Connector operatable with relatively small operation force

Abstract: In a connector including first and second insulators (14 and 23) opposite to each other in a first direction and first and second contact members (13 and 22) supported by the first and the second insulators, respectively, and opposite to each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first contact member has a pair of contact sections (13a) which are opposite to each other to have a gap left therebetween in the second direction. The second contact member has a single contact section (22a) which is inserted loosely between the pair of contact sections and has a flexible section making the single contact section be movable in the second direction. The first and the second contact members are contacted and separated to and from each other by a drive unit which causes a relative movement of the first and the second insulators in the second direction. In response to the relative movement in one direction of the second direction, the single contact section is brought in press-contact with both of the pair of contact sections.

Description: Background of the Invention: The present invention relates to a connector having a pair of contact members which are contacted and separated to and from each other, and particularly to a connector of a type in which one of the pair of contact members is brought in contact with the other with deflection or bend of the one. A connector of the type is provided with an insulator, namely, an actuator engaged with one of a pair of contact members to make deflection or bend of the one with a movement of the actuator in a predetermined direction. To move the actuator, the connector comprises an eccentric cam engaged with the actuator and a control lever for rotating the eccentric cam. When the control lever is rotated in one direction, the eccentric cam rotates to move the actuator in one direction of the predetermined direction by means of cam effort known in the art. As a result, the one of the contact members is pushed by the actuator and bent to become in press-contact with the other contact member. Then, when the control lever is rotated in the opposite direction, the one contact member is restored and separated from the other contact member. The above-described connector makes use of the cam effort, so that it takes a low effort to connect and separate the pair of contact members. However, it requires relatively large operation force with recent connector having a number of pair of contact members in one connector. The main reason of the relatively large operation force is that it is necessary to bend the contact member to make contact between the pair of contact members. From EP 0 571 879 A a connector according to the preamble of claim 1 is known. In the connector a third insulator is moved by a drive cam having a cut-off part corresponding to an arc. Summary of the Invention: It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector which is operable with relatively small operation force, wherein the hand of an operator does not have to be moved. This object is solved by a connector as set forth in claim 1. Preferred developments of the invention are given in the dependent claims. Brief Description of the Drawing: Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a plug and a receptacle included in a conventional connector, wherein the plug and the receptacle are connected to each other; Fig. 2 is a semi-sectional view of the plug included in the connector of Fig. 1, wherein the plug has a hood which is removed; Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing an essential part of the connector shown in Fig. 1 in a disconnected state; Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the essential part of the connector shown in Fig. 1 in a non-connected state; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the essential part of the connector shown in Fig. 1 in a connected state; Fig. 6A is a front view of a receptacle included in the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6B is a left side view of the receptacle shown in Fig. 6A; Fig. 6C is a bottom plan view of the receptacle shown in Fig. 6A; Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along a line VII-VII of Fig. 6A; Fig. 8 is an expanded sectional view taken along a line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6A; Fig. 9A is a front view of a plug included in the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9B is a right side view of the plug shown in Fig. 9A; Fig. 9C is a plan view of the plug shown in Fig. 9A; Fig. 10 is an expanded sectional view taken along a line X-X of Fig. 9A; Fig. 11 is an expanded sectional view taken along a line XI-XI of Fig. 9A; Fig. 12 is a sectional view with the plug shown in Figs. 9A through 9C inserted into the receptacle shown in Figs. 6A through 6C; Fig. 13 is a sectional view with the plug shown in Figs. 9A through 9C connected to the receptacle shown in Figs. 6A through 6C; Fig. 14 is an expanded view showing an essential part of Fig. 12; Fig. 15 is an expanded view showing the essential part of Fig. 13; Fig. 16 is an expanded sectional view showing an essential part of the receptacle of Figs. 6A-6C; Fig. 17 is a partial expanded sectional view similar to Fig. 16 showing a modification of the present invention; and Fig. 18 is a view for use in describing how to connect the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. Description of the Preferred Embodiment: At first, a conventional connector will be described for a better understanding of the present invention. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, an insulator of a receptacle 1 is provided with a plurality of contact members 2 fixed thereto and a hole for inserting a cam shaft into the center of the connector. A contact member 4 of the same shape is fixed to an insulator of a plug 3. An eccentric cam 6 is for operating an actuator 5 within the plug and is provided in the middle of the insulator. The cam shaft 7 is coupled to the eccentric cam 6 and projects outside of a hood 8. A control lever 9 is fixed to the end of the cam shaft 7. Thus, the eccentric cam 6 is rotated with rotation of the control lever 9. A cable clamp is shown by a reference numeral 10. Referring to Fig. 3, the receptacle 1 is separated from the plug 3. The contact member 2 of the receptacle 1 becomes opposite to the contact member 4 of the plug 3 by making the receptacle 1 and the plug 3 approach each other, as shown in Fig. 4. When the control lever 9 is rotated in one direction at an angle of 90 o in this situation, the eccentric cam 6 is rotated to move the actuator 5 in parallel towards one side thereof. As a result, the contact member 4 of the plug 3 is deformed to become in contact with the contact member 2 of the receptacle 1. When the control lever 9 is rotated in the opposite direction, the actuator 5 is moved in parallel in the opposite direction in response to rotation of the eccentric cam 6. As a result, the contact member 4 of the plug 3 is restored to its original position and separated from the contact member 2 of the receptacle 1. With the recent connector having the increased number of the contact members, it takes relatively large force to operate the control lever 9. After inserting the plug 3 into the receptacle 1 with one hand, it is necessary to take the hand off the plug 3 and move the hand to the control lever 9 in order to rotate the control lever 9. In case where the end of the thin contact member is displaced, it is likely that the contact member engages the opponent insulator and makes a bend or a buckling thereof. Next, the description will be directed to a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figs. 6A through 6C, a receptacle 11 as a first connector element comprises a plurality of first contact members 13 of metal having a pair of contact sections 13a with a specific structure which will become clear from the following description. The first contact members 13 are fixed to the first insulator 14. The receptacle 11 is mounted to a panel of various devices by means of a screw (not shown) through a mounting hole 15. A metal shell 16 is mounted to the first insulator 14. Further referring to Fig. 7, the receptacle 11 is provided with an eccentric cam member 18 having a rotating shaft 17a supported to the first insulator 14 rotatably and a cam portion 17b connected to the rotating shaft 17a. The eccentric cam member 18 is connected to a control lever 19. Referring to Fig. 8 also, each of the first contact members 13 is extended in the first direction dl and forms one end exposed from the first insulator 14 to serve as a contact section 13b connected to various devices. A pair of contact sections 13a are formed to the other end of the first contact member 13 and opposite to each other to have a gap 12 left therebetween in the second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. In Figs. 6A and 8, the first contact members 13 are illustrated only at both sides, in the second direction d2, of the receptacle and omitted at the intermediate portion for simplification of the drawing. Referring to Figs. 9A, 9B, and 9C, a plug 21 as the second connector element is connectable to the receptacle 11. The plug 21 comprises a third insulator 24 which can be moved in the second direction d2 relative to the second insulator 23 fixedly holding a large number of the second contact members 22. The third insulator 24 has a large number of guide holes 25 for guiding around the top ends of the second contact members 22. The second contact members 22 are inserted into the guide holes 25, respectively. The third insulator 24 is fixedly held to the second insulator 23 to be movable in the second direction d2 along a guide hole 27 formed in a shell 26 with engagement between the guide hole 27 and a projection 24b formed on the third insulator 24. The third insulator 24 has a wall portion 24a surrounding a projecting portion of the second contact member 22. The wall portion 24a is fitted over the first insulator 14. The second insulator 23 has a groove 28 for receiving the cam portion 17b of the eccentric cam member 18. The second insulator 23 further comprises shells 31 and 32 and a hood 33 covering the shells 31 and 32. The hood 33 has a size allowing an operator to grip it. The reference numerals 34 and 35 designate a cable clamp and a waterproof cable clamp, respectively. Further referring to Figs. 10 and 11, each of the second contact members 22 is of an elongated plate spring shape and extends in the first direction dl to have one end as a single contact section 22a and the other end as a connect section 22b for connecting a cable (not shown). In Figs. 9A and 11, the second contact members 22 are illustrated only at both sides, in the second direction d2, of the receptacle and omitted at the intermediate portion for simplification of the drawing. Referring to Fig. 12, with the receptacle 11 being inserted into the plug 21, the wall portion 24a of the third insulator 24 of the plug 21 is fitted over the first insulator 14 to adjust the location of the first and the second contact members 13 and 22, which prevents the first and the second contact members 13 and 22 from bending or buckling. The cam portion 17b of the eccentric cam member 18 is inserted into the groove 28 of the third insulator 24 to make engagement therebetween. When the operator inserts the plug 21 into the receptacle 11 with, for example, a right hand 41 as shown in Fig. 18, the control lever 19 is located at the left side and has an end portion bending towards the plug 21, so that the end portion of the control lever 19 is located close to the thumb of the right hand 41 when inserting the plug 21 into the receptacle 11. In this situation, when the control lever 19 is pushed down at an angle of 90 o without changing the hand, the eccentric cam 18 is rotated in response to the rotating shaft 17a to make the first and the second insulators 14 and 23 be moved relative to each other in a predetermined direction. This results in a connected state as illustrated in Fig. 13. In this embodiment, when the control lever 19 is pushed down, the plug 21 moves in the direction shown by the arrow 36 as the receptacle 11 is fixed. With this connected state, the first and the second contact members 13 and 22 have a particular state which will become clear from the following description. Referring to Fig. 14, the pair of contact sections 13a have two contact points displaced from each other. When the plug 21 is inserted into the receptacle 11, the single contact section 22a of the second contact member 22 is loosely inserted into the pair of contact sections 13a of the first contact member 13. Referring to Fig. 15, when the plug 21 moves relative to the receptacle 11 in the direction of the arrow 36 shown in Fig. 13, the single contact section 22a of the second contact member 22 engages with the contact points and bends to become in two-point contact with the pair of contact sections 13a. That is, the single contact section 22a is brought in press-contact with both of the two contact points of the pair of contact sections 13a in response to movement in one direction in the second direction d2, so that the first and the second contact members 13 and 22 are electrically connected to each other. When the connection is made by operation of the control lever 19, the third insulator 24 remains covering the first insulator 14 and does not move relative to the first insulator. However, the second insulator 23 moves relative to the first insulator 14 to deform the second contact member 22 at a flexible portion 22c. Taking into account the deformation of the second contact member 22, the guide wall 25a has difference in level as shown in Fig. 16. In other words, the guide wall 25a has a convex portion 25b projecting in the one direction in the second direction d2. Thus, each of the guide holes 25 is narrowed to have a high guiding performance by reliably holding the single contact section 22a of the contact member 22 at the plug side and is widened to permit the second contact member 22 to incline without contacting the guide wall 25a when the flexible portion 22c is bent. As illustrated in Fig. 17, each of the guide holes 25 may he formed in a configuration that the guide wall 25a has a slope. With this structure, the second contact member 22 can be readily inserted into the guide hole 25 during assembling of the connector. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with a single embodiment thereof, various changes may be made therein and thereto. For example, the number of the contact members may be changed. Although the embodiment is described and illustrated in relation to a plug and a receptacle, the present invention may equally be applied to various connectors of other types.

Claims: A connector including first and second insulators (14,23) opposite to each other in a first direction (d1), first and second contact members (13,22) supported by said first and said second insulators (14,23), respectively, and opposite to each other in a second direction (d2) perpendicular to said first direction (d1), and a drive unit (17a,17b,18) for use in contacting and separating said first and said second contact members (13,22) to and from each other, wherein said first contact member (13) has a pair of contact sections (13a) which are opposite to each other to have a gap (12) left therebetween in said second direction (d2), said second contact member (22) having a single contact section (22a) inserted loosely between said pair of contact sections (13a) and having a flexible section (22c) making said single contact section (22a) be movable in said second direction (d2), said drive unit being for providing a relative movement between said first and said second insulators (14,23) in said second direction (d2), said single contact section (22a) being brought in press-contact with both of said pair of contact sections (13a) in response to said relative movement in one direction of said second direction (d2), characterized in that said drive unit has an eccentric cam member (18) intervening between said first and said second insulators (14,23), said eccentric cam member (18) having a rotating shaft (17a) rotatably supported by said first insulator (14) and a cam portion (17b) connected to said rotating shaft (17a) and eccentric from said rotating shaft (17a), said second insulator (23) having a groove (28) for receiving said cam portion (17b) and that a hood (33) is fixed to said second insulator (23) and a control lever (19) is coupled to said eccentric cam member (18), said hood (33) having a size allowing an operator to grip it with one hand (41), said control lever (19) being adapted to locate near the thumb of the hand (41) gripping said hood (33), such that the control lever (19) can be pushed down during the insertion of the second insulator without changing the hand. A connector as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising a third insulator (24) located between said first and said second insulators (14,23) and movable in said second direction (d2) relative to said second insulator (23), said third insulator (24) having a guide wall (25a) defining a guide hole (25) penetrating said third insulator (24) in said first direction (d1), said second contact member (22) being inserted between said pair of contact sections (13a) through said guide hole (25). A connector as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said third insulator (24) has a convex portion (25b) projected from said guide wall (25a) to one direction in said second direction (d2). A connector as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein said third insulator (24) has a wall portion (24a) fitted over said first insulator (14).

Inventors: SATO KAZUOMI, SATO, KAZUOMI, SATO, KAZUOMI, C/O JAPAN AVIATION ELECT. IND. LTD.
Applicants: JAPAN AVIATION ELECTRON, JAPAN AVIATION ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, LIMITED
Application year: 1995
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13