Terminal block

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10103460-B2
Application number	US-201715815715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Feb 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

The terminal block includes a movable operation feeling generating member (60) which generates an operation feeling according insertion of a conductor portion into an accommodating portion (12) from a first opening portion (111), and a first protruding portion (63) 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 a terminal electrode portion (20) are changed from the non-connected state to the connected state. The movable operation feeling generating member includes a first contact portion (61) capable of coming into contact with the conductor portion inserted into the accommodating portion, and a second contact portion (62) which has a second protruding portion (70) generating the operation feeling by coming into contact with the first protruding portion (63).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal block comprising:
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 to 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.

2. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the movable operation feeling generating member are formed separately,
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,
the second contact portion has a rotating portion in which the 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,
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.

3. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein 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,
the rotating portion, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are formed integrally,
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.

4. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein 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 a 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 is adapted to be changed between the connected state and the non-connected state according to the reciprocating movement of the main body portion are included.

5. The terminal block according to claim 2 , wherein 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 configur

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Ono Masahiro
• Fujiwara Taijiro

Classifications

• H01R11/07

  the connecting locations being of the same type but different sizes · CPC title

• H01R9/2416

  Means for guiding or retaining wires or cables connected to terminal blocks · CPC title

• H01R9/2683

  Marking plates or tabs · CPC title

• H01R12/7064

  Press fitting · CPC title

• H01R9/2425

  Structural association with built-in components (for coupling parts H01R13/66) · CPC title