JP2001176606A - Connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector assembly which enables respective connector housings to fit surely with a simple fitting operation and prevents the deformation of the connector housings by inserting a plate-shaped lock lever at the center of male and female type connector housings. SOLUTION: A connector assembly comprises the first connector housing 10; and the second connector housing 20 with an opening at the side of fitting with the first connector housing, formed so as to have a crank-shaped cross section; and a plate-shaped lock lever 30 supported by a support axis 21 inserted into the second connector housing 20 and protrusively installed at the inner surface of the second connector housing 20. For the connector assembly which is in a state that the lock lever 30 is inserted into the second connector housing 20 while the first and second connector housings are in a state of temporary insertion, and respective connector housings are fitted with each other by rotating the lock lever 30 round the support axis 21, a connecting wall 23 connecting at least the part of opening is installed at the first connector housing 10 side of the second connector housing 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector assembly capable of fitting both male and female connector housings with a low insertion force, and more particularly to a technique for increasing the rigidity of the connector housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional locking lever fitting type connector assembly, for example, a connector assembly disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-17508 is known. This connector assembly 20
0 is a male connector housing 40 as shown in FIG.
A female connector housing 50 fitted with the male connector housing 40;
, Each of which is formed of a synthetic resin. An opening 41 is formed on the side of the female connector housing 50 of the male connector housing 40 for fitting and receiving the distal end of the female connector housing 50, and a flange is formed on the opposite edge of the opening 41. 42 are formed. A plurality of terminal mounting holes 44 penetrating the male connector housing 40 in the fitting direction are formed on the flange 42 side. An end of a lead wire 46 as a first signal line can be attached to each terminal attachment hole 44.

Although not shown, the lead wire 4
A male terminal is connected to the distal end of the male connector housing 6. The male terminal is inserted into the terminal mounting hole 44, and the female connector housing is connected to the male connector housing 40 through the surface formed at the bottom of the opening 41. Is fixed so as to protrude in the fitting direction. According to the layout of the terminal mounting holes 44,
A plurality of terminal mounting holes 52 formed through the female connector housing 50 in the fitting direction are provided with a distal end of a lead wire 54 as a second signal line from the rear end side of the female connector housing 50 in the fitting direction. Unit is connected. This lead wire 5
A female terminal is connected to the tip of the fourth. The female terminals are arranged at predetermined positions of the female connector housing 50, respectively, corresponding to the male terminals of the male connector housing 40, and the female connector housing 50 and the male connector housing 40 are fitted. Sometimes connected. As a result, the first signal line and the second signal line become conductive.

[0004] An insertion port 48 into which a plate-shaped fitting detection pin 60 can be inserted is formed in one side (upper and / or lower) of the outer periphery of the male connector housing 40. With the female connector housing 50 inserted into the male connector housing 40,
The fitting detection pin 60 is inserted from the side where the groove 62 is formed.

[0005] Lever fitting type connector assembly 2 having the above structure
At 00, the female connector housing 50 is inserted into the male connector housing 40 with the plate-shaped fitting detection pins 60 temporarily inserted from the insertion openings 48 formed in the side portions of the male connector housing 40. From this state, the fitting detection pin 60 is fully inserted into the insertion slot 48. Then, the support shaft 56 formed in the female connector housing 50 comes into contact with the wall surface 62a of the groove 62 formed in the fitting detection pin 60,
With the insertion operation of the fitting detection pin 60, the support shaft 56 slides along the inclined wall surface 62a. As a result, the female connector housing 50 is
Then, the female connector housing 50 comes into close contact with the male connector housing 40. When the fitting detection pin 60 is completely inserted into the insertion opening 48 of the male connector housing 40, the two housings 40 and 50 are completely fitted, and this fitted state is maintained.
As a result, the male connector housing 40 and the female connector housing 50 are properly fitted, and electrical connection for all the lead wires 46 and 54 is secured.

[0006]

By the way, the female connector housing 50 used here is in a state where the fitting detection pins 60 are temporarily inserted into the male connector housing 40.
It is inserted and fitted into the male connector housing 40. Therefore, the female connector housing 50 side has a hollowed-out central portion in order to avoid interference with the temporarily inserted fitting detection pin 60, that is, when viewed from above in the figure, the female connector housing 50 is The section of the male connector housing 40 must be formed in a U-shape with an opening on the side to be fitted to the male connector housing 40.

For this reason, the female connector housing 50 is
Due to the structure, the opening having a U-shaped cross section is inside (E in the figure)
Direction), and may be deformed or damaged by external force during packing and transportation. When the female connector housing 50 is deformed, if the female connector housing 50 is fitted with the male connector housing 40 using the fitting detection pins 60, the female connector housing 50 may be in a half-fitted state, or may be excessively large at the time of fitting. Since insertion force is required, excessive force is applied to the housing,
In some cases, there is a problem that the housing may be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem. When a plate-shaped locking lever is inserted into the center of a male or female connector housing and each connector housing is fitted. Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly capable of securely fitting with a simple fitting operation and preventing deformation of the connector housing.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector assembly according to the present invention, comprising: a first connector housing to which an end of a first signal line is mounted; A second connector housing having an opening on a side to be fitted with the housing and having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and having an end of a second signal line mounted therein; and a second connector housing inserted into the second connector housing. A plate-shaped locking lever supported by a support shaft protruding from an inner wall surface of the housing, wherein the locking lever is connected to the second connector housing in a state where the first and second connector housings are temporarily inserted. In the connector assembly, wherein the locking lever is rotated about a support shaft and the two connector housings are fitted to each other, wherein the opening of the opening is formed on the side of the first connector housing of the second connector housing. Even without which it characterized in that a coupling wall for coupling a portion.

[0010] In this connector assembly, the rigidity of the second connector housing is increased by providing the U-shaped second connector housing with the coupling wall for coupling a part of the opening, and the second connector housing is deformed or damaged. Can be prevented,
It is possible to prevent a half-fitted state during fitting. Also,
The first connector housing and the second connector housing can be more securely fitted by a simple operation without increasing the insertion force for fitting.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connector assembly, the second connector housing is provided at a diagonal position of the coupling wall.
Is characterized in that the connecting walls are alternately arranged in the insertion direction of the locking lever.

In this connector assembly, the second connector housing can be formed with a minimum necessary volume by alternately disposing the coupling walls in the insertion direction of the locking lever.
A housing structure with high volumetric efficiency can be obtained, and cost reduction can be achieved.

The connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the second connector housing is provided at a rear end side of the locking lever for holding the locking lever rotated about a support shaft after the locking lever is inserted. A rear end projection to be engaged is formed.

In this connector assembly, by forming the rear end projection on the locking lever, the first and second connector housings can be held in a fitted state, and the once fitted state is stabilized. Can be maintained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connector assembly, further comprising a lock member for releasing the engagement with the second connector housing at a rear end side of the locking lever.

In this connector assembly, the fitting of the connector housings can be easily released by gripping the fitting releasing lock piece provided on the rear end side of the locking lever, and the operation of attaching and detaching the connector can be performed. Performance can be improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the connector assembly, the shaft diameter of the support shaft is formed smaller than the width of the guide groove of the locking lever only in the insertion direction of the locking lever. .

In this connector assembly, the direction in which the locking lever can be inserted can be restricted to a specific direction, and erroneous insertion of the locking lever can be prevented and the insertion operation can be simplified.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a connector assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the connector assembly 100.
The male connector housing 10 has substantially the same configuration as the male connector housing 40 shown in the conventional example.

As shown in FIG. 1, connector assembly 100
Accommodates a male connector housing 10 which is a first housing for accommodating an end of the first signal line 5, and an end of a second signal line 6 connected to the end of the first signal line 5, A female connector housing 20, which is a second housing fitted with the male connector housing 10, a locking lever 30 in which a portion to be inserted into the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 is formed in a plate shape; Is provided.

In the female connector housing 20, a through hole into which the locking lever 30 is inserted is formed along the central axis A. Further, on the central axis A of the female connector housing 20, in a state where the locking lever 30 is inserted into the female connector housing 20, the locking lever 30 engages with the engagement grooves 31 formed on both sides of the insertion portion of the locking lever 30. A supporting shaft 21 to be combined is formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support shaft 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape having a partially cutout having a major axis in a direction along the insertion direction B of the locking lever 30 and a minor axis in a direction perpendicular to the major axis. is there. On the other hand, on both sides of the insertion portion of the locking lever 30, there is formed an introduction groove 33 in which a groove width extending from the distal end portion 32 to the locking groove 31 is set to be substantially equal to or shorter than the minor axis of the support shaft 11. Thereby, the insertion direction of the locking lever 30 is restricted only in the oblique direction (the direction B in the figure), and erroneous insertion of the locking lever 30 is prevented, and the insertion operation can be simplified. In addition, the shape of the support shaft 21 may be an elliptical shape or a prism shape other than the above.

On the front face of the female connector housing 20 facing the male connector housing 10, a connecting wall 23 for connecting both walls is formed partially on the front side in the insertion direction of the locking lever 30. Also, the support shaft 21 of the coupling wall 23
A connection wall 24 (second connection wall) is partially formed at a point symmetrical position with respect to. Thus, the connecting wall 2
3 and 24 are arranged diagonally about the support shaft 21 and are formed alternately with respect to the insertion direction of the locking lever 30, so that a through hole is formed with a necessary minimum member volume, and volumetric efficiency is improved. And the rigidity of the female connector housing 20 can be increased.

On the other hand, the male connector housing 10
Locking lever 3 inserted in male connector housing 10
0, and a lever locking projection 13 that engages with a rear end projection 36 of the locking lever 30.
Are formed. The locking lever 30 extends along the introduction groove 33 formed in the longitudinal direction.
And is pushed into the circular engagement groove 31. The engagement groove 31 serves as a rotation center of a locking lever 30 described later. In addition, on the rear end side of the locking lever 30, there is formed a fitting releasing lock piece 39 for releasing the fitting between the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20.

The procedure for assembling the connector assembly 100 will be described below. Schematically, as shown in FIG. 1, first, the female connector housing 20 is inserted into the male connector housing 10, and then the locking lever 30 is formed along the A direction of the female connector housing 20. Into the through hole along the direction B inclined from the direction A.
The female connector housing 20 is pushed into the male connector housing 10 by pushing the locking lever 30 inserted obliquely into the male connector housing 10, that is, so that the locking lever 30 is parallel to the direction A. To fit.

Referring to FIG. 3, the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 are engaged with a locking lever 30.
Will be described in detail. First, FIG.
As shown in (a), the female connector housing 20 is inserted (temporarily inserted) into the male connector housing 10. Thereafter, the locking lever 30 is connected to the support shaft 21 of the female connector housing 20 from an oblique direction indicated by B in the figure.
The guide shaft 21 is inserted while being engaged with the zero introduction groove 33 until the support shaft 21 reaches the engagement groove 31 formed at the end of the introduction groove 33.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the locking lever 30 is pushed in the direction indicated by C in the figure, the distal end surface 35 of the locking lever 30 is
Abuts on the locking portion 11. When the locking lever 30 is further pushed in the direction C, the distal end surface 35 of the locking lever 30 (the locking portion 11 of the male connector housing 10) is supported by the engagement groove 3
1 (the support shaft 21 of the female connector housing 20) as the point of action and the pressing portion 37 as the point of force.
Move to the side.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the locking lever 30 is pushed in, and the male connector housing 10 is pressed.
And the female connector housing 20 are completely fitted,
The coupling wall 24 of the female connector housing 20 abuts against the side surface 38 of the locking lever 30, while the lever locking projection 13 formed on the male connector housing 10 has a rear end projection 36 formed on the locking lever 30. Is locked. Thereby, the fitting between the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 is maintained, and the fitted state can be stably maintained.

Then, when the fitting between the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 is released,
The engagement between the rear end projection 36 of the locking lever 30 and the lever locking projection 13 of the male connector housing 10 is released by gripping the engagement releasing lock piece 39 of the locking lever 30 in the direction D in the drawing. Then, the locking lever 30 is made rotatable about the support shaft 21. Then, the fitting between the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 can be easily released by reversing the assembly procedure described above. Therefore, the operability of attaching and detaching the connector is improved.

As described above, by changing the shape of the female connector housing 20 from the U-shape to the shape in which the coupling walls 23 and 24 are formed alternately in the diagonal direction,
The rigidity of the female connector housing 20 is increased, so that the female connector housing 20 is prevented from being deformed or damaged, and can be prevented from being half-fitted at the time of fitting. Further, the male connector housing 10 and the female connector housing 20 can be more reliably fitted by a simple operation without increasing the insertion force for fitting and with a low insertion force. Further, by providing the connecting walls 23 and 24 alternately, the volume efficiency of the connector housing can be increased and the cost can be reduced.

[0031]

According to the connector assembly of the present invention,
By providing the second connector housing having a substantially U-shaped cross section with a connecting wall for connecting a part of the opening, the rigidity of the second connector housing is enhanced, and the deformation and breakage of the second connector housing can be prevented. In this case, it is possible to prevent a half-fit state. Further, the first connector housing and the second connector housing can be more reliably fitted by a simple operation without increasing the insertion force for fitting and with a low insertion force. Further, since the coupling walls of the second connector housing are alternately arranged in the insertion direction of the locking lever, a housing structure with high volume efficiency can be obtained, and cost reduction can be achieved. Further, by forming the rear end projection on the locking lever, the fitted state of the first and second connector housings can be stably maintained. The fitting of the connector housings can be easily released by pinching the fitting releasing lock piece provided on the rear end side of the locking lever, and the operability of attachment / detachment can be improved. Also, since the shaft diameter of the support shaft is smaller than the width of the guide groove of the locking lever only in the inserting direction of the locking lever, the insertion direction of the locking lever can be restricted to a specific direction. The operation of inserting the locking lever can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an overall configuration of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the connector assembly.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a fitting procedure between a male connector housing and a female connector housing.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the entire configuration of a locking lever fitting type connector assembly according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 male connector housing 13 lever locking projection 20 female connector housing 22 support shaft 23, 24 coupling wall 30 locking lever 31 locking groove 33 introduction groove 36 rear end protruding part 39 mating release lock piece 100 connector set Three-dimensional

Claims (5)

[Claims] A first connector housing to which an end of the first signal line is attached; an opening formed on a side to be fitted with the first connector housing; And a plate-like locking lever inserted into the second connector housing and supported by a support shaft protruding from an inner wall surface of the second connector housing. With the first and second connector housings temporarily inserted, the locking lever is inserted into the second connector housing, and the locking lever is rotated about a support shaft to fit the two connector housings together. In the connector assembly, a connector wall is provided on the first connector housing side of the second connector housing to couple at least a part of the opening. 2. The connector housing of claim 2, wherein the second connecting walls are provided at diagonal positions of the connecting walls so that the connecting walls are alternately arranged in the insertion direction of the locking lever. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein 3. A rear end projection, which engages with the second connector housing for holding a state rotated about the support shaft 21 after the insertion of the locking lever, is provided on a rear end side of the locking lever. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connector assembly is formed. 4. The connector assembly according to claim 3, further comprising a lock member for releasing the engagement with the second connector housing at a rear end side of the locking lever. 5. The support shaft according to claim 1, wherein the shaft diameter of the support shaft is smaller than the width of the guide groove of the locking lever only in the insertion direction of the locking lever. A connector assembly according to any one of the preceding claims.