connector

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector that prevents incorrect insertion of a plug into a socket, facilitates alignment, and suppresses relative rotational movement of the plug when it is inserted into the socket. [Solution] The connector 1 comprises a plug 10 having a main body 11 and a tip 12 extending from the main body 11, and a socket 20 having a receiving portion 21 into which the tip 12 of the plug 10 can be inserted. The tip 12 of the plug 10 has a plug fitting portion 13 in which at least a portion of its outer circumferential surface 13a of its extending length L has a polygonal contour shape when viewed in cross-section, and rib-like projections 14 along the edges extending to each vertex of the polygon. The receiving portion 21 of the socket 20 has a socket fitting portion 22 in which the inner circumferential surface portion 21a that fits with the plug fitting portion 13 has an inner circumferential surface contour shape that is similar to the outer circumferential surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13 when viewed in cross-section, and the outer circumferential length of the plug fitting portion 13 is less than or equal to the inner circumferential length of the socket fitting portion 22.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] When supplying power to a power supply device or the like indoors or outdoors, a plug-in connector is used, in which a plug such as a pin plug to which a cable or the like is connected is inserted into a socket such as a receptacle or a socket plug for connection.

[0003] As such a plug-in connector, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a connector having a plug and a socket, in which a plurality of protrusions are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on one of the plug or the socket, and a plurality of grooves into which the plurality of protrusions fit are provided on the other, in order to prevent incorrect connection between different phases. Here, the connector of Patent Document 1 forms a key pattern by providing a plurality of protrusions and grooves on the plug and the socket with a circumferential shift, thereby preventing incorrect insertion of the plug and not requiring the plug or the like to be rotated significantly when inserting the plug into the socket.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] Furthermore, the connector described in Patent Document 1 also had room for further improvement in terms of suppressing the relative rotational movement of the plug with respect to the socket when the plug is inserted into the socket.

[0007] Furthermore, the connector described in Patent Document 1 still had room for further improvement in terms of more reliably preventing incorrect connections between different phases, even if a projection on the plug or socket is damaged.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a connector that more reliably prevents incorrect insertion of a plug into a socket, facilitates alignment of the plug with respect to the socket when inserting the plug into the socket, and suppresses relative rotational movement of the plug with respect to the socket when the plug is inserted into the socket. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The inventors have found that by providing a plug fitting portion on the outer circumferential surface of at least a portion of the extended length of the tip of the plug, which has a polygonal contour shape when viewed in cross-section of the connector, and by providing a socket fitting portion on the inner circumferential surface of the receiving portion of the socket, which has a polygonal inner circumferential surface contour shape similar to the contour shape of the outer circumferential surface of the plug fitting portion when viewed in cross-section of the connector, it is possible to prevent incorrect insertion of the plug when inserting it into the socket, even if the rib-like projection of the plug fitting portion is damaged, it is possible to align the plug with the socket when fitting the contour of the outer circumferential surface of the plug fitting portion with the contour of the inner circumferential surface of the socket fitting portion, and furthermore, it is possible to suppress the relative rotational movement of the plug with respect to the socket when the plug is inserted into the socket, thus completing the present invention.

[0010] In other words, the gist of the present invention is as follows: (1) A connector comprising a plug having a main body and a tip portion extending from the main body, and a socket having a receiving portion into which the tip portion of the plug can be inserted, wherein the tip portion of the plug has a plug fitting portion in which at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the extending length of the tip portion has a polygonal contour shape when viewed in a cross-section of the connector, and continuous or intermittent rib-like projections along the ridges extending along the extending direction of the tip portion at each vertex position of the polygon, and the receiving portion of the socket has a socket fitting portion in which the inner circumferential surface portion that fits with the inserted plug fitting portion has a polygonal inner circumferential surface contour shape when viewed in a cross-section of the connector, similar to the outer circumferential surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion, and the outer circumferential length of the plug fitting portion is less than or equal to the inner circumferential length of the socket fitting portion. (2) The connector according to (1) above, wherein, when viewed in cross-section of the connector, the diameter of the circumscribed circle passing through all the vertices located on the outer surface of the plug mating portion is in a ratio with respect to the diameter of the circumscribed circle passing through all the vertices located on the inner surface of the socket mating portion, which is in the range of 0.90 or more and 1.00 or less. (3) The connector according to (1) or (2) above, wherein the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion are both regular polygons with the same number of vertices when viewed in cross-section of the connector. (4) The connector according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the socket fitting portion has a groove formed at the apex position of the inner circumferential surface, the groove having an inner surface shape corresponding to the outer contour shape of the rib-like protrusion formed at the apex position of the outer circumferential surface of the plug fitting portion. (5) The connector according to any one of items (1) to (4) above, wherein the plug mating portion and the socket mating portion are configured such that the number of vertices constituting the polygon differs for each different type of connector. (6) The connector according to (5) above, wherein the plug mating portion and the socket mating portion have a polygon with 6 or more and 20 or fewer vertices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector that more reliably prevents incorrect insertion of a plug when inserting it into a socket, makes it easier to align the plug with respect to the socket when inserting it into the socket, and suppresses the relative rotational movement of the plug with respect to the socket when the plug is inserted into the socket. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire with a plug attached, where the plug constituting the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the wire. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a plug that constitutes a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 3(a) is a front view showing the internal structure, and Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken when the image in Figure 3(a) is cut at the position of line II. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire with a socket attached, where the socket constituting the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the wire, and the shape of the socket mating portion is shown. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a socket constituting a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 5(a) is a front view showing the internal structure, and Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in Figure 5(a). [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a connector according to another embodiment, with its plug and socket mated together. Figure 6(a) is a front view showing the internal mating state, and Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Figure 6(a). [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows a connector according to another embodiment, with its plug and socket mated together. Figure 7(a) is a front view showing the internal mating state, and Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken at the IV-IV line position in Figure 7(a). [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing an example of using a connector according to another embodiment as a receptacle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire with a plug when the plug constituting the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a wire. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the plug constituting the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 3(a) is a front view showing the internal structure, and Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken at the position of line II in Figure 3(a). Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire with a socket when the socket constituting the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a wire, showing the shape of the socket mating portion. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the socket constituting the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 5(a) is a front view showing the internal structure, and Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken at the position of line II-II in Figure 5(a).

[0015] The connector 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes a plug 10 having a main body portion 11 and a tip portion 12 extending from the main body portion 11, and a socket 20 having a receiving portion 21 into which the tip portion 12 of the plug 10 can be inserted. Here, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, at least a part of the outer peripheral surface 13a of the tip portion 12 of the plug 10, when viewed in the cross-section of the connector 1, has a polygonal contour shape, and along the ridge line extending along the extending direction X of the tip portion 12 at each vertex position of the polygon, it has a continuous or intermittent rib-shaped protrusion 14 and is provided with a plug fitting portion 13. Further, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the receiving portion 21 of the socket 20 has a socket fitting portion 22 in which the inner peripheral surface portion 21a that fits with the inserted plug fitting portion 13 has a polygonal inner peripheral surface contour shape similar to the outer peripheral surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13 when viewed in the cross-section of the connector 1, and the outer peripheral length of the plug fitting portion 13 is less than or equal to the inner peripheral length of the socket fitting portion 22.

[0016] Thus, since the inner peripheral surface contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22 has a polygonal shape similar to the outer peripheral surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13, the plug 10 corresponding to the socket 20, that is, the plug 10 having a plug fitting portion 13 with a polygonal shape similar to the inner peripheral surface contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22, is configured to be inserted into the socket 20. On the other hand, a plug not corresponding to the socket 20, that is, a plug having a plug fitting portion not similar to the inner peripheral surface contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22, is configured not to be inserted into the socket 20. Therefore, even if the rib-shaped protrusion 14 of the plug fitting portion 13 is damaged, it is possible to more reliably prevent the misinsertion of a plug not corresponding to the socket 20 when the plug 10 is inserted into the socket 20.

[0017] Also, by rotating one of the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22 to align the positions of the corners of the polygon constituting these contours, it is possible to align the positions so that the plug 10 can be inserted into the socket 20 while visually observing the polygons constituting the contours of the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the alignment of the plug 10 with respect to the socket 20.

[0018] Furthermore, since the inner peripheral surface contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22 has a polygonal shape similar to the outer peripheral surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13, when the plug 10 is inserted into the socket 20, the corners (vertices) of the polygon engage with each other, so that the relative rotational movement of the plug 10 with respect to the socket can be suppressed.

[0019] Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent misinsertion when the plug 10 is inserted into the socket 20, and to facilitate alignment of the plug 10 with respect to the socket 20, and it is possible to suppress the relative rotational movement of the plug 10 with respect to the socket when the plug 10 is inserted into the socket, and a connector can be provided.

[0020] The connector 1 in FIG. 1 includes a plug 10 and a socket 20, and the plug 10 and the socket 20 are attached to an electric wire 3 such as a cable as shown in FIG. 2. Examples of the connector 1 include a plug-in connector for high current.

[0021] [Configuration of Plug] The plug 10 constituting the connector 1 has a main body portion 11 and a tip portion 12 extending from the main body portion 11. As shown in FIG. 2, this plug 10 can be a pin plug to which pins 16 are attached by known means.

[0022] The main body portion 11 is a portion into which an electric wire 3 (exposed conductor) such as a cable is inserted. The electric wire 3 inserted into the conductor insertion portion 15 provided in the main body portion 11 as shown in FIG. 3(a) is crimped to the pin 16 fixed to the main body portion 11 and is electrically connected to the pin 16.

[0023] The tip portion 12 is configured to be inserted into the receiving portion 21 of the socket 20, which will be described later. As shown in Figure 3(a), the tip portion 12 of the plug 10 has a plug fitting portion 13 on its outer circumferential surface, which has a polygonal contour shape when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1, on at least a portion of the extending length L of the tip portion 12. Here, the plug fitting portion 13 may be formed on a portion of the extending length L of the tip portion 12, or it may be formed on the entire tip portion 12. Therefore, the extending length L' of the plug fitting portion 13, which is the length along the extending direction X of the tip portion 12, is equal to or shorter than the extending length L of the tip portion 12. On the other hand, it is preferable that the plug fitting portion 13 is formed on the tip portion of the tip portion 12, as shown in Figure 2, from the viewpoint of holding the tip portion 12 of the plug 10 in the receiving portion 21 of the socket 20 when the plug 10 is inserted into the socket 20, thereby reducing rattling of the plug 10 and the socket 20. The plug fitting portion 13 may also be formed in the middle portion of the tip portion 12.

[0024] The plug mating portion 13 is configured to have a polygonal contour shape when viewed in a cross-section of the connector 1 as shown in Figure 3(b). For example, in the cross-section shown in Figure 3(b), the plug mating portion 13 is configured to have a hexagonal contour shape. By configuring the plug mating portion 13 to have a polygonal contour shape when viewed in cross-section, the position of the polygonal vertices can be easily determined by the lighting conditions when inserting the plug 10 into the socket 20. The outer circumferential contour shape of this plug mating portion 13 is similar in shape to the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion 22 of the socket 20, which will be described later.

[0025] The plug mating portion 13 has continuous or intermittent rib-like projections 14 along the edges extending in the extending direction X of the tip portion 12 at each vertex of the polygon that forms the contour shape. A gap is provided between the plug mating portion 13 and the socket mating portion 22, which will be described later, into which the plug mating portion 13 is mated, in order to facilitate the insertion of the plug 10 into the socket 20. By having rib-like projections 14 at each vertex of the polygon that forms the contour shape of the plug mating portion 13, the positions of the corners of the polygon that forms the contour of the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug mating portion 13 and the positions of the corners of the polygon that forms the contour of the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket mating portion 22 can be more accurately aligned when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1. At the same time, if the plug 10 is mistakenly inserted into a socket that does not correspond to the plug 10, the rib-like projections 14 will catch on the socket, thereby more reliably preventing misinsertion when inserting the plug 10 into the socket 20.

[0026] From the viewpoint of more reliably preventing incorrect insertion of the plug 10 into a socket that does not correspond to it, the height h of the rib-like projection 14 is preferably 0.2 mm or more, and more preferably 0.5 mm or more. On the other hand, if the rib-like projection 14 is too high, it becomes more susceptible to damage due to rotational force when inserted into the socket 20, and also more susceptible to wear when handled individually. Therefore, the height h of the rib-like projection 14 is preferably 5.0 mm or less, and more preferably 2.0 mm or less. In this case, from the viewpoint of making the rib-like projection 14 even less susceptible to damage, the thickness t of the rib-like projection 14 is preferably in the range of 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, and more preferably in the range of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. As an example of the height h and thickness t of the rib-like projection 14, a height h of 0.5 mm and a thickness t of 1.0 mm can be given.

[0027] [Socket configuration] As shown in Figure 4, the socket 20 of connector 1 has a receiving portion 21 into which the tip 12 of plug 10 can be inserted. This configures plug 10 to be inserted into socket 20. In this embodiment, a wire 3' (exposed conductor) such as a cable is inserted into a conductor insertion portion 24 of socket 20 at a position different from the position in which the tip 12 of plug 10 is inserted (in Figure 4, at the position opposite to the position in which the tip 12 of plug 10 is inserted), and the wire 3' is fixed to socket 20 by known means. The wire 3' fixed to socket 20 is electrically connected to the pins 16 of plug 10 when the tip 12 of plug 10 is inserted into the receiving portion 21.

[0028] As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), the receiving portion 21 of the socket 20 includes a socket fitting portion 22, the inner circumferential surface portion 21a that fits with the inserted plug fitting portion 13, and which, when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1, has a polygonal inner circumferential surface contour shape similar to the outer circumferential surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13. For example, in the cross-section shown in Figure 5(b), the socket fitting portion 22 is configured to have a hexagonal contour shape. As a result, the inner circumferential surface contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22 has a shape similar to the outer circumferential surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13, and because the socket fitting portion 22 fits with the plug fitting portion 13, the tip portion 12 of the plug 10 can be held by the receiving portion 21 of the socket 20.

[0029] Here, as shown in Figure 5(b), it is preferable that the socket fitting portion 22 has a groove 23 formed at the apex of the inner circumferential surface 22a, having an inner surface shape corresponding to the outer contour shape of the rib-like projection 14 formed at the apex of the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug fitting portion 13. By having a groove 23 with an inner surface shape corresponding to the outer contour shape of the rib-like projection 14 at the apex of the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22, the rib-like projection 14 engages with the groove 23, so that the positions of the corners of the polygons forming the contour of the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug fitting portion 13 and the positions of the corners of the polygons forming the contour of the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22 can be aligned more accurately. Here, from the viewpoint of preventing the plug 10 inserted into the socket 20 from falling out, it is preferable that the groove 23 is located in a part of the apex of the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22 (the position where the inner circumferential surface 22a becomes a valley), including the position where it engages with the rib-like projection 14. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of facilitating the removal of the plug 10 from the socket 20, it is preferable that the socket fitting portion 22 has the feature over the entire apex position (the position where the inner circumferential surface 22a becomes a valley).

[0030] From the viewpoint of facilitating engagement with the rib-like projections 14, the depth d of the groove 23 is preferably 0.5 mm or more, and more preferably 0.8 mm or more. On the other hand, the upper limit of the depth d of the groove 23 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, 2.0 mm or less.

[0031] Preferably, the receiving portion 21 of the socket 20 has a polygonal shape in the opening into which the plug 10 is inserted, which is similar to the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13. In particular, it is more preferable that the corners of the polygon of the opening into which the plug 10 is inserted lie on the extension of the line connecting the vertices of the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22 (the positions where the inner circumferential surface 22a forms a valley). By configuring the receiving portion 21 in this way, the positions of the corners of the plug fitting portion 13 and the positions of the corners of the opening of the receiving portion 21 can be more easily aligned, making it easier to align the plug 10 with respect to the socket 20 when inserting the plug 10 into the socket 20.

[0032] [Shape and size of the outer surface of the plug mating portion and the inner surface of the socket mating portion] As described above, the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22 are configured such that the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22 has a polygonal shape similar to the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13. At this time, the outer circumference length of the plug fitting portion 13 is configured to be less than or equal to the inner circumference length of the socket fitting portion 22. This allows the plug fitting portion 13 of the plug 10 corresponding to the socket 20 to be inserted into the socket fitting portion 22, thereby preventing incorrect insertion of the plug when inserting it into the socket and allowing the plug 10 to be inserted in the correct position relative to the socket 20.

[0033] In particular, when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1, it is preferable that the ratio (D1 / D2) of the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D1) passing through all the vertices located on the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug mating portion 13 to the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D2) passing through all the vertices located on the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket mating portion 22 is in the range of 0.90 to 1.00. Here, when the ratio (D1 / D2) of the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D1) passing through all the vertices located on the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug mating portion 13 to the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D2) passing through all the vertices located on the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket mating portion 22 is 0.90 or more, preferably 0.92 or more, the gap between the plug 10 and the socket 20 becomes smaller when the plug 10 is inserted into the socket 20, making it difficult for the plug 10 inserted into the socket 20 to rotate relative to the socket 20. Therefore, the ratio (D1 / D2) of the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D1) passing through all the vertices located on the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug fitting portion 13 to the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D2) passing through all the vertices located on the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22 is preferably 0.90 or more, and more preferably 0.92 or more. On the other hand, the upper limit of the ratio (D1 / D2) of the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D1) passing through all the vertices located on the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug fitting portion 13 to the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D2) passing through all the vertices located on the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22 is preferably 1.00 or less, and more preferably 0.95 or less, from the viewpoint of facilitating insertion of the plug fitting portion 13 into the socket fitting portion 22.

[0034] In this specification, "the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D1) passing through all the vertices located on the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug fitting portion 13" refers to the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the portion of the plug fitting portion 13 excluding the rib-like projection 14. Also, in this specification, "the diameter of the circumscribed circle (D2) passing through all the vertices located on the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket fitting portion 22" refers to the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the portion of the socket fitting portion 22 excluding the groove 23.

[0035] Preferably, the outer circumferential surface 13a of the plug mating portion 13 and the inner circumferential surface 22a of the socket mating portion 22 have a polygonal shape with 6 to 20 vertices. That is, when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1, the plug mating portion 13 preferably has a polygonal shape with 6 to 20 vertices. Similarly, when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1, the socket mating portion 22 preferably has a polygonal shape with 6 to 20 vertices. By making the number of vertices of the polygonal shape forming the contours of the plug mating portion 13 and the socket mating portion 22 6 or more, the outer circumferential contour of the plug mating portion 13 and the inner circumferential contour of the socket mating portion 22 can be reduced in size, and the desired internal space S can be easily secured inside the plug 10. This makes it easier to arrange the plug mating portion 13 and the socket mating portion 22 in a smaller space, and as a result, the plug 10 and the socket 20 can be housed in a space-saving manner. On the other hand, by limiting the number of vertices of the polygons forming the contour shapes of the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22 to 20 or less, it becomes easier to visually distinguish the contour shapes of the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22. Furthermore, since the vertices of the polygons forming the contour shape of the plug fitting portion 13 are locked to the vertices of the polygons forming the contour shape of the socket fitting portion 22, it becomes even less likely that the plug will be inserted into the socket by mistake, regardless of the height of the rib-like projection 14. In addition, by separating the vertices of the polygons forming the contour shapes of the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22, it becomes easier to mold the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22 from resin. Therefore, it is preferable that the number of vertices of the polygons forming the contour shapes of the plug fitting portion 13 and the socket fitting portion 22 is in the range of 6 to 20, and more preferably in the range of 6 to 12.

[0036] Furthermore, it is preferable that the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion 13 and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion 22 are both regular polygons with the same number of vertices when viewed in cross-section of the connector 1. This allows the plug 10 to be fitted into the socket 20 at multiple positions when at least one of the plug 10 and the socket 20 is rotated around the center of the plug mating portion 13 and the center of the socket mating portion 22, thus further reducing the rotation angles required when inserting the plug 10 into the socket 20. As a result, twisting of the plug 10 and the cable connected to the socket 20 is reduced when inserting the plug 10 into the socket 20, thereby reducing the load on the connection part with the cable.

[0037] In particular, from the viewpoint of making it easier to distinguish the number of vertices of the regular polygons that form the contour shape of the plug mating portion 13 and the socket mating portion 22, it is more preferable that the number of vertices of the regular polygons that form these contour shapes be even, and even more preferable that they be regular hexagons, regular octagons, or regular decagons.

[0038] Preferably, when viewed in cross-section, the plug mating portion 13 and the socket mating portion 22 are configured such that the number of vertices of the polygons forming the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion 13 and the number of vertices of the polygons forming the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion 22 differ for each different type of connector. For example, as the first connector 1, a plug 10 and socket 20 are used, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, in which both the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion 13 and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion 22 are regular hexagons. As the second connector 1A, a plug 10A and socket 20A are used, as shown in Figure 6, in which both the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion 13A and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion 22A are regular octagons. Furthermore, as the third connector 1B, a plug 10B and socket 20B are used, as shown in Figure 7, in which both the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion 13B and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion 22B are regular decagons. In this way, by changing the number of vertices of the polygons that form the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portions 13, 13A, and 13B and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portions 22, 22A, and 22B for each different type of connector, it becomes more difficult to insert the plug 10 into different types of sockets (for example, sockets 20A and 20B), thus more reliably preventing incorrect insertion of the plug 10 into sockets 20A and 20B when inserting it into socket 20. Note that connectors 1A and 1B shown in Figures 6 and 7 have the same configuration as connector 1 described above, except for the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portions 13A and 13B of plugs 10A and 10B and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portions 22A and 22B of sockets 20A and 20B.

[0039] Note that while Figure 4 shows a case where the electric wire 3 is connected to the conductor insertion portion 24 side of the socket 20, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, as shown in the socket 20C of Figure 8, it may be configured as a connection portion (receptacle) to various equipment such as a power supply device (not shown) via a plate-shaped mounting portion 25 provided on a part of the outer circumferential surface 20a of the socket 20C.

[0040] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various modifications without departing from the core principles, in accordance with conventionally known knowledge. Such modifications, as long as they still possess the configuration of the connector of the present invention, are of course included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1, 1A, 1B connectors 10, 10A, 10B plugs 11 Main body 12 Tip 13, 13A, 13B Plug mating section 13a Outer surface of the plug mating portion 14 Rib-like projections 15, 24 Conductor insertion section 16 pins 20, 20A, 20B, 20C sockets 20a Outer surface of the socket 21 Receiving part 21a Inner circumferential surface portion of the receiving part 22, 22A, 22B Socket mating section 22a Inner circumferential surface of the socket mating portion 23 Groove 25 Mounting part 3, 3' wire D1 Diameter of the circumscribed circle passing through all vertices located on the outer surface of the plug mating portion. D2 Diameter of the circumscribed circle passing through all vertices located on the inner surface of the socket mating portion. d. Depth of the groove h height of the rib-like projection L: Extended length of the tip L' Extension of the plug mating portion S Plug Mating Area Internal Space t Thickness of the rib-like projection X Direction of extension of the tip

Claims

1. A connector comprising a plug having a main body and a tip portion extending from the main body, and a socket having a receiving portion into which the tip portion of the plug can be inserted, The tip of the plug has a plug fitting portion in which at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the extending length of the tip has a polygonal contour shape when viewed in cross-section of the connector, and continuous or intermittent rib-like projections are provided along the ridges extending along the extending direction of the tip at each vertex position of the polygon. The receiving portion of the socket comprises a socket fitting portion whose inner circumferential surface portion that engages with the inserted plug fitting portion has a polygonal inner circumferential surface contour shape that, when viewed in cross-section of the connector, is similar to the outer circumferential surface contour shape of the plug fitting portion. A connector in which the outer circumference length of the plug mating portion is less than or equal to the inner circumference length of the socket mating portion.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed in cross-section of the connector, the diameter of the circumscribed circle passing through all the vertices located on the outer circumferential surface of the plug mating portion is in a ratio of 0.90 to 1.00 of the diameter of the circumscribed circle passing through all the vertices located on the inner circumferential surface of the socket mating portion.

3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the outer circumferential contour shape of the plug mating portion and the inner circumferential contour shape of the socket mating portion are both regular polygons with the same number of vertices when viewed in cross-section of the connector.

4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the socket fitting portion has a groove formed at the apex of the inner circumferential surface having an inner surface shape corresponding to the outer contour shape of the rib-like protrusion formed at the apex of the outer circumferential surface of the plug fitting portion.

5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the plug mating portion and the socket mating portion are configured such that the number of vertices constituting the polygon differs for each different type of connector.

6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the plug mating portion and the socket mating portion have a polygon with 6 to 20 vertices.

Images