JP4904206B2 - Lever connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever connector used for connecting, for example, a wire harness disposed in an automobile.

  The electrical connector provided to connect the wire harness to the electrical junction box or to branch-connect the wire harnesses holds the connector holder that can hold multiple connectors and the connector corresponding to the connector of the connector holder. And a receiving connector to which the connector holder can be fitted. In such an electrical connector, in order to allow the connector holder and the receiving connector to be easily coupled with a low fitting force, the connector holder is provided with a lever that can be rotated in the vertical direction (“lever connector”). Is often used. This is because the fulcrum locking portion provided on the lever is engaged with the locked portion provided on the receiving connector by inserting the connector holder to the mating standby position with respect to the receiving connector and then operating the lever. The connector holder is urged toward the fitting side to the receiving connector by the lever principle and coupled to each other (see Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, in the electrical connector, a locking member is provided for detecting the complete fitting of the connector to the connector holder. As this locking member, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a double locking cover. This double locking cover is swingably supported between a pair of insertion parts of the connector of the electrical junction box, and biases in a direction to open one insertion part and close the other insertion part. Therefore, the connector inserted into one of the insertion portions is locked to prevent the removal and the connector is allowed to be inserted into the other insertion portion. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a lock lever that is provided on the connector housing so as to be able to fall down and engages with the mating connector housing by standing up when the mating connector housing is completely fitted.

  Therefore, also in the lever connector, a locking member may be employed when the connector holder and another connector are fitted to the receiving connector adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction. The locking member can swing back and forth between the first housing portion for the connector holder and the second housing portion for the other connector, and is biased to the upper side of the second housing portion. The connector holder is locked to the lever at the collapsed position of the lever for completely fitting the connector holder to the receiving connector, so that the connector holder can be confirmed to be completely fitted, and the second opened by locking of the locking member. Another connector can be fitted into the accommodating portion, and the fitting order is restricted.

JP 2005-293996 A JP-A-9-213415 JP 2000-252015 A

  However, when an assembly operation is performed in such a lever connector, the rotation operation of the lever may be stopped in a state where the connector holder is not completely fitted to the receiving connector. In this case as well, the lever is rotated to the approximately lying position, and there is a play such as tolerance between the locking portion of the locking member and the locked portion of the lever, so that the locking member can be locked. turn into. Therefore, there is a possibility that the assembly is finished in a state where the connector holder is not completely fitted.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lever connector that can reliably and completely fit the connector holder to the receiving connector even if the lever is not sufficiently laid down, and that is excellent in workability and reliability. It is a thing.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the locking member and the lever is locked when the locking member is swung to the first accommodating portion side at a substantially lying position of the lever. In accordance with the contact between the member and the lever, there is provided a guide portion that can push the lever into the lying position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the object of the first aspect, a plate-like upper cover that can be locked to the upper end of the locking member and the upper end of the lever at the fall position in order to easily form the guide portion. The guide portion is formed on the lower surface of the upper cover portion, and has a tapered surface that can come into contact with the upper end of the lever at a substantially lying position.
In addition to the object of the first or second aspect, the invention described in claim 3 is a play that can fall down further after the connector holder is completely fitted in the lever's fall position in order to further improve the assembly reliability. The locking member is characterized in that it can be locked to the lever when the lever is laid down for play.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if the lever is not sufficiently tilted, the lever is automatically pushed into the lying position by the locking operation of the locking member to the lever, and the connector holder is completely fitted. It becomes a state. Therefore, the reliability of assembly is increased. In particular, in the assembling work, it is not necessary to check the position of the lever lying down, and it is sufficient to check only the locking of the locking member, so that the workability is excellent.
According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the guide portion can be easily formed with a slight design change.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the complete fitting of the connector holder is ensured by the completion of the locking of the locking member, and the assembly reliability is further improved. .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a lever connector. The lever connector 1 includes a connector holder 2 and a receiving connector 3 into which the connector holder 2 can be inserted and fitted.
The connector holder 2 is an elongated box-shaped synthetic resin molded product and can accommodate a plurality of female terminals (not shown) inside. Reference numeral 4 denotes a lever provided on the connector holder 2, and a pair of left and right arm plates 5 and 5 and a connecting plate 6 that connects the rear ends of the arm plates 5 and 5 (the right side in FIG. 1 is the front). The rotary shaft 7 projecting from the left and right outer surfaces of the connector holder 2 is fitted into a through-hole formed near the tip of each arm plate 5 to fit the outer side of the connector holder 2. Are connected so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around the rotation shaft 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes an operation unit provided on the upper portion of the connecting plate 6.

  Further, a U-shaped booster groove 9 in a side view, which becomes a fulcrum locking portion when fitted to the receiving connector 3, is formed in a cutout shape at the edge of each arm plate 5 in front of the rotating shaft 7. On the rear surface of the connecting plate 6, there is a locking projection 10 that locks with a locking claw 11 provided on the receiving connector 3 at the fall position of the lever 4 that completely fits the connector holder 2 to the receiving connector 3. Projected.

On the other hand, the receiving-side connector 3 is an elongated box-shaped synthetic resin formed by adjoining a first housing portion 12 into which the connector holder 2 is fitted and a second housing portion 13 into which the female connector is fitted. In the molded product, a male terminal (not shown) corresponding to the female terminal held by the connector holder 2 can be accommodated.
In addition, the left and right boosting grooves 9 and 9 of the lever 4 can be engaged with the front side of the inner side surface of the first housing portion 12 at the fitting standby position of the connector holder 2 to the first housing portion 12. The rectangular receiving portions 14 and 14 are provided so as to face each other. That is, when the operating portion 8 of the lever 4 is pushed down at the fitting standby position where a part of the receiving portion 14 enters the boosting groove 9, the lower side of the boosting groove 9 contacts the lower surface of the receiving portion 14, The lever 4 can be rotated to the lying side with the contact part as a fulcrum.

The second housing portion 13 of the receiving connector 3 is provided with a locking cover 15 serving as a locking member. As shown in FIG. 2, the locking cover 15 is provided with bosses 17, 17 having a C-shaped cross section provided at the lower ends of a pair of leg portions 16, 16 projecting downward. By pinching the pins 18 and 18 projecting from the inner surface of each of the pins 18 and 18, the pins 18 and 18 can be swung back and forth around the pin 18. However, since one boss 17 is provided with a spring piece 19 that is in contact with the inner surface on the front side of the second housing part 13, the boss 17 lies down on the upper side of the second housing part 13 in a normal state. It is urged to a rear position that does not protrude toward the first accommodating portion 12 side.
Further, at the upper end of the locking cover 15, a plate-like upper cover portion 20 that can be locked from the rear is provided on the upper surfaces of the arm plates 5, 5 at the fall position of the lever 4, and the lower side of the upper cover portion 20 On the left and right sides, a pair of locking pieces 21 whose front ends can be locked in locking recesses 22 and 22 formed on the both sides of the arm plates 5 and 5 at the rear end are recessed at the lying position of the lever 4. , 21 are projected.

  When the locking cover 15 is swung forward at the fall position of the lever 4 in which the connector holder 2 is completely fitted into the first receiving portion 12 of the receiving connector 3, the upper cover portion 20 is moved to both arm plates of the lever 4. 5 and 5 and the left and right engaging pieces 21 and 21 are respectively engaged with the engaging recesses 22 and 22 to lock the lever 4 in the lying position, as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the front end of the upper cover portion 20 is in the substantially lying position of the lever 4, that is, the position immediately before the fitting, which is just before the locking projection 10 of the lever 4 is locked to the locking claw 11 of the receiving connector 3. Further contact with the upper rear ends of the arm plates 5 and 5 is restricted. However, the lower surfaces of the upper and lower front ends of the upper cover portion 20 are formed with tapered surfaces 23 as guide portions that become thinner toward the front, while the upper rear ends of both arm plates 5 and 5 also become guide portions. Since the rounded portion 24 is formed, when the rocking cover 15 is swung so as to press further forward in the contact state with both the arm plates 5, 5, the lever is guided by the tapered surface 23 and the rounded portion 24. 4 is pushed downward.

In the lever connector 1 configured as described above, when the connector holder 2 is inserted into the first housing portion 12 of the receiving connector 3 from above and the operation portion 8 of the lever 4 is pushed down, the lower side of the boost groove 9 is The lever 4 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the receiving portion 14, and the lever 4 rotates with the contact portion as a fulcrum. Accordingly, the connector holder 2 is pushed downward through the rotary shaft 7 serving as an action point.
Here, as shown in FIG. 1A, even if the pushing of the lever 4 is stopped at the position immediately before the fitting, which is just before the locking projection 10 of the lever 4 is locked to the locking claw 11 of the receiving connector 3. If the locking cover 15 is pushed and swung forward as it is, the lever 4 is pushed downward by the guide of the taper surface 23 of the upper cover portion 20 and the round portions 24 of both arm plates 5 and 5 as described above. As shown in FIG. 5B, the lever 4 can be laid down to the complete fitting position where the locking projection 10 gets over the locking claw 11 and locks. In this state, since the standing of the locking cover 15 is incomplete, the left and right locking pieces 21, 21 are not locked to the locking recesses 22, 22 of the lever 4.

  1B, a gap remains between the arm plate 5 of the lever 4 and the bottom surface of the receiving connector 3, and the connector holder 2 is completely fitted in the lying position of the lever 4. There is play (backlash) that can fall down further after the match. Therefore, when the locking cover 15 is further swung forward from FIG. 4B, the lever 4 is pushed slightly downward by the amount of play of the lever 4 as shown in FIG. 21 are engaged with the locking recesses 22 of the lever 4. Here, when the forward pressing of the locking cover 15 is released, the locking cover 15 is rotated slightly rearward by the urging of the spring piece 19 while maintaining the locking of the locking piece 21 and the locking recess 22 and is in an upright state. It becomes. At this time, a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the upper cover portion 20 of the standing rocking cover 15 and the upper surfaces of the arm plates 5 and 5 of the lever 4 that has been pushed into play.

  When the assembly of the connector holder 2 is completed in this way, the locking cover 15 rises and the upper part of the second accommodating portion 13 is opened. Therefore, the female connector 25 can be inserted and fitted into the second housing portion 13. If the locking cover 15 is raised before the connector holder 2 is assembled and the female connector 25 is first fitted into the second housing part 13, the locking cover 15 protrudes above the first housing part 12 and the connector The holder 2 cannot be fitted. Therefore, the locking cover 15 maintains the fitting procedure of the connector holder 2 first and the female connector 25 later.

  Thus, according to the lever connector 1 of the said form, the locking cover 15 at the time of rocking | fluctuating the locking cover 15 to the 1st accommodating part 12 side at the locking position of the lever 4 between the locking cover 15 and the lever 4 is carried out. With the contact between the lever 4 and the lever 4, the tapered surface 23 and the rounded portion 24, which can push the lever 4 into the lying position, are provided, so that the locking cover 15 can be used even if the lying operation of the lever 4 is insufficient. The lever 4 is automatically pushed into the lying down position by the locking operation of the lever 4 so that the connector holder 2 is completely fitted. Therefore, the reliability of assembly is increased. In particular, in the assembling work, it is not necessary to confirm the lying position of the lever 4, and it is sufficient to confirm only the locking of the locking cover 15, so that the workability is excellent.

In particular, here, a plate-like upper cover portion 20 that can be locked to the upper ends of the rear portions of the arm plates 5 and 5 of the lever 4 in the lying position is provided at the upper end of the locking cover 15, and the guide portion is used as the upper cover portion. A taper surface 23 formed on the lower surface of 20 and capable of contacting the rear upper ends of the arm plates 5 and 5 of the lever 4 in the substantially lying position; As a result, the guide portion can be easily formed with a slight design change.
Further, a play that can be further lowered after the connector holder 2 is completely fitted is provided at the fall position of the lever 4, and the locking piece 21 of the locking cover 15 is provided with the lever 4 when the lever 4 is lowered. By being able to be locked in the locking recess 22, complete locking of the connector holder 2 is ensured upon completion of locking of the locking cover 15, and the assembly reliability is further increased.

  In addition, in the said form, although the guide part is the combination of a taper surface and a round part, you may reverse this and both may be a taper surface, or both may be a round part. In addition, it is not necessary to provide guide portions on both the locking member and the lever, and if the lever can be pushed in by contact between the locking member and the lever, only one of the guide portions such as a tapered surface or a rounded portion is provided. Can be formed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the guide portion is provided at the upper cover portion formed at the upper end of the locking cover and the upper ends of both arm plates of the lever. Protrusions projecting forward in the middle position of the lever, and through holes and recesses that interfere with the projections by rocking the locking member forward are formed in the middle position of the rear surface of the lever, and interfere with each other in the substantially lying position of the lever. It is also conceivable to push the lever by providing a guide portion such as a tapered surface or a rounded portion on one or both of the protrusion and the through hole.
In addition, the structure of the locking member itself is not limited to the above form. For example, the locking member is provided not in the second housing portion but in the partition portion between the first housing portion and the second housing portion, or in place of the spring piece. The design can be changed as appropriate, such as biasing with a leaf spring or a torsion coil spring.

On the other hand, in the above embodiment, the lever is provided with play at the lying position and locked by further pushing the lever with the locking cover after the connector holder is completely fitted. It is also possible to change it to stop.
In addition, the connector holder and the receiving-side connector are not limited to the above form. For example, in the above embodiment, the connector holder is a lever connector provided with a plane U-shaped lever, but a lever connector having a single arm plate rotatably provided in the center of the connector holder may be used. The present invention can be adopted.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the fitting operation | movement of the connector holder in a lever connector, (A) shows a position just before fitting, (B) shows a complete fitting position, (C) shows an assembly completion position, respectively. It is explanatory drawing of a locking cover, (A) is a perspective view from upper direction, (B) is a perspective view from the downward direction, (C) shows a front view, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

  1 .. Lever connector, 2 .. Connector holder, 3 .. Receiving side connector, 4 .. Lever, 5 .. Arm plate, 6 .. Connection plate, 8. .. Locking claws, 12... First housing portion, 13... Second housing portion, 15 .. Locking cover, 16 .. Leg portion, 18 .. Pin, 20 .. Upper cover portion, 21. -Locking piece, 22-Locking recess, 23-Tapered surface, 24-Round part, 25-Female connector.

Claims (3)

A connector holder; and a receiving connector formed by adjoining a first housing part into which the connector holder can be fitted and a second housing part into which another connector can be fitted, in the front-rear direction. The holder is provided with a lever that allows the connector holder to be pushed into the fitting position by performing a downward operation while the connector holder is inserted into the first housing portion, while the receiving connector includes the first 1. The lowering of the lever that can swing back and forth between the upper portions of the second housing portions and is biased to the upper side of the second housing portions to completely fit the connector holder into the first housing portions. A lever connector provided with a locking member that can be locked to the lever at a position,
At least one of the locking member and the lever, the lever is brought into contact with the lever when the locking member is swung to the first accommodating portion side at a substantially lying position of the lever. A lever connector provided with a guide portion that can be pushed into the lying position.   A plate-shaped upper cover portion that can be locked to the upper end of the lever in the lying position is provided at the upper end of the locking member, and a guide portion is formed on the lower surface of the upper cover portion, and contacts the upper end of the lever in the substantially lying position. The lever connector according to claim 1, wherein the lever connector has a tapered surface that can be contacted.   The lever is provided with a play that can fall down further after the connector holder is completely fitted in the fall position of the lever, and the locking member can be locked to the lever when the lever is fallen for the play. The lever connector according to claim 1 or 2.

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