JP2021103652A - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a lever type connector which improves holding power of a lever at a fitting completion position.SOLUTION: A lever type connector 1 comprises: a connector housing 10 in which a terminal connected to a terminal of a wire W is accommodated; a wire cover 40 which is assembled to the connector housing 10 and covers the wire W extending from the connector housing 10; and a lever 20 which is assembled to the connector housing 10 and rotatable from a fitting start position to a fitting completion position. In the lever type connector 1, an engage part 30 is provided in the lever 20, and a lock part 43 which is engaged to the engage part 30 at the fitting completion position to suppress the rotation of the lever 20 is provided in the wire cover 40. The lock part 43 includes a plurality of abutment surfaces which are abutted to the engage part 30 at the fitting completion position to suppress the movement of the lever 20 in a rotation direction and a direction across the rotation direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a lever type connector.

The lever type connector is a connector that can fit the mating side connector with a small force by the cam action accompanying the rotation of the lever. As such a lever type connector, for example, the one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-146249 (Patent Document 1 below) is known. In this lever type connector, at the fitting completion position, the lever claw portion provided on the lever is locked to the lock portion of the lock arm so that the lever does not move in the rotation direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-146249

However, when the lever at the fitting completion position is forcibly moved, the lever bends and tries to move in a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the lever. For this reason, the structure of the lever claw portion and the lock portion that are locked is deformed, and the lever is easily disengaged from the lock arm, which may reduce the holding force.

The present disclosure has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a lever type connector having an improved holding force of a lever at a fitting completion position.

The lever type connector of the present disclosure is assembled to the connector housing including terminals connected to the terminal of the electric wire, an electric wire cover that covers the electric wire extending from the connector housing, and the connector housing. A lever-type connector including a lever that is rotatable from a fitting start position to a fitting completion position, the lever is provided with a locking portion, and the electric wire cover is fitted with the fitting. A lock portion is provided that suppresses the rotation of the lever by locking the locking portion at the fitting completion position, and the locking portion abuts on the locking portion at the fitting completion position. It is a lever type connector having a plurality of contact surfaces that suppress the movement of the lever in the rotation direction and the direction intersecting the rotation direction.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a lever type connector in which the holding force of the lever at the fitting completion position is improved.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lever type connector according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lever type connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a fitting start state of the lever type connector and the mating connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a completed fitting state of the lever type connector and the mating connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connector housing according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lever according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the rotation operation portion of the lever according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the electric wire cover according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the lock portion of the electric wire cover according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a mold for forming an inclined surface of the electric wire cover according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a process in which the lever approaches the fitting completion position in the BB cross section in FIG. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

[Explanation of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

(1) The lever type connector of the present disclosure includes a connector housing in which terminals connected to terminals of electric wires are housed, an electric wire cover assembled to the connector housing and covering the electric wire extending from the connector housing, and the connector housing. A lever-type connector including a lever that is assembled in the above and is rotatable from a fitting start position to a fitting completion position. The lever is provided with a locking portion, and the electric wire cover is provided with a locking portion. A lock portion that suppresses the rotation of the lever by locking the locking portion at the fitting completion position is provided, and the lock portion abuts on the locking portion at the fitting completion position. The lever-type connector has a plurality of contact surfaces that suppress the movement of the lever in the direction of rotation and in a direction intersecting the direction of rotation.

According to such a configuration, even if the lever at the fitting completion position is forcibly moved, the plurality of contact surfaces come into contact with the locking portion, so that the lever bends and intersects with the rotation direction of the lever. It can suppress the movement in the direction. Therefore, deformation of the structure of the locking portion, the locking portion, etc., which is applied to the locking, is prevented, and a decrease in the holding force of the lever is suppressed.

(2) The electric wire cover includes a flexible cantilever flexible piece, and the lock portion is provided on the outside of the electric wire cover at the tip of the flexible piece, and the lock portion is provided. , One of the plurality of contact surfaces of the lock portion, which is arranged inside the rotation region of the lever, is an inclined surface, and the inclined surface is the base end of the flexible piece as the distance from the flexible piece increases. The locking portion is provided so as to be inclined in a direction toward the portion side, and when the lever rotates to the fitting completion position, the locking portion bends the flexible piece toward the inside of the electric wire cover while bending the locking portion. When the flexible piece gets over and elastically returns, the locking portion is locked by the locking portion, and the inclined surface abuts on the locking portion to move the lever in the rotational direction. It is preferable to suppress it.

According to such a configuration, when the lever at the fitting completion position is forcibly moved in the rotation direction, a force is applied in the direction in which the lever sinks into the inside of the electric wire cover due to the inclined surface. Therefore, the holding force of the lever can be further improved.

(3) In the electric wire cover, an electric wire drawing portion for pulling out the electric wire extending from the connector housing is arranged so as to face the lock portion, and the inclined surface is a through hole provided in the flexible piece. It is preferable that they are arranged so as to face.

According to such a configuration, an inclined surface can be formed by pulling out the mold using the through hole as a die cutting hole.

[Details of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is shown by the scope of claims and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

<Embodiment>
The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lever-type connector 1 according to the present embodiment is a connector that fits with a mating connector 50 having a cam pin 52, and is a connector that accommodates the terminal of the electric wire W terminal shown in FIG. It includes a housing 10, a lever 20 to be assembled to the connector housing 10, and an electric wire cover 40 to be assembled to the connector housing 10. The mating connector 50 fitted to the lever-type connector 1 includes a square tubular mating hood portion 51 and a pair of cam pins 52 protruding from the outer surface of the mating hood portion 51.

[Connector housing]
The connector housing 10 is made of synthetic resin and includes a terminal accommodating portion 11 and a square tubular hood portion 12 surrounding the terminal accommodating portion 11 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, of the hood portions 12, the pair of wall portions arranged in parallel with each other are mounting wall portions 13. Each mounting wall portion 13 has a guide groove 14 for receiving the cam pin 52 of the mating connector 50. Further, a rotating shaft 15 for rotatably supporting the lever 20 projects from each of the pair of mounting wall portions 13.

[lever]
The lever 20 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 6, a pair of cam plate portions 21, a rotation operation portion 22, and a pair of connecting portions that connect the cam plate portion 21 and the rotation operation portion 22 are connected. 23 and. The pair of cam plate portions 21 are arranged in parallel facing each other, and are attached to the pair of mounting wall portions 13 so as to sandwich the connector housing 10.

The cam plate portion 21 is a plate-shaped portion arranged along the mounting wall portion 13, and has a bearing hole 24 for receiving the rotation shaft 15 and a cam groove 25 for receiving the cam pin 52.

The bearing hole 24 is a circular hole that penetrates the cam plate portion 21. The cam groove 25 is a groove recessed from the surface of the cam plate portion 21 facing the mounting wall portion 13, and has an entrance 26 at one edge of the cam plate portion 21 that allows the cam pin 52 to enter. The cam groove 25 has an arc shape so as to gradually approach the bearing hole 24, which is the center of rotation of the cam plate portion 21, as it goes from the entrance 26 toward the back.

[Locking part]
As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation operation unit 22 is provided with a locking portion 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the locking portion 30 is located at the center between the two cam plate portions 21 and projects so as to face the electric wire cover 40. The locking portion 30 is arranged so as to be locked by the locking portion 43 provided on the electric wire cover 40.

[Lever claws, protrusions]
As shown in FIG. 7, the locking portion 30 includes a pair of lever claw portions 31, a protrusion 32, and a lock protection portion 33. The pair of lever claws 31 and the protrusions 32 are arranged so as to come into contact with the lock portion 43 when the locking portion 30 is locked to the lock portion 43. The lock protection portion 33 is arranged so as to cover the lock portion 43 in a state where the locking portion 30 is locked to the lock portion 43.

The lever 20 is mounted so as to straddle the connector housing 10 by arranging a pair of cam plate portions 21 along the pair of mounting wall portions 13 and fitting the rotating shaft 15 into the bearing hole 24. .. The lever 20 is fitted with a fitting start position (the position of the lever 20 in FIG. 3) that allows the cam pin 52 to enter the cam plate portion 21 and a mating connector 50 with respect to the connector housing 10 at a regular fitting position. The shaft is rotatably supported from the fitting completion position (the position of the lever 20 in FIG. 4) in the state of being in the closed state.

[Electric wire cover]
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric wire cover 40 is assembled to the connector housing 10 and houses the electric wire W extending from the connector housing 10 inside. The electric wire cover 40 is provided with an electric wire drawing portion 41 outside the rotation region of the lever 20 and near the fitting completion position. The electric wire W is drawn out from the electric wire drawing portion 41 to the outside of the electric wire cover 40.

The electric wire cover 40 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 8, the electric wire cover 40 is configured by combining the first cover 40A and the second cover 40B. The electric wire lead-out portion 41 is composed of a part of the first cover 40A and a part of the second cover 40B, and has a wavy inner wall. As a result, when assembling the electric wire cover 40, the electric wire lead-out portion 41 can hold the electric wire W by sandwiching the electric wire W inserted into the corrugated tube CT which also has a wavy outer peripheral surface and assembling the electric wire cover 40. it can.

[Lock]
As shown in FIG. 8, the electric wire cover 40 includes a flexible piece 42 extending in a cantilever shape with the vicinity of the electric wire drawing portion 41 as a base end portion. A lock portion 43 is provided so as to project from the outside of the electric wire cover 40 at the tip portion of the flexible piece 42. The lock portion 43 is arranged inside the rotation region of the lever 20 and faces the electric wire lead-out portion 41.

[Front contact surface, side contact surface, inclined surface]
As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of front contact surfaces 44, a pair of side contact surfaces 45, and one inclined surface 46 are provided on the bending piece 42 side of the lock portion 43, and these surfaces are provided. It is a contact surface that comes into contact with the locking portion 30 of the lever 20. The inclined surface 46 is arranged at the center position of the lock portion 43. The inclined surface 46 is inclined so as to move away from the flexible piece 42 toward the base end side (that is, the wire lead-out portion 41 side) of the flexible piece 42. The inclined surface 46 is arranged so as to face the through hole 47 provided in the flexible piece 42. Two side contact surfaces 45 are provided on both side edges of the inclined surface 46, and together with the inclined surface 46, form an inner surface of the through hole 47. The side contact surface 45 is adapted to intersect a line parallel to the rotation axis of the lever 20. A front contact surface 44 is arranged on the opposite side of the inclined surface 46 with the side contact surface 45 as the center. The front contact surface 44 is perpendicular to the rotation direction of the lever 20. A pair of excessive bending prevention portions 48 are formed at both ends of the lock portion 43 so as to project in opposite directions.

Since the inclined surface 46 faces the electric wire drawing portion 41, the mold cannot be pulled out from the lock portion 43 in the direction of the electric wire drawing portion 41 when molding this portion. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the through hole 47 is provided, and as shown in FIG. 10, the two molds M1 and M2 are pulled out in the vertical direction to enable the formation of the inclined surface 46. That is, it is not necessary to separately provide a slide mold for forming the inclined surface 46.

At the fitting completion position, the front contact surface 44 abuts on the lever claw portion 31 (see FIG. 11), and the inclined surface 46 abuts on the front surface 35 of the protrusion portion forming the front side portion of the protrusion 32 (see FIG. 12). .. As a result, the front contact surface 44 and the inclined surface 46 suppress the movement of the lever 20 in the rotation direction (left direction in FIGS. 11 and 12). Further, when a force in the rotation direction (left direction in FIG. 12) is applied to the inclined surface 46, the front surface 35 of the protrusion receives a force in the direction of sinking into the inside of the electric wire cover 40, so that the lever 20 is prevented from coming off and held. It contributes to the improvement of power. As shown in FIG. 14, the side contact surface 45 abuts on the protrusion side surface 34 forming both side portions of the protrusion 32 at the fitting completion position. As a result, the side contact surface 45 suppresses the movement in the direction orthogonal to the rotation direction of the lever 20 (the axial direction of rotation). Therefore, even when an unreasonable force is applied to the lever 20 at the fitting completion position, the movement in the rotation direction and the direction orthogonal to the rotation direction is suppressed, and the locking portion 30 and the locking portion 43 are deformed. Can be prevented.

[Mating of lever type connector and mating connector]
When the lever type connector 1 is fitted with the mating connector 50, the lever 20 is rotated from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position, and the cam action between the cam groove 25 and the cam pin 52 causes the lever 20 to rotate. By pulling the mating connector 50 relative to the connector housing 10, the fitting operation with the mating connector 50 is assisted.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, with the lever 20 held at the fitting start position, the lever type connector 1 is shallowly fitted to the mating connector 50, and the cam pin 52 enters the cam groove 25 from the entrance 26. ..

Next, the lever 20 is rotated from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position. As the lever 20 rotates, the connector housing 10 is relatively attracted to the mating connector 50 by the cam action based on the engagement between the cam pin 52 and the cam groove 25. When the lever 20 approaches the fitting completion position, as shown in FIG. 13, the locking portion 30 rides on the locking portion 43 while bending the bending piece 42 toward the inside of the electric wire cover 40.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the lever 20 reaches the fitting completion position, the connector housing 10 reaches the normal fitting position with respect to the mating connector 50. Further, the locking portion 30 gets over the locking portion 43, and the flexible piece 42 elastically returns. At this time, the front contact surface 44 abuts on the lever claw portion 31 (see FIG. 11), and the side contact surface 45 and the inclined surface 46 abut on the protrusion 32 (see FIGS. 12 and 14). Further, the lock protection portion 33 covers the lock portion 43. As a result, the locking portion 30 is locked to the locking portion 43. Here, the front contact surface 44 and the inclined surface 46 suppress the movement of the lever 20 in the rotation direction (left direction in FIGS. 11 and 12), and the side contact surface 45 is the rotation direction of the lever 20. Suppresses movement in the direction orthogonal to.

[Disengagement between lever type connector and mating connector]
When the lever-type connector 1 and the mating connector 50 are separated, the lever 20 is rotated from the fitting completion position to the mating start position, and the mating is caused by the cam action between the cam groove 25 and the cam pin 52. By pulling the connector 50 relative to the connector housing 10, the disconnection operation from the mating connector 50 is assisted.

First, with the lever 20 held at the fitting completion position, the lock portion 43 is pushed downward as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and the lock portion 30 and the lock portion 43 are released from the lock.

Next, the locking portion 30 rides on the locking portion 43, and the lever 20 is rotated toward the fitting start position. As the lever 20 rotates, the connector housing 10 is relatively separated from the mating connector 50 by the cam action based on the engagement between the cam pin 52 and the cam groove 25. Further, the locking portion 30 gets over the locking portion 43 while bending the bending piece 42 toward the inside of the electric wire cover 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the lever 20 reaches the fitting start position, the cam pin 52 reaches the entrance 26 of the cam groove 25, and the mating connector 50 is shallowly fitted to the connector housing 10. Here, by pulling out the mating connector 50 from the connector housing 10, the lever type connector 1 and the mating connector 50 are separated from each other.

[Unreasonable lever operation at the mating completion position]
If you try to force the lever 20 to rotate without releasing the lock between the locking portion 30 and the locking portion 43 at the fitting completion position, the lever 20 will bend and move in the direction orthogonal to the rotation direction. And. However, in the lever type connector 1, as shown in FIG. 14, the side contact surface 45 is in contact with the protrusion side surface 34 of the protrusion 32 at the fitting completion position. As a result, the movement of the lever 20 in the direction orthogonal to the rotation direction is suppressed. Therefore, even if an unreasonable force is applied to the lever 20 at the fitting completion position, it is possible to prevent the locking portion 30 and the locking portion 43 from being deformed.

[Action and effect of this embodiment]
According to this embodiment, the following actions and effects are exhibited. The lever-type connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a connector housing 10 in which a terminal connected to the terminal of the electric wire W is housed, an electric wire cover 40 assembled to the connector housing 10 and covering the electric wire W extending from the connector housing 10. A lever-type connector 1 having a lever 20 assembled to a connector housing 10 and rotatable from a fitting start position to a fitting completion position, the lever 20 is provided with a locking portion 30. The electric wire cover 40 is provided with a lock portion 43 that suppresses the rotation of the lever 20 by locking to the locking portion 30 at the fitting completion position, and the lock portion 43 is a locking portion at the fitting completion position. It has a plurality of contact surfaces that suppress the movement of the lever 20 in the rotation direction and in the direction intersecting the rotation direction by contacting the 30.

According to such a configuration, even if the lever 20 at the fitting completion position is forcibly moved, the lever 20 bends due to the plurality of contact surfaces abutting on the locking portion 30, and the rotation direction of the lever 20 It is possible to suppress the movement in the direction intersecting with. Therefore, deformation of the structure of the lever claw portion 31 and the lock portion 43 that are locked is prevented, and a decrease in the holding force of the lever 20 is suppressed.

(2) The electric wire cover 40 includes a flexible cantilever flexible piece 42, and a lock portion 43 is provided on the outside of the electric wire cover 40 at the tip of the flexible piece 42, and the lock portion 43 is provided. Is arranged inside the rotation region of the lever 20, one of the plurality of contact surfaces of the lock portion 43 is an inclined surface 46, and the inclined surface 46 is a base of the bending piece 42 as the distance from the bending piece 42 increases. It is provided so as to be inclined toward the end side, and when the lever 20 rotates to the fitting completion position, the locking portion 30 bends the bending piece 42 toward the inside of the electric wire cover 40 while bending the locking portion 43. When the flexible piece 42 is elastically restored, the locking portion 30 is locked by the locking portion 43, and the inclined surface 46 abuts on the locking portion 30 to move the lever 20 in the rotational direction. It is preferable to suppress it.

According to such a configuration, when the lever 20 at the fitting completion position is forcibly moved in the rotation direction, a force in a direction in which the lever 20 sinks into the wire cover 40 is applied by the inclined surface 46. Therefore, the holding force of the lever 20 can be further improved.

(3) On the electric wire cover 40, an electric wire drawing portion 41 for drawing out the electric wire W extending from the connector housing 10 is arranged so as to face the lock portion 43, and the inclined surface 46 penetrates the flexible piece 42. It is preferably arranged so as to face the hole 47.

According to such a configuration, the inclined surface 46 can be formed by pulling out the dies M1 and M2 using the through hole 47 as a die cutting hole.

<Other Embodiments>
(1) In the embodiment, five surfaces, a pair of front contact surfaces 44, a pair of side contact surfaces 45, and an inclined surface 46, are used as the plurality of contact surfaces, but the present invention is limited to these. There is no. For example, three surfaces, an inclined surface and a pair of side contact surfaces, may be used for a plurality of contact surfaces.
(2) In the embodiment, the inclined surface 46 is included in the plurality of contact surfaces, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the inclined surface may not be included.
(3) In the embodiment, the lock portion 43 faces the electric wire lead-out portion 41, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lock portion may not face the electric wire lead-out portion.

1: Lever type connector 10: Connector housing 11: Terminal housing part 12: Hood part 13: Mounting wall part 14: Guide groove 15: Rotating shaft 20: Lever 21: Cam plate part 22: Rotating operation part 23: Connecting part 24: Bearing hole 25: Cam groove 26: Entrance 30: Locking part 31: Lever claw part 32: Protrusion part 33: Lock protection part 34: Protrusion part side surface 35: Projection front surface 40: Electric wire cover 40A: First cover 40B: Second cover 41: Wire lead-out portion 42: Flexible piece 43: Lock portion 44: Front contact surface 45: Side contact surface 46: Inclined surface 47: Through hole 48: Excessive bending prevention portion 50: Mating connector 51 : Opposite hood part 52: Cam pin CT: Corrugated tube M1, M2: Mold W: Electric wire

Claims (3)

A connector housing that houses terminals connected to the ends of electric wires,
An electric wire cover that is assembled to the connector housing and covers the electric wire extending from the connector housing.
A lever-type connector including a lever that is assembled to the connector housing and is rotatable from a fitting start position to a fitting completion position.
The lever is provided with a locking portion.
The electric wire cover is provided with a lock portion that suppresses the rotation of the lever by locking the locking portion at the fitting completion position.
The lock portion has a plurality of contact surfaces that abut on the locking portion at the fitting completion position to suppress the movement of the lever in the rotation direction and the direction intersecting the rotation direction. Expression connector. The wire cover includes a flexible cantilever flexible piece.
The lock portion is provided so as to project from the outside of the electric wire cover at the tip end portion of the flexible piece.
The lock portion is arranged inside the rotation region of the lever.
One of the plurality of contact surfaces of the lock portion is an inclined surface.
The inclined surface is provided so as to be inclined in a direction toward the base end portion side of the flexible piece as the distance from the flexible piece increases.
When the lever rotates to the fitting completion position, the locking portion gets over the lock portion while bending the flexible piece toward the inside of the electric wire cover, and the flexible piece elastically returns. The locking portion is locked by the locking portion,
The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface abuts on the locking portion to suppress the movement of the lever in the rotational direction. On the electric wire cover, an electric wire drawing portion for pulling out the electric wire extending from the connector housing is arranged so as to face the lock portion.
The lever-type connector according to claim 2, wherein the inclined surface is arranged so as to face a through hole provided in the flexible piece.

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