Relay socket

Abstract

To provide a relay socket capable of reducing the space required for lever swing.SOLUTION: A relay socket 1 includes a socket body 10 to which a card relay is attached, and a lever 20 that can swing around an axis A parallel to the front-to-rear direction X relative to the socket body 10. The lever 20 includes a push-up portion 23 that pushes the card relay upward as the lever 20 swings, a retaining portion 24 that stops the upward movement of the card relay to prevent the card relay from falling out, and an arm portion 21 that connects the push-up portion 23 and the retaining portion 24. The arm portion 21 is adjacent to the socket body 10 in the front-to-rear direction X, and the retaining portion 24 can be displaced in the front-to-rear direction X to move to a position where it does not stop the upward movement of the card relay.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay socket configured to allow a card relay to be attached and detached. [Background technology]

[0002] A known mechanical component provided on a circuit board is a relay socket configured to allow a card relay to be attached and detached (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a relay socket that includes a socket body to which a relay is attached and a lever for removing the relay from the socket body without using a tool.

[0003] FIG. 10 shows a socket 101 having a similar configuration to that of Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 10(A), socket 101 includes a socket body 110 to which a relay (not shown) is attached, and a pair of left and right levers 120 provided on both left and right ends of socket body 110. Levers 120 are configured to be swingable about axis A parallel to the front-to-rear direction relative to socket body 110. Each lever 120 includes a push-up portion 123 that pushes the relay upward as lever 120 swings, a retaining portion 124 that stops the relay from moving upward to prevent the relay from falling out, and an arm portion 121 that is provided on both left and right ends of socket body 110 and connects push-up portion 123 and retaining portion 124. As shown in FIG. 10(B), retaining portion 124 is configured to move to a position where it does not stop the upward movement of the relay by displacing in the left-right direction Y when lever 120 swings.

[0004] However, in the configuration of socket 101, when lever 120 swings, arm portion 121 protrudes significantly from socket body 110 in left-right direction Y. This poses a problem in that space is required on the right and left sides of socket body 110 for lever 120 to swing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-32285 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a relay socket that can reduce the space required for swinging the lever. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the relay socket of the present invention comprises a socket body to which a card relay is attached, and a lever that can swing around an axis that is parallel to the socket body in the front-to-rear direction, the lever comprising a push-up portion that pushes the card relay upward as the lever swings, a retaining portion that stops the upward movement of the card relay to prevent the card relay from falling out, and an arm portion that connects the push-up portion and the retaining portion, the arm portion being adjacent to the socket body in the front-to-rear direction, and the retaining portion being displaceable in the front-to-rear direction to move to a position where it does not stop the upward movement of the card relay.

[0008] Preferably, the retaining portion is displaced in the front-rear direction when at least a portion of the lever is bent.

[0009] Preferably, the retaining portion extends obliquely relative to the front-rear direction and faces upward as the push-up portion moves upward.

[0010] In addition, it is preferable that the socket body is provided with a swing regulating portion that prevents the push-up portion from moving upward in order to regulate the swing of the lever, and that when an external force greater than a predetermined value acts on the lever, the push-up portion moves upward beyond the swing regulating portion.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the socket body has a front end surface and a rear end surface extending in the left-right direction and facing in the front-rear direction, and at least one of the front end surface and the rear end surface is recessed in a concave shape in the front-rear direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a relay socket that can reduce the space required for the swinging of the lever. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a relay socket according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 3A and 3B are parallel projection views of the relay socket according to the embodiment, in which FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a rear view. [Figure 3] 3A, 3B, and 3C are parallel projection views of the relay socket according to the embodiment, in which FIG. 3A is a right side view, FIG. 3B is a left side view, and FIG. 3C is a plan view. [Figure 4] 10(A) to 10(C) are parallel projection views showing how the card relay is attached to the socket body. [Figure 5] 10(A) to 10(C) are parallel projection views showing a state in which a card relay is attached to a socket body. [Figure 6] 10(A) to 10(C) are parallel projection views showing the state when the card relay is removed from the socket body. [Figure 7] 10(A) to 10(C) are parallel projection views showing a state in which the retaining portion of the lever has been displaced to a position where it does not restrict upward movement of the card relay. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a parallel projection view of the relay socket according to the embodiment, showing a state in which a plurality of relay sockets are arranged in the front-rear direction. [Figure 9]Parallel projection diagrams showing the state in which the card relay is attached to the socket body, the state when the card relay is attached to the socket body, the state when the card relay is removed from the socket body, and the state in which the lever's retaining portion is displaced to a position where it does not restrict the upward movement of the card relay. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are front views of a conventional relay socket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A relay socket 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Note that the front-rear direction X, left-right direction Y, and up-down direction Z indicated by arrows in the figures are linear directions that are perpendicular to one another.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the relay socket 1 includes a socket body 10, a lever 20, and a plurality of terminal members 30. The relay socket 1 is provided on a substrate 3 (see Fig. 4) described below, and electrically connects a card relay 2 (see Fig. 5) attached to the socket body 10 to wiring (not shown). The socket body 10 and the lever 20 are resin parts made of electrically insulating synthetic resin, and the terminal members 30 are conductive metal parts.

[0016] 2 and 3, socket body 10 includes a base portion 11 and guide portions 12A to 12D protruding upward from the four corners of base portion 11. Socket body 10 also includes a swing restriction portion 13 for restricting the swing of lever 20, and a front end surface 14 and a rear end surface 15 extending in the left-right direction Y and facing the front-rear direction X.

[0017] Base portion 11 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape so that the dimension in the left-right direction Y is longer than the dimension in the front-rear direction X. Base portion 11 houses a part of lever 20 (shaft portion 22 and push-up portion 23, which will be described later) and a part of terminal member 30 (pin receiving portion 31, which will be described later), and supports lever 20 so that it can swing.

[0018] The guide portions 12A and 12B are provided at the right end of the base portion 11, and guide the right end of the card relay 2 downward when the card relay 2 is attached. The guide portions 12C and 12D are provided at the left end of the base portion 11, and guide the left end of the card relay 2 downward when the card relay 2 is attached.

[0019] The swing restriction portion 13 is provided in a portion of the base portion 11 that houses the push-up portion 23. The swing restriction portion 13 restricts the upward movement of the push-up portion 23 in order to restrict the swing of the lever 20. The lever 20 is configured so that when an external force of a predetermined magnitude or greater is applied to the lever 20, the push-up portion 23 moves beyond the swing restriction portion 13 (i.e., overcomes the restriction on upward movement). When the push-up portion 23 thus moves beyond the swing restriction portion 13, a clicking sensation is felt by the finger operating the lever 20.

[0020] The front end surface 14 and the rear end surface 15 are recessed in a concave shape in the front-to-rear direction X. That is, the front end surface 14 is configured so that its central portion is recessed rearward compared to both end portions in the left-to-right direction Y, and the rear end surface 15 is configured so that its central portion is recessed forward compared to both end portions in the left-to-right direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3(C), the front end surface 14 and the rear end surface 15 are recessed so that the difference between the maximum dimension B and the minimum dimension C from the front end surface 14 to the rear end surface 15 is larger than the protrusion amount D of the lever 20. That is, they are configured to satisfy the formula "maximum dimension B - minimum dimension C > protrusion amount D."

[0021] 2 and 3, lever 20 includes arm portion 21, shaft portion 22, push-up portion 23, retaining portion 24, and knob portion 25. Lever 20 is configured to be swingable about axis A parallel to the front-to-rear direction X relative to socket body 10, and transitions from the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 2 to the state shown by the two-dot chain line by swinging in the direction R indicated by the arrow in Figs. 2(A) and (B). When push-up portion 23 is housed in base portion 11, when an external force of a predetermined magnitude or greater acts on lever 20, push-up portion 23 moves upward beyond swing restriction portion 13, causing lever 20 to swing.

[0022] The arm portion 21 is adjacent to the socket body 10 in the front-rear direction X. Specifically, the arm portion 21 is disposed so as to face the rear end surface 15 of the socket body 10. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the lever 20 protrudes rearward by a protrusion amount D from the recessed portion of the rear end surface 15. The arm portion 21 connects the shaft portion 22, the push-up portion 23, and the retaining portion 24. The arm portion 21 is configured to bend in the front-rear direction X, and by bending in the direction B1 indicated by the arrow in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), it transitions from the state shown by the solid line to the state shown by the two-dot chain line.

[0023] The shaft 22 extends forward from the lower end of the arm 21 and is housed in the base 11 so as not to protrude upward from the base 11. Since the shaft 22 is housed in the base 11, the lever 20 is configured to be able to swing around the axis A.

[0024] Push-up portion 23 is housed in base portion 11 and is configured to rise and fall in accordance with the swing of lever 20. That is, push-up portion 23 is configured to move upward when lever 20 swings to transition from the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 2 to the state shown by the two-dot chain line. At this time, push-up portion 23 protrudes upward from base portion 11 and pushes upward card relay 2 (see Fig. 5) attached to socket body 10.

[0025] The retaining portion 24 extends forward from the arm portion 21 so as to be positioned above the card relay 2 attached to the socket body 10. The retaining portion 24 extends obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction X and is configured to face upward as the push-up portion 23 moves upward. The retaining portion 24 stops the upward movement of the card relay 2 to prevent the card relay 2 attached to the socket body 10 from falling out. The retaining portion 24 is configured to bend in the front-rear direction X, and by bending in the direction B2 indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3(C), it transitions from the state shown by the solid line to the state shown by the two-dot chain line.

[0026] The knob 25 is provided at the upper end of the arm 21 and is positioned higher than the retaining portion 24. The knob 25 protrudes forward from the arm 21 so that a finger can be easily hooked onto the lever 20. The dimension of the knob 25 in the front-rear direction X is preferably smaller than the difference between the maximum dimension B and the minimum dimension C from the front end face 14 to the rear end face 15 (maximum dimension B - minimum dimension C) so as not to interfere with the card relay 2 being removed from the socket body 10.

[0027] 2 and 3, the terminal member 30 is formed from a bent metal plate and has a pin receiving portion 31 (see FIG. 3(C)) and a pin 32. In this embodiment, four terminal members 30 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction Y.

[0028] The pin receiving portion 31 is accommodated in the base portion 11, and is configured to hold the pin 2B (see Figure 5) of the card relay 2 when the card relay 2 is attached to the socket body 10, thereby being electrically connected to the pin 2B.

[0029] The pins 32 protrude downward from the socket body 10 and are configured to be inserted into the substrate 3 (see FIG. 4) and electrically connected to wiring (not shown).

[0030] An example of a procedure for attaching the card relay 2 to the socket body 10 and an example of a procedure for removing the card relay 2 from the socket body 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(A) to 4(C), when attaching the card relay 2 to the socket body 10, the knob portion 25 is pulled backward to bend at least the arm portion 21 backward, and the relay body 2A is inserted between the guide portions 12A to 12D. When inserting the relay body 2A between the guide portions 12A to 12D, the retaining portion 24 may be pressed by the relay body 2A to bend it backward.

[0031] 5(A) to 5(C), by pushing the card relay 2 downward until the relay main body 2A abuts against the base portion 11, the pins 2B of the card relay 2 are inserted into the pin receiving portions 31 (see FIG. 3(C)) of the terminal member 30, completing the attachment of the card relay 2 to the socket main body 10. When the attachment of the card relay 2 to the socket main body 10 is completed in this way, the arm portion 21 and the retaining portion 24 return to their unbent state, and the retaining portion 24 prevents the card relay 2 from moving upward.

[0032] 6(A) to 6(C), when removing the card relay 2 from the socket main body 10, the knob portion 25 is pulled to the right to apply a predetermined or greater external force to the lever 20, thereby swinging the lever 20 so that the push-up portion 23 moves upward. At this time, the push-up portion 23 pushes the relay main body 2A upward, which in turn pushes the retaining portion 24 upward, and the retaining portion 24 and the arm portion 21 are bent backward by a component of the force acting on the retaining portion 24 in the front-to-rear direction X. In this way, when the upper end of the lever 20 including the retaining portion 24 is swung rightward, the arm portion 21 and the retaining portion 24 are bent backward, and the retaining portion 24 is displaced backward.

[0033] 7(A) to 7(C), when the lever 20 is swung close to the guide portion 12B, the retaining portion 24 moves to a position where it does not prevent the upward movement of the card relay 2, and the relay main body 2A protrudes upward beyond the retaining portion 24. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) to 4(C), the relay main body 2A is pulled upward from between the guide portions 12A to 12D, thereby completing the removal of the card relay 2 from the socket main body 10.

[0034] 8, multiple relay sockets 1 can be lined up in the front-to-rear direction X, and a card relay 2 can be attached to each socket body 10. The front end face 14 and the rear end face 15 of the socket body 10 are recessed in the front-to-rear direction X, so that when multiple relay sockets 1 are lined up in the front-to-rear direction X, a space S is provided between adjacent socket bodies 10 to allow the retaining portions 24 to be displaced in the front-to-rear direction X.

[0035] Figure 9 shows the state in which the card relay 2 is attached to the first and third socket bodies 10 from the back, and shows the state when the card relay 2 is attached to the second socket body 10 from the back, and the state when the card relay 2 is removed from the fourth and fifth socket bodies 10 from the back.

[0036] 9, when multiple relay sockets 1 are lined up in the front-rear direction X, the amount of bending of the arm portion 21 is limited compared to when they are not lined up. Therefore, when attaching the card relay 2 to the socket body 10, the retaining portion 24 is bent significantly backward to insert the relay body 2A between the guide portions 12A to 12D. When removing the card relay 2 from the socket body 10, the upper end of the lever 20 is swung to the right, and the retaining portion 24 is bent significantly backward to move to a position where it does not prevent the card relay 2 from moving upward.

[0037] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The arm portion 21 of the lever 20 is adjacent to the socket body 10 in the front-rear direction X, and the retaining portion 24 of the lever 20 moves in the front-rear direction X to a position where it does not restrict upward movement of the card relay 2. With this configuration, the retaining portion 24 can be displaced in the front-rear direction X in conjunction with the swing of the lever 20 about an axis A parallel to the front-rear direction X. Then, by moving in conjunction with the swing of the lever 20 to a position where it does not restrict upward movement of the card relay 2, the swing amount of the lever 20 required to remove the card relay 2 from the socket body 10 can be reduced. Therefore, the lever 20 can be prevented from protruding from the socket body 10 in the left-right direction Y, and the space required for swinging the lever 20 can be reduced.

[0038] (2) The retaining portion 24 is displaced in the front-rear direction X by bending the arm portion 21, which is a part of the lever 20. According to this configuration, by making the arm portion 21 thin, the retaining portion 24 can be displaced in the front-rear direction X with a simple configuration.

[0039] (3) The retaining portion 24 is configured to extend obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction X and to face upward as the push-up portion 23 moves upward. With this configuration, when the card relay 2 presses the retaining portion 24 upward, the component of the force acting on the retaining portion 24 in the front-rear direction X can be increased as the lever 20 swings.

[0040] (4) The socket body 10 is provided with a swing restriction portion 13 that restricts the upward movement of the push-up portion 23, and when an external force of a predetermined magnitude or greater is applied to the lever 20, the push-up portion 23 moves upward beyond the swing restriction portion 13. This configuration prevents the lever 20 from swinging unintentionally and generates a clicking sensation when the lever 20 starts to swing.

[0041] (5) The front end surface 14 and the rear end surface 15 of the socket body 10 are recessed in the front-rear direction X. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 8 , when multiple relay sockets 1 are lined up in the front-rear direction X, a space S can be provided between adjacent socket bodies 10 to allow the retaining portion 24 to be displaced in the front-rear direction X.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the above configurations can be modified. For example, the present invention can be implemented with the following modifications, or by combining the following modifications.

[0043] As long as the effect of (1) above can be obtained, the retaining portion 24 may be displaced in the front-rear direction X by bending a portion other than the arm portion 21. Alternatively, the retaining portion 24 may be displaced in the front-rear direction X without bending a portion of the lever 20. For example, the retaining portion 24 may be displaced in the front-rear direction X by tilting the entire lever 20 backward or by sliding the entire lever 20 backward.

[0044] The shape of the lever 20 may be changed as long as the effect of (1) above can be obtained. In other words, the shape of the arm 21 or the retaining portion 24 may be changed as long as the retaining portion 24 can be displaced in the front-rear direction X in conjunction with the swing of the lever 20.

[0045] The socket body 10 may be configured so that only one of the front end face 14 and the rear end face 15 is recessed in a concave shape, thereby satisfying the formula "maximum dimension B - minimum dimension C > protrusion amount D." In other words, as long as at least one of the front end face 14 and the rear end face 15 is recessed in a concave shape in the front-to-rear direction X, the effect of (5) above can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 relay socket 2 Card Relay 2A relay body 2B pin 3. Circuit Board 10 Socket body 11 Base 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D Guide section 13 Swing control part 14 Front end surface 15 Rear end surface 20 Lever 21 Arm section 22 Shaft 23 Push-up section 24 Retaining part 25 Knob 30 Terminal member 31 Pin receiving part 32-pin A-axis X Anteroposterior direction Y left / right direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. a socket body to which the card relay is attached; a lever that can swing around an axis parallel to the front-rear direction relative to the socket body, the lever includes a push-up portion that pushes the card relay upward as the lever swings, a retaining portion that stops the card relay from moving upward to prevent the card relay from falling out, and an arm portion that connects the push-up portion and the retaining portion, the arm portion is adjacent to the socket body in the front-rear direction, The retaining portion is displaced in the front-rear direction to move to a position where it does not prevent the upward movement of the card relay. A relay socket characterized by:

2. The retaining portion is displaced in the front-rear direction when at least a part of the lever is bent.

2. The relay socket according to claim 1.

3. The retaining portion extends obliquely with respect to the front-rear direction and is configured to face upward as the push-up portion moves upward.

2. The relay socket according to claim 1.

4. the socket body includes a swing restriction portion that restricts upward movement of the push-up portion in order to restrict swing of the lever, When an external force of a predetermined magnitude or greater is applied to the lever, the push-up portion moves upward beyond the swing regulation portion.

2. The relay socket according to claim 1.

5. The socket body extends in the left-right direction and has a front end surface and a rear end surface that are provided facing the front-rear direction, At least one of the front end surface and the rear end surface is recessed in a concave shape in the front-rear direction.

2. The relay socket according to claim 1.

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