Terminal block displaying connection state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11101583-B2
Application number	US-201916643580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 14, 2018
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A terminal block includes a housing having insulation properties, the housing having a holding portion provided in the housing and a terminal connection surface, a first opening portion through which a conductor portion of an electric wire can be inserted and pulled out and a second opening portion that is adjacent to the first opening portion and through which a jig can be inserted and pulled out being arranged in series in an array direction on the terminal connection surface and each communicating with the holding portion, and an opening surface being provided on a side of the holding portion in a width direction intersecting the array direction and a direction intersecting the terminal connection surface, and a terminal electrode portion and a leaf spring portion arranged in the holding portion. The housing is provided with a first movement restriction portion that restricts the movement of the moveable portion of the leaf spring portion in the width direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A terminal block comprising:
a housing having insulation properties comprising:
a holding portion provided in the housing,
a terminal connection surface;
a first opening portion through which a conductor portion of an electric wire can be inserted and pulled out;
a second opening portion that is adjacent to the first opening portion and through which a jig can be inserted and pulled out;
a third opening portion capable of displaying the connection state of the conductor portion, wherein the first opening portion, the second opening portion, and the third opening portion are arranged in series in an array direction on the terminal connection surface and each communicate with the holding portion; and
an opening surface provided on a side of the holding portion in a width direction intersecting the array direction and a direction intersecting the terminal connection surface;

a terminal electrode portion and a leaf spring portion arranged in the holding portion; and
a display-use moveable member and a second movement restriction portion disposed in the holding portion, wherein:
the holding portion comprises:
an electric wire passage portion that extends in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface, communicates with the first opening portion, and through which the conductor portion of the electric wire can move;
a jig passage portion that extends in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface, communicates with the second opening portion, and through which the jig can move; and
a guide surface that extends in the array direction and is disposed so as to cause the electric wire passage portion and the jig passage portion to be interposed between the guide surface and the terminal connection surface in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface;

the terminal electrode portion comprises a contact portion that extends along the electric wire passage portion and is disposed so as to come into contact with the conductor portion inserted through the first opening portion into the holding portion;
the leaf spring portion comprises:
a fixed portion that is provided at one end portion of the leaf spring portion and is fixed to the housing to cause the electric wire passage portion and the jig passage portion to be located between the fixed portion and terminal electrode portion in the array direction, and
a moveable portion that is provided at the other end of the leaf spring portion and is disposed between the fixed portion and the terminal electrode portion in the array direction, the moveable portion facing the contact portion of the terminal electrode portion, being disposed extending over the electric wire passage portion and the jig passage portion, and being moveable relative to the fixed portion, wherein
the moveable portion is disposed so as to move relative to the fixed portion to cause the conductor portion inserted through the first opening portion into the electric wire passage portion to be held between the moveable portion and the contact portion of the terminal electrode portion to bring the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion into a connected state and to come into contact with the jig inserted through the second opening portion into the jig passage portion and move relative to the fixed portion to release the contact between the moveable portion and the conductor portion to bring the conductor portion and the terminal electrode portion into a disconnected state;

the display-use moveable member comprises:
a main body portion that extends in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface and can reciprocate between a display position where a distal end portion in the extension direction is exposed outside the housing through the third opening portion and a non-display position where the distal end portion is held in the holding portion, and
a contact moveable portion that extends along the guide surface, comprises a first end portion in an extension direction disposed so as to come into contact with the conductor portion to move in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface and in a first direction away from the terminal connection surface in the electric wire passage portion, comprises a second end portion in the extension direction connected to the main body portion, and moves in the array direction while being in contact with the guide surface in response to the movement of the first end portion in the first direction to move the main body portion in the direction intersecting the terminal connection surface and in a second direction toward the terminal connection surface;

in response to the conductor portion being inserted through the first opening portion into the electric wire passage portion to move the first end portion of the contact moveable portion in the first direction, the main body portion moves in the second direction, and the distal end portion of the main body portion adjacent to the terminal connection surface moves from the non-display position to the display position to display a state where the connection state of the conductor portion with respect to the terminal electrode portion is changed from the disconnected state to the connected state;
the second movement restriction portion restricts the movement of the contact moveable portion of the display-use moveable member in the width direction while allowing the movement of the contact moveable portion in the array direction; and
the housing is integrally provided with a first movement restriction portion that restricts the movement of the moveable portion of the leaf spring portion in the width direction.

2. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein
the first movement restriction portion is configured to cover a region where the moveable portion can move to restrict the movement of the moveable portion.

3. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein
the contact moveable portion of the display-use moveable member comprises:
a first member that extends along the guide surface, has one end portion in an extension direction serving as the second end portion, and has an abutting portion that slides on the guide surface in response to the movement of the first end portion in the first direction and the second direction; and
a second member that extends in the array direction and toward the terminal connection surface as a distance from the main body portion increases, has one end portion in the extension direction connected to the other end portion in the extension direction of the first member, and has the other end portion in the extension direction serving as the first end portion, and

the second movement restriction portion is disposed so as to restrict the movement of the abutting portion of the first member in the width direction.

4. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein
the display-use moveable member comprises a protrusion portion extending from the main body portion in the direction intersecting the extension direction of the main body portion, and
the housing is integrally provided with a third movement restriction portion that restricts the movement of the protrusion portion in the width direction.

5. The terminal block according to claim 4 , wherein
the protrusion portion extends from the main body portion toward the second opening portion and is disposed near the distal end portion of the main body portion.

6. The terminal block according to claim 1 , wherein
the first movement restriction portion is disposed along the electric wire passage portion and guides the conductor portion inserted through the first opening portion into the electric wire passage portion toward the first end portion of the contact moveable portion of the dis

Assignees

• Omron Tateisi Electronics Co

Inventors

• Ono Masahiro
• Matoba Masato
• Hashimoto Kiyotaka

Classifications

• H01R4/485

  Single busbar common to multiple springs · CPC title

• H01R4/4842

  the spring housing being provided with a single opening for insertion of a spring-activating tool · CPC title

• H01R4/4821 Primary

  Single-blade spring · CPC title

• H01R4/48 Primary

  utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member (H01R4/52 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R9/26

  Clip-on terminal blocks for side-by-side rail- or strip-mounting · CPC title