JP6296352B2 - Connector with lever - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector with a lever.

  Conventionally, after the first connector housing and the second connector housing that can be fitted together are shallowly fitted and then the lever provided on one of the connector housings is pivoted, the two connector housings are drawn together and the proper fitting is achieved. A connector with a lever that reaches a joint state is known. In this connector with a lever, the lever is held in the initial position until the two connector housings are engaged. When the lever is rotated from the initial position to the mating completion position, both the connector housings are properly mated by the cam action of the cam groove and the cam pin provided in the other connector housing and the lever. To.

  Moreover, the connector with a lever described in Patent Document 1 below is provided with a detection member capable of knowing whether or not both connector housings have been properly fitted. This detection member is always held at the standby position, and when the lever reaches the mating completion position, displacement to the detection position is allowed. Depending on whether or not the detection member can be displaced, both connector housings Can be known. In this connector with a lever, both a holding structure for holding the lever in the initial position and a holding structure for holding the detection member in the standby position are provided on the cam plate portion of the lever.

JP 2003-257546 A

  By the way, in the connector with a lever described above, the holding structure for holding the lever in the initial position is provided on the cam plate portion, not the lever operating portion that is displaced the most when the lever rotates. For this reason, to increase the holding force, it is necessary to enlarge the holding structure. In addition, the cam plate portion of the lever is provided with a detection member holding structure in addition to the lever holding structure. Therefore, it is unavoidable to increase the size of the cam plate portion, i.e., the lever. It was.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector with a lever that can avoid an increase in the size of the lever.

  The connector with a lever of the present invention includes a first connector housing and a second connector housing that can be fitted to each other, and is pivotally attached to the first connector housing. And a lever that pulls the two connector housings into a proper mating state by rotating from the mating position to the mating completion position, and is provided in an operating portion of the lever and is always held at a standby position, and the lever is A detection member that is allowed to be displaced to a detection position when the fitting completion position is reached, and a first through hole that is provided in the detection member and provided in the operation portion of the lever when the lever is in the initial position And the detection member protrudes inside the first connector housing through a second through hole provided in the first connector housing. The second connector housing that is shallowly fitted to the first connector housing abuts on a portion that protrudes from the through hole to the inside of the first connector housing while restricting the displacement operation and the pivoting operation of the lever. And a convex portion that is displaced outward and allows the lever to rotate.

  According to the present invention, the convex portion provided on the detection member also serves as a holding structure for holding the detection member at the standby position and a holding structure for holding the lever at the initial position, and this holding structure is provided at the operation portion of the lever. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the lever as compared with the case where the holding structure for the lever and the detection member is separately provided on the cam plate portion of the lever.

The perspective view which shows the 1st connector housing and 2nd connector housing in a present Example. Front view showing the first connector housing Plan view showing the detection member Rear view showing the detection member Partially cutaway side view of the connector with lever showing a state where the detection member is held at the standby position and the lever is held at the initial position Partially cutaway side view of the connector with lever showing the state where the lever is unlocked Partially cutaway side view of the connector with lever, showing that the lever has reached the mating completion position and the locking state of the detection member has been released Partially cutaway side view of connector with lever showing how the detection member is pushed into the detection position Partially cutaway side view of the connector with lever showing the detection member pushed into the detection position

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.
The connector with a lever of the present invention is a portion of the convex portion that protrudes from the second through hole to the inside of the first connector housing when the lever is in the initial position. An inclined surface that makes an inclination along the rotation direction of the lever may be provided in a portion arranged in the second through hole when displaced outward by contact.
According to such a configuration, when the lever is rotated from the initial position toward the mating completion position, the convex portion easily protrudes from the second through hole by the inclined surface of the convex portion, so that the lever can be smoothly moved. Can be rotated.

<Example>
Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The connector C with a lever in this embodiment includes a first connector housing 10 and a second connector housing 40 that can be fitted to each other. After the connector housings 10 and 40 are shallowly fitted, the connector C with the lever is rotated to the first connector housing 10. By rotating the movably attached lever 20 from the initial position to the mating completion position, the two connector housings 10 and 40 are attracted to reach a proper mating state. Hereinafter, in each component member, the fitting surface side (the lower left side in FIG. 1) of both the connector housings 10 and 40 will be described as the front, the upper side in FIG. 1 will be the upper side, and the lower side will be the lower side.

  The second connector housing 40 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a block shape having a horizontally long and substantially rectangular cross section as a whole. The second connector housing 40 is provided with a plurality of cavities 41 into which terminal fittings fixed to the end portions of the electric wires are inserted from behind.

  A first release protrusion 42 is provided on the upper surface of the second connector housing 40 so as to release the locked state of the lever 20 held at the initial position. The first release protrusion 42 is provided substantially at the center in the width direction of the second connector housing 40. The first release protrusion 42 has an elongated shape in the front-rear direction, and is provided at the front end of the second connector housing 40. A release surface 43 is formed at the front end of the first release protrusion 42 and has an inclination that gradually rises toward the rear (increases the protruding dimension). The release surface 43 is continuous with the front surface of the second connector housing 40.

  At the rear end portion of the second connector housing 40, a second lock portion 44 that is engaged with the first lock portion 33 of the first connector housing 10 and holds both the connector housings 10 and 40 in a properly fitted state, A multi-function part 46 having a second release protrusion 45 that releases the locked state of the detection member 50 held at the standby position is provided. The multi-function part 46 is provided at a substantially center in the width direction of the rear end of the second connector housing 40 and is raised upward.

  The 2nd lock part 44 is provided in the upper end part of multifunctional part 46, and is made into the form projected ahead from the full width. As shown in FIG. 7, the second lock portion 44 is engaged with the upper surface side of the first lock portion 33 of the lever 20 arranged at the fitting completion position, so that the first lock portion 33 is displaced upward. Thus, the lever 20 is restricted from rotating toward the initial position. The lower surface of the second lock portion 44 is inclined to incline upward toward the front.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second release protrusion 45 is provided to protrude forward from the second lock portion 44. The second release protrusion 45 is provided at the center of the second lock portion 44 (the center in the width direction of the multi-function portion 46). As shown in FIG. 7, the second release protrusion 45 allows the detection member 50 to be pushed from the standby position to the detection position by pressing the engagement claw 53 of the detection member 50 in the engagement release direction. The lower surface of the second release protrusion 45 is inclined with substantially the same gradient as the lower surface of the second lock portion 44, and is continuous with the lower surface of the second lock portion 44 without a step.

  The front surface of the multi-function portion 46 (including the front surfaces of the second lock portion 44 and the second release protrusion 45) has an inclination that gradually decreases toward the front, and includes the second lock portion 44 and the second release protrusion 45 as a whole. The gradient is almost the same. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, two lightening portions 47 are formed on the front surface of the multi-function portion 46.

  The first connector housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, a hood portion 11 into which the second connector housing 40 can be fitted is provided on the front side. As shown in FIG. 2, the hood portion 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape having a horizontally long rectangular shape and opened forward, and a male terminal fitting 12 projects from the inside thereof. On both outer side surfaces 17 of the hood portion 11, shaft protrusions 13 for assembling the lever 20 are erected one by one.

  A fitting recess 14 into which the multi-function part 46 of the second connector housing 40 can be fitted is provided on the upper wall part of the hood part 11 (see FIG. 1). The fitting recess 14 is provided at the center in the width direction of the upper wall portion of the hood portion 11, has a width dimension that allows the multifunctional portion 46 to be fitted, and is cut out in a square shape from the front end toward the rear. It is assumed that it is a form.

  A groove portion 15 extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the inner side surface 18 of the upper wall portion of the hood portion 11. The groove portion 15 is provided substantially at the center in the width direction of the first connector housing 10, and extends rearward from the fitting recess 14 in a shape recessed upward. A first release protrusion 42 provided on the second connector housing 40 can pass through the groove 15.

  In the upper wall portion of the hood portion 11, a second through hole 16 is provided through which a convex portion 55 of a detection member 50 described later can pass. The second through hole 16 has an elongated shape extending in the left-right direction with the groove portion 15 as a center, and penetrates the upper wall portion of the hood portion 11 in the inner and outer directions.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lever 20 is provided so as to connect a pair of cam plate portions 21 and a pair of cam plate portions 21 arranged along both outer side surfaces 17 of the hood portion 11 of the first connector housing 10. The operation unit 22 is provided. The lever 20 is centered on the shaft protrusion 13 by fitting the shaft protrusion 13 provided in the first connector housing 10 into the shaft hole 23 provided through each of the pair of cam plate portions 21. It can be turned. Inside the pair of cam plate portions 21, cam grooves (not shown) into which the pair of cam pins 48 provided in the second connector housing 40 can respectively enter are provided.

  The lever 20 has an initial position (see FIGS. 5 and 6) in which the operation portion 22 is located at an intermediate portion (rear end portion of the hood portion 11) in the front-rear direction of the first connector housing 10, and the operation portion 22 One connector housing 10 can be pivotally displaced between a fitting completion position (see FIGS. 7 to 9) located at the front end of the connector housing 10. When the lever 20 is in the initial position, the operation unit 22 is disposed in contact with the upper surface of the first connector housing 10. When the lever 20 is in the fitting completion position, the operation unit 22 is separated upward from the upper surface of the first connector housing 10. Arranged.

  A detection member 50 for detecting the fitting state of the two connector housings 10 and 40 is accommodated in the approximate center in the width direction of the operation portion 22. As shown in FIG. 6, the housing portion 25 of the detection member 50 is a space opened in the front-rear direction formed in the central portion of the operation portion 22, and a pair of side surfaces 26 are formed on both sides of the housing portion 25. A beam portion 27 is provided at the rear end portion of the accommodating portion 25 in a form spanned between both side surfaces 26.

  Further, the housing portion 25 extends forward from the base wall portion 28 disposed along the upper surface of the first connector housing 10 when the lever 20 is disposed at the initial position, and the front end of the base wall portion 28. An elastic wall portion 29 provided in a form that rises obliquely upward and rearward is provided. A pair of elastic wall portions 29 are provided at both left and right ends of the base wall portion 28, and a first through hole 31 is formed between the pair of elastic wall portions 29 in front of the base wall portion 28. The first through-hole 31 is arranged above the second through-hole 16 provided in the first connector housing 10 when the lever 20 is arranged at the initial position, so that the first through-hole 31 and the vertical direction (inside / outside) Direction).

  A pair of elastic wall part 29 is mutually connected in two places. Among the connecting portions that connect the pair of elastic wall portions 29, those that connect the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the elastic wall portion 29 are, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the second lock portion 44 of the second connector housing 40. The first lock portion 33 is engaged with the first lock portion 33. The locking surface 32 of the first lock portion 33 with the second lock portion 44 is inclined with the same gradient as the lower surface of the second lock portion 44. Further, the surface (the lower surface in FIG. 7) on the opposite side of the locking surface 32 of the first lock portion 33 is inclined so that the pushing operation is smoothly performed when the detection member 50 is pushed from the standby position to the detection position. It is set as the pushing guide surface 34 which has. Note that both end portions of the first lock portion 33 (the connecting portion with the elastic wall portion 29) are reinforced with a larger cross section than the intermediate portion (the portion disposed between the pair of elastic wall portions 29). Yes.

  Of the connecting portions that connect the pair of elastic wall portions 29, the one that connects the leading ends (rear ends) of the elastic wall portions 29 is a ceiling wall portion 35 formed substantially parallel to the base wall portion 28. Has been. The rear end portion of the ceiling wall portion 35 is formed in a wall shape that rises upward over its entire width.

  Between the pair of elastic wall portions 29, window portions 36 are formed above and below the first lock portion 33, respectively. A locking claw 53 of a detection member 50 to be described later is fitted into the upper window portion 36 of these window portions 36 and locked to the first lock portion 33, so that the detection member 50 is displaced forward (standby). Displacement from the position to the detection position) is limited.

The detection member 50 is always held at the standby position, and when the lever 20 reaches the fitting completion position, displacement to the detection position is allowed.
As shown in FIG. 5, the detection member 50 is formed in a plate shape that is long in the front-rear direction and is disposed along the base wall portion 28 of the housing portion 25, and obliquely upward and rearward from the front end of the main body portion 51. And an arm portion 52 that rises. The arm portion 52 is inclined with a slope equivalent to that of the elastic wall portion 29 of the housing portion 25 in a natural state, and is disposed between the pair of elastic wall portions 29. A locking claw 53 that protrudes forward is provided at the tip (rise end) of the arm portion 52.

  At the rear end portion of the main body portion 51, a pressing operation portion 54 that is pressed when the detection member 50 is pushed from the standby position to the detection position is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the pressing operation portion 54 has a rectangular tube shape having a substantially square cross section when viewed from the side, and protrudes from the main body portion 51 to the left and right sides as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The pressing operation part 54 is disposed between the beam part 27 and the base wall part 28, and the displacement in the vertical direction is limited.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the detection member 50 protrudes inside the first connector housing 10 through the first through hole 31 and the second through hole 16 when the lever 20 is in the initial position. A convex portion 55 that restricts the displacement operation of the member 50 and the rotation operation of the lever 20 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion 55 is formed on the outside as a result of the first release protrusion 42 of the second connector housing 40 coming into contact with a portion protruding from the second through hole 16 to the inside of the first connector housing 10. Displacement and the lever 20 are allowed to rotate.

  The convex portion 55 projects from the lower surface of the main body portion 51 at a position near the front end. As shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 55 has a width dimension equivalent to that of the main body portion 51 and is suspended from the lower surface of the main body portion 51, and is provided at the lower end portion of the drooping portion 56. And a contact portion 57 with which the first release protrusion 42 provided on the connector housing 40 abuts. The contact portion 57 protrudes from the hanging portion 56 to the left and right sides, and has a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from the front.

  When the lever 20 is in the initial position, as shown in FIG. 5, the drooping portion 56 is disposed in the first through hole 31, and the contact portion 57 extends from the second through hole 16 to the inside of the first connector housing 10. Arranged. In this state, when the lever 20 is to be rotated and displaced to the fitting completion position, the front surface of the convex portion 55 comes into contact with the front surface of the second through hole 16 and the lever 20 is not rotationally displaced. It is like that.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an inclined surface 58 is provided at the lower end portion of the convex portion 55. The inclined surface 58 forms an inclination along the rotation direction of the lever 20 (inclination gradually rising toward the front). The inclined surface 58 is formed on the front surface side of the contact portion 57, and has a form in which a corner portion at the lower end is cut out obliquely. The inclined surface 58 is a portion of the contact portion 57 that protrudes from the second through hole 16 to the inside of the first connector housing 10 when the lever 20 is in the initial position, and is a first release protrusion of the second connector housing 40. It is formed in the part arranged in the 2nd through-hole 16 when 42 is displaced outside by contact | abutting.

Next, an example of the fitting operation of the connector C with lever will be described.
Before the connector C with a lever is fitted, the detection member 50 is held at the standby position and the lever 20 is held at the initial position in the first connector housing 10 as shown in FIG. In this state, in the detection member 50, the pressing operation portion 54 is sandwiched between the beam portion 27 and the base wall portion 28 and the vertical displacement is restricted, and the locking claw 53 is locked to the first lock portion 33. The forward displacement is restricted, and the rearward displacement is restricted when the convex portion 55 penetrates the first through hole 31. Further, the lever 20 is limited in rotational displacement from the initial position to the fitting completion position because the convex portion 55 of the detection member 50 passes through the second through hole 16.

  Next, both connector housings 10 and 40 are fitted shallowly. Then, the cam pin 48 of the second connector housing 40 enters the inlet of the cam groove of the first connector housing 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the first release protrusion 42 of the second connector housing 40 enters the back side through the groove portion 15 of the first connector housing 10, and eventually comes into contact with the inclined surface 58 of the convex portion 55. The protrusion 55 is displaced upward (outside) to release the locked state of the lever 20. At this time, in the detection member 50, the front portion of the main body 51 is elastically displaced upward, the pressing operation portion 54 is sandwiched between the beam portion 27 and the base wall portion 28, and the convex portion 55 is downward from the first through hole 31. It is in a state protruding.

  Next, the lever 20 is rotated from the initial position to the fitting completion position. When the operating portion 22 is moved upward, the lever 20 smoothly rotates so that the inclined surface 58 of the convex portion 55 is along the upper end of the second through hole 16. Moreover, the attitude | position of the detection member 50 returns elastically because the convex part 55 leaves | separates from the 1st cancellation | release protrusion 42. FIG. As the lever 20 rotates, the cam pin 48 is displaced along the cam groove, and the fitting of the connector housings 10 and 40 proceeds. Eventually, when the lever 20 approaches the fitting completion position, the first lock portion 33 comes into contact with the second release protrusion 45 and the elastic wall portion 29 is elastically deformed backward, and when the lever 20 reaches the fitting completion position, As shown in FIG. 7, the first lock portion 33 enters below the second release protrusion 45 and the second lock portion 44, and the elastic wall portion 29 is elastically restored, so that the first lock portion 33, the second lock portion 44, Is locked. Thereby, the 1st connector housing 10 and the 2nd connector housing 40 are held so that separation is impossible.

  At the same time, the second release projection 45 of the second connector housing 40 enters the window portion 36 above the first lock portion 33, and the locking claw 53 is pushed rearward by the second release projection 45 so that the arm portion. 52 is elastically displaced rearward and the locked state of the detection member 50 is released.

  Next, the detection member 50 is pushed into the detection position. When the pressing operation portion 54 of the detection member 50 is pushed downward, the locking claw 53 gets over the second release protrusion 45 and reaches the push-in guide surface of the first lock portion 33 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the detection member 50 reaches the detection position over the first lock portion 33. Further, the detection member 50 is abutted against the front surface of the multi-function part 46, so that further movement is restricted, the locking claw 53 reaches below the first lock part 33, and the pressing operation part 54 is connected to the base wall part 28. It is in a state of being sandwiched between the ceiling wall portion 35. The convex portion 55 moves downward in the first through hole 31.

  Here, when the lever 20 has not reached the fitting completion position, the locking claw 53 remains locked to the first lock portion 33 without being pushed in the locking release direction. You can't push it in. Thereby, the operator can know that the lever 20 has not reached the fitting completion position, that is, the fitting of the two connector housings 10 and 40 has not been completed normally (in a semi-fitted state). Then, when the operator reliably rotates the lever 20 to the fitting completion position, the two connector housings 10 and 40 are surely brought into a proper fitting state.

Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The connector C with a lever of the present embodiment includes a first connector housing 10 and a second connector housing 40 that can be fitted to each other, and after the two connector housings 10 and 40 are shallowly fitted in the first connector housing 10. A lever 20 that pivots from the initial position to the mating completion position and pulls the connector housings 10 and 40 to reach a proper mating state is pivotally attached. Is held at the standby position, and a detection member 50 is provided that is allowed to be displaced to the detection position when the lever 20 reaches the fitting completion position. The detection member 50 passes through the first through hole 31 provided in the operation portion 22 of the lever 20 and the second through hole 16 provided in the first connector housing 10 when the lever 20 is in the initial position. Projecting inside the first connector housing 10 to restrict the displacement operation of the detection member 50 and the rotation operation of the lever 20, and to the portion projecting from the second through hole 16 to the inside of the first connector housing 10, A convex portion 55 is provided that is displaced outwardly when the second connector housing 40 that is shallowly fitted to the connector housing 10 is in contact with the connector housing 10 and that allows the lever 20 to rotate.

  According to this configuration, the convex portion 55 provided on the detection member 50 serves as a holding structure for holding the detection member 50 in the standby position and a holding structure for holding the lever 20 in the initial position. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the lever 20 as compared with the case where the lever and the detection member holding structure are separately provided on the cam plate portion of the lever.

In addition, when the lever 20 is in the initial position, the convex portion 55 is a portion that protrudes from the second through hole 16 to the inside of the first connector housing 10 and is displaced outward by the second connector housing 40 coming into contact therewith. At the same time, an inclined surface 58 that is inclined along the rotation direction of the lever 20 is provided in a portion disposed in the second through hole 16.
According to this configuration, when the lever 20 is rotated from the initial position toward the fitting completion position, the convex portion 55 easily comes out of the second through hole 16 by the inclined surface 58 of the convex portion 55. The lever 20 can be smoothly rotated.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the inclined surface 58 is provided at the lower end portion of the convex portion 55. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a stepped surface that is recessed in a step shape is formed at the lower end portion of the convex portion. May be.

C ... Connector with lever 10 ... 1st connector housing 16 ... 2nd through hole 20 ... Lever 22 ... Operation part 31 ... 1st through hole 40 ... 2nd connector housing 50 ... Detection member 55 ... Convex part 58 ... Inclined surface

Claims (2)

A first connector housing and a second connector housing that are matable with each other;
The two connector housings are pivotally attached to the first connector housing, and the two connector housings are shallowly fitted and then rotated from an initial position to a fitting completion position to draw both the connector housings into a normal fitting state. A lever to reach,
A detection member that is provided in the operating portion of the lever and is always held in a standby position, and is allowed to be displaced to a detection position when the lever reaches the fitting completion position;
The first through hole provided in the detection member and penetrating through a first through hole provided in the operation portion of the lever and the second through hole provided in the first connector housing when the lever is in the initial position. 1 projecting to the inside of the connector housing, limiting the displacement operation of the detection member and the pivoting operation of the lever, and shallowing the first connector housing to a portion projecting from the through hole to the inside of the first connector housing. A convex portion that is displaced outwardly by contacting the fitted second connector housing, and that allows the lever to rotate; and
Connector with lever.   When the lever is located at the initial position, the protrusion protrudes from the second through hole to the inside of the first connector housing, and is displaced outward by the second connector housing coming into contact therewith. The connector with a lever according to claim 1, wherein an inclined surface that is inclined along a rotation direction of the lever is provided in a portion arranged in the second through hole.

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