JPH0754725B2 - Low insertion / removal force multi-pole electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention is based on the principle of the principle of connecting female and male terminals when a pair of housings facing each other, which is mainly used for connecting electric wiring of an automobile, is fitted. The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly which is designed to be carried out with a small force by using the.

[Conventional technology]

As a technique for fitting a pair of housings or fitting and connecting female and male terminals with a small force, as shown in FIG. 8, a bent portion 55 is provided in a box-shaped tab receiving portion 53 for the tab 51 of the male terminal 50. The female terminal 52 provided with the elastic contact plate 54 is housed side by side in a housing (not shown), and the lock pin is inserted through the opening provided in the side wall of the housing at right angles to the terminal axis,
The elastic pin 54 is pressed by the lock pin to push the tab 51.
A structure for elastically contacting the
No. 7631).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the above-described conventional technology, the lock pin is a separate component from the housing, and may be lost because it is inserted when the female and male housings are fitted together, and workability is poor.

Further, since the lock pin is inserted from the lateral direction of the terminal, the insertion force increases with the insertion depth of the lock pin as the number of poles increases, and the number of poles is limited by manual insertion work, which is not suitable for multi-pole.

The present invention has been made focusing on the above problems,
(EN) Provided is a multi-pole electrical connector assembly which is easy to handle without fear of losing parts, and which can be fitted and connected with a female / male housing or female / male terminal with a low insertion / extraction force even if the number of poles increases. Is an issue.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the low insertion / extraction force multi-pole electrical connector assembly of the present invention has a male housing accommodating a plurality of female terminals in parallel and a corresponding male terminal, as set forth in claim (1). A female housing that accommodates the male housing, a terminal pressing plate that is slidable with respect to the male housing in the axial direction of the terminal, and a lever member that is rotatably provided on the outer surface of the female housing. Box-shaped tab receiving part that receives the tab of the terminal,
An elastic contact plate formed on a side wall of the tab receiving portion, the terminal pressing plate having a pressing projection for the elastic contact plate, and a receiving pin engaging with the operating portion of the lever member, After the male housing is fitted, the lever member is rotated to engage the above-mentioned action portion and the receiving pin to move the terminal pressing plate toward the elastic contact plate side along the axial direction of the terminal. A structure is adopted in which the elastic contact plate is pressed against the tab side of the male terminal to make contact.

[Action]

According to the present invention, almost no force is required for fitting the female and male housings, and the contact between the female and male terminals is caused by sliding the terminal pressing plate by the rotation of the lever member utilizing the principle of the lever. This is done by pressing the elastic contact plate of the female terminal against the tab of the male terminal with the pressing protrusion.Since a large acting force can be obtained with a small force at the action part of the lever member, low insertion / extraction is possible even if the number of poles increases. It is possible to perform work by force, which is suitable for a multipolar connector.

Hereinafter, the above configuration and operation will be specifically described with reference to the drawings illustrating an embodiment.

〔Example〕

In FIG. 1, A is a synthetic resin male housing, B is a female housing, C is a terminal pressing plate slidably mounted on the male housing A, and D is rotatably mounted on the female housing B. A lever member is shown.

Multiple terminal accommodating chambers 1 in male housing A and female housing B
And 1'are respectively known female terminals as shown in FIG.
52 and the male terminal 50 are accommodated and locked by the flexible locking arms 2 and 2'to prevent the rear pull-out.

The male housing A shown in this embodiment is constructed by tying two split-type housings 3 and 3'having the same structure, as shown in FIGS.

The split-type housing 3 (3 ') is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 1 that open vertically are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction thereof. A guide recess 4 for the terminal pressing plate C is formed in the center of one side surface 3a which is the tying surface of the split housing 3 (3 ') and communicates with each terminal accommodating chamber 1 in the upper portion. The opening 5 is formed continuously with the guide recess 4.

Further, at the four corners of the split housing 3 (3 '), four members for detachably locking and fixing them, that is, a locking piece 6 having a locking projection 6a and a locking portion having a locking hole 7a. 7, the fixed arm 8 and the key-shaped projection 9 are formed, and the fixed arm 8
A notch 8a for guiding insertion into the key-like projection 9 and a circular fitting groove 8b are provided in the.

The locking piece 6 and the locking portion 7 are formed on the upper end portions of the left and right end walls 3b and 3c so as to face each other when the two split housings 3 and 3'are brought together and face each other. Left and right end walls 3b, 3c
A key-shaped projection 9 and a fixed arm 8 are formed at the lower end of the.
The locking piece 6, the fixed arm 8 and the notch 8a are formed on the tying surface.
It is provided orthogonal to 3a, and the key-shaped projection 9 is provided so as to be inclined downward. Further, the projecting lengths of the locking piece 6 and the fixed arm 8 leave a guide passage 10 for the ear piece 13 of the terminal pressing plate C, which will be described later, when the two split housings 3, 3'are assembled together. Is determined.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the terminal holding plate C made of synthetic resin has a plurality of pressing projections 12 projecting from both sides of the upper end of the plate body 11 at the same pitch as the opening 5, and Ear pieces (13) having receiving pins (14) on both sides are provided in a protruding manner. Pressing protrusion
Reference numeral 12 is for pressing the elastic contact plate 54 (see FIG. 7) of the female terminal 52, and is formed shorter than the length of the opening 5.

To assemble the male housing A, as shown in FIG. 2a, one key-like projection 9 of the split housing 3, 3'is fixed to the other fixed arm 8.
2) is inserted into the fitting groove 8b and turned slightly in the direction of arrow R as shown in FIG. 2b to connect both housings 3, 3 ', and the terminal pressing plate C is attached from above to both housings 3, 3'. 2 ', and when both housings 3, 3'are closed as shown in FIG. 2c, one locking piece 6 is engaged with the other locking portion 7 and the locking projection 6a is locked. It is locked and fixed by engagement with the hole 7a.

At the time of assembly, female terminals 52 are previously inserted and locked in the terminal accommodating chambers 1 of both housings 3 and 3'as shown in FIG.

In the assembled male housing A, as shown in FIG. 2c, the tabs 13 on both sides of the terminal pressing plate C project from the guide passage 10 between the two split housings 3 and 3'and the plate body 11 is provided. Is located between the guide recesses 4 of both housings 3 and 3 ', and the pressing projection 12 is located in the opening 5. Therefore, the terminal pressing plate C can slide up and down as shown by the arrow S. (Within the difference in length between the opening 5 and the pressing protrusion 12).

As shown in FIG. 3, the female housing B has a sleeve 16 for fitting and receiving the male housing A in the upper half of the housing body 15. The left and right end walls of the sleeve 16 are provided with a pin guide frame 17 and a pin guide groove for the receiving pin 14 of the terminal pressing plate C.
18 are provided.

A lever accommodating portion 19 is recessed with a step between the left and right end walls of the sleeve portion 16 and the housing body 15, and a lever 22 described later is pivotally supported at a lower portion of the accommodating portion 19. Axis pin 20
However, locking projections 21 are provided on the upper end portions, respectively.

The lever member D is formed as a U-shaped frame body in which a pair of levers 22 are connected by a lever handle 26.
The long arm portion 24 and the short arm portion 25 are provided substantially orthogonal to each other with a fulcrum portion 23 having a shaft hole interposed therebetween.

This lever member D, as shown in FIG.
The fulcrum 23 is rotatably supported by the shaft pins 20 on both sides of 16 and the lever handle 26 is rotated in the arrow T direction,
Lever 22 is locked by locking protrusion 21
It is housed in 19 and mounted with the lever handle 26 crossing the opening of the sleeve 16.

Next, the fitting and connection of the female and male housings and the female and male terminals will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4a, with the lever member D unlocked, the male housing A is inserted into the sleeve 16 of the female housing B. The receiving pin 14 of the terminal pressing plate C slidably inserted in the male housing A is smoothly introduced by the pin guide frame 17 and the pin guide groove 18.

At this time, the tab 51 of the male terminal 50 enters the tab receiving portion 53 of the female terminal 52 as shown in FIG. 5A, but is not in contact with the elastic contact plate 54? Or only a slight contact.

Therefore, the female and male housings A and B can be lightly inserted with little force required.

In this state, when the lever handle 26 of the lever member D is pushed to rotate the lever 22 in the direction of the arrow T, the short arm portion 25 which is the action portion of the lever 22 engages with the receiving pin 14 of the terminal pressing plate C, and the arrow Push down as shown by line U. As a result, the pressing projection 12 of the terminal pressing plate C moves to the elastic contact plate 54 side in the opening 5 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) as indicated by the arrow U in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 4b shows a state in which the turning operation of the lever member D is completed and the levers 22 on both sides are engaged with the locking projections 21 and locked.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5b, the pressing projection 12 of the terminal pressing plate C moves completely above the elastic contact plate 54 and presses the plate 54 toward the tab 51 side, and the bent portion 55 causes the tab 55 to move. By contacting 51, the connection of female and male terminals 50, 52 is achieved.

In the lever 22, a large force can be obtained in the action portion (25) by selecting the ratio of the long arm portion 24 and the short arm portion 25, so that the lever member D can be operated with a small force, and the female and male terminals can be operated. 50,5
Even if the number of poles in 2 increases, it can be sufficiently dealt with.

Thus, the fitting of the female and male housings and the connection of the female and male terminals can be performed with a small force. Further, as is clear from FIG. 4B, since the lever handle 26 of the lever member D is in a state of supporting the male housing A from the rear side, there is no possibility of deviating from the female housing B.

In addition, the short arm portion as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
By providing 25 'so as to face the short arm portion 25 at an appropriate angle, the terminal pressing plate C is slid in the opposite direction, and female and male terminals are provided.
50,52 can be disconnected.

In the above, the example in which the male housing A is assembled by tying two split-type housings 3 and 3'having the same structure together, but both can be integrally molded. In that case, the terminal pressing plate C may be structured to be inserted from the front or the side of the terminal accommodating chamber 1 (for example, an insertion window is provided on the side wall of the male housing).

Figures 7a-c show another embodiment of the invention.

In the present embodiment, the male housing A'is formed as the cover 27 of the terminal pressing plate C'with the other housing to be embraced with the split housing 3, and the terminal pressing plate C'is made of a plate body.
The pressing protrusion 12 is provided only on one surface of the upper end portion of 11. On the cover 27, the locking piece 6, the locking portion 7, the fixed arm 8 and the locking piece 7'corresponding to the key projection 9 of the split housing 3, the locking piece 6 ', the key projection 9'and the fixing are provided. By providing the arm 8 ', it is possible to assemble in the same manner as the split housing 3' (see FIGS. 2A to 2C).

As will be readily appreciated from the embodiments of Figures 7a-c and Figures 1-3, the electrical connector assembly of the present invention is subject to various modifications, including the number of poles of the connector (female, male terminals).
52,50) can be greatly increased or decreased.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, almost no force is required for the initial fitting of the female and male housings, and the female and male terminals can be connected with a small force by using the principle of the boom.
It is possible to eliminate the difficulty of insertion / removal that accompanies the multi-pole of the electrical connector.

Further, since the lever member is rotatably provided on the female housing, there is no fear of loss as in the conventional lock pin, and workability is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a low insertion / extraction force multipolar electrical connector of the present invention in a separated state, FIGS. 2a to 2c are perspective views showing an assembling process of the male housing of the same, and FIG. 3 is a female housing of FIG. 4A and 4B are explanatory views of the operating method of the lever member shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views showing the operating state of the terminal pressing plate by the lever operation. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 4b, FIGS. 7a to 7c are perspective views of the assembling process of the male housing showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 shows the female and male terminals. It is a perspective view which shows a prior art example. A, A '... Male housing, B ... Female housing, C, C' ...
… Terminal retainer plate, D …… Lever member, 12 …… Pressing protrusion, 14
…… Receiving pin, 21 …… Locking protrusion, 22 …… Lever, 25 ……
Short arm (working part), 27 ... Cover, 50 ... Male terminal, 51 ...
… Tab, 52 …… Female terminal, 53 …… Tab receiving part, 54 …… Elastic contact plate.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A male housing accommodating a plurality of female terminals in parallel, a female housing accommodating corresponding male terminals, and a terminal retainer plate slidable with respect to the male housing in the axial direction of the terminals. It is composed of a lever member rotatably provided on the outer surface of the female housing, the female terminal is a box-shaped tab receiving portion for receiving the tab of the male terminal,
An elastic contact plate formed on a side wall of the tab receiving portion, the terminal pressing plate having a pressing projection for the elastic contact plate, and a receiving pin engaging with the operating portion of the lever member, After the male housing is fitted, the lever member is rotated to engage the above-mentioned action portion and the receiving pin to move the terminal pressing plate toward the elastic contact plate side along the axial direction of the terminal. A multi-pole electrical connector assembly with low insertion / extraction force, characterized in that an elastic contact plate is pressed against the tab side of the male terminal to make contact. 2. The low insertion / removal force multi-pole electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein lock means is provided between the female housing and the lever member.