JP2012089400A - Connector with booster mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease the height of a connector.SOLUTION: A female connector housing 3 is provided with a slider 5 which interlocks with the operation of a lever 10. The lever 10 can carry out rotating operation about a supporting shaft 11 formed in the female connector housing 3. The slider 5 is attached on a side surface of the female connector housing 3 within a height range thereof, and can slide in a direction orthogonal to a fitting direction. The leber 10 and the slider 5 are connected by a connection link 14, and when the lever 10 is operated, an angle between the lever 10 and the slider 5 is displaced in a leg-opening direction, thereby sliding the slider 5. The supporting shaft 11 which is a rotation center of the lever 10 is formed within the height range of the female connector housing 3, so that the height of the female connector can be decreased.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector with a booster mechanism.

  Conventionally, the slider is slid in accordance with the turning operation of the lever, and the cam pin provided on the mating connector is guided by the cam groove provided on the slider, so that the male and female connector housings are fitted with a low operating force. Such a connector is known. As an example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known.

  In this device, a slider is provided on one connector housing. The slider is incorporated so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction within the height range of the connector housing, and a cam groove for guiding a cam pin provided in the mating connector is formed. One connector housing is provided with a wire cover for forcibly changing the wiring direction of the wires drawn outward from the connector housing. The lever is provided on the side surface of the wire cover so as to be rotatable, and a protrusion is formed near the outer peripheral edge of the lever so that the lever is engaged with an engaging portion formed on the slider side. Accordingly, the slide can be displaced.

JP 2003-132997 A

  As described above, the rotation center of the lever is provided on the electric wire cover. In other words, the lever's pivot center is located above the height of the upper edge of the connector housing, so the lever must always protrude upward from the connector housing, achieving a low profile connector. It was an obstacle to doing.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector with a booster mechanism that can achieve a low profile.

<Invention of Claim 1>
As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a connector with a booster mechanism that slides a slider in conjunction with a turning operation of a lever to bring a male and female connector housing into a fitted state. And a slider assembled to one of the male and female connector housings so as to be slidable in a direction intersecting the fitting direction within the height range, and provided on the mating connector housing. A cam receiving means for allowing both connector housings to be fitted by guiding the cam means, a lever having a rotation center in one connector housing or slider and capable of being rotated around the rotation center, and one end A connecting link with one end connected to the lever and the other end connected to the one connector housing or slider Characterized in place with and.

<Invention of Claim 2>
The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, both male and female connector housings are located within the height range of one connector housing in a fully fitted state.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the pivot center of the lever is provided in one connector housing, the other end side of the connection link is connected to the slider, and the lever is rotated. The moving center is a connecting pin that connects the lever and one of the connector housings, and the slider is characterized in that a guide groove that guides the connecting pin is formed as the slider slides.

<Invention of Claim 1>
In the first aspect of the present invention, when the lever is connected to the lever in a state where the male and female connector housings are loosely fitted to each other, the lever and the connection link are opened. The slider slides to displace in the direction. Thereby, the cam means is guided by the cam receiving means and the male and female connector housings are fitted.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lever has a pivot center disposed on one of the connector housing itself or a slider provided within the height range of the connector housing, so that the low profile of the connector can be achieved. it can.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the lever is pivoted and the male and female connector housings are completely fitted, the pivot position of the lever is within the height range of one of the connector housings in the height direction. Since it does not protrude, the lever can be accommodated in a compact manner, and space saving can be achieved.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sliding operation of the slider can be guided using the connecting pin that is the pivot center of the lever, so that the structure can be simplified.

Front view showing the separated state of the male and female connectors Top view of male and female connectors in mating condition Same side view Front view showing the state of mating male and female connectors Similarly, a front view showing the completed state The front view which shows the separation state of the male and female connector in Embodiment 2. Similarly, a front view showing the completed state

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure, 1 is a male connector housing having a hood portion 2, and the hood portion 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape that can be fitted to the female connector housing 3. Although not shown in the figure, a plurality of male terminal fittings are accommodated in a protruding state inside the hood portion 2. Further, in the hood portion 2, a pair of cam pins 4 are provided to protrude outwards at positions in the width direction center portions of both side walls facing the front side and the back side in FIG.

  Similarly to the male connector housing 1, the female connector housing 3 is also integrally formed of a synthetic resin material. The female connector housing 3 is formed of a main body portion 3A that accommodates female terminal fittings (not shown) and an outer cylinder portion 3B that is formed so as to surround the main body portion 3A from the outside. The main body portion 3A is formed in a substantially block shape, and the outer cylinder portion 3B is formed in a hood shape that opens toward the male connector housing 1 side. A space held between the main body portion 3A and the outer cylinder portion 3B is a fitting space K into which the hood portion 2 of the male connector housing 1 enters. In addition, each electric wire W connected to each female terminal metal fitting is pulled out in the state parallel to the width direction from the surface opposite to the fitting surface in the main body 3A as shown in FIG. .

  In the outer cylinder portion 3 </ b> A, the outer surfaces of the front and rear side walls in FIG. 1 serve as a slider mounting surface 6 for mounting the slider 5. On both slider mounting surfaces 6, two escaping grooves 7 corresponding to each cam pin 4 are formed vertically and penetrating in the thickness direction. Each relief groove 7 has one end opened to the opening edge of the outer cylinder portion 3B, and is extended and formed along the fitting direction.

  The slider 5 is assembled on the slider mounting surface 6 so as to be slidable along a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the male and female connector housings 1 and 3. The slider 5 is formed in a gate shape from a pair of substrates 5A and a connecting plate 5B that connects one ends of both substrates 5A. The slider 5 is arranged so that both substrates 5A are along the slider mounting surface 6 and within the height range of the same surface 6. A guide groove 8 is formed in the inner surface on the front end side (opposite side of the connecting plate 5A) of both substrates 5A along the slide direction of the slider 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The guide groove 8 is formed with a length corresponding to the moving stroke set in the slider 5, and one end of the guide groove 8 is open to the leading edge of both substrates 5A. On the other hand, both the slider mounting surfaces 6 are formed with protruding protrusions 9 that slidably fit into the guide grooves 8. The protrusion 9 is an end portion of the slider mounting surface 6 on the side where the tips of the two substrates 5A are located, and is arranged at a height position approached to the side from which the electric wire W is drawn.

  In addition, the lever 10 is located at a height position that is close to the side on which the protrusion 9 is provided on both slider mounting surfaces 6 and the end opposite to the length direction of the slider mounting surface 6 to the side where the male connector housing 1 is fitted. The support shaft 11 that constitutes the center of rotation projects. The slider 5 is formed with a through groove 12 that receives the support shaft 11 so as to be relatively displaceable. The through groove 12 is formed in a long hole shape along the sliding direction of the slider 5, and is formed over a length range that allows the slider 5 to slide.

  In the state before the male and female connector housings 1 and 3 are fitted (the state shown in FIG. 1), the slider 5 has the support shaft 11 at one end of the through groove 12 (the end far from the connecting plate 5B). It is located. For this reason, when the slider 5 is in the position shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as the initial position), the connecting plate 5B side protrudes outward in the width direction of the female connector housing 3.

  Further, cam grooves 13 are formed on the inner surfaces of both the substrates 5A of the slider 5 in a state of being paired in the width direction. Each cam groove 13 constitutes a part of a booster mechanism together with the corresponding cam pin 4. Both cam grooves 13 are provided at positions corresponding to the cam pins 4 on the male connector housing 1 side when the slider 5 is in the initial position. Each cam groove 13 is formed to open on the lower edge side (side facing the male connector housing 1) of the substrate 5A. Can be accepted inside. Further, each cam groove 13 extends while curving toward the connecting plate 5B side, and while the slider 5 slides, the relief groove 7 and a part thereof are always in communication with each other, and the cam pin 4 is guided inside. By doing so, a boosting action is exhibited, and the male and female connector housings 1 and 3 can be fitted with a low operating force.

  Although not shown in detail, the slider 5 has a holding mechanism for holding it at the initial position. As an example of the holding mechanism, a lock arm that can be bent and deformed is formed on a part of the substrate 5A, and the locked arm is formed on a part of the female connector housing 3 when the slider 5 is in the initial position. It is possible to consider a structure that is positioned in both directions in the sliding direction so as to be elastically locked. With such a structure, when an appropriate force in the sliding direction is applied to the slider 5, the above-described elastic locking state can be forcibly released. If the slider 5 is held at the initial position, the lever 10 is also held in the standing posture shown in FIG.

  The lever 10 is attached to the female connector housing 3 so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 11. The lever 10 is made of synthetic resin, and includes a pair of arm pieces 10A and an operation piece 10B that connects ends of the arm pieces 10A opposite to the side where the support shaft 11 is provided, and has a gate shape as a whole. It is formed without. The lever 10 is positioned on the outer side in the thickness direction of both the boards 5A of the slider 5 while straddling the female connector housing 3, and is inserted into the support shaft 11 so as to be rotatable on the free end side of both arm pieces 10A. ing. Thus, the pivot center of the lever 10 is located within the height range of the female connector housing 3.

  In addition, one end side of the connection link 14 is located on the inner surface side at the substantially central portion in the length direction of both the arm pieces 10 </ b> A of the lever 10, and both are rotatably connected via the first pin 15. The other end side of the connection link 14 is connected to the inner surfaces of the two substrates 5A of the slider 5 near the free ends via a second pin 16 so as to be rotatable.

  Next, the effect of Embodiment 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. When the male and female connector housings 1 and 3 are to be fitted, the opening end side of the hood portion 2 of the male connector housing 1 is connected to the main body portion 3A of the female connector housing 3 in the state shown in FIG. And is shallowly fitted into the fitting space K between the outer cylinder 3B. At this time, the cam groove 13 and the escape groove 7 of the male connector housing 1 are aligned with each other at the inlet portion, and the cam pin 4 first enters the alignment position at the inlet.

  In this state, the operating piece 10B of the lever 10 is operated to rotate the entire lever 10 around the support shaft 11 counterclockwise as shown in FIG. Then, since a force toward the second pin 16 of the slider 5 acts on the connection link 14, the slider 5 starts to move leftward as shown in FIG. 1 and the lever 10 and the connection link 14 form these. Displacement in the leg-opening direction to widen the angle is started (see FIG. 4). At this time, in the slider 5, the guide groove 8 and the protrusion 9 are slidably fitted and the support shaft 11 is slidably fitted to the through groove 12. Since the sliding operation is guided in a balanced manner at the positions near both ends and both ends in the height direction, a smooth sliding operation is performed.

  As the slider 5 is displaced, each cam pin 4 moves along the corresponding relief groove 7 and cam groove 13, so that the male and female connector housings 1, 3 are gradually deepened by the cam action of the cam groove 13. go. When the lever 10 is in the horizontal posture, each cam pin 4 reaches the end portion of the corresponding cam groove 13 and the escape groove 7, and the male and female connector housings 1 and 3 are in a completely fitted state (state in FIG. 5).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the rotation center of the lever 10 is provided within the height range with respect to the female connector housing 3, so that the rotation center of the lever 10 protrudes in the height direction. This can contribute to a reduction in the height of the female connector. Further, in the fully fitted state shown in FIG. 5, the slider 5 is close to a state in which the connecting plate 5 </ b> B has almost no gap with respect to the outer wall of the female connector housing 3. Further, the connection link 14 is hidden over the entire length range inside the lever 10, and the entire lever 10 is located within the height range of the female connector housing 3, and only the operation piece 10 </ b> B is slightly in the width of the female connector housing 3. Since it is the extent which protrudes to a direction outward, the whole connector in a perfect fitting state can be made compact (low profile).

  In the first embodiment, as one means for guiding the sliding operation of the slider 5, a structure is used in which the support shaft 11 that is the rotation center of the lever 10 is displaced along the through groove 12. That is, the structure for guiding the sliding operation of the slider 5 is not provided exclusively, but the structure for supporting the rotation of the lever 10 is used, so that the structure can be simplified. ing.

<Embodiment 2>
6 and 7 show Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the support shaft 11 is a fixed point and the second pin 16 is a movable point. However, in this embodiment, this relationship is reversed, and the support shaft 21 is a movable point and the second pin 25 is a fixed point. Is different.

  That is, in the first embodiment, the lever is attached to the female connector housing 3 via the support shaft 11, but the lever 20 of the second embodiment is attached to the slider 22 via the support shaft 21. Further, regarding the connection link 23, the lever 20 and the slider 22 are coupled in the first embodiment, but the lever 20 and the female connector housing 24 are coupled in the second embodiment. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the second pin 25 of the connection link 23 is inserted into the through groove 26 of the slider 22 so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal direction.

Regarding the difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment, other than the above, the positional relationship between the guide groove 8 and the protrusion 9 is symmetrical with respect to the width direction of the female connector housing 24, and the moving direction of the slider 22 is different. Although the opposite point is mentioned, other configurations are basically the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given in the drawings, and description thereof is omitted.
Also in the second embodiment configured as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be exhibited.

<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.
In the above embodiment, the support shaft 11 of the lever 10 is formed so as to protrude from the female connector housing 3. However, the support shaft 11 may be formed on the lever 10 side. It may be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Male connector housing 3, 24 ... Female connector housing 4 ... Cam pin (cam means)
5 ... Slider 10 ... Lever 11,21 ... Support shaft (rotation center)
13 ... Cam groove (cam receiving means)
14, 23 ... Connection link

Claims (3)

A connector with a booster mechanism that slides the slider in conjunction with the turning operation of the lever to bring the male and female connector housings into a fitted state,
A slider assembled so as to be slidable in a direction intersecting the fitting direction within the height range of one of the male and female connector housings;
Cam receiving means that is provided on the slider and that allows the two connector housings to be fitted by guiding cam means provided on the mating connector housing;
A lever having a rotation center in the one connector housing or the slider and capable of being rotated around the rotation center;
A connector with a booster mechanism, comprising a connection link having one end connected to the lever and the other end connected to the one connector housing or the slider.   2. The connector with a booster mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lever is positioned within a height range of the one connector housing in a state where both the male and female connector housings are completely fitted.   The pivot center of the lever is provided in the one connector housing, the other end side of the connection link is connected to the slider, and the pivot center of the lever connects the lever and the one connector housing. The booster mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a guide groove for guiding the connection pin as the slider slides is formed in the slider. connector.

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