Slide connector for electrically connecting module to wearable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9893478-B2
Application number	US-201715397151-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2017
Priority date	Mar 28, 2016
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A slide connector has a garment-side connector portion and a module-side connector portion to be fitted with the garment-side connector portion in a fitting plane. The garment-side connector portion includes first contact portions each having a contact surface parallel to the fitting plane and at least one locking portion having a locking surface parallel to the fitting plane. The module-side connector portion includes second contact portions each elastically movable and at least one portion to be locked extending in parallel to the fitting plane. As the module-side connector portion is superimposed on the garment-side connector portion and slid along the fitting plane, each second contact portion comes into contact with the contact surface of a corresponding first contact portion to establish electrical connection, and the at least one portion to be locked comes into contact with the locking surface of the at least one locking portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A slide connector for electrically connecting a module to a wearable device attached to a garment, the slide connector comprising:
a garment-side connector portion to be attached to the garment; and
a module-side connector portion to be fitted with the garment-side connector portion in a fitting plane,
wherein the garment-side connector portion includes a garment-side connector body in a plate shape extending along the fitting plane, a plurality of first contact portions each in a plate shape and each having a contact surface parallel to the fitting plane, the plurality of first contact portions being arranged in the garment-side connector body, and at least one locking portion having a locking surface parallel to the fitting plane,
wherein the module-side connector portion includes a plurality of second contact portions each elastically movable in a direction orthogonal to the fitting plane, the plurality of second contact portions corresponding to the plurality of first contact portions of the garment-side connector portion, and at least one portion to be locked extending in parallel to the fitting plane, and
wherein, as the module-side connector portion is superimposed on the garment-side connector portion and slid along the fitting plane from a first position to a second position, each of the plurality of second contact portions comes into contact with the contact surface of a corresponding first contact portion to establish electrical connection, and the at least one portion to be locked comes into contact with the locking surface of the at least one locking portion, whereby the module-side connector portion is fitted with the garment-side connector portion.

2. The slide connector according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first contact portions has an inclined surface that is continuously connected to the contact surface and is inclined in a direction in which the inclined surface recedes more from the module-side connector portion than the contact surface, and
wherein the plurality of second contact portions are not in contact with the plurality of first contact portions when the module-side connector portion is positioned at the first position, and as the module-side connector portion is slid in parallel to the fitting plane from the first position to the second position, each of the plurality of second contact portions comes into contact with the inclined surface of a corresponding first contact portion and thereafter moves in a direction orthogonal to the fitting plane to come into contact with the contact surface of the corresponding first contact portion.

3. The slide connector according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one locking portion is arranged on an outer periphery side of the garment-side connector portion in relation to the plurality of first contact portions, and
wherein the at least one portion to be locked is arranged on an outer periphery side of the module-side connector portion in relation to the plurality of second contact portions.

4. The slide connector according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first contact portions and the plurality of second contact portions are each arranged in a form of a circle or an arc in a plane parallel to the fitting plane, and
wherein, as the module-side connector portion is rotated and slid on the garment-side connector portion around a center of the circle or the arc, the module-side connector portion is fitted with the garment-side connector portion.

5. The slide connector according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first contact portions and the plurality of second contact portions are each linearly arranged in a plane parallel to the fitting plane, and
wherein, as the module-side connector portion is linearly slid on the garment-side connector portion, the module-side connector portion is fitted with the garment-side connector portion.

6. The slide connector according to claim 1 , wherein the garment-side connector body includes a base member in a plate shape, the base member having a front surface that constitutes the fitting plane and supporting the plurality of first contact portions such that the contact surface is arranged on the front surface, and a frame member in a frame shape provided with an opening portion at a center of the frame member, the frame member being attached to an outer periphery of the front surface of the base member as sandwiching cloth of the garment between the frame member and the front surface of the base member and being provided with the locking surface facing the front surface of the base member,
wherein the contact surface of each of the plurality of first contact portions is exposed through the opening portion of the frame member,
wherein the at least one locking portion is formed by the outer periphery of the front surface of the base member and the locking surface, and
wherein the module-side connector portion slides along the front surface of the base member in the opening portion of the frame member.

7. The slide connector according to claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of first contact portions has an external connection portion extending to an outer periphery of the base member,
wherein the cloth of the garment has a plurality of wires corresponding to the plurality of first contact portions, and
wherein, as the cloth of the garment is sandwiched between the front surface of the base member and the frame member, each of the plurality of wires comes into contact with and is electrically connected to the external connection portion of a corresponding first contact portion.

Assignees

• Japan Aviation Electronics Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Komoto Tetsuya
• Nakamura Keisuke
• Matsunaga Akihiro

Classifications

• H01R24/86

  Parallel contacts arranged about a common axis · CPC title

• H01R13/665

  with built-in electronic circuit (H01R13/70, H01R13/719 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01R12/613

  by means of interconnecting elements · CPC title

• H01R13/2442 Primary

  with a single cantilevered beam · CPC title

• H01R13/625

  Casing or ring with bayonet engagement · CPC title