the connector device 20 is pushed into the flange 31 at the time of insertion, moves to the fully open position, and is pushed back to the fully closed position by the urging force of the coil spring 25. Since it moves up and down following the contact cover 24, it is easy to use and there is no worry of losing parts. In this connector device 20, the flange portion 26 on the near side (opening end 21 b side) overlaps the narrow portion 31 b of the flange portion 31 that pushes the distal end surface 24 e of the contact cover 24 when the insertion of the flange portion 31 is started. After the housing 23 is lowered by a predetermined amount as the contact cover 24 slides backward, the back side (closed end 21c side) flange portion 26 overlaps the narrow portion 31b of the flange portion 31; Since the front flange portion 26 is configured to overlap the wide portion 31a of the flange portion 31, the contact cover 24 is sufficiently lowered before the narrow portion 31b and the wide portion 31a of the flange portion 31 are moved. Both can be inserted below the collar part 26, and the collar part 31 can be inserted and arranged easily and reliably.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a connector device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a fully open state of the contact cover of the connector device, and the same parts as in FIGS. The code | symbol is attached | subjected.

  In the connector device 40 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the housing 23 (the base member 27 and the holding member 28) is located on both sides of the housing 21 on the closed end 21 c side of the cam groove 21 a for the contact cover 24. Auxiliary cam grooves 21e extending in the ascending / descending direction are provided, and auxiliary guide protrusions 28e inserted in the auxiliary cam grooves 21e and guided in the ascending / descending direction are provided at both ends in the width direction of the holding member 28, respectively. Thereby, the connector apparatus 40 can perform the raising / lowering operation | movement of the housing 23 driven to the contact cover 24 more smoothly compared with the connector apparatus 20 of 1st Embodiment. The configuration of the connector device 40 is the same as that of the connector device 20 except that the auxiliary cam groove 21e and the auxiliary guide protrusion 28e are provided.

It is explanatory drawing which shows a mode that the connector with a collar is mounted | worn with the connector apparatus which concerns on the example of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of this connector apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the connector device with a housing omitted. It is the perspective view which abbreviate | omitted illustration of the base member in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the structural member shown in FIG. 4 from the bottom face side. It is a top view of this connector apparatus. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the BB line of FIG. It is a bottom view of the connector device. It is a bottom view of the connector with a hook shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the contact cover full open state of the connector apparatus shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the connector apparatus which concerns on the example of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the contact cover full open state of the connector apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the connector apparatus which concerns on a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Connector apparatus 21 Housing | casing 21a Cam groove 21b Open end 21e Auxiliary cam groove 22 Contact 22a Bending part 22b Terminal part 23 Housing 24 Contact cover 24a Guide protrusion 24c Pressed part 24f Inclined surface 25 Coil spring (biasing member)
26 butt portion 27 base member 27a concave groove 27c mounting surface 28 holding member 28c top plate portion 28e auxiliary guide projection 30 hooked connector 31 butt portion 32 contact piece

Claims (5)

A housing having a top plate portion on which the flange portion of the connector with a flange is mounted and a plurality of contacts are disposed, a fully closed position where the plurality of contacts are closed with respect to the housing, and a fully open position where the contacts are exposed. A contact cover that is slidably engaged with each other and has guide protrusions at both ends in the width direction orthogonal to the sliding direction, and a bias that constantly biases the contact cover toward the fully closed position A member and a flange that protrudes inward from both side walls and overlaps each side of the top plate and the contact cover, and guides the guide projections through the side walls. A housing having a cam groove so that the housing can be moved up and down;
The guide projection is obliquely lowered along the cam groove along with the slide retreat operation in which the contact cover is pushed into the flange portion when the flanged connector is mounted and moves from the fully closed position to the fully open position. The connector device is configured such that the contact cover moves down to lower the housing, and the plurality of contact pieces of the hooked connector come into contact with the plurality of contacts.   The amount of protrusion of the hook part inward in the insertion direction of the hook part is less than that of the back side in the insertion direction of the hook part, and when the insertion of the hook part starts, the tip of the contact cover is pushed in. The front side flange does not overlap the narrow part of the collar part, and the housing is lowered by a predetermined amount in accordance with the sliding backward movement of the contact cover, and then the narrow part of the collar part is compared with the narrow part. A connector device, wherein the back side flange portion overlaps and the front side flange portion overlaps a wide portion of the flange portion.   3. The contact cover according to claim 2, wherein a portion in the vicinity of the tip of the contact cover is an inclined surface for sliding the narrow portion of the flange after the slide retreat operation of the contact cover is completed. A connector device.   4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein a terminal portion is led out from a base end side of each of the plurality of contacts via a bent portion, and the housing includes a plurality of the contacts. A base member placed in the groove, and a holding member that holds the plurality of bent portions and elastically contacts the terminal portions on the base member, and the top plate portion is provided on the holding member. A connector device provided. 5. The auxiliary cam groove according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary cam groove extends in the ascending / descending direction of the housing and is located on the both side walls of the housing on the back side in the insertion direction of the flange portion with respect to the cam groove. And an auxiliary guide protrusion that is inserted through the auxiliary cam groove and guided in the up-and-down direction at both ends in the width direction of the housing.

Images