JP2006351415A - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out lock detection of a lever with a high reliability. <P>SOLUTION: A subhousing 43 that has housed a pair of mutually connected female detecting terminal 45 is vertically movably penetrated through at the corresponding position of a female housing 20 while a pair of male detecting terminal 40 are installed at a male housing 10. The both housings 10, 20 are fitted by rotation of the lever 30, and when the lever 30 comes to this side of the termination end position, a follower 15 hits regulating protruded part 52 in the way of a cam groove 35, and the rotation is regulated. Then, when a rotating force of a prescribed value or more is given, the regulation is released, and the lever 30 is rotated at a stretch to the terminal position by inertia later, the both housings 10, 20 are normally fitted, and the lever 30 is locked while a lock arm 37 is locked at a lock protruded part 16. Together with this, the subhousing 43 is also pushed at a stretch by a pressing part 48, and male and female detecting terminals 40, 45 are mutually fitted, and the lock detecting circuit is closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever-type connector.

The general structure of a lever-type connector is that a lever having a cam groove is rotatably provided in one of a pair of housings fitted to each other, and a cam groove is engaged with the other housing. A follower is provided, and by fitting the two housings shallowly with the lever mounted in the initial position, the follower faces the inlet of the cam groove of the lever, and when the lever is subsequently rotated, the cam groove The two housings are gradually fitted by the cam action caused by the engagement between the two and the follower, and the two housings are normally fitted when the lever is rotated to the end position, and the lever is locked with respect to the other housing. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-13129

In this type of lever-type connector, since the function of locking both housings in a proper fitting state is provided by the lock of the lever, it is important to determine whether or not the lever is properly locked. Conventionally, this determination is made visually or by sound when the lock is applied, but it may be difficult to determine depending on the situation of the work site.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform lever lock detection with high reliability.

  As a means for achieving the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that one of the pair of housings fitted to each other is provided with a lever that can be engaged with the other housing in a rotatable manner. As the lever is rotated from the initial position to the end position, both housings are fitted by a cam action between the lever and the other housing, and the lock lever is moved to the other position at the end position. In the lever-type connector provided with a locking means for locking to the housing, the two housings engage with each other when the lock lever reaches the end position and are detected to output a lock detection signal. It is characterized in that the means is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the other housing is provided with a fixed-side connection portion, and the one housing includes a movable-side connection portion on the fixed-side connection portion. The movable connecting portion closes the lock detection circuit by being connected to the fixed connecting portion in conjunction with the lever reaching the end position. It has the characteristics in the place.

The invention of claim 3 is the one described in claim 2, wherein the fixed-side connecting portion and the movable-side connecting portion are configured by one of male and female detection terminals fitted to each other. The other housing accommodates a fixed detection terminal, and the movable detection terminal is accommodated in a sub-housing. The sub-housing contacts and separates the two detection terminals from the one housing. The sub-housing is pressed in conjunction with the lever reaching the end position so that the two detection terminals are fitted together.
A fourth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect of the invention, the other housing is a board housing that houses a terminal fitting provided on a printed board.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the third or fourth aspect, the rotation of the lever is once restricted when the lever is rotated to a position before the end position, An inertia rotation mechanism is provided in which the restriction is released by applying a predetermined turning force to the lever, and the lever is rotated to the end position at once by the inertia immediately after the release. Has characteristics.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the lever is rotated to the end position and locked by the lock means, a lock detection signal is output by the detection means. Since it is an electrical detection means, it is possible to detect the lock of the lever with high reliability by performing some kind of display by energization.
<Invention of Claim 2>
When the lever is rotated to the end position and locked, the movable side connection portion moves toward the fixed side connection portion and is connected, and the lock detection circuit is closed.

<Invention of Claim 3>
When the lever is rotated to the end position and locked, the sub-housing in which the movable detection terminal is accommodated moves toward the fixed detection terminal, and both detection terminals are fitted together. Thus, the lock detection circuit is closed.
<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the lock detection circuit can be formed on the printed circuit board, the structure can be easily integrated.

<Invention of Claim 5>
While the inertial rotation mechanism is provided, at the position where the rotation of the lever is restricted, both detection terminals are set to be disconnected. With this setting, when the lever is rotated to a position before the end position and once the rotation is restricted, both detection terminals are not yet connected. From this point, when a turning force of a predetermined level or more is applied to the lever, the lever is rotated to the end position at once and locked by inertia while the restriction is released, and both detection terminals are fitted together.
Even when a normal terminal fitting with a relatively long connection area is used as the detection terminal, the detection terminals are actually fitted only after the lever is locked, and the lock detection is performed accurately. Can do.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the lever-type connector of the present embodiment includes a male housing 10 (corresponding to the other housing of the present invention) and a female housing 20 (corresponding to one housing of the present invention) that are fitted to each other. And a lever 30 is mounted on the female housing 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the male housing 10 is a housing for a board, and is formed of a synthetic resin material into a box shape having a rectangular cross section and an open top surface. The male housing 10 is attached to, for example, a printed circuit board (not shown), and a plurality of male terminals 11 having a dove shape connected to the printed circuit board are arranged on one side in the length direction on the bottom surface of the male housing 10. It protrudes inward in alignment with the 4 rows shown in the figure from a little over half.

  As shown in FIG. 3, one female housing 20 is also formed of a synthetic resin material into a block shape that fits in the male housing 10 almost closely. A plurality of cavities 21 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in an array corresponding to the male terminals 11 provided in the male housing 10 in a slightly half region on one side in the length direction of the female housing 20. In each cavity 21, a female terminal (not shown) fixed to the end of the electric wire is inserted from above and is housed while being prevented from coming off. A terminal insertion port 22 into which the mating male terminal 11 can enter is opened on the lower wall of each cavity 21, and as will be described later, the male and female housings 10, 20 are fitted to the male terminals. 11 enters the inside of the corresponding cavity 21 from the terminal insertion port 22 and is fitted and connected to the mating female terminal.

A lever 30 is rotatably supported by the female housing 20. The lever 30 is also made of a synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of plate-like arm portions 32 are formed to extend from both left and right ends of the operation portion 31. However, the male housing 10 is formed in a gate shape that sandwiches both side walls 12A on the long side.
On the other hand, on both side surfaces of the long side of the female housing 20, a shaft 23 is formed to project outward at a position near the upper edge at a substantially central portion in the length direction. The lever 30 is rotatably supported by being fitted into a shaft hole 33 formed in a recess on the opposite surface. In the long side wall 12A of the male housing 10 described above, a relief groove 13 for fitting and releasing the shaft 23 of the lever 30 is formed by cutting a predetermined dimension downward from the upper edge.

A cam groove 35 having a predetermined curved shape is formed on a surface of both arm portions 32 of the lever 30 facing the side wall 12A of the male housing 10, and the inlet 35A is opened to the outer peripheral edge.
On the other hand, on the outer surface of the side wall 12 </ b> A of the male housing 10, a follower 15 that fits in the cam groove 35 of the lever 30 is formed so as to protrude at substantially the center.
As will be described in detail later, as shown in FIG. 1, the lever 30 is set at an initial position where the inlet 35 </ b> A of the cam groove 35 faces downward, and the female housing 20 is fitted to the male housing 10 in this state. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the follower 15 is fitted into the inlet 35 </ b> A of the cam groove 35, and then the lever 30 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. The two housings 10 and 20 are gradually fitted by the cam action, and as shown in FIG. 6, when the lever 30 is turned substantially sideways and rotated to the end position, the two housings 10 and 20 can be properly fitted. It has become.

The lever 30 is configured to be locked with respect to the male housing 10 when the lever 30 is rotated to the end position, and the lock structure is as follows. On the short side wall 12B on one side (right side in FIG. 1) of the male housing 10, a lock projection 16 having a hook shape is formed at the upper edge in the center in the width direction on the inner surface. The lock protrusion 16 has a substantially horizontal locking surface 16A on the lower surface side and a tapered guide surface 16B on the upper surface side.
On the other hand, in the operation portion 31 of the lever 30, a lock arm 37 having a substantially vertically long frame shape is elastically deformable in a seesaw shape around a fulcrum portion 38 at the center in the longitudinal direction. The side frame is a locking frame 39A, and the upper side bent right angle is a release frame 39B.

That is, when the lever 30 is rotated toward the end position, the locking frame 39A rides on the guide surface 16B, so that the lock arm 37 rides on the lock protrusion 16 while being elastically displaced, and the lever 30 is moved to the end position. When the locking frame 39A passes through the lock projection 16, the lock arm 37 is restored and displaced, and the locking frame 39A is locked to the lock projection 16 to be locked. Yes.
The lock can be released by forcibly elastically displacing the lock arm 37 by placing a finger on the release frame 39B.

In the present embodiment, means for electrically detecting whether or not the lever 30 is locked as described above is provided.
From the bottom surface of the male housing 10, at a position closer to the right side in FIG. 2 than the central portion in the length direction, a pair of male detection terminals 40 made up of tab-shaped male terminals are opened in the left-right direction at a predetermined interval. Projected side by side. The male detection terminal 40 is shorter than the other male terminals 11 for the reason described later. On the other hand, a lock detection circuit is formed on the printed circuit board, and the two male detection terminals 40 are provided in the form of two fixed contacts spaced apart from each other on the lock detection circuit. Yes. Note that display means having a lamp, a buzzer or the like is connected to the lock detection circuit.

  At positions corresponding to the protruding positions of the male detection terminals 40 in the female housing 20, insertion holes 42 through which the sub-housing 43 can be inserted are formed so as to penetrate both the upper and lower surfaces. The sub-housing 43 has the same height as the insertion hole 42, and two left and right cavities 44 facing in the vertical direction are formed in the inside thereof in an arrangement corresponding to the male detection terminal 40. . In both cavities 44, female detection terminals 45, each of which is a female terminal, are inserted from above and accommodated in a state of being prevented from coming off. Here, the female detection terminals 45 are connected to each other on the upper end side. In addition, a terminal insertion port 44A is opened in the lower wall of both cavities 44, and the mating male detection terminal 40 enters from the terminal insertion port 44A and can be fitted to the internal female detection terminal 45. Therefore, the female detection terminals 45 connected to each other function as a movable contact that electrically connects between two fixed contacts that are separated from each other and are constituted by the two male detection terminals 40.

As shown in FIG. 1, the above-described sub-housing 43 is temporarily locked in a state where approximately 2/3 of the total height is inserted into the insertion hole 42. As the temporary locking means, a protrusion 46 is formed on the side surface of the sub-housing 43, and the protrusion 46 is locked to the upper edge of the insertion hole 42 to restrict downward movement.
On the other hand, a pressing portion 48 that presses the upper surface of the sub-housing 43 protrudes from the opposing surface on the base end side of both arm portions 32 of the lever 30. That is, when the lever 30 approaches the end position as the lever 30 rotates, the pressing portion 48 presses the upper surface of the sub-housing 43, so that the sub-housing 43 resists the friction between the protrusion 46 and the side surface of the insertion hole 42. When the lever 30 is gradually pushed down and turned to the end position, the entire height of the sub-housing 43 is pushed into the insertion hole 42. At this time, the projection 46 is fitted in an escape hole 49 formed on the side surface of the insertion hole 42.

Further, an inertia rotation mechanism of the lever 30 is configured. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, in the cam surface 50 to which the follower 15 engages when fitted in the cam groove 35, a restriction bump that restricts the movement by applying the follower 15 to a position in front of a predetermined dimension of the end portion. A portion 52 is formed.
In other words, when the lever 30 is rotated to a position that is a predetermined angle before the end position, the rotation of the lever 30 is once restricted by the follower 15 hitting the restricting protrusion 52, and then the lever 30 is predetermined. When the above turning force is applied, the follower 15 gets over the restricting projection 52, and thereafter, the lever 30 can be rotated to the end position at a stroke by inertia. Here, as shown in the figure, when the rotation of the lever 30 is once restricted, the female detection terminal 45 in the sub-housing 43 and the counterpart male detection terminal 40 are still in a non-contact state. As shown, the male detection terminal 40 is set to be short.

Then, the effect | action of this embodiment is demonstrated.
Prior to the fitting operation, as shown in FIG. 1, in the female housing 20, the sub-housing 43 in which the female detection terminal 45 is accommodated is inserted into the insertion hole 42 and temporarily locked, and the lever 30 is in the initial position. It is attached to. From this state, when the female housing 20 is fitted into the male housing 10 by a predetermined amount as shown by the arrow in the figure, the follower 15 enters the inlet 35A of the cam groove 35 as shown in FIG. . From this state, when the lever 30 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing toward the end position, the female housing 20 is moved to the male housing 10 by the cam action based on the engagement between the cam surface 50 of the cam groove 35 and the follower 15. It is gradually drawn in. At the same time, the pressing portion 48 provided on the lever 30 presses the upper surface of the sub-housing 43, so that the sub-housing 43 is released from the temporary locking and pushed into the insertion hole 42.

When the lever 30 is rotated to a position a predetermined angle before the end position, the follower 15 hits the restricting protrusion 52 as shown in FIG. At this time, the male detection terminal 40 and the female detection terminal 45 are in a non-contact state.
Subsequently, when a turning force of a predetermined level or more is applied to the lever 30, the follower 15 gets over the restricting protrusion 52, that is, the restriction is released, and thereafter, the lever 30 is rotated to the end position at once by inertia. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, both the housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted, and the corresponding male terminals 11 and female terminals attached to the respective housings are normally fitted and connected. At the same time, the lock arm 37 provided on the lever 30 is engaged with the lock projection 16 provided on the male housing 10 and locked in a detent state, and the housings 10 and 20 are properly fitted together. Kept in a state.

  Further, as the lever 30 is rotated and locked from the restricting position toward the end position at once, the sub housing 43 is also pushed into the bottom of the insertion hole 42 at once, and the female detection terminal in the sub housing 43 is inserted. 45 is fitted to the mating male detection terminal 40. As described above, the fixed contact (male detection terminal 40) spaced apart from each other provided in the middle of the lock detection circuit is connected by the movable contact (connected both female detection terminals 45), and the lock detection circuit. Is closed and energized. That is, a lock detection signal is output. For this reason, it is possible to confirm that the lever 30 has been properly locked by the display means turning on the lamp or sounding the buzzer.

In other words, according to the present embodiment, whether or not the lever 30 is properly locked is electrically detected by the lock detection circuit, so that some display is performed as the lock detection circuit is energized. For example, the lock detection can be performed with high reliability.
Further, since the male housing 10 provided with the male detection terminal 40 is a board housing attached to the printed circuit board, a lock detection circuit can be formed on the printed circuit board including the same male detection terminal 40. Compared with the case of forming a lock detection circuit, the structure can be simplified.

  Furthermore, by providing the inertia rotation mechanism of the lever 30, the male and female detection terminals 40 and 45 can be brought into a contact state at once from a non-contact state. That is, as the detection terminals 40 and 45, while using a normal terminal fitting having a relatively long connection region, the detection terminals 40 and 45 can be made to engage with each other only after the lever 30 is substantially locked. Can be detected accurately. Moreover, since a normal terminal metal fitting can be used, it can respond cheaply.

<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) The inertia rotation means basically restricts the rotation of the lever in the middle, then releases the restriction when a predetermined turning force is applied, and rotates to the end position at once with the inertia accompanying the release. Since the position where the restricting portion is provided is not limited to the cam groove exemplified in the above embodiment, any position between the lever and the mating male housing, and further between the female housing may be provided. Can be set in place.
(2) In the above embodiment, the display means is connected to the lock detection circuit. However, the lock detection circuit is connected to another drive circuit or the like formed on the printed circuit board without providing the display means. Lock detection may be performed depending on whether or not the drive circuit functions.
(3) The lock detection circuit may be always closed, and the lock detection signal may be output by opening the switch when the lock lever reaches the end position.

(4) The male housing may be of a type that accommodates a male terminal fixed to an electric wire, for example, instead of the board housing. In that case, a lock detection circuit may be formed separately.
(5) The connection part for closing the lock detection circuit is not necessarily limited to the terminal fitting, and may be a connection part of another form such as conductive metal plates.
(6) Contrary to the above embodiment, a lever may be provided on the male housing side.

The partial cutaway side view of the state before fitting of both housings concerning one embodiment of the present invention Top view of male housing Rear view of female housing with lever in end position Partially cutaway side view with both housings initially fitted Partially cutaway side view and partially enlarged view of lever in a state where rotation of the lever is restricted Partially cut away side view of both housings in mated state

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Male housing (the other housing)
15 ... Follower (Inertial rotation mechanism)
16 ... Lock protrusion (locking means)
20: Female housing (one housing)
23 ... Shaft 30 ... Lever 35 ... Cam groove 37 ... Lock arm (locking means)
40 ... Male detection terminal (fixed side connection; detection means)
42 ... Insertion hole 43 ... Sub-housing 45 ... Female detection terminal (movable side connection part; detection means)
48 ... Pressing portion 52 ... Regulating protrusion (inertial rotation mechanism)

Claims (5)

In one of the pair of housings fitted to each other, a lever that can be engaged with the other housing is rotatably provided, and this lever is rotated from the initial position to the end position. In the lever-type connector in which both housings are fitted by a cam action between the lever and the other housing, and lock means for locking the lock lever to the other housing at the terminal position is provided.
A lever type connector is provided between the two housings, wherein a detecting means is provided that engages with each other and outputs a lock detection signal when the lock lever reaches the end position and is locked. The other housing is provided with a fixed-side connection portion, and the one housing is provided with a movable-side connection portion movably in a direction to come in contact with and away from the fixed-side connection portion. 2. The lever according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion closes the lock detection circuit by being connected to the connection portion on the fixed side in conjunction with the lever reaching the terminal position. Type connector. The fixed-side connection portion and the movable-side connection portion are configured by one of male and female detection terminals fitted to each other, and the other housing houses the fixed-side detection terminal. The movable-side detection terminal is accommodated in the sub-housing, and the sub-housing is provided so as to be movable in a direction in which the two detection terminals come into contact with and away from the one housing. 3. The lever-type connector according to claim 2, wherein the sub-housing is pressed in conjunction with the movement of the first and second detection terminals to be fitted together. 4. The lever-type connector according to claim 3, wherein the other housing is a board housing that houses a terminal fitting provided on the printed board. The lever is temporarily restricted when the lever is rotated to a position before the end position, and the restriction is released by applying a predetermined turning force to the lever. 5. The lever-type connector according to claim 3, further comprising an inertia rotation mechanism that allows the lever to rotate at once to the end position by inertia immediately after being released.

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