JP2002270286A - Lever-driven connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save space needed for turning a lever for its operation as well as to operate simply, in a lever-driven connector assembly. SOLUTION: The lever-driven connector assembly 1 is provided with a male connector 2 having a lever 4 and a female connector 100. The lever is normally held at a given position. At an initial stage of insertion-coupling, a cam follower 66 of the lever 4 is positioned in a second cam groove 24 of the connector 2 and mounted on a cam face 108 of the other connector 100. When a force 70 is applied to the lever 4 toward a turning axis 16, the turning axis 16 moves relatively toward right inside a fitting hole 32 to have a pinion 26 and a rack 126 engaged, and the cam follower 66 moves form the second cam groove 24 to a first cam groove 22 along the cam face 108. From this position, the lever 4 is pressed down for complete insertion-coupling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly, to a lever driven connector assembly driven by a lever.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the number of poles of a contact is large.
In the case of a multipolar connector, an operation force is required when inserting and removing the connectors. For this reason, in order to facilitate the fitting and the insertion / removal, it is common practice to reduce the operating force by a lever. As one example, a multipolar connector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-37733 is known. In this connector, one connector has a lever having a pinion portion, and the other connector has a rack portion cooperating with the pinion portion. The lever is previously held at a predetermined position so that the pinion portion and the rack portion do not come into contact with each other when the connectors are fitted to each other. Next, in the initial stage of mating when the connectors are mated, the lever is rotated, the rack portion and the pinion portion are engaged, and the lever is further rotated, so that the connectors are drawn into each other and fitted. It is supposed to.

[0003] As a similar connector assembly, an electric connector assembly disclosed in JP-A-6-13128 is known. This connector assembly is also configured such that the connectors are fitted by a lever having a pinion and a rack that engages with the pinion, and the lever is rotated until the pinion and the rack are first engaged. Then, it is the same as the above-mentioned prior art.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned two conventional connector assemblies, the pinions are retracted from the rack at the time of fitting so that they do not come into contact with each other.
The lever is pre-rotated to a predetermined position. After the fitting, the lever is rotated to mesh the pinion with the rack. However, in the former prior art, there is a problem that the lever has to be largely turned. In other words, the amount of rotation of the lever increases. When the space for operating the lever is limited in the device to which the connector assembly is attached, there is a problem that the lever is difficult to operate or cannot be operated because the operation is impossible. In the latter conventional example,
An operation of rotating the lever to a predetermined position at the time of fitting is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the space required for turning the lever when operating the lever, and to reduce the space required for fitting the connector at the initial stage. An object of the present invention is to provide a lever-driven connector assembly that does not require a lever to be operated.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A lever-operated connector assembly of the present invention includes a pair of mating connectors each having a plurality of contacts, one of which has a pinion gear and a rotatable lever. A lever-driven connector assembly in which the other connector has a rack that engages with the pinion gear, and the lever is rotated around a rotation axis of the lever so that the connectors fit together. The lever can assume an initial position where the lever is held at a predetermined angle with respect to one of the connectors in advance, and an engagement position where the lever engages with the rack of the other connector while maintaining the predetermined angle substantially at the initial stage of fitting of both connectors. The other connector has a cam surface which is supported by the rotating shaft and engages with the lever to guide the lever from the initial position to the meshing position.

[0007] The lever and one of the connectors may have cooperating guide means for guiding the rotation of the lever.

[0008]

According to the lever-driven connector assembly of the present invention, the lever is held at an initial position where the lever is held at a predetermined angle with respect to one of the connectors in advance, and the lever is held at a predetermined angle substantially at the initial stage of fitting of both connectors. Since the other connector has a cam surface that engages with the lever and guides the lever from the initial position to the engagement position, the other connector is supported by the rotating shaft so that it can take an engagement position where the other connector engages with the rack of the other connector. When operating the lever, the space required for the rotation of the lever can be reduced, and the need to operate the lever at the initial stage of fitting of the connector can be eliminated. Therefore, the lever can be easily operated in a device having a small space in which the lever drive type connector assembly can be mounted.

When the lever and one of the connectors have cooperating guide means for guiding the rotation of the lever, the lever can be operated smoothly.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a lever-driven connector assembly (hereinafter, simply referred to as an assembly) according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the assembly 1 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view before two connectors constituting the assembly of FIG. 1 are fitted to each other. Note that, in the description, the insertion / removal direction refers to the direction in which the connectors are fitted or removed. In addition, the front and rear refer to the mating surface side of each connector as the front side and the opposite side as the rear side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assembly 1 comprises:
It has one male connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) 2 having a lever 4 and the other female connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) 100 to be combined with the male connector 2. The connector 2 has an insulating rectangular housing 6 and a lever 4 rotatably attached to the housing 6. In the recess 8 on the rear side of the housing 6, a plate-shaped wire seal rubber, that is, a waterproof member 10 is provided.
A wire seal cover (hereinafter, simply referred to as a cover) 12 and an electrical contact (contact) 14 are provided.

The housing 6 has two side walls 18, 18.
, A C-shaped convex portion, that is, a rotating shaft 16 of the lever is integrally provided. Each side wall 18 has a projection 44 protruding from the fitting surface 20 near the rotation shaft 16. On one end side of the side wall 18, a cam groove 21 that extends while being curved from a substantially central portion of the housing 6 in the insertion / removal direction to near the fitting surface 20 of the housing 6 is formed. The cam groove 21 is composed of a long first cam groove (guide means) 22 and a second cam groove 24 inclined outward at the rear end of the first cam groove 22. In the vicinity of both ends of the side wall 18, linear ribs 64 and 65 extending in the insertion / extraction direction are formed.

The lever 4 is composed of a pair of flat support arms 28, 28 each having a pinion gear 26 at the tip, and a handle 30 connecting the support arms 28, 28. In each of the support arms 28, an attachment hole 32 to be attached to the rotation shaft 16 is formed near the pinion gear 26. The attachment hole 32 is formed in a substantially cocoon shape in which two circular holes overlap. Of both support arms 28,
A substantially cylindrical cam follower 6 is provided at the rear end opposite to the mounting hole 32.
6 (guide means) are protruded so as to face inward. The function of the cam follower 66 will be described later.

The handle 30 has arms 36, 36 extending from the side edge 34 of the support arm 28, and a connecting portion 38 connecting the arms 36 to both side walls 18, 18 of the housing 6. . A latch projection 46 is formed inside the connecting portion 38, and engages with an engaging portion 62 protruding outward from the rear of the housing 6 when the lever 4 is attached to the housing 6. The pinion gear 26 is formed integrally with an arc-shaped rib 40 extending from the front end of the inner surface of the support arm 28. A concave portion 42 is formed on the inner surface of the rib 40 near the protrusion 44 of the housing 6 along the arc of the rib 40. The recess 42 is for receiving the projection 44 so as not to hinder the operation of the lever 4, and will be described later in detail.

The rear portion of the housing 6 has an outwardly enlarged shape, and the waterproof member 10 is disposed in the recess 8 formed in the rear portion as described above. The outer wall 50 of the recess 8 is formed with an engagement hole 52 extending in the insertion / extraction direction. The waterproof member 10 has contact insertion holes 48 arranged in a matrix. The waterproof member 10 is pressed from the outside by the cover 12, and the cover 10 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 54 on the outer periphery thereof and the engagement hole 52, so that the housing 6
Fixed to An opening 56 is formed in the cover 12 corresponding to the contact insertion hole 48 of the waterproof member 10.
The contact 14 terminated to the electric wire 58 passes through the opening 56 and the contact insertion hole 48 and the housing 6.
(Hereinafter simply referred to as a cavity) 60 (FIG. 4). Thereby, the electric wire 5
Numeral 8 is sealed by a waterproof member 10 to prevent moisture, water droplets, and the like from entering the cavity 60 from the outside.

The other connector 100 has a housing 106 in which an opening 102 having a size for receiving the fitting portion of the housing 6 is formed on the front side. On the inner surface of the side wall 118, a groove 16 for receiving and guiding the aforementioned ribs 64, 65 is provided.
4, 165 are formed. Also, on the side wall 118,
A rack 126 that meshes with the above-described pinion gear 26 extends from the inner surface to the outer surface of the side wall 118 along the insertion / extraction direction. In the housing 106, a waterproof member 110 similar to the waterproof member 10 is disposed in the opening 102 from the front. A pin-shaped contact 114 is press-fitted into the housing 106 from the rear of the housing 106. On the inner surface of the side wall of the housing 106, a recess 104 for accommodating the arm 36 of the lever 4 is formed. The cam groove 21 near the opening 102
Are formed at the positions corresponding to. This is an important configuration of the present invention, and will be described later in detail.

Next, the connector 2 having the lever 4 will be described with reference to FIG. Mounting hole 32 for lever 4
Is fitted on the rotation shaft 16 of the housing 6, the lever 4 can rotate around the rotation shaft 16. When the lever 4 is mounted, the rotation shaft 16 is located at the end of the mounting hole 32, that is, at the tip of the support arm 28. The tip of the rib 40 is at a position where it does not interfere with the protrusion 44 of the housing 6. In other words, the tip of the lever 4 is held by the rotation shaft 16 and the projection 44. Here, it is important that the cam follower 66 is located in the second cam groove 24. Therefore, the lever 4 is stopped at this position even if a force for pushing down is applied.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the connector 2 in this state is
The connector is inserted into the opening 102 of the connector 100.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, steps from insertion of the connector 2 into the connector 100 to complete fitting will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an initial state in which the connector 2 is inserted into the connector 100, and FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the assembly along a longitudinal direction.
FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the assembly taken along the lateral direction. FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing an initial lever operation for fitting the assembly, and FIG. 4 (a) is a view showing a state in which the lever is pressed in the rotation axis direction. 4) shows a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3), and FIG. 4B shows a transverse sectional view similar to FIG. 3B at that time. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the assembly is completely fitted, at the time when fitting is completed, and FIG.
FIG. 5B shows a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3A, and FIG. 5B shows a transverse sectional view similar to FIG. 3B.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the pinion gear 26 of the lever 4 and the rack 126
Has not yet engaged. Cam follower 66 of lever 4
Is located in the second cam groove 24. Also,
At this time, it is clearly shown that the cam follower 66 is mounted on the cam surface 108 of the housing 106 of the other connector 100. When lever 4 is in this position,
Even if a downward force 68 is applied to the lever 4, the support arm 2
Since one end of 8 is in contact with the cam surface 108, the lever 4 does not rotate. Further, since the tip of the rib 40 of the lever 4 is in contact with the projection 44, the projection 44 exerts a force to move the lever 4 in the direction of the rotation shaft 16, that is, the cam surface 108.
To some extent against the force 70 (FIG. 4) moving along. At this time, the tip 114 of the contact 114
a is near the tip 14a of the contact 14 (FIG. 3).
(B)).

From this position, when a force 70 is applied to the lever 4 so as to get over the protrusion 44 toward the rotation shaft 16,
When one end of the support arm 28 is guided by the cam surface 108 and moves toward the rotation shaft 16, as shown in FIG.
The rotation shaft 16 relatively moves rightward in the mounting hole 32, and the cam follower 66 moves from the second cam groove 24 to the first
It moves toward the cam groove 22 and becomes the meshing position. At this time, since the protrusion 44 is movably accommodated in the concave portion 42 on the inner surface of the rib 40, the rotation of the lever 4 is not hindered. By this operation, the pinion gear 26 meshes with the rack 126, and the cam follower 66 can move along the first cam groove 22. At this time, the tip 114a of the contact 114
Is slightly inserted into the contact 14. In addition, it is not necessary to push the lever 4 exactly in the direction of the rotating shaft 16 and push the lever 4 toward the lower left side in FIG. Since a component force is generated, the lever 4 can be moved in the direction of the rotation shaft 16. When the connector 2 is pushed into the connector 100, the pushing force is converted by the cam surface 108 into a force substantially in the same direction as the force 70, thereby automatically moving the lever 4 toward the rotating shaft 16. Is also good.

When the lever 4 is depressed from this position, the cam follower 66 is guided by the first cam groove 22 and rotates around the rotation shaft 16, thereby causing the pinion gear 26 and the rack 1 to rotate.
26 are sequentially engaged with each other to bring the connector 2 and the connector 100 closer to each other and move relative to each other to the final fitting position shown in FIG. Contact 114 and contact 14
Is relatively moved by a predetermined fitting length, thereby being completely electrically connected. In this embodiment, the connectors 2 and 100 can be completely fitted only by rotating the lever 4 by about 20 °. Therefore, the space required for the rotation of the lever 4 is small.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the assembly that has been completely fitted at this time. At the time of complete fitting, the lever 4 is rotated and latched and fixed to the engaging portion 62 of the housing 6. From FIG. 6, the ribs 64 and 65 are formed by the grooves 164 and 165.
It is clearly shown that it is guided by and smoothly slides.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lever-driven connector assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before two connectors constituting the lever drive type connector assembly shown in FIG. 1 are fitted to each other;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of an initial state in which one connector is inserted into another connector, in which FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view along a longitudinal direction of the connector assembly, and FIG. The cross-sectional views along the lateral direction are respectively shown.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing an initial lever operation for fitting the connector assembly, and FIG. 3 (a) shows a state in which the lever is pressed in the direction of the rotation axis; 3) is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3 (b), and FIG. 3 (b) is a transverse sectional view similar to FIG.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a state where the connector assembly is completely fitted, at the time of completion of the fitting, in which FIG. 5A is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 3A, and FIG. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a completely fitted lever-type connector assembly.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lever drive type connector assembly 2 One connector 4 Lever 14 and 114 Contact 16 Rotation shaft 21 and 66 Guide means 26 Pinion gear 100 The other connector 108 Cam surface 126 Rack

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connector comprising a pair of mating connectors each having a plurality of contacts, one of said connectors having a rotatable lever having a pinion gear, and the other of said connectors having a pinion gear. A lever-driven connector assembly having a rack to be engaged, wherein the connectors are fitted by rotating the lever around a rotation axis of the lever; The pivot shaft so as to be able to take an initial position held at a predetermined angle with respect to the first connector, and an engagement position where the other connector engages with the rack while substantially maintaining the predetermined angle at the initial stage of fitting of the two connectors. Wherein the other connector has a cam surface which engages with the lever to guide the lever from the initial position to the meshing position. Dynamic type connector assembly. 2. The lever-driven connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein said lever and said one connector have cooperating guide means for guiding rotation of said lever.