Terminal board

Abstract

To enable a terminal board to be easily detached from a rail without using a tool.SOLUTION: An attachment mechanism for attaching a terminal board main body to a rail is provided. The attachment mechanism includes: a pair of elastic pieces that protrude from the terminal board main body so as to face each other and sandwich a rail on which the terminal board main body is installed from a width direction; and a hook part that is provided at a tip end part of the pair of elastic pieces and hooks on a back surface of the rail on a side opposite to an installation surface in a state of sandwiching the rail. When the terminal board main body installed on the rail is inclined in a longitudinal direction of the rail, the pair of hook parts has a guide part that guides the rail so as to cut between the pair of hook parts in the terminal board where a hook of each hook part is cancelled by elastically deforming the elastic piece so as to be expanded to an outer side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal block. [Background technology]

[0002] There are switchboards with a structure in which multiple terminal blocks are mounted side by side on a rail. With such a switchboard, for example, it is possible to replace only the damaged terminal block, and it is also easy to add or remove terminal blocks.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block used in this type of distribution board, which has a pair of retaining arms that protrude opposite each other from the terminal block body and clamp the rail on which the terminal block body is installed from the width direction, and is configured so that the pair of retaining arms, while clamping the rail, hook onto the back surface of the rail opposite the installation surface.

[0004] However, when removing the terminal block disclosed in Patent Document 1 from the rail, a tool is required to elastically deform the retaining arms so that they spread outward, and if the tool is not available, the terminal block cannot be easily removed from the rail. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 58-137978 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to make it possible to easily remove a terminal block from a rail without using tools. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The terminal block of the present invention is equipped with an attachment mechanism for attaching the terminal block body to a rail, the attachment mechanism comprising a pair of elastic pieces that protrude opposite each other from the terminal block body and clamp the rail on which the terminal block body is installed from the width direction, and hook portions that are provided at the tips of the pair of elastic pieces and hook onto the back surface of the rail opposite the installation surface when the rail is clamped, and the hooking of the hook portions is released by elastically deforming the elastic pieces so that they spread outward, and the pair of hook portions are formed with guide portions that guide the rail so that it fits between the pair of hook portions when the terminal block body installed on the rail is tilted in the longitudinal direction of the rail.

[0008] According to the present invention, the guide portions are formed on the hook portions, so when the terminal block body is tilted, the rail is caught between the pair of hook portions. This causes the pair of elastic pieces to elastically deform so that they spread outward due to the caught rail, releasing the hook from the rail. As a result, the terminal block can be easily removed from the rail without using tools.

[0009] When the terminal block body is tilted in the longitudinal direction of the rail, the rail tries to wedged into the one end of the hook portion in the direction opposite to the tilt direction.

[0010] Therefore, the hook portion has a hook surface facing the back side and a non-hook surface extending from the inner edge of the hook surface to the tip side, and the guide portion has a guide portion forming surface formed at one end opposite to the direction in which the terminal block body is tilted on the hook surface or the non-hook surface.

[0011] Specific embodiments of the guide portion forming surface include an inclined or curved surface formed on the hook surface so as to move away from the back surface as it moves inward, or a surface formed so as to move closer to the other elastic piece as it moves in the direction of tilting the terminal block body. In the latter case, the rail fits along the surface, making the guide less likely to be damaged.

[0012] If the guide portion forming surface is formed over the entire hook surface, the hook portion will be released from its position simply by pulling it off the rail, even if the terminal block body is not tilted, which can cause it to accidentally fall off.

[0013] Therefore, the guide portion forming surface may not be formed at the other end of the hooking surface, that is, the guide portion forming surface may be formed partway from one end to the other end of the hooking surface.

[0014] With this configuration, the hook portion will not be released from its engagement unless the terminal block body is tilted, thereby preventing accidental detachment.

[0015] Furthermore, as another specific embodiment of the guide portion forming surface, the guide portion forming surface may be an inclined surface or a curved surface formed on the non-hooking surface so as to approach the other elastic piece as it moves in the direction in which the terminal block main body is tilted.

[0016] One end of the guide portion forming surface may be in contact with the inner surface of the elastic piece.

[0017] With this configuration, the rail is smoothly guided without being caught on one end of the hook portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the terminal block of the present invention, the terminal block can be easily removed from the rail without using any tools. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a terminal block according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a pair of elastic pieces of the terminal block of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the operation when removing the terminal block of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are partial front views showing the operation of removing a pair of elastic pieces according to the terminal block of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a modified example of a pair of elastic pieces of the terminal block of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A terminal block according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0021] 1, a terminal block 100 of this embodiment is a so-called screw-type terminal block, and is used by being attached to a rail R. Therefore, before describing the configuration of the terminal block 100 in detail, the configuration of the rail R will be described in detail. Note that the terminal block 100 is not limited to a screw-type terminal block, and may be a terminal block of another type.

[0022] The rail R is a so-called DIN rail. Specifically, the rail R includes a long bottom plate Ra, side plates Rb that rise perpendicularly from the long sides of the bottom plate Ra, and flanges Rc that extend outward from the side plates Rb. The terminal body 100 is attached to the flanges Rc. Here, the rail width refers to the length connecting the outer ends of the rail R in the short direction, and in this embodiment, it is the length connecting the outer ends of both flanges Rc. Note that the rail R is not limited to a DIN rail and may be a rail of another shape.

[0023] The terminal block 100 includes a terminal block body 10 and an attachment mechanism 20 for attaching the terminal block body 10 to a rail.

[0024] The terminal block body 10 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 11, a pair of screw terminals 12 built into the housing 11, and a conductive plate 13 that electrically connects the pair of screw terminals 12.

[0025] The housing 11 has a pair of openings 11a formed on its top surface, and has built-in screw terminals 12 facing these openings 11a. The housing 11 is attached to a rail R with its opposite surface serving as a bottom surface 11b so that the screw terminals 12 can be easily accessed from the openings 11a.

[0026] The screw terminal 12 includes a retaining plate 12a facing the opening 11a of the housing 11, a bolt 12b rotatably attached to the retaining plate 12a, and a biasing mechanism 12c that biases the retaining plate 12a toward the opening 11a. In this embodiment, the retaining plate 12a is formed into an inverted L shape with a portion bent toward the bottom, and is biased toward the opening 11a by an elastic body attached to one end of the retaining plate 12a facing the bottom. Therefore, this elastic body functions as the biasing mechanism 12c.

[0027] The conductive plate 13 is built in so as to face the surface facing the bottom of the pressing plate 12a of each of the pair of screw-type terminals 12, and a female screw 13a into which a bolt 12b is screwed is formed on the part facing the pressing plate 12a. By screwing the bolt 12b into this female screw 13a, the pressing plate 12a moves toward the conductive plate 13 against the biasing force of the biasing mechanism 12c, and an external terminal (not shown) inserted between the pressing plate 12a and the conductive plate 13 is clamped.

[0028] The attachment mechanism 20 includes a pair of elastic pieces 21 protruding from the bottom surface 11b of the terminal block body 10, and hook portions 22 protruding inward from each of the pair of elastic pieces 21.

[0029] The pair of elastic pieces 21 protrude opposite to each other and sandwich the rail R on which the terminal block main body 10 is installed from the width direction. Therefore, the distance between the elastic pieces 21 is the same as or wider than the rail width. The elastic pieces 21 in this embodiment are made of resin and formed integrally with the housing 11, and are elastically deformable inward and outward.

[0030] The hook portions 22 protrude from the inner surface 21a of the tip end of each of the pair of elastic pieces 21, and with the rail R sandwiched between them, hook onto the back surface Ry opposite the installation surface Rx of the rail R. Therefore, the shortest part of the distance between the hook portions 22 is narrower than the rail width.

[0031] More specifically, the hook portion 22 has a hook surface 22a facing the back surface Ry and a non-hook surface 22b extending from the inner edge of the hook surface 22a toward the tip side. The non-hook surface 22b faces inward and is a surface that does not hook onto the back surface Rz. In this embodiment, the non-hook surface 22b is inclined outward toward the tip side. Therefore, the hook portion 22 has a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the rail R. The hook portions 22 are formed symmetrically across the rail R.

[0032] The hooking surface 22a hooks onto a rear surface Ry of the rail 21 opposite to the installation surface Rx, when the rail is sandwiched between the pair of elastic pieces 21.

[0033] The non-hooking surface 22b is inclined or curved so as to approach the other elastic piece 21 as it approaches the base end side of the elastic piece 21, and when the rail R is sandwiched between the pair of elastic pieces 21, it guides the rail R so that it is wedged between both hooking portions 22. As a result, the pair of elastic pieces 21 are elastically deformed outward, and the rail R is sandwiched between them.

[0034] Therefore, the hook portion 22 of the present invention has a guide portion 22x that guides the rail R so that it fits between the two hook portions 22 when the terminal block main body 10 installed on the rail R is tilted in the longitudinal direction of the rail R.

[0035] The guide portion 22x is formed at one end of the hooking surface 22a opposite to the direction in which the terminal block body 10 is tilted (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the guide portion 22x is formed by a guide portion-forming surface 22c provided at one end of the hooking surface 22a opposite to the direction in which the terminal block body 10 is tilted. The guide portion-forming surface 22c is an inclined surface formed on the hooking surface 22a so as to move away from the back surface Ry as it moves from the outside to the inside, and this inclined surface further inclined inward so as to approach the other elastic piece 21 as it moves in the direction in which the terminal block body 10 is tilted. In addition, one end of the guide portion-forming surface 22c opposite to the direction in which the terminal block body 10 is tilted contacts the inner surface 21a of the elastic piece 21. In addition, the guide portion-forming surfaces 22c of both hooking portions 22 are symmetrical with respect to the rail R. Therefore, in this embodiment, one end of both guide portion-forming surfaces 22c is located at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the rail R. The guide portion forming surface 22c is not limited to an inclined surface, but may be a curved surface.

[0036] In this embodiment, the other end of each hooking surface 22a is a surface 22d parallel to the back surface Rx. In other words, this other end is not a guide portion-forming surface 22c. The other end is not limited to the surface 22d parallel to the back surface Ry, but may be, for example, an inclined surface formed so as to approach the back surface as it moves from the outside to the inside. The other end of each hooking surface 22a is configured so that the boundary with the guide portion-forming surface 22c is at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the rail R.

[0037] Next, a method for removing the terminal block 100 attached to the rail R of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0038] First, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3(a), the terminal block body 10 is tilted in one longitudinal direction relative to the rail R. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 4(b), the terminal block 100 tilts relative to the rail R, with the other end of the hooking surface 22d as a fulcrum, and the rail R is guided by the guide portion 22x formed by the guide portion forming surface 22c and wedged between one end of both hooking portions 22. In this embodiment, the rail R is guided along the guide portion forming surface 22c. As a result, both elastic pieces 21 elastically deform so as to spread outward, and the hooking portions 22 are released from the rail R. In this state, the terminal block 100 can be removed by pulling it from the rail R.

[0039] According to this embodiment, the guide portions 22x are formed on the hook portions 22, so that when the terminal block body 10 is tilted, the rail R is wedged between the pair of hook portions 22. As a result, the pair of elastic pieces 21 are elastically deformed so as to spread outward by the wedged rail R, and the hooking of the hook portions 22 is released. As a result, the terminal block body 10 can be easily removed from the rail R without using tools.

[0040] <Other Embodiments> The terminal block according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, a modified example of the guide portion 22x is shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the same or corresponding parts as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0041] 5(a) is formed by a guide portion forming surface 22c, which is an inclined surface formed so as to move away from the rear surface as it goes inward. This inclined surface is not inclined so as to move closer to the other elastic piece 21 as it goes further in the direction in which the terminal block body is tilted.

[0042] 5(b) is formed by a guide portion forming surface 22c formed on the non-hooking surface 22b. Specifically, this guide portion forming surface 22c is formed on one end of the non-hooking surface 22b and is inclined so as to approach the other elastic piece 21 in the direction in which the terminal block body 10 is tilted.

[0043] 5(c) is provided over the entire hooking surface 22a. The guide portion forming surface 22c may be formed over the entire non-hooking surface 22b. The guide portion forming surface 22c may be formed so as to extend from one end of the hooking surface 22a or the non-hooking surface 22b to the other end.

[0044] Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the longitudinal width of the rail of the hook portion is the same as the width of the elastic piece, but it may be shorter than the width of the guide piece. Furthermore, the guide portion forming surface does not necessarily have to be in contact with the inner surface of the elastic piece.

[0045] In addition, parts of the various embodiments may be combined or modified as long as it does not go against the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] R: Rail Rx: Installation surface Ry: Back 100:Terminal block 10: Terminal block body 20: Mounting mechanism 21: Elastic piece 21a:Inside 22: Hook part 22a: Hook surface 22b: Non-hanging surface 22c: Guide portion forming surface 22x: Guide part

Claims

1. A terminal block is provided with an attachment mechanism for attaching a terminal block body to a rail, the attachment mechanism comprising a pair of elastic pieces that protrude from the terminal block body so as to face each other and that sandwich the rail on which the terminal block body is installed from the width direction, and hook portions that are provided at the tip ends of the pair of elastic pieces and that hook onto the back surface of the rail on the side opposite the installation surface when the rail is sandwiched, and the hooking of the hook portions is released by elastically deforming the elastic pieces so as to spread them outward, A terminal block characterized in that the pair of hook portions have guide portions that guide the rail so that it fits between the pair of hook portions when the terminal block body installed on the rail is tilted in the longitudinal direction of the rail.

2. the hook portion has a hook surface facing the back surface side and a non-hook surface extending from an inner end edge of the hook surface to a tip side, 2. The terminal block according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion has a guide portion forming surface formed on one end of the hooking surface or the non-hooking surface opposite to the direction in which the terminal block body is tilted.

3. 3. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion forming surface is an inclined or curved surface formed on the hook surface so as to become farther away from the rear surface as it extends inward.

4. 4. The terminal block according to claim 3, wherein the inclined surface or the curved surface is formed so as to approach the other elastic piece as the terminal block body is tilted further in the direction of inclination.

5. 5. The terminal block according to claim 3, wherein the guide portion forming surface is not formed on the other end of the hooking surface.

6. 3. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion forming surface is an inclined or curved surface formed on the non-hooking surface so as to approach the other elastic piece in the direction in which the terminal block body is tilted.

7. 3. The terminal block according to claim 2, wherein one end of said guide portion forming surface is in contact with the inner surface of said elastic piece.

Images