JP2001326024A - Lever connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve mounting of the member equipped with a lever. SOLUTION: A cover 50, which is mounted on the rear face side of the female housing 21 is equipped with a lever 70 in advance, and as the cover 50 is installed, the lever 70 is mounted on the female housing 21. At the rear end face of the female hood portion 23 of the female housing 21, a pair of guide plate 38, which guides the mounting action of the cover 50, is provided right and left protruding and a guide portion 47 is also provided. This guide portion 47 is formed by joining the rear end face of the female hood portion 23 and the inner edge of the guiding plate 38, and its inclined face 48 is formed to continue to the outside face of the wall 41 which constitutes the lever housing space 40. When the top end of the lever 70 contacts the guide portion 47 at mounting the cover 50, the lever 70 slides on the inclined face 48 and is inserted smoothly into the lever housing space 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a lever type connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an example of a lever type connector disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 3-4672 is known. This lever-type connector has a pair of protective walls extending forward from rear ends of upper and lower outer surfaces of a female housing of both male and female housings to be fitted with each other, and has a gate-shaped inside of the protective walls. Lever is attached. The lever is rotatably supported by a shaft pin being fitted into a shaft hole provided in the protective wall, and inside the lever, between the outer surface of the female housing and the male housing. The space where the food part can enter is secured. Also, the lever is protected by covering the outer surface with a protective wall. When performing the fitting operation of the two housings, the follower pin protruding from the outer surface of the male housing is inserted into the arc-shaped cam groove provided on the lever, and the lever is rotated to operate the follower pin and the cam. Both housings are drawn toward each other by the cam action of the groove.

[0003] In this structure, when the tip of the lever is bent inward, the interference with the male housing on the mating side occurs. Further, if a straightening wall is provided inside the lever to solve this problem, and the lever is sandwiched between the protective wall and the straightening wall, a problem arises in that the mounting of the lever becomes difficult. In order to solve such problems, the present applicant has proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-142966 a structure in which a lever is mounted on a mounting member in advance, and then the mounting member is mounted on a female housing.

[0004]

With the above structure,
The lever is inserted between the protective wall and the correction wall with the operation of mounting the mounting member to the female housing, and when the mounting is completed, the mounting member comes into contact with the rear end surface of the female housing (correction wall). ing. However, if the above-described inward deformation occurs in the lever, the tip of the lever may abut the rear end surface of the female housing before being inserted between the two walls, which may hinder the mounting operation. is there.
In other words, there is still room for improvement in the workability when assembling the lever to the female housing using the mounting member. The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and has as its object to improve the mounting workability of a mounting member on which a lever is mounted.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector housing, wherein one of a pair of connector housings which can be fitted with each other is connected to the other connector housing. A lever for engaging and disengaging the two connector housings by rotating the follower portion while the follower portion and the cam surface are engaged. And a mounting member that is rotatably mounted via a mounting pin and that can be mounted to the one connector housing together with the lever. In the mounted state, the lever is connected to the one connector housing. Wherein the mounting member is in contact with an end surface of the one connector housing, and the one connector The front end of the lever is slidable in the mounting process on the front side of the housing in the mounting direction of the mounting member from the end surface with which the mounting member is abutted, and the sliding contact surface is the one connector. The present invention is characterized in that a guide portion inclined toward the outer surface side of the housing is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, an end face of the one connector housing is provided with:
A mounting guide portion capable of guiding the mounting operation of the mounting member is protruded, and the guide portion is formed by connecting an end surface of the one connector housing and the mounting guide portion. Have.

[0007]

<Operation and effect of the invention><Invention of claim 1> After the lever is attached to the attachment member, the attachment member is attached to one connector housing together with the lever. During this installation process,
For example, if the tip of the lever has a warpage that narrows,
The distal end of the lever comes into contact with the inclined surface of the guide without hitting the end surface with which the mounting member comes into contact. As the mounting operation proceeds from this state, the lever is guided to the outer surface side of one of the connector housings while sliding on the guide portion, so that the mounting operation can be performed smoothly.

<Invention of Claim 2> When the mounting member is mounted, the mounting operation is guided by the mounting member slidingly contacting the mounting guide portion. Since the end face and the mounting guide are connected by the guide, the strength of the mounting guide can be increased, so that the guide can also have the function of reinforcing the mounting guide.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the lever-type connector shown in this embodiment includes male and female connectors 10 and 20 which are fitted to each other, and a lever 70 is attached to the female connector 20 side. . In the following, the mating surface side of both connectors 10 and 20 will be referred to as the front.

<Male Connector> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the male connector 10 includes a male connector housing 11 (hereinafter, referred to as a male housing 11) protruding forward from a wall 12 of an electric device. I have. In the male housing 11,
A cylindrical male hood portion 13 protruding forward is provided. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of large and small male terminal fittings 14 formed in a tab shape are provided on the back end face of the male housing 11 so as to protrude forward. There are a total of four large ones in the upper and lower tiers on the right end and a total of 24 small ones in the upper and lower tiers on the left. Guide ribs 15 having different shapes are provided so as to protrude forward between the large and small male terminal fittings 14 on the rear end surface of the male housing 11 and the center of the small male terminal fittings 14. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of thin guide rails 16 are provided from the front end to the rear end of the male hood portion 13 at the center of the upper and lower surfaces of the male hood portion 13 in the longitudinal direction. Is provided with a columnar follower pin 17 projecting vertically. Both follower pins 17 can enter a cam groove 74 provided in a lever 70 of the female connector 20 described later. At the protruding tips of these follower pins 17, a disk-shaped flange portion 18 having a diameter larger than the root side is provided. In addition, two guide projections 19 are provided on the left and right outer surfaces of the male side hood portion 13 on the left and right sides in the figure so as to protrude one by one on the left side, whereby the male housing 11 has a left-right asymmetric shape. ing.

<Female Connector> As shown in FIG. 4, the female connector 20 is roughly formed with a female connector housing 21.
(Hereinafter referred to as female housing 21) and female housing 2
1 includes a cover 50 attached to the rear side and a lever 70 attached to the cover 50.

<Female Housing> As shown in FIG. 2, the female housing 21 includes a terminal accommodating portion 22 for accommodating the female terminal fitting 25 and a cylindrical female side hood portion 23 surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 22. Have. The male housing 11 is disposed between the terminal accommodating portion 22 and the female side hood portion 23 from the front.
The male side hood portion 13 can enter.

[0013] As shown in FIG.
A cavity 24 into which the female terminal fitting 25 connected to the end of the electric wire W can be inserted from the rear is provided at a position corresponding to the male terminal fitting 14 on the male connector 10 side. As shown in FIG. 4, two types of female terminal fittings 25 can be inserted into each cavity 24. Specifically, a large one on the left side in the figure is a total of four chambers in upper and lower two stages, and a right side thereof. There are a total of 24 chambers, three small ones above and below. A guide rib 1 on the male connector 10 side is provided on the front end face of the terminal accommodating portion 22.
There are provided two guide holes 26 into which the 5 can enter.

As shown in FIG. 5, the female terminal fitting 25 has a front portion formed in a box shape, and a rear portion of the female terminal fitting 25 is crimp-connected to an electric wire W having a rubber plug 28 attached to a terminal. A barrel portion 27 is provided. This rubber stopper 2
8 is attached in a state in which it is in close contact with the inner surface of the rear part of the cavity 24, so that the inside of the cavity 24 can be waterproofed. A resin lance 29, which can be bent and deformed, is formed on the lower surface side of the small cavity 24 in the drawing so as to protrude into the cavity 24, and can be locked to the front rear end of the female terminal fitting 25. Under the resin lance 29, a flexible space S allowing the elastic displacement of the resin lance 29 is formed in a state opened forward. In the large cavity 24, a resin lance 29 is provided at a back-to-back position, and a flexure space S common to the upper and lower portions is secured in the opposing region.

A front retainer 30 having a flexure restricting portion 31 which can enter each of the above-mentioned flexure spaces S can be mounted on the front peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 22 from the front. Before the female terminal fitting 25 is inserted into the cavity 24, the front retainer 30 is attached to a temporary locking position where the deflection restricting portion 31 is disposed outside the bending space S and allows the resin lance 29 to bend and deform. As shown in FIG. 6, after inserting the female terminal fitting 25, the bending restricting portion 31 enters the bending space S and is moved to the final locking position where the bending of the resin lance 29 is restricted. The front retainer 30 is held at a temporary locking position and a full locking position by a holding structure (not shown).

A seal ring 32 can be mounted on the peripheral surface of the terminal receiving portion 22 on the rear side of the front retainer 30 with its inner peripheral surface in close contact. The inner peripheral surface of the male side hood portion 13 of the male housing 11 fitted to the outside of the terminal accommodating portion 22 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the seal ring 32. On the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the seal member, four lips are formed in front and rear bulges.

The female hood portion 23 is formed so as to protrude outward from the rear peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 22 in a stepped manner and then to protrude forward. At the rear end of the female side hood 23, a mounting structure for mounting a cover 50 described later to the female housing 21 is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper and lower longitudinal portions of the female side hood portion 23 are each formed to bulge outward in a stepped shape, and
By being formed in a bag shape which is opened rearward, a lever accommodating space 4 capable of accommodating a later-described lever 70 is provided inside the bag.
0 is provided. On the inner surface of the female side hood portion 23, guide grooves 33 are provided at positions corresponding to the guide ridges 19 on the male housing 11 side over a predetermined depth from the front end.

<Cover> As shown in FIG. 4, the cover 50 is formed in a box shape in which the front surface and the side surface on the near side in the drawing are continuously opened. It can be attached to cover the rear side. As shown in FIG. 7, the electric wires W led out from the cavity 24 in the female housing 21 are bundled together in a state of being bent to the near side by about 90 degrees, and are arranged on the near side of the cover 50 attached from the rear side. It is designed to be drawn out from the opening. Also, cover 5
The side surface on the back side of 0 is formed diagonally so as to allow the electric wire W to escape to the near side. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of shaft protrusions 51 for attaching the lever 70 are provided on the outer surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the cover 50 so as to protrude in the vertical direction. These shaft projections 51 are arranged at substantially the center in the longitudinal direction of the cover 50 and are provided at the front end of the cover 50. The shaft protrusion 51 is formed in a columnar shape, and has a pair of protrusions protruding forward and rearward at the protruding ends thereof.

<Lever> As shown in FIG. 4, the lever 70 is formed in a gate shape by connecting the ends of a pair of leg portions 71 with an operation portion 72. On the other hand, it is mounted so as to be sandwiched from above and below. A shaft hole 73 that can be fitted into the shaft protrusion 51 of the cover 50 is provided through the both leg portions 71,
The lever 70 is rotatable about the shaft projection 51. The shaft hole 73 is formed in substantially the same shape as the shaft protrusion 51, and a circular hole is formed on the upper side thereof so that the protrusion of the shaft protrusion 51 can be released when the lever 70 is rotationally displaced. Is formed. As shown in FIG.
When the shaft projection 51 is attached to the cover 50,
And the outer surface of the lever 70 are set to be substantially flush. As shown in FIG. 4, both leg portions 71 are provided with arc-shaped cam grooves 74 into which the follower pins 17 of the male housing 11 can enter. The cam groove 74 is provided with an overhang receiving portion 75 for receiving the flange portion 18 of the follower pin 17 on the inside over the entire length, and an entrance portion thereof is connected by a bridging portion 76 provided opposite to the overhang receiving portion 75. Have been. By rotating the lever 70 from the state where the follower pin 17 has entered the entrance of the cam groove 74, the follower pin 17 is moved along the cam groove 74 and the fitting operation of the connectors 10 and 20 is performed. It is to be advanced (see FIG. 16).

<Lever holding structure for cover> When the lever 70 is attached to the cover 50, the shaft projection 51 is fitted into the shaft hole 73 while opening both legs 71 from the state shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the lever 70 is rotated by a predetermined angle to an initial position where the entrance of the cam groove 74 faces the front. In this initial position, the lever 70 is
Cover 5 for a pair of first holding holes 77 provided in
By locking the pair of first holding projections 52 protruding from the upper and lower surfaces of the cylinder 0, the first holding projections 52 are held so as not to rotate unless a predetermined force or more is applied. The side surfaces on the near side in the drawing of both leg portions 71 are abutted against stopper protrusions 53 provided on the side of each first holding protrusion 52, and the side surface of the operation portion 72 is in contact with the rear surface of the cover 50. This prevents the lever 70 from being displaced from the initial position. Further, a cantilevered holding arm 54 having a free end protruding rearward is provided on the illustrated upper wall of the cover 50, and a second holding projection 55 is provided on the upper surface thereof. The projection 55 can be engaged with a notch 78 provided behind the end of the cam groove 74 in the upper leg 71 of the lever 70 in the figure. The holding arm 54 can be elastically deformed, and has an operation step at its free end. At this time, a portion of the leg portion 71 of the lever 70 on the front side of the shaft hole 73, that is, a front end portion having an entrance portion of the cam groove 74 is arranged to protrude forward from the front end surface of the cover 50. In addition, by disposing the shaft protrusion 51 and the shaft hole 73 at positions where they are not aligned, the two leg portions 71 in the initial position are provided.
Is prevented from coming off.

The lever 70 is rotated from the above-mentioned initial position to the completed position shown in FIG. In this completed position, the lever 70 is moved in the opposite direction by the second holding projection 55 of the holding arm 54 being locked in the second holding hole 79 provided in the upper leg 71 shown in FIG. The rotational displacement is held so as not to be possible. At this time, the terminal end of the cam groove 74 is arranged immediately before the shaft projection 51, and the shaft projection 51 and the shaft hole 73 are arranged at a position orthogonal to each other. The lever 70 is arranged at a position where it does not protrude rearward from the rear end of the cover 50, and the side surface of the operation unit 72 is in contact with the stopper 56 provided on the side surface on the far side of the cover 50 in the drawing.

<Mounting Structure of Female Housing and Cover> As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, cover mounting portions 34 for mounting the cover 50 are provided at four corners on the rear end surface of the female hood portion 23 of the female housing 21. It is provided so as to protrude rearward, and a locking projection 35 is provided on the outer surface thereof. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, two cantilever locking pieces 57 each having a free end on the front end side are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the upper and lower walls of the cover 50. The locking piece 57 is locked to the locking projection 35 of each cover mounting portion 34, so that the cover 50 is held in the mounted state with respect to the female housing 21 as shown in FIG. ing. In this mounting state, the front end surface of the cover 50 is in contact with the rear end surface of the female hood portion 23. A locking piece 57 is provided on the rear side of each locking projection 35.
Is formed with a tapered surface for facilitating the riding operation. A jig insertion groove 36 in which a release jig can be inserted is provided at a position on the rear end surface of the female side hood portion 23 facing the front surface of the locking projection 35.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each of the cover mounting portions 34 has a guide projection 3
7 are provided. On the rear end surface of the female side hood portion 23, two flat plate-like guide plates 38 are provided at an interval in the center in the longitudinal direction at an upper and lower position. As shown in FIG. 7, the guide projections 37 and the guide plate 38 are aligned at the rear ends. When the cover 50 is attached to the female housing 21, the guide projections 37 are engaged with the locking pieces. 57, and each guide plate 38 is slidably contacted with a plurality of ridges 58 provided on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the cover 50.
The operation of attaching the cover 50 can be guided.
Further, the inner surface of the guide protrusion 37 is configured to be in contact with the outer surface of a portion of the cover 50 formed inward of the cover 50 behind the locking piece 57.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a pair of positioning ridges 59 are provided at the longitudinal center of the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the cover 50. Are formed so as to protrude more inward than the protruding ridges 58 disposed on the inner side. These positioning ridges 59
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cover 50 can be fitted between the left and right guide plates 38 on the female housing 21 side, and can be positioned in the longitudinal direction when the cover 50 is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, each of the positioning projections 59 is provided with an engaging groove 60 over its entire length, and the engaging groove 60 is opened forward and inward. It is formed in a shape that becomes narrower as it approaches the inner opening edge. These engagement grooves 60
Is arranged at the same position as the shaft protrusion 51 in the width direction. On the other hand, between the left and right guide plates 38 on the rear end surface of the female side hood portion 23, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pair of engagement projections 39 that can enter the engagement groove 60 on the cover 50 side. Are provided to protrude rearward. These engaging projections 39 are formed in a shape corresponding to the peripheral edge of the engaging groove 60, and the side faces thereof are engaged with the peripheral edge of the engaging groove 60 in a state of being inserted into the engaging groove 60. It has become so.
The engagement protrusion 39 is connected to the outer surface of the rear end of the terminal housing 22 that projects rearward from the female hood 23.

The mounting structure of the cover 50 described above has a vertically symmetrical shape, so that the cover 50 can be mounted on the female housing 21 even when the cover 50 is turned upside down. The direction in which the wires W are routed and the direction in which the lever 70 rotates can be changed according to the situation.

<Lever accommodation structure of female housing> The lever 70 attached to the cover 50 at the initial position is
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, as the cover 50 is attached to the female housing 21, the cover 50 is inserted into the lever accommodating space 40. More specifically, the lever accommodating space 40 is formed between the wall 41 and the accommodating wall 42 forming the longitudinal portion of the female side hood portion 23, and the front ends of these walls 41 and the accommodating wall 42 are
3 form a shape that is opened only rearward by being connected to each other. The distance between the wall 41 and the housing wall 42 is set to be substantially the same as the thickness dimension of the lever 70, so that the lever 70 housed in the lever housing space 40 as shown in FIGS. The leg 71 is held in a straight state. Also,
The housing wall 42 has both ends in the width direction connected to the wall 41 and a front end connected to the wall 41 by the reinforcing wall 43, so that the strength thereof is sufficiently ensured. The leg 71 of the housed lever 70 is configured such that a portion protruding forward from the front end of the cover 50 is covered by the housing wall 42. At this time, the outer surface of the cover 50 and the wall 41
And an outer surface (the inner peripheral surface of the lever accommodating space 40) forms a continuous plane.

An extension wall 44 projects rearward from the rear end of the housing wall 42, and the extension wall 44 defines a shaft formed by the shaft projection 51 of the cover 50 and the shaft hole 73 of the lever 70. The structure is covered. That is, the lever 70 disposed at the initial position is entirely covered by the housing wall 42 and the extension wall 44 from the shaft structure portion to the front end portion having the entrance of the cam groove 74. I have. A tapered surface that guides the lever 70 into the lever housing space 40 is formed on the inner surface of the rear end of the extension wall 44.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the reinforcing wall 43 is provided with an opening 45 through which the follower pin 17 of the male housing 11 can enter. The front end of the lever 70 arranged at the initial position is arranged at a position immediately after the reinforcing wall 43, and the entrance of the cam groove 74 is connected to the introduction port 4.
5 is matched. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wall 41 is provided with a guide groove 46 communicating with the introduction port 45, and the guide rail 16 on the root side of the follower pin 17 enters the guide groove 46. It has become so.

On the other hand, a triangular guide portion 47 is provided on the inner edge of each guide plate 38, as shown in FIGS. These guide portions 47 are provided on the guide plate 3.
The base plate 8 is connected to the rear end surface of the female side hood 23 to support the guide plate 38 and supplement its strength. The inclined surface 48 of the guide portion 47 is formed continuously from the outer surface of the guide plate 38 to the outer surface of the wall 41. When the lever 70 is inserted into the lever accommodating space 40, the front end of the lever 70 is tilted. By abutting on the surface 48, the approach operation of the lever 70 can be guided. Further, the engagement protrusion 39 sandwiched between the left and right guide portions 47 is
It is disposed at a position slightly retracted from the guide portion 47. In addition, a positioning ridge 59 is provided at the front end of the cover 50.
Notches 61 are formed at both sides of the guide hole for allowing the guide portion 47 to escape.

The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and its operation will be described below. As a rough work procedure, after the work of assembling the female connector 20 is performed, the work of fitting the male and female connectors 10 and 20 is performed.

To assemble the female connector 20, first,
As shown in FIG. 7, the lever 70 is attached to the cover 50 at an initial position where the entrance of the cam groove 74 faces the front, while the seal ring 32 is attached to the terminal accommodating portion 22 of the female housing 21 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the front retainer 30 is attached to the temporary locking position. In this state, the female terminal fittings 25 are inserted into the respective cavities 24 from the rear, and then the front retainer 30 is pushed into the final locking position as shown in FIG. Then, the female terminal fitting 25 is held in a double locked state. Then, as shown in FIG.
The cover 50 and the lever 70 are assembled from the rear of the female housing 21 in a state where the electric wires W drawn out from the rear surface side are bent substantially 90 degrees toward the front side in the figure and are united. In this mounting process, the cover 50 is
Prior to the contact with the lever 1, the tip of the lever 70 is inserted into the lever accommodating space 40.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, when the cover 50 and the lever 70 are to be attached to the female housing 21 in an oblique posture, the front end of the lever 70 is Contacted. Since the inclined surface 48 is connected to the outer surface of the wall 41 forming the lever accommodating space 40, the front end of the lever 70 is
8, the lever 70 is smoothly inserted into the lever housing space 40 on the outer surface side of the wall 41.

As another case different from the above, as shown in FIG. 12, when the lever 70 is formed, the leg 71 may be deformed inwardly toward the front end side, and the female member may be deformed while the leg 71 is warped. It may be assembled to the housing 21. In this case, the front end of the lever 70 abuts on the guide portion 47 even when the mounting posture of the cover 50 and the lever 70 with respect to the female housing 21 is the normal posture. When the lever 70 is displaced forward from this state, the front end of the lever 70 is slid and displaced on the inclined surface 48 and the two leg portions 71 are displaced.
Is inserted into the lever accommodating space 40 while being opened outward. Thus, even when the lever 70 is warped, it can be smoothly housed in the lever housing space 40 while correcting it to a straight state.

After the lever 70 is inserted into the lever accommodating space 40, the front end of the cover 50 reaches a position immediately after the guide plate 38 and the guide protrusion 37 of the female housing 21. At this time, if the cover 50 is displaced in the width direction with respect to the female housing 21, the mounting operation is restricted by the front end face of the positioning ridge 59 abutting against the rear end face of the guide plate 38 ( 8 and 9). In that case, cover 5
The positioning protrusion 59 is fitted between the guide plates 38 while sliding the cover 0 in the width direction to correct the displacement of the cover 50. When the positioning protrusion 59 enters between the guide plates 38, the engagement protrusion 39 protruding between the guide plates 38 is inserted into an engagement groove 60 provided in the positioning protrusion 59.
At this time, the ridge 58 and the locking piece 57 of the cover 50
Is slidably contacted with the guide plate 38 and the guide projection 37, thereby guiding the mounting operation of the cover 50. And the locking piece 57
After these have passed over the locking projections 35, they are locked, so that the cover 50 is held in an attached state with respect to the female housing 21, as shown in FIG. At this time, the front end face of the cover 50 is abutted against the stepped portion of the rear end face of the female hood 23. As shown in FIG. 13, the front end of the lever 70 is disposed immediately after the reinforcing wall 43, and the entrance of the cam groove 74 is located at the inlet 45 of the reinforcing wall 43.
It is arranged at the position matched with.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 70 housed in the lever housing space 40 has the leg 71 sandwiched between the wall 41 and the housing wall 42 with almost no gap. Even when the portion 71 has a warpage as shown in FIG. 12, the leg 71 can be held in a straightened state.

The female connector 20 thus assembled is fitted to the male connector 10. The male hood portion 13 of the male connector 10 is inserted between the terminal accommodating portion 22 of the female connector 20 and the female hood portion 23, and the follower pin 17 is connected to the introduction port 45 of the reinforcing wall 43 as shown in FIG. After passing through, the cam groove 74 is fitted to a depth such that the cam groove 74 enters the entrance. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the entrance of the cam groove 74 and the introduction port 45 of the reinforcing wall 43 are aligned vertically without being shifted by the lever 70 being sandwiched between the housing wall 42 and the wall 41. Accordingly, the approach operation when the follower pin 17 enters the cam groove 74 side from the introduction port 45 is smoothly performed.

Subsequently, the lever 70 at the initial position is released from the locked state between the first holding hole 77 and the first holding projection 52, and
A rotation operation is performed along the arrow direction shown in FIG. Lever 7
With the rotation of 0, as shown in FIG.
The follower pin 17 is moved to the back along the cam groove 74, and the connectors 10 and 20 are drawn in a direction in which the fitting is deepened.

When the lever 70 is rotated, a force is applied to the lever 70 so that the two legs 71 open outward around the shaft structure. However, this lever 70
As shown in FIG. 17, the leg 71 is sandwiched between the housing wall 42 and the wall 41 with almost no gap, and the extending wall 44 is disposed outside the shaft structure, and the opening force acting on the leg 71 is provided. Can be received by the housing wall 42 and the extension wall 44, the situation where the lever 70 is opened and deformed can be prevented, and thus the situation where the lever 70 comes off the cover 50 can be prevented. In addition, since the front end of the housing wall 42 is connected to the wall 41 by the reinforcing wall 43, sufficient strength for receiving the force applied from the lever 70 is secured.

The force in the opening direction acting on the lever 70 described above is applied to the cover 50 which is integrated with the lever 70.
Works similarly. At this time, the direction of the force acting on the cover 50 is the same as the direction in which the locked state of the locking piece 57 and the locking projection 35 is released, so that the cover 50 cannot be completely resisted by the acting force. When opened and deformed, the cover 5
0 may come off the female housing 21. However, when the cover 50 is about to be displaced in the opening direction, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the side surface of the engagement protrusion 39 on the female housing 21 side is formed on the periphery of the engagement groove 60 on the cover 50 side. By being engaged, the opening force can be received between the cover 50 and the female housing 21, so that the opening deformation of the cover 50 is regulated, and thus the cover 50 can be prevented from coming off. In addition, the engagement groove 60 and the engagement protrusion 39 are disposed immediately inside the rotation shaft portion of the lever 70 on which the largest disengagement force acts during rotation, and can directly receive this force. It is possible to more effectively prevent the cover 50 from opening.

Then, as shown in FIG.
Is rotated to the completion position, the follower pin 17 reaches the end of the cam groove 74, and both connectors 10, 20
Reaches the normal mating depth. At this time, the second holding hole 79 of the lever 70 is locked to the second holding projection 55 on the cover 50 side, so that the lever 70 is held from the completed position so as not to be able to rotate. It is held so that it cannot be separated from the regular fitting state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19, the male and female terminal fittings 14 and 25 are electrically connected, and the hood portion of the male housing 11 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the seal ring 32 so that the waterproofing between the connectors 10 and 20 is achieved. Is achieved.

On the other hand, when the two connectors 10 and 20 are to be removed due to maintenance or the like, the lever 70 at the completed position is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction at the time of fitting. Lever 7
The follower pin 17 is moved to the entrance side of the cam groove 74 along with the rotation of the connector 0 and the connectors 10 and 20.
Is displaced in the detaching direction. When the lever 70 is rotated to the initial position, the follower pin 17 reaches the entrance of the cam groove 74, and the entrance of the cam groove 74 and the reinforcing wall 4
3, and the connectors 10, 20 are separated from this state. When the cover 50 is removed from the female connector 20, as shown in FIG.
When a release jig is inserted into the jig insertion groove 36 and operated while being directed to the rear end face of the female side hood portion 23, the locking piece 57 is bent by the leverage action to engage with the locking protrusion 35. The stop state is released.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
When the cover 50 is pushed in from the state where the tip of the lever 70 is in contact with the guide portion 47 protruding backward from the rear end surface of the female side hood portion 23, the lever 70 slides on the inclined surface 48 of the guide portion 47. By doing so, the cover 50 can be smoothly inserted into the lever accommodating space 40 on the outer surface side of the wall 41, so that the workability of attaching the cover 50 can be improved. Moreover, since the guide portion 47 is formed by connecting the rear end surface of the female side hood portion 23 and the guide plate 38, the strength of the guide plate 38 is enhanced, and the guide portion 47 has a reinforcing function of the guide plate 38. Can also be provided.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the guide portion connects the rear end face of the female side hood portion and the guide plate has been described. However, for example, the guide portion protrudes from the guide plate, and the female side hood portion is provided. The present invention also includes those having a structure that cannot be connected to the rear end face.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the guide plate for guiding the mounting operation of the cover is provided is described. However, the guide plate may be omitted if it is not necessary. May be protruded from the rear end face of the female side hood.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a male and female connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of both connectors.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a male connector.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a female housing, a cover, and a lever.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a female housing and a female terminal fitting.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side view of a cover on which a female housing and a female housing housing a female terminal fitting are mounted.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the female connector.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the female housing.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a cover to which a lever is attached.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a female connector.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state in which the front end of the lever in which the mounting posture with respect to the female housing is inclined is in contact with the guide portion.

FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state in which a front end of a lever that is warped inward is in contact with a guide portion.

FIG. 13 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state before both connectors are fitted to each other.

FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an initial state when both connectors are fitted together.

FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway side view showing an initial state when the two connectors are fitted to each other.

FIG. 16 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state where both connectors are being fitted.

FIG. 17 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state where both connectors are being fitted;

FIG. 18 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a state where both connectors are properly fitted.

FIG. 19 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state where both connectors are properly fitted;

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Male housing (other connector housing) 17 Follower pin (follower part) 21 Female housing (one connector housing) 38 Guide plate (mounting guide) 47 Guide part 50 Cover (mounting member) 51 Shaft Projection (mounting pin) 70 Lever 74 Cam groove (cam surface)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yutaka Kobayashi 1-14 Nishisuehirocho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. F-term (reference) 5E021 FA05 FA14 FA16 FB07 FB13 FC32 HB02 HB04 HB05 HC11

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing of a pair of connector housings that can be fitted with each other has a cam surface engaged with a follower portion provided on the other connector housing, and has a follower portion and a cam surface. And a lever for fitting and disengaging the two connector housings by being rotated in a state in which the first and second connector housings are rotatably mounted via mounting pins. And a mounting member that can be mounted together with the lever, and in the mounted state, the lever is disposed on the outer surface side of the one connector housing, and the mounting member contacts an end surface of the one connector housing. And the end of the one of the connector housings, the end of the mounting member being in contact with the mounting member. On the near side in the attaching direction, a guide portion is provided, in which the tip of the lever is slidable during the mounting process, and the sliding contact surface is inclined toward the outer surface side of the one connector housing. A lever type connector characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. An end guide of said one connector housing is provided with a mounting guide portion capable of guiding the mounting operation of said mounting member, and said guide portion is connected to an end surface of said one connector housing and said mounting surface. 2. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the lever-type connector is formed by connecting the guide portion.