Wiring accessory for supplying electrical power

Abstract

To provide a wiring accessory having an insertion hole on the top for inserting a plug connector, the wiring accessory not requiring installation of a cover to cover the insertion hole from the outside, as well as preventing foreign matter from entering electronic components on a circuit board while facilitating sealing work.SOLUTION: A wiring accessory 2, which is an example of the embodiment, to supply power includes a receptacle connector 52, a circuit board connected to a lower side of the receptacle connector, a lower side housing 20 fixing the circuit board, and an upper side housing 30 fixed on the top of the lower side housing. A housing formed from the lower side housing and the upper side housing. The upper housing has a housing side insertion hole at the top, the housing side insertion hole being a vertical through hole. The receptacle connector is fixed to the upper housing in a state in which the guide part is inserted into the housing side insertion hole and an inner periphery of the housing side insertion hole and an outer periphery of the guide part are sealed up. At least the receptacle connector is detachably fixed to the circuit board, or the lower side housing is detachably fixed to the circuit board.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring device that supplies power, such as a wiring device having a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a USB outlet is widely known as a wiring device for supplying DC power to electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and notebook computers. A wiring device for supplying power such as a USB outlet includes a board on which electronic components are mounted, a terminal for outputting power such as DC power, and a housing surrounding the board and the terminal. The electronic components include, for example, a power conversion component for converting AC power into DC power, and an output circuit component for outputting the DC power from the terminal. The electronic components may also include an output circuit component for outputting the voltage-converted AC power from the terminal. These electronic components are distributed and disposed on a plurality of boards, or disposed on one board. A terminal for outputting power is connected to the upper side of the board on which the output circuit component is mounted. The wiring device is also provided with a receptacle connector having a cylindrical guide portion and a terminal inside the guide portion. The receptacle connector guides a plug connector for connecting a terminal, which is inserted from the outside, to the terminal by the guide portion.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a wiring device in which a cover is provided on the outside of the wiring device so as to cover an insertion port into which a plug connector is inserted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-44914 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6491231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the wiring device is installed on a top plate of a fixture or the like, an insertion port into which the plug connector can be inserted from above may be opened upward on the top of the wiring device so that the plug connector can be inserted from above and connected to a terminal. The insertion ports include a housing-side insertion port provided on the top of the housing and a terminal-side insertion port at the top end of the guide part of the receptacle connector.

[0006] However, in a wiring device in which the housing-side insertion port is opened upward, if a container containing liquid such as water falls on the top surface of the top plate, the liquid that has entered the housing from the housing-side insertion port may infiltrate into the position of the electronic components on the board inside the housing. If electricity is applied in this state, there is a possibility that the electronic components may malfunction. In addition, foreign objects such as food, drink, and dust may infiltrate into the outer part of the receptacle connector inside the housing from between the housing-side insertion port and the upper end of the receptacle connector, and the foreign objects may infiltrate into the position of the electronic components on the board. It is important to prevent such foreign objects from infiltrating into the electronic components from the viewpoint of ensuring the safety of the circuit. On the other hand, in order to prevent foreign objects from infiltrating into the electronic components, it is possible to provide a cover that covers the outside of the housing-side insertion port, as in the configurations described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. However, such configurations significantly change the appearance. In addition, the cover gets in the way when using the device.

[0007] In addition, in order to prevent foreign objects from entering the electronic component position, it is also possible to seal the gap between the upper end of the guide part of the receptacle connector and the housing-side insertion opening with a sealant such as a potting material. However, in that case, it is necessary to assemble the housing so as to accommodate the board and the receptacle connector inside, and then seal the gap between the upper end of the guide part and the housing-side insertion opening with a sealant, which makes the sealing work difficult. For this reason, in a wiring device having an insertion opening for inserting a plug connector at the top, it is desired to prevent foreign objects from entering the electronic components on the board in the wiring device without the need to provide a cover to cover the outside of the insertion opening and to facilitate the sealing work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a wiring device for supplying electric power, which comprises a receptacle connector having a cylindrical guide portion and a terminal inside the guide portion, and having a terminal side insertion port for inserting a plug connector at the upper end of the guide portion, a board connected to the lower side of the receptacle connector, a lower housing to which the board is fixed, and an upper housing fixed to the upper side of the lower housing, wherein the lower housing and the upper housing form a housing that accommodates the receptacle connector and the board, the upper housing has a housing side insertion port that penetrates in the vertical direction at the top, and the receptacle connector is fixed to the upper housing with the guide portion inserted into the housing side insertion port and the space between the inner periphery of the housing side insertion port and the outer periphery of the guide portion sealed, and at least one of the receptacle connector being detachable from the board or the lower housing being detachable from the board. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, in a configuration having a terminal-side insertion port for inserting a plug connector at the top, even if a foreign object enters the terminal-side insertion port from the outside, the guide portion can receive the foreign object. This prevents the intrusion of foreign objects into electronic components on a board in a wiring device. In addition, there is no need to provide a cover to block the outside of the terminal-side insertion port in order to prevent the intrusion of foreign objects into electronic components. In addition, since at least one of the receptacle connector is detachable from the board and the lower housing is detachable from the board, the sealing operation between the guide portion and the housing-side insertion port can be performed with the connection portion separated before the upper housing and the lower housing are joined. This eliminates the need to handle large parts during the sealing operation, making the sealing operation easier. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a power outlet using a wiring device for supplying power according to a first embodiment is used. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a wiring fixture for supplying power according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3]3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a state immediately before the upper housing and the lower housing are assembled in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in the third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 3 in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9, illustrating a state immediately before the upper housing and the lower housing are assembled in the sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a wiring device for supplying DC power according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope of the present disclosure includes configurations obtained by selectively combining the respective components of the multiple embodiments and modified examples described below.

[0012] [First embodiment] A wiring device 2 for supplying power according to a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an outlet 1 incorporating a wiring device 2 is in use. Note that, although a wiring device 2 for supplying DC power will be described below as a wiring device for supplying power, the wiring device of the present disclosure can also be a wiring device for supplying AC power.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the outlet 1 is a wiring device comprising two wiring devices 2 for supplying DC power and one power outlet device 3, and is installed on a table top 100 of a desk, which is a piece of furniture. In this state, a terminal-side insertion port 2b for inserting a plug connector 102, which is provided in a receptacle connector constituting each wiring device 2, opens facing upward. The outlet 1 is provided with a decorative plate 4 having three openings 4a formed in a row in the horizontal direction, and has a structure in which upper surfaces 2a, 3a of the wiring devices 2 and the power outlet device 3 are exposed from the three openings 4a of the decorative plate 4.

[0014] The decorative plate 4 is a plate having a rectangular outer shape when viewed from the front, and covers the installation hole formed in the top plate 100 and the mounting frame installed around the installation hole so that they cannot be seen. The outlet 1 includes, for example, a frame-shaped metal plate that is screwed to the mounting frame. The decorative plate 4 is fixed to the metal plate, for example, by hooking a claw formed on the back surface of the decorative plate 4 into the hole in the metal plate.

[0015] The outlet 1 is installed with the wiring device 2 and the power outlet device 3 inserted into an installation hole formed in the top plate 100. On the top surface of the outlet 1, only top surfaces 2a, 3a of the wiring device 2 and the power outlet device 3 are exposed from an opening 4a in the decorative plate 4. As will be described in detail later, the wiring device 2 includes electronic components such as a power conversion component that converts AC power into DC power, and a receptacle connector including a terminal that outputs the DC power, and is installed on the top plate 100 with the terminal side insertion port 2b facing upward.

[0016] 1, two wiring devices 2 are disposed adjacent to each other. In the outlet, the relative positions of the wiring devices 2 and the power outlet device 3 are not particularly limited, and the number of wiring devices 2 is also not particularly limited. Furthermore, an outlet equipped with a wiring device 2 may be equipped with an optical outlet, a LAN outlet, a telephone line outlet, etc., instead of the power outlet device 3, or may be equipped with only the wiring device 2.

[0017] For ease of explanation, the present specification uses terms indicating the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions for the outlet 1, the wiring device 2, and each of the components of the wiring device 2. The front-rear direction means a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slot-shaped insertion opening 2b of the wiring device 2. The up-down direction is a direction along the vertical direction, and the left-right direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down and front-rear directions. In this example, the up-down direction is the direction in which the plug connector 102 is inserted into and removed from the wiring device 2. Furthermore, the up-down direction means the up-down direction when the wiring device is in use, and does not restrict the direction when the wiring device is not in use, such as when it is assembled.

[0018] An example of the wiring device 2 is a USB outlet device. The USB outlet device is a device to which a plug connector 102, which is a USB connector, can be connected, includes a power conversion component that converts AC power to DC power, and supplies DC power to an electronic device 101 such as a smartphone. In FIG. 1, the plug connector 102 of a cable 103 extending from the electronic device 101 is connected to the wiring device 2. In this embodiment, the wiring device 2 will be described as being a USB outlet device. The power outlet device 3 is a general outlet device that outputs AC power of 100V or 200V. On the top surface of the outlet 1, two insertion ports 2b for the wiring device 2 and an insertion port 3b for the power outlet device 3 are provided side by side in the left-right direction.

[0019] In this specification, USB includes various generations (standards of transfer speed) of USB, such as USB1.0, USB1.1, USB2.0, USB3.0, USB3.1, USB3.2, USB4, etc. Furthermore, the shape of the USB terminal is not particularly limited, and may be any of A terminal, B terminal, C terminal, mini USB, micro USB, etc. Furthermore, in the example shown in Fig. 1, the outlet 1 including the wiring device 2 is installed on the table top 100, but the wiring device 2 may be installed on furniture such as a shelf, a counter table, or a bed, or on vehicles such as an automobile, an airplane, or a railroad car.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the wiring device 2, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2. In Figs. 2 and 3 and Fig. 4 described below, the front-rear direction of the wiring device 2 is indicated by X, the left-right direction by Y, and the up-down direction by Z.

[0021] 2 and 3, the wiring device 2 includes a lower housing 20 and an upper housing 30 as housings 10 that form the external shape of the device. The wiring device 2 has an external shape that is generally rectangular, with the vertical length > horizontal length > front-rear length. Note that the relationship in magnitude between the vertical length, horizontal length, and front-rear length of the wiring device 2 is not limited to this.

[0022] Housing 10 has an internal space 70 that houses first board 40, second board 50, and receptacle connector 52, each of which is shown in Fig. 3. Housing 10 is configured to include a lower housing 20 having a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 21 and a bottom portion 22 that closes the lower end of peripheral wall portion 21, and an upper housing 30 assembled and fixed to lower housing 20 so as to cover the upper end.

[0023] The lower housing 20 is a box-like rectangular parallelepiped with an open upper end and a closed lower end. The upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 20 by a fitting structure so as to be freely separable. As a result, the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled in a predetermined assembly direction corresponding to the up-down direction during use. Therefore, the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 are separably integrated along the predetermined assembly direction to form the housing 10. At least one of the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 may be formed by connecting two members separated in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the housing 10. In this case, after the two members are connected, they are assembled to other members constituting the housing in a predetermined assembly direction. For example, the lower housing is formed by connecting two members separated in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, and after the two members are connected to form the lower housing, the lower housing and the upper housing are assembled in a predetermined assembly direction.

[0024] The lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 may be fixed by a snap-fit ​​structure. The snap-fit ​​structure is configured such that, for example, when fixing the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30, a pair of fixing pieces extend from both ends in the left-right or front-back direction of one of the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 toward the outer surface of the other member, and projections protruding from the outer surface of the other member are engaged with openings formed in each fixing piece, thereby sandwiching and fixing the other member from both sides with the pair of fixing pieces.

[0025] A housing-side insertion port 2c for inserting a plug connector 102 for terminal connection is formed to penetrate vertically at the top of the upper housing 30. The surface of the upper housing 30 becomes the upper surface 2a of the wiring device 2 in the outlet 1. That is, the wiring device 2 is fixed to the mounting frame of the outlet 1 so that the surface of the upper housing 30 having the housing-side insertion port 2c is exposed from the opening 4a of the decorative plate 4.

[0026] The wiring device 2 also includes a first board 40 on which electronic components including power conversion components that convert AC power into DC power are mounted, a receptacle connector 52 that outputs DC power, and a second board 50 on which electronic components including output circuit components that output DC power are mounted.

[0027] 3, first substrate 40 has a printed circuit board 41 and electronic components including power conversion components arranged on printed circuit board 41. Second substrate 50 has a printed circuit board 51 and electronic components including output circuit components arranged on printed circuit board 51. Receptacle connector 52 is a USB terminal, and is connected to the upper side of printed circuit board 51 of second substrate 50 and mounted on printed circuit board 51.

[0028] The printed circuit boards 41, 51 of each of the boards 40, 50 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction Z. The lower housing 20 surrounds the printed circuit board 41 of the first board 40 and the electronic components arranged on the printed circuit board 41, the printed circuit board 51 of the second board 50 and the electronic components arranged on the printed circuit board 51, and the lower end of the receptacle connector 52. The upper housing 30 surrounds the upper end of the receptacle connector 52. The printed circuit board 41 of the first board 40 may be arranged along a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction X or a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction Y. In this example, the printed circuit board 51 of the second board 50 is contained in the lower housing 20, but it may be fixed to the upper surface of a top plate provided at the upper end of the lower housing without being contained in the lower housing 20, and the printed circuit board 51 may be surrounded by the upper housing in a state where the upper housing is fixed to the lower housing by fitting or the like.

[0029] In such a wiring device 2, since the housing-side insertion port 2c opens upward, foreign matter such as liquids can easily get inside the housing-side insertion port 2c when the container falls over on the top surface of the top plate 100. This may cause foreign matter to get into the position of the electronic components on the board in the housing 10, resulting in problems such as failure of the electronic components. In this embodiment, in order to eliminate such inconveniences, the receptacle connector 52 connected to the plug connector 102 is fixed to the upper housing 30 with the cylindrical guide portion 53 inserted into the housing-side insertion port 2c and the gap between the inner circumference of the housing-side insertion port 2c and the outer circumference of the guide portion 53 sealed. In addition, in order to facilitate the sealing work, the receptacle connector 52 is detachable from the board. Here, in this specification, "detachable" means that both coupling and removal are possible. This will be described in detail below.

[0030] Hereinafter, each component of the wiring device 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 as appropriate. [First board] As shown in FIG. 3, the first board 40 is a printed wiring board including electronic components arranged on a printed board 41. The first board 40 includes a power supply circuit for converting AC power supplied from an external commercial power source 104 into DC current and outputting the DC current to the receptacle connector 52 side of the second board 50. The power supply circuit is configured by electrically connecting power conversion components by wiring formed on the surface and inside of the printed board 41. The first board 40 is provided with a terminal connected to the commercial power source 104. The power supply circuit has a primary side circuit which is the connection side of the commercial power source of a transformer 43 described later. The primary side circuit is connected to a secondary side circuit as described later.

[0031] The first board 40 includes a semiconductor element 42, a transformer 43, a common mode coil (not shown), an electrolytic capacitor, etc. as broadly defined power conversion components constituting the power supply circuit. The semiconductor element 42 includes, for example, a switching element, a diode, a transistor, etc. In FIG. 3, the semiconductor element 42 and the transformer 43 are arranged on the first surface (upper surface in FIG. 3) of the printed circuit board 41, but the semiconductor element 42 may be arranged on the second surface (lower surface in FIG. 3) of the printed circuit board 41, and the arrangement of the electronic components is not limited thereto. The transformer 43 is used to step down the voltage of the secondary side circuit from the voltage of the primary side circuit.

[0032] The first substrate 40 may be fixed to the inner surface of the lower housing 20 via a member (not shown). For example, the first substrate 40 may be fixed to the lower housing 20 in a state in which a heat dissipation member made of a material with high thermal conductivity is sandwiched between both ends in the left-right direction Y of the printed circuit board 41 of the first substrate 40 and the inner surface of the lower housing 20. This can improve the heat dissipation of electronic components mounted on the first substrate 40 when the lower housing 20 is made of a material with high heat dissipation properties such as metal.

[0033] [Second board] The second board 50 is a printed wiring board including an output circuit arranged on a printed circuit board 51, and a receptacle connector 52 described later is mounted and connected to the output circuit. The second board 50 is electrically connected to the first board 40. The circuits of the first board 40 and the second board 50 are connected by a plurality of wirings 106 through vertical holes provided in the partition 24. The output circuit has a function of outputting DC power converted by the power supply circuit of the first board 40 to the receptacle connector 52. The output circuit has a secondary circuit which is the power output side of the transformer 43 provided on the first board 40.

[0034] The second substrate 50 is fixed to the upper surface of a plate-shaped partition portion 24 that protrudes from the inner surface of the lower housing 20 in the X direction.

[0035] On the upper side of the second substrate 50, electronic components such as a receptacle connector 52, an electrolytic capacitor 90, and a semiconductor element 91 are arranged.

[0036] The receptacle connector 52 is detachably connected to the printed circuit board 51, for example, via a plug pin 55 (described later) that extends in the vertical direction. The receptacle connector 52 is a USB terminal to which the plug connector 102 can be connected, and is formed in a flat cylindrical shape as a whole. The type of the USB terminal is not particularly limited. The receptacle connector 52 is disposed at the back side of the cylindrical guide portion 53 in a state in which the plug connector 102 can be inserted and removed through the terminal side insertion port 2b, which is the upper end of the cylindrical guide portion 53. In this way, the receptacle connector 52 is provided in a state in which the plug connector 102 can be inserted and removed in the vertical direction.

[0037] [Lower housing] The lower housing 20 is a housing that houses a first board 40 on which a power conversion component is mounted, and a second board 50, and is not exposed on the upper surface of the outlet 1. The lower housing 20 is made of a resin such as melamine resin, urea resin, or ABS resin. The lower housing 20 may also be made of a metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

[0038] The lower housing 20 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the lower end of a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 21 is closed by a bottom portion 22. A hole 25 is formed in the bottom portion 22 for leading a power line 105 connecting a commercial power source 104 and the first board 40 to the outside of the housing 10. The position of the hole 25 is not limited in the lower housing 20. A cylindrical thin wall portion 21a with a rectangular cross section protrudes upward over the entire circumference on the inner peripheral side of the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 21. The lower end portion of an upper housing 30 described below is fitted and fixed into the thin wall portion 21a.

[0039] [Upper case] Upper housing 30 is a housing that houses an upper portion of receptacle connector 52, and is fixed to the upper side of lower housing 20. Housing-side insertion opening 2c having a generally oval or other long hole shape extending in the left-right direction is formed in the center of the upper end of upper housing 30 so as to penetrate in the up-down direction.

[0040] As described above, the top end surface of the upper housing 30 in which the housing-side insertion port 2c is formed becomes the top surface 2a of the wiring accessory 2 exposed on the top surface of the outlet 1.

[0041] The upper housing 30 is generally rectangular in top view, and is a stepped rectangular tube having an upper end wall 31 in the form of a generally rectangular plate elongated in the Y direction and step portions 32 joined to both ends of the upper end wall 31 in the Y direction. The housing-side insertion opening 2c is not limited to a horizontally elongated shape elongated in the left-right direction, and may be elongated in the front-rear direction. In this case, the outer peripheral shape of the receptacle connector 52 is also elongated in the front-rear direction.

[0042] A cylindrical thin wall portion 33a with a rectangular cross section protrudes downward over the entire circumference from the outer periphery of the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 33 of the upper housing 30. The thin wall portion 33a is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the thin wall portion 21a at the top of the lower housing 20. Then, by fixing the upper housing 30 to the upper side of the lower housing 20, a housing 10 is formed that houses a receptacle connector 52, a first board 40, and a second board 50, which will be described later.

[0043] The upper housing 30 is made of, for example, resin. Like the lower housing 20, the resin constituting the upper housing 30 is not particularly limited, but examples include urea resin, melamine resin, and ABS resin.

[0044] [Receptacle connector] The receptacle connector 52 is connected to the upper side of the second board 50 and outputs DC power. Specifically, the receptacle connector 52 includes a cylindrical guide portion 53 and a terminal 54 that is disposed inside the guide portion 53 and outputs DC power. The guide portion 53 is for guiding the plug connector 102 for connecting to the terminal 54 from above to the terminal 54. The guide portion 53 allows the plug connector 102 to be inserted and removed in the up and down directions. The guide portion 53 has a cylindrical cross-sectional shape such as an ellipse that is long in the Y direction. The guide portion 53 has a shape that allows a cylindrical shell (not shown) of the plug connector 102 to be fitted inside. For this reason, when the shell is cylindrical with a rectangular cross-sectional shape, the guide portion 53 is also cylindrical with a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

[0045] The guide portion 53 may be provided with a locking mechanism for locking the shell in accordance with a predetermined standard to which the receptacle connector 52 complies. The guide portion 53 is formed of metal or resin. The outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 53 is not formed with a through hole penetrating the inside and outside of the guide portion 53. Although a small hole penetrating the inside and outside of the guide portion 53 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the guide portion 53, it is preferable to form the small hole at a position higher than the bottom surface of the recess formed on the inside of the guide portion 53, because this makes it difficult for foreign matter such as liquid that has entered the inside to escape to the outside of the guide portion 53. Even if a small amount of liquid such as water accumulates in the guide portion 53, it can be dried over time, so that problems are unlikely to occur when connecting the plug connector 102.

[0046] Terminal 54 may be configured according to a predetermined standard to which receptacle connector 52 complies. With the shell of plug connector 102 fitted into guide portion 53, a plurality of contacts (not shown) of terminal 54 are electrically connected to a plurality of contacts housed in the shell of plug connector 102. The plurality of contacts of terminal 54 are connected to the circuit of second board 50 via wiring. As a result, DC power is output from second board 50 to electronic device 101 via terminal 54 and plug connector 102.

[0047] The receptacle connector 52 is fixed to the upper housing 30 with the guide portion 53 inserted into the housing-side insertion port 2c and the gap between the inner periphery of the housing-side insertion port 2c and the outer periphery of the upper end of the guide portion 53 sealed. For this reason, the gap between the outer periphery of the upper end of the guide portion 53 and the housing-side insertion port 2c is sealed over the entire circumference with a sealant 66 on the outside of the upper housing 30. The sealant is not shown in FIG. 2. The sealant 66 is, for example, a potting material. The potting material is provided at a predetermined position by injecting the potting material in a liquid or gel state into a predetermined position, placing it in a thermostatic bath for a predetermined time, and hardening it. The potting material is, for example, a resin material such as urethane resin or epoxy resin. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter such as liquid from entering the internal space 70 in which the lower boards 40 and 50 are located from the upper side of the upper housing 30 through the gap between the outer periphery of the upper end of the guide portion 53 and the housing-side insertion port 2c. In addition, in order to more reliably prevent the sealing material 66 from penetrating into the inner circumference of the terminal side insertion port 2b of the guide portion 53 and obstructing the insertion and removal of the plug connector 102, the upper end of the guide portion 53 may be configured to protrude slightly upward from the top surface of the upper housing 30.

[0048] Furthermore, plug pins 55 extending in the vertical direction are provided on the underside of receptacle connector 52 so as to protrude downward from the lower end of guide portion 53. Plug pins 55 are for detachably connecting receptacle connector 52 to second board 50. Plug pins 55 are, for example, entirely cylindrical or rectangular, and are formed by embedding multiple wirings connected to multiple contacts of terminals 54 in resin.

[0049] A board-side connection part 60 is provided on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 51 of the second board 50 so as to protrude upward. The lower end of the plug pin 55 is detachably connected to the board-side connection part 60 along a predetermined assembly direction in which the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled, which corresponds to the up-down direction during use. In the example of FIG. 3, a recess 61 is formed on the upper surface of the board-side connection part 60, and the lower end of the plug pin 55 is inserted into the recess 61. In this state, the circuit of the second board 50 and the terminal 54 are electrically connected by contacting a plurality of contacts provided on the board-side connection part 60 and contacts exposed at the lower end of the plug pin 55 and connected to a plurality of wirings in the plug pin 55. As a result, the receptacle connector 52 is detachably connected to the second board 50.

[0050] FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a state immediately before the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled. As shown in FIG. 4, when the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled, the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled in the direction of the arrow α in FIG. 4, which is a predetermined assembly direction, with the receptacle connector 52 fixed and integrated to the upper housing 30. At this time, the thin wall portion 33a of the upper housing 30 is fitted into the thin wall portion 21a of the lower housing 20. At the same time, the lower end of the plug pin 55 is inserted into the recess 61 of the board-side connection portion 60 and connected. As a result, when the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled along the predetermined assembly direction, the plug pin 55 and the second board 50 can be connected at the same time. This makes it possible to facilitate the assembly work of the wiring device 2. Note that the configuration for detachably connecting the plug pin 55 to the second board 50 is not limited to this, and various configurations can be adopted.

[0051] [effect] According to the above-mentioned wiring device 2, in a configuration having a terminal-side insertion port 2b for inserting the plug connector 102 at the upper portion, even if a foreign object enters the terminal-side insertion port 2b from the outside, the foreign object can be received by the guide portion 53 of the receptacle connector 52. This prevents the intrusion of foreign objects into electronic components on each of the boards 50 and 40. In addition, in order to prevent the intrusion of foreign objects into the electronic components, it is not necessary to provide a cover that blocks the outside of the terminal-side insertion port 2b. In addition, the receptacle connector 52 is detachably connected to the second board 50. In this way, when assembling the wiring device 2, the insertion pin 55 and the board-side connection portion 60 are separated from each other before the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are joined, so that the connection portion between the receptacle connector 52 and the second board 50 can be separated. Then, in this state, with the upper end of guide portion 53 of receptacle connector 52 inserted into housing-side insertion opening 2c of upper housing 30, sealing operation between guide portion 53 and housing-side insertion opening 2c is performed using sealant 66, and at the same time, upper housing 30 and receptacle connector 52 can be fixed. Thereafter, the integrated structure of upper housing 30 and receptacle connector 52 is assembled by assembling it to lower housing 20 along a predetermined assembly direction, thereby assembling wiring device 2. As a result, when sealing operation between guide portion 53 and housing-side insertion opening 2c, it is not necessary to handle a large part in which lower housing 20 and upper housing 30 are integrated, and this facilitates the sealing operation.

[0052] In the configuration of this example, the sealing material 66 seals and fixes the upper housing 30 and the receptacle connector 52, but sealing and fixing may be performed separately. For example, the space between the outer circumferential surface of the upper end of the guide portion 53 of the receptacle connector 52 and the housing-side insertion opening 2c of the upper housing 30 may be sealed with an elastic annular sealing member made of rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer resin, and the receptacle connector 52 and the upper housing 30 may be fixed with a fixing portion provided in a portion separate from the sealing member.

[0053] [Second embodiment] Fig. 5 is a view of the second embodiment and corresponds to Fig. 3. In wiring device 200 of this example, in the configuration of Figs. 1 to 4, sealant 67 is provided to seal between the outer periphery of guiding portion 53 of receptacle connector 52 and the inner end of housing 10 at housing-side insertion opening 2c of upper housing 30. This makes sealant 67 invisible when housing 10 is viewed from the outside, improving the design of wiring device 200. In this example, other configurations and functions are similar to those of Figs. 1 to 4.

[0054] [Third embodiment] Fig. 6 is a view of the third embodiment corresponding to Fig. 3. Wiring device 210 of this example is provided below receptacle connector 52 so that cable 71 electrically connected to terminal 54 is led out. A connector (not shown) is provided at the tip of cable 71, and the connector is detachably connected to board-side connection portion 60a of second board 50. In addition, when upper housing 30 is fixed to lower housing 20, the length of cable 71 is made larger than the vertical distance between the lower end of guide portion 53 of receptacle connector 52 and the upper surface of board-side connection portion 60a.

[0055] When assembling the wiring device 210, first, in a state in which the receptacle connector 52 is fixed and integrated with the upper housing 30, the connector of the cable 71 is connected to the board-side connection portion 60a. Then, the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled and integrated in a direction corresponding to the vertical direction during use, which is a predetermined assembly direction. In this configuration, when assembling the wiring device 210, the cable 71 and the board-side connection portion 60a can be separated before the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are joined, and the connection portion between the receptacle connector 52 and the second board 50 can be in a disconnected state. Then, in this state, the upper end portion of the guide portion 53 of the receptacle connector 52 is inserted into the housing-side insertion opening 2c of the upper housing 30, and the guide portion 53 and the housing-side insertion opening 2c are sealed using the sealant 67, and at the same time, the upper housing 30 and the receptacle connector 52 are fixed to each other. As a result, there is no need to handle a large part in which the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 are integrated together in order to seal the guide portion 53 and the housing-side insertion opening 2c, and the sealing work can be facilitated similarly to the configurations of Figures 1 to 4. In this example, the other configurations and functions are the same as those of Figures 1 to 4 or the configuration of Figure 5.

[0056] [Fourth embodiment] Fig. 7 is a diagram of a third embodiment corresponding to Fig. 3. In the wiring device 220 of this example, in the configuration shown in Fig. 3, a sealing member 72 such as a packing is provided in an elastically compressed state between a partition section 24 provided at a position above the first board 40 inside the lower housing 20 and the inner surface of the lower housing 20. As a result, inside the housing 10, a space in which the first board 40 is disposed and a space in which the second board 50 is disposed are separated by the partition section 24 and the sealing member 72.

[0057] According to the configuration of this example, even if liquid such as water invades from above into the space inside the upper housing 30 in which the second board 50 is arranged, the wiring device 220 is less likely to break. Specifically, the first board 40 including a circuit on the primary side of the transformer 43 is arranged below the partition 24. Therefore, since a high voltage such as 100V of a commercial power supply is input to the first board 40, if liquid invades the position of the first board 40, the electronic components included in the first board 40 are likely to be dangerously broken. In this embodiment, even if liquid invades from above into the space above the partition 24 and the sealing member 72 inside the upper housing 30, the liquid can be prevented from invading the position where the first board 40 is arranged, so that the safety of the wiring device 220 can be improved.

[0058] On the other hand, a low voltage stepped down by the transformer 43 is input to the secondary circuit arranged in the space above the partition portion 24 and the sealing member 72. Therefore, even if water should enter this secondary circuit, the possibility of dangerous damage is low, and since water can be prevented from entering the primary circuit, dangerous damage to the wiring device 220 can be more reliably prevented. In this example, other configurations and functions are similar to those of FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0059] [Fifth embodiment] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 3 in the fifth embodiment. In the wiring device 230 of this example, the second board is divided into a plurality of second boards 50a and 50b in the configuration of FIGS. 1 to 4. The plurality of second boards 50a and 50b are electrically connected to each other. For example, the plurality of second boards 50a and 50b include an outer second board 50a arranged to surround the receptacle connector 52 in the upper space inside the upper housing 30, and a second board 50b arranged at a central position in the X direction. In the central second board 50b, the upper surface of the printed board 51b is at a first height position T1, and in the outer second board 50a, the upper surface of the printed board 51a is at a second height position T2 higher than the first height position T1. In this example, similarly to the configuration of Fig. 7, a partition section 26 is provided inside the housing 10, which separates the space in which the first substrate 40 (Fig. 7, etc.) is disposed from the space in which the second substrates 50a, 50b are disposed at a vertically intermediate position. The partition section 26 is disposed near the second substrates 50a, 50b. For example, the partition section 26 is a resin plate, and the partition section 26 is fixed to the inside of the lower housing 20 by providing a sealing member (not shown) in a compressed state between the outer peripheral surface of the partition section 26 and the inner surface of the lower housing 20, or the like.

[0060] A protrusion 26a is formed on the upper surface of the partition 26, protruding upward from the arrangement position of the central second substrate 50b. The receptacle connector 52 is detachably connected to the central second substrate 50b. On the other hand, the outer second substrate 50a is arranged laterally away from the receptacle connector 52. On this second substrate 50a, electronic components such as an electrolytic capacitor 90, a semiconductor element 91, and a control IC 92, which are more likely to be damaged by water than the connection between the receptacle connector 52 and the second substrate 50b, are arranged. The electrolytic capacitor 90 is arranged on the upper surface of the second substrate 59b, and the semiconductor element 91 and the control IC 92 are arranged on the lower surface of the second substrate 59b. In addition, some electronic components such as the semiconductor element 91 contact the upper surface 26b of the protrusion 26a. Another electronic component such as a control IC 92 may be arranged instead of the semiconductor element 91.

[0061] Such a wiring device 230 includes a second board 50b to which a receptacle connector 52 is connected and in which an upper surface of a printed circuit board 51b is at a first height position T1, and a second board 50a having electronic components and in which an upper surface of a printed circuit board 51a is at a second height position T2 higher than the first height position T1 and disposed laterally away from the receptacle connector 52. As a result, even if liquid such as water leaks downward from between the upper housing 30 and the receptacle connector 52 due to damage to the sealing material 67 or the like, the liquid flows down along the vicinity of the outer circumferential surface of the receptacle connector 52 and is likely to reach the upper surface of the second board 50b, but is likely to flow to a position lower than the upper surface, and is therefore unlikely to reach the upper surface of the second board 50a. As a result, electronic components disposed on the second board 50a, particularly electronic components disposed on the upper surface of the second board 50a, are less likely to be flooded with water.

[0062] 8, even if electronic components such as a semiconductor element 91 and a control IC 92 are arranged on the lower surface of the second substrate 50a, the electronic components are located away from the upper surface of the second substrate 50b, and the upper surface 26b of the protrusion 26a, which contacts the lower surface of the electronic components, is separated from the upper surface of the second substrate 50b by a groove 28 recessed downward and formed by the protrusion 26a and the second substrate 50a. This makes it difficult for water to enter the electronic components arranged on the lower surface of the second substrate 50a. This improves the safety of parts that are highly susceptible to failure due to water ingress. In this example, other configurations and operations are similar to those of the configurations of FIGS.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a view of the sixth embodiment corresponding to Fig. 3. Fig. 10 is a view of the sixth embodiment corresponding to Fig. 9 showing a state immediately before the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled.

[0064] In the wiring device 240 of this example, the receptacle connector 52 is connected to the second board 50 in an undetachable manner. Instead, in this example, the lower housing 20 is detachably attached to the second board 50. For example, the partition 24 provided in the lower housing 20 is detachably fixed to the printed circuit board 51 of the second board 50 by a locking means (not shown) along the assembly direction of the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20. The locking means is formed, for example, by an elastic piece and a locking groove with which the elastic piece is locked. For example, elastic pieces protrude upward from a plurality of positions on the upper surface of the partition 24, and a locking portion protruding toward the side surface of the printed circuit board is formed at the upper portion of each elastic piece. The locking portions of each elastic piece are locked to the locking grooves on the outer circumferential surface of the printed circuit board 51, thereby fixing the printed circuit board 51 to the partition 24.

[0065] The lower housing 20 is cylindrical, and a bottom member 29, which is a separate member from the lower housing 20, is fixed to the lower end of the lower housing 20. The circuit of the first substrate 40 and the circuit of the second substrate 50 are connected by two cables 106a, 106b having multiple wirings provided therein, via respective connectors 108, 109. As a result, the circuit of the first substrate 40 and the circuit of the second substrate 50 are connected detachably via the connectors 108, 109.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 10, when assembling the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20, the upper housing 30 is assembled to the lower housing 20 in a predetermined assembling direction, that is, downward in FIG. 10, with the receptacle connector 52 fixed and integrated to the upper housing 30. At this time, the connectors 108, 109 of the two cables 106a, 106b are in a pre-disconnected state. Then, after connecting the second board 50 to the lower housing 20, a hand is inserted from the lower end of the lower housing 20 to connect the connectors 108, 109 of the two cables 106a, 106b. Then, the bottom member 29 is fixed to the lower end of the lower housing 20. This also makes it possible to facilitate the sealing work by eliminating the need to handle a large part in which the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 are integrated when sealing the guide portion 53 of the receptacle connector 52 and the housing-side insertion port 2c of the upper housing 30. In this example, other configurations and operations are similar to those in the configurations of FIGS.

[0067] The above-mentioned embodiments may be appropriately modified in design without impairing the purpose of the present disclosure. The wiring device for supplying DC power according to the present disclosure may be a form that selectively combines the components of the embodiments and modified examples. For example, in the above-mentioned examples, the board provided in the housing 10 is divided into a plurality of boards 40, 50, 50a, and 50b, but the board provided in the housing may be only one. For example, one board may be provided with a circuit that converts AC power into DC current and a circuit that is connected to the receptacle connector 52 and outputs DC current to the receptacle connector 52.

[0068] Also, any one of the first to fifth embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 8 may be combined with the sixth embodiment shown in Figures 9 to 10. For example, the receptacle connector may be detachable from the second board, and the lower housing may be detachable from the second board.

[0069] The configuration of the present disclosure described above is as follows. (Configuration 1) a receptacle connector having a cylindrical guide portion and a terminal inside the guide portion, the receptacle connector having a terminal-side insertion opening for inserting a plug connector at an upper end of the guide portion; A substrate connected to the underside of the receptacle connector; a lower housing to which the substrate is fixed; an upper housing fixed to an upper side of the lower housing, a housing that houses the receptacle connector and the board is formed by the lower housing and the upper housing; the upper housing has a housing-side insertion port penetrating in the up-down direction at an upper portion, the receptacle connector is fixed to the upper housing in a state in which the guide portion is inserted into the housing-side insertion opening and a gap between an inner periphery of the housing-side insertion opening and an outer periphery of the guide portion is sealed; At least one of the receptacle connector being detachable from the board and the lower housing being detachable from the board; A wiring device that supplies power. (Configuration 2) A gap between an outer periphery of the guide portion and the housing-side insertion opening is sealed with a sealant. A wiring device for supplying the power according to configuration 1. (Configuration 3) The sealing material is provided so as to seal a gap between an outer periphery of the guide portion and an inner end of the housing-side insertion opening. A wiring device for supplying the power according to configuration 2. (Configuration 4) A plug is provided on the underside of the receptacle connector for detachably connecting to the board, the plug and the board are detachable along a direction in which the upper housing and the lower housing are assembled. A wiring device for supplying power according to any one of configurations 1 to 3. (Configuration 5) A cable is provided below the receptacle connector and is detachably connected to the board. A wiring device for supplying power according to claim 1. (Configuration 6) the board is a second board having a secondary circuit on the power output side, a first board connected to the secondary circuit, disposed below the second board, and having a primary circuit connected to a commercial power source; the first substrate includes a transformer for stepping down a voltage of the secondary circuit to a voltage lower than a voltage of the primary circuit, A partition portion is provided inside the housing to separate a space in which the first substrate is disposed from a space in which the second substrate is disposed. A wiring device for supplying power according to any one of configurations 1 to 5. (Configuration 7) the board is a board to which the receptacle connector is connected and whose top surface is at a first height position; a substrate having electronic components, the substrate having a top surface of the printed circuit board at a second height position higher than the first height position and disposed laterally away from the receptacle connector; A wiring device for supplying power according to any one of configurations 1 to 6. (Configuration 8) Supplying DC power, A wiring device for supplying power according to any one of configurations 1 to 7. (Configuration 9) USB outlet device, A wiring device for supplying the power according to configuration 8. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Outlet, 2,200,210,220,230,240 Wiring device (wiring device) for supplying power, 2a,3a Top surface, 2b Terminal side insertion port, 2c Housing side insertion port, 3b Insertion port, 3 Power outlet device, 4 Decorative plate, 4a Opening, 10 Housing, 20 Lower housing, 21 Peripheral wall portion, 22 Bottom portion, 24 Partition portion, 29 Bottom member, 30 Upper housing, 31 Upper end wall portion, 33 Peripheral wall portion, 40 First board, 41,51 Printed circuit board, 42 Semiconductor element, 43 Transformer, 50 Second board, 51,51a,51b Printed circuit board, 52,52a Receptacle connector, 53 Guide portion, 54 Terminal, 55 Plug pin, 60,60a Board side connection portion, 61 Recess, 66 Sealing material, 70 Internal space, 71 cable, 72 sealing member, 90 electrolytic capacitor, 91 semiconductor element, 100 top plate, 101 electronic device, 102 plug connector, 103 cable, 104 commercial power source, 105 power line, 106 wiring, 106a, 106b cables, 108, 109 connectors.

Claims

1. a receptacle connector having a cylindrical guide portion and a terminal inside the guide portion, the receptacle connector having a terminal-side insertion opening for inserting a plug connector at an upper end of the guide portion; A substrate connected to the underside of the receptacle connector; a lower housing to which the substrate is fixed; an upper housing fixed to an upper side of the lower housing, a housing that houses the receptacle connector and the board is formed by the lower housing and the upper housing; the upper housing has a housing-side insertion port penetrating in the up-down direction at an upper portion, the receptacle connector is fixed to the upper housing in a state in which the guide portion is inserted into the housing-side insertion opening and a gap between an inner periphery of the housing-side insertion opening and an outer periphery of the guide portion is sealed; At least one of the receptacle connector being detachable from the board and the lower housing being detachable from the board; A wiring device that supplies power.

2. A gap between an outer periphery of the guide portion and the housing-side insertion opening is sealed with a sealant. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

3. The sealing material is provided so as to seal a gap between an outer periphery of the guide portion and an inner end of the housing-side insertion opening. The wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 2.

4. A plug is provided on the underside of the receptacle connector for detachably connecting to the board, the plug and the board are detachable along a direction in which the upper housing and the lower housing are assembled. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

5. A cable is provided below the receptacle connector and is detachably connected to the board. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

6. the board is a second board having a secondary circuit on the power output side, a first board connected to the secondary circuit, disposed below the second board, and having a primary circuit connected to a commercial power source; the first substrate includes a transformer for lowering a voltage of the secondary circuit to a voltage lower than a voltage of the primary circuit, A partition portion is provided inside the housing to separate a space in which the first substrate is disposed from a space in which the second substrate is disposed. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

7. the board is a board to which the receptacle connector is connected and whose upper surface is at a first height position; a substrate having electronic components, the substrate having a top surface of the printed circuit board at a second height level higher than the first height level and disposed laterally away from the receptacle connector; A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

8. Supplying DC power, A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

9. It is a USB outlet device. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 7.

Images