JP2007335178A - Connector for fluorescent tubes, and mounting method of fluorescent tube - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce manufacturing cost by reducing components of a terminal member of a connector for a fluorescent tube or the like and simplifying the structure. <P>SOLUTION: The connector for the fluorescent tube is composed of a terminal member which has a contact forming part for pinch-holding and press-contacting a conducting wire and is made of a conductive elastic member, and a housing which has a seat part for supporting the terminal part of the fluorescent tube and an opening recessed part having the terminal member to be fitted. The contact forming part 21 of the terminal member 3 is equipped with a pair of press-contact pieces 23a, 23b for pinch-holding and press-contacting the conducting wire, a pair of spring parts 22a, 22b for connecting the press-contact pieces with a main body part 20 of the terminal member, and a pair of pressing pieces 24a, 24b for pressing against the press-contact pieces. The opening recessed part 43 of the housing 4 is equipped with a first opening 34 where the contact forming part of the terminal member is inserted, and a pair of cam parts 41a, 41b for pressing the pressing pieces are formed in an inner wall. The terminal member presses the pressing pieces of the contact forming part by holding the housing in a freely vertical movement, and pressing down the housing against the terminal member to pinch-hold and press-contact the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluorescent tube connector for electrically connecting a fluorescent wire lead (terminal) used as a backlight of a liquid crystal screen, and a method of attaching the fluorescent tube to the fluorescent tube connector.

Since the liquid crystal screen has features such as low power consumption, light weight, and a flat structure, it is often used for various electronic devices such as a television receiver, a personal computer, and a mobile phone. In this liquid crystal screen, a fluorescent tube is indispensable as a backlight. For example, a plurality of fluorescent tubes having a diameter of 2.6 to 5 mm are arranged in parallel along the circuit board.
A fluorescent tube connector for electrically connecting such a fluorescent tube to a printed circuit on a circuit board has already been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-259370 (“Fluorescent Tube Connector Device”, Patent Document 1). Proposed.

A conventional fluorescent tube connector 50 described in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A is a longitudinal sectional view of the fluorescent tube connector, and FIGS. 6B and 6C are a perspective view and a plan view of a terminal member of the fluorescent tube connector.
A conventional fluorescent tube connector 50 includes a housing 4A, a terminal member 3A that is fitted in the internal space of the housing 4A, and an actuator 5A that is rotatably supported with respect to the terminal member 3A. The substrate (mounting substrate) 2 is soldered and fixed.
In the description of the “fluorescent tube connector” in this specification, for convenience of explanation, the X direction and the opposite direction in the drawing are the width direction or the side direction (side), and the Y direction and the opposite direction are the inside (inner direction). ) And the outer side (outer direction), and the Z direction and the opposite direction are referred to as an upper side direction (upward direction, height direction) and a lower side direction (downward direction). This is the same in the claims.

As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the terminal member 3A includes a main body 51 having a substantially rectangular cross section and a width that is slightly smaller than the main body 51 continuously in a downward direction inside the main body 51. A mounting section 52 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided. The main body 51 includes a pair of contact portions 53a and 53b extending from the upper edge in a direction approaching each other in the width direction, and a pair of operating pieces 55a and 55b extending outward from the lower edge.
The mounting portion 52 includes a pair of mounting pieces 56a and 56b that extend outward, a pair of actuator support pieces 57a and 57b that rotatably support the actuator 5A, and a width direction that is soldered to the circuit board 2. A pair of fixed pieces 58a and 58b are provided. The mounting pieces 56a and 56b are formed with hooks 59a and 59b that are engaged with a pair of step portions (not shown) provided in the housing 4A, and the actuator support pieces 57a and 57b. Are formed with openings 61a and 61b for supporting the short shaft portion of the actuator 5A.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the housing 4 </ b> A is for temporary fixing that is formed on the lower surface side of the seat portion 64 that supports the end portion of the fluorescent tube 6 and is press-fitted into the positioning hole of the circuit board 2. Projection portions 63a, 63b, and an opening recess 69 into which the terminal member 3A is inserted from the lower side. Further, on both sides of the opening recess 69 of the housing 4A, when the terminal member 3A is fitted into the housing 4A, a pair of stepped portions to which the pair of hooks 59a, 59b of the terminal member 3A are locked. (Not shown) is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the actuator 5A includes an outer wall portion 67a, both side wall portions, and an upper side wall portion 67b that respectively cover the outer side surface, both side surfaces in the width direction, and the top portion of the housing 4A. It has. A short shaft portion (not shown) is formed on both sides of the lower portion of the outer wall portion 67a, and a cam portion 68 is formed on the lower inner central portion of the outer wall portion 67a. The upper wall portion 67b has a fluorescent tube. 6 is formed in a shape that covers and presses the end of 6. Further, since the pair of short shaft portions of the actuator 5A are supported by the openings 61a and 61b formed in the pair of actuator support pieces 57a and 57b of the terminal member 3A, the actuator 5A is attached to the terminal member 3A. It is supported rotatably.

  The cam portion 68 of the actuator 5A has a pair of operating pieces of the terminal member 3A when the actuator 5A is rotated in the opening direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 6A) to reach the state shown in FIG. Pushing in between 55a and 55b, the pair of contact portions 53a and 53b are expanded in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6C against the elastic force (spring force). On the other hand, when the actuator 5A is rotated in the closing direction (clockwise in FIG. 6A) and the cam portion 68 is escaped from between the pair of operating pieces 55a and 55b, the pair of contact portions 53a and 53b is Approach each other by elastic restoring force.

  After the fluorescent tube connector 50 having the above-described configuration has been press-fitted into the positioning hole of the circuit board 2 with the protrusions 63a and 63b formed on the lower surface side of the housing 4A, The pair of fixing pieces 58a, 58b and the like of the terminal member 3A are fixed on the circuit board 2 by soldering. Accordingly, the terminal member 3A is electrically connected to the printed circuit of the circuit board 2. In this case, two fluorescent tube connectors 50 are used as a set, and a required number of connectors are fixed on the circuit board 2.

When the fluorescent tube 6 is attached to the fluorescent tube connector 50 fixed on the circuit board 2 in this manner, as shown in FIG. 6A, first, the actuator 5A is moved outward (see FIG. 6 (a), the cam portion 68 of the actuator 5A is pushed between the pair of operating pieces 55a and 55b of the terminal member 3A, and the pair of contact portions 53a and 53b are expanded. (See FIG. 6C). In this state, the fluorescent tube 6 is placed on the seat portion 64 of the housing 4A. Then, the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6 is placed between the pair of contact portions 53a and 53b.
Next, when the actuator 5A is rotated inward (clockwise in FIG. 6A), the cam portion 68 of the actuator 5A comes out from between the pair of operating pieces 55a, 55b of the terminal member 3A. The pair of contact portions 53a and 53b are close to each other by an elastic restoring force. Then, the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6 is sandwiched and pressed by the contact portions 53a and 53b, and the conducting wire 6a is electrically connected to the terminal member 3A.

  On the contrary, when removing the fluorescent tube 6 attached to the fluorescent tube connector 50, the pair of contacts of the terminal member 3A is performed by performing the reverse operation of attaching the fluorescent tube 6 to the connector 50. Since the parts 53a and 53b can be expanded, the fluorescent tube 6 can be easily detached from the fluorescent tube connector 50.

In addition to what is described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, as an application related to the present invention, Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-55651, which is a prior application of the same applicant as the present application (filing date: March 2005). 1st).
The invention according to this prior application will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7A is an exploded perspective view, FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7C is a plan view of the entire connector.
The fluorescent tube connector (backlight connector) 70 of the invention according to the prior application has a main body 3B that supports the fluorescent tube 6 and a slider 5B that moves up and down with respect to the main body 3B. As in the conventional example, it is fixed on a circuit board (mounting board) and used.

The main body 3B has a pair of contacts 76a and 76b that are substantially U-shaped in plan view, a flat plate portion 71 that receives the fluorescent tube 6, and a side edge of the flat plate portion 71 that rises along the longitudinal direction of the fluorescent tube 6. A pair of guide portions 72a and 72b extending and facing each other is provided. A pair of side plates 75a and 75b are provided below the pair of guide portions 72a and 72b, and a pair of openings 80a and 80b for guiding the slider 5B in the vertical direction are provided in the pair of side plates 75a and 75b. Is formed. A U-shaped section 73 at the bottom of the flat plate portion 71 is provided to maintain the rigidity of the main body 3B, and further includes a portion 74 that supports the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6.
Each of the pair of contacts 76a and 76b has a substantially U shape in a plan view composed of outer wall portions 83a and 83b and inner wall portions 84a and 84b. The outer wall portions 83a and 83b of the contacts 76a and 76b are formed as described above. Each of the guide portions 72a and 72b extends integrally from one end, and its free end is formed so as to elastically contact the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6. The outer wall portions 83a and 83b are formed with bulging portions 77a and 77b projecting outward in the width direction.

The slider 5B is formed in a substantially U shape in plan view, and includes a pair of side wall portions 78a and 78b that are spaced apart from each other. Each of these side wall portions 78a and 78b is inserted into a pair of flanges 79a and 79b projecting inward in the width direction from the upper outer side and a pair of openings 80a and 80b of the pair of side plates 75a and 75b of the main body 3B. The upright pieces 81a and 81b and a pair of presser plates 82a and 82b are provided on the upright pieces 81a and 81b.
The slider 5B is disposed along the pair of side plates 75a and 75b of the main body 3B, and the pair of upright pieces 81a and 81b of the slider 5B is inserted into the pair of openings 80a and 80b of the main body 3B so as to move vertically. The cut and raised pieces 81a and 81b are guided by the elongated openings 80a and 80b to move up and down. That is, the slider 5B moves up and down along the side plates 75a and 75b. The vertical movement of the slider 5B brings the pair of flanges 79a and 79b into contact with the bulging portions 77a and 77b of the pair of contacts 76a and 76b. These contacts 76a and 76b are elastically deformed in a direction approaching each other.
In this way, the free ends of the inner wall portions 84a and 84b of the pair of contacts 76a and 76b can be pressed against the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6.

When the fluorescent tube 6 is attached to the fluorescent tube connector 70 of the invention according to the prior application having the above-described configuration, the fluorescent tube 6 is placed on the flat plate portion 71 of the main body 3B, and the fluorescent tube 6 After the lead wire 6a is positioned between the pair of contacts 76a and 76b, the pair of presser plates 82a and 82b of the slider 5B are pushed down. Then, the slider 5B moves downward along the side plates 75a and 75b of the main body 3B, and the flanges 79a and 79b of the slider 5B come into contact with the bulging portions 77a and 77b of the pair of contacts 76a and 76b. Then, the pair of contacts 76a and 76b facing each other are elastically deformed in a direction in which they approach each other. Thereby, the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6 is brought into a pressure contact relationship with the free ends of the inner wall portions 84a and 84b of the contacts 76a and 76b, and an electrical conduction relationship is ensured.
On the other hand, when removing the fluorescent tube 6 from the fluorescent tube connector 70, the contact of the contacts 76a and 76b to the conducting wire 6a is released by moving the slider 5B upward, so that the fluorescent tube 6 is easily removed. It is possible.

JP 2005-259370 A

As shown in FIG. 6, the fluorescent tube connector 50 described in Patent Document 1 is a “three-piece type” composed of a terminal member 3A, a housing 4A, and an actuator 5A, and has a large number of parts for assembly. The number of steps required increases. Further, the structure of the terminal member 3A is complicated, and the structure of the housing 4A corresponding to this is complicated, so that the manufacturing cost is inevitably increased.
Furthermore, since the fluorescent tube connector 50 described in Patent Document 1 is for attaching or removing the fluorescent tube 6 by rotating the actuator 5A, not only the mounting work efficiency is inferior, but also the fluorescent tube 6 It is difficult to automate the attachment or removal work.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the fluorescent tube connector 70 of the invention according to the prior application is a “two-piece type” composed of a main body 3B and a slider 5B, but the structure of the main body 3B is very complicated. And the manufacturing cost is high.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to reduce the number of components such as terminal members in the fluorescent tube connector and to simplify the structure of the fluorescent tube connector, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. It is to devise the configuration of the component parts so that it can be reduced.
Another object of the present invention is to devise a method for attaching a fluorescent tube to a fluorescent tube connector in which the configuration of components such as terminal members is devised.

(1) A fluorescent tube connector according to the present invention (corresponding to claim 1) has a contact forming portion that sandwiches and presses the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube, and is composed of a terminal member made of a conductive elastic material,
On the premise of a fluorescent tube connector comprising: a seat portion that supports an end portion of the fluorescent tube; and a housing having an opening recess that is an internal space into which the terminal member is inserted, the following requirements (A) to (D) It consists of
(A) The contact forming portion of the terminal member includes a pair of pressure contact pieces that sandwich and press the lead wire of the fluorescent tube, a pair of spring portions that respectively connect the pair of pressure contact pieces to the main body portion of the terminal member, It has a pair of pressurizing pieces that apply a pressing force to the pair of press contact pieces.
(B) The opening concave portion of the housing includes a first opening in which a contact forming portion of the terminal member is inserted and a pair of cam portions for pressing the pair of pressure pieces is formed on an inner wall. Being.
(C) The terminal member holds the housing so as to be movable up and down.
(D) By pressing down the housing with respect to the terminal member, the pair of pressurizing pieces of the contact forming portion can be pressed and the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube can be sandwiched and pressed by the pair of pressurizing pieces.

According to such a configuration, the fluorescent tube connector is a two-piece type composed of a terminal member and a housing held by the terminal member so as to be movable up and down. Since the structure of the recess is relatively simple, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.
Further, by pushing down the housing with respect to the terminal member, it is possible to sandwich and press-contact the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube, so that the fluorescent tube can be attached efficiently. Furthermore, it is possible to easily execute this fluorescent tube mounting operation when it is automated.

(2) Further, in the fluorescent tube connector, a U-shaped groove that opens above the seat portion that supports the end portion of the fluorescent tube and that opens the upper portion and receives the lead of the fluorescent tube is formed in the housing. Can be formed. (Corresponding to claim 2)
With such a configuration, since the upper part of the fluorescent tube connector is always open, when the fluorescent tube is attached to or removed from the fluorescent tube connector, the fluorescent tube connector is inserted in the axial direction (outside or inward direction). Therefore, the fluorescent tube can be easily taken in and out from above, and the operation of attaching or removing the fluorescent tube can be easily performed.

(3) Further, in the fluorescent tube connector, the pressure contact piece and the pressure piece of the contact formation portion can be formed into a substantially U shape, and the spring portion can be formed into a substantially S shape. (Corresponding to claim 3)
With such a configuration, the pressure contact piece is supported with elasticity against the main body portion, and when the pressure piece is pressed, the pressure piece efficiently applies an elastic force (spring force) to the pressure contact piece. Therefore, the lead wire of the fluorescent tube can be securely held and pressed by a pair of pressure contact pieces, and even if vibration, impact, or the like occurs, it does not come off easily.

(4) Further, in the fluorescent tube connector, the main body portion of the terminal member is formed in a substantially “U” shape in plan view, and includes a pair of holding pieces that have hooks and are opposed to each other.
The opening concave portion of the housing includes a pair of second openings in which the pair of holding pieces are inserted, and stepped portions for locking the hooks of the pair of holding pieces are formed.
When the housing is pulled up with respect to the terminal member, the housing can be prevented from coming off from the terminal member. (Corresponding to claim 4)
With such a configuration, the housing is guided in the vertical direction by the pair of holding pieces of the terminal member, and when the housing is pulled up, the step portions formed in the pair of second openings of the opening recesses are paired. Since it is latched by each hook of the piece, the housing can be prevented from coming out of the terminal member. This makes it possible to efficiently and reliably remove the fluorescent tube from the fluorescent tube connector.

(5) A method of attaching a fluorescent tube to a fluorescent tube connector according to the present invention (corresponding to claim 5) is to fix a plurality of fluorescent tube connectors on a circuit board, and to Assuming that each fluorescent tube is attached to the tube connector, the following requirements (e) are included.
(E) After placing the fluorescent tubes on the plurality of sets of fluorescent tube connectors, among the housings of the plurality of sets of fluorescent tube connectors, the housings within a predetermined range are pushed together.
With this configuration, the housings of a plurality of fluorescent tube connectors can be pushed down at once, so that the work of attaching the fluorescent tubes can be saved.

(6) In addition, in the above-described method for attaching a fluorescent tube to the fluorescent tube connector, a predetermined range of housings are bundled together by a holder attached to a circuit board to hold the upper portion of the fluorescent tube connector and the end of the fluorescent tube. Can be pushed down. (Corresponding to claim 6)
With such a configuration, after the housings of the plurality of fluorescent tube connectors are collectively pushed down by the holder, the holder can be fixed to the circuit board, so that it can be performed in the same manner as a normal mounting operation. .

The effects of the present invention are summarized according to the claims as follows.
(1) The invention according to claim 1 The fluorescent tube connector is a two-piece type comprising a terminal member and a housing held by the terminal member, and the structure of the contact forming portion of the terminal member and the opening recess of the housing. However, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Further, when the fluorescent tube is attached, the housing can be pressed against the terminal member by pressing down the housing, so that the attaching operation can be efficiently performed because the lead wire of the fluorescent tube can be held and pressed. It is also easy to automate the installation work.

(2) The invention according to claim 2 Since the upper part of the fluorescent tube connector is always open, when the fluorescent tube is attached to or removed from the fluorescent tube connector, the fluorescent tube can be easily taken in and out from above. It is possible not only to smoothly attach or remove the fluorescent tube, but also to easily automate it.
(3) The invention according to claim 3 When the pressure contact piece is supported with elasticity with respect to the main body portion and the pressure piece is pressed, the pressure piece efficiently applies an elastic force to the pressure contact piece. As a result, the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube can be securely held and pressed by the pair of pressing pieces. As a result, even when vibration or impact occurs, the fluorescent tube is not easily detached, and high reliability can be obtained.

(4) The invention according to claim 4 When the housing is pulled up to remove the fluorescent tube from the fluorescent tube connector, the housing can be prevented from coming out of the terminal member, so that the fluorescent tube can be removed efficiently and reliably. Can be performed.
(5) Inventions according to Claims 5 and 6 Since the housings of a plurality of fluorescent tube connectors can be pushed down at a time, the fluorescent tube can be attached efficiently. It is also possible to easily realize the automation of the fluorescent tube mounting operation.

A fluorescent tube connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is an overall perspective view of a fluorescent tube connector, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the fluorescent tube connector, FIGS. 3-1 to 4 are operation explanatory views of the fluorescent tube connector, and FIG. It is.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluorescent tube connector 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 4 and an opening recess 43 (FIG. 3-1 (c)) that is a space formed inside the housing 4. And the terminal member 3 inserted from the lower side, and is used by being fixed to the circuit board (mounting board) 2 by soldering, similarly to the above-described conventional example and the prior invention.

[Configuration of Terminal Member 3]
The terminal member 3 is integrally formed of a conductive elastic material. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal member 3 is generally formed in a plan view consisting of a pair of side plates 12 a and 12 b that are spaced apart from the outer plate 11. ”-Shaped body portion 20. On the upper side of the outer plate 11, there is a contact forming portion 21 that extends upward and sandwiches and conducts pressure on the conducting wire (terminal) 6 a of the fluorescent tube 6. It has an outer fixing piece 13c extending in the direction and fixed onto the circuit board 2 by soldering. Further, a pair of holding pieces 15a and 15b extending upward are provided above the pair of side plates 12a and 12b, respectively, and a width direction is provided below the pair of side plates 12a and 12b. And a pair of side fixing pieces 13a and 13b which are fixed to the circuit board 2 by soldering.

The contact forming portion 21 provided on the upper side of the outer plate 11 has a pair of press contact pieces 23a and 23b extending substantially linearly upward on the inner side in the width direction, and extending substantially linearly upward on the outer side in the width direction. A pair of pressure pieces 24a and 24b that form pressure parts 25a and 25b having the uppermost portion extending in the width direction and having a thickness in the inner direction, and the pair of pressure contact pieces 23a and 23b and the pressure pieces 24a and 24b are described above. A pair of substantially S-shaped curved spring portions 22a and 22b connected to the outer plate 11 is provided.
The pair of pressure contact pieces 23a and 23b and the pressure pieces 24a and 24b are formed in a substantially U shape by the pressure contact piece 23a and the pressure piece 24a on one side in the width direction, and the one side is formed below the pressure contact piece 23a. Is connected to the curved spring portion 22a. Similarly, the pressure contact piece 23b and the pressure piece 24b on the other side in the width direction have a substantially U shape, and are connected to the curved spring portion 22b at the lower part of the pressure contact piece 23b.
In the contact forming portion 21 having such a configuration, when a pressing force inward in the width direction is applied to the pair of pressure portions 25a and 25b, the pair of pressure pieces 24a and 24b and a pair of curves The spring portions 22a and 22b are elastically deformed, and an elastic force (spring force) is applied to the pair of press contact pieces 23a and 23b, so that the pair of press contact pieces 23a and 23b can approach each other.

  Although the contact formation part 21 of the terminal member 3 in a present Example is demonstrated as what has a shape as shown in FIG. 2, this contact formation part 21 is not limited to such a shape. Rather, it is composed of a pair of pressure contact pieces, a pair of pressure pieces, and a pair of spring portions, and when a pressing force inward in the width direction is applied to the pair of pressure pieces, the pair of pressure contact pieces are brought close to each other. Any configuration is included in the scope of the present invention.

  Each holding piece 15a, 15b provided above the pair of side plates 12a, 12b has hooks 16a, 16b formed by cutting and raising the upper portions thereof. The pair of hooks 16 a and 16 b have elasticity in the width direction, and are formed in the opening recess 43 when the terminal member 3 is assembled by being fitted into the opening recess 43 formed in the housing 4. The pair of stepped portions 42a and 42b are engaged (see FIG. 3-1 (d)). Thereby, after the terminal member 3 and the housing 4 are assembled, the terminal member 3 does not come out of the opening recess 43 of the housing 4.

[Configuration of housing 4]
The housing 4 is integrally molded of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first region I that is inside the housing 4 and receives and holds the fluorescent tube 6; It consists of a second region II which is in the outer part and receives the conductor 6a of the fluorescent tube 6.
The first region I of the housing 4 is provided with a recessed portion 37 having a seat portion 38 for holding the fluorescent tube 6 and open upward, and a pair of recessed portions 37 on both sides in the width direction. Side wall portions 31a and 31b are formed. Side openings (second openings) 32a and 32b into which the pair of holding pieces 15a and 15b of the terminal member 3 are fitted are opened in the pair of side walls 31a and 31b. As shown in FIG. 3-1 (d) or FIG. 4 (c), step portions 42a and 42b are respectively provided in 32a and 32b, and the hooks 16a of the pair of holding pieces 15a and 15b are provided. , 16b.
Further, the seat portion 38 formed in the first region I is shown as a plane in the drawing, but is not limited to a plane, and may be another shape surface such as a cylindrical surface. The seat 38 can be used as a suction surface when the fluorescent tube connector 1 is mounted on the circuit board 2. In this case, the surface of the portion that becomes the suction surface of the seat portion 38 is advantageously a flat surface or a shape close to a flat surface.

In the second region II of the housing 4, an end wall portion 33 having a slightly higher height than the pair of side wall portions 31 a and 31 b is formed. A U-shaped groove 35 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the end wall portion 33 so as to receive the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube, and the upper portion thereof is opened in a V shape. Further, the end wall 33 is orthogonal to the U-shaped groove 35 and has an end opening (first opening) 34 into which the contact forming portion 21 of the terminal member 3 is fitted. As shown in FIG. 3-1 (c) or FIG. 4 (b), a pair of cam portions 41a, 41b are provided on the inner walls on both sides in the width direction of the end opening 34, and the above-mentioned A pressing force inward in the width direction is applied to the pair of pressurizing portions 25 a and 25 b of the contact forming portion 21.
A pair of side openings (second openings) 32a, 32b and end openings (first openings) 34 respectively opened in the pair of side wall portions 31a, 31b and the end wall portion 33 of the housing 4 It is a part of the opening recess 43 and communicates with each other in the lower part of the housing 4.
Further, the outer surfaces on both sides in the width direction of the pair of side wall portions 31a, 31b and the end wall portion 33 are formed flush with each other, and pull tabs 36a, 36b are provided on the upper sides of the respective side surfaces.

[Assembly of fluorescent tube connector 1]
The fluorescent tube connector 1 including the terminal member 3 and the housing 4 having the above-described configuration is assembled as follows.
As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal member 3 is inserted into the opening recess 43 (see FIGS. 3-1 (c) and (d)) that is the internal space of the housing 4 from below. At this time, the pair of holding pieces 15a and 15b and the contact forming portion 21 of the terminal member 3 are respectively inserted into the pair of side openings 32a and 32b and the end opening 34 of the housing 4, and the pair of holding pieces 15a. 15b, the hooks 16a, 16b are elastically deformed and enter the stepped portions 42a, 42b of the pair of side openings 32a, 32b. At this position, the hooks 16a, 16b have their elastic restoring force. Thus, the stepped portions 42a and 42b are engaged with each other (see FIG. 3D).
Thus, the hooks 16a, 16b in the pair of holding pieces 15a, 15b of the terminal member 3 are locked to the step portions 42a, 42b in the pair of side openings 32a, 32b of the housing 4, The housing 4 does not come out of the terminal member 3.

In the fluorescent tube connector 1 thus assembled, the pair of hooks 16a and 16b of the terminal member 3 are connected to the pair of housings 4 as shown in FIGS. 3-1 and 3-2. It is in the upper position (open state) latched by each step part 42a, 42b of the side part opening 32a, 32b. In this upper position, the pressurizing parts 25a and 25b in the pair of pressurizing pieces 24a and 24b of the contact forming part 21 are paired with each other in the end opening 34 as shown in FIG. Since it is located below the cam portions 41a and 41b and is not pressed by the pair of cam portions 41a and 41b, the contact forming portion 21 is opened by its own elastic restoring force (a pair of press contact). The pieces 23a and 23b are in a separated state).
In such an open state, the housing 4 is held by a frictional force between the terminal member 3 and the housing 4 so as not to be lowered to a lower position (closed state) by its own weight. That is, the pressure members 25a and 25b of the pair of pressure pieces 24a and 24b of the terminal member 3 are held by frictional forces between the inner walls in the width direction of the end opening 34 of the housing 4.
The fluorescent tube connector 1 that has been assembled as described above is reliably soldered to a predetermined position on the circuit board 2 by the pair of side fixing pieces 13a, 13b and the outer fixing piece 13c of the terminal member 3. Fixed to. Thereby, the terminal member 3 is electrically connected to the printed circuit of the circuit board.

[Attaching work of fluorescent tube 6]
A case where the fluorescent tube 6 is attached to the fluorescent tube connector 1 fixed to the circuit board (mounting substrate) 2 in this way will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3-1, and FIG. 3-2, the fluorescent tube 6 is placed from above on the fluorescent tube connector 1 with the housing 4 in the upper position (open state). At this time, the fluorescent tube 6 is held by the seat portion 38 of the housing 4, and the conducting wire (terminal) 6 a of the fluorescent tube 6 is located between the pair of pressure contact pieces 23 a and 23 b in the contact forming portion 21 of the terminal member 3 (FIG. 5 (a) and (b)). When the fluorescent tube 6 is placed on the fluorescent tube connector 1, the fluorescent tube connector 1 is opened upward as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-2, and the fluorescent tube 6 is moved upward. Since there is nothing in the way that disturbs the mounting, the mounting operation can be performed easily.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, when the housing 4 in the upper position (open state) is pushed down to the lower position (closed state, locked state), the housing 4 moves downward with respect to the terminal member 3. As a result of the movement, the pair of cam portions 41a and 41b in the end opening 34 of the housing 4 is paired with the pair of pressure pieces 24a and 24b of the terminal member 3 as shown by the arrows in FIG. The pressing parts 25a and 25b are pressed inward in the width direction. As a result, the pair of pressure contact pieces 24a, 24b and the pair of curved spring portions 22a, 22b are elastically deformed to apply an elastic force to the pair of pressure contact pieces 23a, 23b. 23a and 23b are brought close to each other. As a result, the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6 is sandwiched and pressed by the pair of press contact pieces 23a and 23b, so that the conducting wire 6a of the fluorescent tube is electrically connected to the terminal member 3 reliably.

  When the fluorescent tubes 6 are disposed on the circuit board 2, a large number of fluorescent tubes 6, 6... Are usually attached to a large number of sets of fluorescent tube connectors 1, 1. Most of them. In such a case, when the housing 4 is pushed down, the housings 4, 4... Of the plurality of fluorescent tube connectors may be individually performed, but the housings 4, 4. It can also be pushed down together. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, it can be performed more efficiently by pushing down using the holder 8. This holder 8 is finally mounted on the circuit board 2 and holds the ends of the plurality of fluorescent tubes 6, 6... And the upper portions of the plurality of fluorescent tube connectors 1, 1. (See (c)). In FIG. 5, reference numeral 7 denotes a reflector, and reference numeral 9 denotes a lamp holder.

[Removal of fluorescent tube 6]
Next, the removal operation | movement of the fluorescent tube 6 is demonstrated, referring FIGS. 3-1 and FIGS. 3-2.
When the fluorescent tube 6 is removed from the fluorescent tube connector 1 fixed to the circuit board 2, the housing 4 is pulled up by the pull tabs 36 a and 36 b formed on the upper side of the housing 4. 3 is moved upward to an upper position (open state) (see FIG. 3A). At this time, the hooks 16a and 16b of the pair of holding pieces 15a and 15b of the terminal member 3 are engaged with the step portions 42a and 42b of the pair of side openings 32a and 32b of the housing 4, respectively. Since the upward movement of 4 is restricted, the housing 4 is not detached from the terminal member 3 during the upward movement.

  As described above, when the housing 4 is moved upward to the upper position, the pair of cam portions 41a and 41b in the end opening 34 of the housing 4 is also moved upward, and the pair of terminal members 3 are added. The pressing force applied to the pressurizing portions 25a and 25b of the pressure pieces 24a and 24b is released (see FIG. 3-1 (c)). As a result, the contact forming portion 21 of the terminal member 3 returns to its original shape due to the elastic restoring force, and the pressing force of the pair of press contact pieces 23a and 23b sandwiching the lead wire 6a of the fluorescent tube 6 and canceling the contact is eliminated. As a result, the fluorescent tube 6 can be easily detached from the fluorescent tube connector 1 simply by lifting it.

These are the perspective views of the connector for fluorescent tubes by the Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the fluorescent tube connector. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the fluorescent tube connector when the housing is in an open state, in which (a) is a side view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in (a), ) Is a sectional view taken along the line DD of (a). These are explanatory drawings when a housing is an open state in the connector for fluorescent tubes, (a) is a front view seen from the inside, (b) is a BB sectional view of (a). These are explanatory drawings when the housing is in a closed state (locked state) in the same fluorescent tube connector, (a) is a side view, (b) is a BB cross-sectional view of (a), and (c) is ( It is CC sectional drawing of a). These are explanatory drawings about the operation | work which attaches a fluorescent tube similarly to the connector for fluorescent tubes, (a) is a perspective view before making a housing closed, (b) is also before making a housing closed. A longitudinal sectional view, (c) is a longitudinal sectional view when the housing is closed. These are explanatory drawings of the connector for a fluorescent tube of a conventional example, (a) is a longitudinal sectional view when the actuator is open and the fluorescent tube is placed, and (b) is a state where the fluorescent tube is attached. The perspective view of a terminal member, (c) is a top view explaining operation | movement of a terminal member. These are explanatory drawings of the connector for fluorescent tubes of the invention which concerns on a prior application, (a) is a disassembled perspective view, (b) is BB sectional drawing of (a), (c) is the state in which the fluorescent tube was attached FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Connector for fluorescent tube 2 ... Circuit board (mounting board)
3 ... Terminal member 4 ... Housing 6 ... Fluorescent tube 6a ... Conductor (terminal)
7 ... Reflector plate 8 ... Holder 9 ... Lamp holder 11 ... Outer plate 12a, 12b ... Side plate 13a-13c ... Fixed piece 15a, 15b ... Holding piece 16a, 16b ... Hook 20 ... Main part 21 (of the terminal member) ... Contact formation part 22a, 22b ... Bending spring part 23a, 23b ... Pressure contact piece 24a, 24b ... Pressure piece 25a, 25b ... Pressure part 31a, 31b ... Side wall part 32a, 32b ... Side part opening (second opening)
33 ... end wall 34 ... end opening (first opening)
35 ... U-shaped groove 36a, 36b ... pull tab 37 ... recess 38 ... seat 41a, 41b ... cam 42a, 42b ... step 43 ... opening recess

Claims (6)

A terminal member made of a conductive elastic material, having a contact forming part that sandwiches and presses the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube;
In a fluorescent tube connector comprising: a seat portion that supports an end portion of the fluorescent tube; and a housing having an opening recess that is an internal space into which the terminal member is inserted.
The contact formation portion of the terminal member includes a pair of pressure contact pieces that sandwich and press the lead wire of the fluorescent tube, a pair of spring portions that respectively connect the pair of pressure contact pieces to the main body portion of the terminal member, and the pair of pressure contact Provided with a pair of pressure pieces for applying a pressing force to the pieces,
The opening concave portion of the housing includes a first opening in which a contact forming portion of the terminal member is inserted and a pair of cam portions for pressing the pair of pressure pieces is formed on an inner wall,
The terminal member is configured to hold the housing movably up and down,
By pressing down the housing against the terminal member, the pair of pressurizing pieces of the contact forming portion can be pressed so that the lead wire of the fluorescent tube can be sandwiched and pressed by the pair of pressurizing pieces. connector.   2. The U-shaped groove for opening the upper portion of the seat portion supporting the end portion of the fluorescent tube and receiving the conducting wire of the fluorescent tube is formed in the housing. The connector for fluorescent tubes as described.   The fluorescent tube connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure contact piece and the pressure piece of the contact forming portion form a substantially U shape, and the spring portion is formed in a substantially S shape. The main body portion of the terminal member is formed in a substantially U shape in plan view, and includes a pair of holding pieces that have a hook and are spaced apart from each other.
The opening concave portion of the housing includes a pair of second openings in which the pair of holding pieces are inserted, and stepped portions for locking the hooks of the pair of holding pieces are formed.
4. The fluorescent tube connector according to claim 1, wherein when the housing is pulled up with respect to the terminal member, the housing is prevented from coming out of the terminal member. 5. In a method of fixing a plurality of sets of fluorescent tube connectors according to any one of claims 1 to 4 on a circuit board and attaching the fluorescent tubes to the plurality of sets of fluorescent tube connectors,
Fluorescence to a fluorescent tube connector, wherein a fluorescent tube is mounted on each of the plurality of fluorescent tube connectors, and a predetermined range of the housings of the plurality of fluorescent tube connector housings is pushed down collectively. How to install the tube. 6. The fluorescent tube connector according to claim 5, wherein a housing in a predetermined range is collectively pushed down by a holder attached to the circuit board in order to hold an upper portion of the fluorescent tube connector and an end portion of the fluorescent tube. How to install the fluorescent tube.

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