JP2005116209A - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lever type connector capable of surely avoiding a situation wherein since the mounting position of a lever is set so as to be shifted in its circumferential direction on each of right and left arm parts, even if the through hole of one arm part of the right and left arm parts is at the position corresponding to a collar part, the through hole of the other arm part is at the position not corresponding to the collar part, the lever is disengaged by the latch action of the collar part for the other arm part. <P>SOLUTION: A spindle 13 is provided in a connector housing 10, the collar portion 14 which can be latched to the mouth edge of a bearing part 23 in the arm part 22 of the lever 20 is bulgingly formed on the spindle 13. The through hole 24 to make the collar part 14 pass through when the lever 20 is mounted is extendedly formed in the bearing part 23. The mounting position of the lever 20 with respect to the connector housing 10 is set so as to be shifted in the circumferential direction on each of the pair of arm parts 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever-type connector.

As a lever-type connector, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. This is provided with both connectors that can be fitted to each other, and a lever is attached to one of the connectors so as to be rotatable about a support shaft. The lever is formed in a gate shape as a whole by an operation portion and a pair of left and right arm portions projecting from both ends thereof, and a cam groove and a shaft hole for a support shaft are formed in both arm portions. On the other hand, a cam pin protrudes from the other connector, and when both connectors are fitted, the lever is set at the initial position and the cam pin of the other connector is inserted into the cam groove of the lever of one connector. In this state, the lever is rotated from the state toward the mating position, whereby the two connectors are pulled toward each other by a cam action between the lever and one of the connectors to obtain a normal mating state.
By the way, since a force in the expanding direction acts on both the arm portions of the lever due to the fitting resistance, the lever may be detached from the support shaft. Therefore, the tip of the support shaft is provided with a projecting piece projecting radially outward, and the projecting piece is hooked around the hole of the shaft hole in both arm parts, so that both arm parts are expanded. It is configured to prevent this.
Japanese Patent No. 3324724

In the above case, the shaft hole of both arm parts was provided with an insertion hole for penetrating the projecting piece, but the moment when the insertion hole and the projecting piece of both arm parts coincide with each other at the same time during the rotation of the lever Therefore, at this moment, there is a possibility that both arm portions disengage from the engagement with the projecting piece. In particular, a connector having a large number of poles has a high mating resistance. Therefore, with the above-described configuration, it is not possible to completely eliminate the concern that the lever is detached from the connector, and the reliability during the mating operation is lacking.
The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object thereof is to reliably prevent the lever from being detached from the connector.

  As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 comprises a connector housing and levers having a pair of left and right arm portions projecting on both ends of the operation portion, on both left and right side surfaces of the connector housing. The lever is supported on the connector housing by allowing the arm portion to correspond and the bearing portion provided on the arm portion to engage with a support shaft provided on the connector housing, and provided on the mating connector. By rotating the lever while engaging the cam pin with the cam groove provided in the arm portion, the mating connector is pulled by the cam action due to the engagement between the cam groove and the cam pin, so that the mating connector is properly fitted. A lever-type connector, wherein a collar portion that can be hooked on a lip of a bearing portion of the arm portion is formed on the support shaft, The bearing portion is formed with a through hole for allowing the flange portion to pass through when the lever is mounted. The mounting position of the lever with respect to the connector housing is in each of the pair of left and right arm portions. It is characterized in that the configuration is set so as to be shifted in the circumferential direction.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the mounting position is set in the middle of rotation of the lever.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the through hole of the arm portion reaches the position corresponding to the collar portion, the lever may be detached from the connector housing at that moment, but in the present invention, the mounting position of the lever is shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions. Even if the through hole of one arm part is in a position corresponding to the collar part, the through hole of the other arm part is in a position not corresponding to the collar part. Therefore, it is possible to reliably avoid the situation where the lever is disengaged due to the hooking action of the collar portion with respect to the other arm portion.

<Invention of Claim 2>
In the past, the mounting position of the lever coincided with the circumferential direction of the left and right arm parts, so if the mounting position was set during the fitting of the lever, the arm part expanded due to the fitting resistance during mounting. However, in the present invention, even if the mounting position is set during the fitting of the lever, the mounting position is set to be shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the arm portion from expanding due to the fitting resistance. Therefore, it can be applied to a large connector having a large number of poles.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The lever-type connector according to the present embodiment is applied to a female connector that houses a female terminal fitting (not shown), and includes a connector housing 10 made of synthetic resin and a lever 20 made of synthetic resin. Yes. The male connector 30 to be mated with the lever-type connector accommodates a male terminal fitting (not shown) inside, and includes a square tube-shaped hood portion 31 protruding forward, and this hood portion. A pair of left and right cam pins 32 project from the outer surface of 31. In addition, about the front-back direction, let the fitting surface side of both connectors be the front.

  The connector housing 10 includes a block-shaped housing main body 11 in which a plurality of cavities (not shown) for accommodating female terminal fittings are formed, and an electric wire cover 12 assembled to the rear surface of the housing main body 11. Configured. The electric wire cover 12 is provided in a box shape in which the front surface and one side surface (the left side surface shown in FIG. 1A) are open. From the rear surface of the housing body 11, a large number of wires (not shown) having female terminal fittings secured to one end are drawn out, and the drawn wires are bent to one side in the wire cover 12, and in this state The electric wire cover 12 is led out from one side surface.

  And the support shaft 13 for supporting the lever 20 rotatably is provided in the right-and-left both sides | surfaces of the electric wire cover 12. As shown in FIG. The support shaft 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided with a flange portion 14 protruding outward in the radial direction at the distal end portion thereof (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). The collar portion 14 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is arranged at a position in which the phase coincides with the circumferential direction of the support shaft 13 on each of the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10. The illustrated collar portion 14 is configured to protrude upward on each of the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10.

  The lever 20 includes an operation portion 21 extending in the lateral direction and a pair of left and right arm portions 22 extending substantially parallel to each other from both ends of the operation portion 21, and is formed in a gate shape as a whole. (See FIG. 4). The arm portion 22 is provided with a cam groove 27 that can be engaged with the cam pin 32 of the male connector 30 on the other side. The lever 20 attached to the connector housing 10 includes an initial position where the operation unit 21 contacts the rear surface of the wire cover 12 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B), and the operation unit 21 is a side surface of the wire cover 12. And a fitting position (see (A) and (B) of FIG. 5) that can be pivoted about the support shaft 13 as a fulcrum.

A bearing portion 23 that opens in a circular shape is provided in the approximate center of the arm portion 22, and a through hole 24 that extends radially outward is provided in the bearing portion 23 so as to open in a substantially square shape. . The through holes 24 are arranged at positions where the phases of the left and right arm portions 22 are shifted in the circumferential direction of the bearing portion 23. Specifically, the through hole 14 is configured to be displaced by approximately 45 degrees in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions 22.
Further, the inner diameter of the bearing portion 23 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the support shaft 13 (excluding the collar portion 14), and the through hole 24 has a shape substantially along the outer edge of the collar portion 14. 14 can be penetrated. Further, a stepped recess 25 that includes a through hole 24 and opens in a circular shape is provided at the rim of the bearing portion 23 on the outer surface of both arm portions 22.

In order to attach the lever 20 to the connector housing 10, after the collar portion 14 is passed through the through hole 24, the lever 20 is rotated to engage the collar portion 14 with the stepped recess 25 (the edge of the bearing portion). Combine. Then, the lever 20 is latched in the disengagement direction by the collar portion 14, so that it does not fall off the connector housing 10.
However, as described above, the phase of the through hole 24 is shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions 22, while the collar portion 14 is in phase in the circumferential direction on each of the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing 10. Therefore, the mounting position of the lever 20 with respect to the connector housing 10 is set so as to be shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions 22. Therefore, when the lever 20 is mounted, either the left or right arm portion 22 is assembled to the corresponding connector housing 10, and then the lever 20 is rotated to move the other arm portion 22 to the corresponding connector housing 10. Try to assemble. In the case of the present embodiment, after the lever 20 is in a standing posture and one arm portion 22 is assembled (see FIG. 2B), the lever 20 is rotated about 45 degrees toward the fitting position. By doing so, the other arm part 22 is assembled (refer to FIG. 3A). That is, the mounting position of the lever 20 in this case is set during the rotation of the lever 20.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the lever 20 is straddled over the electric wire cover 12 of the connector housing 10 from the rear, and the support shaft provided on the side surface of the electric wire cover 12 corresponding to the through hole 24 of one of the left and right arm portions 22. Thirteen brim portions 14 are passed through. At this time, since the support shaft 13 does not correspond to the through hole 24 of the other arm portion 22, the collar portion 14 of the support shaft 13 cannot pass through the through hole 24. If the lever 20 is rotated toward the fitting position in this state, and the support shaft 13 is made to correspond to the through hole 24 of the other arm portion 22, the collar portion 14 of the support shaft 13 penetrates the through hole 24. Can be made.

  Subsequently, the lever 20 is held at the initial position, and the fitting operation of both connectors is performed. To fit both connectors, first, the hood portion 31 of the male connector 30 is loosely fitted to the housing body 11 of the connector housing 10, and the cam pin 32 of the male connector 30 slightly enters the cam groove 27 of the lever 20. (See (A) and (B) in FIG. 1). From this state, the operating portion 21 is picked and the lever 20 is rotated toward the fitting position. As the lever 20 rotates, the cam pin 32 moves in the cam groove 27 to exert a cam action between the lever 20 and the male connector 30, and the male connector 30 is pulled toward the connector housing 10 side.

  While the lever 20 is turning from the initial position to the fitting position, the through hole 24 of one arm portion 22 reaches a position corresponding to the collar portion 14 (see FIG. 2B). Since the through hole 24 of the other arm portion 22 is in a position that does not correspond to the collar portion 14 (see FIG. 2A), the other arm portion 22 is latched to the collar portion 14. The expansion deformation of the arm portion 22 due to the fitting resistance is prevented. Further, when the lever 20 further rotates and the through hole 24 of the other arm portion 22 reaches a position corresponding to the collar portion 14 (see FIG. 3A), the one arm portion 22 Since the through hole 24 is in a position that does not correspond to the collar portion 14 (see FIG. 3B), one arm portion 22 is hooked on the collar portion 14 so that the fitting is performed in the same manner as described above. The expansion deformation of the arm portion 22 due to the combined resistance is prevented (see FIG. 4). Thus, when the lever 20 reaches the mating position, the cam pin 32 is disposed at the rear end of the cam groove 27, and both connectors are mated at a normal depth to establish conduction between the male and female terminal fittings (FIG. 5). (See (A) and (B)).

  According to this embodiment, the mounting position of the lever 20 is set to be shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions 22, and the through hole 24 of one arm portion 22 of the left and right arm portions 22 is connected to the collar portion 14. Even in the corresponding position, since the through hole 24 of the other arm portion 22 is in a position not corresponding to the collar portion 14, the latching action of the collar portion 14 with respect to the other arm portion 22 is exhibited and the lever 20 is The situation where it comes off can be avoided reliably. Further, even if the mounting position is set during the fitting of the lever 20, it is possible to reliably prevent the arm portion 22 from expanding due to the fitting resistance, so that the large connector with a large number of poles having a large fitting resistance can be used. Applicable. Furthermore, since the mounting position is set when the lever 20 is in the standing posture, the handleability when the lever 20 is mounted is excellent.

<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 further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  (1) In the present invention, the through hole is arranged at a position where the phases are matched in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions, while the collar portion is shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing. It may be arranged at the position. In addition, both the through hole and the collar portion may be arranged at positions that are out of phase in the circumferential direction on the left and right. In short, it is only necessary that the mounting position of the lever with respect to the connector housing is set so as to be shifted in the circumferential direction in the left and right arm portions.

(2) In the present invention, when one of the left and right arm portions is assembled to the connector housing, the mounting position may be set to the initial position or the fitting position of the lever.
(3) In the present invention, after assembling the other arm portion to the corresponding connector housing, the lever may be rotated toward the initial position side to assemble one arm portion to the corresponding connector housing. Absent.

(4) In the present invention, the bearing portion may be provided directly open on the outer surface of the arm portion without the fitting recess.
(5) In the present invention, the bearing portion may not be formed through the arm portion.

(A) Left side view showing a state in which the lever is held at the initial position in the lever type connector according to the embodiment of the present invention (B) Right side view thereof (A) Left side view showing a state where the rotation of the lever has progressed (B) Right side view thereof (A) Left side view showing the state of further lever rotation (B) Right side view Fracture front view (A) Left side view showing a state where the lever is held at the fitting position (B) Right side view thereof (A) The principal part expanded sectional view in (A) of Drawing 5 (B) The enlarged side view

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector housing 13 ... Support shaft 14 ... Collar part 20 ... Lever 22 ... Arm part 23 ... Bearing part 24 ... Through-hole 27 ... Cam groove 30 ... Male connector (mating connector)
32 ... Cam pin

Claims (2)

A connector housing, and levers that project a pair of left and right arm portions on both end sides of the operation portion, the arm portions corresponding to the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing, and a bearing portion provided on the arm portion; The lever is rotatably supported by the connector housing by engaging with a support shaft provided on the housing, and the lever is engaged while a cam pin provided on the mating connector is engaged with a cam groove provided on the arm portion. A lever-type connector that rotates to draw the mating connector into a proper fitting state by a cam action by engagement of the cam groove and the cam pin;
The support shaft is formed with a flange portion that can be hooked on the edge of the bearing portion of the arm portion, and the bearing portion has a through hole for allowing the flange portion to pass through when the lever is mounted. In what is formed out,
The lever-type connector, wherein the mounting position of the lever with respect to the connector housing is set to be shifted in the circumferential direction in each of the pair of left and right arm portions. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the mounting position is set during the rotation of the lever.

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