CN113937556A

CN113937556A - Power assist lever and connector with power assist lever

Info

Publication number: CN113937556A
Application number: CN202111190831.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 沈海潼; 范丽娟; 陈海峻
Original assignee: Yazaki China Investment Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki China Investment Corp
Priority date: 2021-10-13
Filing date: 2021-10-13
Publication date: 2022-01-14

Abstract

The invention provides a power-assisted lever and a connector with the power-assisted lever, wherein the power-assisted lever is used for being installed on a first connector and has a temporary locking position and a final locking position, and the first connector and a second connector which is matched with the first connector are embedded and separated through rotation of the power-assisted lever between the temporary locking position and the final locking position. The assist lever is a flat plate type so that the rotation of the assist lever is a rotation in a two-dimensional plane. The invention can greatly reduce the operation force during the embedding operation and the separating operation between the first connector and the second connector, effectively control the size of the connector, and has simple structure and low cost.

Description

Power assist lever and connector with power assist lever

Technical Field

The invention relates to a power-assisted rod and a connector with the power-assisted rod, and belongs to the field of electromechanics.

Background

Conventionally, electrical conduction between connectors is generally achieved by fitting the connectors and counterpart connectors to each other. When the connector and the counterpart connector are fitted to each other, a certain operation force is required to insert and separate the counterpart connector into and from the connector, and therefore, there is a demand for reducing the operation force in order to facilitate the fitting operation and the separating operation between the connectors. In particular, in the connector for vehicles, the specifications of the connector for vehicles, such as the standards of the united states and the countries (USCAR-25 … …), require detailed operation force for the fitting operation and the corresponding separation operation. Without the booster structure, particularly in the latter half of the fitting operation, the number of contact members gradually increases, and many connectors cannot meet the requirements.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, there are connectors with a booster structure in the market, in which the fitting operation and the separation operation between the connector and the counterpart connector are facilitated by a booster lever, thereby reducing the operation force.

A conventional booster structure has a U-shaped structure including a pair of side plates which straddle the outside of the connector housing and an operating portion which connects the pair of side plates and is also located correspondingly outside the connector housing, and assists the fitting and separation between the connector and the counterpart connector by designing complicated structures on the side plates and corresponding wall portions of the connector housing and by rotating the booster structure.

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the conventional connector with the booster structure, the overall size of the connector is greatly increased, and the booster structure has a long operation stroke and requires a large operation space during the fitting process or the separation process of the connector and the mating connector. Therefore, in the case where the installation space and the operation space are limited, it is likely that such a conventional connector with a booster structure cannot be applied. Moreover, with such a conventional connector having a booster structure, both the booster structure and the corresponding connector structure are complicated, and complicated and costly in terms of molding and mold design.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a booster lever and a connector with a booster lever, which are capable of greatly reducing an operation force at the time of fitting operation and separation operation between a first connector and a mating second connector, while effectively controlling the size of the connector, and which are simple in structure and low in cost.

Specifically, a first aspect of the present invention provides a assist lever for mounting on a first connector and having a temporary locking position and a final locking position, fitting and separation between the first connector and a mating second connector being achieved by rotation of the assist lever between the temporary locking position and the final locking position, wherein the assist lever is flat-plate type so that the rotation of the assist lever is rotation in a two-dimensional plane.

According to the assist lever having the above configuration, since the assist lever is a flat plate type and the rotation of the assist lever is a rotation in a two-dimensional plane, the assist lever itself is small in size, and does not require a large amount of installation space and operating space for rotation, and it is possible to achieve a reduction in size and a low-demand operating space while effectively assisting power. Further, since the assist lever has the temporary lock position and the final lock position, which cannot be rotated, the state of the assist lever can be reliably controlled, and reliability can be improved.

Preferably, the assist lever described in relation to the above first aspect may include: a pivot hole through which a pivot shaft of the first connector can pass so that the assist lever can perform the rotation about the pivot shaft via the pivot hole; a temporary locking protrusion that temporarily locks the assist lever to the first connector when the assist lever is in the temporary locking position, and that suppresses rotation of the assist lever; a gear portion having a plurality of gear teeth disposed around the pivot hole; and a final locking protrusion that, when the assist lever is in the final locking position, finally locks the assist lever to the second connector, inhibiting rotation of the assist lever. The temporary locking protrusion, the gear portion, and the final locking protrusion are disposed on the same side of the assist lever.

According to the assist lever having the above-described structure, by the temporary locking projection, the gear portion, and the final locking projection provided on the same side of the assist lever, it is possible to reliably realize: before the first connector is embedded with the second connector, the power-assisted rod is reliably and temporarily locked and kept on the first connector, and the rotation of the power-assisted rod is restrained, so that the power-assisted rod can be reliably kept at the temporary locking position, and the accuracy and the reliability of the effective stroke of the power-assisted rod are ensured; during the fitting operation or the separating operation of the first connector and the second connector, the rotation of the assist lever can be converted into the movement of the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction or the separating direction by the gear portion, achieving the fitting and the separation between the first connector and the second connector with a reduced rotational operation force with a simple structure; and when the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, the assist lever can be reliably and finally locked to the second connector housing and cannot be rotated, so that the fitting connection state between the first connector and the second connector can be reliably maintained.

Preferably, the assist lever of the first aspect may include: a cantilever-like first elastic arm that is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector, and the temporary locking protrusion is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the first elastic arm so as to protrude from the first elastic arm.

According to the assist lever having the above configuration, since the temporary locking projection is provided in the vicinity of the free end of the cantilever-like first elastic arm, the temporary locking projection can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the temporary locking position by the elastic deformation of the first elastic arm.

Preferably, in the assist lever of the first aspect, the first elastic arm may be further provided with a release protrusion that protrudes from the first elastic arm at a position separated from the temporary locking protrusion, and a protruding direction of the release protrusion is the same as a protruding direction of the temporary locking protrusion.

According to the assist lever having the above-described configuration, the temporary lock can be unlocked efficiently by the release protrusion protruding from the first elastic arm on the same side at the position separated from the temporary lock protrusion. For example, only by the counterpart abutting against the release projection, the first elastic arm where the release projection is located can be elastically deformed upward, so that the temporary locking projection is also displaced upward accordingly, thereby releasing the temporary locking.

In the above assist lever, preferably, the assist lever may have a notch portion provided in a periphery of the first elastic arm, and the first elastic arm may be elastically deformable through the notch portion.

According to the assist lever having the above-described structure, the first elastic arm can be elastically deformed more easily, thereby facilitating the temporary locking of the temporary locking protrusion provided on the first elastic arm and the unlocking of the temporary locking accordingly.

Preferably, in the above power assist lever, it may further include: a cantilever-like second elastic arm that is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, and the final locking projection is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the second elastic arm in a manner projecting from the second elastic arm. The final locking projection may have a sloped guide surface.

According to the assist lever having the above-described configuration, since the final lock projection is provided in the vicinity of the free end of the cantilever-like second elastic arm, the final lock projection can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the final lock position by the elastic deformation of the second elastic arm.

Preferably, in the above power assist lever, it may further include: an unlocking operation portion cantilevered from a base of the second elastic arm in a direction opposite the second elastic arm, and the unlocking operation portion is swingable about the base and brings the second elastic arm to swing about the base in a direction opposite the unlocking operation portion.

According to the assist lever having the above-described structure, the second resilient arm and the unlock operation portion can be formed in the form of a seesaw. For example, when maintenance or the like is required and it is necessary to separate the first connector and the second connector that have been mated, the unlocking of the final lock of the assist lever can be achieved simply by pressing the unlocking operation portion of the assist lever without using an additional jig, and the separation operation of the first connector and the second connector can be easily performed.

Preferably, in the above power assist lever, the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion are integrally formed, a concave portion is formed on an upper surface of a main body of the power assist lever, and the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion are integrally formed with the main body of the power assist lever in the concave portion, so that the unlocking operation portion is accommodated in the concave portion with a gap from a bottom surface of the concave portion, and the second elastic arm protrudes outward from the main body of the power assist lever.

According to the assist lever having the above structure, both the second resilient arm and the unlock operation portion are formed as an integrally molded piece, and are integrally molded with the main body of the assist lever in the concave portion recessed on the upper surface of the main body of the assist lever. Therefore, for example, a recess for mounting a CPA (connector position assurance) mechanism can be used in combination with the provision of the above-described integrally molded component, which can contribute to space saving and miniaturization. Further, since the integral molding of the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion is in the concave portion, and is located at a position having a gap with both the upper surface and the lower surface of the main body of the assist lever as a whole, that is, at a position in the middle of the concave portion in the depth direction, particularly with respect to the unlocking operation portion in the concave portion, it is difficult for the peripheral members to touch, and it is possible to suppress accidental unlocking due to accidental touching of the unlocking operation portion by the peripheral members or the like.

Preferably, the above assist lever further includes a connector position assurance mechanism movably mounted and locked in the recess so as to switch between an initial position and a final position, the connector position assurance mechanism not interfering with the unlocking operation portion when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the initial position, and the connector position assurance mechanism covering the unlocking operation portion from above when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the final position.

According to the power-assisted lever with the structure, when the connector position assurance mechanism is in the initial position, the work of any part of the power-assisted lever is not influenced, and when the connector position assurance mechanism is in the final position, the unlocking operation part cannot be pressed down due to being covered, so that the unlocking operation part can be further prevented from being accidentally pressed down to unlock by using the connector position assurance mechanism, and the reliability is further improved.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a connector with a booster lever, including: a first connector; a second connector; and the assist lever according to the first aspect. The first connector may be provided with a temporarily locked portion to which the temporarily locking projection of the assist lever is locked in the temporarily locked position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining the temporarily locked state of the assist lever. The second connector may be provided with a final locked portion to which a final locking protrusion of the assist lever is locked in the final locking position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining a final locked state of the assist lever.

According to the connector having the above-described structure, since it uses the assist lever of the first aspect, it is possible to achieve various corresponding technical effects of the above-mentioned assist lever, and it is also possible to miniaturize the entire connector while effectively assisting power. Moreover, since the assist lever of the first aspect is used, the first connector and the second connector only need to be designed with a structure corresponding to the assist lever on the side where the assist lever is engaged, which is also simple in terms of molding of the first connector and the second connector and in terms of design of a mold, enabling cost control.

Preferably, in the connector of the second aspect, the temporarily locked portion includes a projection portion and a catch portion that are adjacently provided, and in the temporarily locked position, the temporarily locking projection is in the catch portion and is engaged with the projection portion.

According to the connector having the above configuration, when the assist lever is attached to the first connector, the provisional-locking projection is engaged with the projection portion in the engaging groove portion, and the assist lever is engaged with the projection portion, so that the connector cannot be rotated in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions, the provisional-locked state of the assist lever on the first connector is reliably maintained, and the erroneous operation is effectively prevented. The assist lever can be attached and locked to the first connector with high reliability by the engagement between the temporary locking projection and the temporary locked portion before the second connector is fitted to the first connector, and cannot be rotated after the attachment and locking to the first connector unless the temporary locked portion is broken with a large force, so that the assist lever is not accidentally unlocked from the first connector due to an erroneous operation or the like. In contrast, in the conventional connector with the assist lever, there is a possibility that the assist lever is rotated before the connector is fitted, which may cause poor fitting.

Preferably, in the connector of the second aspect, a rack portion including a plurality of rack teeth arranged side by side in the fitting direction is provided on the connector housing of the second connector, and the plurality of rack teeth of the rack portion are capable of meshing with the plurality of gear teeth of the gear portion.

According to the connector having the above-described configuration, the engagement between the gear teeth and the rack teeth is simply utilized to convert the rotation of the assist lever into the linear movement between the first connector and the second connector with a reduced operation force, thereby achieving the fitting and separation between the first connector and the second connector. Meanwhile, the arrangement of the gear teeth and the rack teeth can improve the strength of the booster rod and the first connector in addition to the transmission mechanism, and obviously the strength and reliability are higher compared with the transmission structure realized by the cam boss and the cam groove.

Preferably, in the connector of the second aspect, the second connector may be provided with a temporary lock releasing portion capable of releasing the temporary locked state of the assist lever so that the assist lever can rotate from the temporary locked position toward the final locked position, and the temporary lock releasing portion is the rack portion.

According to the connector having the above-described configuration, the temporary lock releasing portion for releasing the temporary lock state of the assist lever on the first connector is configured by the rack portion, and it is not necessary to separately provide another member to achieve the function, and the structure can be simplified. In addition, the unlocking of the temporary locking can be achieved while the second connector is moved toward the first connector, without additional other operations.

The present invention has been described briefly above. Further, details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the embodiments (hereinafter, referred to as "examples") for carrying out the present invention described below with reference to the drawings.

Drawings

The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the invention and are not to be construed as unduly limiting the invention. Wherein:

fig. 1 is a view of a assist lever according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a (hereinafter also referred to as fig. 1A) is a perspective view seen from the front, and in which B (hereinafter also referred to as fig. 1B) is a perspective view seen from the back;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a perspective view of the assist lever according to the embodiment of the present invention mounted to the first connector and in a temporary locking state;

fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the second connector according to the embodiment of the present invention starts the fitting to the first connector shown in fig. 4, in which the temporary locking state of the assist lever is released and the assist lever can rotate;

fig. 6A is a perspective view of the assist lever according to the embodiment of the present invention rotated from the state shown in fig. 5 to the final lock position and the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, in which the CPA is in the initial state;

fig. 6B is a perspective view in which the assist lever is rotated from the state shown in fig. 5 to the final lock position and the fitting of the first connector with the second connector is completed, wherein the CPA is moved and locked from the initial state of fig. 6A to the final state, according to the embodiment of the present invention;

figure 7 is a perspective view of a CPA according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8A-C are schematic views showing a process of mounting the assist lever according to the embodiment of the invention to the first connector, wherein fig. 8A is a plan view of an initial state of mounting the assist lever to the first connector, fig. 8B is a plan view after rotating the assist lever at an angle in the arrow direction from fig. 8A, and wherein a left plan view shows a front face of the assist lever and a right plan view shows a portion of the assist lever cut away so that a rear face of the assist lever can be seen, fig. 8C is a plan view of further rotating the assist lever in the arrow direction from fig. 8B so that the assist lever is at a temporary locking position of temporarily locking the first connector;

fig. 9A-C are schematic views showing a process of mounting a second connector to the first connector shown in fig. 8C, wherein fig. 9A is a plan view of a state before mounting the second connector to the first connector, fig. 9B is a plan view when the second connector is initially inserted into the first connector, and wherein a left plan view shows a front face of the assist lever and a right plan view shows a portion of the assist lever cut away so that a rear face of the assist lever can be seen, fig. 9C is a plan view of rotating the assist lever in an arrow direction from fig. 9B so that the second connector is completely fitted with the first connector and the assist lever is at a final locking position at which the assist lever is finally locked to the second connector;

fig. 10A-C are schematic views showing a process of separating the second connector from the first connector, wherein fig. 10A is a plan view of a state where the first connector is completely fitted with the second connector, fig. 10B is a plan view of a state where the assist lever is rotated in an arrow direction from fig. 10A to a temporary locking position, and wherein a left plan view shows a front face of the assist lever and a right plan view shows a portion of the assist lever is cut away so that a rear face of the assist lever can be seen, and fig. 10C is a plan view of the second connector separated from the first connector;

fig. 11 is a view showing the suitability of the rotation angle of the assist lever, the index circumference of the gear portion of the assist lever, and the relative displacement when the first connector and the second connector are fitted;

fig. 12 is a view showing an operation force of a fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector without the assist structure, an

Fig. 13 is a view showing an operation force of a fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector in the case of the embodiment of the present invention.

List of reference numerals

1 power-assisted rod

10 pivot hole

100 locking recess

11 first elastic arm

110 cut-out part

111 temporary locking projection

112 release protrusion

12 second elastic arm

120 base

121 final locking projection

13 recess

14 insertion opening

15 unlocking operation part

16 gear part

160 gear teeth

17 grip part

2 first connector

20 pivot

21 limit lug

22 projection part

23 inclined plane

24 card slot part

25 side wall

26 cutting groove

28 fitting cover

3 second connector

30 are finally locked to the projection

31 Rack portion (temporary lock release portion)

310 Rack tooth

32 tab portion

36 vertical wall

38 cover to be fitted

40CPA (connector position assurance mechanism)

41 guide part

42 locking pawl

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the technical aspects of the present invention will be more clearly explained by describing the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be noted that the drawings of the present invention are only schematic views simply illustrated for clearly illustrating the portions related to the scheme of the present invention, and do not illustrate some unnecessary portions that may exist, so that the drawings should not be construed as limiting the present invention, which may be different from the actual structure when in use. In addition, it should also be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," and the like in the following description, which may refer to orientations or positions, are for convenience of description and are not limiting. In this embodiment, the direction in which the first connector and the second connector are fitted is referred to as a fitting direction, the front end of each of the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction is referred to as a front or front portion, the rear end opposite to the front or front portion is referred to as a rear or rear portion, the vertical direction of fig. 2, which is a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction, is referred to as a vertical direction, and the direction orthogonal to both the fitting direction and the vertical direction is referred to as a width direction. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted in the following description for clarity and conciseness.

Fig. 1 shows a power assist lever 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 1A and 1B are perspective views of the power assist lever 1 when viewed from the front side and the back side, respectively. Fig. 2 shows a first connector 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a booster lever 1 is mounted on the first connector 2. Fig. 3 shows a second connector 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the second connector 3 being capable of being fitted to the first connector 2 so as to be electrically conductive with the first connector 2, and being capable of being separated from the first connector 2. In the present embodiment, the first connector 2 is exemplified by a female connector, and the second connector 3 is exemplified by a male connector.

As shown in fig. 1, a booster rod 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is made of, for example, an insulating resin, is in the form of a flat plate as a whole, and is rotatable within a two-dimensional plane in which the flat plate is located. In addition, the length of the assist lever 1 may preferably be controlled within a range substantially in the plane of the first connector, or slightly beyond this range, so that the size of the assist lever can be further reduced and the operation space can be reduced, but this is not limitative, and the length of the assist lever may be designed as desired.

The assist lever 1 is rotatable between a temporary locking position (see fig. 4) and a final locking position (see fig. 6). When the first connector 2 is fitted to and removed from the second connector 3, the fitting operation and the removal operation are assisted by the rotation of the assist lever 1. That is, the connector of the embodiment of the present invention is an LIF (low insertion force) connector which completes fitting and separation between the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 with a low insertion force by the operation of the assist lever 1.

The first connector 2 and the second connector 3 are made of, for example, insulating synthetic resin, and as shown in fig. 9, the front portion of the first connector 2 is fitted to the front portion of the second connector 3. The first connector 2 and the second connector 3 may respectively have a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers which are formed along the fitting direction of the first connector 2 and the second connector 3, and in each of which a first terminal and a second terminal (not shown) connected to an electric wire (not shown) are respectively accommodated. By fitting the first connector 2 to the second connector 3, the first terminals accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers of the first connector 2 are electrically connected to the second terminals accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers of the second connector 3.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, the front end of the connector housing of the first connector 2 has a cylindrical fitting cover 28, and the front end of the connector housing of the second connector 3 has a cylindrical fitted cover 38. The fitted hood 38 of the second connector 3 can be inserted into the fitting hood 28 of the first connector 2, thereby fitting the second connector 2 with the second connector 3. In the present embodiment, the cutout groove 26 extending along the fitting direction is formed on the upper surface of the fitting cover 28 of the first connector 2, the upright wall 36 extending upward along the fitting direction is formed on the upper surface of the fitted cover 38 of the second connector 3, and the upright wall 36 of the second connector 3 enters the cutout groove 26 of the first connector 2 during fitting of the first connector 2 with the second connector 3.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper surface of the fitting hood 28 of the first connector 2 may be formed with three planes different in height: the first plane as a principal plane, a second plane disposed on a side of the first plane and higher than the height of the first plane, and a third plane disposed on a side of the second plane and higher than the height of the second plane. The cutout 26 is formed on a first plane as a principal plane of the first connector 2. At an edge portion of the second plane close to the first plane, an upwardly standing side wall 26 is formed. The front end portion of the side wall 26 extends in a direction intersecting the fitting direction so as to be closer to the front and closer to the third surface, and the remaining portion of the side wall 26 extends in the fitting direction. At an edge portion of the second plane adjacent to the third plane, a protrusion 22 protruding upward is formed. The projection height of the projection 22 may be designed such that the upper surface of the projection 22 is connected to and flush with the third plane, and the projection 22 is opposed to a portion of the side wall 26. The second surface, the portion between the side wall 26 and the protrusion 22, constitutes a catch portion 24. The protrusion portion 22 and the notch portion 24 together constitute a "temporarily locked portion". The protrusion 22 may be provided with an inclined surface 23.

As shown in fig. 3, the upright wall 36 on the upper surface of the fitted cover 38 of the second connector 3 is provided at the upper end with the rack portion 31 and the tab portion 32. The rack portion 31 is formed at the front end of the standing wall 36 and projects to one side in the width direction, and the tab portion 32 is formed at the rear end of the standing wall 36 and projects to the same side in the width direction. On the upper surface of the tab portion 32, a final locked projection 30 is formed which projects upward. The rack portion 31 has a plurality of rack teeth 32 arranged side by side in the fitting direction. The rack teeth 32 can mesh with the gear teeth 160 to serve as a transmission mechanism. The final locked protrusion 30 may have an inclined surface so as to be able to guide the movement of the final locked protrusion 121 of the assist lever 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the pivot shaft 20 projects from the upper surface of the first plane of the fitting hood 28 of the connector housing of the first connector 2. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 1, the assist lever 1 has a pivot hole 10 and the pivot shaft 20 of the first connector 2 can be inserted through the pivot hole 10. As a result, assist lever 1 can rotate about pivot shaft 20 inserted into pivot hole 10. A locking recess 100 is formed around the pivot hole 10 to be recessed inward from the outer surface of the assist lever 1. At the tip of the pivot shaft 20, a stopper projection 21 extending toward the rear of the first connector 2 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the pivot shaft 20 is formed.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in assist lever 1, pivot hole 10 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the tip of pivot shaft 20 having stopper projection 21, and stopper projection 21 can be inserted through pivot hole 10 only when assist lever 1 is disposed at a position other than the temporary locking position and the final locking position and stopper projection 21 is aligned with the shape of pivot hole 10. When stopper projection 21 is in the range corresponding to locking recess 100 formed in assist lever 1, stopper projection 21 inserted into pivot hole 10 does not communicate with pivot hole 10, but is located on the bottom surface of said locking recess 100 to lock to the locking recess, thus preventing assist lever 1 from falling out.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the assist lever 1 has a first elastic arm 11 formed at one end thereof, and the first elastic arm 11 has a notch 110 at a periphery thereof, so that the first elastic arm 11 is in a cantilever shape that is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, in the vicinity of the free end of the lower surface of the cantilever-like first elastic arm 11, a temporary locking projection 111 is formed to project downward. In this embodiment, the temporary locking protrusion 111 may be an elongated shape as illustrated, but is not limited thereto. At a position slightly closer to the base end than the center of the first elastic arm 11, a release protrusion 112 is formed. In this embodiment, the release protrusion 112 is provided in the form of a bump as illustrated, but this is not limitative. When assist lever 1 is in the temporary locking position on first connector 2, release projection 112 is located just within the range of notch 26 of first connector 2. The assist lever 1 has a temporary locking projection 111 for temporarily locking the assist lever 1 at the temporary locking position in the card slot portion 24 of the first connector 2, and has a final locking projection 121 for finally locking the assist lever 1 at the final locking position on the final locked projection 30 of the second connector 3. The protrusion height of the temporary locking protrusion 111 may be substantially equal to that of the protrusion 22, and the protrusion height of the final locking protrusion 121 may be substantially equal to that of the final locked protrusion 30, but this is not limitative as long as effective engagement can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 1B, the assist lever 1 is provided with a gear portion 16. The gear portion 16 has a plurality of gear teeth 160 disposed about the pivot hole 10. The gear portion 16 is disposed on the same side as the temporary locking protrusion 111 and the releasing protrusion 112 of the first elastic arm 11, i.e., both located below the first elastic arm 11, and the gear portion 16 is located near the base of the first elastic arm 11. The upper surface of the gear teeth 160 may or may not contact the first elastic arm 11 or the lower surface of the plate on which the first elastic arm 11 is located, but is not coupled to the lower surface, so as not to affect the upward elastic deformation of the first elastic arm 11. The gear portion 16 has a certain thickness, and preferably, when attached to the first connector 2, the entire assist lever 1 is horizontal without being skewed and is freely rotatable above the upper surface of the fitting cover 28 of the first connector 2. In the present embodiment, at the beginning of fitting of the second connector 3 into the first connector 2, which will be described later, the rack portion 31 formed in the second connector 3 for meshing with the gear teeth 160 can contact the release projection 112 from below.

As shown in fig. 1, the assist lever 1 has a second elastic arm 12 in addition to the first elastic arm 11. The second elastic arm 12 is suspended from the main body of the assist lever 1 to the outside, and is also elastically deformable up and down. In the present embodiment, the extending direction of the first elastic arm 11 and the extending direction of the second elastic arm 12 are, for example, perpendicular to each other, but this is not restrictive, and may be adjusted according to the specific situation, as long as it can be realized that the final locking protrusion on the second elastic arm 12 can be locked when the assist lever 1 is rotated to the final locking position. At the base portion 120 of the second elastic arm 12 opposite to the free end, the unlocking operation portion 15 is cantilevered from this base portion 120 in the direction opposite to the second elastic arm 12, in other words, in the present embodiment, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 are formed integrally, and the base portion 120 is provided intermediate this second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15, the unlocking operation portion 15 being able to swing about this base portion and bring the second elastic arm 12 to swing about this base portion in the direction opposite to the unlocking operation portion 15.

As shown in fig. 1, a concave recess 13 may be formed on the upper surface of the main body of assist lever 1, and this recess 13 may extend from one side surface to the other side surface of the main body of assist lever, and preferably, guide groove portions may be provided on the opposite vertical surfaces of recess 13, so that guide portions 41 of CPA member 40 (see fig. 4 to 7) may be slidably mounted to this assist lever 1 via the guide groove portions.

As shown in fig. 1, 4, 5, 6, etc., in the embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlock operating portion 15 may be formed as an integrally molded piece and integrated with the main body of the assist lever 1 in the recess 13. Specifically, the base portion 120 between the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 may protrude to both sides to and be connected to an upright surface of the concave portion 13, so that the unlocking operation portion 15 is accommodated in the concave portion 13 with a gap from a bottom surface of the concave portion 13, and the second elastic arm 12 protrudes from the concave portion 13 to an outside of the main body of the assist lever. Therefore, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 can be formed in a seesaw shape and can swing with reference to the base portion 120.

In addition, as shown in fig. 1, in order to facilitate the rotation operation of the assist lever 1, a grip portion 17 that is easily gripped by the operator may be provided at the tip of the assist lever 1. The shape of the grip portion 17 is not limited as long as it can be easily gripped. In addition, in order to reduce the rotational operation force, the grip portion 17 may be provided at a position where a long moment can be obtained, but this is not restrictive.

CPA40 may also be provided according to embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the CPA40 is provided with a protruding guide portion 41 on both sides for guiding the installation of the CPA40 to the assist lever 1. In addition, the CPA40 is provided with a locking pawl 42 extending in the installation direction of the CPA40, and a tip of the locking pawl 42 is provided with a catch. The locking pawl of the CPA40 is engageable with two corresponding engagement portions provided on both side surfaces of the recess 13 of the assist lever 1, so that the CPA40 can move between an initial position (see fig. 6A) and a final position (see fig. 6B) and be locked to the assist lever 1 at both the initial position and the final position. As shown in fig. 6A, when the CPA40 is at the initial position, the CPA40 does not interfere with the unlocking operation portion 15 of the second elastic arm 12, and the unlocking operation portion 15 can be depressed or raised. As shown in fig. 6B, when the CPA40 is moved to the final position, the CPA40 covers the unlocking operation portion 15 of the second elastic arm 12 from above, so that the unlocking operation portion 15 cannot be pressed down.

Having generally described the configurations of the assist lever 1, the first connector 2, and the second connector 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the fitting operation and the separating operation of the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 by the assist lever 1 will be described below with reference to fig. 4 to 6 and 7 to 9.

Fig. 8 a-C are schematic views showing a process of mounting the assist lever 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention to the first connector 2, fig. 9 a-C are schematic views showing a process of mounting the second connector 3 to the first connector 2 shown in fig. 8C, and fig. 10 a-C are schematic views showing a process of separating the second connector 3 from the first connector 2.

< procedure for mounting power assist lever 1 to first connector 2 >

As shown in fig. 8A, first, CPA40 is mounted on assist lever 1 in advance and CPA40 is brought to the initial position of fig. 6A, pivot hole 10 of assist lever 1 is aligned with limit projection 21 of pivot shaft 20 of first connector 2 so that limit projection 21 of pivot shaft 20 can pass through pivot hole 10, and then assist lever 1 is rotated in the arrow direction (clockwise direction) of fig. 8A while holding grip portion 17. Then, the stopper projection 21 of the pivot shaft 20 moves into the range of the locking recess 100, and the outward movement of the assist lever 1 is stopped by the stopper projection 21, suppressing the assist lever 1 from being disengaged outward from the pivot shaft 20 of the first connector 2.

As assist lever 1 rotates, temporary locking projection 111 of assist lever 1 is rotated to inclined surface 23 of projection 22 of first connector 2 as shown in fig. 8B. At this time, when the assist lever 1 continues to be rotated, the temporary locking protrusion 111 of the assist lever 1 moves onto the inclined surface 23 of the protrusion 22 of the first connector 2, and moves along the inclined surface 23 up to the tip end of the protrusion 22 as the assist lever 1 continues to be rotated. Thereby, the temporary locking projection 111 is gradually lifted by the inclined surface 23 of the projection 22, and the first elastic arm 11 of the assist lever 1 is elastically deformed outward. In the present embodiment, since the inclined surface 23 is provided, it is possible to easily receive the temporary locking protrusion 111 and guide the temporary locking protrusion 111 to easily move to the tip of the protrusion 22 without requiring an excessive force.

As the rotation of assist lever 1 continues, as shown in fig. 8C, temporary locking protrusion 111 of assist lever 1 goes over protrusion 22 of first connector 2 and drops into catch portion 24, and then first elastic portion 111 of assist lever 1 is elastically restored. At this time, the temporary locking projection 111 is locked between the projection 22 and the side wall 25 in the engaging groove 23, and the assist lever 1 is not rotated any further and is in the temporary locking position. Fig. 4 shows a state where assist lever 1 is mounted and temporarily locked on first connector 2, i.e., a state where assist lever 1 is in the temporary locking position.

With such assist lever 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to temporarily lock assist lever 1 on first connector 2 very easily and reliably, and movement of assist lever 1 in both the rotational direction and the outward removal direction is suppressed. Further, when the assist lever 1 is mounted on the first connector 2, the gear portion 16 is on the first plane of the upper surface of the fitting cover of the first connector 2, the temporary locking projection of the first elastic arm is on the second plane and the lower surface of the first elastic arm is at a position higher than the third plane, and therefore, although there is a difference in height between the gear portion and the first elastic arm or between the flat plates on which the first elastic arm is located, such a difference in height is absorbed by the first to third planes having different heights, so that the assist lever 1 can maintain a neutral posture. Further, CPA40 may be attached to assist lever 1 at the beginning, or may be attached to assist lever 1 after or during the time when assist lever 1 has been attached to first connector 2.

< fitting Process of first connector 2 and second connector 3 >

After the assist lever 1 has been provisionally locked to the first connector 2, the fitting operation of the second connector 3 to the first connector 2 is performed.

As shown in fig. 9A, the fitted hood 38 of the connector housing of the second connector 3 is aligned with the fitting hood 28 of the connector housing of the first connector 2, and the second connector 3 is moved toward the first connector 2, i.e., in the arrow direction in the drawing, i.e., the fitting direction.

As the second connector 3 moves, as shown in fig. 9B, the fitted hood 38 of the second connector 3 comes into contact with the fitting hood 28 of the first connector 2, so that the fitted hood 28 of the second connector 3 starts to be inserted into the fitting hood 28 of the first connector 2 and the upright wall 36 of the second connector 3 starts to enter the notch 26 of the first connector 2 until the rack portion 31 of the front end of the upright wall 36 of the second connector 3 comes into contact with the release projection 112 of the first elastic arm 11 of the assist lever 1 from below. At this time, the rack portion 31 pushes up the release projection 112 due to the contact between the rack portion 31 and the release projection 112, and the first elastic arm 11 where the release projection 112 is located is elastically deformed upward, whereby the temporary locking projection 111 is disengaged from the detent portion 24, the temporary locking between the temporary locking projection 111 and the detent portion 24 is released, and the assist lever 1 is rotated. At this time, the gear teeth 160 of the gear portion 16 and the rack teeth 310 of the rack portion 31 are in an initial meshing state.

Then, the assist lever 1 is rotated counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow in fig. 9B, so that the gear teeth of the gear portion of the assist lever 1 are gradually engaged with the rack teeth of the rack portion of the second connector 3, and the rotational motion of the assist lever 1 is converted into the linear motion of the second connector 3 in the fitting direction.

As assist lever 1 rotates, as shown in fig. 9C, final locking projection 121 on second elastic arm 12 of assist lever 1 passes final locked projection 30 of second connector 3 and then elastically recovers, at which time second connector 3 moves to the complete fitting position where electrical connection with first connector 2 is completed, and final locking projection 121 engages with locked projection 30, and rotation in the unlocking direction of assist lever 1 (the reverse direction of the arrow direction in fig. 9B, the clockwise direction) is suppressed and held in the final locking position.

Thereby, the fitting operation of the second connector 3 and the first connector 2 is completed.

Thereafter, the CPA40 can be pushed forward by manually dialing it, so that the CPA is converted from the initial position shown in fig. 6A to the final position shown in fig. 6B, and the CPA40 covers the unlocking operation part 15 from above, so that the unlocking operation part 15 cannot be pressed, thereby preventing the unlocking operation part 15 from being unlocked by being accidentally pressed, and further ensuring the reliability of the fitting of the first connector and the second connector.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, when the fitting operation of the second connector and the first connector is performed, the temporary locking state of the assist lever can be easily released to be changed from the non-rotatable state to the rotatable state, and then, the rotational motion is converted into the linear motion in the fitting direction between the first connector and the second connector by simply rotating the assist lever, and the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is realized with a small operation force. The rack portion of the second connector can also serve as a temporary locking release portion for releasing the temporary locking of the temporary locking projection, so that the temporary locking can be released in the process of moving the second connector to the first connector without additionally performing an operation for releasing the temporary locking, which not only simplifies the operation, but also makes the entire fitting operation smoother.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the flat-plate-shaped assist lever 1 is used, the size thereof is very small, and the rotational movement of the assist lever is performed in a two-dimensional plane, the required operation space is small, so that the connector can be miniaturized as a whole and the requirement for the operation space can be reduced while the fitting operation is effectively completed. In addition, the embodiment adopts the cooperation of the gear and the rack to convert the rotary motion of the operating rod into the relative linear motion of the first connector and the second connector, the conversion efficiency is high, the reliability is good, and the tooth part is also beneficial to improving the overall strength.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the CPA is provided in particular, the fitting state of the first connector and the second connector can be further reliably maintained.

< procedure for separating the second connector 3 from the first connector 2 >

When it is desired to separate the second connector from the first connector for maintenance or the like, the separation operation can be easily performed without causing damage to the respective members by the mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the operator dials CPA40 to push and lock CPA40 from the final position of fig. 6B to the initial position of fig. 6A, then, as shown in fig. 10A, the operator presses down unlocking operation portion 15 of assist lever 1 to lift second elastic arm 12 on the opposite side of unlocking operation portion 15 upward, final locking projection 121 provided on second elastic arm 12 is moved up to a position not interfering with final locked projection 30, the engagement between final locking projection 121 and final locked projection 30 is released, and assist lever 1 becomes rotatable in the unlocking direction (the direction opposite to the rotational direction of assist lever 1 at the time of the fitting operation, the clockwise direction shown by the arrow of fig. 10A).

As the assist lever 1 is rotated in the unlocking direction, the second connector 3 and the first connector 2 move in the separating direction by the gear teeth and the rack teeth as shown in fig. 10B, and the second connector 3 can be detached from the first connector 2 as shown in fig. 10C.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the assist lever 1 can be unlocked from the final lock position by simply pressing the unlock operation portion, and the operation is very convenient.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, the CPA is arranged, and the unlocking operation part can be in a state of being capable of being pressed by dialing the CPA to the initial position. However, the CPA is not limitative, and may not be provided, and in this case, the upper surface of the unlocking operation portion of the assist lever may be at a position not exceeding, more preferably lower than, the upper surface of the recess 13 that accommodates the unlocking operation portion; therefore, the unlocking operation portion can be made less likely to be touched by the peripheral member to some extent, and accidental unlocking due to accidental touching of the unlocking operation portion by the peripheral member or the like can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the gear teeth are engaged with the rack teeth by rotating the assist lever, and the rotational motion of the assist lever is converted into the linear movement in the fitting direction between the first connector and the second connector. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, α/360 × C is satisfied with respect to three of the rotation angle α of the assist lever, the index circumference C of the gear portion of the assist lever, and the relative displacement L when the first connector and the second connector are fitted to each other, which are shown in fig. 11. Therefore, the three rotation angle α of the assist lever, the index circumference C of the gear portion of the assist lever, and the relative displacement L when the first connector and the second connector are fitted together can be appropriately arranged according to the design requirements, that is, the three adaptability can be improved.

Fig. 12 shows an operation force F of the fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector without the assist structure, and fig. 13 is an operation force F ″ showing the fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector in the case of the embodiment of the present invention.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, the ratio of the operating force F in the case of the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 13 to the operating force F ″ in the case of the no-assist structure shown in fig. 12 is equal to the inverse ratio of the distance L from the force receiving point of the assist lever to the center of the pivot shaft to the reference circle radius R of the gear portion, i.e., F/F ″, which is R/L.

As can be seen, according to the connector of the embodiment of the present invention, since the assist lever is provided, the operation force at the time of the connector fitting operation can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the assist mechanism is not provided. In addition, depending on the circumstances, the distance L from the force receiving point of the assist lever to the center of the pivot shaft and the reference circle radius R of the gear portion may be set appropriately so as to obtain a desired degree of reduction of the operating force.

In the above, a booster lever and a connector with a booster lever according to an embodiment of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, which enable the operation force at the time of the fitting operation and the separation operation between a first connector and a mating second connector to be greatly reduced while enabling the size of the connector to be effectively controlled, and which are simple in structure and low in cost.

The assist lever is a flat plate type and the rotation of the assist lever is rotation in a two-dimensional plane, so that the assist lever itself is small in size, does not require a large amount of installation space and operating space for rotation, and can achieve a reduction in size and a low-demand operating space while effectively assisting power. Further, since the assist lever has the temporary lock position and the final lock position, which cannot be rotated, the state of the assist lever can be reliably controlled, and reliability can be improved.

By providing the temporary locking projection, the gear portion, and the final locking projection on the same side of the assist lever, it is possible to reliably realize: before the first connector is embedded with the second connector, the power-assisted rod is reliably and temporarily locked and kept on the first connector, and the rotation of the power-assisted rod is restrained, so that the power-assisted rod can be reliably kept at the temporary locking position, and the accuracy and the reliability of the effective stroke of the power-assisted rod are ensured; during the fitting operation or the separating operation of the first connector and the second connector, the rotation of the assist lever can be converted into the movement of the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction or the separating direction by the gear portion, achieving the fitting and the separation between the first connector and the second connector with a reduced rotational operation force with a simple structure; and when the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, the assist lever can be reliably and finally locked to the second connector housing and cannot be rotated, so that the fitting connection state between the first connector and the second connector can be reliably maintained.

The temporary locking projection of the assist lever is provided in the vicinity of the free end of the first elastic arm in a cantilever shape, and therefore, the temporary locking projection can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the temporary locking position by elastic deformation of the first elastic arm.

The assist lever can efficiently achieve the unlocking of the temporary locking by using the releasing projection projecting from the first elastic arm on the same side at a position separated from the temporary locking projection. For example, only by the corresponding member such as the rack portion abutting against the release projection, the first elastic arm where the release projection is located can be elastically deformed upward, so that the temporary locking projection is also displaced upward accordingly, thereby releasing the temporary locking.

The first elastic arm of the assist lever may be provided with a notch portion around it so that elastic deformation can be more easily achieved, thereby facilitating temporary locking and unlocking of the temporary locking protrusion provided on the first elastic arm, respectively.

The final locking projection of the assist lever is provided in the vicinity of the free end of the cantilever-like second elastic arm, and therefore, the final locking projection can be more easily locked at or unlocked from the final locking position by elastic deformation of the second elastic arm.

The assist lever is provided with an unlocking operation portion, and the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion can be formed in the form of a seesaw. For example, when maintenance or the like is required and it is necessary to separate the first connector and the second connector that have been mated, the unlocking of the final lock of the assist lever can be achieved simply by pressing the unlocking operation portion of the assist lever without using an additional jig, and the separation operation of the first connector and the second connector can be easily performed.

Both the second elastic arm and the unlock operation portion of the assist lever may be formed as an integral molding and integrated with the main body of the assist lever in a concave portion recessed on the upper surface of the main body of the assist lever. Therefore, for example, the recess for mounting the CPA (connector position assurance) mechanism can be used in combination with the above-described integrally molded component, and space saving and downsizing can be facilitated. Further, since the integral molding of the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion is in the concave portion, and is located at a position having a gap with both the upper surface and the lower surface of the main body of the assist lever as a whole, that is, at a position in the middle of the concave portion in the depth direction, particularly with respect to the unlocking operation portion in the concave portion, it is difficult for the peripheral members to touch, and it is possible to suppress accidental unlocking due to accidental touching of the unlocking operation portion by the peripheral members or the like. In order to further prevent the unlocking operation part from being accidentally unlocked and thus to further enhance the reliability, the assist lever further includes a connector position assurance mechanism movably mounted and locked in the recess so as to switch between an initial position and a final position, so that when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the initial position, the connector position assurance mechanism does not interfere with the unlocking operation part so as not to affect the operation of each part of the assist lever, and when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the final position, the connector position assurance mechanism covers the unlocking operation part from above so that the unlocking operation part cannot be pressed and therefore cannot be unlocked.

The above-described embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can occur, depending on design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the notch portion 110 is provided around the first elastic arm 11 so that the first elastic arm 11 is easily elastically deformed up and down, but this is not limitative. For example, the notch 110 is not essential, and the notch may not be provided. In the case where the notch portion is not provided, the first elastic arm may be elastically deformed up and down by its own flexibility. For example, the first elastic arm may be a thin flat plate, which may be easily elastically deformed.

For example, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the temporarily locked portion on the first connector is configured by the projection portion and the card slot portion which are adjacently provided, but this is not limitative. For example, the temporary locked portion may be a separate hole or recess into which the temporary locking protrusion of the assist lever can enter and be locked, thereby realizing the temporary locking.

For example, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the upper surface of the fitting hood portion of the first connector is provided to have the first, second, and third planes different in height, however, this is not limitative. For example, the entire upper surface may be a flat surface, and an appropriate temporary locked portion may be provided on the flat surface.

For example, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the final locked portion of the second connector is configured by the final locked projection. However, this is not restrictive. For example, the final locked portion may be a hole or a recess, and the final locking protrusion of the assist lever may enter and be locked in the hole or the recess, and be finally temporarily locked.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the invention, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlock operation portion 15 of the assist lever 1 are integrally accommodated in the recess, but this is not limitative. For example, the unlock operation portion 15 may not be accommodated in the recess, but may be made swingable up and down by providing a cutout portion around the unlock operation portion and forming a so-called seesaw structure with the second elastic arm, or two upright wall portions may be provided on the upper surface of the main body of the assist lever so that the base portion 120 is connected to the upright wall portions. Alternatively, the unlocking operation portion 15 may not be formed, and the final locking projection of the second elastic arm and the second connector may be unlocked by lifting the second elastic arm by the jig during unlocking.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the releasing projection is provided on the first elastic arm of the assist lever, but this is not limitative, and the releasing projection may be not provided, but the releasing of the temporary locking may be achieved by directly pushing up the lower surface of the first elastic arm by the corresponding member on the second connector, or the releasing may be achieved by using a jig.

Claims

1. A assist lever for mounting on a first connector and having a temporary locking position and a final locking position, fitting and separation between the first connector and a mating second connector being achieved by rotation of the assist lever between the temporary locking position and the final locking position, wherein,

the assist lever is a flat plate type so that the rotation of the assist lever is a rotation in a two-dimensional plane.

2. The power assist lever according to claim 1, comprising:

a pivot hole through which a pivot shaft of the first connector can pass so that the assist lever can perform the rotation around the pivot shaft via the pivot hole,

a temporary locking protrusion that temporarily locks the assist lever to the first connector when the assist lever is in the temporary locking position, and that suppresses rotation of the assist lever,

a gear portion having a plurality of gear teeth disposed around the pivot hole, an

A final locking protrusion that ultimately locks the assist lever to the second connector when the assist lever is in the final locking position, suppressing rotation of the assist lever,

wherein the temporary locking protrusion, the gear part, and the final locking protrusion are disposed on the same side of the assist lever.

3. The power assist lever according to claim 2, comprising:

a cantilever-like first elastic arm that is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector, and the temporary locking protrusion is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the first elastic arm so as to protrude from the first elastic arm.

4. The booster lever according to claim 3,

the first elastic arm is further provided with a release projection which projects from the first elastic arm at a position separated from the temporary locking projection, and which projects in the same direction as the temporary locking projection.

5. The assist lever according to claim 3 or 4, wherein,

the assist lever has a notch portion provided around the first elastic arm, and the first elastic arm is elastically deformable through the notch portion.

6. The assist lever according to any one of claims 2 to 5, comprising:

a cantilever-like second elastic arm that is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, and the final locking projection is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the second elastic arm in a manner projecting from the second elastic arm.

7. The power assist lever according to claim 6, comprising:

an unlocking operation portion that is cantilevered from a base portion of the second elastic arm in a direction opposite to the second elastic arm, is integrated with the second elastic arm, and is

The unlocking operation part can swing around the base and drive the second elastic arm to swing around the base in the direction opposite to the unlocking operation part.

8. The booster bar according to claim 7,

the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation part are integrally formed,

the upper surface of the main body of the power-assisted rod is provided with a concave part,

the second elastic arm and the integral molding piece of the unlocking operation part are integrally molded with the main body of the power-assisted lever in the concave part, so that the unlocking operation part is accommodated in the concave part and a gap is reserved between the unlocking operation part and the bottom surface of the concave part, and the second elastic arm extends outwards from the main body of the power-assisted lever.

9. The power assist lever according to claim 8, further comprising,

a connector position assurance mechanism movably mounted and locked in the recess so as to switch between an initial position and a final position,

when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked at the initial position, the connector position assurance mechanism does not interfere with the unlocking operation part, and

when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the final position, the connector position assurance mechanism covers the unlocking operation portion from above.

10. A connector with a booster lever, comprising:

a first connector;

a second connector; and

the assist lever according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

wherein the first connector is provided with a temporarily locked portion to which a temporarily locking projection of the assist lever is locked in the temporarily locked position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining the temporarily locked state of the assist lever,

wherein the second connector is provided with a final locked portion to which a final locking protrusion of the assist lever is locked at the final locking position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining a final locked state of the assist lever.

11. The connector of claim 10,

the temporarily locked portion includes a protrusion portion and a click groove portion which are adjacently provided,

in the temporary locking position of the assist lever, the temporary locking protrusion is located in the catch portion and engaged with the protrusion portion.

12. The connector according to claim 10 or 11,

the connector housing of the second connector is provided with a rack portion including a plurality of rack teeth arranged side by side along the fitting direction, and the plurality of rack teeth of the rack portion can be engaged with the plurality of gear teeth of the gear portion.

13. The connector of claim 12,

the second connector is provided with a temporary lock releasing portion capable of releasing the temporary lock state of the assist lever so that the assist lever can rotate from the temporary lock position toward the final lock position, and

wherein the temporary lock releasing portion is the rack portion.