JP5516353B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector provided with a connector cap.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a connector connected to a device-side connector connected to a device such as an air conditioner in a vehicle, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known. This connector includes a connector housing having a hood portion and a lever that is rotatably provided on the outer surface of the hood portion. The hood portion is provided so as to be able to fit in the front-rear direction with the device-side connector. On the inner peripheral side of the hood portion, a concave rib housing portion is provided extending in the front-rear direction. Ribs provided on the outer peripheral surface of the device-side connector are fitted into the rib housing portion. The rib housing part accommodates the rib of the device side connector when fitting the device side connector in the hood part, thereby preventing the device side connector from being fitted upside down with respect to the connector housing. ing.

  The lever is provided to be rotatable between an initial position and a fitting position. The lever is provided with a cam groove that can be engaged with a cam pin provided in the device-side connector. When the connector housing and the device-side connector are fitted, the cam pin and the cam groove are engaged by rotating the lever from the initial position to the fitting position, and the connector housing and the device-side connector are moved by the cam action. It is designed to fit.

  Further, the hood part is provided with a notch part that is notched backward from the opening edge of the hood part in order to accommodate the cam pin of the device-side connector. On the other hand, the lever is provided with a locking projection that holds the lever in the initial position by locking with the notch. For this reason, when the lever is rotated from the initial position to the fitting position, it is necessary to release the locking state between the notch and the locking protrusion. Therefore, the device-side connector is provided with a release rib that releases the locked state. When both connectors are fitted, the locking projection is pushed in the releasing direction by the releasing rib, and the locking state is released.

  By the way, for example, depending on the type of vehicle, an air conditioner may not be mounted. In that case, an empty connector housing that is not fitted to a device-side connector provided in a device such as an air conditioner is retained in the vehicle. Therefore, a connector cap is fitted to the empty connector housing so that foreign matter such as water and dust does not enter the inside of the connector housing. As such a connector cap, the thing of patent document 2 is known. In addition, this type of connector cap is provided with a bracket mounting portion on its outer surface so that it is assembled and fixed to a bracket provided on the vehicle so that the connector housing fitted to this connector cap does not wobble in the vehicle. It is fixed.

JP 2009-64719 A JP 2009-152001 A

  However, when the connector housing and the connector cap are fitted with an incorrect fitting posture that is upside down with respect to the normal fitting posture, the lever of the connector housing and the bracket mounting portion of the connector cap are arranged on the same side. For this reason, the lever and the vehicle brat interfere with each other, and the connector cap cannot be assembled to the bracket. Therefore, it is necessary for the connector cap to prevent the connector cap from being fitted to the connector housing in an illegal fitting posture.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent a connector cap and a connector housing from being fitted in an illegal fitting posture.

As a means for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a connector configured such that a connector cap and a connector housing are fitted and detached by operating a lever, and the connector housing includes the connector. A hood part into which the cap is fitted is provided, and the lever includes a pair of side plates facing each other and a connecting part that connects the both side plates. A cam groove that can be engaged with a cam pin provided on the connector cap, and a locking projection arranged adjacent to the cam groove are provided, and the lever is located between an initial fitting position and a fitting completion position. The lever is moved from the initial mating position to the mating completion position to move the lever forward by the cam action caused by the engagement between the cam pin and the cam groove. The connector housing and the connector cap are configured to be fitted to each other, a release portion is provided at a position adjacent to the cam pin in the connector cap, and the cam pin includes the cam pin and A notch that can accommodate the release part in a lump is provided, and the lever is held at the initial fitting position by the locking projection and the notch being locked. When the connector housing and the connector cap are assembled in a proper fitting posture, the release portion presses the locking projection at the initial fitting position to open and deform the both side plates of the lever. In this way, the locking projection and the notch are released from the locked state, and the lever can be moved toward the fitting completion position. When the connector housing and the connector cap are assembled in an illegal fitting posture in which either one of the nectar caps is inverted in the upside down direction, the opening of the notch is on the inlet side of the cam pin. The release part comes into contact with the opening edge on the side that does not face the release part when properly assembled in the fitting direction. In the initial mating position, the front end portion of the connector cap in the mating direction is fitted in the hood portion, and the cam pin enters the cam groove, and the release portion is a base end of the cam pin. On the part side, the cam pin is provided integrally with the cam pin so as to be arranged behind the front end position of the cam pin in the fitting direction .
Here, “the front end portion of the connector cap in the fitting direction” indicates the front end portion of the connector cap, and may be expressed as “the front end portion of the connector cap” in the following description.

  According to the connector having such a configuration, when the connector cap is tried to be fitted to the connector housing in an incorrect fitting posture, the release portion comes into contact with the opening edge portion of the notch portion. It is possible to prevent the cap and the cap from being fitted in an incorrect fitting posture. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the connector housing and the connector cap from being fitted in an unauthorized fitting posture by using a release portion that releases the locked state between the locking protrusion and the notch. That is, by using the release portion also as the reverse fitting prevention portion, the connector housing and the connector cap cannot be fitted in the upside down direction without separately providing the reverse fitting prevention portion on the connector cap. . As a result, the structure of the connector cap can be simplified, and the mold for molding the connector cap can also be simplified.

In addition , when the connector housing and the connector cap are assembled in an incorrect fitting posture, the relative positional relationship between the connector cap and the connector housing is determined by fitting the tip of the connector cap into the hood portion. The release part can be reliably brought into contact with the opening edge of the notch part without the release part entering the notch part.

In addition , when the connector housing and the connector cap are assembled in an improper fitting posture, the relative positional relationship between the connector cap and the connector housing is determined by the cam pin entering the cam groove. It is possible to reliably bring the release portion into contact with the opening edge of the cutout portion without entering.

Moreover , compared with the case where a cam pin and a cancellation | release part are shape | molded separately, a cam pin and a cancellation | release part can be mutually reinforced. Moreover, the notch part which accommodates a cam pin and the cancellation | release part inside can be reduced in size. Along with this, a decrease in rigidity of the hood portion can be suppressed as compared with the case where a large cutout portion is formed in the hood portion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the connector cap and the connector housing from being fitted in an incorrect fitting posture.

The perspective view which shows the state before assembling the connector cap and connector housing which concern on embodiment with a regular fitting attitude | position. Front view of the connector housing according to the embodiment Front view of the connector cap according to the embodiment Side view The side view which shows the state which fitted the connector cap and connector housing which concern on embodiment normally The perspective view which shows the state which assembled | attached the connector cap and connector housing which concern on embodiment with an incorrect fitting attitude | position, and the cancellation | release part contact | abutted to the opening edge part of the notch groove The side view which shows the state which assembled | attached the connector cap which concerns on embodiment, and a connector housing with an incorrect fitting attitude | position, and the cancellation | release part contact | abutted to the opening edge part of the notch groove

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The connector according to the present embodiment includes a connector housing 10 that rotatably supports the lever 30 and a connector cap 50 that is fitted to the connector housing 10. In the following description, “front” and “rear” refer to the front side and the rear side in the operation direction for fitting the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 together.

The connector housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector housing 10 is horizontally long and is provided with a hood portion 11 that opens forward from a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. The opening of the hood part 11 is a horizontally long, substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners at the upper and lower four corners, and is formed in a substantially symmetrical shape in the vertical direction. In the hood portion 11, a terminal accommodating portion 12 is provided that extends from the rear of the connector housing 10 through the back wall of the hood portion 11 and extends further forward. This terminal accommodating part 12 can accommodate therein a female terminal fitting (not shown). In addition, a rubber ring 13 is attached to the rear end of the hood portion 11 on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion 12, and a rubber ring holder 14 that prevents the rubber ring 13 from coming forward is disposed in front of the rubber ring 13. It is mounted so as to cover the front end of the portion 12.
In addition, on both side walls in the width direction of the hood portion 11, a notch groove (corresponding to a “notch portion” of the present invention) 15 that is notched rearward from the front edge of the hood portion 11 is formed. The notch groove 15 is provided to open forward and penetrate both side walls of the hood portion 11 in the width direction. Further, support pins 16 that rotatably support the lever 30 are provided so as to protrude outward in the width direction from the respective outer surfaces at positions slightly behind the notch grooves 15 on both outer side surfaces of the connector housing 10 in the width direction. . A locking portion 17 for locking the lever 30 is provided on the rear upper surface of the connector housing 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 30 is made of a synthetic resin and has a U-shape when viewed from the front, and includes a pair of side plates 31 facing each other and a connecting portion 32 that connects the front end upper surfaces of the side plates 31 to each other. It is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, the side plates 31 have a flat plate shape with rounded corners on the outer peripheral end surface.
As shown in FIG. 5, shaft holes 33 that can be fitted into the support pins 16 of the connector housing 10 are provided through the side plates 31. The lever 30 is rotatably supported by the connector housing 10 by fitting the support pins 16 of the connector housing 10 into the respective shaft holes 33. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the lever 30 has a fitting initial position where the connecting portion 32 is disposed along the opening edge of the hood portion 11, and the connecting portion 32 is connected to the connector housing 10 as shown in FIG. 5. It is possible to rotate between the engagement completion position locked to the locking portion 17. As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 30 is supported by the connector housing 10 such that both side plates 31 sandwich the connector housing 10 from both sides in the width direction.

  In addition, the side plate 31 is provided with cam grooves 34 that are open to a surface facing the side surface of the connector housing 10 and an outer peripheral end surface of the side plate 31. The cam groove 34 is formed in an arc shape along the shaft hole 33 after extending linearly slightly toward the shaft hole 33 from the opening position provided on the outer peripheral end surface of the side plate 31. An opening on the outer peripheral end face side of the side plate 31 in the cam groove 34 is an inlet of a cam pin 51 into which a cam pin 51 described later can enter, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lever 30 is arranged at an initial fitting position. In the state, it is in a state of facing forward. In addition, the portion of the cam groove 34 that extends linearly from the inlet of the cam pin 51 toward the shaft hole 33 extends along the notch groove 15 of the hood portion 11 when the lever 30 is disposed at the initial fitting position. Is set.

On the other hand, the connector cap 50 is made of a synthetic resin and is formed in a hood shape that is horizontally long in the width direction and opened forward. Further, the outer peripheral shape of the front end portion of the connector cap 50 is a horizontally long, substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners at the upper and lower four corners, and is provided symmetrically in the vertical direction.
The connector cap 50 can be fitted into the hood portion 11 of the connector housing 10. When the connector cap 50 is fitted into the hood portion 11, the hood portion is located on the front side of the connector cap 50 in the front-rear direction substantially central portion. 11 is accommodated in the inside. In addition, when the connector cap 50 is fitted to the proper position in the hood portion 11, the terminal accommodating portion 12 in the hood portion 11 is accommodated in the connector cap 50. When the connector cap 50 is fitted to the proper position in the hood portion 11 and the terminal accommodating portion 12 is accommodated in the connector cap 50, the rubber ring 13 attached to the terminal accommodating portion 12 is attached to the connector cap 50. The terminal housing portion 12 and the connector cap 50 are sealed in a liquid-tight manner.
The connector cap 50 is provided with a smaller diameter than the hood portion 11 of the connector housing 10. As a result, the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 have a slight clearance over the entire circumference between the outer peripheral surface of the connector cap 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 11 when properly fitted. It is fitted in the state. As described above, the connector cap 50 is fitted to the connector housing 10 that is not fitted with a device-side connector (not shown) provided in the device, so that foreign matters such as water and dust enter the terminal accommodating portion 12. Can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of cam pins 51 having a columnar shape are provided on the outer surfaces located on both sides in the width direction of the connector cap 50. The cam pins 51 are formed so as to protrude outward in the width direction from both outer side surfaces of the connector cap 50. In addition, the cam pin 51 is disposed slightly rearward from the front edge of the connector cap 50 and at the center in the vertical direction. That is, the outer peripheral shape of the connector cap 50 on the front side of the cam pin 51 is vertically symmetric about a line connecting the shaft centers of the cam pins 51.
The outer diameter dimension of the cam pin 51 is smaller than the groove widths of the notch groove 15 and the cam groove 34, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, in the state where the lever 30 is disposed at the initial fitting position. The cam pin 51 can enter the notch groove 15 and the cam groove 34. When the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 are fitted, first, the tip of the connector cap 50 is fitted into the hood portion 11 so that the cam pin 51 is inserted into the notch groove 15 and the cam groove 34. By rotating the lever 30 from the initial mating position to the mating completion position to engage the cam pin 51 and the cam groove 34, the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 are attracted to each other by the cam action and properly fitted. It is supposed to be combined.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a bracket mounting portion 52 is provided on the lower surface of the connector cap 50. The bracket mounting portion 52 plays a role of fixing to the vehicle so that the connector housing 10 fitted to the connector cap 50 does not wobble in the vehicle by being mounted on a bracket (not shown) provided in the vehicle.

  Now, on both sides of the connector cap 50 in the width direction, release portions 53 are provided integrally with the cam pin 51 on the base end side of the cam pin 51. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the release portion 53 is provided in an arc shape from the front end of the cam pin 51 obliquely upward and rearward. That is, the base end portion of the cam pin 51 has a form in which the release portion 53 bulges on the opposite side (upper side) to the side (lower side) where the bracket mounting portion 52 is provided, and is rearward from the front end of the cam pin 51. Is vertically asymmetric. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the release portion 53 has a front inclined surface 53A that is inclined rearward from the front end position of the cam pin 51 in a direction away from the side surface of the connector cap 50, and the front inclined surface 53A. After extending slightly rearward from the rear end so as to be parallel to the side surface of the connector cap 50, it is inclined toward the side surface of the connector cap 50.

  Further, the cutout groove 15 of the hood portion 11 is adapted to the outer peripheral shape of the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53, and the rear upper end of the cutout groove 15 is provided in an arc shape. Further, the width dimension in the vertical direction of the notch groove 15 is slightly larger than the width dimension in the vertical direction of the release portion 53 and is formed along the shapes of the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, when the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 are fitted in the normal fitting posture, the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53 are collectively brought into the notch groove 15 from the front. Are housed inside. That is, the center position in the vertical direction at the front end opening of the notch groove 15 is positioned slightly above the center position in the vertical direction at the front end opening of the hood portion 11. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, when the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 are fitted in the normal fitting posture, the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53 are collectively brought into the notch groove 15 from the front. Are housed inside. Further, in the state where the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53 are housed in the notch groove 15, the vertical center position of the notch groove 15 is arranged slightly eccentric above the axis of the cam pin 51.

  On the other hand, the side plate 31 of the lever 30 is provided with a locking projection 35 extending in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. Further, the locking projection 35 is located at the upper opening edge of the cam groove 34. The locking projection 35 can be accommodated by being fitted into the cutout groove 15 of the hood portion 11 from the outer side in the width direction toward the inner side. The locking projection 35 is received in the notch groove 15 when the lever 30 is disposed at the initial fitting position, and is engaged with the upper surface of the inner wall of the notch groove 15, so that the lever 30 is initially fitted. It is designed to hold in position. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the locking protrusion 35 is arranged on the entry path of the release portion 53 in the notch groove 15. As a result, when the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 are assembled in the normal fitting posture, the release portion 53 is accommodated in the notch groove 15, and the front inclined surface 53 </ b> A of the release portion 53 comes into contact with the locking protrusion 35. . Further, when the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 are fitted as they are, the locking projection 35 rides on the release portion 52 while sliding on the front inclined surface 53A, and the both side plates 31 are opened and deformed. The locking state between the stop protrusion 35 and the upper surface of the inner wall of the notch groove 15 is released, and the lever 30 held at the initial fitting position is allowed to rotate.

The present embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described subsequently.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 face each other in a normal fitting posture, and the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 are assembled.

  When the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 are assembled and the front end portion of the connector cap 50 and the hood portion 11 of the connector housing 10 are shallowly fitted, the cam pin 51 slightly enters the inlet of the cam groove 34 from the front, Then, it enters the notch groove 15 of the hood part 11. At this time, the release part 53 also enters the cutout groove 15 together with the cam pin 51 from the front, and the both side plates 31 are deformed in the opening direction by the both release parts 53 so that the lever 30 can be rotated.

  Subsequently, when the lever 30 is rotated from the initial mating position to the mating completion position, the cam pin 51 moves along the cam groove 34 to the inner part of the cam groove 34, and the cam action of the cam pin 51 and the cam groove 34 causes the connector. The cap 50 and the connector housing 10 are pulled toward each other. When the lever 30 reaches the fitting completion position, the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 are properly fitted.

  However, the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 are assembled in an illegal fitting posture in which either the connector cap 50 or the connector housing 10 is inverted in the upside down direction, and the distal end portion of the connector cap 50 and the hood portion 11 of the connector housing 10 are assembled. And when the cam pin 51 slightly enters the cam groove 34, it is released to the lower opening edge at the front end of the notch groove 15 (the front edge of the hood portion 11) as shown in FIGS. The part 53 contacts from the front. Specifically, when the tip end of the connector cap 50 is fitted into the front end opening of the hood 11 and the cam pin 51 is inserted into the cam groove 34 of the lever 30, the cam pin 51 enters the lower portion of the notch groove 15. Accordingly, the release portion 53 located further below the cam pin 51 does not enter the notch groove 15 and abuts the front edge lower opening edge of the notch groove 15 from the front. That is, of the front edge opening edge of the cutout groove 15, the opening edge on the side not facing the release portion 53 when the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 are assembled in a normal fitting posture (the lower side in FIG. 7 is not shown). The release portion 53 comes into contact with the opening edge on the side from the front. As a result, the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 cannot be further fitted from the position where the release portion 53 and the lower opening edge of the front end of the cutout groove 15 are in contact with each other, thus being in an improper fitting state. Is detected. In this way, it is possible to prevent the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 from being fitted in an illegal fitting posture.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the connector housing 10 and the connector cap 50 cannot be fitted in an unauthorized fitting posture with the release portion 53 that releases the locking state between the locking protrusion 35 and the cutout groove 15. It can also be used as a reverse fitting prevention. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a reverse fitting preventing member on the connector cap 50, and the structure of the connector cap 50 can be simplified. As a result, the mold for molding the connector cap 50 can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, the cam pin 51 in the connector cap 50 engages with the cam groove 34 of the lever 30 to fit the connector cap 50 and the connector housing 10 by a cam action, and the release portion 53 abuts on the locking projection 35 of the lever 30. As a result, the side plates 31 of the lever 30 are opened and deformed, so that a large load is applied to the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53. In this respect, according to the present embodiment, since the release portion 53 is provided integrally with the cam pin 51 on the proximal end side of the cam pin 51, the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53 are in a reinforcing relationship with each other. Compared with the case where 53 is molded individually, it is preferable. Furthermore, since the release portion 53 is formed integrally with the cam pin 51, the cutout groove 15 that accommodates the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53 inside can be reduced in size. Thereby, compared with the case where the big notch groove is formed in the hood part 11, the rigidity fall of the hood part 11 can be suppressed.

<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) In the above embodiment, the connector 30 is provided with the lever 30 so as to be rotatable. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode. For example, the lever is provided slidably. It may be applied to a slide lever type connector.
(2) In the above embodiment, the cam pin 51 and the tip of the release part 53 are arranged at the rear end of the notch groove 15, but the present invention is not limited to such a mode. For example, the leading end portions of the cam pin 51 and the release portion 53 may be arranged at the center of the notch groove 15 by deeply notching the notch groove 15 toward the rear.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the outer peripheral shape of the opening in the hood portion 11 of the connector housing 10 and the opening of the connector cap 50 is configured in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners at the upper and lower four corners. It is not limited to such an aspect. For example, the outer peripheral shape of the opening portion of the hood portion 11 and the opening portion of the connector cap 50 may be formed in a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a rectangular shape with sharp corners at the upper and lower four corners.

10: Connector housing 11: Hood 15: Notch groove (notch)
30: Lever 31: Side plate 32: Connection part 34: Cam groove 35: Locking protrusion 50: Connector cap 51: Cam pin 53: Release part

Claims (1)

A connector configured to engage and disengage the connector cap and the connector housing by operating a lever;
The connector housing is provided with a hood portion into which the connector cap is fitted,
The lever includes a pair of opposing side plates and a connecting portion that connects the both side plates,
The both side plates are provided with a cam groove that can be engaged with a cam pin provided in the connector cap, and a locking protrusion disposed adjacent to the cam groove,
The lever is movable between a fitting initial position and a fitting completion position, and the cam pin and the cam groove are moved by moving the lever from the fitting initial position to the fitting completion position. The connector housing and the connector cap are configured to be fitted to each other by a cam action caused by the engagement of
A release portion is provided at a position adjacent to the cam pin in the connector cap,
The hood portion is provided with a cutout portion capable of accommodating the cam pin and the release portion in a lump.
The lever is held at the fitting initial position by locking the locking protrusion and the notch,
When the connector housing and the connector cap are assembled in a normal fitting posture, the release portion presses the locking protrusion at the initial fitting position to open and deform the both side plates of the lever. While releasing the locking state of the locking protrusion and the notch, the lever can move toward the fitting completion position,
When the connector housing and the connector cap are assembled in an illegal fitting posture in which either the connector housing or the connector cap is inverted in the upside down direction, the cam pin out of the opening edge of the notch of said releasing portion when assembled to a normal to a inlet side being adapted to the release portion with respect to the opening edge portion on the side that does not face abuts in the fitting direction,
At the initial fitting position when assembled in the incorrect fitting posture, the front end portion of the connector cap in the fitting direction is fitted into the hood portion, and the cam pin enters the cam groove. And
The connector is characterized in that the release portion is provided integrally with the cam pin so as to be arranged behind the front end position of the cam pin in the fitting direction on the base end side of the cam pin .

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