JP2002260780A - Connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector assembly enabled to make the push in force of a slider small, and to restrain the size from getting large. SOLUTION: The connector assembly comprises a male connector 10, a female connector 12, and a slider 14, pushed in with the male connector 10 in the direction crossing the connector fitting direction, and a slanted cam groove 24 slanting against the direction of pushing in is formed to the slider 14, and a cam protrusion 30 engaging with the slanted can groove 24 is formed to the female connector 12. When making both connectors 10, 12 locate at the fitting starting position, and pushing the slider 14 into the male connector 10, the cam protrusion 30 of the female connector 12 is pushed down by the slanted cam groove 24 of the slider, and the fitting movement of both connectors 10, 12 is made to proceed. A slider pushing lever 16, having a falcrum at the base end side, a power point at the top end side, and a point of application adding a pushing force to the slider 14 at the middle, is mounted to the connector 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a connector assembly that requires a small force for fitting a connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As the number of poles (the number of terminals) of a connector assembly used for connection of wiring inside a vehicle or the like increases, the force required for fitting increases almost in proportion thereto. Become. As an improvement on this point, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-135046 discloses a connector assembly which can be fitted with a relatively small force even if the number of poles is large.

[0003] The connector assembly includes a male connector,
It comprises a female connector and a slider that is pushed into the male connector in a direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction. The slider is formed in a substantially U-shape, and two inclined cam grooves are formed in portions inserted into the male connector. Also, two cam projections are formed on both sides of the female connector to enter the two inclined cam grooves of the slider.

When both connectors are fitted together, both connectors are positioned at the fitting start position, and the slider is pushed into the male connector. Then, since the inclined cam groove of the slider pushes down the cam projection of the female connector, the fitting of both connectors proceeds. When the slider is pushed to the end, the fitting of both connectors is completed. With such a configuration, the force required for the fitting can be reduced by the function of the cam mechanism as compared with a case where the two connectors are fitted by directly applying a force in the fitting direction.

[0005] However, even if the slider as described above is used, if the number of poles of the connector is further increased, a large force is required to push the slider, which may make the fitting operation difficult. In order to solve this, it has been proposed to provide a slider for pushing the slider into the male connector (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-293559).

[0006]

However, when the sliders are combined in two stages, there is a problem that the size of the entire connector assembly becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly capable of reducing the pushing force of a slider and suppressing an increase in size in view of the above problems.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a first connector, a second connector fitted to the first connector, and a connector fitted to the first connector. A slider which is pushed in a direction intersecting the direction, wherein the slider has an inclined cam groove inclined with respect to the pushing direction, and the second connector has a cam projection which engages with the inclined cam groove of the slider. When the slider is pushed into the first connector with both connectors located at the fitting start position, the cam projection of the second connector is pushed down by the inclined cam groove of the slider, so that both connectors are formed. In the connector assembly, the fitting of the first connector, the fulcrum pivotally attached to the first connector, the base end side is attached to the first connector, A lever for pushing the slider is attached, the tip being the point of force and the middle being the point of application of the pushing force to the slider.

With this configuration, the slider can be pushed in by applying a force to the distal end side of the lever and rotating the lever, so that the pushing force of the slider can be reduced. Further, since the lever does not take up space, the size of the connector assembly can be suppressed.

[0010] In the connector assembly of the present invention, the slider includes two slide pieces each having an inclined cam groove on an inner surface, and a connecting portion that integrally connects rear ends of the two slide pieces. The lever is composed of two lever pieces located outside the two slide pieces and a bridge portion integrally connecting the distal ends of the two lever pieces, and rotating the lever. When the mating of both connectors is completed by pushing the slider completely into the first connector, the bridge portion of the lever engages with the back surface of the second connector to maintain the mating completed state. Is preferred. With this configuration, the state after the completion of the fitting of the two connectors can be stably maintained.

Further, in the connector assembly of the present invention, the inner surface of the two lever pieces of the lever is provided with an inward convex portion in the middle of the longitudinal direction, and the outer surface of the two slide pieces of the slider is It is preferable that a concave portion into which the inward convex portion is provided is provided, and a pushing force is transmitted from the lever to the slider by engagement of the inward convex portion and the concave portion.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 10 is a male connector with a male terminal (not shown) incorporated in a plastic housing, 12 is a female connector with a female terminal (not shown) incorporated in a plastic housing, and 14 is a connector on the male connector 10. A slider 16 that is pushed in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, and 16 is a lever that pushes the slider 14.

FIG. 2 shows a state before the slider 14 and the lever 16 are assembled to the male connector 10. The slider 14 has a substantially U-shaped planar shape in which rear ends of two parallel slide pieces 18 are integrally connected by a connecting portion 20. Male connector 10
Are two slide pieces of the slider 14 on the inside of both side walls.
It has a slot 22 into which 18 is inserted. Two inclined cam grooves 24 are formed on the inner surfaces of the two slide pieces 18 of the slider 14, respectively. Each of the two slide pieces 18 is formed with an elastic locking piece 26 for preventing entry and an elastic locking piece 28 for preventing withdrawal. When the slide piece 18 of the slider 14 is inserted into the slot 22 of the male connector 10 to the initial position (the state shown in FIG. 1), the elastic locking piece for preventing entry
The slider 26 is engaged with a locking portion (not shown) in the slot 22 so that the slider 14 is held at the initial position. When the slider 14 is at the initial position, the entrance 24a of each inclined cam groove 24 is open in the male connector 10 toward the female connector 12 side.

On the other hand, on both side surfaces of the female connector 12, cam projections 30 that engage with the inclined cam grooves 24 of the slider 14 are formed (see FIG. 1). Locking projections 32 are formed on the front and rear surfaces of the female connector 12. This locking projection
Reference numeral 32 denotes a connector for temporarily engaging the female connector 12 at the fitting start position by engaging with the slit 33 of the male connector 10 when the female connector 12 and the male connector 10 come to the fitting start position. When the female connector 12 comes to the fitting start position, the cam projection 30 enters the entrance 24a of the inclined cam groove 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 16
The front end of the lever pieces 34 is integrally connected by a bridge portion 36, and the front shape is substantially gate-shaped. Two lever pieces 34
A shaft hole 38 is formed at the base end side, and a shaft pin 40 is formed correspondingly at the slider entrance side at the lower part on both side surfaces of the male connector 10. Further, on the inner surfaces of the two lever pieces 34, an inward convex portion 42 is formed in the middle of the longitudinal direction. In FIG. 2, the inward convex portion 42 is drawn by a solid line, but this is because the entire lever 16 is drawn as being transparent.
Actually, since the inward convex portion 42 protrudes inside the lever piece 34, it is hidden by the shadows of the lever piece 34 and the bridge portion 36 and cannot be seen. Other figures have a similar drawing method.

The lever 16 and the slider 14 are combined so that the lever piece 34 crosses the slide piece 18 outside the slide piece 18. A thick portion 44 is formed on the rear end side of the slide piece 18 so as to protrude outward.
A concave portion 46 into which the 16 inward convex portions 42 enter is formed. Recess
46 is elongated in the connector fitting direction and opens upward. Thick portions of the slider 14 are provided on both side walls of the male connector 10.
A notch 47 into which 44 enters is formed.

FIG. 3 shows a method of assembling the slider 14 and the lever 16 to the male connector 10. First, after inserting the slider 14 into the male connector 10 to the initial position, the lever 16 is assembled to the rear end side of the slider 14 so that the lever piece 34 is positioned outside the slide piece 18. At this time, the inward convex portion 42 is inserted into the concave portion 46. Thereafter, while slightly expanding the base end side (lower end side) of the lever piece 34 of the lever 16 outward, the shaft hole 38 is inserted into the shaft pin 40.
To fit. Thus, an assembled state as shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a retaining projection 48 that projects in the radial direction is formed on the tip end side of the shaft pin 40, and the shaft hole 38 is formed as shown in FIG. It is formed in a keyhole shape so that the shaft pin 40 with the stopper projection 48 can be inserted. At the edge of the shaft hole 38, a sector-shaped concave portion 50 is formed in a circumferential direction from a position where the retaining projection 48 is inserted. As a result, the lever 16 can rotate about the shaft pin 40 by the opening angle of the sector-shaped concave portion 50. When the lever 16 rotates, the bottom portion of the fan-shaped recess 50 enters the back side of the retaining projection 48. FIG. 4A shows the rotation locus of the lever 16.

The inward protrusion 42 of the lever 16 and the recess 46 of the slider 14 are formed so that the inward protrusion 42 does not come off the recess 46 when the lever 16 rotates. For this reason,
When the lever 16 is rotated by applying a force to the bridge portion 36, the force is transmitted by the engagement of the inward convex portion 42 and the concave portion 46, and the slider 10 is pushed into the male connector 10 or pulled out from the male connector 10. can do. That is, lever 16
Is the fulcrum of the shaft pin 40, the emphasis on the bridge 36,
This constitutes a leverage with 42 as the point of action. The opening angle of the sector-shaped concave portion 50 is set so that the lever 16 can rotate from an initial position before the slider 14 is pushed in to a position where the slider 14 is completely pushed. An engagement protrusion 52 is formed on the front wall of the male connector 10 to engage with the lower side of the bridge portion 36 when the lever 16 reaches the position where the slider 14 is completely pushed, and hold the lever 16 at that position. .

FIG. 1 shows a male connector 10 and a female connector 1.
FIG. 5 shows a state before the fitting of the female connector 2 is performed. When the female connector 12 is positioned at the fitting start position from this state, the state shown in FIG. 5 is obtained. In this state, the cam projection 30 of the female connector 12 enters the inlet 24a of the inclined cam groove 24, as shown in FIG.
In this state, when the bridge portion 36 of the lever 16 is pushed in the direction of arrow P to rotate the lever 16, a pushing force is applied to the slider 14 by the engagement between the inward convex portion 42 and the concave portion 46, and the slider 14 Pushed inside. Then Figure 6
As shown in (B), since the cam projection 30 is pushed down by the inclined cam groove 24, the female connector 12 is drawn into the male connector 10, and the fitting proceeds. Since the lever 16 acts as a lever, the slider 14 can be pushed with a smaller force than when a pushing force is directly applied to the slider 14.

When the lever 16 is rotated to the end, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7C and FIG. 7, the fitting of the male connector 10 and the female connector 12 is completed. In this state, the jaw 54 of the lever 16 (see FIG. 6B) is engaged with the rear surface of the female connector 12, so that the fitted state of the female connector 12 and the male connector 10 is stably maintained. Since the lower side 56 (see FIG. 6B) of the bridge portion 36 of the lever 16 engages with the engaging projection 52 of the male connector 10, the lever 16 is held at that position. Further, after the fitting is completed, the substantially gate-shaped lever 16 is in a state of straddling a part of the outer periphery of the male connector 10, so that it can be compactly fitted and the size of the connector assembly can be minimized.

When releasing the engagement between the male connector 10 and the female connector 12, the lever 16 may be rotated in the opposite direction from the state shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the case where the first connector is a male connector and the second connector is a female connector has been described. On the contrary, the first connector is a female connector and the second connector is a female connector. The connector may be a male connector.

[0025]

According to the present invention as described above,
Since the lever is attached to the first connector and the slider is pushed by the lever, the slider can be pushed with a smaller force than when the slider is pushed directly. Further, since the lever does not take up space, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the connector assembly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a connector assembly according to the present invention before fitting.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly of FIG. 1 on the male connector side.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching a slider and a lever to the male connector.

FIG. 4A is a side view showing a rotation locus of a lever,
(B) is a side view which expands and shows the fulcrum part of a lever.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the female connector is located at a fitting start position from the state of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6A to 6C are perspective side views showing a fitting process of the male and female connectors.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where the fitting of the male and female connectors is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Male connector 12: Female connector 14: Slider 16: Lever 18: Slide piece 20: Connecting part 22: Slot 24: Inclined cam groove 30: Cam protrusion 34: Lever piece 36: Bridge part 38: Shaft hole 40: Shaft pin 42: Inward convex 46: concave 48: retaining projection 50: fan-shaped concave

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A first connector (10), a second connector (12) fitted to the first connector, and a direction intersecting the connector fitting direction of the first connector (10). And a slider (14) pushed into the cam groove (2).
4) is formed, and the second connector (12) is formed with a cam projection (30) for engaging with the inclined cam groove (24) of the slider, and the two connectors (10, 12) are fitted together. Position the slider (14) in the first connector (1
0), the cam projection (30) of the second connector (12) is pushed down by the inclined cam groove (24) of the slider, so that the fitting of the two connectors (10, 12) proceeds. In the connector assembly, a fulcrum pivotally attached to the first connector (10) on the base end side and a power point on the tip end side;
A connector assembly to which a slider pushing lever (16) is attached, the middle of which is an action point for applying a pushing force to the slider (14). 2. The slider (14) includes two slide pieces (18) each having an inclined cam groove (24) on an inner surface thereof.
A connecting portion (20) for integrally connecting the rear end sides of the two slide pieces, wherein the lever (16) is a two lever piece located outside the two slide pieces (18); (34) and a bridge portion (36) for integrally connecting the distal ends of the two lever pieces. By turning the lever (16), the slider (14) is connected to the first connector (10). When the fitting of both connectors (10, 12) is completed by pushing the connector to the end, the bridge portion (36) of the lever engages with the back surface of the second connector (12) to maintain the fitted state. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein 3. The two lever pieces (3) of the lever (16).
The inner surface of 4) is provided with an inward convex portion (42) in the middle of the longitudinal direction, and the two slide pieces (18) of the slider (14).
A concave portion (46) in which the inward convex portion (42) is inserted is provided on the outer surface of the lever. The engagement between the inward convex portion (42) and the concave portion (46) causes the lever (16) to move to the slider (14). 3. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein a pushing force is transmitted.