JP4407528B2 - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever type connector.

There is a lever type connector described in Patent Document 1. In this type of lever-type connector, a cam follower is supported by a first housing, a cam follower is provided in the second housing, and the cam follower is engaged with the cam groove of the lever so that the cam groove and the cam follower are operated. The two housings are fitted by a cam action by engagement with the terminal fittings, and the terminal fittings attached to the housings are brought into contact with each other.
JP-A-8-78091

In a state where both housings are fitted, it is inevitable that slight backlash occurs between the two housings due to the dimensional tolerance of each housing and the assembly tolerance between the housings. If there is backlash between the housings in this way, when the housing is subjected to vibration, the contact parts of the terminal fittings slide so as to reciprocate finely, resulting in wear of the contact parts between the terminal fittings. Is concerned.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent backlash between housings in a fitted state.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that the first terminal fitting is attached to the first housing and the lever is supported so as to be displaceable, the second terminal fitting is attached to the second housing, and the protrusion is formed. The cam follower is provided, and the lever is displaced while the cam follower is inserted into the inlet of the cam groove of the lever, so that the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove and the cam follower causes the first housing and the first In the lever-type connector in which the two housings are fitted to bring the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting into contact with each other, a groove bottom surface of the cam groove is formed with respect to the fitting direction of the two housings. As the inclined surface is formed and the fitting of the two housings proceeds, the pressing force from the inclined surface to the protruding end surface of the cam follower Characterized in was configured to increase.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the inclined surface is provided over substantially the entire movement path of the cam follower in the cam groove.

  A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the slope of the inclined surface is a substantially constant angle.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or third aspect of the present invention, the second housing is formed with a cylindrical hood portion into which the first housing is fitted, and the hood portion The cam follower is formed on the inner surface, and the cam groove is formed on the outer surface of the lever.

<Invention of Claims 1 and 2>
In a state where both housings are fitted, the groove bottom surface of the cam groove and the protruding end surface of the cam follower are pressed in a direction intersecting with the fitting direction, so that backlash in the direction intersecting with the fitting direction of the housing is restricted. . Further, as the fitting of the two housings proceeds, the pressing force against the projecting end surface of the cam follower increases from the inclined surface. Therefore, at the initial stage of the fitting of the two housings, the bottom surface of the cam groove And the protruding end surface of the cam follower need only have a small frictional resistance, and the lever can be displaced with a small operating force.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the slope of the inclined surface is a constant angle, in the process in which the cam follower slides on the inclined surface, the fluctuation of the operating force for displacing the lever is small and the operability is excellent.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the cam follower is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical hood portion, the pressing force applied to the cam follower from the groove bottom surface side of the cam groove is surely as a reaction force to the first housing side due to the bending rigidity of the hood portion. The relative displacement between the housings can be reliably prevented.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The lever-type connector according to the present embodiment includes a first housing 10 and a second housing 30 that are fitted and detached by the lever 20.
The first housing 10 is made of synthetic resin and has a vertically long rectangular block shape as a whole. A plurality of female first terminal fittings 11 are accommodated in the first housing 10, and the electric wires 12 connected to the rear ends of the first terminal fittings 11 extend rearward from the rear end face of the first housing 10. It is derived almost horizontally. A waterproof rubber boot 13 is attached to the first housing 10 for restricting the liquid from the outside from entering the rear end surface of the first housing 10 through the outer peripheral surface of the first housing 10. The rubber boot 13 includes a rectangular tube portion 14 that covers the outer peripheral surface and the rear end surface of the first housing 10, and a cylindrical portion 15 that extends downward from the rear surface wall of the rectangular tube portion 14, and is substantially horizontal from the first housing 10. The plurality of derived electric wires 12 are turned downward in the rubber boot 13 and led downward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 15. The first housing 10 is attached with a cover 16 having a rectangular cylindrical shape covering the square cylindrical portion 14 of the rubber boot 13. The cover 16 is made of synthetic resin, and the fitting holes 17 of the upper and lower double-sided plates are fitted to the fitting protrusions 18 on the upper and lower end faces of the first housing 10, so It is assembled in a state in which relative displacement in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 30) is restricted.

  A pair of support shafts 19 are formed on the left and right outer surfaces of the cover 16 so as to protrude in the left-right direction. A lever 20 is rotatably supported on the support shaft 19. The lever 20 is made of synthetic resin, and is integrally formed with an operation portion 21 that is long in the left-right direction and a pair of plate-like arm portions 22 that extend in parallel from the left and right ends of the operation portion 21. A support hole 23 formed in the arm portion 22 is fitted to the support shaft 19. The lever 20 is relatively displaced with respect to the first housing 10 so as to draw an arc between the initial position and the fitting position around the support shaft 19.

  The outer surfaces of both arm portions 22 (the surface opposite to the surface facing the cover 16) are flat surfaces parallel to the fitting / removing directions of the housings 10 and 30. A groove 24 is formed. The cam groove 24 has a shape in which the outer surface of the arm portion 22 is recessed in a generally spiral shape with the support shaft 19 as the center, and the cam groove 24 becomes more camped toward the end portion 24B from the start end portion 24A of the spiral region 24S of the cam groove 24. The distance between the groove 24 and the support shaft 19 is small. Further, the start end portion 24A of the spiral region 24S of the cam groove 24 is connected to an inlet 24E that opens to the outer peripheral edge of the arm portion 22 so that a cam follower 35 described later can enter the cam groove 24. The inlet 24 </ b> E extends in the radial direction from the support shaft 19 toward the outer surface of the arm portion 22.

  The cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the length direction of the cam groove 24 is a square. The width of the groove bottom surface 24C of the cam groove 24 (the distance between both inner surfaces of the cam groove 24) is the entire region from the inlet 24E of the cam groove 24 to the end portion 24B through the start end portion 24A of the spiral region 24S (movement of the cam follower 35). The dimension is substantially constant over the path). On the other hand, the depth of the cam groove 24, that is, the distance from the outer surface of the arm portion 22 to the groove bottom surface 24C in the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30) is 24A gradually becomes shallower (smaller) from the start end 24A toward the end end 24B. That is, the groove bottom surface 24 </ b> C is formed with an inclined surface 24 </ b> D that is inclined with respect to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 30 so as to be inclined along the movement path of the cam follower 35. The inclination of the inclined surface 24D is such that the pressing force from the inclined surface 24D to the projecting end surface 35S of the cam follower 35 increases as the fitting of the housings 10 and 30 proceeds. The formation area of the inclined surface 24D is an area from the start end portion 24A to the end portion 24B of the cam groove 24. The inclination angle of the inclined surface 24D (inclination angle with respect to the outer surface of the arm portion 22) is an inclined surface. 24D has a constant angle over the entire region. Further, the inlet 24E of the cam groove 24 is the same depth as the start end portion 24A and is a flat surface parallel to the outer surface of the arm portion 22. Further, the end portion 24B of the cam groove 24 is smoothly connected to the end (the shallowest position) of the inclined surface 24D, and is a flat surface parallel to the outer surface of the arm portion 22.

  The second housing 30 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed by integrally forming a terminal housing portion 31 having a vertically long rectangular block shape as a whole and a rectangular tube-shaped hood portion 32 protruding forward from the terminal housing portion 31. is there. A plurality of male second terminal fittings 33 are accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 31, and a tab 33 a at the tip of each second terminal fitting 33 protrudes from the front surface of the terminal accommodating portion 31 into the hood portion 32. Has been placed. The electric wire 34 connected to the rear end of each second terminal fitting 33 is led out from the rear end surface of the terminal accommodating portion 31 to the rear outside. A pair of cylindrical cam followers 35 projecting from the left and right inner side surfaces of the hood portion 32 are formed with the axis line directed in the left-right direction. The protruding end surface 35 </ b> S of the cam follower 35 is a flat surface parallel to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the two housings 10 and 30 are fitted together, first, the lever 20 is held at the initial position shown in FIG. 1 so that the inlet 24E of the cam groove 24 is directed forward (toward the second housing 30). Leave it open. In this state, the first housing 10 is shallowly fitted into the hood portion 32 of the second housing 30, and the two housings 10 and 30 are initially fitted (see FIG. 4). Then, the cam follower 35 enters the inlet 24E of the cam groove 24. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8, the projecting end surface 35 </ b> S of the cam follower 35 makes slight contact with the groove bottom surface 24 </ b> C of the cam groove 24, and the inner surface of the hood portion 32 is against the outer surface of the arm portion 22 of the lever 20. Facing each other with a slight clearance (not shown).

  From this state, when the operating portion 21 is picked and the lever 20 is rotated, the inner surface of the cam groove 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the cam follower 35 come into sliding contact. While the lever 20 is rotated, the portion of the inner surface of the cam groove 24 with which the cam follower 35 contacts is always directed obliquely with respect to the fitting direction of the housings 10 and 30, so that the cam groove 24 and the cam follower Due to the cam action due to the engagement with 35, both housings 10, 30 are attracted and the fitting proceeds.

  As the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 (that is, the rotation of the lever 20) proceeds, the protruding end surface 35S of the cam follower 35 slides (moves so as to rub) against the inclined surface 24D of the cam groove 24. . Here, since the lever 20 is positioned so as to sandwich the first housing 10 via the cover 16 and the rubber boot 13, it is not displaced inward (in a direction of escaping from the cam follower 35). Therefore, as the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 proceeds, the pressing force in the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 30) from the inclined surface 24D to the protruding end surface 35S of the cam follower 35 is Increasing gradually. As the pressing force increases, the hood portion 32 is elastically curved and deformed so as to swell left and right (so as to be separated from the outer surface of the arm portion 22 of the lever 20). Due to the restoring force, the reaction force against the arm portion 22 of the lever 20 from the cam follower 35 side increases. This reaction force acts as a force for clamping the first housing 10 via the arm portion 22, the cover 16, and the rubber boot 13, and this clamping force is maximum when both the housings 10, 30 reach the normal fitting state. It becomes. By this clamping force, the relative displacement of the first housing 10 and the second housing 30 in the left-right direction (direction intersecting with the fitting direction of both the housings 10, 30) is restricted. Further, the relative displacement of the two housings 10 and 30 in the vertical direction (direction intersecting the fitting direction of the two housings 10 and 30) is also restricted by the frictional resistance between the groove bottom surface 24C and the protruding end surface 35S of the cam follower 35. The Thereby, the fine sliding between the 1st terminal metal fitting 11 and the 2nd terminal metal fitting 33 is prevented, and abrasion of the terminal metal fittings 11 and 33 resulting from a fine sliding is prevented.

  Further, as the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 proceeds, the pressing force against the projecting end surface 35S of the cam follower 35 from the inclined surface 24D increases. Initially, the frictional resistance between the groove bottom surface 24C of the cam groove 24 and the projecting end surface 35S of the cam follower 35 is small, and the lever 20 can be displaced with a small operating force.

  Further, since the slope of the inclined surface 24D is a constant angle, in the process in which the cam follower 35 slides on the inclined surface 24D, the fluctuation of the operating force for displacing the lever 20 is small, and the operability is excellent.

  Further, a cylindrical hood portion 32 into which the first housing 10 is fitted is formed in the second housing 30, a cam follower 35 is formed on the inner surface of the hood portion 32, and the cam groove 24 is formed on the outer surface of the arm portion 22 of the lever 20. Formed. Thus, since the cam follower 35 is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical hood portion 32, the pressing force applied to the cam follower 35 from the groove bottom surface 24C side of the cam groove 24 depends on the bending rigidity of the hood portion 32. It acts reliably as a reaction force toward the first housing 10 side, and relative displacement between the housings 10 and 30 can be reliably prevented.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment 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, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above embodiment, the cam groove is formed on the outer surface of the arm portion. However, according to the present invention, the cam groove may be formed on the inner surface of the arm portion.
(2) Although the lever type connector in which the lever rotates is described in the above embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to a slide type lever type connector in which the lever moves linearly.
(3) In the above embodiment, the protruding end surfaces of both cam followers are lightly in contact with the groove bottom surfaces of both cam grooves while the cam followers are positioned at the inlets of the cam grooves. The protruding end surface of the cam follower and the groove bottom surface of the cam groove may be in a non-contact state in a state where the cam groove is located at the inlet of the cam groove.
(4) In the above embodiment, the inclined surface is formed over almost the entire spiral region of the cam groove. However, according to the present invention, only a part of the spiral region of the cam groove may be the inclined surface. The position of the inclined surface in this case may be any of the start end portion, the intermediate portion, and the end portion of the cam groove. A plurality of inclined surfaces may be provided in one cam groove.
(5) In the above embodiment, the inclined surface has a constant gradient. However, according to the present invention, the gradient angle of the inclined surface may be changed in the middle of the movement path of the cam follower in the cam groove.
(6) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the lever is configured to extend the pair of arm portions from both ends of the operation portion has been described. However, in the present invention, the lever has a single plate shape and the outer surface of the first housing. It is applicable also to the form which displaces along.

A perspective view of the first housing and the second housing Horizontal sectional view of the first housing Horizontal sectional view of the second housing Horizontal sectional view showing the state where both housings are initially fitted and the cam follower has entered the cam groove inlet. Horizontal sectional view showing the state where both housings are properly fitted Longitudinal sectional view showing the state where both housings are properly fitted Lever side view XX sectional view of FIG. 7 showing a state in which the cam follower has entered the inlet of the cam groove. XX sectional view of FIG. 7 showing a state in which both housings are properly fitted.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st housing 11 ... 1st terminal metal fitting 20 ... Lever 24 ... Cam groove 24C ... Groove bottom face 24D ... Inclined surface 30 ... 2nd housing 32 ... Hood part 33 ... 2nd terminal metal fitting 35 ... Cam follower 35S ... Cam follower Protruding end face

Claims (4)

Attach the first terminal fitting to the first housing and support the lever so that it can be displaced.
Attaching the second terminal fitting to the second housing and providing a protruding cam follower,
By displacing the lever in a state where the cam follower is inserted into the inlet of the cam groove of the lever, the first housing and the second housing are fitted by the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove and the cam follower. In the lever-type connector that combines the first terminal fitting and the second terminal fitting,
An inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the fitting direction of the two housings is formed on the groove bottom surface of the cam groove,
The lever-type connector is configured such that, as the fitting of the two housings proceeds, the pressing force from the inclined surface to the protruding end surface of the cam follower increases. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is provided over substantially the entire movement path of the cam follower in the cam groove. The lever-type connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slope of the inclined surface has a substantially constant angle. The second housing is formed with a cylindrical hood portion into which the first housing is fitted,
The cam follower is formed on the inner surface of the hood portion,
The lever type connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cam groove is formed on an outer surface of the lever.

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