Patent Grant
10103460
This application claims the priority benefits of Japan Patent Application No. 2017-037550, filed on Feb. 28, 2017. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
The disclosure relates to a push-in connection terminal block.
Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block having a housing which includes a terminal connection surface having an opening through which an electric wire can be inserted and pulled out and a confirmation window disposed close to the opening, and an accommodating portion provided at an inside thereof and connected to the opening. In the terminal block, an elongated display body which rotates around a rotation axis approximately at a center in a direction intersecting with the terminal connection surface of the accommodating portion according to inserting/pulling-out of the electric wire is provided in the accommodating portion. In the display body, a display portion which is provided at one end thereof in a lengthwise direction and is disposed to be exposed from the confirmation window by rotation of the display body is integrally provided, and a user is informed of a connection state of the electric wire according to whether or not the display portion is exposed from the confirmation window.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Registered Publication No. 3098937
Provided is a terminal block according to one aspect of the disclosure including a housing which is an insulating housing, having a terminal connection surface in which a first opening portion through which a conductor portion of an electric wire is adapted to be inserted and pulled out and a second opening portion which is adjacent to the first opening portion and through which a jig is adapted to be inserted and pulled out are linearly arranged, and an accommodating portion which is provided therein and connected to the first opening portion and the second opening portion, a terminal electrode portion disposed in the accommodating portion and with which the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion is able to come into contact, a leaf spring having a fixed portion formed at one end thereof to be fixed to the housing and an elastic portion formed at the other end thereof to be elastically deformable with respect to the fixed portion and disposed in the accommodating portion so that the elastic portion clamps the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion with the terminal electrode portion to allow the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion to be in a connected state and comes into contact with the jig inserted into the accommodating portion from the second opening portion to release contact between the elastic portion and the conductor portion and to allow the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion to be in a non-connected state, a movable operation feeling generating member supported by the housing to be rotatable around a rotation axis disposed adjacent to the terminal electrode portion of the accommodating portion and extending in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the first opening portion and the second opening portion of the terminal connection surface and configured to rotate according insertion of the conductor portion into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion to generate an operation feeling, and a first protruding portion disposed in the accommodating portion to be capable of coming into contact with the movable operation feeling generating member being rotated by the insertion of the conductor portion into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion after the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state, wherein the movable operation feeling generating member includes a first contact portion which is capable of coming into contact with the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion, and a second contact portion which is capable of coming into contact with the jig inserted into the accommodating portion from the second opening portion via the elastic portion and has a second protruding portion generating the operation feeling by coming into contact with the first protruding portion.
However, in the terminal block, for example, when connection of the electric wire is performed in a dark work environment, it is difficult to determine whether or not the display portion is exposed from the confirmation window, and there is a risk that the user cannot be informed of the accurate connection state of the electric wire.
Therefore, the disclosure accordingly provides a terminal block which is capable of accurately notifying a user of a connection state of an electric wire.
According to the terminal block of the aspect, the movable operation feeling generating member which is rotatable according the insertion of the conductor portion of the electric wire into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion, and a first protruding portion which is disposed in the accommodating portion to be capable of coming into contact with the movable operation feeling generating member being rotated by the insertion of the conductor portion into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion after the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state are provided. The second protruding portion which generates the operation feeling by coming into contact with the first protruding portion is provided at the movable operation feeling generating member. Accordingly, for example, even when the electric wire is connected to the terminal block in a dark work environment, the user can be accurately notified of the connection state of the electric wire by the operation feeling generated by the contact between the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, in the following description, terms indicating a specific direction or position (for example, terms including “up,” “down,” “right,” “left,” “side,” and “end”) are used as necessary, but the use of these terms is intended to facilitate understanding of the disclosure with reference to the drawings, and the technical scope of the disclosure is not limited by the meanings of these terms. Furthermore, the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure, an application thereof or a purpose thereof. Also, the drawings are schematic, and ratios of dimensions do not necessarily agree with actual ones.
As illustrated in
In the terminal block 1, the terminal connection surface 11 is a rectangular surface formed on an upper portion of the housing 10 (an upper surface in
As illustrated in
Further, the housing 10 is provided in an inside surrounded by the first to fourth wall portions 101, 102, 103 and 104 and has an accommodating portion 12 connected to the first opening portion 111, the second opening portion 112 and the third opening portion 113. The accommodating portion 12 is configured with a first region 121 to which the first opening portion 111 and the second opening portion 112 are connected and a second region 122 to which the third opening portion 113 is connected, a terminal electrode portion 20 and a leaf spring 30 are accommodated in the first region 121, and a state display portion 40 and a movable display member 50 are accommodated in the second region 122. Furthermore, an inner surface of the second wall portion 102 facing the terminal connection surface 11 is defined as a bottom surface of the accommodating portion 12.
The first region 121 and the second region 122 of the accommodating portion 12 are partitioned by an electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13 which extends from the first opening portion 111 in a direction intersecting (substantially orthogonal to) the terminal connection surface 11 (a vertical direction in
An inclined wall portion 14 having an approximately trapezoid shape in a plan view in the thickness direction of the housing 10 is provided in the first region 121 of the accommodating portion 12. The inclined wall portion 14 includes a leaf spring inclined surface 141 which faces the electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13 and is inclined to approach the electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13 in an insertion direction (from an upper side toward a lower side in
An electric wire insertion region 100 which is a region in which the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 may be inserted through the first opening portion 111, and a jig insertion region 110 which is a region in which the jig 90 may be inserted through the second opening portion 112 are provided between the leaf spring inclined surface 141 and the electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13. Gaps 144 and 145 in which the terminal electrode portion 20 can be disposed are respectively provided between the first gap forming surface 142 and the third wall portion 103 and between the second gap forming surface 143 and the second wall portion 102.
Also, two through-holes 146 which pass through the second wall portion 102 in the direction intersecting (for example, substantially orthogonal to) the terminal connection surface 11 and are connected to an outside of the housing 10 are provided in the second wall portion 102. The through-holes 146 are disposed in portions of the second wall portion 102 corresponding to both end portions of a horizontal plate portion 21 of the terminal electrode portion 20 which will be described later.
In the second region 122 of the accommodating portion 12, a second passage portion 124 which is defined by the electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13 and the fourth wall portion 104 and extends in the direction intersecting (substantially orthogonal to) the terminal connection surface 11 to be connected to the first passage portion 123 and the third opening portion 113 is provided. In the vicinity of the third opening portion 113 of the second passage portion 124, a display accommodating portion 125 for accommodating the state display portion 40 is provided.
Further, a first movable member inclined surface 126 and a second movable member inclined surface 127 are provided between the first passage portion 123 of the second passage portion 124 and the display accommodating portion 125. The first movable member inclined surface 126 is provided on the fourth wall portion 104 closer to the second wall portion 102 than the first wall portion 101 having the terminal connection surface 11 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and is inclined away from the electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13 as it approaches the third opening portion 113 of the terminal connection surface 11. The first movable member inclined surface 126 is in contact with an elastic arm portion 53 of the movable display member 50 to be described later and generates a biasing force for biasing the movable display member 50 toward the terminal connection surface 11. Also, the second movable member inclined surface 127 is provided on the fourth wall portion 104 closer to the first wall portion 101 than the second wall portion 102 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and is inclined to approach the electric wire insertion guide wall portion 13 as it approaches the third opening portion 113 of the terminal connection surface 11. The second movable member inclined surface 127 is in contact with the elastic arm portion 53 of the movable display member 50 and restricts movement of the movable display member 50 in a direction toward the terminal connection surface 11.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The elastic portion 32 clamps the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 inserted into the first region 121 of the accommodating portion 12 via the first opening portion 111 with the second vertical plate portion 23 of the terminal electrode portion 20 so that the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the terminal electrode portion 20 can be connected (refer to
As illustrated in
Specifically, as illustrated in
Furthermore, a connection display region 43 and a non-connection display region 44 are provided on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 41 with respect to the rotation axis 401 other than the cut-out portion 45. The connection display region 43 is, for example, a region which is colored with a conspicuous color such as red or yellow, and the non-connection display region 44 is, for example, a region which is colored with the same color as that of a material of the cylindrical body 41 (or a non-colored region when the state display portion 40 is formed of the same material as that of the cylindrical body 41). As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
When the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted from the first opening portion 111 into the first region 121 of the accommodating portion 12, the contact portion 52 which is in contact with the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is pressed in a direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and also away from the terminal connection surface 11 (a downward direction in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first pawl portion 54 is disposed adjacent to the terminal connection surface 11 in a direction in which the main body portion 51 performs the reciprocating movement, that is, in a lengthwise direction of the main body portion 51 and protrudes from the plate surface of the main body portion 51 facing the fourth wall portion 104 toward the fourth wall portion 104. Further, the second pawl portion 55 is disposed further away from the terminal connection surface 11 than the first pawl portion 54 of the main body portion 51 in the lengthwise direction of the main body portion 51 and protrudes from the plate surface of the main body portion 51 facing the fourth wall portion 104 toward the fourth wall portion 104, similarly to the first pawl portion 54.
Also, the protruding portion 42 of the state display portion 40 is disposed between the first pawl portion 54 and the second pawl portion 55 so that one of the first pawl portion 54 and the second pawl portion 55 can be in contact with the protruding portion 42. That is, by the movement of the main body portion 51 in a direction away from the terminal connection surface 11 (the downward direction in
Next, an operation of the terminal block 1 when the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted into the first opening portion 111 and the jig 90 is inserted into the second opening portion 112 will be described with reference to
When the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted from the first opening portion 111 of the terminal block 1 into the electric wire insertion region 100 of the first region 121 of the accommodating portion 12, the conductor portion 81 of the inserted electric wire 80 is in contact with the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 and presses the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 in the direction away from the terminal connection surface 11. Therefore, the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 is elastically deformed against a spring force thereof, and the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is clamped between the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 and the second vertical plate portion 23 of the terminal electrode portion 20 as illustrated in
Further, when the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted into the electric wire insertion region 100 of the first region 121 of the accommodating portion 12, the conductor portion 81 of the inserted electric wire 80 comes into contact with the contact surface 521 of the contact portion 52 of the movable display member 50 and presses the contact surface 521 of the contact portion 52 of the movable display member 50 until the contact portion 52 is in contact with the second wall portion 102 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and also away from the terminal connection surface 11, as illustrated in
At this time, the main body portion 51 of the movable display member 50 is moved by the pressing of the conductor portion 81 of the inserted electric wire 80 toward the contact portion 52 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and also away from the terminal connection surface 11, and the first pawl portion 54 comes into contact with the protruding portion 42 of the state display portion 40 and rotates the state display portion 40 from a position illustrated in
Subsequently, when the jig 90 is inserted from the second opening portion 112 of the terminal block 1 in which the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the terminal electrode portion 20 are in the connected state as illustrated in
When the jig 90 in the accommodating portion 12 is drawn out from the accommodating portion 12 after the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 in the accommodating portion 12 is pulled out to an outside of the accommodating portion 12, the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 which is elastically deformed by the jig 90 moves toward the second vertical plate portion 23 of the terminal electrode portion 20 due to the spring force and returns to the state illustrated in
At this time, the pressing of the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the jig 90 toward the contact portion 52 is released, and the elastic arm portion 53 which is elastically deformed while in contact with the first movable member inclined surface 126 biases the main body portion 51 toward the terminal connection surface 11. Therefore, the main body portion 51 moves in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and approaching the terminal connection surface 11, and the second pawl portion 55 comes into contact with the protruding portion 42 of the state display portion 40 and rotates the state display portion 40 from the position illustrated in
The terminal block 1 of the first embodiment includes the state display portion 40 which displays whether the conductor portion 81 and the terminal electrode portion 20 are in the connected state or the non-connected state at the third opening portion 113. Therefore, for example, even in a small-sized terminal block 1, the rotation region of the state display portion 40 can be secured in the accommodating portion 12, and the user can be notified of an accurate connection state of the electric wire 80.
Further, by the movement of the main body portion 51 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and away from the terminal connection surface 11, the first pawl portion 54 comes into contact with the protruding portion 42 in the cut-out portion 45 of the state display portion 40 and rotates the state display portion 40 to display the connected state, and by the movement of the main body portion 51 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and approaching the terminal connection surface 11, the second pawl portion 55 comes into contact with the protruding portion 42 in the cut-out portion 45 of the state display portion 40 and rotates the state display portion 40 to display the non-connected state. Accordingly, for example, even in the small-sized terminal block 1, the rotation region of the state display portion 40 can be sufficiently secured in the accommodating portion 12, and the user can be notified of a more accurate connection state of the electric wire 80.
Furthermore, in the connected state, the connection display region 43 of the state display portion 40 is disposed to be exposed from at least a part of the third opening portion 113. That is, when the connection display region 43 is exposed from at least a part of the third opening portion 113, the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the terminal electrode portion 20 are disposed to be in the connected state. Accordingly, even in a smaller terminal block 1, the user can be notified of the accurate connection state of the electric wire 80.
Further, a part of the cylindrical body 41 of the state display portion 40 protrudes to the outside of the housing 10 from the third opening portion 113. Therefore, the connection display region 43 is easy to visually recognize, and the user can be notified more accurately of the connection state of the electric wire 80.
Further, the terminal electrode portion, the state display portion and the movable display member are not limited to the terminal electrode portion 20, the state display portion 40 and the movable display member 50 of the first embodiment. For example, a terminal electrode portion 120, a state display portion 140 and a movable display member 150 illustrated in
In the terminal electrode portion 120 illustrated in
As illustrated in
Further, the elastic aim portion 53 of the movable display member 50 is not limited to the case in which it is formed integrally with the main body portion 51 and may be formed separately from the main body portion 51.
In addition, the terminal connection surface 11 is not limited to the case in which it is configured with one plane, and each opening portion may be configured with a plurality of planes which are individually or arbitrarily combined and disposed.
As illustrated in
Further, in the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted, and the points different from the first embodiment will be described.
As illustrated in
An accommodating cut-out portion 147 which is open to the leaf spring inclined surface 141 is provided at an end of the leaf spring inclined surface 141 of the inclined wall portion 14 of the accommodating portion 12 on the second wall portion 102 side. Furthermore, in the terminal block 1 of the second embodiment, the fourth wall portion 104 also serves as the wire insertion guide wall portion 13.
As illustrated in
Specifically, as illustrated in
The first contact portion 61 has a first surface 611 which is in contact with the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and a second surface 612 which faces the first surface. The first protruding portion 63 protruding from the first surface 611 toward the terminal connection surface 11 is provided on the first surface 611 of the first contact portion 61.
Further, a movement restricting portion 64 disposed in the first accommodating concave portion 105 of the accommodating portion 12 is provided on a second surface 612 of the first contact portion 61. The movement restricting portion 64 includes an arm portion 641 which extends from the second surface 612 in the direction intersecting (substantially orthogonal to) the terminal connection surface 11 and away from the terminal connection surface 11, and a protruding portion 642 which protrudes from the arm portion 641 toward the fourth wall portion 104. Movement of the first contact portion 61 in the direction approaching the terminal connection surface 11 is restricted by the protruding portion 642 and the stepped portion 107. That is, a movement range of the first contact portion 61 is restricted within the first accommodating concave portion 105 by the movement restricting portion 64.
The second contact portion 62 includes a rotating portion 65 in which the rotation axis 601 is disposed at a center thereof, a first member 66 which extends from the rotating portion 65 in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis 601, and a second member 67 which extends from the rotating portion 65 in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis 601 and intersecting an extending direction of the first member 66 and is in contact with the second surface 612 of the first contact portion 61.
The rotating portion 65 is disposed in the second accommodating concave portion 106 of the accommodating portion 12. Further, the first member 66 is disposed to extend toward the terminal connection surface 11, and the second member 67 is disposed to extend toward the fourth wall portion 104. In addition, as illustrated in
Further, the first member 66 has an arm portion 68 which extends in an extending direction of the second member 67. In the arm portion 68, the second protruding portion 70 protruding toward the second member 67 is provided at a distal end thereof which is apart from the first member 66.
Next, an operation of the terminal block 1 when the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted into the first opening portion 111 and the jig 90 is inserted into the second opening portion 112 will be described with reference to
When the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted from the first opening portion 111 of the terminal block 1 into the electric wire insertion region 100 of the accommodating portion 12, the conductor portion 81 of the inserted electric wire 80 is in contact with the elastic portion 32 and presses the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 in a direction away from the terminal connection surface 11. Accordingly, the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 is elastically deformed against the spring force, the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is clamped between the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30 and the second vertical plate portion 23 of the terminal electrode portion 20, as illustrated in
Further, when the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 is inserted into the electric wire insertion region 100 of the accommodating portion 12, the conductor portion 81 of the inserted electric wire 80 is in contact with the first contact portion 61 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 and presses the first contact portion 61 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and also away from the terminal connection surface 11 until the second surface 612 of the first contact portion 61 is in contact with the second wall portion 102, as illustrated in
At this time, since the first contact portion is pressed by the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80, the second member 67 of the second contact portion 62 is pressed in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface 11 and away from the terminal connection surface 11 and rotates the second contact portion 62 from a position illustrated in
During rotation of the second contact portion 62 after the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the terminal electrode portion 20 are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state, the second protruding portion 70 of the first member 66 of the second contact portion 62 comes in contact with the first protruding portion 63 of the first contact portion 61 to generate the operation feeling. That is, the user is informed that the conductor portion 81 and the terminal electrode portion 20 are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state due to the operation feeling. Further, the operation feeling is formed by a change in an insertion load of the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 into the accommodating portion 12 until the second protruding portion 70 comes into contact with the first protruding portion 63 and passes over the first protruding portion 63, and a collision sound generated by collision of the second protruding portion 70 with the first surface 611 of the first contact portion 61 when the second protruding portion 70 passes over the first contact portion 61.
Subsequently, when the jig 90 is inserted from the second opening portion 112 of the terminal block 1 in which the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the terminal electrode portion 20 illustrated in
At this time, the first member 66 of the second contact portion 62 is pressed by the jig 90 toward the leaf spring inclined surface 141 of the inclined wall portion 14 via the leaf spring 30 and rotates the second contact portion 62 from the position illustrated in
Further,
As illustrated in
Further, when the conductor portion 81 is inserted into the accommodating portion 12, the load applied to the distal end of the conductor portion 81 is reduced at once when the distal end of the conductor portion 81 passes over the distal end of the elastic portion 32 of the leaf spring 30, and the state remains for a while as it is.
Additionally, immediately before the second contact portion 62 is rotated by the insertion of the conductor portion 81 into the accommodating portion 12 and the second protruding portion 70 of the first member 66 of the second contact portion 62 comes into contact with the first protruding portion 63 of the first contact portion 61 and passes over the first protruding portion 63 (that is, a position of a displacement amount B), the load applied to the distal end of the conductor portion 81 reaches a second peak.
After that, when the conductor portion 81 is further inserted into the accommodating portion 12 and the second protruding portion 70 passes over the first protruding portion 63, the load applied to the distal end of the conductor portion 81 is reduced at once, and the first contact portion 61 comes into contact with the second wall portion 102 (=a position of a displacement amount C), and the insertion of the conductor portion 81 into the accommodating portion 12 is completed.
According to the terminal block 1 of the second embodiment, the movable operation feeling generating member 60 which is capable of rotating in accordance with the insertion of the conductor portion 81 from the first opening portion 111 into the accommodating portion 12, and the first protruding portion 63 which is disposed to be capable of coming into contact with the movable operation feeling generating member 60 being rotated by the insertion of the conductor portion 81 into the accommodating portion 12 from the first opening portion 111 after the conductor portion 81 and the terminal electrode portion 20 are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state are provided, and the second protruding portion 70 which comes into contact with the first protruding portion 63 and generates the operation feeling is provided on the movable operation feeling generating member 60. Accordingly, for example, even when the electric wire 80 is connected to the terminal block 1 in a dark work environment, the user can be notified of the accurate connection state of the electric wire 80 due to the operation feeling generated by the contact between the first protruding portion 63 and the second protruding portion 70.
Further, the first contact portion 61 and the second contact portion 62 are formed separately. Thus, for example, the first contact portion 61 and the second contact portion 62 can be formed of different materials, respectively, and it is possible to easily adjust the collision sound generated by the collision of the second protruding portion 70 with the first surface 611 of the first contact portion 61 when the second protruding portion 70 passes over the first contact portion 61.
The movable operation feeling generating member 60 is not limited to the case in which the first contact portion 61 and the second contact portion 62 are formed separately. For example, as illustrated in
As described above, by integrally forming the first contact portion 61 and the second contact portion 62, the number of parts of the terminal block 1 can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to facilitate assembling of the terminal block 1 and to reduce
As illustrated in
Further, in the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted, and the points different from the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described.
In the terminal block 1 of the third embodiment, the contact portion 52 of the movable display member 50 also serves as the first contact portion 61 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60. That is, the first protruding portion 63 is provided on the contact surface 521 of the contact portion 52 of the movable display member 50.
As described above, since the terminal block 1 includes the state display portion 40 and the movable display member 50, and the movable operation feeling generating member 60 having the second protruding portion 70, and the first protruding portion 63 of the second embodiment, the user can be notified of the connection state between the conductor portion 81 of the electric wire 80 and the terminal electrode portion 20 due to the generation of the operation feeling generated by the contact between the second protruding portion 70 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 and the first protruding portion 63 in addition to the display of the state display portion 40. Accordingly, for example, even when the electric wire 80 is connected to the terminal block 1 in a work environment with a large noise and vibration, and even when the electric wire 80 is connected to the terminal block 1 in a dark work environment, the accurate connection state of the electric wire 80 can be notified to the user.
Further, the notification of the connected state by the state display portion 40, and the notification of the connected state due to the generation of the operation feeling by the contact between the second protruding portion 70 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 and the first protruding portion 63 can be performed in an arbitrary order, for example, by adjusting a timing at which the first pawl portion 54 of the movable display member 50 and the protruding portion 42 of the state display portion 40 are in contact with each other.
For example, in a bright work environment with the large noise and vibration, the display by the state display portion 40 may be performed first, and the operation feeling due to the contact between the second protruding portion 70 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 and the first protruding portion 63 may be generated later, and thus the notification with priority to visibility can be performed. Further, in the dark work environment with a small noise and vibration, the operation feeling due to the contact between the second protruding portion 70 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 and the first protruding portion 63 may be generated first, and the display by the state display portion 40 may be performed later, and thus the notification with priority to the operation feeling can be performed. Furthermore, the display by the state display portion 40 and the generation of the operation feeling due to the contact between the second protruding portion 70 of the movable operation feeling generating member 60 and the first protruding portion 63 may be simultaneously performed, and it is possible to make the notifications appealing to multiple senses.
Various embodiments of the disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but finally, various aspects of the disclosure will be described.
The terminal block of a first aspect of the disclosure includes an insulating housing having a terminal connection surface in which a first opening portion through which a conductor portion of an electric wire can be inserted and pulled out and a second opening portion which is adjacent to the first opening portion and through which a jig can be inserted and pulled out are linearly arranged, and an accommodating portion which is provided therein and connected to the first opening portion and the second opening portion, a terminal electrode portion disposed in the accommodating portion and with which the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion is allowed to come into contact, a leaf spring having a fixed portion formed at one end thereof to be fixed to the housing and an elastic portion formed at the other end thereof to be elastically deformable with respect to the fixed portion and disposed in the accommodating portion so that the elastic portion clamps the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion with the terminal electrode portion to allow the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion to be in a connected state and comes into contact with the jig inserted into the accommodating portion from the second opening portion to release contact between the elastic portion and the conductor portion and to allow the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion to be in a non-connected state, a movable operation feeling generating member supported by the housing to be rotatable around a rotation axis disposed adjacent to the terminal electrode portion of the accommodating portion and extending in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the first opening portion and the second opening portion of the terminal connection surface and configured to rotate according insertion of the conductor portion into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion to generate an operation feeling, and a first protruding portion disposed in the accommodating portion to be capable of coming into contact with the movable operation feeling generating member being rotated by the insertion of the conductor portion into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion after the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state, wherein the movable operation feeling generating member includes a first contact portion which is capable of coming into contact with the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion, and a second contact portion which is capable of coming into contact with the jig inserted into the accommodating portion from the second opening potion via the elastic portion and has a second protruding portion generating the operation feeling by coming into contact with the first protruding portion.
According to the terminal block of the first aspect, the movable operation feeling generating member rotatable in accordance with the insertion of the conductor portion from the first opening portion into the accommodating portion, and the first protruding portion disposed to be capable of coming into contact with the movable operation feeling generating member being rotated by the insertion of the conductor portion into the accommodating portion from the first opening portion after the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state are included, and the second protruding portion which comes into contact with the first protruding portion and generates the operation feeling is provided at the movable operation feeling generating member. Accordingly, for example, even when the electric wire is connected to the terminal block in the dark work environment, the user can be accurately notified of the connection state of the electric wire by the operation feeling generated by the contact between the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion.
In the terminal block of a second aspect of the disclosure, the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the movable operation feeling generating member are formed separately, and the first contact portion has a first surface which is in contact with the conductor portion and a second surface which faces the first surface, and the second contact portion has a rotating portion in which a rotation axis is disposed at a center thereof, a first member which extends from the rotating portion in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, and a second member which extends from the rotating portion in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis and intersecting an extending direction of the first member and is in contact with the second surface of the first contact portion, and the first member of the second contact portion has an arm portion which extends in an extending direction of the second member, and the second protruding portion which protrudes toward the second member is provided at a distal end of the arm portion away from the first member, and the first protruding portion which protrudes from the first surface is provided on the first surface of the first contact portion.
According to the terminal block of the second aspect, for example, the first contact portion and the second contact portion can be formed of different materials, respectively, and it is possible to easily adjust the collision sound generated by the collision with the first surface of the first contact portion when the second protruding portion passes over the first contact portion.
In the terminal block of a third aspect of the disclosure, the movable operation feeling generating member includes a rotating portion in which the rotation axis is disposed at a center thereof, the first contact portion which extends from the rotating portion in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis, and the second contact portion which extends from the rotating portion in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis and intersecting an extending direction of the first contact portion, and the rotating portion, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are formed integrally, and the second contact portion has an arm portion which extends in a direction opposite to the first contact portion with respect to the rotating portion, and the second protruding portion which protrudes in an extending direction of the second contact portion and also a direction approaching the rotating portion is provided at a distal end of the arm portion away from the second contact portion, and the first protruding portion is provided in the accommodating portion.
According to the terminal block of the third aspect, the number of parts of the terminal block can be reduced. Accordingly, assembling of the terminal block can be performed easily, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
In the terminal block of a fourth aspect of the disclosure, a third opening portion disposed in the terminal connection surface of the housing to be arranged linearly with the first opening portion and the second opening portion and connected to the accommodating portion is provided, and a state display portion supported by the housing to be rotatable around a rotation axis disposed adjacent to the terminal connection surface of the accommodating portion and extending in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction from the first opening portion of the terminal connection surface to the third opening portion thereof and configured to display whether the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion are in the connected state or the non-connected state at the third opening portion, and a movable display member disposed in the accommodating portion and including a main body portion which extends in a direction intersecting the terminal connection surface and is capable of reciprocating movement in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface, a contact portion which is connected adjacent to the terminal electrode portion of the main body portion and capable of coming into contact with the conductor portion inserted from the first opening portion into the accommodating portion, a biasing portion which is connected to the main body portion and biases the main body portion toward the terminal connection surface when the conductor portion is inserted from the first opening portion into the accommodating portion, and a rotating mechanism portion disposed adjacent to the terminal connection surface of the main body portion and also adjacent to the state display portion and configured to rotate the state display portion so that display of the state display portion can be changed between the connected state and the non-connected state according to the reciprocating movement of the main body portion are included.
According to the terminal block of the fourth aspect, for example, even when the electric wire is connected to the terminal block in a work environment with high noise and vibration, and even when the electric wire is connected to the terminal block in a dark work environment, the user can be notified of the accurate connection state of the electric wire
Further, any of the various embodiments or modified examples described above may be appropriately combined to achieve the respective effects. Also, a combination of the embodiments or a combination of the embodiments or a combination of the embodiment and the embodiment is possible and a combination of features in different embodiments or examples is also possible.
The disclosure can be applied to, for example, a DIN (Deutsche Industrie Normen) rail mounting type terminal block.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-037550 | Feb 2017 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6074221 | Kajiwara | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6146217 | Osada | Nov 2000 | A |
| 7115001 | Brockman et al. | Oct 2006 | B1 |
| 20050079773 | Prokup | Apr 2005 | A1 |
| 20080233782 | Hoppmann | Sep 2008 | A1 |
| 20090124139 | Gerberding | May 2009 | A1 |
| 20100081316 | Eppe | Apr 2010 | A1 |
| 20100304619 | Joy | Dec 2010 | A1 |
| 20140370740 | Kollmann | Dec 2014 | A1 |
| 20160056599 | Peach | Feb 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 202013100740 | Mar 2013 | DE |
| 1353407 | Oct 2003 | EP |
| 2720863 | Dec 1995 | FR |
| 3098937 | Mar 2004 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| “Search Report of Europe Counterpart Application”, dated May 4, 2018, p. 1-p. 5. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180248283 A1 | Aug 2018 | US |
