Conductive Fabric Connector
A flexible connector housing for conductive cloth addresses the issue of tension in clothing and conductive fabric pieces by allowing the connector to deform with the fabric, improving wearability and preventing damage.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2019184353
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2019-10-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-22
- Estimated Expiration
- 2039-10-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing connectors for conductive fabrics are often made of non-flexible materials, which apply tension to the clothing and conductive fabric pieces when the clothing deforms, leading to discomfort, difficulty in putting on or taking off clothes, and potential damage.
A connector for conductive cloth with a flexible housing made of materials with a durometer hardness of 20 or more (type A) and 60 or less (type D), allowing for deformation with the fabric and reducing tension on the clothing and conductive fabric pieces.
The flexible connector housing minimizes tension on the clothing and conductive fabric pieces, enhancing wearability, simplifying the process of putting on and taking off clothes, and preventing damage to the fabric.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a connector for conductive fabrics for mounting and electrically connecting a wearable device. [Background technology]
[0002] Wearable devices incorporate various sensors and communication devices, and are operated while worn on the user's body. The user wears the wearable device on a connector attached to cloth clothing with conductive cloth pieces sewn onto it. The wearable device inputs minute currents and the like generated in the user's body from the conductive cloth pieces via the connector, and measures desired physical conditions such as heart rate. The measured data is wirelessly transmitted to a smartphone or the like via a communication device incorporated into the wearable device.
[0003] This makes it possible to visualize the physical condition of the user during exercise or in normal times, or to remotely monitor the physical condition of elderly people.
[0004] Connectors for attaching wearable devices are described, for example, in the following prior art: [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-135723 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-63772 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2018-136990 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2018-50650 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0006] In the above prior art, a connector is attached to cloth clothing with conductive cloth pieces sewn onto it, so when the body moves in various ways while wearing the clothing, the cloth of the clothing tries to deform in various ways accordingly. However, if the connector is made of a non-flexible material, tension is placed on the cloth of the clothing and the conductive cloth pieces, making the clothing uncomfortable to wear.
[0007] In addition, when putting on or taking off clothes, the inflexible connector applies tension to the fabric of the clothes or the conductive fabric pieces, making it difficult to put on or take off. When choosing clothes, the fabric of the clothes tries to deform in various ways, but the inflexible connector applies tension to the fabric of the clothes or the conductive fabric pieces, causing damage.
[0008] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 4, since the connector is attached to the inside of the clothing, it is difficult to attach and detach the device to and from the inside connector while wearing the clothing. Also, if the clothing is worn without the device attached, the inflexible connector on the inside of the clothing comes into contact with the body, reducing the wearing comfort.
[0009] Therefore, the object of the first aspect of this embodiment is to provide a connector for conductive cloth that is less likely to apply tension to the cloth or conductive cloth pieces of clothing when the shape of the clothing is deformed into various forms. [Means for solving the problem]
[0010] A first aspect of this embodiment is a connector for conductive cloth that is attached to cloth and has a device attached thereto, the connector having a connector housing having a predetermined shape and a hardness of 20 or more of durometer type A and 60 or less of durometer type D, and at least one contact that is provided in the connector housing and attached so as to be electrically conductive to a conductive cloth piece of the cloth, and that is electrically connected to an electrode of the device when the device is attached. Effect of the Invention
[0011] According to the first aspect, when the shape of the clothing is changed into various forms, tension is less likely to be applied to the fabric of the clothing or the conductive fabric pieces. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector according to a first embodiment, a cloth to which the connector is attached, and a device to be attached to the connector. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the device 30 is attached to the connector 20. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2A and 2B are plan and cross-sectional views showing a state in which a device 30 is attached to a connector 20. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a diagram showing a cross section of the connector and device in the cross section of FIG. 3 and the vicinity of the mounting recess on the left side. [Diagram 5] 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector according to a second embodiment, a cloth to which the connector is attached, and a device to be attached to the connector. FIG. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are plan and cross-sectional views of a device not attached to a connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a device is attached to a connector in a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a device is attached to a connector in a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13A and 13B are a plan view and a bottom view of a device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector in the first embodiment, a cloth to which the connector is attached, and a device to be attached to the connector. In Fig. 1, x, y, and z axes are shown to define three-dimensional directions. The same applies to the figures following Fig. 1.
[0014] In Fig. 1, the cloth 10 is placed on a plane of the x-axis and y-axis. The cloth 10 is used, for example, as the fabric of clothing. A conductive cloth piece 11 is attached to the cloth 10 by pasting or sewing. Fig. 1 shows a state in which a connector 20 is attached to the cloth 10. A device 30 is attached to the connector 20 from the opposite side to the cloth 10.
[0015] The connector 20 has an insulating and flexible connector housing 21 having a predetermined shape. The connector housing 21 shown in FIG. 1 is an example and is not limited to the above, and the predetermined shape is a band-like shape of a rectangular frame body with four rounded corners in a plan view. The connector housing 21 has a pair of x-direction housing parts 21x extending in the x-direction and a pair of y-direction housing parts 21y extending in the y-direction. The pair of x-direction housing parts 21x are arranged in positions facing each other in the y-direction, while the pair of y-direction housing parts 21y are arranged in positions facing each other in the x-direction. In the example of FIG. 1, the pair of x-direction housing parts 21x are arranged at the positions of the short side frame body of the rectangle of the connector housing 21 in a plan view, while the pair of y-direction housing parts 21y are arranged at the positions of the long side frame body of the same.
[0016] The pair of y-axis direction housing parts 21y each have two contact mounting parts 22. The cross section of the band-shaped part of the y-axis direction housing part 21y is a rectangle with rounded corners, as described below. On the other hand, the cross section of the contact mounting part 22 is a rectangle smaller than the cross section of the part other than the contact mounting part 22, and the top surface and both side surfaces of the band-shaped part of the contact mounting part 22 are recessed. Conductive contacts 23 are provided in the recesses of the four contact mounting parts 22, respectively.
[0017] On the other hand, the device 30 attached to the connector 20 has a device housing 31 having a cubic outer shape that is approximately square or rectangular in plan view, which is an example. Fig. 1 also shows an arrow view of the device 30 as seen from the direction of the arrow A. As shown in the two perspective views of the device 30, a pair of groove-shaped attachment recesses 32 that fit into the housing part 21y in the y-axis direction of the connector 20 is provided on the connector attachment surface of the device housing 31 as seen from the direction of the arrow A. In addition, a pair of x-axis direction gripping recesses 34x and a pair of y-axis direction gripping recesses 34y are provided on the four side surfaces of the device housing 31.
[0018] The device 30 is provided therein with an integrated circuit (not shown) that measures the heart rate and the like and transmits the measurement results to the outside, a circuit board (not shown) on which the integrated circuit is mounted, and external electrodes 33 that are each connected to the electrodes of the circuit board.
[0019] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the device 30 is attached to the connector 20. Fig. 3 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the device 30 is attached to the connector 20. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the attachment recess on the left side of the connector and device in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the device 30 is attached to the connector 20 by fitting the pair of mounting recesses 32 of the device 30 shown in FIG. 1 into the y-axis direction housing portion 21y of the connector 20. When the device 30 is attached to the connector 20, first, as shown in the cross-sectional views of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the external electrodes 33 of the device and the contacts 23 of the connector are electrically connected. Second, as shown in the plan views of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the pair of x-axis direction housing portions 21x of the connector 20 are located outside the outer edge of the outer shape of the device 30 in a plan view. As a result, the pair of x-axis direction housing portions 21x of the connector 20 are exposed outside the outer edge along the x-axis direction of the outer shape of the device housing 31 of the device 30 in a plan view. Furthermore, the pair of y-axis direction gripping recesses 34y of the device housing 31 of the device are exposed.
[0021] Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view in the direction B-B' of the plan view, and Fig. 4 shows an enlarged cross-section of the connector and the mounting recess on the left side of the device in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3. The cross-sectional views of Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show the internal space 35 of the device 30, a circuit board 40 on which an integrated circuit is mounted, and a female electrode 33 on the device side connected to the circuit board 40. The female electrode 33 is the same as the external electrode 33 described above.
[0022] 4, in this example, the device-side female electrode 33 has a pair of electrode structures arranged opposite each other in the x-axis direction, and is provided in female electrode storage sections 36 provided in two locations on each of a pair of groove-shaped mounting recesses 32. The female electrode storage sections 36 have wide spaces that are carved out deeper in the x-axis and z-axis directions than the groove-shaped mounting recesses 32, and the female electrode 33 is provided in the spaces.
[0023] Furthermore, in the y-axis direction housing part 21y of the connector, a male contact 23 is provided at a position where the female electrode 33 on the device side is to be disposed. The male contact 23 is bent along the top surface and both side surfaces of the y-axis direction housing part 21y and attached to the y-axis direction housing part 21y, and further, both ends thereof are bent along the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11.
[0024] Further, the tip portion 23_1 of the male contact 23, for example, penetrates the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11 and is folded to the back side of the cloth 10, and the male contact 23 sandwiches the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11 from the front side and the back side, and is electrically connected to the conductive cloth piece 11. However, the electrical connection between the male contact 23 and the conductive cloth piece 11 may be made by a method other than sandwiching the cloth and the conductive cloth piece from the front side and the back side, for example, by sewing the tip portion 23_1 to the conductive cloth piece.
[0025] The conductive cloth piece 11 is attached to the front side of the cloth 10, but the conductive cloth piece 11 may be attached to the back side of the cloth 10. When the cloth 10 is used as clothing fabric, the back side of the cloth 10 comes into contact with the body, so if the conductive cloth piece 11 is attached to the back side of the cloth, it is convenient for detecting minute currents from the body.
[0026] 4, a protective member 12 for protecting the cloth and the conductive cloth piece is disposed on the back side of the cloth 10, and is sandwiched together with the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11 by the tip portion 23_1 of the male contact 23. The protective member 12 is made of, for example, metal, and is a material that is at least more durable than the cloth and the conductive cloth piece.
[0027] Furthermore, the tip portion 23_1 of the male contact 23 is folded back on the back side of the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11. In order to prevent the tip portion 23_1 from coming into contact with the body when the clothing is worn, a flexible and insulating protective cloth piece 13 is sewn or attached so as to cover the tip portion 23_1 of the male contact 23.
[0028] When device 30 is attached to connector 20, male contacts 23 of connector 20 fit between a pair of female electrodes 33 of device 30, and device 30 is held (retained) by connector 20 due to contact pressure between female electrodes 33 and male contacts 23. By designing this contact pressure to an appropriate value, the pressing force when attaching device 30 to connector 20 and the pulling force when removing device 30 from connector 20 can be set to appropriate values.
[0029] 2 and the plan view of FIG. 3, when the device is attached to the connector, a pair of x-axis direction housing parts 21x arranged opposite to each other in the y-axis direction are exposed in a position in the y-axis direction from the outer edge of the external shape of the device housing 31 in a plan view, and the side surface in the y-axis direction of the device housing 31 is exposed. Therefore, when removing the device 30 from the connector 20, the device housing 31 can be pulled out in the positive direction of the z axis by pinching the y-axis direction pinching recess 34y of the device housing 31 in the x-axis direction while pressing the pair of x-axis direction housing parts 21x in the negative direction of the z axis. In other words, the pair of x-axis direction housing parts 21x located outside the outer edge of the external shape of the device housing in a plan view function as pressing pieces when removing the device.
[0030] Since the connector 20 is attached to the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11, by pulling out the device 30 in the positive direction of the z-axis while pressing a pressing piece consisting of a pair of x-axis direction housing parts 21x of the connector 20 in the negative direction of the z-axis, the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11 are prevented from being pulled and torn and damaged.
[0031] In this embodiment, since the connector housing 21 of the connector 20 has a band-like structure with a rectangular frame, it is preferable that, when the device 30 is attached to the connector 20, the pair of x-axis direction housing parts 21x arranged opposite to each other in the y-axis direction are located outside the outer edge along the x-axis direction of the external shape of the device housing 31 in a plan view. However, only one of the pair of x-axis direction housing parts 21x may be located outside the outer edge of the device housing.
[0032] Furthermore, when the device 30 is attached to the connector 20, it is preferable that the pair of y-axis direction housing portions 21y of the connector are not located outside the outer edge along the y-axis direction of the external shape of the device housing 31 in a plan view. In that case, when removing the device 30, the pair of side surfaces along the y-axis direction of the device housing 31 are exposed, making it easier to pick up the pair of y-axis direction gripping recesses 34y. However, even if the pair of y-axis direction housing portions 21y are located outside the outer edge of the device housing, this does not make it difficult to remove the device 30 as long as the y-axis direction gripping recesses 34y of the device housing 31 can be pinched.
[0033] Ultimately, it is desirable that, in a plan view, with device 30 attached to connector 20, the connector housing of the connector is located outside the outer edge of the device housing in at least one of four mutually intersecting directions of the outer edge of the external shape of device housing 31. When removing the device from the connector, by pressing the pressing piece of the connector housing located outside the outer edge of the device housing at one point in four mutually intersecting directions, it is possible to prevent the cloth or conductive cloth piece from being pulled and damaged.
[0034] Connector housing 21 is desirably made of natural rubber, thermosetting elastomer, thermoplastic elastomer, or the like, with a hardness of 20 or more in durometer type A and 60 or less in durometer type D. If the hardness is within this range, connector housing 21 has appropriate flexibility, and even if cloth 10 or conductive cloth piece 11 deforms, the connector housing also deforms in response to the deformation, thereby suppressing tension on the cloth or conductive cloth piece.
[0035] It is desirable that the multiple contacts 23 are attached to each of the pair of y-axis direction housing parts 21y at intervals sufficient to prevent the loss of flexibility of the connector housing 21. Because the contacts 23 are made of a highly conductive metal, if the multiple contacts 23 are arranged close to the pair of y-axis direction housing parts 21y, the flexibility of the contact housing 21 will be lost.
[0036] In this way, by forming the connector housing 21 from a flexible material, when wearing clothes with the connector housing attached, even if the body moves in various ways and the fabric of the clothes deforms into various shapes, the flexible connector housing follows the deformation to some extent, so that the tension applied to the fabric of the clothes and the conductive fabric pieces can be suppressed, and the wearing comfort of the clothes is improved. Also, similarly, even when putting on or taking off the clothes, the tension applied to the fabric of the clothes and the conductive fabric pieces can be suppressed, making it easier to put on and take off the clothes.
[0037] Furthermore, when the connector housing is attached to the surface of the clothes, the body is protected from the connector housing by the fabric of the clothes and the conductive fabric pieces, and since the connector housing has flexibility, the wearing comfort of the clothes is improved.
[0038] Also, the connector housing 21 of the connector 20 in the present embodiment is attached to the surface side of the fabric 10, and the device 30 is attached to the connector housing 21 from the surface side of the fabric 10. Therefore, the device 30 can be attached to the connector 20 while wearing clothes made of the fabric 10, and the device can also be removed from the connector 20.
[0039] [Second Embodiment] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector, a fabric to which the connector is attached, and a device attached to the connector in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view showing a plan view and a cross-section in a state where the device is not attached to the connector, similar to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 also shows a perspective view seen from arrow C. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view in the D-D' direction of the plan view.
[0040] In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment is that the connector 20 has a pair of housing portions and locking portions 24x in the x-axis direction instead of the pair of housing portions 21x in the x-axis direction of the first embodiment. As is clear from the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the pair of housing portions and locking portions 24x in the x-axis direction have a shape that opens obliquely outward and upward in the plane formed by the y-axis and the z-axis in the cross-sectional view, and each inner side has a connector-side locking convex portion 25 and a notch portion 26, respectively. On the other hand, the device 30 is different from the first embodiment in that it has device-side locking recesses 37 on a pair of side surfaces along the x-axis direction of the device housing 31.
[0041] The configuration other than the above is equivalent to that of the first embodiment.
[0042] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a device is attached to the connector in the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a state in which a device is attached to the connector in the second embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view in the direction of E-E' of the plan view.
[0043] When the device 30 is attached to the connector 20, first, the female-side electrode of the device 30 is fitted and electrically connected to the male-side contact of the connector 20. Second, the pair of connector-side locking convex portions 25 of the connector 20 are respectively fitted into the pair of device-side locking recesses 37 of the device housing 31, and the device 30 is mechanically held by the connector 20. Further, in plan view, third, the pair of housing portions and locking portions 24x in the x-axis direction of the connector 20 are located outside the outer edge in the x-axis direction of the outer shape of the device 30.
[0044] When the device 30 is attached to the connector 20, the device 30 is pressed against the connector 20 while pinching the pair of pinching recesses 34y on the side surfaces along the pair of y-axis directions of the device housing 31 of the device 30 from both sides and pushing down the cutout portion 26 of the connector 20 to widen the pair of x-axis direction housing / locking portions 24x. As a result, the connector side locking protrusions 25 of the pair of x-axis direction housing / locking portions 24x fit into the device side locking recesses 37 of the device housing 31. By providing this locking mechanism, the contact pressure between the female side electrode 33 of the device 30 and the male side contact 23 of the connector 20 can be made lower than the value required to hold the device alone. This increases the degree of freedom in selecting the device electrodes, such as one-sided spring contacts, compression type contacts, and pogo pins.
[0045] On the other hand, when removing the device 30 from the connector 20, the device housing 31 of the device 30 has a pair of side surfaces along the y-axis direction, which are gripped at the gripping recesses 34y from both sides, and the cutout portion 26 of the connector 20 is pressed down to spread apart the pressing pieces that are the housing and locking portions 24x along the x-axis direction, while the device 30 is pulled out. At this time, the pressing pieces of the connector 20 are spread apart, so that the cloth 10 and the conductive cloth piece 11 are prevented from being pulled and torn and damaged when the device 30 is pulled out.
[0046] Since the contact pressure of the male contacts 23 of the connector 20 can be reduced, the pressing force of the pair of pressing pieces that constitute the x-axis housing and locking portion 24x of the connector when the device is pulled out can be reduced, making removal easier.
[0047] Since connector 20 is provided with a pair of x-axis housing portions and locking portions 24x, if the material of connector housing 21 is made flexible as described above, the pair of x-axis housing portions and locking portions 24x will be more easily deformed, making it easier to open the pair of x-axis housing portions and locking portions 24x when attaching and removing the device.
[0048] [Third embodiment] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a plan view of the connector and a bottom view of the device in the third embodiment. Two types of configurations, (A) and (B), are shown in Fig. 9. In the first and second embodiments, the connector housing 21 has four contacts 23 arranged two by two, symmetrically arranged in the y-axis direction in a plan view. Therefore, the device 30 may be mistakenly attached upside down in the y-axis direction of the connector 20.
[0049] In the connector of the third embodiment, in order to prevent the above-mentioned erroneous installation, the connector housing 21 has an asymmetric shape from the center in either the up-down direction or the left-right direction in a plan view. That is, the erroneous installation prevention convex portion 27 or 28 is provided at a position shifted from the center of the y-axis direction of the y-axis direction housing portion 21y to the positive side or the negative side of the y-axis. In the example of FIG. 9(A), the erroneous installation prevention convex portion 27 is provided so as to protrude outward from the center of the pair of y-axis direction housing portions 21y at a position on the positive side of the y-axis. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 9(B), the erroneous installation prevention convex portion 27 is provided so as to protrude inward from the center of the pair of y-axis direction housing portions 21y at a position on the negative side of the y-axis. The above-mentioned connector housing 21 has an asymmetric shape from the center in the up-down direction in a plan view.
[0050] In correspondence with the mis-installation prevention protrusions 27, 28 of the connector, mis-installation prevention recesses 38, 39 are provided in the groove-shaped mounting recess 32 of the device housing 31 of the device 30. In the example of Fig. 9(A), the mis-installation prevention recess 38 is provided so as to protrude outward from a position on the positive side of the y-axis from the center of the pair of groove-shaped mounting recesses 32. On the other hand, in the example of Fig. 9(B), the mis-installation prevention recess 39 is provided so as to protrude inward from a position on the negative side of the y-axis from the center of the pair of groove-shaped mounting recesses 32.
[0051] By providing the above-described misattachment prevention protrusions 27 and 28 on the connector housing 21 and the misattachment prevention recesses 38 and 39 in the mounting recess 32 of the device housing 31, respectively, misattachment of the device 30 in the wrong direction can be prevented. Specifically, it is possible to prevent the device 30 in FIG. 9(B) from being attached to the connector 20 in FIG. 9(A), and it is possible to prevent the device 30 in FIG. 9(A) from being attached to the connector 20 in FIG. 9(B).
[0052] In addition to the above-described misattachment prevention protrusions and recesses, misattachment of the device to the connector can also be prevented by forming the shape of the connector housing of the connector 20 into a trapezoidal frame. Also in this case, the connector housing 21 has an asymmetric shape from the center in either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction in a plan view.
[0053] [Modifications of the First to Third Embodiments] In the first to third embodiments, the connector 20 is a rectangular frame and has a pair of housing portions 21y in the y-axis direction and a pair of housing portions 21x in the x-axis direction that constitute the frame in four directions. However, it is not limited to such a rectangular frame, and a bottom plate continuous from the housing portions 21y and 21x may be provided at the inner bottom of the housing portions 21y and 21x that form the frame on four sides. In this case, since the strip-shaped shapes of the housing portions 21y and 21x are formed in the +z-axis direction from the bottom plate, the device 30 can be attached to the connector 20 in the same manner as in the first to third embodiments, and when removing the device, the device can be pulled out from the connector by pressing the pressing piece of the connector.
[0054] The shape of the connector 20 may be a triangle other than a rectangle, a quadrilateral with four corners other than a right angle such as a trapezoid or a parallelogram, or a circle. In that case, in at least one of the four directions perpendicular to each other in the plan view of the connector 20 with the device attached to the connector, the pressing piece of the connector may be located and exposed outside the outer edge of the device. And if the side surfaces of the device in the three directions other than the above one direction can be held (pinched) from both sides, the device can be removed while pressing the pressing piece in the -z-axis direction.
[0055] In the first to third embodiments, the connector 20 has a plurality of contacts 23. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the connector 20 may have a single contact 23. In this case, in order to measure minute currents in the body to measure the heart rate of the body, if a plurality of connectors each having one contact are attached to clothing and a single device is attached to the plurality of connectors, a circuit can be formed in which a minute current circulates between the device and a conductive cloth piece of the clothing via the plurality of contacts.
[0056] As described above, according to this embodiment, when removing a device attached to a connector, the contact pressing piece is exposed outward from the outer edge of the device's external shape in a planar view, so that by pulling out the device while holding down the contact pressing piece, the cloth or conductive cloth piece is prevented from being pulled and torn and damaged. [Explanation of symbols]
[0057] 10: Cloth 11: Conductive cloth piece 12: Protective material 13: Protective cloth piece 20: Connector 21: Connector housing 21x: Housing part in the x-axis direction, pressing piece 21y: Housing part in the y-axis direction 22: Contact mounting part 23: Contact, male contact 24x: Housing and lock part in the x-axis direction 25: (Connector side) Lock protrusion 26: Notch 27, 28: Mis-insertion prevention protrusions 30: Devices, wearable devices 31: Device housing 32: (groove-shaped) mounting recess 33: female electrode, external electrode 34x: x-axis gripping recess 34y: y-axis gripping recess 35: Internal space 36: Female electrode storage section 37: (Device side) Lock recess 38, 39: Recessed portion for preventing incorrect installation 40: Circuit board
Claims
1. A connector that is attached to the fabric and to which a device is attached, a connector housing having a band-shaped frame body having a rectangular shape in a plan view and having a hardness of 20 or more of durometer type A and 60 or less of durometer type D; a plurality of contacts provided at a distance from each other on a pair of long side frame members arranged on a pair of long sides of the rectangular band frame member of the connector housing, the contacts being attached so as to be electrically conductive to the conductive cloth piece of the cloth, and the contacts being electrically connected to a plurality of electrodes of the device when the device is attached; the tip portions of the plurality of contacts are attached to the conductive cloth piece of the cloth by penetrating the cloth and the conductive cloth piece of the cloth and folding them to the back side of the cloth and the conductive cloth piece of the cloth so as to sandwich the cloth and the conductive cloth piece of the cloth from the front side and the back side, or by being sewn to the conductive cloth piece of the cloth; A connector for conductive cloth in which the device is mounted with the multiple electrodes of the device electrically connected to each of the multiple contacts by fitting the mounting recess in which the multiple electrodes of the device are provided into the pair of long side frame bodies.
2. The conductive cloth connector of claim 1 , wherein the connector housing is formed of one of natural rubber, a thermoset elastomer, or a thermoplastic elastomer.
3. The connector for conductive cloth as described in claim 1 has a pressing piece provided in the connector housing, positioned outside the outer edge of the device's external shape in a planar view when the device is attached, and pressed when the device is removed.
4. The fabric is a clothing material, The connector housing is attached to a surface side of the garment, The connector for conductive cloth according to claim 1 , wherein the device is attached to the connector from the surface side of the clothing.
5. The connector housing is provided with a center in either the up-down direction or the left-right direction in a plan view.
10. The conductive cloth connector of claim 1, which is asymmetrical from the center.
Citation Information
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