KR100701540B1 - Cable connector with slide-actuated engagement means - Google Patents

Abstract

A mating connector for connecting the connector, locking means for securing the connector to the mating connector, and a release mechanism for the locking means. The locking means includes a pair of hook members extending along each opposite side of the housing, a lever that rotatably supports each hook member for the housing, an engaging end provided on the hook member, for engaging the engaging end. A mating recess provided on the mating connector side, and a spring contact arm provided on the hook member for urging the mating end in a direction toward the mating recess. The release mechanism is arranged such that by the movement of the slide cover which can slide in the axial direction of the cable with respect to the housing, the hook member is rotated to release the engaging end from the engaging recess.

Description

Cable connector with sliding actuation mating means {CABLE CONNECTOR WITH SLIDE-ACTUATED ENGAGEMENT MEANS}

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to cable connectors, and more particularly to high density cables which terminate at connectors to which slide-actuated engagement means are coupled.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 6-208866 discloses a technique for increasing the mounting density of a cable connector. This technique reduces the size of the connector by reducing the thickness of the locking means (anti-removal mechanism) for the connector guide of the mating connector mounted on the mother board. This can increase the mounting density of the cable connector. The patent uses a latch that extends over the length of the connector and is operated by the user, which is difficult for high density applications.

Multiple cable connectors can be plugged in to the computer's motherboard. In recent years, the size of a computer motherboard has generally been reduced while the processing speed of the computer has increased. To make smaller motherboards, it is necessary to increase the mounting density of the cable connectors on the motherboard. For high density mounting of the cable connector on the motherboard, locking means for preventing the release of the cable connector from the mating board connector are generally provided only at one position in the housing portion of the cable connector. Rather than distributing the locking function between the various positions of the connector, installing the locking means in a single position can minimize the overall size of the connector. This is shown in the aforementioned Japanese patent application.

But this causes a problem. When the locking means are provided in a single position, the resistance of the locking means to torsional or traction forces is relatively weak. This type of force can act on the locking means when the cable is bent or twisted and arises from actions such as maintenance, repairs, or parts replacement in the computer. Therefore, it is desirable to provide locking means in two spaced locations on the connector housing to increase the reliability of the interconnect.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cable connector having easily coupled locking means located at two different locations for improved reliability, which enables high density mounting of the cable connector by minimizing the thickness of the locking means. The cable connector according to the invention comprises a connector provided at the end of the cable for mating with the mating connector, a locking means for securing the connector to the mating connector and a release mechanism for the locking means.

The locking means includes a pair of hook members each extending along opposite sides of the connector housing, fulcrum portions rotatably supporting the hook members in the housing, and opposing engagement recesses formed in the mating connector. recesses). The hook member includes a engaging (hook) end provided for engaging the opposing recess and a spring contact arm for urging the engaging end in the direction towards the engaging recess. The release mechanism includes a slide cover that can slide relative to and over the connector housing in the axial direction, and when the slide cover is away from the mating connector, the hook member is rotated in one direction (counterclockwise) so that the engagement portion is engaged. It is released from the set.

According to the invention, a pair of hook members extend along opposite sides of the housing and are rotatably attached to the connector housing. Since the hook member extends along the side of the housing, the width of the locking means is minimized to minimize the overall width of the connector. By this arrangement, the locking means can be provided with locking means in two separate spaced positions, and the reliability of the locking means is improved even if the connector width is minimized for high density mounting of the connector.

The release mechanism includes a guide slope provided in the slide cover and a hook member for contacting the slide cover guide slope that rotates the hook member when the slide cover slides backward with respect to the connector housing. It is preferred to include a first contact portion provided as the first base end of the. By this arrangement, the release mechanism is operated by simply sliding the slide cover.

It is also preferable to constitute a release mechanism that is operated when the slide cover slides in the first direction (direction opposite to the second direction), such as the direction away from the mating connector. By this arrangement, by simply pulling the slide toward the operator, the release mechanism is operated to release the locking means, and by further pulling the slide cover, the connector can be removed from the mating connector. Therefore, the release operation with respect to the connector is simply realized by pulling the slide cover toward the operator.

The free end of the contact portion of the hook member and the free end of the spring contact arm are spaced apart from each other by a gap in the slide cover, and the spring contact arm resiliently retracts when the free end of the contact portion contacts the guide slope. It is preferred to be configured to be deformed or deflected. The spring contact arm is then elastically deformed when the release mechanism is in operation, and the spring contact arm stays in an unbiased position when the release mechanism is not in operation. Therefore, the plate-shaped hook member is rotated by the movement of the slide cover.

Preferably, the locking means is actuated when the slide cover slides toward the mating connector. With this arrangement, if the connector is simply connected to the mating connector by holding the slide cover and moving the slide cover toward the mating connector, the connection between the connector and the mating connector can be realized by keeping the locking means in the operating state.

The sides of the housing are formed in a plane extending parallel to each other, each hook member having a connector housing in such a manner that the surface of each hook member contacts each side of the connector housing such that the gap between the hook member and the housing side is substantially eliminated. It is preferably attached to the rotatable. Thus, the width of the connector is minimized.

For simplicity and minimization of the width, the lever to the hook member has the form of a boss projecting from the side of the housing, and in the fitting hole provided at the center of the plate-shaped hook member located in the longitudinal direction. It is preferred to be inserted.

The mating connector preferably has a plurality of connector guides for guiding the connectors arranged laterally and vertically in a lattice manner. The plurality of connector cages can facilitate the mating action of the connector and can function to protect the mated connector.

When the connector is mated with the mating connector, the connector guide has a side support plate for supporting the side of the housing of the connector, and the engaging recess is preferably provided in the inner wall portion of the side support plate. By this configuration, the side support plates support the sides of the connector housing to stabilize the mated connector interface. In addition, by providing the engaging recess in the inner wall portion of the side support plate, a space for the engaging recess can be provided to minimize the distance between the side support plates.

The mating connector has a plurality of pin contacts that penetrate through the motherboard of the electronic equipment and protrude within each connector guide. In addition, the socket contact connected to the pin contact may be provided in the housing of the connector. By this configuration, the mating connector can be integrated with the motherboard.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

1 is a side view of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a plan view of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an exploded view of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A is a side view of the housing of the cable connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4B is a plan view of the housing of the cable connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4C is an end view of the housing of the cable connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the cable connector of Fig. 4B showing the locking means in the locked state.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the cable connector of Fig. 5 showing the locking means during release.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the cable connector of Fig. 5 showing the locking means completely released;

8 is an enlarged side view of the plate-shaped hook member of the cable connector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a cable connector that is connected to the motherboard M of a computer.

1 to 4, the cable connector shown in the drawing includes a cable connector 10 provided at the end of the cable 1, and the cable 1 is connected to the motherboard or circuit board M of the computer or Connect to another electronic device. The cable (1) and the cable connector (10) are mated to the mating connector (20), the means for locking the cable connector (10) to the mating connector in a coupled state, and the release mechanism for releasing the locking means is a cable connector It is included as a part of (10).

The cable connector 10 is a housing 11 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) having a front face that is substantially cuboidal in the outer contour (although other shapes may be used) and opened as a connection port, and a plurality of conductive Coupling in the form of a pair of hook members 30 rotatably mounted to a socket contact (not shown) supported by a line terminal or housing 11, or a lever 12 formed as part of a connector housing 11 Means; The cable connector 10 also includes a sliding member that extends beyond the hook member 30 in the form of a typical outer cover member 40 and at least partially covers the housing 11. Each hook member 30 consists of a thin plate extending along each opposite side of the connector housing 11. The lever 12 may be formed as part of the connector housing 11 and functions as a center of rotation in which the hook member 30 rotates. This is preferably located centrally along the longitudinal direction of the connector housing 11. 3 and 4, each hook member 30 has a first engagement end 33 which terminates in a projection 33a in the form of a sawtooth or barb. The mating connector 20 has opposite mating recesses 21 each having a step 21a for mating with the mating end 33 of the hook member 30.

Each of the hook members 30 has an overall Y shape and also has two additional end or contact arms 34 and release arms 35. The contact arm 34 is in the form of a spring portion or arm 34 for pressing the hook member engaging end 33 in a clockwise rotation (first rotational direction) towards the engaging recess 21 of the mating connector. On the other hand, the other one of the release arms 35 is of the release arm 35 which functions to operate the hook to the position to be released when the release arm 35 contacts the guide inclined portion 41 of the slide cover 40. Take form. This contact causes a counterclockwise rotation of the engagement end 33 to release the hook member 30 from engagement of the recess 21 and the hook member of the mating connector.

The locking or engaging means of the connector of the present invention comprises a pair of hook members 30 and hook members 30 extending along opposite sides of each of the housings 11 of the cable connector 10 so that the housings can rotate in the housing 11. And a pair of levers 12 supporting the hook member 30 so as to be able to. This means further comprises a pair of engagement recesses 21 formed in the mating connector 20 for engaging the mating end 33, and also for contact arms 34 and mating for engaging the hook member 30. A release arm 35 for releasing the hook member from engagement of the connector recess 21 with the hook member. The contact arm 34 urges the hook member to move in one direction, while the release arm 35 urges the hook member to move in the opposite direction. This rotational movement is obtained by linear movement of the slide cover in place on the connector. The movement of the hook member relative to the movement of the slide cover is shown in Figures 5-7.

The release mechanism comprises a slide cover 40 which can slide in the axial direction of the cable 1 with respect to the housing 11. The end face of the slide cover 40 has a cable through hole 40a through which the cable 1 passes so that the slide cover 40 can slide along the cable 1. By the movement of the slide cover 40, the hook member 30 is rotated in the direction in which the engaging end 33 is released from the engaging recess 21.

In addition, the release mechanism includes a guide inclined portion 41 provided in the slide cover 40 and a guide inclined portion for rotating the hook member 30 when the slide cover 40 slides in a direction away from the mating connector 20. A release arm 35 in contact with 41. This configuration enables the operation of the release mechanism by simply sliding the slide cover 40.

In this embodiment, the release mechanism is operated when the slide cover 40 slides in a direction away from the mating connector 20 (ie, facing the user). Thus, simply pulling the slide cover 40 out of the mating connector releases the locking mechanism, and the cable connector 10 can be removed from the mating connector 20 by further pulling the slide cover 40 in the same direction. . Therefore, the connector can be released by simply pulling the slide cover 40 toward the user.

The free end of the release arm 35 of the plate-shaped hook member 30 and the free end of the spring contact arm 34 of the hook member 30 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the slide cover 40, and the release arm ( The spring contact arm 34 is arranged to elastically deform when the free end of the 35 contacts the guide inclined portion 41. The spring contact arm 34 is thus elastically deformed when the release mechanism is operated and the spring contact arm 34 is in an unbent state when the release mechanism is not actuated. Therefore, the operation of the plate-shaped hook member 30 can be made by the operation of the slide cover 40.

In addition, by sliding the slide cover 40 toward the mating connector 20, the locking means is operated. By this arrangement, if the cable connector 10 is connected to the mating connector 20 by the user holding the slide cover 40, mating of the connector can be achieved by the locking means which is kept in the operating state. .

Sides 11a and 11a of the housing 11 form planes extending parallel to one another. Each of the plate-shaped hook members 30 is rotatably connected to the housing 11 so that one side of the hook member 30 is in contact with each of the side surfaces 11a and 11a of the housing 11. Thus, the gap between the hook member 30 and each one of the side surfaces 11a and 11a of the housing is substantially eliminated. Therefore, the width D of the cable connector 10 can be minimized.

The lever 12 for the plate-shaped hook member 30 protrudes from the side 11a of the housing 11 and is a boss inserted into the fitting hole 36 disposed in the center of the hook member 30. The form of is preferable. The fitting hole 36 is circular as shown in FIG. 8, but may have other shapes to retard the rotational speed of the hook member 30. Preferably, the hook member 30 is made of synthetic resin to give the spring contact arm 34 sufficient elasticity. Alternatively, the lever 12 and the fitting hole 36 may each be formed of a recess and a boss fitted to the recess.

2 and 3, the mating connector 20 has a plurality of connector guides 22 for guiding the cable connectors 10 arranged horizontally and vertically in a lattice form. The plurality of connector guides 22 facilitate the connection of the cable connector 10 to each mating connector and serve to protect the connected cable connector 10.

Each connector guide 22 has side support plates 23 and 23 which support the side of the housing 11 when the cable connector 10 is mated with the mating connector 20. The engagement recess 21 is provided in the inner wall portion of the side support plates 23 and 23. The engaging recess 21 is provided in the inner wall portion of the side support plates 23 and 23 to reduce the distance between the side support plates 23.

The opening of the mating recess 21 of the mating connector 20 is a direction away from the mating recess 21 when the mating end 33 enters the mating recess 21 (shown in FIGS. 5 to 7). Spring contact arm 34 in a clockwise direction by allowing the spring contact arm 34 to lean against the inner wall of the slide cover 40 by displacing the engagement end 33 counterclockwise about the lever 12 as shown. ) Is provided with a guide portion 24 for elastically deforming. By elastically deforming the spring contact arm 34 in the clockwise direction (shown in FIGS. 5 to 7), the engagement force acting in the counterclockwise direction is generated in the spring contact arm 34. This counterclockwise force causes an increase in the engagement force acting on the engagement end 33 with respect to the engagement recess 21.

Referring to Fig. 2, the mating connector 20 has a plurality of pin contacts 25 that penetrate the motherboard M of the computer and extend between the side support plates 23, 23 of each connector guide 22. . Socket contacts (not shown) are provided in the housing 11 of the cable connector 10 to connect to the pin contacts 25. By this arrangement, the mating connector 20 is mounted thereto in an integrated manner with the motherboard M. FIG.

In the cable connector thus constructed, as shown in Fig. 5, by simply inserting the cable connector 10 between the side support plates 23, 23 of the mating connector 20, the locking means is provided with a projection ( 33a operates to engage with the step 21a of the engagement recess 21.

Next, the operation of the locking means and the release mechanism will be described in detail. Referring to FIG. 5, while inserting the cable connector 10 into the mating connector 20, the guide surface 33b at the tip of the mating end 33 contacts the guide 24 of the mating recess 21. The engaging end 33 is pressed downward. At this time, since the tip portion of the spring contact arm 34 is in contact with the inner surface of the slide cover 40, the spring contact arm 34 elastically deforms to generate a coupling force to engage with the engagement recess 21. The engaging end 33 and the projection 33a are pressed in the direction of

When the mating of the mating connector 20 and the cable connector 10 enters the final stage, the engagement force of the spring contact arm 34 causes the mating end 33 to move upward in FIG. 5 within the mating recess 21. By moving, the projection 33a and the engagement recess 21 are engaged with each other. As a result, the locking means is operated.

Referring to Fig. 6, when the locking means is released, the slide cover 40 is moved in a direction away from the mating connector 20 (i.e., the user side direction) by pulling the cable connector 10 to remove it. As a result, the guide inclined portion 41 of the slide cover 40 is moved relative to the release arm 35. At this time, since the release arm 35 rides along the guide inclined portion 41, the hook member 30 is rotated slightly about the lever 12 in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. As a result, the engagement between the engagement recess 21 and the spring contact arm 34 is released. Thus, the locking means is released.

Referring to Fig. 7, after the locking means is released, the slide cover 40 is further pulled in a direction away from the mating connector 20, whereby a protrusion (not shown) formed in the slide cover 40 is connected to the cable connector 10. And the cable connector 10 is pulled from the mating connector 20 by simply pulling the slide cover 40 in a direction away from the mating connector 20 after the locking means release operation. Can be removed.

Thus, in this embodiment a pair of plate-shaped hook members 30 extending along the opposite side of the housing 11 are rotatably attached to the housing 11 of the cable connector 10. Each hook member 30 is in the form of a thin plate and extends along the side of the housing 11. Therefore, the width D of the locking means is minimized, facilitating high density mounting of the connector. By this arrangement, the locking means can also be provided at two positions of the connector housing to increase their reliability.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the present invention is applied to a cable connector for connecting to a motherboard. However, the present invention can be applied to other connectors requiring locking means.

As described above, according to the cable connector of the present invention, it is possible to improve the reliability of the locking means by providing the locking members at two positions, rather than at one position of the connector. Providing the locking member in two positions improves the resistance to torsional and traction forces applied to the mated connector interface. In addition, by reducing the width of the locking means, high density mounting of the connector is facilitated. Further, by adopting such a configuration, the release mechanism for the locking means can be operated by sliding the slide cover located in the connector in a direction away from the mating connector, so that the connector can be easily released and removed from the mating connector.                 

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made within the scope defined by the spirit of the invention and the appended claims.

Claims (13)

Mating to mating connector 20, comprising connector housing 11, conductive terminals disposed within connector housing 11, means for locking the connector in engagement with the mating connector, and means for releasing the connector locking means. As a cable connector for The locking means includes a pair of hook members 30 extending along opposite sides of the connector housing 11 and a pair of rotatably disposed hook members 30 supporting the hook member 30. Of the lever neck 12, In the cable connector, the hook member 30 is engaged with the mating recess 21 disposed in the mating connector 20 when the cable connector 10 and the mating connector 20 are joined together, The hook member 30 includes a mating end 33 formed at the first free end of the hook member and a spring contact arm 34 formed at the second end of the hook member, wherein the spring contact arm 34 is the lever. Pressing the hook member 30 in the first rotational direction about the center 12 so that the engaging end 33 engages with the engaging recess 21 of the mating connector 20, The lock release means is slidably mounted to the connector housing 11 and formed at the third free end of the hook member 30 and the slide cover 40 which can slide axially in the connector housing 11. The movement of the slide cover 40 in a first direction, including a release arm 35, causes the hook member engagement end 33 to rotate so that the spring contact arm engages with the mating connector engagement recess 21. And the movement of the slide cover 40 in the second direction causes the release arm 35 to rotate the hook member engagement end 33 such that the release arm 35 is released from the mating connector engagement recess 21. Cable connector, characterized in that. 2. The guide inclined portion (41) according to claim 1, wherein said release means is formed in said slide cover (40) contacted by said release arm (35) when said slide cover (40) slides in said second direction. Cable connector further comprising. 3. The cable connector according to claim 2, wherein said release means is operated when said slide cover (40) slides away from said mating connector (20). 3. The spring contact arm according to claim 2, wherein the spring contact arm 34 and the release arm 35 are positioned apart from each other so that the guide inclined portion 41 is contacted by the release arm 35. Cable connector with 34 deflected. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking means is operated when the slide cover (40) slides toward the mating connector (20). The side surface (11a) of the connector housing (11) is formed in a plane extending in parallel to each other, each of the hook member 30 is one side of each of the side surfaces of the connector housing (11) Cable connector in contact with. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lever 12 for the hook member 30 is in the form of a boss protruding from the side 11a of the connector housing 11, and is located in the body portion of the hook member 30. Cable connector inserted into fitting hole (36). 2. The cable connector according to claim 1, having a plurality of connector guides (22) for connecting the cable connector (10) such that the mating connector (20) is arranged laterally and longitudinally in a lattice shape. 9. The connector according to claim 8, wherein when the cable connector (10) is connected to the mating connector (20), each connector guide (22) has a side support plate (23) for supporting the side (11a) of the connector housing (11). The cable connector is provided with a coupling recess (21) on an inner wall of the side support plate (23). 10. The connector of claim 9, wherein the mating connector (20) includes a plurality of pin contacts (25) protruding into each of the connector guides (23) while penetrating the motherboard of the electronic equipment and connected to the pin contacts (25). The socket contact is a cable connector provided in the housing (11) of the cable connector (10). delete delete delete

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