JP2004335286A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a mutual fitting property between connectors using a lever. <P>SOLUTION: The connector is composed of a male side housing 10 and a female side housing 20 capable of being fit to each other, and a lever 24 capable of drawing both housings 10, 20 near to each other by exerting a cam operation between both the housings is mounted on the female side housing 20. A communication part 30 capable of communicating the lever 24 with the female side housing 20 when both the housings 10, 20 are located at normal fitting positions, and a locking device 40 enabling the lever 24 to be locked into the female housing 20 is inserted into the communication part 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector for connecting wire harnesses.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIG. 12, this type of connector includes a standby connector housing 2 attached to a panel 1 and an assembly connector housing 3 fitted to the standby connector housing 2. Male terminal fittings (not shown) are accommodated in the standby-side connector housing 2, while female terminal fittings (not shown) are accommodated in the assembly-side connector housing 3. , 3 are connected to each other to make a conductive connection between the terminal fittings.
[0003]
Here, the assembly-side connector housing 3 is rotatable with a lever 4 that exerts a cam action with the standby-side connector housing 2 to draw the two connector housings 2 and 3 together to form a properly fitted state. A lock piece 5 is provided to prevent the rotation of the lever 4 so as to be attached and to keep the connector housings 2 and 3 at the proper fitting positions. The lock piece 5 is provided in a cantilever shape with cut grooves (not shown) on both sides in the side wall portion of the housing, and switches the lever 4 from the locked state to the unlocked state on the extension end side. A possible release operation 6 is provided. As an example of such a connector, a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-244014 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-mentioned patent document, the locking and unlocking of the lever 4 can be easily switched, but more useful ones have been desired.
An object of the present invention is to further enhance the function of fitting a connector between levers.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a female connector housing accommodating a female terminal fitting and a male connector housing accommodating a male terminal fitting. One of the two connector housings is provided with a lever having a gate shape as a whole by connecting a pair of legs by a rotation operation part, and the rotation operation of the lever is performed. A cam mechanism based on which the male and female connector housings are drawn toward each other to be in a proper mating state, and when the male and female connector housings are in a normal mating position, the lever and the one A communication portion capable of connecting the connector housing to the first connector housing is formed in the communication portion from the lever side. By being inserted toward have characterized the lever was configured to lockable to the stop on the one connector housing.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the communication portion is arranged along a direction substantially orthogonal to a specific external force acting direction toward the lever. Having.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the stopper has a temporary locking position that allows the rotation of the lever, and a full locking position that prevents the rotation of the lever. It is characterized in that it is configured to be movable between the two.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, an accommodating recess is provided in the rotating operation portion, and the stopper is in the full-engagement position when the stopper is at the final locking position. It is characterized in that, by being accommodated in the concave portion, the outer surface thereof is positioned so as to be substantially flush with the surface around the accommodating concave portion or to be recessed.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the stopper comprises an inner body and an outer shell, and the outer shell is provided inside and outside along the axial direction. A flexible sleeve is provided, and the inner insert is inserted and engaged in the sleeve, so that the distal end side of the sleeve is expanded to be able to press the hole wall of the communication portion. However, it has features.
[0011]
Function and effect of the present invention
<Invention of claim 1>
Since a stopper that allows the lever to be locked to one connector housing is inserted into the communication part that connects one connector housing and the lever to each other, both male and female connector housings are securely inserted at the proper fitting position. Will be detained.
[0012]
<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the communicating portion is disposed along a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the specific external force acting toward the lever, the lock by the stopper cannot be released by the specific external force toward the lever.
[0013]
<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the stopper is set to be movable between the temporary locking position and the final locking position, the stopper is temporarily locked at the temporary locking position, and the stopper and one connector housing are integrated. The fitting operation of the connectors can be performed in a state where the connectors are formed, and the workability can be improved.
[0014]
<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the outer surface of the stopper is positioned so as to be substantially flush with the surface around the accommodation recess or at the back thereof at the final locking position, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the stopper is unnecessarily removed from the accommodation recess.
[0015]
<Invention of claim 5>
When the inner insert is inserted into the sleeve of the outer shell, the front end of the sleeve expands and the hole wall of the communication portion can be pressed, so that the inner insert is inserted into the sleeve of the outer shell. The lever can be locked to one of the connector housings by a simple operation of engaging only.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the connector according to the present embodiment includes a male connector housing (hereinafter, referred to as a male housing 10) as a standby connector housing attached to the panel P, and is fitted to the male housing 10. And a female connector housing (hereinafter, female housing 20) as an assembly side connector housing. In the following, the mating surface side of the male and female housings 10, 20 is referred to as the front side.
[0017]
First, the male housing 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the male housing 10 is fitted into a mounting opening PA formed in the panel P from the rear side of the panel, and the male housing 10 on the front side of the panel. It is locked to the opening edge of the mounting port PA by a locking claw (not shown). The male housing 10 includes a main body 11 having a plurality of cavities (not shown) inside thereof, and a hood 12 formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape in front of the main body 11. A male terminal fitting (not shown) can be accommodated in the cavity of the main body 11.
On the other hand, the hood portion 12 is formed to be slightly larger than the main body portion 11, and the tip portions of a plurality of male terminal fittings corresponding to each cavity are arranged inside the hood portion 12 in a protruding state. Further, a female housing 20 is fitted into the hood portion 12, and a pair of follower pins 13 fitted into a cam groove W of a lever 24 attached to an outer surface of the female housing 20 project from an inner surface of the hood portion 12. Is established.
[0018]
Next, the female housing 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the female housing 20 covers a housing main body 21 having a fitting surface, and covers the entire outer surface excluding the fitting surface while covering the housing main body 21 from the rear side. A grommet 22 is mounted on the grommet 22, a grommet cover 23 is mounted on the outside of the grommet 22, and a side surface of the grommet cover 23. And a lever 24 for drawing. When both the male and female housings 10 and 20 are in the proper fitting positions, the lever 24 can be locked to the grommet cover 23 by being inserted from the lever 24 side to the grommet cover side 23. A stop 40 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of cavities 21A capable of accommodating female terminal fittings (not shown) are provided in the housing body 21. From the rear surface of a portion of the grommet 22 surrounding the housing main body 21, an electric wire lead-out portion 22A for passing an electric wire drawn from the housing main body 21 extends downward in the drawing.
The grommet cover 23 is formed so that the grommet 22 can be sandwiched between the grommet cover 23 and the housing body 21, and is formed in a box shape that opens to the fitting surface side as a whole. At the lower end of the rear surface of the grommet cover 23, an insertion opening 23F for allowing the electric wire lead-out portion 22A to escape is provided.
[0019]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of cut grooves 23G is provided on one of both side walls of the grommet cover 23, so that the lock piece can be bent inward and outward between the cut grooves 23G. 23H are provided. The outer surface of the lock piece 23H is covered by the leg 24A of the lever 24 when the lever 24 is at the fitting position, and as shown in FIG. An engagement projection 23J that fits from the inside into an engagement hole 24C (described later) and locks the lever 24 at the engagement position. As shown in FIG. 2, a release operation portion 23K for releasing the lock of the lever 24 is provided at the extension end of the lock piece 23H. The release operation portion 23K is arranged so as to be exposed on the rear wall surface of the grommet cover 23. The release operation portion 23K can be bent at a portion of the rear wall of the grommet cover 23 corresponding to the release operation portion 23K. The notch 23S which has a suitable evacuation space is provided.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 5, a protruding portion 27 is provided upright at the upper end position on the rear wall of the grommet cover 23. The upper surface of the raised portion 27 is curved so as to follow the rotation track of the inner surface of the rotation operation portion 24B of the lever 24. At the center in the width direction on the upper surface of the protruding portion 27, as shown in FIG. Note that the inner surface of the rotation operation portion 24B of the lever 24 is also a curved surface corresponding to the upper surface of the raised portion 27.
[0021]
Next, the lever 24 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 24 is formed in a gate shape as a whole by connecting a pair of legs 24 </ b> A by a rotation operation unit 24 </ b> B. As shown in FIG. 1, the two leg portions 24 </ b> A are provided with cam grooves W into which the follower pins 13 provided in the male housing 10 can enter, and the entrances of the cam grooves W rotate the lever 24. In the state in front, it faces forward. By rotating the lever 24 from the initial position where the follower pin 13 has entered the entrance of the cam groove W to the fitting position, the follower pin 13 is moved along the cam groove and the two housings 10 are moved. , 20 are advanced. An engagement hole 24C is provided in one of the two leg portions 24A, and the engagement protrusion 23J of the lock piece 23H is fitted into the engagement hole 24C, whereby the lever 24 is locked. It is supposed to be.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 4, the lever 24 is formed so as to protrude outward from the rotary operation portion 24B to the upper portion of the leg portion 24A. By cutting out an outer portion of the protruding region 24S in the plate thickness direction. A receiving recess 60 having a substantially C shape as a whole is formed. The stopper 40 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 60 when the lever 24 is at the rotation completion position.
A temporary locking portion 61 and a full locking portion 62 are formed in the back surface of the accommodation recess 60 in the two leg portions 24A in order along the insertion direction of the stopper 40. The temporary locking portion 61 and the full locking portion 62 are engaged with the claw portions 43 (described later) of the arm pieces 42 of the locking device 40 in a hooked state, respectively, to temporarily lock the locking device 40. Position and the final locking position.
[0023]
A communication hole 32 is formed in the inner surface of the accommodation recess 60 in the rotating operation part 24B so as to penetrate in the thickness direction, and when the lever 24 is at the fitting position, the receiving part of the grommet cover 23 is received. By communicating with 31, a communication part 30 having a square hole with a bottom is formed as a whole. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication portion 30 extends along a direction substantially perpendicular to the external force acting direction when a specific external force acts on the lever 24. As shown in FIG. 7, a stopper 40 is inserted through the communication portion 30 from the lever 24 side to the grommet cover 23 side, so that the lever 24 is locked to the grommet cover 23. ing.
[0024]
When the stopper 40 is in the temporary locking position, as shown in FIG. 4, the main body 41 of the stopper 40 is located in front of the opening of the receiving portion 31 through the communication hole 32, and the rotation of the lever 24 is performed. Movement is allowed. On the other hand, when the stopper 40 is at the final locking position, as shown in FIG. 7, the entire body 41 (described later) of the stopper 40 is tightly fitted to the communication portion 30, and the rotation of the lever 24 is performed. Is blocked. In the final locking position, the stopper 40 is completely accommodated in the accommodation recess 60 as shown in FIG. 6, and its outer surface is substantially flush with the surface around the accommodation recess 60 and the outer surface of the lever 24. Is set to be continuous.
[0025]
The stopper 40 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 7, the stopper 40 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body portion 41, and the main body portion 41 extends outward from both sides from the rear end position in the insertion direction. It extends and is provided integrally with a pair of deflectable arm pieces 42 that are curved in an arcuate manner so as to straddle the rotation operation portion 24 </ b> B of the lever 24. Further, claw portions 43 protruding inward and capable of engaging with the temporary locking portion 61 and the full locking portion 62 are formed at the extending distal ends of both arm pieces 42, respectively. When the stopper 40 is at the final locking position, the claw portion 43 forms a substantially V-shaped gap B between the claw portion 43 and the opposing tapered surface on the housing concave portion 60 side. A hook 45 is formed on the outer surface of the claw 43 so as to be engageable with a hook (not shown) that enters through the gap B.
[0026]
This embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below. First, the male terminal fitting is accommodated in the cavity of the male housing 10 and the female terminal fitting is accommodated in the cavity 21A of the female housing 20, and the male housing 10 is attached to the panel P. Subsequently, before fitting the housings 10 and 20 together, the stopper 40 is attached to the female housing 20 in advance. Specifically, the claw portions 43 of both arm pieces 42 of the stopper 40 are elastically fitted into the temporary locking portions 61 of the accommodation recesses 60 of the lever 24, and the stopper 40 is prevented from falling out at the temporary locking position. It should just be attached with.
Subsequently, the procedure shifts to an operation of fitting the two housings 10 and 20 (the fitting process is not shown). First, the female side housing 20 is loosely fitted into the hood portion 12 of the male side housing 10, and the follower pin 13 faces the entrance of the cam groove W of the lever 24. In this state, the rotation operation portion 24B of the lever 24 is pinched to rotate the lever 24 from the initial position to the rotation completed position. Then, the follower pin 13 is moved along the cam groove W, and with this operation, the fitting operation of the two housings 10, 20 proceeds. Then, when the rotating operation portion 24B of the lever 24 rides on the upper surface of the raised portion 27, the housings 10 and 20 are in a regular fitting state, and the terminal fittings of the two housings are connected to each other. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the communication hole 32 provided in the rotation operation portion 24B of the lever 24 and the receiving portion 31 provided in the raised portion 27 of the female housing 20 are aligned with each other, and the communication portion is formed. 30 are formed.
[0027]
Next, the stopper 40 in the temporarily locked state is pushed toward the inner side of the accommodation recess 60 to be operated. Then, the claw portions 43 of the both arm pieces 42 of the stopper 40 are elastically over the temporary locking portion 61 and fitted into the main locking portion 62, and the main body portion 41 of the stopper 40 is located at the back of the communication portion 30. And is tightly fitted to the receiving portion 31 side (see FIG. 7). Since the claw portions 43 of the both arm pieces 42 are engaged with the final locking portion 62 in the final locking position in the final locking position, the stopper 40 is restricted from returning to the temporary locking position. Movement to the back side from the final locking position is restricted. However, since the main body 41 of the stopper 40 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the receiving portion 31, the stopper 40 is reliably prevented from moving further from the final locking position.
[0028]
In order to normally release the lock of the lever 24 by the stopper 40, a hooking member (not shown) is inserted through the gap B to engage with the hooking portion 45 recessed in the claw portion 43, and to pry up. I do. Then, as the hook member is twisted, the claw portion 43 of the arm piece 42 elastically rides over the main locking portion 62 and moves toward the temporary locking position, so that the stopper 40 is separated from the lever 24. Become so.
[0029]
According to the present embodiment, since the stopper 40 is inserted into the communication portion 30 that communicates the female housing 20 and the lever 24, the male and female connector housings are securely retained at the proper fitting positions. . Moreover, since the communication portion 30 is disposed along a direction substantially perpendicular to the specific external force acting direction toward the lever 24, the lock by the stopper 40 may be released depending on the specific external force toward the lever 24. Can not.
[0030]
Further, since the stopper 40 is set to be movable between the temporary locking position and the final locking position, the stopper 40 is temporarily locked at the temporary locking position, and the stopper 40 and the female The fitting operation of both connectors can be performed in a state where the housing 20 and the housing 20 are integrated, and the workability is excellent. Since the outer surface of the stopper 40 at the final locking position is positioned substantially flush with the peripheral surface of the housing recess 60, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the stopper 40 is unintentionally removed from the housing recess 60.
[0031]
<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the position where the communicating portion 30 is formed, the form of the stopper 40 inserted in the communicating portion 30, and the like. The other parts are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same parts as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the parts having the same functions and effects will be omitted.
[0032]
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, at the rear end edges of both legs 24 </ b> A of the lever 24 (the rear end edge in the operation direction when the lever 24 is operated toward the rotation completion position), the rotation is performed. A projecting portion 24C that forms an arc toward the rear is formed protrudingly at a position near the moving operation portion 24B. As shown in FIG. 10, the overhang portion 24C is provided with a through hole 32 which is substantially concentric with a circular arc framing the outer edge of the overhang portion 24C. The through hole 32 is formed in both the male and female housings 10, 20. The communication part 30 is formed by aligning with the receiving part 31 penetratingly formed in the side wall of the grommet cover 23 when the is in the regular fitting position. Around the hole of the communication hole 32 in the overhang portion 24C, a seating portion 24T capable of accommodating the flange 46 of the stopper 40 is formed as a recess. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the grommet cover 23 has a cover portion 50 formed so as to protrude outward from the peripheral edge on the front end side of the protruding portion 27 and to cover the upper portion of the protruding portion 27 like an eave. I have. When the lever 24 is at the rotation completed position, the cover portion 50 can accommodate the rotation operation portion 24B of the lever 24 between the lever 24 and the corresponding upper surface of the raised portion 27.
[0033]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the stopper 40 includes an inner insert 47 and an outer shell 48 fitted on the inner insert 47. The inner insert 47 comprises a head 47A and a threaded shaft portion 47B, while the outer shell 48 has a flange 46 having an insert insertion opening (not shown) and an axial extension from the flange 46. The sleeve 49 is protruded and has a split groove 49A that is opened at the insertion body insertion opening, so that the sleeve 49 can be bent in and out. The inner wall of the split groove 49A is tapered toward the distal end side of the sleeve 49, and when the inner insert 47 is inserted into the split groove 49A from the inner insert hole, the inner wall of the inner insert 47 is removed. It is designed to be spread out by the shaft portion 47B. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 11, the outer shell 48 is inserted into the communication portion 30, and the shaft of the inner insert 47 is pushed into the split groove 49A from the inner insert hole so that the push is performed. At the same time, the leading end side of the split groove 49A is pushed and spread, and the leading end side of the expanded sleeve 49 presses the hole wall of the communication portion 30 so that the lever 24 is fixed to the grommet cover 23 by the pressing force. Become.
[0034]
According to the second embodiment, since the inner insert 47 is inserted into and engaged with the sleeve 49 of the outer shell 48, the distal end side of the sleeve is expanded to press the hole wall of the communication portion 30. The lever 24 can be locked to the female housing 20 by a simple operation of merely pushing the insert 47 into the sleeve 49.
[0035]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and furthermore, besides the following, within the scope not departing from the gist. Can be implemented with various modifications.
[0036]
(1) In the present invention, the release restricting member is configured to be movable between the temporary locking position and the full locking position. However, an embodiment in which the temporary locking position is not provided may be employed. Then, the form of the release restricting member is further simplified.
(2) The communication portion may be formed so that the stopper can be inserted from the lever side to the female side housing.
(3) The stopper may be set so that, when in the final locking position, the outer surface of the stopper is retracted from the surface around the housing recess.
[0037]
(4) In the above embodiment, the lever is provided on the female housing side, but in the present invention, the lever may be provided on the male housing side. Further, the present invention may be applied to a normal connector that connects the wire harnesses irrespective of standby and assembly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state before a fastener is mounted on a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector. FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the same FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state where a stopper is set to a final locking position FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before a stopper is attached. FIG. 11 is a state after a stopper is attached. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a conventional connector.
P ... Panel 10 ... Male side housing 20 ... Female side housing 23H ... Lock piece 24 ... Lever 24A ... Leg part 24B ... Rotating operation part 30 ... Communication part 40 ... Stopper 47 ... Inner body 48 ... Outer shell 49 ... Sleeve 60: accommodation recess

Claims (5)

It comprises a female connector housing in which female terminal fittings are accommodated, and a male connector housing in which male terminal fittings are accommodated. One of the male and female connector housings has a pair of legs. A lever having a gate shape as a whole is mounted by connecting the parts by a rotating operation part, and both the male and female connector housings are pulled toward each other by a cam mechanism based on the rotating operation of the lever, and a regular A connector in a mated state,
When both the male and female connector housings are at the regular fitting position, a communication portion that can connect the lever and the one connector housing to each other is formed, and the communication portion includes one of the communication terminals from the lever side. A connector characterized in that a stopper is provided when the lever is lockable to the one connector housing by being inserted through the connector housing. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion is provided along a direction substantially orthogonal to a specific external force acting direction toward the lever. 2. The stopper according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is configured to be movable between a temporary locking position allowing rotation of the lever and a full locking position preventing rotation of the lever. 3. Or the connector according to 2. An accommodating recess is provided in the rotating operation section,
The stopper is accommodated in the accommodation recess when in the final locking position, so that the outer surface thereof is positioned so as to be drawn substantially flush with the surface around the accommodation recess or to the back. The connector according to claim 3, wherein: The stop comprises an insert and an outer shell,
The outer shell is provided with a sleeve that can be bent inward and outwardly disposed in the axial direction. When the inner insert is inserted into and engaged with the sleeve, the distal end side of the sleeve is expanded to open the communication portion. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is formed so as to be able to press the hole wall of the connector.

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