JPH06250103A - Connector device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a connector device by which the connector is surely sealed with simple constitution and a short circuit among contacts of connector is prevented as much as possible when the device is brought into contact with the other equipment even though the liquid is remained in the connector. CONSTITUTION:In a connector device 1 in which at least one of the pair of the connectors is made liquid tight and the connectors are fitted to each other to make electrical contacts, a connector main body 28 and a connector 8 are provided. The body 28 consists of an insulated member 16, on which electrical contacts 12 are provided on a flat surface and a shielding contact section 14 which shields electrical noise and is provided on the outer peripheral of the member 16. The connector 8 has a liquid tight construction and has a housing 20 connected to the body 28 which has an internally installed electrical system. The contact point surface of the section 14 becomes as a seal surface and a seal member 18 is installed between the seal surface and a housing 20 so that the connector 28 and the housing 20 are connected in a liquid tight manner.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector device formed by connecting various devices having a liquid-tight connector, and more particularly to a liquid-tight structure for the connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called connector device, which is provided with a device for making electrical contact with each other by connecting the electrical contacts of these connectors to each other by connecting the connectors to each other, the so-called connector device has a chance of touching the liquid. In some cases, the connector of the device has a liquid-tight structure so that liquid does not enter the device and cause a problem.

[0003] For example, in the medical field, an endoscope that can observe an organ in a body cavity by inserting an elongated insertion portion into the body cavity is widely used. , There are an optical endoscope that can be observed with the naked eye from the eyepiece, and an electronic endoscope in which a solid-state imaging device such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) is provided in the imaging unit at the tip of the insertion unit. A light source device for generating illumination light, an image processing device for processing an image pickup signal from a CCD of the electronic endoscope or an external camera attached to an eyepiece part of the optical endoscope, processed by this image processing device. It is configured and used as a connector device in which an observation monitor or the like which displays a video signal is connected via a connector. Then, in this case, among the devices constituting the connector device, in a device such as the endoscope or the external camera which is immersed in the liquid by cleaning / disinfecting, the liquid enters the inside to cause a problem. The connector also has a liquid-tight structure to prevent it from happening.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-184501 discloses a prior art example relating to a liquid-tight structure of a connector. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a retractable electrode terminal pin 152 biased in a direction projecting from the outer peripheral surface is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the connector plug body 153 of the endoscope, and the electrode terminal pin 152 Front and rear sealing members 150, 15
1 and a movable sleeve 1 urged in the axial direction
Disclosed is a prior art example in which the sleeve is covered with 55 to be liquid-tight. When the endoscope plug is inserted into the socket of the control device, the sleeve 155 is moved in the axial direction. Thus, the electrode terminal pin 152 is opened and comes into contact with the electrode member on the other side so that electrical connection is made.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-248017,
On the back side of the insulator provided with the pin contact, by providing a waterproof room with a space at the base end of the pin contact,
Disclosed is an endoscope connector in which even if water enters the interior through the gap between the pin contact and the insulator, it remains in the waterproof room and prevents further intrusion of water.

[0006]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
After immersing the device in liquid such as water for disinfection, etc., moisture is stuck to the connector of the device as a lump,
Just wiping with a cloth will leave a small amount of water.

Therefore, even in the case of a device having a connector whose electric contact is covered by a sleeve or a connector having a liquid-tight structure in which a waterproof chamber is provided at the base end of a pin contact, as in the above-mentioned prior art, If the device is immediately immersed in a liquid such as water by disinfection or the like and then simply wiped with a cloth or the like and immediately connected to another device, the remaining water may remain on the thin electric contacts, and the electric contacts may be electrically connected to each other to cause a short circuit.

Therefore, recently, unlike the above-mentioned complicated structure, a connector having a simple waterproof structure in which a planar contact pattern is provided on an insulator has been proposed. This type of connector has the advantage that it can be easily wiped off even if liquid adheres because the electrical contact part has a planar shape, but there are many methods of molding the insulating material, and it must be completely liquid-tight by molding. Has a poor yield in manufacturing. There is also a drawback that the repair of the connector part cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to ensure that a connector is sealed with a simple structure and that a liquid component is contained in a device-side connector that comes into contact with a liquid. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector device that can prevent the electrical contact of the connector from short-circuiting as much as possible even when it remains, when it contacts another device.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, a pair of connectors, at least one of which is liquid-tight, are fitted to each other so that the electrical contacts of the respective connectors are brought into contact with each other, and the connectors are brought into contact with each other. In a connector device having a device for making electrical connection, a connector formed by providing a shield contact portion of a shield portion for shielding noise on the outer periphery of a base formed by providing an electric contact on the insulating member in a planar shape. A liquid-tight connector is formed from a main body and a housing that houses an electric system and is connected to the connector main body, and a seal is formed between the seal surface and the housing with the contact surface of the shield contact portion as a seal surface. The connector body and the housing are liquid-tightly connected by interposing a member.

Further, there is provided means for applying a lubricating member having water repellency and conductivity to the electrical contact portion of the liquid-tight connector when the liquid-tight connector and the other connector are attached and detached.

[0012]

The liquid-tight structure of the connector is formed by using the surface of the shield contact portion, which forms a very smooth surface over the entire circumference, as the sealing surface, so that a highly reliable liquid-tight state can be obtained. Further, since a means for applying a lubricating member having a high water repellent property and excellent conductivity to the connector when the connectors are attached and detached is provided, the connector is always drained well.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1C, the connector device 1 according to the present embodiment has a rigid endoscope 11 having an elongated and hard insertion portion.
An external camera 2 mounted on the rigid endoscope 11 and having a solid-state imaging device (not shown) such as a charge coupled device (CCD) provided therein, a light source device 3 for supplying illumination light to the rigid endoscope 1, an external camera 2, and a light source. A central control unit 4 (hereinafter, referred to as CCU 4) for controlling the device 3 and an observation monitor 5 for displaying a video signal processed by the CCU 4 are provided.

The rigid endoscope 11 is connected to the light source device 3 via a cable 6 in which a light guide made of a fiber bundle for transmitting illumination light is inserted. Also, the external camera 2
Is a signal line for transmitting the drive signal of the CCD or the CC
It is connected to the CCU 4 via a plug 8 which is a connector provided at an end of a cable 7 through which a signal line or the like for transmitting an image pickup signal from D is inserted. In addition, CCU4
It is connected to the observation monitor 5 via a cable 9 in which a signal line for transmitting a video signal is inserted, and is connected to the light source device 3 via a cable 10 in which a signal line for transmitting a dimming signal of illumination light is inserted. Has been done.

When the illumination light from the light source device 3 that has been dimmed based on the dimming signal from the CCU 4 is applied to the observation site of the subject 20 from the tip of the rigid endoscope 1, an optical image of this observation site is obtained. The CCD of the external camera 2 converts the image signal into an image signal, which is sent to the CCU 4. The CCU 4 converts the image signal into an image signal, and the observation monitor 5 displays an image of the observed region. The external camera 2, including the cable 7 and the plug 8, is waterproof so that it can be disinfected by immersion in a chemical solution.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the plug 8 has an insulating member 16
Has a base body in which a plurality of contact patterns (electrical contacts) 12 and 22 are provided in a planar shape, and a shield pattern 14 serving as a contact of a plug side shield part for blocking noise is planarized on the outer periphery of the base body. The provision of the plug body 28 constitutes the plug body 28. The plug body 28 is liquid-tightly connected to the plug cover 20 via the seal member 18 to form the plug 8.

The insulating member 16 has a flat shape,
A plurality of contact patterns 12 are formed on the tip of the substrate 19 having the flat surface. Then, the contact pattern 12 comes into contact with an electric contact provided in a socket (not shown) which is the other connector on the CCU 4 side to thereby cause CC
The U4 and the external camera 2 are electrically connected. Further, the contact pattern 22 is similarly formed on the rear end of the flat substrate 19.
Are formed, and the contact pattern 12 and the contact pattern 2 are formed.
The two correspond to each other and are electrically connected to each other through the inside of the insulating member 16.

The insulating member 16 has a contact pattern 12
An intermediate portion between the contact pattern 22 and the contact pattern 22 is a flat large-diameter portion 16a having a raised flat surface, and a very smooth surface is formed over the entire outer surface of the large-diameter portion 16a. The shield pattern 14 is provided. The plug cover 20 and the plug body 28 are liquid-tightly connected with the surface of the shield pattern 14 as a sealing surface. That is, the plug body 28 and the plug cover 20 are liquid-tightly connected by interposing the seal member 18 between the surface of the shield pattern 14 and the inner surface of the tip portion of the plug cover 28.

In this connection state, the contact pattern 2
2 and the rear end portion of the shield pattern 14 are arranged inside the plug cover 20. Various signal lines 24 introduced into the plug cover 20 through the cable 7 are soldered to the contact pattern 22 located inside the plug cover 20. Inside the plug cover 20, the tip of the shield member 26 whose base end is grounded is introduced through the cable 7. Then, the shield member 26 is
By contacting this rear end portion with the rear end side portion of the shield pattern 14 located inside the plug cover 20,
Together with the shield pattern 14, it constitutes a shield portion on the plug side. And in this case, plug 8 into CCU 4
If the shield pattern 14 and the contact of the shield portion on the CCU 4 side are brought into complete contact with each other by being fitted with the socket of, the noise from the outside is blocked, and the noise from the external camera 2 side to the CCU 4 side is eliminated. Can be suppressed.

Therefore, in the connector device 1 having such a structure, the surface of the shield pattern 14 forming a very smooth surface over the entire circumference is used as a sealing surface for the plug 8.
Since the liquid-tight structure of is formed, a highly reliable liquid-tight state can be obtained. Further, since the plug main body including the sealing surface is not formed by molding, the shield pattern 14 as the sealing surface is formed on the outer surface of the base body made of the insulating member 16.
The manufacturing yield is good, and the repair of the connector part is good. Furthermore, since the contact pattern 12 as an electric contact is provided in a planar manner on the substrate 19 having a flat surface, it is easy to wipe off the liquid even if it adheres to the substrate 19, and therefore the liquid remains. Difficult to prevent short circuit of electrical contacts.

The plug 8 may be formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. In this case, the surface of the shield pattern 14, that is, the sealing surface is also cylindrical together with the plug body 28, so that the sealing performance is improved as compared with the case of the above-described embodiment.

By the way, an electrical connector used as a means for transmitting and receiving electrical signals and for supplying electric power is generally called a card edge connector or a printed circuit board connector. The connector shown in FIG. 4 uses a printed circuit board and is composed of a printed circuit board side (plug side) 41 and a receptacle side (socket side) 42. The printed circuit board side 41 is generally formed of a plate-shaped member. The electric contacts 43 formed of a conductive member are exposed on the front and back surfaces thereof.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the receptacle side 42 is formed into a shape into which the printed board side 41 can be inserted, and when the printed board side 41 is inserted,
An electrical contact 44 is provided at a position where it abuts the electrical contact 43.
have. The electrical contact 44 is electrically connected to the external contact 45 provided on the receptacle side 42, and is biased in the direction of the arrow in the figure. With this configuration, when the printed board side 41 is inserted into the receptacle side 42, the electrical contacts 43 and the electrical contacts 44 come into contact with each other, and the printed board side 41 and the receptacle side 42 are electrically connected. In order to improve drainage, the printed board side 41 is formed of a member having high water repellency, or the surface of the printed board side 41 is coated with a member having high water repellency.

The connector having the above structure has a merit that it has a simple structure and is excellent in assemblability, has a simple shape, and has good drainage. Therefore, even if liquid adheres, it can be easily removed by wiping it. is doing.

However, even if the water is drained well, if the water is not drained sufficiently, some water will remain on the surface of the connector. Connecting the connector in such a state is not preferable in practice because it may cause an electrical short circuit or damage to a device using the connector. Furthermore, it is still troublesome to wipe the surface of the connector by draining it after being immersed in water or a chemical solution.

In the method of forming or coating the printed circuit board side 41 with a member having water repellency,
The water repellent property of the printed circuit board side 41 is deteriorated due to abrasion of the printed circuit board side 41 due to repeated attachment and detachment, deterioration of the printed circuit board side 41, etc., and as a result, the same trouble as in the case of using a substrate without water repellent property may occur. There is.

Therefore, a connector structure capable of eliminating such a drawback will be described below by taking the connection between the CCU 4 and the plug 8 as an example.

FIG. 5 shows such a connector structure. In the figure, 51 is a socket of the CCU 4 to which the plug 8 can be connected, and 50 is an electrical contact provided in the socket 51. When the plug 8 is inserted into the socket 51,
The electric contact 50 comes into contact with the contact pattern 12 of the plug 8, and the CCU 4 and the external camera 2 are electrically connected. A moisture absorbing member 53 is provided at the insertion opening 52 of the socket 51. The moisture absorbing member 53 is attached to the socket 51 via the moisture absorbing member receiver 56, and when the plug 8 is inserted into the socket 51, the moisture absorbing member 53 comes into close contact with the contact pattern 12 of the plug 8. Also, the moisture absorbing member 53
Is attachable to and detachable from the moisture absorbent member receiver 56, and the moisture absorbent member 53 can be replaced as necessary.

In the above structure, when the plug 8 is inserted into the socket 51, the moisture absorbent member 5 moves as the plug 8 moves.
3 slides on the surface of the plug 8 to absorb and remove liquids such as chemicals and water attached to the plug 8.

As described above, in this structure, the moisture absorbing member 53 removes the liquid on the surface of the plug 8 in accordance with the attaching / detaching operation of the plug 8 to / from the socket 51, so that the surface of the plug 8 is wiped to drain water. It is possible to prevent an electrical short circuit between the contact patterns 12 without performing any work.

In the connector structure shown in FIG. 6, the socket 5
A wiper 59 is provided in the insertion opening 52 of No. 1 so as to be in close contact with the surface of the plug 8. Also in this case, socket 5
The wiper 59 removes the liquid on the surface of the plug 8 according to the attachment / detachment operation of the plug 8 with respect to 1. The receiving groove 54 in which the wiped liquid is stored may be provided on the outer surface of the plug 8.

Further, in the connector structure shown in FIG. 7, the suction port 61 of the suction conduit 60 is provided near the insertion port of the socket 51.
Is provided. A negative pressure is applied to the suction pipe line 60 by the compressor 63, and liquid can be sucked into the compressor 63 from the suction port 61 through the suction pipe line 60. Further, a heater 6 for drying the sucked liquid is provided in the compressor 63.
4 and a fan 62 that accelerates the drying thereof. Further, a wiper 59 similar to that shown in FIG. 6 is provided at the insertion opening of the socket 51, and the liquid on the surface of the plug 8 can be sucked into the compressor 63 while being wiped by the wiper 59. In the above configuration,
When the plug 8 is inserted into the socket 51, the plug 8
While being wiped by the wiper 59, the liquid adhering to the surface of the is sucked into the compressor 63 through the suction port 61 through the suction conduit 60, and evaporated and removed by the heater 64 in the compressor 63.

In the connector structure shown in FIG. 8, the grease accommodating portion 76 filled with the conductive grease 77 is provided inside the CCU 4. The grease storage portion 76 has two openings 80 (one of which is not shown) on the inner surface of the inlet portion of the socket 51. Further, a lid 79 is detachably provided on the grease filling port 78 of the grease accommodating portion 76.
A roller member 81, which comes into contact with the surface of the plug 8 when the plug 8 is inserted into the socket 51, is provided in the opening 80 of the grease accommodating portion 76.

In the above structure, when the plug 8 is inserted into or removed from the socket 51, the roller member 81 rotates as the plug 8 moves, and the conductive grease 77 in the grease accommodating portion 76 is plugged through the opening 80. 8 surface. Therefore, even if the plug 8 is repeatedly attached and detached, the surface of the plug 8 is always coated with the conductive grease 77, so that the water repellent property of the plug 8 is not deteriorated.

Since the conductive grease 77 generally has a high resistance value, even if the conductive grease 77 is applied to the entire surface of the plug 8, if the contact patterns 12 are sufficiently separated from each other, the contact patterns 12 are short-circuited. There is no such thing. In addition, the contact pattern 12 on the plug 8 side and the electrical contact 5 on the socket 51 side
When 0 is set, the positions are very close to each other at the time of connection, and the conductive grease 77 is scraped off by the biasing force applied to the electric contact 50, so that there is no possibility of contact failure.

When the amount of conductive grease 77 in the grease accommodating portion 76 becomes low, the lid 79 may be removed and the grease may be replenished from the filling port 78. Roller member 81
Instead of, for example, a brush-like member 82 as shown in FIG. 9A, a porous member 83 as shown in FIG. 9B, or a wiper-like member 84 as shown in FIG. 9C. May be used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the grease application range 85 on the plug 8 side may be limited to only the periphery of the contact pattern 12. In this case, since there is a portion where the conductive grease 77 is not applied between the contact patterns 12,
The distance between the contact patterns 12 is shortened, and the plug 8 can be downsized and have multiple contacts.

FIG. 11 shows the structure of the first connector 91 and the second connector 103 which are connected to each other. 11A shows the first connector, and FIG. 11B shows the second connector. Connector 91,
103 are connected to each other by bringing their pins 94 and 105 into contact with each other, but once the connection is removed, the pin 94 of the first connector 91 is housed in a liquid-tight manner except for its tip. It has become.

That is, the first connector 91 has a first connector
A cylinder 92 and a second cylinder 93 are provided. The first cylinder 92 and the second cylinder 93 connect the passage 9
9 communicate with each other. A first piston 92 is slidably fitted in the first cylinder 92.
The first piston 92 is urged toward the second cylinder 93 side by a compression spring 95 interposed between the first piston 92 and the inner wall of the first cylinder 92.

A plurality of male pins 94, to which the lead wires 102 are fixed, are arranged in the second cylinder 93. Further, a second piston 98 is slidably fitted in the second cylinder 93 in a liquid-tight manner with the plurality of male pins 94. A stopper 101 that restricts the further movement of the second piston 98 is provided at the tip of the second cylinder 93. The inside of the cylinder between the first piston 92 and the second piston 98 and the inside of the passage 100 are filled with fluid, so that the second piston 98 is in contact with the stopper 101.

A plurality of pins 105 are arranged in the second connector 103 via an insulating member 104. When the female pins 105 come into contact with the male pins 94 of the first connector 91, the connectors 91 and 103 are electrically connected to each other. In the above configuration, the first
When the connector 91 and the second connector 103 are connected, the insulating member 104 contacts the second piston 98 and pushes the second piston 98 to the rear end side of the second cylinder 93. As a result, the second piston 98 moves to the left side in the drawing, and the fluid in the second cylinder 93 flows into the first cylinder 92 through the passage 100. The pressure in the first cylinder 92 increases due to the flowing-in fluid, and the first piston 96 moves to the left side in the figure against the biasing force of the compression spring 95. As a result, the male pin 94 is exposed from the second piston 98 and can come into contact with the female pin 105.

When the connectors 91 and 103 are removed, the pressure of the fluid in the first cylinder 92 becomes small,
The compression spring 95 begins to push the first piston 96. As a result, the first piston 96 sends the fluid in the first cylinder 92 into the second cylinder 93, and the second piston 98 moves to the right side in the drawing. Therefore, the male pin 9
4 is liquid-tightly accommodated in the second piston 98 except for the tip. In this state, the connector 91 can be dipped in a chemical solution or the like.

[0042]

As described above, in the connector device of the present invention, the liquid-tight structure of the connector is formed by using the surface of the shield contact portion, which forms a very smooth surface over the entire circumference, as the sealing surface. It is possible to obtain a highly reliable liquid-tight state.

Further, since the connector body including the sealing surface is not formed by molding, the shield contact portion as the sealing surface is formed on the outer surface of the base body made of an insulating member. The yield is good and the repair of the connector part is good.

Further, since the electric contact is provided in a plane shape, it is easy to wipe off the liquid even if liquid adheres to the electric contact. Therefore, it is difficult for the liquid to remain and the short circuit of the electric contact can be prevented.

Further, since a means for applying a lubricating member having high water repellency and excellent conductivity to the connector when the connectors are attached and detached is provided, the water of the connector is always drained well and the electrical contacts are prevented from being short-circuited. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A is a perspective view of a connector of a connector device showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is an overall configuration diagram of the connector device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the connector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional connector.

4A is a perspective view showing a conventional example of a card edge connector, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view showing a connection state of the connector of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a main part configuration diagram of a connector device showing a first example of a liquid removing unit.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of main parts of a connector device showing a second example of the liquid removing means.

FIG. 7 is a main part configuration diagram of a connector device showing a third example of a liquid removing unit.

FIG. 8 is a main part configuration diagram of means for applying a conductive lubricating member to an electrical contact portion of a liquid-tight connector.

9 is an enlarged view of an essential part showing a modified example of the coating means in FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a coating range of a lubricating member.

FIG. 11 is an internal configuration diagram showing another example of a connector having a liquid-tight structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Connector device, 2 ... External camera (device), 4 ... C
CU (equipment), 8 ... Plug (connector), 12 ... Contact pattern (electrical contact), 14 ... Shield pattern (shield contact part), 16 ... Insulating member, 18 ... Sealing member, 2
0 ... Plug cover (housing), 28 ... Plug body (connector body).

Continued front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Takawara 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masahiro Hagiwara 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optics Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tadayoshi Hara 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Kenji Omachi 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Olympus Optics Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connector device having a device in which a pair of connectors, at least one of which is liquid-tight, are fitted to each other to bring electrical contacts of the connectors into contact with each other to electrically connect the connectors to each other. A connector main body configured by providing a shield contact portion of a shield portion that shields noise on the outer periphery of a base body provided with contacts in a planar shape, and a housing that incorporates an electric system and is connected to the connector main body And a connector having a liquid-tight construction, wherein the contact surface of the shield contact portion serves as a seal surface, and a seal member is interposed between the seal surface and the housing to liquid-tighten the connector body and the housing. A connector device characterized by being connected to. 2. A means for applying a lubricating member having water repellency and conductivity to an electrical contact portion of the liquid-tight connector when the liquid-tight connector is attached to and detached from the other connector. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein: