JP4127913B2 - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lever-type connector.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 10 shows an example of a conventional lever-type connector published in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-79080. In this lever-type connector, a gate-shaped lever 2 is provided so as to straddle the housing 3, and a pair of leg pieces 4, 4 provided on the lever 2 is formed on both side surfaces 3 A, 3 A of the housing 3. It is attached to be able to rotate. Then, the lever 2 is engaged with a cam pin formed on a mating connector (not shown) and rotated to couple the two connectors.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the above-described conventional lever-type connector is provided with an opening leg restricting portion 5 for restricting the opening leg deformation of the leg pieces 4, 4 of the lever 2 below the side surface 3 </ b> A of the housing 3. For this reason, the lever 2 can be attached to the housing 3 only in a form in which the operation portion 6 is arranged on the upper side of the housing 3, and the operation portion 6 of the lever 2 is connected to the housing 3 due to the space around the mating connector. It was not possible to deal with the case where it had to be placed underneath. On the other hand, when the opening leg restricting portion 5 is removed so that the operation portion 6 of the lever 2 can be arranged also on the lower side of the housing 3, the leg piece 4 is applied when a strong force is applied to the lever 2. , 4 is deformed to open and smooth rotation cannot be performed.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a lever type in which a lever can be selectively attached to an upper side and a lower side of a connector housing, and the lever can be smoothly rotated. The purpose is to provide connectors.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided such that each leg piece of the gate-shaped lever formed by inserting an operation portion between a pair of leg pieces is rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the connector housing, In the lever-type connector that is coupled to the mating connector by engaging the cam pin provided on the mating connector with the leg piece and rotating the lever, the peripheral surface of the leg piece is recessed along the same surface. While a groove is formed, on both side surfaces of the connector housing, the base portion is disposed outside the rotation region of the lever, and the tip of the connector housing enters the concave groove so that the leg pieces are deformed to open. An open leg restricting portion for restricting is provided, and the connector housing is formed in a substantially symmetrical shape in the vertical direction, and the open leg restricting portion is arranged on the axis of symmetry so that the lever moves the operating portion to the connector. Having characterized in that on the lower side forms arranged on the upper side form the lower side arranged on the upper side of Ujingu is adapted to be selectively attached.
[0006]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the lever-type connector according to the first aspect, the leg opening restricting portion rises from the side surface of the connector housing and extends toward the rotating shaft, and a tip portion thereof extends along the peripheral surface of the leg piece. It is characterized by being accommodated in a concave groove formed in the above manner.
[0007]
[Action and effect of the invention]
According to the configuration of the first aspect, since the connector housing is substantially symmetrical in the vertical direction and the opening leg restricting portion is arranged on the axis of symmetry, the lever is selected to be the upper form or the lower form with respect to the housing. Can be attached. Even if a large force is applied to the lever, the leg opening restricting portion restricts the leg leg leg from being deformed, so the cam pin provided on the mating connector is cam-engaged to the leg piece in a normal state, and smooth. The lever can be turned.
[0008]
According to the structure of Claim 2, the front-end | tip part of an opening leg control part is settled in the ditch | groove formed in the leg piece, and is protected.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The lever-type connector of this embodiment includes a connector housing 11 (hereinafter referred to as “housing 11”) formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a lever 12 is provided so as to straddle the housing 11 in the left-right direction.
[0010]
The housing 11 is formed with a plurality of cavities 13 penetrating in the front-rear direction for accommodating terminal fittings (not shown). There are two types of cavities 13 corresponding to the size of the terminal fittings. A cavity 13A for accommodating a large terminal fitting is arranged on the right side of FIG. 1, and the remainder is a small terminal fitting cavity 13B. It has become. As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 11 is symmetrical in the vertical direction except for the cavity 13, and the support shaft 14 protrudes sideways on the vertical symmetry axis on both side surfaces 11 </ b> A. ing. The support shaft 14 has a cylindrical shape as a whole, and a pair of retaining projections 14A and 14A project from the front peripheral surface in the front-rear direction (see the left and right in FIG. 4).
[0011]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever 12 has a gate shape in which the operation portion 16 is interposed between the pair of leg pieces 15, 15, and the holes 17 formed in each leg piece 15 (FIG. 6). The support shaft 14 is passed through the housing 11 and is rotatably attached to the housing 11 (see FIG. 7). Here, the hole 17 is formed with a pair of enlarged diameter portions 17A and 17A through which the projections 14A and 14A of the support shaft 14 pass as shown in FIG. 6, and the lever 12 is operated as shown in FIG. The enlarged diameter portion 17 </ b> A faces the projection 14 </ b> A of the support shaft 14 only when the portion 16 is in the receiving posture in which the portion 16 is arranged on the front end side of the housing 11, and the support shaft 14 can be inserted into and removed from the hole 17. The lever 12 is selected and attached to an upper form (see FIG. 1) in which the operation unit 16 is arranged on the upper side of the housing 11 and a lower form (see FIG. 3) arranged on the lower side of the housing 11.
[0012]
A cam groove 18 is formed on the inner surface side of the leg piece 15 of the lever 12 as shown in FIG. One end of the cam groove 18 is open to the peripheral surface of the leg piece 15, and when the lever 12 is in the receiving posture (see FIG. 7), the open end faces forward (leftward in FIG. 7) and from there A cam pin provided on a mating connector (not shown) is received in the cam groove 18. When the lever 12 is rotated to the rear side of the housing 11 in this state, the two connectors are attracted to each other by the cam engagement of the cam pin and the cam groove 18 to be coupled.
[0013]
Now, on both upper and lower symmetrical axes of the housing 11, as shown in FIG. 4, an open leg restricting portion 20 is provided side by side with the support shaft 14. As shown in FIG. 9, the leg opening restricting portion 20 includes a base portion 21 that protrudes laterally from a position near the rear end of the housing 11, and a cylindrical portion 22 that extends from the base portion 21 toward the support shaft 14. More specifically, the base portion 21 has a mountain shape with a skirt expanded in the vertical direction, and a cylindrical portion 22 is extended on an extension of the ridgeline. The tip of the cylindrical portion 22 enters a concave groove 23 formed on the peripheral surface of the leg piece 15 of the lever 12. The concave groove 23 extends along the circumferential surface 12A of the lever 12, and is provided with a receiving port 23A that opens toward the side surface 11A of the housing 11 at one end thereof. When the lever 12 is in the receiving posture (see FIG. 7), the cylindrical portion 22 of the opening leg restricting portion 20 faces the receiving port 23A.
[0014]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the operation portion 16 of the lever 12 is provided with a lock claw 25 at the center in the longitudinal direction, and correspondingly, the rear end portions of the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 11. Are provided with locking portions 26A, 26A.
[0015]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
The mating connector is fixed to the inner wall of the body of the automobile, for example, and the mounting form of the lever 12 of this connector is determined in consideration of the space around the mating connector. Then, for example, the lever 12 is attached to the upper form in which the operation portion 16 of the lever 12 is disposed on the upper surface side of the housing 11. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the operating portion 16 of the lever 12 is arranged on the front end side of the upper surface of the housing 11, and both leg pieces 15 and 15 of the lever 12 are opened as shown in FIG. When the hole 17 and the support shaft 14 face each other, the both leg pieces 15 and 15 are closed. Then, the protrusion 14 </ b> A provided on the support shaft 14 passes through the enlarged diameter portion 17 </ b> A provided on the hole 17, and the support shaft 14 enters the hole 17. At this time, the cylindrical portion 22 of the open leg restricting portion 20 formed on both side surfaces 11 </ b> A of the housing 11 enters the recessed groove 23 from the receiving port 23 </ b> A of the recessed groove 23 formed on the leg piece 15. Thus, the attachment of the lever 12 to the housing 11 is completed. Then, a terminal fitting attached to the end of the electric wire is inserted into each cavity 13.
[0016]
Next, this connector is pressed against the mating connector. Then, the cam pin provided in the mating connector enters the cam groove 18 from the open end of the cam groove 18 formed in the lever 12. When the lever 12 is rotated to the rear side of the housing 11 in this state, the front end portions of both connectors are initially fitted with a small fitting resistance. Accordingly, at the initial turning stage of the lever 12, the lever 12 can be turned without applying a force enough to bend the operation portion 16.
[0017]
As the fitting between the connectors proceeds, the fitting resistance increases due to the friction between the terminal fittings of both connectors. On the other hand, a large force is also applied to the operation portion 16 of the lever 12, and the operation portion 16 is bent and deformed toward the housing 11, and the leg pieces 15 and 15 are subjected to a force in the opening leg direction along with the deformation. At this time, since the projection 14A provided on the support shaft 14 faces the edge of the hole 17 of the leg piece 15 (see FIG. 8), the center of the leg piece 15 is regulated so as not to float from the housing 11. . By the way, when the fitting is advanced and the force applied to the lever 12 is further increased, it is not sufficient to restrict the protrusion 14A alone, the leg piece 15 is tilted about the support shaft 14, and the peripheral portion of the leg piece 15 is the center of the housing 11. It is conceivable that the surface will rise from the side surface 11A. However, in this connector, the open leg restricting portion 20 formed in the housing 11 enters the concave groove 23 formed in the peripheral surface of the leg piece 15, and the peripheral edge portion of the leg piece 15 does not float from the side surface 11 </ b> A of the housing 11. To be regulated.
[0018]
Thereby, the leg legs 15 and 15 are prevented from being opened, and the lever 12 is smoothly rotated. And when the operation part 16 of the lever 12 is moved to the rear part of the housing 11 and the lock claw 25 is engaged with the engaging part 26A, the connectors are in a completely fitted state.
[0019]
Now, for example, the mating connector is attached to the inner wall of a different type of automobile from the above-described automobile, and depending on the attachment situation, it is more suitable to arrange the operation portion 16 of the lever 12 on the lower surface side with respect to the housing 11. There may be. Here, since this connector can selectively attach the lever 12 to the housing 11 in the upper form or the lower form, the lever 12 is mounted in the same manner as the case where the lever 12 is attached to the upper form described above. Can be attached to the lower form.
[0020]
Thus, according to the lever-type connector of the present embodiment, the housing 11 is substantially symmetrical in the vertical direction, and the opening leg restricting portion 20 is disposed on the axis of symmetry. It can be selectively attached to the upper form and the lower form. Even when a large force is applied to the lever 12, the leg opening restricting portion 20 regulates the leg legs 15, 15 of the lever 12 so that the cam pin provided on the mating connector cams to the leg piece 15 in a normal state. The lever 12 can be engaged, and the lever 12 can be smoothly rotated. In addition, since the tip portion of the leg opening restricting portion 20 is protected by being accommodated in the concave groove 23 formed in the leg piece 15, the connector can be easily handled.
[0021]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the embodiments described below are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and various other than the following are within the scope not departing from the gist. It can be changed and implemented.
(1) The support shaft 14 of the above embodiment is provided with the protrusion 14A that restricts the opening of the leg piece 15. However, the support shaft 14 may not include the protrusion 14A. However, as in the above-described embodiment, if the leg piece 15 is controlled to be opened by the two-point support of the projecting portion 14A of the support shaft 14 and the leg opening restricting portion 20, the leg piece 15 is effectively Open leg can be regulated.
(2) Although the open leg restricting portion 20 of the above embodiment is engaged with the concave groove 23 formed in the leg piece 15, the open leg restricting portion faces, for example, the outer surface of the peripheral portion of the leg piece, The structure which controls the leg opening of a leg piece may be sufficient.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a rear view of a lever-type connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the lever-type connector in a state in which a lever leg piece is opened. [Fig. 4] Side view of the housing [Fig. 5] Plan view of the lever [Fig. 6] Side sectional view of the lever [Fig. 7] Side view of the lever-type connector when the lever is in the receiving position [ 8 is a side view of a lever-type connector while the lever is rotating. FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view showing a side portion of the lever-type connector. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional lever-type connector.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Housing 11A ... Side surface 12 ... Lever 12A ... Circumferential surface 14 ... Supporting shaft (rotating shaft)
15 ... Leg piece 16 ... Operation part 20 ... Open leg restricting part 23 ... Concave groove

Claims (2)

Each of the gate-shaped levers with the operation part between the pair of leg pieces is pivotally attached to both side surfaces of the connector housing, and the cam pins provided on the mating connector are engaged with the leg pieces. In the lever type connector coupled to the mating connector by rotating the lever,
A concave groove is formed along the same surface on the peripheral surface of the leg piece, and on both side surfaces of the connector housing, the base portion is disposed outside the rotation region of the lever, and the tip thereof is An opening leg restricting portion that enters into the recessed groove and restricts the leg opening deformation of the both leg pieces is provided,
The connector housing has a substantially symmetrical shape in the vertical direction, and the opening leg restricting portion is arranged on the axis of symmetry, so that the lever is arranged on the upper side and the lower side where the operation portion is arranged on the upper side of the connector housing. A lever-type connector that is selectively attached to the lower form.   The leg opening restricting portion rises from a side surface of the connector housing and extends toward the rotating shaft, and a tip portion thereof is accommodated in a concave groove formed along a peripheral surface of the leg piece. The lever-type connector according to claim 1.

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