JP4840253B2 - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever type connector.

Patent Document 1 describes a connector in a form in which a rotating lever that can be engaged with a cam follower of a mating connector is supported on an electric wire cover attached to a housing. Since the electric wire cover is for bending the electric wire led out from the rear surface of the housing and turning it to the side, the electric wire cover is configured to cover the rear surface of the housing, and the lever is generally on the rear surface of the electric wire cover. It is attached so as to be rotated and displaced by a predetermined angle along the direction.
JP 2004-199990 A

In the above connector, the electric wire cover is assembled to the housing while being slid in parallel with the rear surface of the housing, and in the process of assembling, the elastic locking piece formed on the electric wire cover is elastically bent, and the electric wire cover is properly assembled. When the attachment position is reached, the elastic locking piece is elastically restored and locked to the locking portion of the housing, and by this locking action, the wire cover is regulated to return and locked in the assembled state. .
Therefore, when the lever is operated to rotate along the back of the wire cover, the direction of the operating force applied to the wire cover from the lever side is the same as the direction in which the wire cover is detached from the housing. In this case, when the operating force applied to the wire cover exceeds the locking force of the elastic locking piece, the elastic locking piece is elastically bent and dissociated from the locking portion. There is a concern of moving from the attached position.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent unauthorized movement of an electric wire cover due to operation of a lever.

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a housing in which the electric wire is led out from the back surface and the housing so as to cover the back surface with respect to the housing, thereby turning the derived electric wire. An electric wire cover that is formed on the electric wire cover, and a side wall that is disposed along the outer edge of the rear surface and at a right angle to the rear surface in a state where the electric wire cover is attached to the housing, and the electric wire cover. In a connector having a lever supported so as to be capable of rotating operation and having an operating portion displaced along the back surface of the wire cover, the inner surface of the side wall and the housing abut against each other. Therefore, the electric wire cover is restricted from being displaced in a direction substantially parallel to the displacement direction of the operation portion as the lever rotates with respect to the housing. Noh abutment means, in the course of the wire cover assembled back substantially at right angles in the housing, become mutually engaged state while elastic deflection so as to spread apart the side walls, the wire cover by the engaging action Locking means capable of restricting the housing from being detached in a direction substantially perpendicular to the back surface of the housing, and in a state where the wire cover is assembled to the housing, the contact portion of the contact means and the The locking portion of the locking means is characterized in that it is accommodated inside the wire cover .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the housing includes a plurality of lock portions that form the lock means, and the plurality of lock portions are virtual in parallel with the rear surface of the housing. It is characterized by being arranged along the line.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the first or second aspect, the housing is attached with a seal ring in which a positioning locking portion is formed, and the abutment on the housing side. The means is characterized in that a positioning receiving portion capable of restricting displacement in the circumferential direction of the seal ring by locking the positioning locking portion is formed.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the abutment means on the housing side and the locking means on the housing side are related to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing. It is characterized by a point-symmetric form.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since the movement of the electric wire cover along the rear surface of the housing is restricted by the abutting action of the abutting means, it is compared with a structure that restricts the movement of the electric wire cover by the locking action of the elastic locking piece. And the reliability of the wire cover movement restriction function is high. Further, when the contact means as described above are provided, the assembly direction of the electric wire cover with respect to the housing is substantially perpendicular to the rear surface of the housing. Since this is done using bending, it will not interfere with the assembly.

<Invention of Claim 2>
The plurality of lock portions constituting the lock means on the housing side can exhibit a function of guiding the assembling operation of the cover member for turning the electric wire that can be assembled while sliding parallel to the rear surface of the housing. .
<Invention of Claim 3>
The locking means on the housing side also has a function of regulating displacement of the seal ring in the circumferential direction.
<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the contact means and the lock means are in a point-symmetric form with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing, the electric wire cover can be assembled in two directions inverted by 180 degrees with respect to the housing. Thereby, an electric wire can be turned to two directions opposite to each other.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector according to this embodiment includes a housing 10 and an electric wire cover 30.
The housing 10 is made of synthetic resin and has a block shape that is long in the left-right direction as a whole. A bulging portion 11 is formed on the back surface of the housing 10 so that a region excluding the peripheral edge portion is protruded, and the back surface of the bulging portion 11 of the back surface of the housing 10 is a wire lead-out surface 12. In the rear surface of the housing 10, a peripheral area surrounding the bulging portion 11 is a mounting surface 13. A well-known terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted into the housing 10 from the back side, and an electric wire (not shown) connected to the rear end of the terminal fitting is connected to the electric wire lead-out surface 12. It is derived at a substantially right angle.

  Of the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 11, each of the long-side peripheral surfaces has three protrusion-like lock portions 14 that are equally spaced in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction). Locking means) is formed. The lock portion 14 is formed with a guide portion 15 that is inclined with respect to the wire lead-out surface 12 and that makes a hook portion 37 (locking means that is a constituent feature of the present invention), which will be described later, slidably contact. The surface of the lock portion 14 that faces the mounting surface 13 is a locking surface 16 for locking the hook portion 37. The six lock portions 14 formed in the bulging portion 11 have a point-symmetric form and arrangement with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing 10 (the wire lead-out surface 12 and the mounting surface 13). Further, the locking surfaces 16 of the three lock portions 14 arranged on the long side are arranged along a straight virtual line parallel to the back surface of the housing 10.

  In the two regions on the long side of the mounting surface 13, there are two protruding receiving portions 17 (contacting means which is a constituent element of the present invention) in a form that continues to the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 11. Are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction. The protruding receiving portion 17 has a pair of protective pieces 18 that form a plate shape perpendicular to the wire lead-out surface 12 and the mounting surface 13, and between the pair of protective pieces 18, A positioning hole 19 (a positioning receiving portion which is a constituent element of the present invention) that is a right angle and communicates with a fitting space 24 described later is formed through therethrough. In addition, a pair of stepped receiving portions 20 (contact means which is a constituent feature of the present invention) are formed at both ends of the long side region of the mounting surface 13, respectively, with the end portion side being raised. The four projecting receiving portions 17 and the four step receiving portions 20 formed on the mounting surfaces 13 are point-symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing 10 (the wire lead-out surface 12 and the mounting surface 13). It is an arrangement. In addition, each protruding receiving portion 17 is disposed in the middle of the adjacent locking portion 14.

  Inside the housing 10, a pair of accommodation spaces 21 having a slit shape along the side edge on the long side is formed. The accommodating space 21 accommodates a part of the lever 40 described later, and is opened on the mounting surface 13 side. The housing 10 has a block-shaped terminal accommodating portion 22 in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, and a cylindrical fitting portion 23 that surrounds the terminal accommodating portion 22 over the entire circumference. A space between the portion 22 and the cylindrical fitting portion 23 is a fitting space 24 that opens to the front of the housing 10. A rubber seal ring 25 is attached in the fitting space 24 so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 22 at the back end portion (end portion on the back side of the housing 10). When the hood portion (not shown) of the mating connector is inserted into the rim 24, the lip portion on the outer periphery of the seal ring 25 is brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion so that waterproofing is achieved. . A plurality of positioning protrusions 26 (positioning locking portions which are constituent elements of the present invention) are formed on the edge portion on the back side of the seal ring 25 at intervals in the circumferential direction. The positioning projection 26 has a constricted portion whose diameter is locally narrowed, and four positioning projections 26 out of the plurality are penetrated into the positioning hole 19 so as to lock the constricted portion, and the constricted portion and The positioning hole 19 is retained by the locking action with the hole edge. Due to the fitting between the positioning hole 19 and the positioning protrusion 26, the displacement of the seal ring 25 in the circumferential direction with respect to the housing 10 is restricted.

  The wire cover 30 is made of a synthetic resin and is assembled to the housing 10 so as to cover the back surface thereof. The electric wire cover 30 is composed of a pair of side walls 31 and a back wall 32 connecting the both side walls 31, and the space surrounded by these walls is open only to the front side and one side. A space 33 is formed. An opening to the side of the turning space 33 is an electric wire outlet 34. In a state where the electric wire cover 30 is attached to the housing 10, the side wall 31 is disposed along the outer edge on the long side of the attachment surface 13 and at right angles to the attachment surface 13. The back wall 32 has a parallel portion 32 a parallel to the attachment surface 13 and an inclined portion 32 b inclined with respect to the attachment surface 13 in a state where the electric wire cover 30 is attached to the housing 10. A support shaft 35 for rotatably supporting the lever 40 is formed on the outer surface of the side wall 31, and a lock protrusion 36 for locking the lever 40 in the fitting position on the outer surface of the parallel portion 32 a. Is formed.

  On the inner surface of the side wall 31, there are formed a hooking portion 37 having two pieces of protrusions and two pieces of protruding contact portions 38 (contact means which is a constituent feature of the present invention). The hooking portion 37 and the projecting contact portion 38 are arranged along the edge of the side wall 31 opposite to the parallel portion 32a (side closer to the mounting surface 13). Further, the hook portion 37 located on the side opposite to the electric wire outlet 34 is disposed on the back side of the support shaft 35 with the side wall 31 interposed therebetween. Furthermore, the edge part by the side of the attachment surface 13 in the side wall 31 by the side of the electric wire outlet 34 is the level | step-shaped contact part 39 (contact means which is a structural requirement of this invention).

  The lever 40 is made of a synthetic resin and has a known form in which a pair of plate-like arm portions 41 are connected by an operation portion 42. The arm portion 41 is formed with a bearing hole 43 and an arc-shaped cam groove (not shown), and the lever 40 fits the bearing hole 43 to the support shaft 35, thereby preventing the wire cover 30. It is supported so that it can rotate between the standby position and the fitting position. In a state where the lever 40 is in the standby position, the operation unit 42 is located on the side opposite to the electric wire outlet 34. In a state where the lever 40 is in the fitting position, the operation portion 42 is positioned along the outer surface of the parallel portion 32a and is locked to the lock projection 36, and the lever 40 is locked to the fitting position by this locking action. The In a state where the lever 40 is in the fitting position, the line connecting the operation portion 42 and the support shaft 35 is substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface 13, so the lever 40 is rotated in the fitting direction from the standby position. Immediately before the operation portion 42 is reached, the operation portion 42 is displaced substantially parallel to the parallel portion 32a (that is, the wire lead-out surface 12 and the attachment surface 13). Similarly, when the lever 40 in the fitting position starts to be turned to the standby position side, the operation portion 42 is displaced substantially parallel to the parallel portion 32a (that is, the wire lead-out surface 12 and the attachment surface 13).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the connector is assembled, first, a terminal fitting is inserted into the housing 10, while the lever 40 is assembled to the wire cover 30. The electric wire cover 30 to which the lever 40 is assembled is assembled to the housing 10 so as to approach the housing 10 at a substantially right angle from the rear side and to cover the outer peripheral surface of the bulging portion 11. In the assembling process, the four hook portions 37 of the electric wire cover 30 are in sliding contact with the guide portions 15 of the four lock portions 14 located on the electric wire outlet port 34 side among the six lock portions 14 of the housing 10. The side wall 31 is elastically bent so as to expand. When the wire cover 30 comes into contact with the mounting surface 13 and reaches the proper assembly position, the four hook portions 37 pass through the corresponding four lock portions 14 and the side wall 31 is elastically restored. With the return, the hook portion 37 is locked to the locking surface 16 of the lock portion 14. By this locking action, the electric wire cover 30 is prevented from being detached from the housing 10 in a direction perpendicular to the back surface, and is locked in the assembled state.

  In a state where the wire cover 30 is assembled, the four protruding contact portions 38 of the wire cover 30 are in contact with the four protruding receiving portions 17 of the housing 10 from the wire outlet port 34 side, and this contact action. As a result, the wire cover 30 moves relative to the housing 10 in a direction parallel to the back surface thereof (that is, in a direction substantially the same as the moving direction of the operation unit 42 when the lever 40 at the fitting position is rotated to the standby position side). To be regulated. Further, the two stepped contact portions 39 of the electric wire cover 30 abut against the two stepped receiving portions 20 of the housing 10 from the side opposite to the electric wire outlet 34, and this electric contact causes the electric wire cover 30 to move to the housing. 10 is restricted from moving in a direction parallel to the back surface thereof (that is, substantially the same direction as the moving direction of the operation unit 42 when the lever 40 is rotated from the standby position to the fitting position).

Further, in a state where the wire cover 30 is assembled to the housing 10, the wire led out from the wire lead-out surface 12 of the housing 10 is bent sideways in the turning space 33 and is out of the wire cover 30 from the wire lead-out port 34. Derived to the side.
When mating with a mating connector (not shown), the hood portion of the mating connector is shallowly advanced into the cylindrical mating portion 23 with the lever 40 in the standby position, and the mating connector A cam follower (not shown) enters the entrance of the cam groove, and from this state, the lever 40 is rotated to the fitting position side. And if the lever 40 approaches a fitting position, the operation force provided to the operation part 42 will act as a force which presses the electric wire cover 30 from the lever 40 with respect to the electric wire cover 30. FIG. At this time, since the stepped contact portion 39 contacts the stepped receiving portion 20, the wire cover 30 is not relatively displaced with respect to the housing 10 in the direction toward the wire outlet 34 in parallel with the back surface thereof.

  Further, when performing the detachment operation from the mating state with the mating connector, the operation force applied to the operation unit 42 at the initial stage of the operation is opposite to the wire outlet port 34 from the lever 40 to the wire cover 30. Acts as a pressing force to the side. At this time, since the projecting contact portion 38 contacts the projecting receiving portion 17, the wire cover 30 is not displaced relative to the housing 10 in the direction opposite to the wire outlet 34 in parallel with the rear surface thereof. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the lever 40 supported by the electric wire cover 30 rotates, the operation portion 42 is displaced along the back surface of the electric wire cover 30. 30 and the housing 10 abut against each other so that the electric wire cover 30 can be prevented from being displaced with respect to the housing 10 in a direction substantially parallel to the displacement direction of the operation portion 42 as the lever 40 rotates. Since means (protruding contact portion 38, protrusion receiving portion 17, step contact portion 39, step receiving portion 20) are provided, the movement of the wire cover is restricted by the locking action of the elastic locking pieces, for example. Compared with the structure of the structure which carries out, the reliability of the movement control function of the electric wire cover 30 is high.

  Further, when the contact means as described above is provided, the assembly direction of the wire cover 30 with respect to the housing 10 is a direction substantially perpendicular to the back surface of the housing 10, but the wire cover 30 and the housing 10 include In the process of assembling the electric wire cover 30 to the housing 10, the electric wire cover 30 is locked while being elastically bent, and the electric wire cover 30 is detached from the housing 10 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the rear surface by the locking action. Since the lock means (the lock part 14 and the hook part 37) which can be regulated are provided and the electric wire cover 30 is assembled using the elastic deformation of the electric wire cover 30, the assembly is hindered. There is nothing.

  Further, the plurality of lock portions 14 constituting the locking means on the housing 10 side are arranged along an imaginary line parallel to the back surface of the housing 10 and can be assembled to the housing 10 while sliding parallel to the back surface. The function of guiding the assembly operation of a cover-like member (not shown) for turning the electric wire is exhibited.

  Further, the housing 10 is formed with a positioning hole 19 for restricting the movement of the seal ring 25 in the circumferential direction by locking the positioning protrusion 26 of the seal ring 25. This positioning hole 19 is formed in the housing 10. Since it is provided in the protruding receiving portion 17 that is the abutting means on the 10 side, the protruding receiving portion 17 also has a function of regulating displacement of the seal ring 25 in the circumferential direction.

  Further, the abutment means on the housing 10 side (the projecting receiving portion 17 and the stepped receiving portion 20) is configured to be point-symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing 10, and the locking means on the housing 10 side. Similarly, the lock portion 14 is point-symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing 10, so that the electric wire cover 30 can be assembled to the housing 10 in two directions inverted by 180 degrees. is there. Thereby, an electric wire can be turned to two directions opposite to each other.

<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) The contact means and the locking means may be in a form that is not point-symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing.
(2) In the above embodiment, when the lever is rotated in the detaching direction, the operation unit is displaced so as to be along the rear surface of the wire cover. The present invention can also be applied to a connector that is displaced so that the operation portion is along the back surface of the wire cover.

The perspective view of Embodiment 1. Plan view Horizontal section Longitudinal section Perspective view of housing Top view of housing Side view of housing Perspective view of the wire cover Bottom view of wire cover Longitudinal section of wire cover

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Housing 12 ... Wire lead-out surface (back of housing)
13 ... Mounting surface (back of housing)
14 ... Lock part (locking means)
17 ... Projection receiving part (contact means)
19: Positioning hole (positioning receiving part)
20 ... Stepped receiving portion (contact means)
25 ... Seal ring 26 ... Positioning protrusion (positioning locking part)
30 ... Electric wire cover 37 ... Hook (locking means)
38 ... Projection-shaped contact portion (contact means)
39: Stepped contact portion (contact means)
40 ... Lever 42 ... Operation part

Claims (4)

A housing from which electrical wires are led out from the back;
An electric wire cover that turns the derived electric wire by being assembled so as to cover the back surface of the housing,
A side wall that is formed on the wire cover and is disposed along the outer edge of the back surface and at a right angle to the back surface in a state where the wire cover is attached to the housing;
In the connector provided with a lever that is supported by the electric wire cover so as to be rotatable, and the operation unit is displaced along the back surface of the electric wire cover.
In the inner surface of the side wall and the housing,
Abutting means capable of restricting displacement of the electric wire cover in a direction substantially parallel to a displacement direction of the operation portion accompanying rotation of the lever with respect to the housing by abutting each other;
In the process of assembling the wire cover at a substantially right angle with the back surface of the housing, the side wall is elastically bent so as to expand, and the wire cover is locked to the housing by the locking action. Locking means capable of restricting separation in a direction substantially perpendicular to the back surface is provided,
In the state where the electric wire cover is assembled to the housing, the contact portion of the contact means and the locking portion of the lock means are accommodated inside the electric wire cover. Type connector. The housing is formed with a plurality of lock portions constituting the lock means,
The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of lock portions are arranged along an imaginary line parallel to a back surface of the housing. The housing is attached with a seal ring in which a positioning locking portion is formed,
The contact means on the housing side is formed with a positioning receiving portion capable of restricting displacement in the circumferential direction of the seal ring by locking the positioning locking portion. The lever type connector according to claim 1 or 2.   4. The abutment means on the housing side and the locking means on the housing side are point-symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the back surface of the housing. The lever type connector described in 1.

Images