JP2011253655A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector that can improve the operability even in a limited operation space.SOLUTION: A connector comprises: a booster member 40 rotatably arranged on a first housing 10; a pinion part 42 (a driven-side engagement part) which is arranged on the booster member 40 and along a circumference concentric with a rotation center of the booster member 40, and which can be engaged with a rack part 36A (a drive-side engagement part) that moves along a movement path when the housing 10 and a second housing 20 are fitted with each other; and a cam groove 43 (a cam functional part) which is formed on the booster member 40 and can be engaged with a cam follower 23 of the second housing 20. When the booster member 40 is rotated by moving the rack part 36A in a state of engagement with the pinion part 42, a fitting force is applied to both the housings 10 and 20 by the boosting action resulting from the engagement of the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector.

  In Patent Document 1, a lever is pivotally attached to a first housing, the first housing is shallowly fitted to a second housing, and the cam follower of the second housing is caused to enter the inlet of the groove-shaped cam function portion of the lever. A connector is disclosed in which both housings are fitted by a boosting action by rotating the lever from this state to engage the track portion and the cam follower.

JP 2006-344473 A

  In the connector of Patent Document 1, the lever operating portion moves in the circumferential direction around the first housing as the lever rotates, so that the operating portion is allowed to move around the first housing. An arc-shaped operation space is required. When attempting to reduce the operating force by increasing the boosting effect in this connector, it is necessary to increase the rotation angle of the lever, so that an operating space must be ensured over a wide range. Therefore, when the operation space is limited, a large amount of lever displacement cannot be secured, and there is a concern that the operating force increases and the workability is reduced.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the operability even when the operation space is limited.

  As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 includes a first housing, a second housing that has a cam follower and can be fitted to the first housing, and is rotatable to the first housing. And a booster member provided on the booster member along a circumference concentric with the center of rotation of the booster member and moving along a movement path when the first housing and the second housing are fitted together. A driven side engaging portion engageable with the driving side engaging portion, and a cam function portion formed on the booster member and engageable with the cam follower, wherein the driving side engaging portion is connected to the driven side. When the booster member is rotated while being engaged with the engaging portion, the fitting force is applied to the first housing and the second housing by the boosting action caused by the engagement of the cam follower and the cam function portion. In the configuration that is given With a butterfly.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the driving side engaging portion is formed on an operating member provided in the first housing so as to be slidable in the fitting direction, and the operating member However, there is a feature in that the booster member rotates in the fitting direction by sliding in the same direction as the fitting direction of the first housing with respect to the second housing.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the booster member is in an initial position when the first housing and the second housing are fitted, Engagement between the cam follower and the cam function part is started, and the first housing and the booster member are locked to each other to hold the booster member at the initial position, In addition, a pair of locking portions that are unlocked by elastically bending at least one of them is provided, and the second housing is engaged with the pair of locking portions as the first housing is fitted. It is characterized in that a release portion for releasing the stop is provided.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the virtual projection plane according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the driven side engaging portion is perpendicular to a fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing. It is characterized in that a pair is provided so as to be point-symmetric on the top.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the drive-side engaging portion is an inner surface of a cylindrical operation member that surrounds the first housing over the entire circumference. The operation member is characterized in that it is formed in a cylindrical shape by combining a pair of half members.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the cam follower includes a shaft portion and a ring member that is rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the shaft portion. It is characterized by its construction.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since a space for moving the housing during fitting is always secured, the movement stroke of the drive side engaging portion that moves along the movement path of the housing is relatively marginal even if there are space constraints around it. Can be secured. If the moving stroke of the driving side engaging portion becomes longer, the rotation angle of the booster member becomes correspondingly larger. Therefore, the friction resistance between the cam function portion and the cam follower is reduced, and the operability is improved. It is possible.

<Invention of Claim 2>
When the two housings are fitted together, if the operating member is picked and moved in a direction approaching the second housing, the boosting member rotates to exert a boosting action, and the fitting of both housings proceeds. Since the sliding direction of the operation member provided in the first housing is the same direction as the fitting direction of the first housing with respect to the second housing, workability is good.

<Invention of Claim 3>
In a state where the first housing and the second housing are not fitted, the boosting member is held at the initial position by the locking of the locking parts. Therefore, when the two housings are fitted, the cam follower and the cam function part are Can be reliably engaged. Moreover, since the latching | locking part for hold | maintaining a booster member in an initial position is cancelled | released by the cancellation | release part with fitting of both housings, workability | operativity is good.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the pair of driven side engaging portions are provided so as to be point-symmetric, it is difficult to cause an inclination between the first housing and the second housing.

<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the operating member has a cylindrical shape and the driving side engaging portion is disposed therein, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from interfering with the engaging portion between the driving side engaging portion and the driven side engaging portion. Further, since the operation member is a combination of a pair of half members, molding with a mold is facilitated, and the cost can be reduced.

<Invention of Claim 6>
When the cam follower and the cam function portion are engaged, the ring member rotates by contact with the cam function portion, so that the frictional resistance between the cam follower and the cam function portion is reduced, thereby reducing the operating force. be able to.

The partially cutout top view showing the state which started the fitting of the 1st housing and the 2nd housing in Embodiment 1. Partially cutaway plan view showing a state where fitting of the first housing and the second housing is completed Partially cutaway plan view showing a state where the booster member is in the initial position in the first housing. The perspective view showing the state which assembled the booster member and the operation member to the 1st housing Front view showing a state in which a booster member and an operation member are assembled to the first housing Top view of the first housing Front view of first housing Perspective view of second housing Front view of second housing XX sectional view of FIG. Front view of operation member Front view of upper half member Side view of upper half member Bottom view of upper half member Front view of lower half member Side view of lower half member Plan view of the lower half member Plan view of booster Front view of booster YY sectional view of FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the connector of the first embodiment, the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted in the front-rear direction by sliding the operation member 30 in the front-rear direction to rotate the pair of boost members 40. It is a thing.

  As shown in FIG.6 and FIG.7, the 1st housing 10 integrally formed the terminal accommodating part 11 and the cylindrical fitting part 12 surrounding the terminal accommodating part 11 over the perimeter, Between the terminal accommodating part 11 and the cylindrical fitting part 12, it is the fitting space 13 open | released by the front-end surface (left end surface in FIG.1, 2, 3, 6) of the 1st housing 10. As shown in FIG. A plurality of well-known female terminal fittings (not shown) are accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 11, and the electric wires 14 connected to the female terminal fittings are led out to the rear of the first housing 10 as shown in FIG. ing.

  On the left and right outer surfaces (outer peripheral surfaces) of the cylindrical fitting portion 12 (first housing 10), a pair of left and right symmetrically extending linearly in the front-rear direction (direction parallel to the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 20). The guide rib 15 is formed. On the upper surface (outer surface) and the lower surface (outer surface) of the cylindrical fitting portion 12, the axis is projected in a columnar shape in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 20). The support shaft 16 (the rotation center of the booster member, which is a constituent element of the present invention) is formed coaxially. The support shaft 16 is disposed at the center position of the cylindrical fitting portion 12 (first housing 10) in the width direction (left-right direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 20).

  The upper surface (outer surface) of the cylindrical fitting part 12 is formed with a restriction protrusion 17 having a shape protruding in a columnar shape with the axis line directed in the vertical direction. The restricting protrusion 17 is arranged at a position shifted rearward and to the right (upward in FIG. 6) with respect to the support shaft 16. On the lower surface (outer surface) of the cylindrical fitting portion 12, a restriction projection 17 is formed that protrudes in a cylindrical shape with the axis line directed in the vertical direction. The lower surface side restricting projection 17 is disposed at a position rearward and leftward with respect to the support shaft 16 (in the opposite direction to the upper surface side restricting projection 17). Relief recesses 18 are formed on the upper surface wall and the lower surface wall constituting the cylindrical fitting portion 12 so as to be cut backward from the front edge. The escape recess 18 is disposed at a substantially central portion so as to include the support shaft 16 in the left-right direction. Further, the opening edge on the left side of the relief recess 18 on the upper surface wall and the opening edge on the right side of the escape recess 18 on the lower surface wall are provided with an engagement edge 19 (the engagement on the first housing side, which is a component of the present invention). Part).

  The first housing 10 has a point-symmetric shape on a virtual projection plane (see FIGS. 5 and 7) perpendicular to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 20. Therefore, the pair of guide ribs 15, the pair of support shafts 16, the pair of restricting projections 17, the pair of escape recesses 18, and the pair of locking edges 19 all have a point-symmetric shape and arrangement on the virtual projection plane. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 8, 9, and 10, the second housing 20 has a terminal holding portion 21 and a front end portion of the terminal holding portion 21 (right end portion in FIGS. 1 and 2) from the outer periphery to the front. The protruding cylindrical hood part 22 is integrally formed. A plurality of well-known male terminal fittings (not shown) are held in the terminal holding portion 21, and a tab at the tip of the male terminal fitting is surrounded by the hood portion 22. The second housing 20 is fixed to a device (not shown).

  On the upper surface (outer surface) and lower surface (outer surface) of the second housing 20, a cam follower 23 in a form protruding in a columnar shape with its axis line directed in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of both housings 10, 20), It is provided coaxially. The cam follower 23 is disposed at the center position of the second housing 20 in the width direction (left-right direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 20). The cam follower 23 includes a columnar shaft portion 24 that is integrally formed with the second housing 20, a cylindrical ring member 25 that is rotatably fitted around the outer periphery of the shaft portion 24, and a tip surface of the shaft portion 24. It is comprised from the hook-shaped retaining member 26 (nabe screw, pin, etc.) attached by screwing or press-fitting. The ring member 25 is restricted from being detached from the shaft portion 24 by the locking action of the retaining member 26. Further, as the material of the ring member 25, metal (SUS) or synthetic resin is used.

  A release portion 27 is formed on the upper surface (outer surface) of the second housing 20 so as to protrude in a rib shape long in the front-rear direction. The release portion 27 is disposed at a position shifted to the right (downward in FIG. 1) with respect to the cam follower 23. On the other hand, the lower portion (outer surface) of the second housing 20 is also formed with a release portion 27 that is long in the front-rear direction and protrudes in a rib shape. The release portion 27 on the lower surface side is disposed at a position shifted to the left (in the opposite direction to the release portion 27 on the upper surface side) with respect to the cam follower 23.

  The second housing 20 has a point-symmetric shape on a virtual projection plane (see FIG. 9) perpendicular to the fitting direction of the two housings 10 and 20. Therefore, each of the pair of cam followers 23 and the pair of release portions 27 has a point-symmetric shape and arrangement on the virtual projection plane.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 11, the operation member 30 is configured to have a cylindrical shape penetrating in the front-rear direction by combining the upper half member 31 </ b> A and the lower half member 31 </ b> B. The operation member 30 is assembled so as to be sandwiched from above and below the first housing 10 at the same time in the process of combining the half members 31A and 31B.

  As shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, the upper half member 31A includes an upper wall portion 32A and a pair of upper side wall portions 33A that extend downward from the left and right side edges of the upper wall portion 32A. A pair of front and rear positioning projections 34A are formed on the lower end surfaces of the left and right upper side wall portions 33A. In addition, lock projections 35A are formed on the outer surfaces of the left and right upper side wall portions 33A, respectively. Furthermore, an upper rack portion 36A (a driving side engaging portion which is a constituent element of the present invention) is formed on the inner surface of the upper side wall portion 33A on the right side in a form in which a plurality of teeth are linearly arranged in the front-rear direction at a constant pitch. Has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 15, 16, and 17, the lower half member 31B includes a lower wall portion 32B and a pair of lower side wall portions 33B that extend upward from the left and right side edges of the lower wall portion 32B. A pair of positioning holes 34B are formed on the upper end surfaces of the left and right lower side wall portions 33B. Further, the upper end portions (extending end portions) of the left and right lower side wall portions 33B are respectively elastic lock pieces 35B that can be elastically bent. Further, a lower rack portion 36B (driving side engaging portion which is a constituent element of the present invention) is formed on the inner surface of the left lower side wall portion 33B in a form in which a plurality of teeth are arranged linearly in the front-rear direction at a constant pitch. Has been.

  When the upper half member 31A and the lower half member 31B are combined, the positioning projection 34A is fitted into the positioning hole 34B, thereby restricting the positional deviation of both the half members 31A, 31B in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Is done. Further, in the combined state, the elastic lock pieces 35B are locked to the lock protrusions 35A, thereby restricting the halved members 31A and 31B from separating in the vertical direction. As a result, both the half members 31 </ b> A and 31 </ b> B are combined to form the operation member 30, and the operation member 30 is assembled to the first housing 10. In the state where the operation member 30 is assembled, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the inner surface side of the operation member 30 is recessed between the lower end portion of the upper side wall portion 33A and the upper end portion of the lower side wall portion 33B. A pair of left and right guide grooves 37 are formed, and the guide grooves 37 are fitted to the guide ribs 15 so as to be capable of relative displacement.

  Further, the operation member 30 has a point-symmetric shape on a virtual projection plane (see FIG. 11) perpendicular to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 20. Accordingly, the upper rack portion 36A and the lower rack portion 36B have a point-symmetric shape and arrangement with respect to the same symmetry point as the first housing 10 on the virtual projection plane. Further, the operation member 30 assembled to the first housing 10 is prevented from being removed by a normal fitting / removing operation with respect to the housing.

  The pair of boost members 40 are the same component, and are disposed on the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the first housing 10. The pair of boost members 40 are point-symmetric with respect to the same symmetry point as the first housing 10 and the operation member 30 on a virtual projection plane (see FIG. 5) perpendicular to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 20. The shape and arrangement. Therefore, the booster member 40 disposed on the upper side will be described, and a part of the description of the structure and operation of the booster member 40 disposed on the lower side will be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the booster member 40 has a flat plate shape as a whole, and a bearing hole 41 penetrating in the vertical direction is formed at substantially the center thereof. The booster member 40 is fitted at about 90 ° between the initial position (see FIGS. 1 and 3) and the fitting position (see FIG. 2) by fitting the bearing hole 41 to the support shaft 16. It is assembled to the upper surface of the first housing 10 so as to be able to rotate over an angle. Similarly, the booster member 40 is also assembled to the lower surface of the first housing 10 so as to be point-symmetric with the upper surface side.

  On the outer periphery of the booster member 40, a pinion portion 42 (a driven side engaging portion which is a constituent requirement of the present invention) is formed in which a plurality of teeth are arranged at a constant pitch on a circumference concentric with the bearing hole 41. ing. The pitch in the pitch circle of the teeth constituting the pinion portion 42 has the same dimensions as the pitch of the teeth constituting the rack portions 36A and 36B. Further, the number of teeth constituting the pinion portion 42 is substantially the same as the number of teeth constituting the rack portions 36A and 36B. In a state where the booster member 40 is assembled to the first housing 10, the pinion portion 42 of the booster member 40 on the upper surface side is engaged with the upper rack portion 36A, and the pinion portion 42 of the booster member 40 on the lower surface side is engaged with the lower rack. It is engaged with the part 36B.

  The booster member 40 has a cam groove 43 (a cam function which is a constituent feature of the present invention) in which the lower surface side (the side facing the upper surface of the first housing 10 when assembled to the first housing 10) is recessed. Part) is formed. The start end (inlet) of the cam groove 43 is opened to the outer periphery of the booster member 40, and the end of the cam groove 43 has a bag path shape. The cam groove 43 has a curved shape in which the radial dimension from the bearing hole 41 to the cam groove 43 gradually decreases from the start end to the end of the cam groove 43. In a state where the booster member 40 is in the initial position, the cam groove 43 is in a standby state in which the cam follower 23 is allowed to enter the cam groove 43 by opening the start end thereof forward. Further, the cam groove 43 is disposed so as to overlap the same region as the pinion portion 42 in the axial direction of the rotation shaft (support shaft 16) of the booster member 40 (the plate thickness direction of the booster member 40).

  The booster member 40 is formed with a relief groove 44 having a recess on the lower surface side. The escape groove 44 has an arc shape concentric with the bearing hole 41, and the restriction projection 17 is accommodated in the escape groove 44. Both end portions of the escape groove 44 in the circumferential direction are in a bag path shape, one end of the escape groove 44 is an initial position stopper 45, and the other end is a fitting position stopper 46. Yes. In the state where the booster member 40 is in the initial position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the booster member 40 is opposite to the fitting position side by the contact of the restricting projection 17 with the stopper 45 for the initial position. Rotation to the side (clockwise direction in FIGS. 1 and 3) is restricted. In the state where the booster member 40 is in the fitting position, as shown in FIG. 2, the regulating protrusion 17 contacts the fitting position stopper 46, so that the boosting member 40 is opposite to the initial position side. Rotation to the side (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2) is restricted.

  The booster member 40 includes an elastic locking piece 47 for restricting the booster member 40 from rotating toward the fitting position when the booster member 40 is in the initial position (in the configuration requirement of the present invention). A certain boosting member side locking portion) is formed. The elastic locking piece 47 has a cantilever shape so that a portion close to the start end of the cam groove 43 in the outer peripheral edge portion of the booster member 40 can be elastically bent in the vertical direction. The elastic locking piece 47 is formed with a locking projection 48 protruding downward. When the booster member 40 is in the initial position, the locking projection 48 enters the escape recess 18 and is locked to the locking edge portion 19, and this locking action moves to the fitting position side of the booster member 40. Is restricted.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In a state before the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are fitted, the booster member 40 is held at the initial position by sliding the operation member 30 rearward as shown in FIG. In this state, the booster member 40 is restricted from rotating at the initial position by the engagement between the elastic locking piece 47 and the locking edge 19 and the contact between the restriction projection 17 and the initial position stopper 45. State is maintained.

  When both housings 10 and 20 are brought close to each other from this state and the hood portion 22 is made to enter the fitting space 13 shallowly, the cam follower 23 enters the start end (inlet) of the cam groove 43 as shown in FIG. Further, as the hood portion 22 enters the fitting space 13, the release portion 27 comes into contact with the locking protrusion 48 of the elastic locking piece 47 and moves the elastic locking piece 47 away from the outer surface of the first housing 10. Therefore, the engagement between the locking projection 48 (elastic locking piece 47) and the locking edge 19 is released. Thereby, the booster member 40 is allowed to rotate to the fitting position side.

  Thereafter, the operation member 30 is grasped and pushed forward in the first housing 10 (in the direction of approaching the second housing 20). Then, the operation member 30 slides forward, and accordingly, the upper and lower booster members 40 are synchronously moved to the fitting position side by the engagement of the upper rack portion 36A and the lower rack portion 36B and the pinion portion 42. Start turning. Along with the rotation of the booster member 40, the boosting effect is exerted by the cam action by the engagement of the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43, and a fitting force in a direction approaching each other is applied to both the housings 10 and 20. The That is, even if the operating force applied to the operating member 30 is small (in other words, even if the fitting resistance between the housings 10 and 20 is large), the fitting operation of both the housings 10 and 20 can be easily advanced. .

  Then, when the slide operation of the operation member 30 is advanced and the booster member 40 reaches the fitting position, as shown in FIG. 3, both housings 10 and 20 are in a proper fitting state, and the fitting operation is completed. When the two housings 10 and 20 in the fitted state are detached, the operation member 30 is slid to the rear of the first housing 10 contrary to the above. Then, since the booster member 40 is rotated from the fitting position toward the initial position, the cam action by the engagement between the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43 is performed with respect to both the housings 10, 20. A force in the separation direction is applied. Thereby, even if the operating force applied to the operating member 30 is small (in other words, even when the fitting resistance between the housings 10 and 20 is large), the detaching operation of the housings 10 and 20 can be easily advanced. .

  As described above, in the connector of the present embodiment, the booster member 40 is rotatably provided in the first housing 10, and the pinion portion 42 is provided on the booster member 40 along the circumference concentric with the rotation center. The pinion portion 42 is engaged with the rack portions 36A and 36B (of the operation member 30) that move along the movement path when the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted. Further, the booster member 40 is provided with a cam groove 43 that can be engaged with the cam follower 23 of the second housing 20, and the rack members 36 </ b> A and 36 </ b> B are moved in a state of being engaged with the pinion portion 42 to move the booster member 40. When it is rotated, a fitting force is applied to both the housings 10 and 20 by a boosting action caused by the engagement between the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43.

  The movement path of the operation member 30 in which the rack portions 36A and 36B and the rack portions 36A and 36B are formed (space to be secured to allow the movement of the rack portions 36A and 36B) is the outer periphery of the first housing 10. It is a narrow space area (space along the outer periphery of the first housing 10) that is close to. Therefore, the space to be secured outside the first housing 10 for the movement of the rack portions 36A and 36B and the operation member 30 in the vertical and horizontal directions is small.

  According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained. At the time of fitting, a space for moving the first housing 10 is surely secured. Therefore, the movement strokes of the rack portions 36A and 36B (operation member 30) moving along the movement path of the first housing 10 are compared even when there is a space limitation around the first housing 10 (up / down / left / right direction). It is possible to secure with sufficient margin. If the movement stroke of the rack portions 36A and 36B is increased, the rotation angle of the booster member 40 is increased accordingly, so that the frictional resistance between the cam groove 43 and the cam follower 23 is reduced and the operability is improved. Can be achieved.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the movement range of the rack portions 36A and 36B and the operation member 30 in the front-rear direction (the direction parallel to the fitting direction of the two housings 10 and 20) is from the front end to the rear end of the first housing 10. Therefore, in the front-rear direction, a space to be secured outside the first housing 10 for the movement of the rack portions 36A, 36B and the operation member 30 is unnecessary.

  The rack portions 36A and 36B are formed on the operation member 30 provided in the first housing 10 so as to be slidable in the fitting direction. The member 30 is slid in the same direction as the fitting direction of the first housing 10 with respect to the second housing 20. According to this configuration, since the sliding direction of the operation member 30 provided in the first housing 10 and the fitting direction of the first housing 10 with respect to the second housing 20 are the same direction, the workability is excellent.

  In addition, when the two housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the engagement between the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43 is started when the booster member 40 is in the initial position. 10 and the booster member 40 are engaged with each other to hold the booster member 40 in the initial position, and at least one of them is elastically bent to release the lock (a lock edge). Part 19 and elastic locking piece 47) are provided, and the second housing 20 is released to release the locking between the locking edge 19 and the elastic locking piece 47 when the first housing 10 is fitted. A portion 27 is provided.

  According to this configuration, when the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are not fitted, the booster member 40 is held at the initial position by the locking of the locking edge 19 and the elastic locking piece 47. When the housings 10 and 20 are fitted, the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43 can be reliably engaged. Further, the locking of the locking edge portion 19 and the elastic locking piece 47 for holding the booster member 40 in the initial position is automatically released by the release portion 27 as the housings 10 and 20 are fitted. Therefore, it is not necessary for the operator to perform the release work, and the workability is excellent.

  In addition, since the pair of pinion portions 42 are provided so as to be point-symmetric on the virtual projection plane perpendicular to the fitting direction of the two housings 10 and 20, the first housing 10 and the first housing 10 in the course of the fitting operation. 2 Inclination is unlikely to occur between the housing 20.

  The rack portions 36A and 36B are formed on the inner surface of a cylindrical operation member 30 that surrounds the entire circumference of the first housing 10, and the operation member 30 combines the pair of half members 31A and 31B. It is formed in a cylindrical shape. According to this configuration, since the rack portions 36A and 36B are arranged inside the cylindrical operation member 30, it is possible to prevent foreign matter interference with the engaging portion between the rack portions 36A and 36B and the pinion portion 42. In addition, since the operation member 30 is a combination of the pair of half members 31A and 31B, compared to a single-part operation member, molding with a mold is facilitated, and costs can be reduced.

  The cam follower 23 includes a shaft portion 24 and a ring member 25 that is rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 24. According to this configuration, when the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43 are engaged, the ring member 25 is rotated by contact with the cam groove 43, so that the frictional resistance between the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43 is reduced. As a result, the operation force can be reduced.

<Invention Extracted from Embodiment 1>
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-344473, a booster member (lever) is rotatably attached to a first housing, the first housing is shallowly fitted to a second housing, and a cam groove (cam function portion) of the booster member is disclosed. ) Is inserted into the second housing cam follower, and the booster member is rotated from this state to engage the cam groove and the cam follower. ing.

  In this connector, since the operation portion of the booster member moves in the circumferential direction around the first housing as the booster member rotates, the operation portion is allowed to move around the first housing. Therefore, an arc-shaped operation space is required. When it is intended to reduce the operating force by increasing the boosting effect in this connector, it is necessary to increase the rotation angle of the boosting member. Therefore, the operating space must be ensured over a wide range. Therefore, when the operation space is limited, a large displacement amount of the booster member cannot be secured, so there is a concern that the operation force increases and the workability is lowered.

As a countermeasure, from the description of Embodiment 1,
“The first housing,
A booster member rotatably provided on the first housing;
A cam function portion formed on the boost member;
A second housing that can be fitted with the first housing, and a cam follower provided in the second housing;
When the first housing is shallowly fitted to the second housing, the cam follower is inserted into the inlet of the cam function portion, and the booster member is rotated from that state, the cam function portion and the cam follower In the connector in which a fitting force is applied to the first housing and the second housing by a boosting action by engagement,
The cam follower is configured to include a shaft portion and a ring member that is rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the shaft portion. The invention (technical idea) is extracted, and the present invention solves the above problem. be able to.

  According to this extracted invention, when the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 43 (cam function portion) are engaged, the ring member 25 rotates (rolls) by contact with the cam groove 43, so the cam follower 23 and the cam follower The resistance generated between the grooves 43 may be a small rolling resistance. As a result, the frictional resistance between the cam follower 23 and the cam groove 23 is reduced, and accordingly, the rotation angle of the booster member 40 can be set small. Therefore, even if the operation space around the connector is limited, the operability can be improved.

  Further, the invention that “the cam follower includes a ring member and reduces the frictional resistance with the cam function portion” extracted from the first embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment in that both the housings 10 and 20 are provided. The upper rack portion 36A (driving side engaging portion) and the lower rack portion 36B (driving side engaging portion) of the operating member 30 that slide in parallel with the fitting direction, and the pinion portion 42 (driven side engagement) of the booster member 40 And a doubler of a type in which a lever having a cam function part (cam groove) is directly operated and rotated. Also applicable to other types of booster mechanisms, such as force-type mechanisms (connectors) and types of booster mechanisms (connectors) that push and pull a slider having a cam function part (cam groove) in a direction crossing the fitting direction. be able to. That is, the extracted invention can be filed as an independent patent application divided from the present application.

  In the first embodiment, the shaft portion 24 is formed integrally with the second housing 20. However, the shaft portion is a separate component from the second housing 20, and the separate shaft portion is assembled to the second housing 20. May be. Similarly, in the first embodiment, the hook-shaped retaining member 26 for retaining the ring member 25 so as not to be detached from the shaft portion 24 is a separate component from the shaft portion 24, but the retaining means includes a shaft After assembling the ring member 25 to the portion 24, the retaining portion may be formed by plastically deforming the tip portion of the shaft portion 24.

<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.
(1) Although the operation member is provided in the first housing in the above embodiment, the operation member may be provided in the second housing.
(2) In the above embodiment, the sliding direction when the operating member is fitted is the same as the fitting direction of the first housing with respect to the second housing, but the sliding direction when the operating member is fitted is the second direction. It is good also as a direction opposite to the fitting direction of the 1st housing with respect to a housing.
(3) In the above embodiment, the operation member is provided so that it is not detached from the housing by a normal fitting / removing operation, and the driving side engaging portion is formed on this operating member. If not, a jig removed from the housing or the booster member may be provided, and the drive side engaging portion may be formed on the jig.
(4) In the above embodiment, the electric wire is led out from the back surface of the first housing and the second housing is fixed to the device. However, in the present invention, the first housing is fixed to the device, and the second housing The present invention can also be applied to a connector in which electric wires are led out from the back surface of the housing and a connector in which electric wires are led out from the back surfaces of both the first housing and the second housing.
(5) In the above embodiment, the driven-side engaging portion and the cam function portion are arranged to overlap the same region in the rotation axis direction (plate thickness direction) of the booster member. The portions may be arranged so as to be shifted in the rotation axis direction (plate thickness direction) of the booster member. In this way, the driven-side engaging portion can be formed continuously over the entire circumference of the booster member, so that the rotation angle when the booster member is fitted and removed is larger than 360 °. Can be set to angle.
(6) In the above embodiment, the pair of driven side engaging portions is provided, but the number of driven side engaging portions may be only one.
(7) In the above embodiment, the pair of driven side engaging portions are provided so as to be point-symmetric on the virtual projection plane perpendicular to the fitting direction of the two housings. You may provide so that it may become line symmetrical on a virtual projection surface, and you may provide so that it may become asymmetrical on a virtual projection surface.
(8) In the above embodiment, the locking portion for holding the booster member in the initial position is provided in the boosting member and the first housing. However, the locking portion is provided in the operation member and the first housing. Also good.
(9) In the above embodiment, the operation member is cylindrical, but the operation member may be a “U” shape or a plate shape.
(10) In the above embodiment, the operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape by combining the pair of half members, but the operation member may be a single component. In this case, the driving side engaging portion may be formed integrally with the inner surface of the operating member, or the driving side engaging portion is formed on a separate component from the operating member, and this component is formed on the inner surface of the operating member. It may be assembled.
(11) In the above embodiment, the cam follower has a configuration in which the ring member is rotatably assembled to the outer periphery of the shaft portion. However, the cam follower may be configured by only the shaft-shaped portion without using the ring member. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st housing 16 ... Support shaft (Rotation center of a booster member)
19: Locking edge (locking portion on the first housing side)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... 2nd housing 23 ... Cam follower 24 ... Shaft part 25 ... Ring member 27 ... Release | release part 30 ... Operation member 31A ... Upper half member 31B ... Lower half member 36A ... Upper rack part (drive side engaging part)
36B ... Lower rack part (drive side engaging part)
40 ... Boost member 42 ... Pinion part (driven side engaging part)
43 ... Cam groove (cam function part)
47. Elastic locking piece (locking part on the side of the booster member)

Claims (6)

A first housing;
A second housing having a cam follower and capable of engaging with the first housing;
A booster member rotatably provided on the first housing;
Engage with the drive-side engagement portion that is provided on the booster member along a circumference concentric with the rotation center thereof and moves along a movement path when the first housing and the second housing are fitted. A possible driven engagement part;
A cam function part formed on the booster member and engageable with the cam follower;
When the driving side engaging portion is moved in a state of being engaged with the driven side engaging portion to rotate the boosting member, the boosting action by the engagement of the cam follower and the cam function portion causes the first A connector characterized in that a fitting force is applied to one housing and the second housing. The driving side engaging portion is formed on an operating member provided in the first housing so as to be slidable in the fitting direction.
The booster member rotates in the fitting direction when the operating member slides in the same direction as the fitting direction of the first housing with respect to the second housing. Item 1. The connector according to item 1. When the first housing and the second housing are fitted, the cam follower and the cam function unit are started to be engaged when the booster member is in the initial position.
The first housing and the booster member have a pair of locking portions that are locked to each other to hold the booster member in the initial position, and at least one of which is elastically bent to release the lock. Is provided,
The release part which cancels | releases latching of a pair of said latching | locking part with the fitting with the said 1st housing is provided in the said 2nd housing, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Connector.   The pair of driven side engaging portions are provided so as to be point-symmetric on a virtual projection plane perpendicular to the fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing. Item 4. The connector according to any one of item 3. The drive side engaging portion is formed on an inner surface of a cylindrical operation member that surrounds the entire circumference of the first housing,
The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape by combining a pair of half members.   The said cam follower is provided with the axial part and the ring member rotatably fitted by the outer periphery of the said axial part, It is comprised, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Connector.

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