JP2014191985A - Lever-type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability of a lever.SOLUTION: A lever-type connector A comprises: a first correction part 26 provided in a lever 20; a second correction part 35 provided in a second housing 30 and abutted with the first correction part 26 only in ending in a step of rotating the lever 20 in a direction of fitting to correct inclination between both housings 10 and 30; and a first regulation surface 29 (displacement regulation surface) and a second regulation surface 36 (displacement regulation surface) formed in the first correction part 26 and the second correction part 35 and abutted in a direction crossing the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 30 to regulate relative displacement of the lever 20 and the second housing 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever type connector.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a lever type including a first housing, a lever attached to the first housing so as to be rotatable, a second housing that can be fitted to the first housing, and a cam follower provided in the second housing. A connector is disclosed. When the lever is rotated in a state where the cam groove of the lever and the cam follower are fitted, the two housings are drawn together by the cam action due to the engagement of the cam groove and the cam follower to be in a fitted state. The lever-type connector has a correction groove formed in the lever and a correction pin in the second housing as means for correcting the inclination between the two housings caused by the engagement of the cam groove and the cam follower. It has been. In the process of rotating the lever, the corrective groove and corrective pin are engaged, so that the postures of both housings are kept facing each other. Even when the fitting is completed, the two housings are kept in a correct positional relationship with no inclination. Be drunk.

JP 2010-049840 A

In the lever-type connector described above, the correction groove and the correction pin are always engaged from the start of the rotation of the lever to the completion of the rotation. That is, the sliding resistance between the inner peripheral surface of the correction groove and the outer peripheral surface of the correction pin continues to occur from the start of fitting of both housings to the completion of fitting. Since this sliding resistance is a resistance to the turning operation of the lever, a large operating force is required to turn the lever.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the operability of the lever.

The present invention
A first housing;
A lever pivotally attached to the first housing;
A second housing engageable with the first housing;
A cam follower provided in the second housing;
When the lever is rotated in the fitting direction with the cam groove of the lever fitted to the cam follower, the first housing and the second housing are caused by the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove and the cam follower. Is a lever type connector adapted to be fitted,
A first correction part provided on the lever;
The inclination between the first housing and the second housing is corrected by contacting the first correction portion only at the end of the turning process in the fitting direction of the lever provided in the second housing. A second straightening section that performs,
It is formed in the 1st correction part and the 2nd correction part, and abuts in the direction which intersects the fitting direction of the 1st housing and the 2nd housing, and controls the relative displacement of the lever and the 2nd housing. And a displacement restricting surface.

  In the process of rotating the lever by engaging the cam groove and the cam follower, even if an inclination occurs between the first housing and the second housing, the first correction portion and the second correction portion are fitted together. The inclination of both housings is corrected. In the turning process of the lever in the fitting direction, the first straightening part and the second straightening part are not in contact with each other until the end of the turning process, so that resistance due to sliding of both straightening parts does not occur. In addition, in a state where the first straightening portion and the second straightening portion are in contact with each other, relative displacement of the lever and the second housing in the direction intersecting the fitting direction of the two housings is restricted by the contact between the displacement restriction surfaces. Therefore, it can prevent that both housings rattle in the direction which cross | intersects a fitting direction.

The side view of the 1st housing of Example 1 Sectional view of the second housing Partially cutaway side view showing the fitting process of the first housing and the second housing Partially cutaway side view showing a state where fitting of the first housing and the second housing is completed 4 is a partially cutaway side view enlarging a part of FIG. In Example 2, the partially cutaway side view which expanded and showed the principal part of the state which the fitting of the 1st housing and the 2nd housing was completed

The lever-type connector of the present invention is
The displacement regulating surface may be inclined with respect to the fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing.
According to this configuration, even if the displacement restricting surfaces are displaced in the direction intersecting with the fitting direction of both housings, the displacement restricting surfaces can be reliably brought into contact with each other because they are guided by the inclination.
The lever connector of the present invention is
The displacement restricting surfaces may be provided in pairs so as to face each other in a direction crossing a fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing.
According to this configuration, when the displacement regulating surfaces are displaced in the direction intersecting with the fitting direction of the two housings, the displacement can be reliably corrected.

<Example 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lever-type connector A according to the first embodiment is fitted to the first housing 10, the lever 20 that is rotatably attached to the first housing 10, and the first housing 10. The second housing 30 is provided. In the following description, the vertical direction is based on the state where the fitting surface of the first housing 10 faces downward and the fitting surface of the second housing 30 faces upward. For the left-right direction, the direction orthogonal to the plane appearing in the drawing is defined as the left-right direction. For the front-rear direction, the left side in the figure is defined as the front.

  The first housing 10 has a block shape, and a plurality of female terminal fittings (not shown) are accommodated downward in the first housing 10. An electric wire (not shown) connected to the female terminal fitting is led out from the upper surface (rear surface) of the first housing 10 and turned rearward inside the electric wire cover 11 (direction intersecting the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 30). And is led out of the electric wire cover 11. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of support shafts 12 having a coaxial shape project from the left and right side surfaces of the first housing 10. The support shaft 12 is disposed at the center position of the first housing 10 in the front-rear direction (a direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30).

  The lever 20 is configured by integrally forming a pair of left and right arm portions 21 and an operation portion 22 that couples both arm portions 21. A pair of bearing holes 23 are formed in both arm portions 21. The lever 20 is assembled to the first housing 10 by fitting the bearing hole 23 to the support shaft 12. The assembled lever 20 has an initial position (see FIG. 1) and a fitting position (see FIG. 4) with the support shaft 12 as the center, with the arm portion 21 being along the left and right side surfaces of the first housing 10. It is possible to rotate between. The lever 20 can be rotated by grasping the operation unit 22.

  A pair of cam grooves 24 having a curved shape surrounding the bearing hole 23 are formed in both the arm portions 21. The inlet 25 of the cam groove 24 is open to the outer peripheral edge of the arm portion 21. The cam groove 24 is opened to the outer surface of the arm portion 21 over the entire length from the inlet 25 to the back end. As shown in FIG. 1, when the lever 20 is in the initial position, the inlet 25 of the cam groove 24 opens downward just below the support shaft 12 and the bearing hole 23.

  A pair of symmetrical first correction parts 26 are formed on the outer peripheral edges of both arm parts 21. The first correction portion 26 protrudes outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge of the arm portion 21 (that is, in a direction away from the support shaft 12 and the bearing hole 23, which is the rotation center of the lever 20). In the circumferential direction around the support shaft 12, the first correction portion 26 is located between the inlet 25 and the back end of the cam groove 24. Among the outer edge portions of the first correction portion 26, the edge portion which is the front side in the rotation direction when the lever 20 rotates in the fitting direction (counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4) The contact edge 27 is substantially perpendicular to the moving direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, each first correction portion 26 is formed with a concave portion 28 in which a contact edge portion 27 is recessed. The concave portion 28 opens to the contact edge portion 27 and also opens to the outer surface of the arm portion 21. The recess 28 is recessed in a semicircular shape, and the inner surface of the recess 28 is constituted by a pair of front and rear first restricting surfaces 29 (displacement restricting surfaces described in claims) that are smoothly connected in a semicircular arc shape. When the lever 20 is in the initial position, as shown in FIG. 1, the first correction portion 26 is obliquely forward and downward of the support shaft 12, that is, substantially the same height as the inlet 25 of the cam groove 24 (that is, the support shaft (Position lower than 12) and in front of the inlet 25 of the cam groove 24. And the recessed part 28 is opened in diagonally downward direction.

  When the lever 20 is in the fitting position, as shown in FIG. 4, the first correction portion 26 is substantially the same height as the support shaft 12 and is positioned behind the support shaft 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the contact edge 27 extends in the front-rear direction and faces upward, and the recess 28 opens upward. The pair of first restricting surfaces 29 are in both the vertical direction (direction parallel to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30) and the front and rear direction (direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30). The direction is diagonal. That is, the pair of first restriction surfaces 29 are inclined with respect to the displacement direction of the first correction portion 26 at the end of the turning process of the lever 20 in the fitting direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second housing 30 is formed by integrally forming a block-shaped housing main body 31 and a rectangular tube-shaped hood 32 protruding upward from the housing main body 31. A plurality of male terminal fittings (not shown) are mounted upward on the housing body 31. The first housing 10 is inserted into the hood portion 32 from above.

  A pair of left and right cam followers 34 projecting from the respective inner surfaces are formed on the left and right wall portions 33 (one wall portion is not shown) constituting the hood portion 32. The cam follower 34 has a shape protruding in a cylindrical shape. In the front-rear direction (the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 30), the cam follower 34 is disposed at the center position of the second housing 30 (hood portion 32). Therefore, in the process in which the housings 10 and 30 are fitted, the support shaft 12 and the cam follower 34 approach each other in a positional relationship facing each other in the front-rear direction.

  A pair of left and right symmetrical second correction portions 35 protruding from the inner surfaces of the hood portion 32 are formed on both the left and right wall portions. The 2nd correction | amendment part 35 is a form protruded in substantially cylindrical shape. The outer diameter dimension of the second correction part 35 is set to the same dimension as the inner diameter of the recess 28 of the first correction part 26 or slightly smaller than that. In the front-rear direction, the second correction portion 35 is disposed in front of the cam follower 34. In a state where the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 is completed, the second correction portion 35 and the concave portion 28 of the first correction portion 26 are fitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the region facing the diagonally forward and downward direction and the region facing the diagonally downward and downward direction on the outer peripheral surface of the second correction portion 35 form a pair of front and rear quarter arcs that smoothly form a semicircular arc. 2 is a restricting surface 36 (a displacement restricting surface described in claims). The pair of second restricting surfaces 36 is configured such that the front-rear interval is narrowed downward. That is, the second restricting surface 36 is inclined with respect to both the vertical direction (direction parallel to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30) and the front-rear direction (direction orthogonal to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30). It becomes the direction. That is, the pair of second restricting surfaces 36 are inclined with respect to the displacement direction of the first correction portion 26 at the end of the turning process of the lever 20 in the fitting direction.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the two housings 10 and 30 are fitted together, the lever 20 is held in the initial position in advance. In this state, the first housing 10 is shallowly fitted into the hood portion 32 and the cam follower 34 is caused to enter the inlet 25 of the cam groove 24. Thereafter, the operation unit 22 is picked and the lever 20 is rotated in the rotation direction (counterclockwise direction in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). In the turning process, the cam follower 34 is attracted to the support shaft 12 by the lever principle by the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove 24 and the cam follower 34. That is, since the second housing 30 is attracted to the first housing 10, the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 proceeds.

  When the lever 20 reaches the fitting position, the cam follower 34 reaches the back end of the cam groove 24, and the fitting process of both the housings 10 and 30 is completed. At this time, the concave portion 28 of the first correction portion 26 is fitted to the second correction portion 35 from below, and the pair of front and rear first restriction surfaces 29 and the pair of front and rear second restriction surfaces 36 abut in the front-rear direction. Fit. By this contact action, the relative displacement (with backlash) of the lever 20 and the second housing 30 in the front-rear direction is restricted. Since the lever 20 is fitted to the support shaft 12 of the first housing 10, as a result, the relative displacement of the first housing 10 and the second housing 30 in the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction (fitting direction) is restricted. Is done.

  In the turning process of the lever 20, it is inevitable that a moment force is generated between the housings 10 and 30 to tilt the posture. That is, the fitting proceeds in a state where the lower surface of the first housing 10 and the upper surface of the housing body 31 of the second housing 30 face each other without facing each other. However, immediately before the lever 20 reaches the fitting position, the first correction part 26 and the second correction part 35 come into contact with each other in the vertical direction, so that the inclinations of the postures of both the housings 10 and 30 are corrected. Therefore, at the time when the fitting operation by the lever 20 is completed, both the housings 10 and 30 are opposed to each other in the correct direction.

  Further, when the first correction unit 26 and the second correction unit 35 are always engaged from the start of the rotation of the lever 20 to the completion of the rotation, The sliding resistance between the two housings 10 and 30 continues to be generated from the start of fitting to the completion of fitting. Since this sliding resistance is a resistance to the turning operation of the lever 20, there is a concern that a large operating force is required for the turning of the lever 20. However, in order to improve the operability of the lever 20, the lever type connector A of the present embodiment has the following configuration.

  That is, the lever 20 is provided with the first correction portion 26, and the two housings 10, 30 are brought into contact with the first correction portion 26 only at the end of the rotation process in the fitting direction of the lever 20. The 2nd correction | amendment part 35 which corrects the inclination between them was provided. According to this configuration, in the rotation process in the fitting direction of the lever 20, the first correction part 26 and the second correction part 35 are not in contact with each other until the end of the rotation process. No resistance is generated due to sliding. Therefore, the operability of the lever 20 is good.

  Further, the first correction portion 26 and the second correction portion 35 are brought into contact with each other in the front-rear direction intersecting with the fitting direction of the two housings 10, 30, so that the lever 20 and the second housing 30 are relatively displaced in the front-rear direction. The 1st control surface 29 and the 2nd control surface 36 which control are provided. According to this configuration, in a state in which both the housings 10 and 30 are fitted, the lever 20 and the second housing 30 intersect with the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 30 due to the contact of both the regulating surfaces 29 and 36. Since the relative displacement is restricted, it is possible to prevent the two housings 10 and 30 from rattling in the direction intersecting the fitting direction.

  Further, in the lever-type connector A of the present embodiment, the first restricting surface 29 and the second restricting surface 36 are inclined with respect to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 30. Therefore, just before the first correction portion 26 and the second correction portion 35 are fitted, even if both the correction portions 26 and 35 are displaced in the front-rear direction, the first correction portion is caused by the inclination of the second restriction surface 36. 26 is guided to the correct position. Thereby, while being able to contact | abut the control surfaces 29 and 36 reliably, both the correction parts 26 and 35 can be made to fit reliably. In addition, the first restriction surface 29 and the second restriction surface 36 are provided in pairs so as to face each other in the front-rear direction intersecting with the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30. When the surface 29 and the second restricting surface 36 are displaced in the direction intersecting with the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30, the displacement can be reliably corrected.

<Example 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The lever type connector B of the second embodiment is different from the lever type connector A of the first embodiment in the form of the first straightening portion 51 and the second straightening portion 62. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numeral is given to the same configuration, and the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted.

  The 1st correction part 51 formed in the lever 50 of the present Example 2 is a form which protruded in the trapezoid shape upward in the side view. And the area | region equivalent to a trapezoid slope in the outer edge part of the 1st correction part 51 is a pair of front and back 1st control surfaces 52 (displacement control surface as described in a claim). The second correction part 62 formed on the inner periphery of the hood part 61 of the second housing 60 has a trapezoidal recess 63 that opens downward so as to correspond to the first correction part 51. Both the front and rear inner surfaces of the recess 63 are a pair of front and rear second restriction surfaces 64 (displacement restriction surfaces described in claims).

  When the end of the turning process of the lever 50 is reached, the inclination between the housings 40 and 60 is corrected by the first correction part 51 and the second correction part 62 coming into contact with each other in the vertical direction. Further, in a state where the first correction part 51 and the second correction part 62 are fitted, the first restriction surface 52 and the second restriction surface 64 come into contact with each other, so that the first housing 40 and the second housing 60 are moved in the front-rear direction. Backlash is regulated. Further, even when both the housings 40 and 60 are displaced forward and backward when the first correction portion 51 and the second correction portion 62 are fitted, the inclination of the first restriction surface 52 causes the two housings 40 and 60 to move. Misalignment is corrected.

<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) In the first and second embodiments, the displacement restricting surface is inclined with respect to the fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing, but the displacement restricting surface is formed between the first housing and the second housing. It may be a plane perpendicular to the fitting direction.
(2) In the first embodiment, the first correction part on the lever side is formed in a semicircular shape, and the second correction part on the second housing side is fitted in the first correction part. The second correction part on the housing side may be recessed in a semicircular shape, and the first correction part protruding in the semicircular shape on the lever side may be fitted into the second correction part.
(3) In the second embodiment, the second correction part on the second housing side is recessed in a trapezoidal shape, and the first correction part on the lever side is fitted in the second correction part. The first correction part on the side may be recessed in a trapezoidal shape, and the second correction part in a form protruding in a trapezoidal shape on the second housing side may be fitted into the first correction part.

A ... Lever type connector 10 ... 1st housing 20 ... Lever 24 ... Cam groove 26 ... 1st correction part 29 ... 1st control surface (displacement control surface)
30 ... 2nd housing 34 ... Cam follower 35 ... 2nd correction part 36 ... 2nd control surface (displacement control surface)
B ... Lever type connector 40 ... 1st housing 50 ... Lever 51 ... 1st correction part 52 ... 1st control surface (displacement control surface)
60 ... 2nd housing 62 ... 2nd correction part 64 ... 2nd control surface (displacement control surface)

Claims (3)

A first housing;
A lever pivotally attached to the first housing;
A second housing engageable with the first housing;
A cam follower provided in the second housing;
When the lever is rotated in the fitting direction with the cam groove of the lever fitted to the cam follower, the first housing and the second housing are caused by the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove and the cam follower. Is a lever type connector adapted to be fitted,
A first correction part provided on the lever;
The inclination between the first housing and the second housing is corrected by contacting the first correction portion only at the end of the turning process in the fitting direction of the lever provided in the second housing. A second straightening section that performs,
It is formed in the 1st correction part and the 2nd correction part, and abuts in the direction which intersects the fitting direction of the 1st housing and the 2nd housing, and controls the relative displacement of the lever and the 2nd housing. A lever-type connector comprising a displacement regulating surface.   The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the displacement regulating surface is inclined with respect to a fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing.   3. The lever-type connector according to claim 2, wherein the displacement regulating surfaces are provided in pairs so as to face each other in a direction crossing a fitting direction of the first housing and the second housing.

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