JP2912471B2 - Two-piece connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a two-piece connector including a plug connector and a receptacle connector, and more particularly, to a lock structure for holding a locked state in a state where these two connectors are connected. The plug connector refers to a connector having plug contacts (male contacts), and the receptacle connector refers to a connector having receptacle contacts (female contacts).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a two-piece connector, for example,
Simply inserting the plug connector into the receptacle connector and joining them together may cause the joint to be disengaged if an external force acts in the direction of pulling out the connection between them.Therefore, the plug connector must be inserted into the receptacle connector. It is conventionally known to provide a mechanism for holding the lock. As such a lock mechanism,
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-145074 and
JP-A-15180 discloses a lock connector in which a plug connector is inserted into a receptacle connector by using lock levers rotatably attached to the left and right sides of the receptacle connector, and the plug connector is held in a state of being connected to the receptacle connector. It is supposed to do.

More specifically, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-1518
The lock mechanism of Japanese Patent Publication No. 0 is configured as shown in FIGS. In the two-piece connector shown in this figure, a plug connector 92 having a plug contact 94 is fixed to a printed circuit board 91, and a receptacle connector 95 can be inserted into and removed from the plug connector 92. A cable 98 is connected to the receptacle connector 95, and a core wire in the cable 98 is connected to a receptacle contact in the receptacle connector 95.

An engagement projection 93 is formed on each of the left and right sides of the insulating housing of the plug connector 92 so as to protrude laterally. On the other hand, on the left and right sides of the receptacle connector 95,
A lock lever 96 is rotatably supported by a pin 96c at an intermediate portion. The lock lever 96 has a lock claw 96a at the front end (the side facing the plug contact) and a gripper 96b at the rear end.
As shown in FIG.
When the receptacle connector 95 is inserted into the connector, the lock claw 96a is closed inward and engages with the engagement projection to hold the connectors 92 and 95 together. To release this connection, the left and right lock levers 96
The grip portion 96b is sandwiched between fingers and pushed inward as indicated by an arrow P, and the lock lever 96 is rotated so as to close the grip portions 96b (to approach each other). This rotation causes the lock claw 96 a to open outward and disengage from the engagement protrusion 93, so that the receptacle connector 95 can be pulled out of the plug connector 92 by pulling the receptacle connector 95 in the arrow Q direction.

[0005]

By using the above-described lock mechanism, the plug connector and the receptacle connector can be securely locked and held in a connected state. If you push it toward you, it will be released. Therefore, there is a problem that the lock is released even when another component accidentally comes into contact with the grip portion or when the grip portion is pressed by mistake. In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece connector having a lock mechanism that does not cause the lock to be released even when the grip portion is pressed by mistake.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, in the two-piece connector according to the present invention, the two-piece connector engages with the left and right sides of one of the plug connector and the receptacle connector. A pair of lock levers having a protrusion formed at the front end and having a lock claw at the front end capable of engaging with the engagement protrusion of the one connector and a grip portion at the rear end for a rotating operation are provided in the middle. The part is pivotally mounted on the left and right sides so as to be pivotally supported, and a lock stopper is mounted on the rear side of the lock lever so as to be movable back and forth.

When the two-piece connector is to be connected, the one connector is inserted into the other connector, and the lock lever is rotated so that the grip portions are opened outward, and the lock claws are moved inward. By closing, the lock claw is engaged with the projection of the engagement portion, and the lock is held in a state where both connectors are connected. In order to disengage the coupling, the lock lever is rotated so as to close the grip portions inward, and the lock claws are opened outward by releasing the engagement between the lock claws and the engaging portion projections. Thereafter, one connector is pulled in a direction to separate the other connector, and the connection between the two connectors is released.

In this case, the lock stopper is
It is possible to move between a lock position where the lock stopper is advanced to a position where the lock stopper is attached to the side of the connector to which the lock stopper is attached and a release position which is separated rearward from the grip. ing. For this reason, when the lock stopper is moved to the lock position in a state where the lock claws are engaged with the engagement protrusions and the two connectors are connected, the lock stopper prevents the rotation of the lock lever, so that it is not intended. Even when the grip portion of the lock lever is pressed (erroneously), the lock claw does not come off from the engagement projection.
When disconnecting the two connectors, the lock stopper may be moved to the release position to make the lock lever rotatable.In this state, the grip may be pushed inward to rotate the lock lever. The connection between the connectors can be released by releasing the engagement between the lock claw and the engagement protrusion.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the two-piece connector according to the present invention includes a receptacle connector 10 connected to an end of a flat cable 11 and a plug connector 50 fixed on a printed circuit board.

The plug connector 50 includes an insulating housing 5
A plurality of plug contacts 55 extend vertically and are held in one. Upper end 55 of each plug contact 55
“b” extends toward the upper opening, and contacts and electrically connects with the receptacle contact when the receptacle connector 10 is inserted as described later. The lower end 55a of the plug contact 55 protrudes downward from the housing 51, enters the insertion hole of the printed circuit board with the housing 51 fixed to the printed circuit board, and is electrically connected to the conductive pattern of the printed circuit board. The housing 51
On both left and right sides, engaging projections 52 protruding laterally are provided integrally.

The receptacle connector 10 includes a main body 30.
A guide member 15 attached to the rear part (upper part in the figure) of the main body part 30; and a pair of left and right lock stoppers 20 movably attached to the left and right sides of the guide member 15 in a forward and backward (up and down in the figure). You. The assembled state of the receptacle connector 10 is shown in FIG.
This is also shown in FIGS.

The main body 30 holds a plurality of receptacle contacts in an insulating housing 31, and these receptacle contacts are disposed in a front portion 31a of the housing 30 so as to extend toward a front end (lower end in the drawing). And can be opposed to the upper portion 55b of the plug contact 55. For this reason, the receptacle connector 10
Are inserted into the plug connector 50, these receptacle contacts come into contact with the corresponding plug contacts 55 to be electrically connected. The flat cable 11 is connected to the main body 30, and each receptacle contact is electrically connected to a core wire of the flat cable 11 in the housing 31.

A housing 31 constituting the main body 30 has arm portions 32 on both left and right sides. In each of the arm portions 32, a lock lever 40 is pivotally supported by a pin 33 so as to be rotatable. The lock lever 40 has a lock claw 41 at a front end and a gripper 42 at a rear end, and is pivotally supported by the arm 32 at an intermediate portion. Grooves 3 extending up and down are provided on both left and right sides of the housing 31.
4 are formed, and locking projections 35 are formed in the grooves 34, respectively.

The guide member 15 is a member mounted on the rear end face (upper end face in the figure) of the main body 30, and is provided with a pair of locking arms 17 extending forward from both left and right ends thereof. The locking arm 17 has a locking hole 17 a formed therein.
The guide member 15 is attached to the main body 30 by inserting the guide protrusion 15 into the lock hole 17a and into the lock hole 17a. A throat 16a is provided at both left and right ends of the guide member 15.
The guide protrusion 16b is provided to protrude to the side via the.

The lock stoppers 20 are respectively supported and mounted on the guide projections 16b of the guide member 15. For this reason, the lock stopper 20 is formed with a guide hole 20a and a guide groove 20b extending in the front-rear direction. The guide protrusion 16b enters the guide hole 20a and the throat 16a enters the guide groove 20b. The stopper 20 is attached to the guide member 15 so as to be movable back and forth. The lock stopper 20
Is attached to the main body 30, the lock stopper 20 is located behind the lock lever 40.

At the center front end of the guide hole 20a of the lock stopper 20, there is shown a cross section taken along the line AA in FIG.
As shown in (A), a rib 22 is provided. For this reason, the lock stopper 20 can move back and forth with respect to the guide member 15. However, when the front end surface of the guide protrusion 16 b moves until it comes into contact with the rib 22, the rib 22 acts as a stopper, and the lock stopper 20 is moved. The connector does not fall out of the receptacle connector 10 and is not lost.

As shown in FIG. 4B, which is a cross-sectional view along arrow BB, a positioning projection 23a is formed on the inner surface of the guide wall 23, which is the left and right side walls of the guide groove 20b. I have. The positioning projections 23a are for positioning the lock stopper 20, and guide the guide as shown in FIG. 6B with the lock stopper 20 pulled up rearward as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6A. The positioning protrusion 23a is located behind the rear end of the protrusion 16b.
At this time, the front end of the guide projection 16b is substantially in contact with the rib 22 of the lock stopper 20. For this reason, the guide projection 16b is positioned between the positioning projection 23a and the rib
, The lock stopper 20 is prevented from moving further backward, and the forward movement is also slightly prevented by the positioning protrusion 23a, and is held at this position. This position is called a release position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 7A, in a state where the lock stopper 20 is pushed forward,
As shown in FIG. 7B, the positioning protrusion 23a is located on the front side of the front end of the guide protrusion 16b. At this time, the lock stopper 20 enters between the grip portion 42 of the lock lever 40 and the side surface of the housing 31, and the tapered surface 24 on the outer front of the lock stopper 20 substantially comes into contact with the inner surface of the grip portion 42. For this reason, the lock stopper 20 is prevented from moving forward any more, and the rearward movement is also slightly prevented by the positioning protrusions 23a.
It is held in this position. This position is called a lock position. However, the movement by the positioning protrusion 23a is only lightly prevented, and the lock stopper 20 can be moved such that the guide protrusion 16b rides on the positioning protrusion 23a. By doing so, a click feeling can be given when the lock stopper 20 is moved between the lock position and the release position.

The connection of the two-piece connector including the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 50 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plug connector 50 is joined to the printed circuit board 1,
By inserting the receptacle connector 10 into the plug connector 50 from above with respect to the plug connector 50 with the front part 31a facing downward, the two connectors 10, 50 are inserted.
Are connected.

At the time of this connection, first, the lock stopper 20 of the receptacle connector 10 is moved backward so as to lift the flange projection 21 (FIG. 6).
(The movement indicated by the arrow in (A)), which is positioned at the release position. Thereby, the lock stopper 20
Is located behind the lock lever 40 and the lock lever 4
0 becomes rotatable. Therefore, the grip lever 42 is pushed inward, and the lock lever 40 is rotated so that the gripper 42 moves inward (in the direction indicated by the arrow). As a result, the lock claw 41 is opened outward (the state shown in FIG. 6A).

A positioning projection 45 is formed on both sides of the lock lever 40, and a positioning recess 32a is formed on a surface of the arm 32 that faces the both sides of the lock lever 40. Thus, the open / close position of the lock lever 40 is determined. For example, in a state where the grip portion 42 is opened outward and the lock claw 41 is closed, as shown in FIG. 7A, the positioning projection 45 is located outside the arm portion 32 and is held in this state. In a state where the portion is closed inward and the lock claw 41 is opened, as shown in FIG. 6A, the positioning projection 45 enters the positioning recess 32a and is held in this state. When the lock lever 40 rotates, the positioning protrusion 45 moves so as to ride on the side surface of the arm portion 32, so that a click feeling is given to the rotation operation.

Thereafter, the lower portion 31a of the receptacle connector 10 is inserted into the plug connector 50 from above (insertion in the direction indicated by the arrow). When the receptacle connector 10 is inserted to the position shown in FIG. 6A, the inner projection 43 of the lock lever 40 comes into contact with the upper surface of the engagement projection 52 of the plug connector 50. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the receptacle connector 10 is further pushed in as shown by an arrow, the inner projection 4 is pushed in accordance with the pushing.
3, the lock lever 40 is rotated as shown by the arrow. As a result, in a state where the receptacle connector 10 is completely inserted into the plug connector 50, the lock claw 41 is closed inward to engage with the engagement projection 52, and the grip portion 42 is opened outward. Become.

Next, when the lock stopper 20 is pushed down as shown by the arrow and moved to the lock position, the connection between the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 50 is completed. In this state, the lock stopper 2
0 is located between the grip portion 42 and the side surface of the housing 31 so that even if the grip portion 42 is pushed inward, the lock lever 4
0 does not rotate.

In order to remove the thus-coupled receptacle connector 10 from the plug connector 50, the operation exactly opposite to that described above may be performed. However, the operation opposite to the arrow needs to be performed by pushing the grip portion 42 inward with a finger.
6 is pressed against the upper surface of the engagement projection 52.
The receptacle connector 10 is lifted to the position (A).

In the above example, the lock stopper 2
Although 0 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the guide member 15, an integrally formed lock stopper 60 connected by a connecting portion 61 may be used as shown in FIG. Also in this case, a flange projection 61 extending outward is provided, and a guide hole 60a and a guide groove 60b are provided on both left and right sides.

[0026]

As described above, when the two-piece connector is connected, the lock lever is inserted so that one of the plug connector and the receptacle connector is inserted into the other connector, and the grip portions are opened outward. Is rotated to close the lock claw inward, thereby engaging the lock claw with the engaging portion protrusion and holding the lock in a state where both connectors are connected. In the present invention, the lock position and the release Since the lock stopper that is movable between the position and the position is provided, in a state where the lock claws are engaged with the engagement protrusions and both connectors are coupled, if the lock stopper is moved to the lock position,
This lock stopper prevents the rotation of the lock lever,
Even if the grip portion of the lock lever is unintentionally (erroneously) pressed, the lock claw can be reliably prevented from coming off the engagement protrusion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a two-piece connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector constituting the two-piece connector.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector constituting the two-piece connector.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a lock stopper constituting the receptacle connector.

FIG. 5 is a front view including a partial cross section of the receptacle connector.

FIG. 6 is a front view including a partial cross section of the two-piece connector.

FIG. 7 is a front view including a partial cross section of the two-piece connector.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a different example of a lock stopper constituting the receptacle connector.

FIG. 9 is a front view including a partial cross section showing a conventional two-piece connector.

FIG. 10 is a front view including a partial cross section showing a conventional two-piece connector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printed circuit board 10 Receptacle connector 15 Guide member 20 Lock stopper 30 Main part 32 Arm part 40 Lock lever 41 Lock claw 42 Grip part 50 Plug connector

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 13/56-13/72

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A two-piece connector comprising: a plug connector having a plurality of plug contacts therein; and a receptacle connector having a plurality of receptacle contacts which can be inserted into and removed from the plug connector and are respectively connectable to the plug contacts. One of the plug connector and the receptacle connector has engagement protrusions formed on both left and right sides thereof, and the other connector of the plug connector and the receptacle connector has the one connector at a front end. A locking claw that can be engaged with the engagement projection, and a grip for rotation operation at the rear end, and an intermediate portion pivotally supported and rotatably attached to the left and right sides of the other connector. A pair of lock levers, and the other And a lock stopper that is movable back and forth with respect to the connector. When the one connector is inserted into the other connector, the lock lever is rotated so as to open the grip portions outward. By moving the lock claw inward, the lock claw is engaged with the engagement portion protrusion, and the lock lever is rotated so as to close the grip portions inward, respectively, thereby closing the lock claw. The lock claw and the engaging portion protrusion are released by being opened outward, and the lock stopper is configured such that the grip portion and the other are held in a state where the grip portion is opened outward. A two-piece connector, wherein the two-piece connector is movable between a lock position advanced to a position between the lock portion and a release position separated rearward from the grip portion. .