JP2002008776A - Connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector assembly capable of surely releasing a latch. SOLUTION: This connector assembly 1 has a pair of connector housings 4 and 72 to be engaged with each other. One of the housings 4 is integrated with a latch arm 22. The other housing 72 has a latch 92 to be engaged with the latch arm 22. A latch releasing member 38 is mounted slidably along the engagement direction on the housing 4, and drives the latch arm 22 to release the latch. A projection 30 is formed on an upper face of the housing 4. A recessed part (connecting part) 90 is formed on the other housing 72. The projection 30 and the recessed part 90 act as a disengagement resisting mechanism in disengaging to surely release the latch.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector assembly having an unlocking member for unlocking by sliding on one connector housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A connector assembly having a latch mechanism for maintaining a mated state of a pair of connector housings is well known, and a connector having a latch release member for releasing a latch by driving a latch arm constituting the latch mechanism. Assemblies are also known. FIGS. 19 and 20 show an example of such a connector assembly (US Pat. No. 5,383,7).
No. 94).

In FIG. 19, one connector 102 constituting a connector assembly 100 is connected to a connector main body 10.
4, the latch arm 106, a pair of housings 108a,
108b, and a pair of unlatching members 110a, 110
b. The connector 11 has a cable 11
A plurality of contacts 114 connected to electric wires (not shown) in 2 are arranged. Housings 108a, 108
“b” houses the connector body 104 and also houses the latch arm 106 that latches one connector 102 to the latch portion 152 provided on the other connector 150 (see FIG. 20). Latch release members 110a, 1
10b is disposed on the housings 108a and 108b so as to be slidable along the fitting direction of the connectors 102 and 150. Each of the latch release members 110a and 110b has a cam surface 118 on its inner surface for cam-engaging with the inclined surface 116 of the latch arm 106. When the latch release members 110a and 110b are moved rearward in the fitting direction (direction A in FIG. 20) in a state where the connectors 102 and 150 are fitted, the inclined surface 1
16 and cam surface 118 engage latch arm 106.
Then, the latch engagement of the latch portion 152 is released, so that the connectors 102 and 150 can be detached from each other.

[0004]

However, the housings 108a, 108b and the latch release members 110a, 11
0b, for some reason, or the connector 102,
If the force required to separate (remove) 150 is small, the housings 108a and 108b are pulled backward before the inclined surface 116 and the cam surface 118 fully engage with the cam. In this case, even if the latch release members 110a and 110b are pulled backward, the latch arm 106 and the latch portion 15
There is a possibility that the latch cannot be released only by strengthening the latch engagement of No. 2.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly which solves the above-mentioned problems, that is, a connector assembly which can reliably release latches.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A connector assembly according to the present invention includes a pair of connector housings that fit together.
A latch arm provided on one of the pair of connector housings, a latch portion provided on the other housing, and slidable on the one housing along a fitting direction of the pair of connector housings. And a latch release member for driving the latch arm to release the latch, wherein the pair of connector housings includes a mating release resistance mechanism for resisting the mating release when the mating is released. It is characterized by having.

It is preferable that the fitting release resistance mechanism includes a projection provided on one surface of the one housing and a concave portion formed on the other housing.

Preferably, the latch arm is provided integrally with the one housing.

It is preferable that the latch release member has a pull tab.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a connector assembly according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a non-fitting state of the connector assembly of the present invention as viewed from a plane side. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a housing of the receptacle connector constituting the connector assembly of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the receptacle connector housing of FIG. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the receptacle connector housing of FIG. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the receptacle connector of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, a connector assembly 1 includes a receptacle connector 2 and a header connector 70 which are fitted together. In this embodiment, the receptacle connector 2 includes a plurality of receptacle (female) terminals (not shown) for terminating electric wires (not shown), a receptacle housing 4 for accommodating and fixing these terminals, and a receptacle housing 4. A latch release member 38 is provided which is slidable along the fitting and releasing directions of the connectors 2 and 70 (arrows B and C in FIG. 1). Also, the header connector 70
It includes a plurality of pin (male) terminals (not shown) connected to a substrate (not shown), and a header housing 72 for accommodating and fixing these terminals. Hereinafter, first, the housing 4 of the receptacle connector 2 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the receptacle connector housing 4 is manufactured by molding a suitable insulating resin such as PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), and has a mating surface 6, a contact insertion surface 8, and a top surface 10. , Side 1
It has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape composed of 2, 14 and a bottom surface 16. The housing 4 has two rows of contact accommodating chambers 18 in this embodiment, which communicate with the fitting surface 6 and the contact insertion surface 8. In the vicinity of the contact insertion surface 8 on the upper surface 10, the cavity 2
Latch arm base 22 which forms a gate shape (see FIG. 3) by zero
a is formed integrally with the housing 4. The latch arm 22 extends from the base 22a along the fitting direction B (see FIG. 1). At the tip of the latch arm 22, a latch claw 22b for engaging with the latch portion 92 of the header connector 70 is provided. Latch arm 22
Are provided integrally with the housing 4 so that the number of parts constituting the receptacle connector 2 is relatively small. On both sides of the latch arm 22, the latch pawl 22b
An arcuate cam surface 22c is provided in the middle of the latch arm base 22a. The function of the cam surface 22c will be described later.

A pair of projections 24, 24 are provided on the upper surface 10 between the fitting surface 6 and the contact insertion surface 8 and on both sides of the latch arm 22. These projections 24,
24 functions as a stopper for restricting the movement of the latch release member 38 in the forward direction (the direction of arrow B) as described later.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a single projection 26 having the same function is provided on the bottom surface 16. These projections 24, 26 are tapered forward 24 so that the latch release member 38 can be assembled from the front of the housing 4.
a, 26a.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
Protrusions (ribs) 28, 28 extending from the fitting surface 6 to the contact insertion surface 8 are provided integrally with the housing 4 on the upper surface 10 in the vicinity of 2, 14. Further, a projection 30 constituting a fitting release resistance mechanism described later is provided near the fitting surface 6 of each protrusion 28. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, openings 32 communicating with the respective contact accommodating chambers 18 are arranged in a row in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction near the fitting surface 6 of the upper surface 10 and the bottom surface 16. Have been. These openings 32 are for engaging with the lances (not shown) of the receptacle terminals to fix the receptacle terminals in the contact accommodating chamber 18.

Next, the latch release member will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a front view of the latch release member that slides on the receptacle connector. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a rear view of the latch release member of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the latch release member of FIG. FIG. 9 is a left side view of the latch release member of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.
It is sectional drawing along the line. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. Similarly to the receptacle connector housing 4, the latch release member 38 is also manufactured by molding a suitable insulating resin such as PBT, and the front surface 40, the rear surface 42,
It has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape including an upper surface 44, a bottom surface 46, and side surfaces 48 and 50. The latch release member 38 communicates with the front surface 40 and the rear surface 42 and is connected to the receptacle connector housing 4.
Having a cavity 52 for receiving the same. This cavity 5
2 communicates with a concave portion 54 that receives the latch arm 22 at the center in the left-right direction. On both sides of the concave portion 54, tapered surfaces 56 are formed which transition inward toward the front surface 40. These tapered surfaces 56 are
2 for engaging with the second arcuate cam surface 22c,
When the latch release member 38 is operated to move backward with respect to the housing 4, the latch arm 22 bends in a direction approaching the upper surface 10 (see FIG. 1). The cavity 52 has another recess 5 near both side surfaces 48 and 50.
8, 58. These recesses 58, 58 are for receiving the projections 28, 28 of the housing upper surface 10. On the front surface 40 near the center, a stopper surface 60 that contacts the protrusions 24, 24, 26 of the receptacle connector housing 4 to restrict the forward movement of the latch release member 38.
a, 60b and 60c are formed. Also, side 4
Inside the cavity 52 near 8, 50, the projections 34a, 34b, 34c located at the rear ends of the upper surface 10 and the bottom surface 16 of the receptacle connector housing 4 are in contact with each other to restrict the rearward movement of the latch release member 38. Stopper surface 62
a, 62b, 62c are formed. On the rear surface 42,
A pull tab mounting portion 64 for mounting a pull tab (not shown) as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-78080 is integrally provided. The pull tab is attached so as to penetrate the hole 66 of the attachment portion 64 and surround the bar 68. By providing a pull tab, connectors 2, 7
Even when 0s are arranged at high density, the latch can be easily released.

Next, the header housing will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a plan view of a housing of the header connector constituting the connector assembly of FIG. FIG. 13 is a front view of the receptacle connector housing of FIG. FIG. 14 is a right side view of the receptacle connector of FIG.

Similarly to the receptacle connector housing 4, the header connector housing 72 is manufactured by molding a suitable insulating resin such as PBT, and has a fitting surface 74, a terminal extension wall 76, a top wall 78, and a bottom wall 80. , And side surfaces 82 and 84. The fitting surface 74 communicates with a fitting recess 86 that receives the receptacle connector 2.
In the fitting recess 86, a plurality of male terminals (not shown) project in two rows from the terminal extension wall 76 side. The fitting recess 86 is
On the inner side of the upper wall 78 near the side walls 82, 84, it communicates with receiving grooves 88, 88 for receiving the projections 28, 28 of the receptacle connector housing 4. The ridge 28 and the receiving groove 88 also have a keying function of preventing the receptacle connector 2 from being inserted upside down into the fitting recess 86. On the receiving groove 88, the overall length is shorter than the receiving groove 88 and the upper wall 7
A connecting portion 90 protruding outward from the position 8 is provided. The connecting portion 90 cooperates with the projection 30 on the ridge 28 to constitute a fitting release resistance mechanism described later. At the center of the upper wall 78, there is provided a latch portion 92 which cooperates with the latch arm 22 to maintain the fitted state of the connectors 2, 70.

Next, a description will be given of a process of the connectors 2, 70 from the fitted state to the non-fitted state. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a fitted state of the connector of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the connector assembly of the present invention, showing a state in the middle of shifting to a non-fitting state. FIG. 17 shows XVII- in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line XVII. FIG. 18 shows XVII of FIG.
It is sectional drawing along the I-XVIII line.

In the fitting completed state shown in FIG.
There is a slight gap between the latch claw 22b of the latch arm 22 and the latch portion 92. However, the latch release member 38
Is not driven, that is, as long as the electric wire (not shown) is pulled back and the like, the receptacle connector housing 4 is independently retracted, the engagement of the connectors 2 and 70 is maintained by the engagement of the latch claws 22b and the latch portion 92. Is done.

Next, when the latch release member 38 is driven backward by pulling a pull tab (not shown) or the like, the protrusions 34a, 34b, 34c and the stopper surfaces 62a, 62 are formed.
Due to the contact between b and 62c, the receptacle housing 4 also slightly retreats as shown in FIG. At this time, due to the engagement of the projection 30 and the connecting portion 90 constituting the fitting release resistance mechanism, resistance occurs in the retreat of the receptacle housing 4,
At the same time, the cam surface 22c of the latch arm 22 and the tapered surface 56 of the latch release member 38 engage. By this engagement,
As shown in FIG. 18, the latch arm 22 is bent toward the upper surface 10, and the engagement between the latch claw 22b and the latch portion 92 is released. This disengagement allows the receptacle connector housing 4 to retreat with respect to the header connector housing 72 again, so that the disengagement of the connectors 2 and 70 is reliably performed.

In the present embodiment, the fitting release resistance mechanism is constituted by a so-called detent lock comprising a projection 30 and a connecting portion (recess) 90 of the receiving groove 88. The detent lock is 6-1527
As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-106, it is general that the latch is used as one mode of a latch that guarantees a fitted state of a pair of connectors. However, the present invention is characterized in that the detent lock is used not as an original lock but as a fitting release resistance mechanism. As used herein, a disengagement resistance mechanism is defined as resisting disengagement of a pair of connectors to ensure that a latch arm flexes upon disengagement of a pair of connectors. Therefore, in addition to the detent lock of the present embodiment, for example, the fitting release resistance mechanism is provided on one of the outer surface of the receptacle connector housing or the fitting recess of the header housing, and is integrally or separately frictionally engaged with the other. Spring arm or the like. Further, the connector assembly should not be limited to the electrical connector as in the present embodiment, but may be an optical connector. The present invention is suitable for an optical connector since the optical connector requires a relatively small force for releasing the mating.

[0022]

According to the connector assembly of the present invention, a pair of connector housings to be fitted with each other, a latch arm provided on one of the pair of connector housings, and a connector arm on the other housing. A connector assembly comprising: a latch portion provided; and a latch release member slidably disposed on one housing along a fitting direction of the pair of connector housings and configured to drive a latch arm to release the latch. Since the pair of connector housings has a mating release resistance mechanism against the mating release when the mating is released, there is an advantage that the latch can be surely released by operating the latch releasing member.

According to the connector assembly of the second aspect,
Since the fitting release resistance mechanism is a projection provided on one surface of one housing and a concave portion formed on the other housing, it has an advantage of having a keying function between the housings.

According to the connector assembly of the third aspect,
Since the latch arm is integrally provided in one housing, there is an advantage that a connector assembly having a relatively small number of parts can be obtained.

According to the connector assembly of the fourth aspect,
Since the latch releasing member has the pull tab, there is an advantage that the latch can be easily released even when the connectors are arranged at high density.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a non-fitting state of a connector assembly according to the present invention as viewed from a plane side.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a housing of a receptacle connector included in the connector assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the receptacle connector housing of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the receptacle connector housing of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a left side view of the receptacle connector of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a latch release member that slides on the receptacle connector.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the latch release member of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the latch release member of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a left side view of the latch release member of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a housing of a header connector constituting the connector assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a front view of the receptacle connector housing of FIG.

14 is a right side view of the receptacle connector of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a fitted state of the connector assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the connector assembly of the present invention, showing a state in the middle of shifting to a non-fitting state.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along the line XVII-XVII in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along the line XVIII-XVIII in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing one connector of a conventional connector assembly.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a fitted state of the connector assembly of FIG. 19;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector assembly 4 Receptacle connector housing (one connector housing) 22 Latch arm 30 Projection (fitting release resistance mechanism) 38 Latch release member 72 Header housing (other connector housing) 90 Connection part (recess part) 92 Latch part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pair of connector housings that fit together, a latch arm provided on one of the pair of connector housings, a latch portion provided on the other housing, and the one housing Above 1
A latch release member that is slidably disposed along the fitting direction of the pair of connector housings and that releases the latch by driving the latch arm. A connector assembly, sometimes having a mating release resistance mechanism against the mating release. 2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein said mating release resistance mechanism comprises a projection provided on one surface of said one housing and a concave portion formed on said other housing. . 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the latch arm is provided integrally with the one housing.
A connector assembly as described. 4. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein said latch releasing member has a pull tab.