JP2002075549A - Connector supporting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector supporting mechanism capable of easily locking the free ends of a pair of engaging levers to a mounted side. SOLUTION: Spring pieces 20 are arranged in a pair of engaging levers 13 and 13, and free ends of the engaging levers 13 and 13 are inserted into an opening part 5 while the engaging levers 13 and 13 are displaced in the mutually approaching direction against repulsion between the spring pieces 20 and 20, so that the engaging levers 13 and 13 are spread from each other by repulsion of the spring pieces 20 and 20 so as to be locked in an engaged plate part 7 in the opening part 5. In this way, the free ends of a pair of engaging levers 13 and 13 can be easily locked in the mounted part 2 side for fixing a female connector 3 to a mounted part 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector support mechanism, and more particularly, to a connector support mechanism for supporting and fixing a pair of male and female connectors to be coupled to each other to a mounting portion.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of connector support mechanism, there is one shown in FIGS. In the connector support mechanism, a second connector (not shown) is fitted to the first connector 43 in a state where the first connector 43 is mounted on the mounting plate portion 42 of the instrument panel 41. The first connector 43 is provided with a pair of rotatable engagement levers 44, 44.
The engagement levers 44, 44 are temporarily locked to the main body of the first connector 43 when they are inserted into the insertion holes 45, 45 formed in the attached plate portion 42. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the instrument panel 41 is cut in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state in which the first connector 43 is locked to the attached plate portion 42.

As shown by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 16, the distal end of the engaging lever 44 is inserted into the insertion holes 45, 45, and then slid in the lateral direction, whereby the engaging lever 44 is attached to the mounting plate 42. It is designed to be locked.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional connector support mechanism, since the distal ends of the respective engagement levers 44 are inserted into the separate insertion holes 45, 45 at the same time, the positioning operation is troublesome. In order to perform the operation of sliding the first connector 43 in the lateral direction after the insertion, two operations of insertion and slide are required. Further, when the first connector 43 is slid in the lateral direction, the temporary locking between the engagement lever 44 and the first connector 43 is likely to be released, which may hinder the subsequent fitting with the second connector. was there.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector support mechanism capable of easily locking the free ends of a pair of engagement levers to a portion to be mounted.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A pair of engagement levers are rotatably supported by the first connector, and a free end of the engagement lever is provided on an opening edge of an opening formed in a mounting portion behind the first connector. The engagement levers rotate in the direction in which the engagement levers hold the engagement with the attached portion and expand when the second connector is fitted to the first connector in a state where the engagement levers are engaged with the first connector. A connector supporting mechanism, wherein an elastic member is interposed between the engaging levers, and the engaging lever is displaced in a state where the engaging levers are displaced against a repulsive force of the elastic member. An end is inserted into the opening, and the levers for engagement are expanded by the repulsive force of the elastic member and are locked to the engaged plate portion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the elastic member is interposed between the engaging levers, the angle formed by the two engaging levers against the elastic member is reduced. The free ends of both engagement levers can be easily inserted into the openings of the attached parts. In addition, by releasing the force that has been pressed to narrow both engagement levers, the two engagement levers are expanded by the repulsive force of the elastic member, and the free ends are automatically provided at the opening edge of the opening. Locked by the engaged plate portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the connector supporting mechanism according to the first aspect, wherein the mounting portion has the opening formed in a plate, and is opened from an opening edge of the opening. A plate portion to be engaged extending toward the inside of the engaging portion, and a free end of the engaging lever, which is expanded by a repulsive force of the elastic member, is brought into contact with the back surface side of the engaged plate portion. The present invention is characterized in that a rear engaging projection is formed and a front engaging projection is formed on the front side of the engaged plate portion.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the engagement between the rear engagement projection and the front engagement projection formed at the free end of the engaging lever is made. A joint plate is arranged. Further, since the rear engaging projection is pressed against the back surface of the engaged plate portion by the repulsive force of the elastic member, the first
The connector can be locked to the mounting portion.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1.
Alternatively, in the connector supporting mechanism according to claim 2, the elastic member is provided on both of the pair of engagement levers.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the function of the first or second aspect of the present invention, since the elastic members are provided on both the engagement levers, the engagement levers are connected to each other. When it is narrowed, the elastic members have a function of pressing against each other and accumulating a large repulsive force.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the connector support mechanism according to any one of the first to third aspects, the elastic member is provided on one of the pair of engagement levers. It is characterized by having.

Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects of the present invention, only one of the engagement levers needs to be provided with an elastic member, and the other engagement lever is provided. The lever can have a simple structure.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of a connector support mechanism according to the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connector support mechanism of the present embodiment has a mounting portion 2 formed on an instrument panel 1 which is, for example, a stay member of an automobile, and a second mounting portion 2 mounted on the mounting portion 2. A female connector 3 as one connector and a second connector fitted and attached to the female connector 3
It is roughly composed of a male connector 4 as a connector.

First, the configuration of the mounted portion 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a front view of the mounted portion 2, FIG. 3 is a plan view, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the mounted portion 2 and the female connector 3.

The mounting portion 2 includes an instrument panel 1
A hood portion 6 extending forward from an opening edge of a rectangular opening portion 5 formed in a rectangular shape and having a substantially cylindrical shape is provided.
In addition, on both sides of the upper edge and the lower edge of the opening 5, engaged plate portions 7 are respectively provided so as to project toward the other edge. A free end portion of an engagement lever 13 mounted on the female connector 3 described later is engaged with the engaged plate portion 7.

The hood portion 6 includes an upper plate 6A, a lower plate 6B, and side plates 6C, 6C on both sides. Each plate 6A, 6
In the center of the outer surfaces of B and 6C, a reinforcing rib 8 is formed so as to be integrated with the instrument panel 1.
The upper plate 6A is set to have a longer forward projecting dimension than the lower plate 6B. In addition, rectangular notches 9 are formed on both sides of the reinforcing rib 8 in the upper plate 6A.

Further, on the back surface of the side edge facing the other engaged plate portion 7 located on the left or right of the engaged plate portion 7,
A small locking ridge 10 protruding rearward is formed. Further, a tapered surface 11 for guiding a free end of an engagement lever 13 described later is formed on the front surface of the side edge.

Next, the configuration of the female connector 3 will be described. The female connector 3 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped female connector housing 12 and a pair of engaging levers 13, 13 rotatably supported by the female connector housing 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the female connector 3 is inserted into and engaged with the above-described mounted portion 2 from the back side of the instrument panel 1 opposite to the side on which the hood portion 6 is formed. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a plurality of female connection terminals 14 are housed in the female connector housing 12. These female connection terminals 14 are provided at the front end side of the female connector housing 12 at the male connector 4
3 is electrically connected.

On the upper and lower surfaces of the female connector housing 12,
Support shafts 15, 15 for rotatably supporting the engagement levers 13, 13, respectively, are disposed and protruded from left and right at predetermined intervals.

The engaging lever 13 is, as shown in FIG.
Two lever plate portions 13A, 13A having the same shape;
The lever plate portions 13A, 13A are formed integrally with the lever plate portions 13A, 13A so as to connect the ends of the lever plate portions 13A, 13A. Each of the engagement levers 13 is attached to support shafts 15, 15 formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the female connector housing 12 by lever plate portions 13.
A and 13A are pivotally supported and rotatable. Also,
The free end side (the coupling portion 13B side) of the engagement lever 13 is set to project rearward from the rear end portion of the female connector housing 12.

Rear engaging projections 16 are provided on the surfaces of the free ends of the lever plates 13A, 13A of the engaging lever 13. After this, the engaging projection 16
When the female connector 3 is mounted on the mounting portion 2, the female connector 3 comes into pressure contact with the back surface of the engaged plate portion 7. Also,
On one side area of a line connecting the rear engagement projection 16 and the support shaft 15 on the front side of the rear engagement projection 16 of each of the lever plate portions 13A, 13A in the engagement lever 13,
A front engaging projection 17 is provided. This front engaging projection 17
Is set to be substantially the same as the height of the rear engagement projection 16. The rear surface of the front engaging projection 17 engages with the surface of the engaged plate portion 7 when the female connector 3 is attached to the attached portion 2.

The edge of the lever plate 13A, which is located on the other side of the line connecting the rear engagement projection 16 and the support shaft 15, is temporarily locked to the rear edge of the female connector housing 12. A temporary locking piece 18 is formed. Also,
Opposite edges of the two lever plate portions 13A, 13A supported on the upper and lower surfaces of the female connector housing 12, respectively, have gear portions 19, 1 meshing with each other.
9 are formed. By forming the gear portions 19 meshing with each other on the adjacent lever plate portions 13A, 13A, the lever plate portions 13A rotate in the opposite directions in synchronization with each other.

Further, in the lever plate 13A, a spring piece 20 as a resilient elastic member is provided at a position behind the gear 19. This spring piece 2
Numeral 0 is provided on both engagement levers 13 and has a curved shape so as to expand toward the other spring piece 20. Two adjacent lever plate portions 13 disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the female connector housing 12, respectively.
A, the spring pieces 20 formed on 13A are
8 are set so as to be in contact with each other in an initial state where they are locked to the rear end of the female connector housing 12. For this reason, when each of the engagement levers 13 is rotated in a direction in which the free ends of the pair of engagement levers 13 approach each other, the spring pieces 20 are biased.

An engaging projection 2 projecting upward or downward from the lever plate 13A is provided at a front end of a portion of the lever plate 13A supported by the support shaft 15.
1 is protruded. The engagement protrusion 21 is guided into the male connector 4 and functions as a stopper for the male connector 4. An engagement projection 22 is provided between the support shaft 15 and the gear portion 19 in the lever plate portion 13A. The engaging projection 22 has an action of rotating the engagement lever 13 by a pressing force received from the male connector 4 by contacting the front end of the male connector 4 and an action of retracting the female connector 3.

Here, the female connector 3 is
The method of mounting the hologram will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, as shown in FIG. 5, the female connector 3 is inserted from the back side of the instrument panel 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow.
Then, the edge portions 13C, 13C of the engaging lever 13 abut against the engaged plate portion 7 formed on the attached portion 2, and a moment acts on the engaging levers 13, 13. Due to this moment, the engagement levers 13 and 13 are supported by the support shaft 1.
It starts to rotate around 5, 15 in the direction approaching each other (the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5). At the same time, the spring pieces 20, 20 formed on the respective engaging levers 13, 13 come into contact with each other, and a repulsive force for separating the free ends of the engaging levers 13, 13 is accumulated. Then, when the female connector 3 is pushed into the attached portion 2 by a force that overcomes this repulsive force, the engaging projections 16 are automatically formed on the engaging levers 13, 13 and then contact the back surface of the engaged plate portion 7. And the front engaging projection 17 abuts on the front side of the engaged plate portion 7. Thus, the engaged plate portion 7 is gripped by the rear engagement projection 16 and the front engagement projection 17, and the female connector 3 is mounted on the mounted portion 2. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state where the female connector 3 is mounted on the mounted portion 2, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

In this embodiment, the spring piece 20 is used as the elastic member. However, for example, a coil spring arranged to repel each other or a member having elasticity such as rubber may be used. In the present embodiment, the elastic member is provided on the engagement lever 13.
Of course, the elastic member may be fixed at an intermediate position between the two engagement levers 13 in FIG.

Next, the configuration of the male connector 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the male connector 4 is fixed to the board 24 on the device side, and is provided so as to be exposed from an opening 25A of an escutcheon 25 erected at the rear of the device. . The opening 25A of the escutcheon 25 is provided with a rib slit 25B corresponding to the reinforcing rib 8 of the mounted portion 2 and a supporting projection 25C for supporting the male connector 4.

As shown in FIG. 9, the male connector 4 has a male connector housing 27 having a front face formed with a fitting recess 26 for fitting the female connector 3, and a bottom plate 28 forming the bottom of the fitting recess 26. And a plurality of male connection terminals 29 disposed so as to protrude into the fitting concave portion 26 through the through hole.

A board fixing portion 30 extending rearward is formed on both lower sides of the rear end of the male connector housing 27. Further, on both sides of the upper and lower plate portions 31 and 32 of the male connector housing 27, a temporary lock release arm 33 extending forward is protrudingly provided. The temporary locking release arm 33 flexes the temporary locking piece 18 while the female / male connectors 3 and 4 are being fitted to each other, thereby bending the female connector housing 12.
It has a function to release the temporarily locked state with the rear end.

Further, a lever insertion slit 35 which is cut rearward by a predetermined size is formed in the upper and lower positions on the front end surfaces of the side plates 34 on both sides of the male connector housing 27. Then, the upper and lower plate portions 31, 3 of the male connector 4
2, on the inner wall surface, a pair of guide grooves 31A formed on the female connector housing 12 and corresponding to the engagement protrusions 21,
31A, 32A and 32A are formed. The inside of these guide grooves 31A, 31A, and the guide groove 32
A pair of engagement receiving portions 36, 36 with which the engagement protrusions 21 engage are formed on the inner sides of A, 32A.
The engagement projections 21 introduced from the engagement grooves 31A, 32A move along the peripheral surfaces of the engagement receiving portions 36, 36 so as to perform an operation of engaging with the engagement receiving portions 36, 36. Is set to

On the upper surface of the upper plate portion 31 of the male connector housing 27, a supporting projection 25 of the escutcheon 25 is provided.
A support protrusion 37 for fixing to C is provided.

The configuration of the connector support mechanism of the present embodiment has been described above. Next, an operation method for assembling the male connector 4 to the female connector 3 mounted on the mounted portion 2, and an operation / operation will be described with reference to FIG. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15, the escutcheon 25 is omitted.

First, as shown in FIG. 11, the fitting of the male connector 4 to the female connector 3 mounted on the mounting portion 2 is started. In a state where the male connector 4 is brought close to the female connector 3 and the fitting is started, as shown in FIG. 12, the engagement protrusion 21 formed at the front end of the engagement lever 13 on the female connector housing 12 side Guide grooves 31A, 32 formed on the upper and lower inner wall surfaces of male connector 4
A, the distal end of the temporary lock release arm 33 reaches the temporary lock piece 18.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, when the male connector 4 is further pushed in so as to be fitted with the female connector 3,
The end face of the engagement receiving portion 36 of the male connector 4 is engaged with the engagement projection 22 of the engagement lever 13 and pressed rearward,
The state in which the temporary lock release arm 33 locks the temporary lock piece 18 to the rear end of the female connector housing 12 is released. At this time, the front engagement projections 17 formed on the pair of engagement levers 13, 13 receive a reaction force from the front surface of the engaged plate portion 7, and rotate in the direction in which the engagement levers 13 expand toward each other. Has an effect. The engagement levers 13, 13
Are rotated in synchronization with each other because the gear portions 19 mesh with each other. Accordingly, the engagement protrusion 21 formed at the front end of the engagement lever 13 rotates so as to go around the back side of the engagement receiving portion 36. According to such an operation, the rear engagement projection 16 and the front engagement projection 17 slide the engaged plate portion 7 outward in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the male connector 4 is further pushed in, the spring pieces 20 are separated from each other. In addition, the engagement protrusion 21 formed at the front end of the engagement lever 13 of the female connector 3 goes around the back of the engagement receiving portion 36 with the rotation as shown in FIG. When the male connector 4 is further pushed in, as shown in FIG. 15, the engagement protrusion 21 is completely wrapped around and engaged with the back side of the engagement receiving portion 36, and functions to prevent the male connector 4 from coming off. At this time, the lever plate portion 13A is completely inserted into the lever insertion slit 35, and has an action of preventing further fitting.

With the above operation, the fitting / connection operation of the male connector 4 to the female connector 3 mounted on the mounted portion 2 is completed.

In this embodiment having such a configuration,
The temporary locking piece 18 formed on the engaging lever 13 is engaged with the rear end of the female connector housing 12 so as to engage with the engaging lever 13.
Is prevented, the force for holding the engagement lever 13 in the initial state is increased, and reliable temporary locking can be performed.

In this embodiment, the spring piece 20 is used.
The female connector 3 can be automatically mounted on the mounted portion 2 simply by pressing the female connector 3 against the mounted portion 2 with a force against the repulsive force of the connector, thereby facilitating the connector mounting operation. Can be.

In this embodiment, the engagement lever 13
The female connector 3 has the gear portion 19 that meshes with each other.
When an external force is applied, the left and right engagement levers 13 disperse the force and act evenly on the attached portion 2, so that there is an advantage that the left and right engagement levers 13 are less likely to come off from the attached portion 2.

In the present embodiment, the lever insertion slit 35 into which the lever plate portion 13A of the engagement lever 13 pivotally supported by the female connector 3 is inserted is formed in the side plate 34 of the male connector housing 27. Accordingly, the rotation amount of the engagement lever 13 can be increased. When such a lever insertion slit 35 is not formed, it is necessary to increase the size of the engagement lever 13 in order to secure the same amount of rotation, and the connector support mechanism becomes large. In this embodiment, since the lever insertion slit 35 is formed, the size of the engagement lever 13 can be reduced, and a compact connector support mechanism can be realized.

Further, in the present embodiment, the engagement lever 1
It is possible to firmly clamp the engaged plate portion 7 between the rear engagement projection 16 and the front engagement projection 17 with the rotation of the connector 3, thereby preventing rattling of the female connector 3. be able to.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various design changes accompanying the gist of the configuration are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the engagement lever 13 having a shape that wraps around the upper and lower surfaces of the female connector housing 12 is used, but a configuration in which a pair of plate-like engagement levers are provided on only one of the upper and lower surfaces may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the female connector 3 is applied as the first connector, and the male connector 4 is applied as the second connector. Of course, a configuration using a female connector as the second connector may be employed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mounting portion 2 is provided on the instrument panel 1, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0047]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the free ends of the both engaging levers can be easily inserted into the opening of the mounting portion. Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the force that has been pressed so as to narrow both engagement levers is released, so that the free end of the engagement lever is provided at the opening edge of the opening. There is an effect that it can be automatically locked to the part.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the rear engagement projection and the front engagement projection formed at the free end of the engagement lever engage with the engaged plate. Since the portion is clamped, there is an effect of preventing the engagement lever from rattling with respect to the attached portion. Further, since the rear engaging projection is pressed against the back surface of the engaged plate portion by the repulsive force of the elastic member, there is an effect of preventing the engaging lever from being detached from the attached portion.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect of the present invention, since the elastic members are provided on both the engagement levers, the engagement levers can be connected to each other. In the case where the elastic member is narrowed, the repulsive force accumulated between the elastic members can be increased, and there is an effect of increasing the strength with which the engaging lever is locked to the attached portion.

According to the invention described in claim 4, claims 1 to 1 are provided.
In addition to the effect of the third aspect of the present invention, since only one of the engagement levers needs to be provided with an elastic member, the other engagement lever can have a simple structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector support mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a mounted portion in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a mounted portion in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a mounted portion and a female connector in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state in which the female connector according to the embodiment is attached to an attached portion.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the male connector in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory plan view showing an initial state of fitting between the female connector and the male connector in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory plan view showing a state where the female connector and the male connector in the embodiment are in the process of being fitted;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory plan view showing a state in which the female connector and the male connector in the embodiment are in the process of being fitted and the engagement of the temporary locking pieces has been released.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory plan view showing a state where the female connector and the male connector in the embodiment are in the process of being fitted, and the lever plate portion has begun to be inserted into the lever insertion slit.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory plan view showing a state in which the female connector and the male connector in the embodiment are completely fitted.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory sectional view showing a conventional connector support mechanism.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing a conventional connector support mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument panel 2 Attachment part 3 Female connector 4 Male connector 5 Opening part 7 Engagement plate part 13 Engagement lever 16 Rear engagement projection 17 Front engagement projection 20 Spring piece

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A pair of engagement levers are rotatably supported by a first connector, and a free end of the engagement lever is provided at an opening edge of an opening formed in a portion to be mounted behind the first connector. When the second connector is fitted to the first connector in a state in which the second lever is engaged with the engaged plate portion, the engagement levers hold the engaged state with the attached portion and expand. A connector support mechanism that rotates in a direction in which an elastic member is interposed between the engagement levers, and the engagement levers are displaced against each other against a repulsive force of the elastic member. A connector supporting mechanism, wherein a free end of an engaging lever is inserted into the opening, and the engaging levers are expanded by the repulsive force of the elastic member to be locked to the engaged plate portion. 2. The connector support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion has the opening formed in a plate, and extends from an opening edge of the opening toward the inside of the opening. A post-engaging projection that contacts the back surface side of the engaged plate portion in a state where it is expanded at the free end of the engaging lever by the repulsive force of the elastic member. A connector support mechanism, wherein a front engaging projection is formed to contact the front surface side of the engaged plate portion. 3. The connector support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is provided on both of the pair of engagement levers. 4. The connector support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is provided on one of the pair of engagement levers. Support mechanism.