Terminal Block

Abstract

To provide a terminal block with which the ease of use of an operation member is improved.SOLUTION: A terminal block T comprises: a plurality of housings 1A, 1B which are juxtaposed in a lateral direction Y; a plurality of electric wire insertion openings 3 through which electric wire can be inserted into the housings 1A, 1B; and an operation member 6, provided to each housing 1A, 1B, which can be pushed into the housings 1A, 1B. The electric wire insertion openings 3 are provided so as to be aligned in a zigzag pattern in the lateral direction Y, and the operation members are provided so as to be aligned in the zigzag pattern in the lateral direction Y. An electric wire insertion opening row 3A composed of the plurality of electric wire insertion openings 3 that are aligned in the zigzag pattern and an operation member row 6A composed of the plurality of operation members 6 that are aligned in the zigzag pattern adjoining in a longitudinal direction X, with the operation member row 6A arranged at only one side in the longitudinal direction X of the electric wire insertion opening row 3A adjoining the operation member row 6A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal block having a plurality of wire outlets. [Background technology]

[0002] A terminal block is known that has multiple housings connected to each other according to the number of electric wires and multiple electric wire insertion ports into which electric wires can be inserted, eliminating the need for wiring work using screws (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] 10, the terminal block according to the first embodiment described in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of housings 101A, 101B arranged side by side in the left-right direction Y, a plurality of wire insertion ports 103 into which wires W can be inserted, and an operating member 106 provided in each of the housings 101A, 101B and capable of being pushed into the housing 101A, 101B. Each of the housings 101A, 101B has a wide portion 110A that is larger in dimension than the wire insertion ports 103 in the left-right direction Y and a narrow portion 110B that is smaller in dimension than the wide portion 110A in the left-right direction Y. The wide portion 110A of the first housing 101A and the narrow portion 110B of the second housing 101B are adjacent to each other, and the narrow portion 110B of the first housing 101A and the wide portion 110A of the second housing 101B are adjacent to each other. In this way, the plurality of wire insertion ports 103 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y, and the plurality of operation members 106 are arranged in a straight line in the left-right direction Y.

[0004] 11, the terminal block according to the second embodiment of Patent Document 1 is configured such that the wide portions 110A of the first housings 101A are adjacent to one another, the wide portions 110A of the second housings 101B are adjacent to one another, and the narrow portions 110B of the first housings 101A and the narrow portions 110B of the second housings 101A are adjacent to one another. Thus, not only the wire insertion ports 103 but also the operating members 106 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y.

[0005] However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , when multiple electric wires W are inserted into the electric wire insertion port 103 and extended forward (in one direction of the front-rear direction X), the electric wires W are positioned above some of the operating members 106, and therefore it is necessary to avoid the electric wires W when pushing in the operating members 106, resulting in a problem of poor operability of the operating members 106. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6948153 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal block with improved operability of an operating member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a terminal block comprising a plurality of housings arranged in a predetermined first linear direction, a plurality of wire insertion ports into which wires can be inserted, and an operating member provided on each of the housings and capable of being pushed into the housing, wherein the wire insertion ports are arranged in a staggered pattern in the first linear direction, the operating members are arranged in a staggered pattern in the first linear direction, a wire insertion port row consisting of the staggered wire insertion ports and an operating member row consisting of the staggered operating members are adjacent to each other in a second linear direction perpendicular to the first linear direction, and the operating member row is arranged on only one side in the second linear direction of the wire insertion port row adjacent to the operating member row.

[0009] Preferably, the operating member is provided across two adjacent housings.

[0010] Furthermore, each housing has a main socket portion that forms at least the center of one of the wire sockets and is open toward the first linear direction, and a socket end portion that forms an end portion of another of the wire sockets and is open toward the first linear direction, and when two or more of the housings are connected to each other, the main socket portion of one of the two adjacent housings and the socket end portion of the other of the two housings form one of the wire sockets.

[0011] It is also preferable that the electrical connector further includes an end cover arranged alongside the housing in the first linear direction, the end cover having a receptacle end portion that constitutes the end portion of one of the electrical wire receptacles, and that when the housing and the end cover are connected, the receptacle main portion of the housing and the receptacle end portion of the end cover form one of the electrical wire receptacles. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal block having an operating member with improved operability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a terminal block according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is a perspective view and (B) is an exploded perspective view. [Figure 2] 3A, 3B, and 3C are diagrams showing a first housing according to the embodiment and components provided in the housing, in which (A) is a perspective view, (B) is a side view, and (C) is an exploded perspective view. [Figure 3] 5A, 5B, and 5C are diagrams showing a second housing according to the embodiment and components provided in the housing, in which (A) is a perspective view, (B) is a side view, and (C) is an exploded perspective view. [Figure 4] 1A is a plan view of the first housing, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the second housing. [Figure 5](A) is a left side view of the first housing, (B) is a left side view of the second housing, (C) is a right side view of the first housing, and (D) is a right side view of the second housing. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an end cover according to the embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a right side view. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing a portion of the terminal block according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the terminal block according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified terminal block according to a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified terminal block according to a conventional example. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a simplified terminal block according to a conventional example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the front-rear direction X, left-right direction Y, and up-down direction Z indicated by arrows in the drawings are linear directions that are perpendicular to one another, but the above three directions X, Y, and Z do not limit the installation or use of the present invention. In other words, the up-down direction Z is not limited to a vertical direction, and the front-rear direction X and left-right direction Y are not limited to horizontal directions.

[0015] 1(A) and 1(B), the terminal block T includes a plurality of housings 1A and 1B, one end cover 2, and a plurality of wire sockets 3. In this embodiment, the terminal block T includes five of each of two types of housings 1A and 1B, and the same number of wire sockets 3 as the housings 1A and 1B (i.e., 10).

[0016] The housings 1A, 1B are each made of an electrically insulating resin block and are arranged side by side in the left-right direction Y, which is a first linear direction. The first housing 1A and the second housing 1B are arranged alternately and connected to each other, so that one of the adjacent housings 1A, 1B closes the internal space of the other. The configuration of the housings 1A, 1B will be described in detail later using Figures 4 and 5, etc.

[0017] The end cover 2 is made of an electrically insulating resin plate and is arranged next to the first housing 1A, which is located at the end of the multiple housings 1A, 1B in the left-right direction Y. The end cover 2 is connected to the first housing 1A to close the internal space of the housing 1A. The configuration of the end cover 2 will be described in detail later using Figure 6.

[0018] The wire sockets 3 are openings through which wires (not shown) can be inserted into the housings 1A, 1B from above, perpendicular to the left-right direction Y. The wire sockets 3 are formed by the adjacent housings 1A, 1B, and the adjacent first housing 1A and end cover 2, and are arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y. Specifically, the staggered wire sockets 3 are made up of wire sockets 3 formed by a socket main portion 11 (see FIG. 4(A)) of the first housing 1A, which will be described later, and wire sockets 3 formed by a socket main portion 11 (see FIG. 4(B)) of the second housing 1B, which will be described later, and are arranged alternately in the left-right direction Y.

[0019] 2(A) to 2(C) show the first housing 1A and the components provided in the housing 1A, and FIGS. 3(A) to 3(C) show the second housing 1B and the components provided in the housing 1B.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2(A) to (C) and 3(A) to (C), the terminal block T includes a terminal member 4, an elastic member 5, and an operating member 6 as components provided on each of the housings 1A and 1B.

[0021] The terminal member 4 is made of a conductive metal fitting. The terminal member 4 has a terminal portion 41 provided along the inner wall of the housings 1A, 1B and a pin 42 protruding downward from the housings 1A, 1B. An electric wire inserted into the housings 1A, 1B is connected to the terminal portion 41. The pin 42 is connected to wiring (not shown) on a circuit board on which the terminal block T is mounted.

[0022] The elastic member 5 is made of a conductive leaf spring. The elastic member 5 presses the electric wire inserted into the housings 1A, 1B toward the terminal portion 41 of the terminal member 4. The elastic member 5 has a base end portion 51 provided in contact with a part of the terminal member 4, and a tip portion 52 provided below the electric wire insertion port 3. The electric wire inserted into the electric wire insertion port 3 is sandwiched and held between the terminal portion 41 of the terminal member 4 and the tip portion 52 of the elastic member 5.

[0023] The operating member 6 is made of an electrically insulating resin button. The operating member 6 is configured to be able to be pushed into the housings 1A, 1B to separate the elastic member 5 from the terminal member 4, and slides in the vertical direction Z relative to the housings 1A, 1B. The operating member 6 has a base end 61 provided on the top of the housings 1A, 1B and a tip end 62 provided inside the housings 1A, 1B. When the base end 61 is pushed downward, the tip end 62 presses down the tip end 52 of the elastic member 5, widening the gap between the terminal portion 41 and the tip end 52 of the terminal member 4. This makes it easy to clamp an electric wire between the terminal portion 41 and the tip end 52 and to pull out the clamped electric wire.

[0024] The configuration of the housings 1A and 1B will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4(A), (B) and 5(A) to (D). Components common to the two types of housings 1A and 1B will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0025] Each of the housings 1A, 1B has an internal space 10A, a top surface 10B, a left surface 10C as a first side surface, and a right surface 10D as a second side surface. The internal space 10A is a space in which the terminal members 4 and the elastic members 5 are provided. The top surface 10B is an electric wire insertion surface that faces upward. The left surface 10C faces leftward, which is one side of the left-right direction Y, and constitutes an open-side end that opens the internal space 10A to the left. The right surface 10D faces rightward, which is the other side of the left-right direction Y, and constitutes a closed-side end that closes the internal space 10A.

[0026] In addition, each of the housings 1A, 1B has, on the top surface 10B, a main socket portion 11 that forms part of the wire socket 3, a socket end portion 12 that forms part of the other wire socket 3, a wire insertion port 13 provided within the main socket portion 11, and an operating member insertion port 14.

[0027] The receptacle main portion 11 forms at least the center of one wire receptacle 3, and the receptacle end portion 12 forms the end portion of the other wire receptacle 3. In this embodiment, the receptacle main portion 11 is configured to form the right end and center of the wire receptacle 3, and the receptacle end portion 12 is configured to form the left end portion of the other wire receptacle 3. The receptacle main portion 11 opens to the left (i.e., toward the left surface 10C), and the receptacle end portion 12 opens to the right (i.e., toward the right surface 10D). The lower end portion of the receptacle main portion 11 is tapered to guide the tip of the electric wire into the wire insertion port 13. Similarly, the lower end portion of the receptacle end portion 12 is also tapered.

[0028] A portion of receptacle main portion 11 and a portion of receptacle end portion 12 of each housing 1A, 1B are arranged to overlap when viewed from the front or rear, and also when viewed from the right or left. That is, a portion of receptacle main portion 11 and a portion of receptacle end portion 12 are located on a line L1 extending parallel to the front-to-rear direction X, and on a line L2 extending parallel to the left-to-right direction Y.

[0029] The wire insertion opening 13 and the operating member insertion opening 14 are openings that communicate the internal space 10A of the housings 1A, 1B with the outside. The wire insertion opening 13 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and is configured so that the tip of the wire inserted into the wire insertion opening 3 passes through the internal space 10A. The operating member insertion opening 14 is provided behind the wire insertion opening 13, and is configured so that the tip 62 of the operating member 6 passes through the internal space 10A and has a voltage detection opening 14A (see FIG. 7 ). Specifically, the operating member insertion opening 14 is formed larger than the operating member 6 in the front-rear direction X, and when the operating member 6 is inserted into the operating member insertion opening 14, the voltage detection opening 14A is formed in the gap between the operating member insertion opening 14 and the operating member 6.

[0030] Each of the housings 1A and 1B has a protrusion 15 provided on the left surface 10C and a recess 16 provided on the right surface 10D. The housings 1A and 1B are connected to each other by fitting the protrusion 15 on one of the housings 1A and 1B into the recess 16 on the other housing.

[0031] The structure of the end cover 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6, the end cover 2 has an upper surface 20A, which is an electric wire insertion surface facing upward, and a right surface 20B facing rightward. The right surface 20B closes the internal space 10A of the first housing 1A.

[0032] The end cover 2 also has a receptacle end 21 provided on the top surface 20A and a recess 22 provided on the right surface 20B. The receptacle end 21 is configured similarly to the receptacle end 12. That is, in this embodiment, the receptacle end 21 is open on the right surface 20B so as to form the left end of one wire receptacle 3. The recess 22 functions similarly to the recess 16 of the second housing 1B, and is configured so that the first housing 1A and the end cover 2 are connected to each other by fitting the protrusion 15 of the first housing 1A into the recess 22.

[0033] 7, the terminal block T configured as described above has two or more housings 1A, 1B connected to each other, so that the receptacle main portion 11 and the receptacle end portion 12 come together to form the wire receptacle 3. Specifically, the receptacle main portion 11 of the first housing 1A and the receptacle end portion 12 of the second housing 1B adjacent to the left of the first housing 1A form one wire receptacle 3. The receptacle main portion 11 of the second housing 1B and the receptacle end portion 12 of the first housing 1A adjacent to the left of the first housing 1B form one wire receptacle 3.

[0034] Furthermore, by connecting first housing 1A and end cover 2 to each other, receptacle main portion 11 and receptacle end portion 21 are joined to form wire receptacle 3. That is, receptacle main portion 11 of first housing 1A and receptacle end portion 21 of end cover 2 adjacent to the left of housing 1A form one wire receptacle 3.

[0035] As described above, the wire insertion ports 3 arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y are located on the same straight line extending parallel to the left-right direction Y (i.e., on the straight line L2), and two adjacent wire insertion ports 3 are located on the same straight line extending parallel to the front-rear direction X (i.e., on the straight line L1).

[0036] 7, similar to the wire socket 3, the operating members 6 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y, and each of the operating members 6 (except for the operating member 6 located at the left end of the terminal block T) is arranged straddling two adjacent housings 1A, 1B. The operating member 6 located at the left end of the terminal block T is arranged straddling the first housing 1A and the end cover 2.

[0037] FIG. 8 shows a simplified view of the terminal block T according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8 , the wire sockets 3 arranged in a staggered pattern constitute a wire socket row 3A, and the housings 1A, 1B are provided with operation members 6 arranged near the wire socket row 3A so as to be arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y. The operation members 6 are located behind the wire sockets 3 and constitute an operation member row 6A. The wire socket row 3A and the operation member row 6A are separated in the front-rear direction X, which is a second linear direction perpendicular to the left-right direction Y. Specifically, the wire socket row 3A and the operation member row 6A are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction X, and the operation member row 6A is arranged only on one side, that is, on the rear side in the front-rear direction X, of the wire socket row 3A adjacent to the operation member row 6A.

[0038] This embodiment provides the following advantages. (1) An electric wire socket row 3A consisting of a plurality of electric wire sockets 3 arranged in a staggered pattern and an operating member row 6A consisting of a plurality of operating members 6 also arranged in a staggered pattern are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction X, and the operating member row 6A is arranged only on one side, that is, the rear side, of the electric wire socket row 3A in the front-rear direction X. According to this configuration, as shown in FIG. 8 , when a plurality of electric wires W are inserted into the electric wire sockets 3 and extended forward, the electric wires W are not positioned above all of the operating members 6. This eliminates the need to avoid the electric wires W when pushing the operating members 6, thereby improving the operability of the operating members 6. Furthermore, because the operating members 6 are arranged in a staggered pattern, pushing one operating member 6 can prevent adjacent operating members 6 from being accidentally pushed in.

[0039] (2) The operating member 6 is provided across two adjacent housings 1A, 1B. This configuration allows the dimension of the operating member 6 to be increased in the left-right direction Y, further improving the operability of the operating member 6.

[0040] (3) By connecting two or more housings 1A, 1B to each other, the receptacle main portion 11 of one of the two adjacent housings 1A, 1B and the receptacle end portion 12 of the other are arranged in a staggered pattern to form one wire receptacle 3. With this configuration, one wire receptacle 3 is formed across the two housings 1A, 1B, so the housings 1A, 1B can be made smaller in size in the left-right direction Y without reducing the diameter of the wire receptacle 3. Therefore, the terminal block T can be made smaller while maintaining the diameter of the wire receptacle 3.

[0041] (4) By connecting the first housing 1A and the end cover 2, the receptacle main portion 11 of the first housing 1A and the receptacle end portion 21 of the end cover 2 are arranged in a staggered pattern to form one wire receptacle 3. With this configuration, one wire receptacle 3 is formed across the first housing 1A and the end cover 2, so the diameter of the wire receptacle 3 located at the end can be maintained.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the above configurations can be modified. For example, the following modifications can be made, or the following modifications can be combined to make the present invention.

[0043] The wire sockets 3 arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction Y are positioned on the same straight line L2, but two adjacent wire sockets do not have to be positioned on a line extending parallel to the first linear direction in which the housings are arranged. In other words, the main socket portion and the end socket portion of each housing do not have to be positioned on the same straight line extending in the first linear direction in which the housings are arranged.

[0044] Although the wire socket row 3A is provided at the front end of the terminal block T, the wire socket row may be provided at the rear end of the terminal block, with the operation member row being located only on the forward side of the wire socket row. In other words, the operation member row only needs to be located on one side of the wire socket row adjacent to the operation member row in the second linear direction perpendicular to the first linear direction in which the housings are lined up.

[0045] Each of the housings 1A, 1B has one main receptacle portion 11 and one end receptacle portion 12, but each housing may have two or more main receptacle portions and two or more end receptacles. That is, the terminal block may be provided with multiple rows of wire receptacles and rows of operating members.

[0046] The terminal block T according to the above embodiment is provided on a circuit board, and the pins 42 of the terminal members 4 are connected to wiring on the circuit board, but the present invention may also be applied to a terminal block provided on a rail, for example. The present invention may also be applied to a relay terminal block that relays electric wires, a branch terminal block that branches electric wires, or a disconnect terminal block equipped with a switch, for example.

[0047] For example, the present invention may be a terminal block T' shown in Fig. 9 that combines the above-mentioned modified examples. The terminal block T' is a relay terminal block that relays the electric wires W inserted into the electric wire sockets 3 that make up a first electric wire socket row 3A (to be described later) and the electric wires W inserted into the electric wire sockets 3 that make up a second electric wire socket row 3B (to be described later). The configuration of the terminal block T' according to the modified example will be described below.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 9 , wire sockets 3 are provided at the front and rear ends of the terminal block T′ in a staggered arrangement in the left-right direction Y. The wire sockets 3 provided at the front end of the terminal block T′ constitute a first wire socket row 3A, and the other wire sockets 3 provided at the rear end of the terminal block T′ constitute a second wire socket row 3B. The housings 1A and 1B are provided with operation members 6 arranged between the wire socket rows 3A and 3B in a staggered arrangement in the left-right direction Y. The operation members 6 located near the first wire socket row 3A are located behind the wire sockets 3 provided at the front end of the terminal block T′ and constitute a first operation member row 6A. The operation members 6 located near the second wire socket row 3B are located in front of the second wire socket row 3B and constitute a second operation member row 6B.

[0049] As described above, the first wire socket row 3A and the first operating member row 6A are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction X, and the first operating member row 6A is arranged only on one side, that is, the rear side, in the front-rear direction X, of the first wire socket row 3A adjacent to the first operating member row 6A. Furthermore, the second wire socket row 3B and the second operating member row 6B are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction X, and the second operating member row 6B is arranged only on one side, that is, the front side, in the front-rear direction X, of the second wire socket row 3B adjacent to the second operating member row 6B.

[0050] According to the configuration of the terminal block T′ relating to the above-described modified example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a plurality of electric wires W are inserted into the electric wire sockets 3 constituting the first electric wire socket row 3A and extended forward, and a plurality of electric wires W are inserted into the electric wire sockets 3 constituting the second electric wire socket row 3B and extended rearward, the electric wires W are not positioned above all of the operating members 6. Therefore, there is no need to avoid the electric wires W when pushing in the operating members 6, and the operability of the operating members 6 can be improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1A First housing (housing) 1B Second housing (housing) 2 End cover 3 Wire socket 4 Terminal material 5 Elastic member 6 Operating member 11 Main part of the socket 12 Socket end 21 Socket end T terminal block X Front-rear direction (second linear direction) Y left / right direction (first linear direction) Z vertical direction

Claims

1. A terminal block including a plurality of housings arranged side by side in a predetermined left-right direction, a plurality of wire insertion ports into which wires can be inserted, and an operating member provided in each of the housings and capable of being pushed into the housing, The wire insertion ports are arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction, The operation members are arranged in a staggered pattern in the left-right direction, a wire insertion port row consisting of the plurality of wire insertion ports arranged in a staggered pattern and an operation member row consisting of the plurality of operation members arranged in a staggered pattern are adjacent to each other in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the left-right direction, the operation member row is disposed only on the rear side, which is one side in the front-rear direction, of the wire insertion port row adjacent to the operation member row, the operating member adjacent to the wire insertion port in the front-rear direction has a front end portion facing the wire insertion port and having a smaller dimension in the left-right direction than the wire insertion port, and a rear end portion opposite the front end portion and having a larger dimension in the left-right direction than the front end portion, The row of operation members is composed of a rear row of operation members consisting of a plurality of the operation members lined up in a straight line in the left-right direction, and a front row of operation members consisting of a plurality of the operation members lined up in a straight line in the left-right direction and shifted forward from the rear row of operation members toward the wire insertion port row, and the rear end portions of the operation members constituting the front row of operation members and the front end portions of the operation members constituting the rear row of operation members are adjacent to each other so as to face each other in the left-right direction, The wire insertion port row is composed of a front wire insertion port row consisting of a plurality of the wire insertion ports aligned in a straight line in the left-right direction, and a rear wire insertion port row consisting of a plurality of the wire insertion ports aligned in a straight line in the left-right direction and shifted rearward from the front wire insertion port row toward the operation member row, and the front end portions of the operation members that constitute the front operation member row and the wire insertion ports that constitute the rear wire insertion port row are adjacent to each other so as to face each other in the left-right direction. A terminal block characterized by:

2. The operating member is provided across two adjacent housings.

2. The terminal block according to claim 1.

3. each housing has a receptacle main portion that forms at least a central portion of one of the wire receptacles and is open in the left-right direction, and a receptacle end portion that forms an end portion of the other of the wire receptacles and is open in the left-right direction; When two or more of the housings are connected to each other, the main portion of the receptacle of one of the two adjacent housings and the end portion of the receptacle of the other housing form one of the wire receptacles.

3. The terminal block according to claim 1 or 2.

4. an end cover provided next to the housing in the left-right direction; the end cover has a socket end portion that constitutes an end portion of one of the wire sockets, When the housing and the end cover are connected, the main portion of the receptacle of the housing and the end portion of the receptacle of the end cover form one wire receptacle.

4. The terminal block according to claim 3.

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