JP2006522449A - Lever-type electrical connector assembly with improved locking means - Google Patents

Abstract

A lever-type electrical connector assembly includes a first connector having an insulating housing for mounting a plurality of first terminals. The mating assist lever is pivotally attached to the housing of the first connector for pivoting between a pre-mating (engaged) position and a fully mated position. The lever has a cam groove. The second connector includes an insulating housing for mounting a plurality of second terminals for fitting with the first terminals of the first connector. The cam follower protrusion is engageable with the cam groove of the fitting assist lever at the pre-fitting position. Since the cam follower protrusion enters along the cam groove, the connector is fitted to the fully fitted position according to the rotation of the lever. A locking means is provided between the housing of the second connector and the mating assist lever for locking the mating assist lever in the fully mated position.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to electrical connector technology, and more particularly to a connector assembly including a pair of mating connectors.

  In general, an electrical connector assembly typically includes a first electrical connector that is matable with a second electrical connector. For example, the receptacle connector accommodates the plug connector in a fitted state. Each connector includes some form of insulative housing that implements a plurality of conductive terminals that are engageable with terminals of other connectors. For example, one connector is mounted with a plurality of socket terminals for receiving pin terminals of the other connector.

  In applications, such electrical connectors may implement a significant number of terminals. For example, when electrically connecting electrical equipment of an automobile or other vehicle, a large number of wirings, circuits, and other conductive elements are connected to a large number of fuses, relays, electric motors, power supply accessories, and the like. In some cases, these are all mounted within a single electrical connector, and the electrical connector itself may have a power terminal and a signal terminal. Various problems occur in such an electrical connector having a large number of terminals.

  For example, accurate alignment of the two connectors of the connector assembly is critical so that multiple terminals within the two connectors can be reliably interengaged or mated. Cumulative manufacturing tolerances due to the large number of terminals can cause alignment problems by themselves. Therefore, it is not allowed to twist, rotate or shift the two fitting connectors when they are fitted together.

  Furthermore, a large force is required to insert and remove a connector having a large number of terminals. Therefore, a low insertion force connector has been developed that allows a small insertion / removal with a latch or mating auxiliary lever operated by some form of cam groove / cam follower mechanism to bring the two connectors into mating condition. It was.

  In addition, the external impact and vibration applied to some electrical connectors in automobiles, other vehicles, etc. may cause the two fitting connectors to be easily disconnected and / or the two connectors to be easily disconnected. Arise. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a locking means so that such detachment does not occur.

  The present invention seeks to solve these various problems by improving such an electrical connector assembly and its mating connector.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a lever-type electrical connector assembly with improved locking means.

  In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first connector includes an insulative housing that mounts a plurality of first terminals. A mating assist lever is pivotally attached to the housing of the first connector for pivoting between a pre-mated position and a fully mated position. The lever has a cam groove inside. The second connector includes an insulating housing that mounts a plurality of second terminals for mating with the first terminals of the first connector. The cam follower protrusion is engageable with the cam groove of the fitting assist lever at the pre-fitting position. When the cam follower protrusion moves along the cam groove, the connector is fitted to the fully fitted position according to the rotation of the lever. A locking means is provided between the housing of the second connector and the mating assist lever for locking the mating assist lever in the fully mated position.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the locking means includes an independent locking member removably attached to the housing of the second connector, and a lock assisting lever for locking the lever in a fully engaged position; Engageable. The locking means includes a plurality of mounting hooks that are engageable with a locking shoulder on the housing of the second connector. The lock member includes at least one lock protrusion that can be engaged with the lock surface of the fitting assist lever.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the preliminary latch means is provided between the fitting assist lever and the housing of the second connector. The pre-latching means can be automatically engaged in response to the lever reaching the fully engaged position before the locking means is engaged.

  As disclosed herein, the mating assist lever is formed in a substantially U shape so as to define a pair of lever arms connected by a transverse portion. The lever arm is pivotally attached to both sides of the housing of the first connector. The locking means is provided between the housing of the second connector and the transverse portion of the U-shaped fitting assist lever.

  Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

  The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with its objects and advantages, can best be understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and in which:

  Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given with reference to the drawings. 1-3, the present invention is implemented in an electrical connector assembly, generally designated 10, which is pivotally mounted and includes a latch lever generally designated 14. And a receptacle connector, indicated generally at 12, and a plug connector, indicated generally at 16, with a locking member removably attached thereto. The receptacle connector 12 mounts a plurality of conductive pin terminals 20, and the plug connector 16 mounts a plurality of socket terminals 22. The pin terminal 20 is attached to the plurality of terminal accommodating passages 24 (FIG. 2), and the socket terminal 22 is attached to the plurality of terminal accommodating passages 26 (FIG. 2). When the connector is fitted as shown in FIG. 2, the socket terminal 26 of the plug connector 16 accommodates the pin terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 12. The pin terminal and socket terminal are terminated to a plurality of individual wires (not shown).

  The connector assembly 10 will be used in applications such as automobiles and other vehicles that are subject to shock and vibration. The pin terminal 20 and the socket terminal 22 are, for example, 3 [V], 5 [V], and 12 [V] terminals, respectively.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the receptacle member 12 includes a terminal fixing member having a plurality of passages 28 a and indicated as a whole by 28. The plug connector 16 also includes a terminal fixing member having a plurality of passages 30a and indicated as a whole by 30. Referring to FIG. 2, the terminal securing members 28 and 30 are positioned in the respective internal slots 28b and 30b of the receptacle connector 12 and the plug connector 16, respectively. The terminal fixing member is movable from the spare terminal loading position so that the terminals 20 and 22 can be inserted into their respective terminal receiving passages 24 and 26. In the preliminary position of the terminal fixing member, the passages 28a and 30a are aligned with the terminal receiving passages 24 and 26, respectively, so that the terminals can be completely inserted into the respective passages. After all the terminals are completely inserted into the passage, the terminal fixing members 28 and 30 are pushed toward the terminal fixing position in the direction of the arrow “B” shown in FIG. Engage with the shoulder to prevent the terminal from being pulled out of the passage.

  Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 3, the receptacle connector 12 includes an insulative housing generally indicated at 32 having a rear body portion 34 and a front fitting portion 36. The housing may be a unitary structure molded integrally with a plastic material. A terminal accommodating passage 24 to which the pin terminal 20 is attached is formed in the rear main body portion. The front side fitting part 36 defines the insertion port 40 which accommodates the plug connector 16 in a fitting manner. The insertion port 40 defined by the front fitting portion 36 is formed to fit the outer cross-sectional shape of the plug connector 16 and includes a fitting surface 40a.

  In general, complementary interengagement guide means are provided between the front mating portion 36 of the housing 32 of the receptacle connector 12 and the plug connector 16 to guide the connector into the mated state. For this purpose, a pair of laterally spaced first guide ribs 42 protrudes downward into the insertion port 40 from the top of the front fitting portion 36 of the housing 32 of the receptacle connector 12. A pair of laterally spaced second guide ribs 44 project upward from the lower portion of the front fitting portion in the insertion port 40. A third large guide rib 46 projects downward in the insertion port 40 from the upper part of the front fitting portion between the pair of first guide ribs 42. The guide rib extends in the insertion direction to the rear main body 34 in the insertion port. Further, the guide slot 48 extends in the fitting direction on each of the pair of side walls 50 of the front fitting portion 36. As best seen in FIG. 3, pivot posts 52 project outwardly from their respective sidewalls, and each pivot post has a hook 52a projecting downward at its distal end. Finally, the housing 32 of the receptacle connector 12 includes a pair of recesses 54 between the first guide rib 42 and the third guide rib 46 for purposes described below.

  The latch lever 14 is a fitting assist lever, and is generally formed in a U shape so as to define a pair of latch arms or lever arms 56 connected by an intermediate or transverse portion 58. A hook-type latch protrudes inward from the transverse portion 58, and a pair of outwardly-opened locking grooves 58b are formed on the outer surface of the transverse portion 58 to form a locking shoulder portion. Each latch lever or lever arm 56 is formed with a pivot hole 60 for receiving a respective latch post 52 protruding outward from the housing 32. The hole has a notch 60a extending radially to accommodate the hook 52a of the pivot post 52. Accordingly, the latch lever 14 can be attached to the housing 32 only by aligning the hook 52 a of the pivot post 52 with the notch 60 a of the pivot hole 60. After the attachment, when the latch lever is pivoted slightly, the hook 52a is displaced from the notch 60a, and thereafter the latch arm cannot be removed from the housing. Finally, an arc cam slot 62 is formed in each lever arm 56 of the latch lever 14. The cam slot has an opening 62a. A detent protrusion 64 is formed at a predetermined position of the cam slot 62 for the purpose described later. FIG. 5 shows a double-ended arrow around the pivot post 52 from the pre-engaged position indicated by the solid line and the latched or fully engaged position indicated by the phantom line, as will be described in detail later. Can pivot in the direction of “C”.

  Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 in conjunction with FIG. 3, the plug connector 16 includes an insulative housing, generally designated 66, which may be a unitary structure molded of plastic material. The housing includes a terminal accommodating passage 26 that accommodates the socket terminal 22 (FIG. 3). The pair of first guide grooves 70 at the top of the housing accommodates the first guide rib 42 of the receptacle connector. The pair of second guide grooves 72 at the lower part of the housing 66 accommodates the second guide ribs 44 of the receptacle connector. The large third guide groove 74 accommodates the third guide rib 46 of the receptacle connector. Cam follower protrusions or latch posts 76 protrude outwardly from respective sides of both housings 66. Each latch post has a shaft portion 76a and an enlarged head portion 76b. A positioning detent notch 76c is formed on the latch post and faces the connector fitting direction. An elongated guide rib 78 extends backward from the latch post 76 in the mating direction.

  7 and 7A, a pair of locking member positioning walls 80 project upward from the housing 66 of the plug connector 16 to accommodate or position the locking member 18 (FIG. 6) in the position shown in FIG. . Between the positioning walls 80, a lock member coupling structure indicated as a whole by 82 is disposed. The coupling structure includes a locking hole 84 having a chamfered first locking shoulder 84a on both sides. The other side of the hole defines a latch shoulder 84b. A second locking shoulder 86 is formed near the lower portion of the positioning wall 80.

  Referring specifically to FIG. 6, the locking member 18 includes a body 90 that can be a unitary structure molded of plastic material. The main body includes a pair of locking protrusions 92 extending forward in the fitting direction. A pair of first attachment hooks 94 protrudes downward from the main body, and a pair of second attachment hooks 96 protrudes downward from the main body and outside the first attachment hook 94. A pair of coupling grooves 98 are formed on the lower side of the main body 90, and one groove 98 is disposed on the outer side of each of the first mounting hooks 94 and on the inner side of the corresponding second mounting hook 96. The

  The locking member 18 is attached to the upper portion of the plug connector 16 in the direction of the arrow “D” in FIG. When attached, the first attachment hook 94 on the lower side of the lock member snaps into the chamfered first lock shoulder 84a (FIG. 7A) of the coupling structure 82 and engages in a latching manner. The second mounting hook 96 snaps into the second lock shoulder 84 and engages in a locking manner. The groove 98 on the lower side of the locking member accommodates the coupling protrusion 100 projecting upward from the coupling structure 82.

  Next, fitting of the receptacle connector 12 and the plug connector 16 and locking of the fitted connector will be described. The plug connector is inserted into the receptacle connector insertion port 40 when the cam follower protrusion on the outside of the plug connector, that is, the latch post 76 is inserted into the guide slot 48 of the side wall 50 of the receptacle connector. Accurate introduction of the plug connector into the receptacle connector is as follows: (1) the first guide rib 42 of the receptacle connector enters the first guide groove 70 of the plug connector, and (2) the second guide rib 44 of the receptacle connector , Enters the second guide groove 72 of the plug connector, (3) the third guide rib 46 of the receptacle connector enters the third guide groove 74 of the plug connector, and (4) behind the latch post 76 on the plug connector. A subsequent elongated guide rib 78 is achieved by placing it in the guide slot 48 of the receptacle connector. The elongated guide rib 78 prevents the two connectors from moving relative to each other in the vertical direction and prevents them from pivoting relative to a horizontal axis that is substantially perpendicular to the mating direction. This entire guide means system ensures an accurate alignment of the connector and, as a result, accurately aligns the socket terminal 22 of the plug connector with the pin terminal 20 of the receptacle connector.

  When the two connectors are further moved in the fitting direction, the cam follower projection 76 enters the cam slot from the opening 62a of the cam slot 62. The detent protrusion 64 in the cam slot must be positioned to enter the positioning detent notch 76c on the leading edge side of the latch post 76 to position the positioning latch lever 14 at an appropriate angle. This position is indicated by the solid line of the latch lever in FIG. The latch lever is then pivoted about pivot post 52 in the direction of arrow “E” (FIG. 5), thereby causing plug connector latch post 76 to advance along rotating latch lever cam slot 62. Thus, the two connectors are in the final latch position. When the connector is fully mated, the hook latch 58a (FIG. 4) snaps into the latch shoulder 84b (FIGS. 7 and 8) of the plug connector and engages the latch so that the latch lever engages the connector. Preliminarily locked in the fitted state.

  A separate locking member 18 is then used to fully lock the latch lever in the mated position. This is accomplished by attaching a locking member on the plug connector in the direction of arrow “D” in FIG. 8 as described above. When the locking member is so mounted, the locking projection 92 of the locking member is positioned within the locking groove 58b of the latch lever so that the latch lever cannot return from its final position to engage the connector. .

  Accordingly, the hook type latch 58a and the latch shoulder 84b form a preliminary latch means for the fitting assist lever 14. The locking member 18 forms the final locking means of the fitting assist lever. The pre-latch means is automatically engaged when the mating assist lever reaches its fully mated position.

  It will be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or central characteristics. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited to the details shown herein.

1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly that implements the concept of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. It is a disassembled perspective view of a connector assembly. It is the perspective view which looked at the fitting surface of the receptacle connector of an assembly. FIG. 6 is a side view of a receptacle connector schematically showing pivoting of a latch lever. It is a perspective view of the locking member which can be removably attached to a plug connector. It is a perspective view of a plug connector. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion circled as “A” in FIG. 7. 7 is a perspective view of the plug connector of FIGS. 7 and 7A to which the lock member of FIG. 6 is attached. FIG.

Claims (13)

A lever-type electrical connector assembly comprising:
A first connector including an insulating housing for mounting a plurality of first terminals;
A fitting auxiliary lever pivotally attached to the housing of the first connector for pivoting between a pre-fitting position and a full-fitting position, and having a cam groove therein;
A second connector that can be mated with the first connector, wherein the second connector mounts a plurality of second terminals for mating with the first terminals of the first connector. And a cam follower projection that can be engaged with the cam groove of the auxiliary assist lever in the pre-fitting position, so that when the cam follower projection moves along the cam groove, the lever rotates to the full fitting position. A second connector to which the connector is fitted according to
A lever-type electrical connector assembly having locking means provided between the housing of the second connector and the fitting auxiliary lever for locking the fitting auxiliary lever in the fully fitting position.   The locking means includes an independent locking member removably attached to the housing of the second connector and engageable with a locking assist lever to lock the lever in a fully engaged position. Lever type electrical connector.   The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the lock member includes a plurality of attachment hooks engageable with a lock shoulder on a housing of the second connector.   The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the lock member includes at least one lock protrusion that can be engaged with a lock surface of the fitting assist lever.   Pre-latching means is included between the mating assist lever and the housing of the second connector, the pre-latching means being automatically responsive to the lever reaching a fully mated position before the locking means is engaged. The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the lever-type electrical connector is engageable.   The fitting assist lever is formed in a substantially U shape so as to define a pair of lever arms connected by a transverse portion, and the lever arms are pivotally attached to both sides of the housing of the first connector, The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking means is between the housing of the second connector and the transverse portion of the U-shaped fitting assist lever.   The locking means includes an independent locking member removably attached to the housing of the second connector, and is engageable with a transverse portion of the locking assist lever to lock the lever in the fully engaged position. The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 6.   The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 7, wherein the lock member includes at least one lock protrusion that can be engaged with a lock surface of a transverse portion of the fitting assist lever.   A pre-latch means is included between the cross-section of the auxiliary mating lever and the housing of the second connector, the pre-latch means for allowing the lever to reach a fully mated position before the locking means is engaged. The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the lever-type electrical connector can be automatically engaged in response. A lever-type electrical connector assembly comprising:
A first connector including an insulating housing for mounting a plurality of first terminals;
A fitting assist lever pivotally attached to the housing of the first connector for pivoting between a pre-fitting position and a full-fitting position, and having a cam groove therein;
A second connector that can be mated with the first connector, wherein the second connector mounts a plurality of second terminals for mating with the first terminals of the first connector. And a cam follower projection that can be engaged with the cam groove of the auxiliary assist lever in the pre-fitting position, so that when the cam follower projection moves along the cam groove, the lever rotates to the full fitting position. A second connector to which the connector is fitted according to
Preliminary latch means provided between the fitting assist lever and the housing of the second connector, which can be automatically engaged in response to the lever reaching the fully fitted position;
A lever-type electrical connector assembly removably attached to the housing of the second connector and having an independent final locking member engageable with a locking auxiliary lever to securely lock the lever in a fully engaged position.   The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein the lock member includes a plurality of attachment hooks engageable with a lock shoulder on a housing of the second connector.   The lever-type electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the lock member includes at least one lock protrusion that can be engaged with a lock surface of the fitting assist lever. 11. The preliminary latch means includes a latch hook on the mating assist lever for automatically snapping and latching with a latch surface on the housing of the second connector. Lever type electrical connector as described.

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