Connector Plug-Locking Mechanism

This invention relates to a connector plug-locking mechanism for locking the fitting of a connector plug in a mating connector socket.

A conventional locking mechanism of a connector plug as disclosed in Japanese Design Registration No. 986226 includes retractable lock pawls provided respectively at opposite side surfaces of a fitting portion having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, and by engaging these lock pawls respectively with lock portions of a mating connector socket, the connector plug can be locked to the connector socket, and when lock release buttons, provided respectively at opposite side surfaces of a finger grip portion of the connector plug, are pressed, the locking can be released.

However, since such locking mechanism has the lock pawls provided respectively at the opposite side surfaces of the fitting portion, the lock portions must be provided respectively at the opposite side surfaces of the connector socket, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that the connector socket has an increased dimension in the longitudinal direction.

It is an object of this invention to provide a connector plug which enables a small-size design of a connector socket to be mounted on a printed wiring board of an electronic equipment, and also can increase the degree of freedom with respect to the direction of mounting of the connector socket on the electronic equipment.

According to the present invention, there is provided a connector plug (10) for electrically connecting a mating connector socket (20), mounted on a printed wiring board of an electronic equipment, to another electronic equipment through an electric cable (30), wherein when the connector plug (10) is fitted in the connector socket (20), this fitted condition is locked by a lock mechanism; CHARACTERIZED in that the lock mechanism of the connector plug includes a retractable lock pawl (12) provided at a face side of a fitting portion (11) of a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a lock release button (14) provided at a side surface of a finger grip portion (13).

In this construction, since the lock pawl 12 is provided only at the face side of the fitting portion 11, lock portions of the connector socket 20 to be mounted on the printed wiring board of the electronic equipment are provided only at a face of the connector socket 20, and therefore the mating connector socket 20 can be formed into a small size.

The lock release button 14 is provided at the side surface of the finger grip portion 13, and therefore even if the direction of mounting of the connector socket 20 on the electronic equipment is inverted (that is, the connector socket is turned upside down), or if the electronic equipment itself is turned upside down, the locking can be easily released since the lock release button 14 is provided at the side surface of the finger grip portion.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector plug of the present invention as seen from an upper side thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof as seen from a bottom side thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a front-elevational view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a rear view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a right side-elevational view thereof;

FIG. 8 is a left side-elevational view thereof;

FIG. 9 is a front-elevational view of a mating connector socket;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the connector socket;

FIG. 11 is a view explanatory of the operation of a lock pawl; and

FIG. 12 is a view explanatory of the operation of the lock pawl.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 8 are a perspective view of a connector plug of the invention as seen from the upper side thereof, a perspective view of the connector plug as seen from the bottom side thereof, a plan view, a bottom view, a front-elevational view, a rear view, a right side-elevational view and a left side-elevational view, respectively. FIGS. 9 and 10 are respectively a front-elevational view and a plan view of a connector socket which is a mate to the connector plug of the invention. FIGS. 11 and 12 are views explanatory of the operation of a lock pawl.

The connector plug 10 comprises a fitting portion 11 of a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape which holds the lock pawls 12, a plurality of contacts 15 and a coaxial contact plug 16, a finger grip portion 13 which holds the fitting portion 11, and comprises an upper case 17, a lower case 18 and lock release buttons 14, and an electric cable 30.

The fitting portion 11 includes a housing 11a molded of an engineering plastics material, and has the plurality of contacts 15 (each made of an electrically-conductive material) and the coaxial contact plug 16 held in the housing 11a by press-fitting or the like, and the lock pawls 12 are retractably held at a face side of the fitting portion 11. The face side used in this specification means a surface of the fitting portion 11 appearing in FIG. 3 (an upper surface of the fitting portion 11 in FIG. 1).

The contacts 15 and the coaxial contact plug 16 are electrically connected respectively to their corresponding conductors in the electric cable 30 by soldering or the like.

As shown in FIG. 11, the lock pawl 12 is formed at one end of a lock piece 12a comprising a resilient metal piece formed into a generally J-shape, and the other end of the lock piece 12a is press-fitted and held in the housing 11a. As shown in FIG. 12, that arm portion of the lock piece 12a, having the lock pawl 12, has an operating portion 12b formed intermediate opposite ends thereof, and this operating portion 12b is bent to be slanting toward the lock release button 14. With this construction, when the lock release button 14 is pressed, a pressing portion 14a of the lock release button 14 gradually depresses the slanting portion of the operating portion 12b, so that the lock pawl 12 is moved in a lock-release direction (that is, downwardly in FIG. 11), thereby releasing the locking. In this embodiment, although the two lock pieces 12a are provided respectively at opposite ends of the face side, only one lock piece 12a may be provided at one of the opposite ends, in which case the lock release button 14 is provided at one of the opposite side surfaces of the finger grip portion 13. The lock pawls 12 of this construction are engaged respectively in lock portions 21 formed in one face of the connector socket 20 (shown in FIG. 10), thereby locking the connector plug 10 to the connector socket 20.

The upper case 17 and the lower case 18 each having a frame-like shape is molded of an engineering plastics material, and the two cases 17 are 18 are fitted together to form the finger grip portion 13.

The finger grip portion 13 holds the housing 11a having the fitting portion 11, and within the finger grip portion 13, the contacts 15 and the coaxial contact plug 16 are electrically connected to the electric cable 30.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the lock pieces 12a, each having the operating portion 12b slanting toward the pressing portion 14a of the associated lock release button 14, are held in the finger grip portion 13.

The lock release buttons 14 are mounted respectively at the opposite side surfaces of the finger grip portion 13, and can be pressed. As described above, when the lock release buttons 14 are pressed, the locking is released.

Since the lock pawls 12 are provided only at the face side of the fitting portion 11, the lock portions 21 of the connector socket 20 to be mounted on a printed wiring board of an electronic equipment are provided only at the face of the connector socket 20, and therefore the mating connector socket 20 can be formed into a small size.

The lock release buttons 14 are provided respectively at the opposite side surfaces of the finger grip portion 13, and therefore even if the direction of mounting of the connector socket 20 on the electronic equipment is inverted (that is, the connector socket is turned upside down), or if the electronic equipment itself is turned upside down, the locking can be easily released since the lock release buttons 14 are provided respectively at the opposite side surfaces of the finger grip portion.