EP3226360B1 - Electrical connector - Google Patents
Electrical connector Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3226360B1 EP3226360B1 EP17156870.2A EP17156870A EP3226360B1 EP 3226360 B1 EP3226360 B1 EP 3226360B1 EP 17156870 A EP17156870 A EP 17156870A EP 3226360 B1 EP3226360 B1 EP 3226360B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- lever
- connector
- slider
- housing
- cam
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 claims description 47
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 claims description 17
- 230000004308 accommodation Effects 0.000 description 13
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 7
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000018109 developmental process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
- H01R13/62977—Pivoting levers actuating linearly camming means
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
- H01R13/62933—Comprising exclusively pivoting lever
- H01R13/62944—Pivoting lever comprising gear teeth
Definitions
- This invention relates to a connector, in particular, to a connector which is changeable, by turning a lever, between a mated state that the connector is mated with a mating connector and a removable state that the connector is removable from the mating connector.
- JP 2006-331991 A and EP 0 665 799 A1 disclose a connector according to the preamble of claim 1.
- US 2003/017026 A1 discloses a connector having a connector housing with supporting walls and support shafts projecting in from the inner side surfaces of supporting walls.
- the connector further comprises a lever having arms disposed inwardly of the supporting walls. Bearing holes formed in the arms are mounted rotatably on the support shafts. The arms try to move wider apart upon the engagement of cam grooves on the arms with cam pins on a mating connector. However, the arms are displaced in directions to move the bearing holes from the projecting ends toward the base ends of the support shafts.
- GB 2 318 925 A discloses a lever-type connector including a lever and slides which are attached to a cap housing.
- the lever has gears, and the slides have racks and cam grooves through that engage with cam followers of the mating connectors.
- the racks are driven by the gears of the lever.
- These racks and the cam grooves are respectively formed on opposite sides of the slides.
- a connector 900 disclosed in JPA2015-122182 has a housing 910, a cover 920, a lever 930 and sliders 940.
- the cover 920 is attached to the housing 910.
- the lever 930 is attached to the cover 920 to be rotatable within a predetermined range.
- the sliders 940 are accommodated in the housing 910 at least in part to be movable in a front-rear direction.
- the lever 930 and the sliders 940 are combined with each other to be interlocked with each other.
- the lever 930 and the sliders 940 are combined so that turning the lever 930 in a rotational direction moves the sliders 940 in the front-rear direction.
- the sliders 940 are formed with a plurality of cam grooves 942 (one of them is shown in Fig. 17 ).
- a mating connector 950 is formed with a plurality of bosses 952.
- the cam grooves 942 correspond to the bosses 952, respectively.
- the mating connector 950 is drawn toward the connector 900 and mated with the connector 900. Furthermore, turning the lever 930 in an opposite direction opposite to the predetermined direction along the rotational direction moves the sliders 940 in the other direction of the front-rear direction and moves the bosses 952 downward. Thus, the mating connector 950 is pushed in a direction away from the connector 900 and becomes removable from the connector 900.
- the lever 930 is attached to the cover 920 while the sliders 940 are accommodated in the housing 910. Accordingly, attaching the cover 920 to the housing 910 must be executed so that the lever 930 and the sliders 940 are correctly interlocked with each other. Therefore, the connector 900 described in Patent Literature 1 requires that the cover 920 has a structure to maintain the lever 930 in a predetermined lever position and that the housing 910 has a structure to accommodate the sliders 940 in predetermined slider positions. However, in a case where those structures do not correspond to each other with high accuracy, the lever 930 and the sliders 940 cannot be interlocked with each other when the cover 920 is attached to the housing 910. Accordingly, the connector 900 has a possibility that the lever 930 cannot be turned.
- a connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is provided with a housing 100, a lever 200 and a slider 300.
- the connector 10 further has a plurality of contacts not shown.
- the connector 10 is a connector that is mateable with and removable from a mating connector, which is not shown, along an up-down direction.
- the connector 10 is attached with a cover 400 when used.
- the up-down direction is a Z-direction. A positive Z-direction is upward while a negative Z-direction is downward.
- the housing 100 has a contact holding portion 110 and a wall portion 120 surrounding a periphery of the contact holding portion 110.
- the contact holding portion 110 has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape which is long in a front-rear direction orthogonal to the up-down direction.
- the front-rear direction is an X-direction.
- a positive X-direction is forward while a negative X-direction is rearward.
- the contact holding portion 110 is further provided with a plurality of holding holes 112. As shown in Fig.
- the holding holes 112 pierce the contact holding portion 110 and open in both of an upper surface 116 and a lower surface 118 of the contact holding portion 110.
- the holding holes 112 are used for holding the contacts not shown.
- the contacts are held in the holding holes 112 of the contact holding portion 110, respectively.
- the contacts are connected with wirings not shown, respectively. The wirings are routed upward from above the upper surface 116 of the contact holding portion 110. The contacts are visible from under the lower surface 118 of the contact holding portion 110.
- the connector 10 is a socket connector.
- the wall portion 120 has a front wall 130, a rear wall 140, a pair of inner sidewalls 150 and a pair of outer sidewalls 160.
- the wall portion 120 further has a plurality of bottom plates 170 and a plurality of connection portions 180.
- the front wall 130 covers a front surface 113 of the contact holding portion 110 and connects front ends of the inner sidewalls 150 and front ends of the outer sidewalls 160 with one another.
- the rear wall 140 covers a back surface 115 of the contact holding portion 110 and connects rear ends of the inner sidewalls 150 with each other.
- the inner sidewalls 150 cover side surfaces 114 of the contact holding portion 110 at least in part. As shown in Figs.
- each of the inner sidewalls 150 is provided with a rotational shaft 152 protruding outward in a right-left direction orthogonal to both of the front-rear direction and the up-down direction.
- the right-left direction is a Y-direction.
- the outer sidewalls 160 are located apart from and outward of the inner sidewalls 150 in the right-left direction. The outer sidewalls 160 cover not only the inner sidewalls 150 but also the side surfaces 114 of the contact holding portion 110 in part.
- the pair of the inner sidewalls 150 is connected to the contact holding portion 110 at an upper side than a middle of the contact holding portion 110 in the up-down direction.
- the front wall 130 and the rear wall 140 are connected to the contact holding portion 110.
- a receiving portion 122 is formed between the contact holding portion 110 and the surrounding walls, i.e. the front wall 130, the rear wall 140 and the pair of the inner sidewalls 150, and is positioned below connecting parts between the contact holding portion 110 and surrounding walls.
- the receiving portion 122 receives a mating housing (not shown) of the mating connector in part when the connector is mated with the mating connector.
- lever accommodation portions 124 and slider accommodation portions 126 are formed between the inner sidewalls 150 and the outer sidewalls 160.
- Each of the lever accommodation portions 124 accommodates the lever 200 in part so that the lever 200 is rotatable.
- Each of the slider accommodation portions 126 accommodates the slider 300 in part so that the slider 300 is movable in the front-rear direction.
- the lever accommodation portions 124 and the slider accommodation portions 126 communicate with each other in the up-down direction except for some parts.
- each of the bottom plates 170 connects a lower end of the inner sidewall 150 to a lower end of the outer sidewall 160 adjacent thereto.
- the bottom plates 170 function as guides when the slider 300 accommodated in the slider accommodation portions 126 in part is moved in the front-rear direction.
- each of the connection portions 180 is located on a boundary between the lever accommodation portion 124 and the slider accommodation portion 126 and connects between the inner sidewall 150 and the outer sidewall 160 which are adjacent to each other.
- the connection portions 180 function as guides together with the bottom plates 170 when the slider 300 accommodated in the slider accommodation portions 126 in part is moved in the front-rear direction.
- the front wall 130, the rear wall 140, the inner sidewalls 150, the outer sidewalls 160, the bottom plates 170 and the connection portions 180 are integrally molded using a resin (a third resin). This is for reducing the number of parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing a manufacturing cost.
- the wall portion 120 may be molded integrally with at least a part of the contact holding portion 110 using a common material. As shown in Fig. 4 , the wall portion 120 is molded integrally with a part of the contact holding portion 110 using a common material in the present embodiment. It should be noted that the contact holding portion 110 consists of three parts made of three different materials, respectively. The three parts forming the contact holding portion 110 are stacked on one another in the up-down direction and integrated.
- the lever 200 has an operation portion 210 and a pair of arm portions 220.
- the operation portion 210 extends in the right-left direction.
- the arm portions 220 extend from both ends of the operation portion 210 in a direction orthogonal to the right-left direction.
- the lever 200 is partly reduced in thickness to reduce weight thereof in the present embodiment. Accordingly, the lever 200 has a lattice pattern on a surface thereof.
- each of the arm portions 220 is formed with a shaft hole 222 piercing the arm portion 220 in the right-left direction at a vicinity of an end of the arm portion 220. Furthermore, each of the arm portions 220 is formed with a guide groove 224 extending from an edge of the arm portion 220 to the shaft hole 222 in an inner surface thereof in the right-left direction.
- the guide grooves 224 extend in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the arm portions 220. In other words, the guide grooves 224 extend in the up-down direction when the arm portions 220 extend in the front-rear direction.
- the guide grooves 224 guide the rotational shafts 152 provided to the housing 100 to the shaft holes 222 upon attaching of the lever 200 to the housing 100.
- each of the arm portions 220 further has a pinion portion 230 having a plurality of teeth 232.
- the teeth 232 are arranged to surround partly a periphery of the shaft hole 222 when seen along the right-left direction. As mentioned later, one of the teeth 232 functions as a pressed portion 233.
- each of the arm portions 220 further has a plate-like member 234 connecting the teeth 232 of the pinion portion 230 to one another to reinforce the teeth 232.
- the plate-like member 234 is provided on one of side surfaces of the pinion portion 230.
- the plate-like members 234 are located inward of two sets of the teeth 232 in the right-left direction.
- the operation portion 210, the arm portions 220, the pinion portions 230 and the plate-like members 234 are integrally molded using a resin (a first resin). This is for reducing the number of parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing a manufacturing cost.
- the first resin may be same as or different from the third resin.
- the slider 300 has a pair of side plate portions 310 and a connection plate portion 320.
- the side plate portions 310 extend in the front-rear direction.
- the connection plate portion 320 connects rear ends of the side plate portions 310 to each other.
- the slider 300 is partly reduced in thickness to reduce weight thereof in the present embodiment. Accordingly, the slider 300 has a lattice pattern on a surface thereof.
- the slider 300 is provided with two pairs of cam grooves (force transmission portions) 312 in the side plate portions 310 thereof.
- One of the pairs of the cam grooves 312 and the other pair of the cam grooves 312 are located apart from each other in the front-rear direction.
- each of the side plate portions 310 is formed with two of the cam grooves 312 which belong to different pairs and are apart from each other in the front-rear direction.
- Each of the cam grooves 312 opens downward at one end (a lower end) thereof.
- the cam groove 312 extends upward from the one end, then diagonally extends rearward and upward and further extends rearward.
- the cam groove 312 pierces the side plate portion 310 in the right-left direction except for a part (a lower end portion) of the side plate portion 310.
- the cam groove 312 may be closed at a side located outside of the slider 300 in the right-left direction.
- the cam groove 312 may be a groove having a bottom.
- each of the side plate portions 310 further has a rack portion 314 having a plurality of teeth 316 arranged along the front-rear direction.
- the side plate portion 310 further has a plate-like member 318 connecting the teeth 316 of the rack portion 314 to one another to reinforce the teeth 316.
- the plate-like members 318 are provided on outside surfaces of two sets of the teeth 316 in the right-left direction.
- the rack portion 314 is formed in a vicinity of an upper front end of the side plate portion 310.
- the side plate portions 310, the connection plate portion 320, the rack portions 314 and the plate-like members 318 are integrally molded using a resin (a second resin). This is for reducing the number of parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing a manufacturing cost.
- the second resin may be same as at least one of the first resin and the third resin or may be different from both of the first resin and the third resin.
- the lever 200 is attached to the housing 100 as shown in Fig. 5 .
- the rotational shafts 152 of the housing 100 are inserted into the guide grooves 224 of the lever 200 from one end of the guide grooves 224, and the lever 200 is pressed toward the housing 100.
- the rotational shafts 152 are guided by the guide grooves 224 and inserted into the shaft holes 222.
- each of the guide grooves 224 is provided with a slope portion 226.
- the slope portion 226 is formed so that the guide groove 224 becomes shallower towards the shaft hole 222. Consequently, upon attaching the lever 200 to the housing 100, the rotational shafts 152 enlarge gradually the arm portions 220 of the lever 200 in the right-left direction and thereby deforming elastically the lever 200 and the housing 100. As a result, the rotational shafts 152 are inserted in the shaft holes 222. Once the rotational shafts 152 are inserted into the shaft holes 222, the lever 200 and the housing 100 return to original shapes. Accordingly, the rotational shafts 152 cannot come out from the shaft holes 222 easily.
- the lever 200 in a state that the lever 200 is attached to the housing 100, the lever 200 is rotatable about the rotational shafts 152 between a first position and a second position.
- the first position is a position where the arm portions 220 extends along the front-rear direction approximately and the operation portion 210 is positioned forward.
- the second position is a position where the arm portions 220 extend along the front-rear direction approximately and the operation portion 210 is positioned rearward.
- the lever 200 is positioned in the first position, the arm portion 220 is supported by the front wall 130.
- the front wall 130 of the housing 100 is formed with a stopper 132 to stop the lever 200 in the first position.
- the stopper 132 is molded integrally with at least a part of the housing 100 (the wall portion 120). This is for reducing the number of parts.
- front edges of the side plate portions 310 of the slider 300 are brought into abutment with the front wall 130.
- the lever 200 is attached to the housing 100 to be rotatable between the first position and the second position.
- the guide grooves 224 extend in the up-down direction and open upward.
- the lever 200 cannot be detached from the housing 100.
- the operation portion 210 is formed with a hook 212 to maintain the lever 200 in the second position.
- the housing 100 is formed with a stop portion 142 corresponding to the hook 212.
- the side plate portions 310 of the slider 300 are inserted into the slider accommodation portions 126 of the housing 100 in a state that the lever 200 is positioned in the first position.
- the side plate portions 310 of the slider 300 are inserted forward from behind the housing 100.
- the bottom plates 170 and the connection portions 180 serves as guides to guide the side plate portions 310.
- the tooth 316 positioned in the most forward position among the teeth 316 of each of the rack portions 314 functions as the press portion 317
- the tooth 232 nearest to the guide groove 224 among the teeth 232 of each of the pinion portions 230 functions as the pressed portion 233.
- the slider 300 has the press portions 317 while the lever 200 has the pressed portions 233 in the present embodiment.
- the slider 300 by merely inserting the slider 300 into the slider accommodation portions 126 of the housing 100 when the lever 200 is positioned in the first position, relative positions of the lever 200 and the slider 300 are defined so that the rack portions 314 and the pinion portions 230 can be appropriately engaged with each other.
- the pinion portions 230 of the lever 200 and the rack portions 314 of the slider 300 are engaged with each other and thereby forming a relation that turn of the lever 200 and front-rear direction movement of the slider 300 are exchanged with each other.
- the slider 300 is attached to the housing 100 to be movable in the front-rear direction.
- one of the teeth 316 forming the rack portion 314 is used as the press portion 317 while one of the teeth 232 forming the pinion portion 230 is used as the pressed portion 233.
- the press portion 317 may be provided separately from the teeth 316 of the rack portion 314.
- the pressed portion 233 may be provided separately from the teeth 232 of the pinion portion 230.
- the shapes of the press portion 317 and the pressed portion 233 may be freely decided.
- each of the press portion 317 and the pressed portion 233 may be rectangular in shape when seen along the light-left direction.
- an interval between the press portion 317 and the tooth 316 of the rack portion 314 adjacent to the press portion 317 may be different from an interval between the teeth 316 of the rack portion 314 adjacent to each other.
- an interval between the pressed portion 233 and the tooth 232 of the pinion portion 230 adjacent to the pressed portion 233 may be different from an interval between the teeth 232 of the pinion portion 230 adjacent to each other.
- the press portion 317 and the pressed portion 233 may be any portions provided that when the lever 200 is in the first position, moving the slider 300 forward makes the press portion 317 press the pressed portion 233 to turn the lever 200 toward the second position and to define the relative positions of the lever 200 and the slider 300.
- the press portion 317 is provided in the slider 300 to be visible when the slider 300 as a single body is seen from forward along the front-rear direction. It should be noted that the defined relative positions are necessary to allow the rack portion 314 and the pinion portion 230 to be appropriately engaged with each other.
- the lever 200 is put in the second position as shown in Figs. 9 and 11 .
- This situation can be achieved by either moving the slider 300 more forward or turning the lever 200 to the second position after the lever 200 and the slider 300 are changed into the state that they are interlocked with each other. Since the side plate portion 310 of the slider 300 is brought into abutment with the front wall 130 of the housing 100, the lever 200 is stopped in the second position. At this time, the slider 300 is positioned in a mated position.
- the cover 400 is attached to the housing 100.
- the cover 400 is attached to an upper part of the housing 100 to lead wires (not shown) forward.
- the cover 400 is attached to the housing 100 by moving the cover 400 forward from behind the housing 100.
- the cover 400 protrudes forward of the housing 100 in part in the state that the cover 400 is attached to the housing 100.
- a rotatable range of the lever 200 is limited by the cover 400 attached to the housing 100.
- the turn of the lever 200 toward the first position is limited to a position (a third position) where the arm portions 220 are brought into abutment with the regulation portions 402.
- the lever 200 in the state that the cover 400 is attached, the lever 200 is regulated so as not to be rotatable toward the first position from the third position positioned between the first position and the second position. This is because the arm portions 220 are brought into abutment with the regulation portions 402 and the lever 200 cannot be turned even if it is intended to be turned toward the first position. In this state, the lever 200 is rotatable between the third position and the second position.
- the cover 400 (or the regulation portions 402) regulates the turn of the lever 200 from the third position to the first position, and thereby the lever 200 is prevented from coming into contact with the wires connected to the connector 10.
- "the third position" represents not a specified point but a predetermined range.
- the third position includes a range from a position, where the arm portions 220 are brought into abutment with the regulation portions 402, to a position where the arm portions 220 are slightly apart from the regulation portions 402 as shown in Fig. 15 .
- “the third position” represents a rotatable range of the lever 200 that allows the cam grooves 312 of the connector 10 receive cam shafts (force receiving portion, not shown) of the mating connector.
- the regulation portions 402 are provided to be brought into abutment with the arm portions 220 of the lever 200 in the present embodiment, the regulation portions 402 may be provided to be brought into abutment with the operation portion 210.
- each of the cam grooves 312 is positioned between adjacent two of the bottom plates 170 when seen along the up-down direction.
- the cam grooves 312 can receive the cam shafts (not shown) of the mating connector.
- the connector 10 is in a mateable state (or removable state) that the connector 10 is mateable with the mating connector (not shown).
- the mating housing (not shown) of the mating connector is partly inserted into the receiving portion 122 of the connector 10 which is in the mateable state
- the cam shafts of the mating connector are inserted into the cam grooves 312. Then the cam shafts of the mating connector are brought into abutment with upper walls 342 of the cam grooves 312 and stopped in mating start positions.
- the cam shafts reach the mating start positions of the cam grooves 312.
- the mating connector is brought into the removable state (or the mateable state) that the mating connector is removable from the connector 10.
- the connector 10 can easily be removed from the mating connector.
- the present invention is not limited thereto but susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms.
- the housing 100 is provided with the rotational shafts 152 while the lever 200 is provided with the shaft holes 222 and the guide grooves 224 in the aforementioned embodiment, the housing 100 may be provided with shaft holes and guide grooves while the lever 200 may be provided with rotational shafts.
- the guide grooves also function to guide the rotational shafts to the shaft holes upon attaching the lever 200 to the housing 100.
- the guide grooves extend in the up-down direction and open upward.
- the connector 10 is provided with the cam grooves 312 while the mating connector is provided with the cam shafts (not shown).
- the connector 10 may be provided with cam shafts while the mating connector may be provided with cam grooves.
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- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
Description
- This invention relates to a connector, in particular, to a connector which is changeable, by turning a lever, between a mated state that the connector is mated with a mating connector and a removable state that the connector is removable from the mating connector.
-
JP 2006-331991 A EP 0 665 799 A1 disclose a connector according to the preamble of claim 1. -
US 2003/017026 A1 discloses a connector having a connector housing with supporting walls and support shafts projecting in from the inner side surfaces of supporting walls. The connector further comprises a lever having arms disposed inwardly of the supporting walls. Bearing holes formed in the arms are mounted rotatably on the support shafts. The arms try to move wider apart upon the engagement of cam grooves on the arms with cam pins on a mating connector. However, the arms are displaced in directions to move the bearing holes from the projecting ends toward the base ends of the support shafts. -
GB 2 318 925 A - Referring to
Figs. 16 and 17 , aconnector 900 disclosed inJPA2015-122182 housing 910, acover 920, alever 930 andsliders 940. Thecover 920 is attached to thehousing 910. Thelever 930 is attached to thecover 920 to be rotatable within a predetermined range. Thesliders 940 are accommodated in thehousing 910 at least in part to be movable in a front-rear direction. Thelever 930 and thesliders 940 are combined with each other to be interlocked with each other. In detail, thelever 930 and thesliders 940 are combined so that turning thelever 930 in a rotational direction moves thesliders 940 in the front-rear direction. - As understood from
Fig. 17 , thesliders 940 are formed with a plurality of cam grooves 942 (one of them is shown inFig. 17 ). On the other hand, amating connector 950 is formed with a plurality ofbosses 952. Thecam grooves 942 correspond to thebosses 952, respectively. When theconnector 900 is mated with themating connector 950, thebosses 952 of themating connector 950 are inserted into thecam grooves 942 of thesliders 940. In this state, turning thelever 930 in a predetermined direction along the rotational direction moves thesliders 940 in one direction of the front-rear direction and makes thecam grooves 942 move thebosses 952 upward. Thus, themating connector 950 is drawn toward theconnector 900 and mated with theconnector 900. Furthermore, turning thelever 930 in an opposite direction opposite to the predetermined direction along the rotational direction moves thesliders 940 in the other direction of the front-rear direction and moves thebosses 952 downward. Thus, themating connector 950 is pushed in a direction away from theconnector 900 and becomes removable from theconnector 900. - In the
connector 900 disclosed in Patent Literature 1, thelever 930 is attached to thecover 920 while thesliders 940 are accommodated in thehousing 910. Accordingly, attaching thecover 920 to thehousing 910 must be executed so that thelever 930 and thesliders 940 are correctly interlocked with each other. Therefore, theconnector 900 described in Patent Literature 1 requires that thecover 920 has a structure to maintain thelever 930 in a predetermined lever position and that thehousing 910 has a structure to accommodate thesliders 940 in predetermined slider positions. However, in a case where those structures do not correspond to each other with high accuracy, thelever 930 and thesliders 940 cannot be interlocked with each other when thecover 920 is attached to thehousing 910. Accordingly, theconnector 900 has a possibility that thelever 930 cannot be turned. - Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector having a structure that allows the lever and the slider to be interlocked with each other easily and certainly.
- This object of the present invention is achieved by the connector according to claim 1. Further developments of the present invention are given in the dependent claims.
- When the lever is positioned in the first position, moving the slider forward in the front-rear direction makes the press portion of the slider press the pressed portion to turn the lever toward the second position. As a result of this, a relative position between the lever and the slider is decided to be able to engage easily and appropriately the pinion portion of the lever and the rack portion of the slider with each other. Thus, the relationship that the lever and the slider are interlocked with each other is easily and certainly achieved.
- An appreciation of the objectives of the present invention and a more complete understanding of its structure may be had by studying the following description of the preferred embodiment and by referring to the accompanying drawings.
-
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Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector according a first embodiment of the present invention. A cover is not shown in the figure. -
Fig. 2 is an exploded bottom plan view showing the connector ofFig. 1 . -
Fig. 3 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the connector ofFig. 2 , taken along A-A line. -
Fig. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the connector ofFig. 2 , taken along B-B line. -
Fig. 5 is another exploded perspective view showing the connector ofFig. 1 . A lever is attached to a housing and positioned in a first position. The cover is not shown in the figure. -
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the connector ofFig. 1 . The lever is attached to the housing and positioned in the first position. A slider is inserted in the housing in part and positioned in a pressing start position. The cover is not shown in the figure. -
Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view showing the connector ofFig. 6 . -
Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector ofFig. 7 , taken along C-C line. -
Fig. 9 is another perspective view showing the connector ofFig. 6 . The lever is positioned in a second position. The slider is positioned in a mated position. The cover is not shown in the figure. -
Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view showing the connector ofFig. 9 . -
Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector ofFig. 10 , taken along D-D line. -
Fig. 12 is another perspective view showing the connector ofFig. 9 . The housing is attached with the cover. -
Fig. 13 is another perspective view showing the connector ofFig. 12 . The lever is positioned in a third position. The slider is positioned in a removable position. -
Fig. 14 is a bottom plan view showing the connector ofFig. 13 . -
Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the connector ofFig. 14 , taken along E-E line. -
Fig. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector disclosed in Patent Literature 1. -
Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing the connector and a mating connector which are disclosed in Patent Literature 1. - While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
- Referring to
Figs. 1 to 3 , aconnector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is provided with ahousing 100, alever 200 and aslider 300. Theconnector 10 further has a plurality of contacts not shown. Theconnector 10 is a connector that is mateable with and removable from a mating connector, which is not shown, along an up-down direction. As shown inFigs. 12 to 15 , theconnector 10 is attached with acover 400 when used. In the present embodiment, the up-down direction is a Z-direction. A positive Z-direction is upward while a negative Z-direction is downward. - As understood from
Figs 1 and2 , thehousing 100 has acontact holding portion 110 and awall portion 120 surrounding a periphery of thecontact holding portion 110. As understood fromFigs. 1 to 4 , thecontact holding portion 110 has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape which is long in a front-rear direction orthogonal to the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the front-rear direction is an X-direction. A positive X-direction is forward while a negative X-direction is rearward. As shown inFigs. 1 ,2 and4 , thecontact holding portion 110 is further provided with a plurality of holdingholes 112. As shown inFig. 4 , the holdingholes 112 pierce thecontact holding portion 110 and open in both of anupper surface 116 and alower surface 118 of thecontact holding portion 110. The holding holes 112 are used for holding the contacts not shown. In detail, the contacts are held in the holdingholes 112 of thecontact holding portion 110, respectively. The contacts are connected with wirings not shown, respectively. The wirings are routed upward from above theupper surface 116 of thecontact holding portion 110. The contacts are visible from under thelower surface 118 of thecontact holding portion 110. In the present embodiment, theconnector 10 is a socket connector. - As understood from
Figs. 1 to 4 , thewall portion 120 has afront wall 130, arear wall 140, a pair ofinner sidewalls 150 and a pair ofouter sidewalls 160. Thewall portion 120 further has a plurality ofbottom plates 170 and a plurality ofconnection portions 180. Thefront wall 130 covers afront surface 113 of thecontact holding portion 110 and connects front ends of theinner sidewalls 150 and front ends of theouter sidewalls 160 with one another. Therear wall 140 covers aback surface 115 of thecontact holding portion 110 and connects rear ends of theinner sidewalls 150 with each other. Theinner sidewalls 150 cover side surfaces 114 of thecontact holding portion 110 at least in part. As shown inFigs. 2 to 4 , each of theinner sidewalls 150 is provided with arotational shaft 152 protruding outward in a right-left direction orthogonal to both of the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the right-left direction is a Y-direction. As shown inFig. 4 , theouter sidewalls 160 are located apart from and outward of theinner sidewalls 150 in the right-left direction. Theouter sidewalls 160 cover not only theinner sidewalls 150 but also the side surfaces 114 of thecontact holding portion 110 in part. - As understood from
Fig. 4 , the pair of theinner sidewalls 150 is connected to thecontact holding portion 110 at an upper side than a middle of thecontact holding portion 110 in the up-down direction. Similarly, thefront wall 130 and therear wall 140 are connected to thecontact holding portion 110. As understood fromFigs 1 ,2 and4 , a receivingportion 122 is formed between thecontact holding portion 110 and the surrounding walls, i.e. thefront wall 130, therear wall 140 and the pair of theinner sidewalls 150, and is positioned below connecting parts between thecontact holding portion 110 and surrounding walls. The receivingportion 122 receives a mating housing (not shown) of the mating connector in part when the connector is mated with the mating connector. As understood fromFigs. 1 to 4 , between theinner sidewalls 150 and theouter sidewalls 160,lever accommodation portions 124 andslider accommodation portions 126 are formed. Each of thelever accommodation portions 124 accommodates thelever 200 in part so that thelever 200 is rotatable. Each of theslider accommodation portions 126 accommodates theslider 300 in part so that theslider 300 is movable in the front-rear direction. Thelever accommodation portions 124 and theslider accommodation portions 126 communicate with each other in the up-down direction except for some parts. - As understood from
Figs. 1 ,2 and4 , each of thebottom plates 170 connects a lower end of theinner sidewall 150 to a lower end of theouter sidewall 160 adjacent thereto. As understood fromFigs. 1 to 4 , thebottom plates 170 function as guides when theslider 300 accommodated in theslider accommodation portions 126 in part is moved in the front-rear direction. As understood fromFigs. 1 ,3 and4 , each of theconnection portions 180 is located on a boundary between thelever accommodation portion 124 and theslider accommodation portion 126 and connects between theinner sidewall 150 and theouter sidewall 160 which are adjacent to each other. Theconnection portions 180 function as guides together with thebottom plates 170 when theslider 300 accommodated in theslider accommodation portions 126 in part is moved in the front-rear direction. - The
front wall 130, therear wall 140, theinner sidewalls 150, theouter sidewalls 160, thebottom plates 170 and theconnection portions 180 are integrally molded using a resin (a third resin). This is for reducing the number of parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing a manufacturing cost. Thewall portion 120 may be molded integrally with at least a part of thecontact holding portion 110 using a common material. As shown inFig. 4 , thewall portion 120 is molded integrally with a part of thecontact holding portion 110 using a common material in the present embodiment. It should be noted that thecontact holding portion 110 consists of three parts made of three different materials, respectively. The three parts forming thecontact holding portion 110 are stacked on one another in the up-down direction and integrated. - As shown in
Figs. 1 to 4 , thelever 200 has anoperation portion 210 and a pair ofarm portions 220. Theoperation portion 210 extends in the right-left direction. Thearm portions 220 extend from both ends of theoperation portion 210 in a direction orthogonal to the right-left direction. As understood fromFigs. 1 and3 , thelever 200 is partly reduced in thickness to reduce weight thereof in the present embodiment. Accordingly, thelever 200 has a lattice pattern on a surface thereof. - As shown in
Figs. 1 ,3 and4 , each of thearm portions 220 is formed with ashaft hole 222 piercing thearm portion 220 in the right-left direction at a vicinity of an end of thearm portion 220. Furthermore, each of thearm portions 220 is formed with aguide groove 224 extending from an edge of thearm portion 220 to theshaft hole 222 in an inner surface thereof in the right-left direction. Theguide grooves 224 extend in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of thearm portions 220. In other words, theguide grooves 224 extend in the up-down direction when thearm portions 220 extend in the front-rear direction. Theguide grooves 224 guide therotational shafts 152 provided to thehousing 100 to the shaft holes 222 upon attaching of thelever 200 to thehousing 100. - As understood from
Figs. 1 ,2 and4 , each of thearm portions 220 further has apinion portion 230 having a plurality ofteeth 232. Theteeth 232 are arranged to surround partly a periphery of theshaft hole 222 when seen along the right-left direction. As mentioned later, one of theteeth 232 functions as a pressedportion 233. As shown inFigs. 1 and3 , each of thearm portions 220 further has a plate-like member 234 connecting theteeth 232 of thepinion portion 230 to one another to reinforce theteeth 232. The plate-like member 234 is provided on one of side surfaces of thepinion portion 230. In other words, the plate-like members 234 are located inward of two sets of theteeth 232 in the right-left direction. Theoperation portion 210, thearm portions 220, thepinion portions 230 and the plate-like members 234 are integrally molded using a resin (a first resin). This is for reducing the number of parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing a manufacturing cost. The first resin may be same as or different from the third resin. - As shown in
Figs. 1 to 4 , theslider 300 has a pair ofside plate portions 310 and aconnection plate portion 320. Theside plate portions 310 extend in the front-rear direction. Theconnection plate portion 320 connects rear ends of theside plate portions 310 to each other. As shown inFig. 1 , theslider 300 is partly reduced in thickness to reduce weight thereof in the present embodiment. Accordingly, theslider 300 has a lattice pattern on a surface thereof. - As shown in
Figs. 1 to 3 , theslider 300 is provided with two pairs of cam grooves (force transmission portions) 312 in theside plate portions 310 thereof. One of the pairs of thecam grooves 312 and the other pair of thecam grooves 312 are located apart from each other in the front-rear direction. In other words, each of theside plate portions 310 is formed with two of thecam grooves 312 which belong to different pairs and are apart from each other in the front-rear direction. Each of thecam grooves 312 opens downward at one end (a lower end) thereof. Thecam groove 312 extends upward from the one end, then diagonally extends rearward and upward and further extends rearward. In the present embodiment, thecam groove 312 pierces theside plate portion 310 in the right-left direction except for a part (a lower end portion) of theside plate portion 310. However, thecam groove 312 may be closed at a side located outside of theslider 300 in the right-left direction. In other words, thecam groove 312 may be a groove having a bottom. - As shown in
Figs. 1 and3 , each of theside plate portions 310 further has arack portion 314 having a plurality ofteeth 316 arranged along the front-rear direction. Theside plate portion 310 further has a plate-like member 318 connecting theteeth 316 of therack portion 314 to one another to reinforce theteeth 316. The plate-like members 318 are provided on outside surfaces of two sets of theteeth 316 in the right-left direction. Therack portion 314 is formed in a vicinity of an upper front end of theside plate portion 310. When theslider 300 as a single body is seen from the front thereof, thetooth 316 positioned in the most forward position is visible. As mentioned later, thetooth 316 positioned in the most forward position functions as apress portion 317. Theside plate portions 310, theconnection plate portion 320, therack portions 314 and the plate-like members 318 are integrally molded using a resin (a second resin). This is for reducing the number of parts, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing a manufacturing cost. The second resin may be same as at least one of the first resin and the third resin or may be different from both of the first resin and the third resin. - Next, the description will be made for assembling the
connector 10. At first, thelever 200 is attached to thehousing 100 as shown inFig. 5 . In detail, therotational shafts 152 of thehousing 100 are inserted into theguide grooves 224 of thelever 200 from one end of theguide grooves 224, and thelever 200 is pressed toward thehousing 100. At this time, it is desirable that thelever 200 takes a position so that thearm portions 220 extend in the front-rear direction. This is because it becomes easy to attach thelever 200 to thehousing 100 since theguide grooves 224 extend in the up-down direction. When thelever 200 is pressed towardhousing 100, therotational shafts 152 are guided by theguide grooves 224 and inserted into the shaft holes 222. With reference toFig. 4 , each of theguide grooves 224 is provided with aslope portion 226. Theslope portion 226 is formed so that theguide groove 224 becomes shallower towards theshaft hole 222. Consequently, upon attaching thelever 200 to thehousing 100, therotational shafts 152 enlarge gradually thearm portions 220 of thelever 200 in the right-left direction and thereby deforming elastically thelever 200 and thehousing 100. As a result, therotational shafts 152 are inserted in the shaft holes 222. Once therotational shafts 152 are inserted into the shaft holes 222, thelever 200 and thehousing 100 return to original shapes. Accordingly, therotational shafts 152 cannot come out from the shaft holes 222 easily. - As understood from
Figs. 8 and11 , in a state that thelever 200 is attached to thehousing 100, thelever 200 is rotatable about therotational shafts 152 between a first position and a second position. As shown inFig. 8 , the first position is a position where thearm portions 220 extends along the front-rear direction approximately and theoperation portion 210 is positioned forward. As shown inFig. 11 , the second position is a position where thearm portions 220 extend along the front-rear direction approximately and theoperation portion 210 is positioned rearward. When thelever 200 is positioned in the first position, thearm portion 220 is supported by thefront wall 130. In other words, thefront wall 130 of thehousing 100 is formed with astopper 132 to stop thelever 200 in the first position. Thestopper 132 is molded integrally with at least a part of the housing 100 (the wall portion 120). This is for reducing the number of parts. On the other hand, when thelever 200 is positioned in the second position, front edges of theside plate portions 310 of theslider 300 are brought into abutment with thefront wall 130. Thus, in a state that thecover 400 is not attached to thehousing 100 yet, thelever 200 is attached to thehousing 100 to be rotatable between the first position and the second position. When thelever 200 is positioned in the second position, theguide grooves 224 extend in the up-down direction and open upward. Accordingly, in this state, thelever 200 cannot be detached from thehousing 100. Moreover, theoperation portion 210 is formed with ahook 212 to maintain thelever 200 in the second position. On the other hand, thehousing 100 is formed with astop portion 142 corresponding to thehook 212. When thelever 200 is positioned in the second position, thehook 212 is caught in thestop portion 142. Unless thehook 212 is operated, thelever 200 cannot turn toward the first position from the second position. - Next, as shown in
Figs. 6 to 8 , theside plate portions 310 of theslider 300 are inserted into theslider accommodation portions 126 of thehousing 100 in a state that thelever 200 is positioned in the first position. Theside plate portions 310 of theslider 300 are inserted forward from behind thehousing 100. At this time, thebottom plates 170 and theconnection portions 180 serves as guides to guide theside plate portions 310. In a state that theside plate portions 310 are partly accommodated in theslider accommodation portions 126, when theslider 300 is moved forward in the front-rear direction, thetooth 316 positioned in the most forward position among the teeth 316 (the press portion 317) of each of therack portions 314 is brought into abutment with thetooth 232 nearest to theguide groove 224 among the teeth 232 (the pressed portion 233) of each of thepinion portions 230 as shown inFig. 8 . At this time, theslider 300 is in a pressing start position. In other words, thetooth 316 positioned in the most forward position among theteeth 316 of each of therack portions 314 functions as thepress portion 317, and thetooth 232 nearest to theguide groove 224 among theteeth 232 of each of thepinion portions 230 functions as the pressedportion 233. Thus, theslider 300 has thepress portions 317 while thelever 200 has the pressedportions 233 in the present embodiment. - As understood from
Fig. 8 , when theslider 300 positioned in the pressing start position is further moved forward, thepress portions 317 press the pressedportion 233 to turn thelever 200 toward the second position. Consequently, therack portions 314 and thepinion portions 230 are engaged with each other to bring a state that thelever 200 and theslider 300 can be interlocked with each other. In that state, turning thelever 200 moves theslider 300 in the front-rear direction and, on the other hand, moving theslider 300 in the front-rear direction turns thelever 200. Thus, in the present embodiment, by merely inserting theslider 300 into theslider accommodation portions 126 of thehousing 100 when thelever 200 is positioned in the first position, relative positions of thelever 200 and theslider 300 are defined so that therack portions 314 and thepinion portions 230 can be appropriately engaged with each other. In other words, thepinion portions 230 of thelever 200 and therack portions 314 of theslider 300 are engaged with each other and thereby forming a relation that turn of thelever 200 and front-rear direction movement of theslider 300 are exchanged with each other. In this manner, theslider 300 is attached to thehousing 100 to be movable in the front-rear direction. - In the present embodiment, one of the
teeth 316 forming therack portion 314 is used as thepress portion 317 while one of theteeth 232 forming thepinion portion 230 is used as the pressedportion 233. This is because shapes of thelever 200 and theslider 300 are simplified and their design and manufacturing are facilitated. The present invention, however, is not limited thereto. Thepress portion 317 may be provided separately from theteeth 316 of therack portion 314. Similarly, the pressedportion 233 may be provided separately from theteeth 232 of thepinion portion 230. In such a case, the shapes of thepress portion 317 and the pressedportion 233 may be freely decided. For example, each of thepress portion 317 and the pressedportion 233 may be rectangular in shape when seen along the light-left direction. Furthermore, an interval between thepress portion 317 and thetooth 316 of therack portion 314 adjacent to thepress portion 317 may be different from an interval between theteeth 316 of therack portion 314 adjacent to each other. Similarly, an interval between the pressedportion 233 and thetooth 232 of thepinion portion 230 adjacent to the pressedportion 233 may be different from an interval between theteeth 232 of thepinion portion 230 adjacent to each other. At any rate, thepress portion 317 and the pressedportion 233 may be any portions provided that when thelever 200 is in the first position, moving theslider 300 forward makes thepress portion 317 press the pressedportion 233 to turn thelever 200 toward the second position and to define the relative positions of thelever 200 and theslider 300. For that purpose, thepress portion 317 is provided in theslider 300 to be visible when theslider 300 as a single body is seen from forward along the front-rear direction. It should be noted that the defined relative positions are necessary to allow therack portion 314 and thepinion portion 230 to be appropriately engaged with each other. - Next, the
lever 200 is put in the second position as shown inFigs. 9 and11 . This situation can be achieved by either moving theslider 300 more forward or turning thelever 200 to the second position after thelever 200 and theslider 300 are changed into the state that they are interlocked with each other. Since theside plate portion 310 of theslider 300 is brought into abutment with thefront wall 130 of thehousing 100, thelever 200 is stopped in the second position. At this time, theslider 300 is positioned in a mated position. - Subsequently, as shown in
Fig. 12 , thecover 400 is attached to thehousing 100. Thecover 400 is attached to an upper part of thehousing 100 to lead wires (not shown) forward. Thecover 400 is attached to thehousing 100 by moving thecover 400 forward from behind thehousing 100. Thecover 400 protrudes forward of thehousing 100 in part in the state that thecover 400 is attached to thehousing 100. As understood fromFig. 13 , a rotatable range of thelever 200 is limited by thecover 400 attached to thehousing 100. In detail, in a state that thecover 400 is attached to thehousing 100, the turn of thelever 200 toward the first position is limited to a position (a third position) where thearm portions 220 are brought into abutment with theregulation portions 402. In other words, in the state that thecover 400 is attached, thelever 200 is regulated so as not to be rotatable toward the first position from the third position positioned between the first position and the second position. This is because thearm portions 220 are brought into abutment with theregulation portions 402 and thelever 200 cannot be turned even if it is intended to be turned toward the first position. In this state, thelever 200 is rotatable between the third position and the second position. The cover 400 (or the regulation portions 402) regulates the turn of thelever 200 from the third position to the first position, and thereby thelever 200 is prevented from coming into contact with the wires connected to theconnector 10. In the present embodiment, "the third position" represents not a specified point but a predetermined range. That is, "the third position" includes a range from a position, where thearm portions 220 are brought into abutment with theregulation portions 402, to a position where thearm portions 220 are slightly apart from theregulation portions 402 as shown inFig. 15 . In detail, "the third position" represents a rotatable range of thelever 200 that allows thecam grooves 312 of theconnector 10 receive cam shafts (force receiving portion, not shown) of the mating connector. In addition, though theregulation portions 402 are provided to be brought into abutment with thearm portions 220 of thelever 200 in the present embodiment, theregulation portions 402 may be provided to be brought into abutment with theoperation portion 210. - As shown in
Figs. 13 to 15 , in a state that thelever 200 is positioned in the third position, a lower end of each of thecam grooves 312 is positioned between adjacent two of thebottom plates 170 when seen along the up-down direction. In this state, thecam grooves 312 can receive the cam shafts (not shown) of the mating connector. In other words, theconnector 10 is in a mateable state (or removable state) that theconnector 10 is mateable with the mating connector (not shown). When the mating housing (not shown) of the mating connector is partly inserted into the receivingportion 122 of theconnector 10 which is in the mateable state, the cam shafts of the mating connector are inserted into thecam grooves 312. Then the cam shafts of the mating connector are brought into abutment withupper walls 342 of thecam grooves 312 and stopped in mating start positions. - As understood from
Figs. 11 to 15 , when the cam shafts (not shown) of the mating connector are positioned in the mating start positions of thecam grooves 312, turning thelever 200 toward the second position moves theslider 300 forward according to the turn of thelever 200. Then,lower walls 344 of thecam grooves 312 push the cam shafts diagonally upward as theslider 300 is moved forward. The mating housing of the mating connector is received by the receivingportion 122 of theconnector 10 in part. Accordingly, the mating connector cannot be moved forward. Also, the cam shafts cannot be moved forward. As a result, the cam shafts pushed by thelower walls 344 of thecam grooves 312 are moved upward. In other words, upward force is transmitted from thecam grooves 312 to the cam shafts. When the cam shafts receive the upward force from thecam grooves 312, the mating connector is pulled up toward theconnector 10. When thelever 200 reaches the second position, the cam shafts reach the other ends of thecam grooves 312, and theconnector 10 and the mating connector are brought into the mated state. - Conversely, when the
connector 10 and the mating connector (not shown) are in the mated state that they are mated with each other, turning thelever 200 toward the third position from the second position moves theslider 300 rearward as understood fromFigs. 11 and15 . As theslider 300 is moved rearward, theupper walls 342 of thecam grooves 312 push the cam shafts (not shown) diagonally downward. At this time, the mating connector cannot be moved rearward. Accordingly, the cam shafts pushed by theupper walls 342 of thecam grooves 312 are moved downward. In other words, downward force is transmitted from thecam grooves 312 to the cam shafts. Thus, the mating connector is pushed down in a direction away from theconnector 10. When thelever 200 reaches the third position, the cam shafts reach the mating start positions of thecam grooves 312. In this manner, the mating connector is brought into the removable state (or the mateable state) that the mating connector is removable from theconnector 10. Thus, theconnector 10 can easily be removed from the mating connector. - Although the specific explanation about the present invention is made above referring to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto but susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. For example, though the
housing 100 is provided with therotational shafts 152 while thelever 200 is provided with the shaft holes 222 and theguide grooves 224 in the aforementioned embodiment, thehousing 100 may be provided with shaft holes and guide grooves while thelever 200 may be provided with rotational shafts. In such a case, the guide grooves also function to guide the rotational shafts to the shaft holes upon attaching thelever 200 to thehousing 100. Furthermore, in a case where the guide grooves are provided in thehousing 100, the guide grooves extend in the up-down direction and open upward. In the aforementioned embodiment, theconnector 10 is provided with thecam grooves 312 while the mating connector is provided with the cam shafts (not shown). However, theconnector 10 may be provided with cam shafts while the mating connector may be provided with cam grooves.
Claims (9)
- A connector (10) mateable with and removable from a mating connector along an up-down direction (Z), the connector (10) being attached with a cover (400) when used, wherein:the mating connector comprises a cam shaft;the connector (10) comprises a housing (100), a lever (200) and a slider (300);the lever (200) is configured to be attached to the housing (100) to be rotatable between a first position and a second position in a state before the cover (400) is attached to the housing (100);the cover (400) comprises a regulation portion (402) which is configured to regulate the turn of the lever (200) in a state that the cover (400) is attached to the housing (100) so as not to be rotatable toward the first position from a third position positioned between the first position and the second position but to be rotatable between the third position and the second position by being brought into abutment with arm portions (220) or an operation portion (210) of the lever (200) when it is intended to be turned toward the first position;the slider (300) is attached to the housing (100) to be movable in a front-rear direction (X) orthogonal to the up-down direction (Z);the lever (200) has a pinion portion (230) and a pressed portion (233);the pinion portion (230) has a plurality of teeth (232);the slider (300) has a rack portion (314), a press portion (317) and a cam groove (312);the rack portion (314) has a plurality of teeth (316);the pinion portion (230) and the rack portion (314) translate turn of the lever (200) into front-rear direction movement of the slider (300) by mutually engaging;the cam groove (312) transmits up-down direction force to the cam shaft of the mating connector according to the front-rear direction movement of the slider (300);the slider(300), the cam groove (312) and the cam shaft are configured so that, when the lever (200) is turned from the third position to the second position, the slider (300) is moved forward in the front-rear direction (X), and the cam groove (312) moves the cam shaft of the mating connector upward in the up-down direction (Z), and thereby the connector (10) and the mating connector are brought into a mated state; andthe slider (300), the cam groove (312) and the cam shaft are configured so that, when the lever (200) is turned from the second position to the third position, the slider (300) is moved rearward in the front-rear direction (X), and the cam groove (312) moves the cam shaft of the mating connector downward in the up-down direction (Z), and thereby the connector (10) and the mating connector are brought into a removable state.the press portion (317) is configured to be visible when the slider (300) as a single body is seen from a front thereof along the front-rear direction (X); andthe press portion (317) is configured to press the pressed portion (233) to turn the lever (200) toward the second position when the slider (300) is moved forward in the front-rear direction provided that the lever (200) is positioned in the first position.
- The connector (10) as recited in claim 1, wherein:the pressed portion (233) is one of the teeth (232) of the pinion portion (230); andthe press portion (317) is one of the teeth (316) of the rack portion (314).
- The connector (10) as recited in claim 2, wherein:the pinion portion (230) is molded integrally
with the lever (200) using first resin; andthe rack portion (314) is molded integrally with the slider (300) using second resin. - The connector (10) as recited in claim 3, wherein:the pinion portion (230) has a side surface;the connector (10) further comprises a plate-like member (234) provided on the side surface of the pinion portion (230) and connecting the teeth (232) of the pinion portion (230) to one another;the pinion portion (230) and the plate-like member (234) are molded integrally with the lever (200) using the first resin.
- The connector (10) as recited in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the housing (100) is provided with a stopper (132) to stop the lever (200) in the first position.
- The connector (10) as recited in claim 5, wherein the stopper (132) is molded integrally with the housing (100) using a third resin.
- The connector (10) as recited in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:the slider (300) has a pair of side plate portions (310);the side plate portions (310) are provided with two pairs of the cam grooves (312); andone of the pairs of the cam grooves (312) and a remaining one of the pairs of the cam grooves (312) are located apart from each other in the front-rear direction (X).
- The connector (10) as recited in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein:the cam groove (312) receives the cam shaft upon mating of the connector (10) with the mating connector.
- The connector (10) as recited in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein:one of the lever (200) and the housing (100) is provided with a rotational shaft (152);a remaining one of the lever (200) and the housing (100) is provided with a bearing hole (222) and a guide groove (224);the bearing hole (222) receives the rotational shaft (152) when the lever (200) is attached to the housing (100);the guide groove (224) guides the rotational shaft (152) to the bearing hole (222) when attaching the lever (200) to the housing (100);in a case where the guide groove (224) is provided in the housing (100), the guide groove (224) extends in the up-down direction (Z) and opens upward; andin another case where the guide groove (224) is provided in the lever (200), the guide groove (224) extends in the up-down direction (Z) and opens upward provided that the lever (200) is positioned in the second position.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2016066268A JP6647941B2 (en) | 2016-03-29 | 2016-03-29 | connector |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP3226360A1 EP3226360A1 (en) | 2017-10-04 |
EP3226360B1 true EP3226360B1 (en) | 2019-01-30 |
Family
ID=58094294
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP17156870.2A Active EP3226360B1 (en) | 2016-03-29 | 2017-02-20 | Electrical connector |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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EP (1) | EP3226360B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6647941B2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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JP7498434B2 (en) | 2021-05-25 | 2024-06-12 | 住友電装株式会社 | connector |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE69326696T2 (en) * | 1993-11-26 | 2000-06-08 | Molex Inc., Lisle | Electrical connector with cover and end position safety device |
JP3687874B2 (en) * | 1996-10-31 | 2005-08-24 | タイコエレクトロニクスアンプ株式会社 | Lever type connector |
DE10232969B4 (en) * | 2001-07-23 | 2012-08-23 | Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. | Connector with locking lever |
US6824406B1 (en) * | 2003-06-26 | 2004-11-30 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Electrical connector assembly |
US7255580B2 (en) * | 2005-03-09 | 2007-08-14 | Tyco Electronics Corporation | Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly having lever assist with latch hold down mechanism |
JP2006331991A (en) * | 2005-05-30 | 2006-12-07 | Tyco Electronics Amp Kk | Lever-type connector |
JP5370261B2 (en) * | 2010-05-14 | 2013-12-18 | 住友電装株式会社 | connector |
JP5846105B2 (en) * | 2012-11-13 | 2016-01-20 | 住友電装株式会社 | Lever type connector |
JP6381904B2 (en) | 2013-12-24 | 2018-08-29 | タイコエレクトロニクスジャパン合同会社 | Lever type electrical connector |
-
2016
- 2016-03-29 JP JP2016066268A patent/JP6647941B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2017
- 2017-02-20 EP EP17156870.2A patent/EP3226360B1/en active Active
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
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None * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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JP6647941B2 (en) | 2020-02-14 |
JP2017182994A (en) | 2017-10-05 |
EP3226360A1 (en) | 2017-10-04 |
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