JP5691952B2 - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever type connector.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a lever-type connector that fits a pair of housings by operating a rotation type lever. The lever includes a pair of plate-like arm portions arranged along the outer surface of the housing, and an operation portion that connects the pair of plate-like arm portions. When operating the lever, the pressing force due to the fitting resistance of both housings concentrates on the contact portion between the cam follower provided on the outer surface of one housing and the cam groove provided on the inner surface of the plate-like arm portion. Due to the pressing action, a force in the opening direction away from the outer surface of the housing is applied to the plate-like arm portion.

  When the plate-like arm portion is displaced in the opening direction, the cam groove may be detached from the cam follower. However, as means for preventing the plate-like arm portion from being opened, Patent Document 2 discloses a housing in a bracket having a rectangular tube portion. And a technique for housing the lever is disclosed. This bracket is for attaching a pair of housings fitted by levers to a vehicle body or the like. By arranging the pair of side wall portions constituting the rectangular tube portion so as to face the outer surface of the plate-like arm portion, the opening of the plate-like arm portion is prevented.

JP 2008-130244 A JP 09-219248 A

  In the case of applying the opening prevention technique described in Patent Document 2 to the lever-type connector of Patent Document 1, in order to enhance the effect of preventing the opening of the plate-like arm portion, the region where the cam groove is formed in the plate-like arm portion It is desirable to cover the whole with the side wall portion of the bracket. However, since the plate-like arm portion is disposed in the vicinity of the fitting portion of the pair of housings, the fitting portion of the pair of housings is covered with the side wall portion of the bracket, and both housings are fitted in a normal state. There is a risk that it will not be possible to visually confirm whether or not this has been done.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and allows the fitting state of the housing to be visually confirmed when the plate-like arm portion is prevented from being opened by the square tube-like bracket. With the goal.

  As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 includes a first housing, a second housing that can be fitted to the first housing and has a cam follower formed on an outer surface thereof, and the first housing. A lever in a form in which a pair of plate-like arm portions, which are rotatably supported on the outer side surface of the housing and formed with cam grooves engageable with the cam follower on the inner side surface, are connected by an operation unit; A pair of members provided on any two of the three members of the housing, the second housing, and the lever to displace the positional relationship as the fitting operation of the first housing and the second housing proceeds. An indicator portion and a side wall portion capable of restricting displacement of the pair of plate-like arm portions in the opening direction, and when the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted to the side wall portion, pair Characterized in place and a bracket notch that allows visually positional relationship of the index portion.

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the pair of indicator portions are elongated in a rib shape.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the first or second aspect, in the state where the lever is kept in the initial position when the fitting of the first housing and the second housing is started, The operation surface of the operation portion is arranged in the direction intersecting with the wall surface portion constituting the bracket and in the vicinity of the edge of the wall surface portion, and the lever is provided on the outer surface of the wall surface portion. It is characterized in that a recess is formed to allow a finger to come into contact with the operation surface when in the initial position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, at least one of the pair of index portions is one of the first housing and the second housing. The one indicator portion is characterized in that it serves as a stopper that restricts the rotation of the lever that has reached the fitting position.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Whether or not the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted can be confirmed by visually observing the positional relationship between the pair of index portions in the cutout portion formed in the side wall portion.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the indicator portion has a shape that is elongated in a rib shape, it is easy to visually check.

<Invention of Claim 3>
When the lever is in the initial position and the operation part is located in the vicinity of the edge of the wall surface part of the bracket, if the wall surface part approaches and opposes the operation surface of the operation part, the finger hooks on the operation surface. There is a concern that the cost will be reduced and the operability will be reduced. In that respect, the present invention is excellent in operability because a concave portion is formed on the outer surface of the wall surface portion to allow the finger to come into contact with the operation surface when the lever is in the initial position.

<Invention of Claim 4>
Since the indicator portion also serves as a stopper for the lever, the shape can be simplified compared to the case where a dedicated stopper is provided separately from the indicator portion.

The front view showing the state which the 1st housing and the 2nd housing fitted normally in the connector of Embodiment 1. Front view showing a state where the first housing is assembled to the bracket and the lever is rotated to the initial position. The front view showing the state in the middle of fitting of the 1st housing and the 2nd housing Front view with lever attached to first housing Front view of second housing Side view of bracket Top view of bracket Side view showing a state where the first housing is assembled to the bracket and the lever is rotated to the initial position. The top view of the state which assembled | attached the 1st housing to the bracket and rotated the lever to the fitting position. XX sectional view of FIG.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The connector according to the present embodiment includes a first housing 10, a lever 20, a second housing 30, and a bracket 40. A lever 20 is rotatably attached to the first housing 10, and the first housing 10 and the lever 20 are attached to a bracket 40. The bracket 40 is fixed to a vehicle body or the like of the automobile. The second housing 30 is engaged with the first housing 10 attached to the bracket 40 by the turning operation of the lever 20. Details of each member will be described below.

  The first housing 10 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 10, a block-shaped terminal holding portion 11 and a rectangular tube shape protruding upward from the terminal holding portion 11 (front direction of the first housing 10). The hood portion 12 is integrally formed. A well-known male terminal fitting (not shown) is attached to the terminal holding portion 11, and a tab at the tip of the male terminal fitting is surrounded by the hood portion 12. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, lock projections 13 are respectively formed on the left and right outer surfaces of the four outer surfaces of the first housing 10. Of the four outer surfaces of the first housing 10, the front shaft (surface shown in FIG. 4) and the rear surface (surface hidden in FIG. 4) each have a support shaft 14 that protrudes forward or backward from a substantially central position in the left-right direction. Is formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the front and rear surfaces of the first housing 10 are a pair of symmetrical front and rear in the form of a straight rib projecting obliquely downward and leftward from the upper edge at the right end. A first indicator portion 15 is formed. The first index portion 15 functions as means for visually confirming the fitted state of the housings 10 and 30 in cooperation with a second index portion 34 described later. The first indicator portion 15 also functions as a stopper for restricting the rotation of the lever 20, which will be described later, when the lever 20 rotates from the initial position in the fitting direction and reaches the fitting position. .

  The lever 20 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a pair of plate-like arm portions 21 that are parallel to each other and symmetrical to each other and the ends of the pair of plate-like arm portions 21 are connected to each other. The operation unit 22 is integrally formed. As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of plate-like arm portions 21 are each formed with a through-hole type bearing hole 23, and the lever 20 engages the bearing hole 23 with the support shaft 14, thereby providing a plate-like arm. The portion 21 is attached to the first housing 10 with the front surface and the rear surface of the first housing 10 facing each other. The attached lever 20 can rotate around the support shaft 14 between an initial position shown by a broken line in FIG. 2 and an imaginary line in FIG. 4 and a fitting position shown in FIGS. 1 and 10. It is like that.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 10, each plate-like arm portion 21 is substantially parallel to an imaginary straight line (not shown) connecting the support shaft 14 (bearing hole 23) and the operation portion 22 and is operated. It has two outer edges that are continuous with the portion 22. Of these two outer edge portions, the outer edge portion that faces forward in the rotation direction when rotating from the initial position toward the fitting position is a functional edge portion 24. Further, well-known cam grooves 25 (see FIGS. 1 and 4) are formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of plate-like arm portions 21 (surfaces facing the front surface or the rear surface of the first housing 10), respectively. 1, 4, 8, and 10, the surface of the operation unit 22 that faces the front in the rotation direction when the lever 20 rotates from the fitting position to the initial position is an operation surface 26. Yes. The operation surface 26 is a surface operated by an operator with a finger when the lever 20 is rotated from the initial position to the fitting position.

  In the state where the lever 20 is in the initial position, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 and the broken line in FIG. 4, the operation unit 22 is positioned to the left of the support shaft 14 (to the left of the left side of the first housing 10. The operation surface 26 faces downward. Moreover, the plate-shaped arm part 21 becomes a horizontal attitude | position as a whole. Further, the functional edge portion 24 is in a horizontal direction (a direction substantially orthogonal to the fitting direction of both the housings 10 and 30) and is arranged along the same height as the upper end edge of the first housing 10. In the state where the lever 20 is in the fitting position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the plate-like arm portion 21 is erected, and almost half of the region of the plate-like arm portion 21 is from the first housing 10. Projecting upward, and the operation unit 22 is arranged at a high position.

  The second housing 30 is made of synthetic resin, and includes a housing main body 31 having a block shape and an electric wire cover 32 attached to the upper surface of the housing main body 31 as shown in FIG. A well-known female terminal fitting (not shown) is accommodated in the housing main body 31, and an electric wire (not shown) is connected to the female terminal fitting. The electric wire led upward from the housing body 31 is turned rightward in the electric wire cover 32 and drawn out from the electric wire cover 32 to the right outside. A pair of symmetrical cam followers 33 project from the front and rear surfaces of the outer surface of the wire cover 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, a pair of front and rear symmetrical second indicators extending substantially vertically in the right end portion on the front surface (surface shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5) and the rear surface of the wire cover 32. A portion 34 is formed. The second indicator portion 34 includes a first rib 35 that is disposed on the upper end portion of the electric wire cover 32 and extends in the vertical direction, and a second rib 36 that extends obliquely downward and leftward from the lower end of the first rib 35. Yes. The inclination angle of the second rib 36 is the same as that of the first indicator portion 15. Further, the second indicator portion 34 also functions as a stopper for restricting the rotation of the lever 20, which will be described later, when the lever 20 rotates in the fitting direction from the initial position and reaches the fitting position. .

  The bracket 40 is made of synthetic resin, and is integrally formed with a housing portion 41 and a pair of mounting portions 42 extending left and right from the housing portion 41 as shown in FIGS. is there. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the accommodating portion 41 includes a front wall portion 43 </ b> F (a side wall portion that is a constituent feature of the present invention), a rear wall portion 43 </ b> R (a side wall portion that is a constituent feature of the present invention), and a left side wall. It is composed of a portion 44L (a wall surface portion that is a constituent feature of the present invention) and a right side wall portion 44R, and has a rectangular tube shape penetrating in the vertical direction (a direction parallel to the fitting direction of both housings 10 and 30) as a whole. There is no.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of front and rear symmetrical notches 45 are formed in the front wall 43F and the rear wall 43R, respectively. The cutout portion 45 has a form in which the right end portion at the upper edge portion of the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R is removed. Therefore, the height of the upper edge of the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R is one step lower in the region where the notch 45 is formed than in the other regions. Accordingly, the height of the upper edge of the right side wall 44R is the same as the height of the upper edge of the formation region of the notch 45 in the front wall 43F and the rear wall 43R.

  As shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 10, lock arms 46 that are elastically deflectable in the left-right direction are formed on the inner surface sides of the left and right side wall portions 44L, 44R, respectively. Further, a recess 47 is formed on the outer surface of the left side wall 44L. The formation region of the concave portion 47 in the vertical direction reaches the upper end edge of the left wall portion 44L. As shown in FIG. 1, the attachment portion 42 has a form extending in a plate shape outward in the left-right direction from both left and right edges of the rear wall portion 43R. An attachment hole 48 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the attachment portion 42.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The first housing 10 to which the lever 20 is attached is assembled by fitting into the accommodating portion 41 of the bracket 40 from below. That is, the assembly direction of the first housing 10 with respect to the bracket 40 is the same as the fitting direction of the first housing 10 with respect to the second housing 30.

  When the first housing 10 is assembled to the bracket 40, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 4, the lever 20 is positioned between the initial position and the fitting position, and the functional edge 24 faces in the vertical direction. Hold in posture. By maintaining this posture, the lever 20 can be prevented from interfering with the left and right side walls 44L, 44R. When the first housing 10 is correctly assembled to the bracket 40, the lock projection 13 engages with the lock arm 46, whereby the first housing 10 is fixed to the bracket 40 in the assembled state.

  In a state where the first housing 10 is assembled to the bracket 40, almost the entire first housing 10 and a region near the support shaft 14 in the plate-like arm portion 21 are accommodated in the internal space of the accommodating portion 41. And the area | region in which the bearing hole 23 and the cam groove 25 are formed among the plate-shaped arm parts 21 approaches the inner surface of the front wall part 43F and the inner surface of the rear wall part 43R, and is the front-back direction (support shaft 14 of the support shaft 14). (A direction parallel to the axial direction).

  Further, the upper end edge of the first housing 10 has substantially the same height as the upper end edges of the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R. That is, most of the front and rear surfaces of the first housing 10 are covered with the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R. However, since the notch portion 45 is formed in the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R, the first indicator portion 15 is visible in the notch portion 45. That is, in the state where the first housing 10 is assembled to the bracket 40, the notch portion 45 and the first indicator portion 15 have a corresponding positional relationship.

  After the first housing 10 and the lever 20 are attached to the bracket 40, the second housing 30 is fitted into the first housing 10. At the time of fitting, as shown in FIG. 2, the lever 20 is held in the initial position in advance. When the lever 20 is in the initial position, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation unit 22 moves up and down (almost the displacement direction of the operation unit 22 when the lever 20 starts to rotate from the initial position to the fitting position side. In a parallel direction), the operation surface 26 is disposed at a position close to the upper end edge of the left wall portion 44L, and the operation surface 26 faces downward above the left wall portion 44L. Therefore, there is a concern that when the finger is caught on the operation surface 26, the presence of the left side wall portion 44 </ b> L becomes an obstacle, and the amount of hooking the finger on the operation surface 26 is reduced.

  However, since the concave portion 47 reaching the upper end edge is formed on the outer surface of the left side wall portion 44L, the operation surface 26 is located on the left side (outward) with respect to the left side wall portion 44L. 47 is in a state of directly facing the space secured. Therefore, if a finger is inserted into the space secured by the recess 47, the finger can be reliably hooked on the operation surface 26.

  After the lever 20 is held in the initial position, the second housing 30 is shallowly fitted into the hood portion 12 of the first housing 10 from above, and the cam follower 33 enters the inlet of the cam groove 25. From this state, the lever 20 is rotated to the fitting position side by placing a finger on the operation surface 26 (operation unit 22). Then, the second housing 30 is attracted to the first housing 10 by the cam action by the engagement of the cam groove 25 and the cam follower 33, and the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 proceeds as shown in FIG.

  While the lever 20 is operated in the fitting direction, the pressing force due to the fitting resistance of the housings 10 and 30 is concentrated on the contact portion between the cam groove 25 and the cam follower 33. The plate-like arm portion 21 has both plate-like arm portions 21 opened in the opening direction (crossing the fitting direction and parallel to the rotation center of the lever 20, and separated from the front and rear surfaces of the first housing 10 in the front-rear direction. The external force is applied so as to be displaced in the direction of movement). However, since the outer surface of the region where the cam groove 25 is formed in the plate-like arm portion 21 is disposed so as to face and oppose the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R, this front wall The displacement in the opening direction of the plate-like arm portion 21 is reliably regulated by the portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R. Therefore, the cam groove 25 and the cam follower 33 are maintained in an engaged state.

  Then, when the lever 20 reaches the fitting position, as shown in FIG. 1, both housings 10 and 30 are brought into a normal fitting state, and the fitting operation is completed. When the lever 20 reaches the fitting position, the functional edge 24 of the lever 20 comes into contact with the first index part 15 and the second index part 34, so that the lever 20 is restricted from further turning operation, and the fitting position Retained. At this time, since the second indicator portion 34 is located above the accommodating portion 41, it is not covered with the front wall portion 43F or the rear wall portion 43R of the bracket 40. Further, the first indicator portion 15 can be visually observed at the cutout portion 45. Accordingly, the positional relationship between the two indicator portions 15 and 34 (ie, both the indicator portions 15 and 34 approach each other in the vertical direction from just before the two housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted to when they are properly fitted). Can be confirmed visually.

  In the normal fitting state, the first indicator portion 15 and the second ribs 36 of the second indicator portion 34 are arranged so as to be aligned on a straight line with a space in the vertical direction. By visually observing the positional relationship, it is possible to detect that both housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted. Further, from the time immediately before the normal fitting until the normal fitting, the functional edge 24 of the lever 20 approaches the indicator parts 15 and 34 from the left side. In the normal fitting state, the functional edge 24 contacts both the first index portion 15 and the second index portion 34. Therefore, it is possible to detect that the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted by visually observing the positional relationship between the functional edge portion 24 of the lever 20 and the indicator portions 15 and 34.

  As described above, the connector of the present embodiment aims to make it possible to visually confirm the fitting state of the housings 10 and 30 when the square arm bracket 21 prevents the plate-like arm portion 21 from being opened. It is said. As a means for this, the first housing 10 and the second housing 30 are provided with a pair of indicator portions 15 and 34 that displace the positional relationship as the fitting operation of both the housings 10 and 30 proceeds, and a plate-like arm. A notch portion 45 that enables visual observation of the positional relationship between the pair of indicator portions 15 and 34 when the housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted to the front wall portion 43F and the rear wall portion 43R for preventing the opening of the portion 21. Is forming. According to this configuration, it is possible to confirm whether or not the two housings 10 and 30 are properly fitted by visually observing the positional relationship between the pair of indicator portions 15 and 34 in the notch portion 45. Further, since the pair of indicator portions 15 and 34 are elongated in a rib shape, it is easy to visually check.

  Further, in a state where the lever 20 is kept at the initial position when the fitting of both the housings 10 and 30 is started, the operation surface 26 of the operation unit 22 is in a direction intersecting with the left side wall portion 44 </ b> L constituting the bracket 40. The left side wall 44L is arranged in the vicinity of the upper edge of the left side wall 44L, but when the left side wall 44L approaches and opposes the operation surface 26 of the operation unit 22, There is a concern that the handling cost will be reduced and the operability will be reduced. In this regard, in the present embodiment, a recess 47 is formed on the outer surface of the left side wall portion 44L to allow the finger to come into contact with the operation surface 26 when the lever 20 is in the initial position. Since the concave portion 47 is formed, it is easy to hook a finger on the operation surface 26, so that the operability is excellent.

  Of the pair of indicator portions 15 and 34, the first indicator portion 15 is provided in the first housing 10 and the second indicator portion 34 is provided in the second housing 30. A stopper that restricts the rotation of the lever 20 that has reached the fitting position. In the present embodiment, since the indicator portions 15 and 34 also serve as a stopper for the lever 20, the shape can be simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated stopper is provided separately from the indicator portions 15 and 34.

<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 first housing (housing to which the lever is attached) is a male housing having a hood portion, and the second housing is a female housing fitted into the hood portion. The second housing (the housing on which the lever is not attached) may be a male housing having a hood portion, and the first housing may be a female housing fitted inside the hood portion.
(2) In the above embodiment, the first housing (the housing on the side where the lever is attached) is attached to the bracket, but the second housing (the housing on the side where the lever is not attached) may be attached to the bracket. .
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the indicator portion has a form protruding in a rib shape, but the indicator portion may have a groove shape or a color-coded form.
(4) In the above embodiment, the indicator portion is provided in the first housing and the second housing, and the indicator portion also has a function as a stopper for restricting the rotation of the lever that has reached the fitting position. However, the indicator section may be a dedicated one that does not have other functions.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the indicator portions of the indicator portion of the first housing and the indicator portion of the second housing exhibit a function as a stopper for restricting the rotation of the lever that has reached the fitting position. However, only one of the indicator portion of the first housing and the indicator portion of the second housing may function as a stopper.
(6) In the above embodiment, the pair of indicator portions are provided in the first housing and the second housing, but the pair of indicator portions may be provided in the first housing and the lever, or provided in the second housing and the lever. May be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... 1st housing 15 ... 1st parameter | index part (index part, stopper)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Lever 21 ... Plate-shaped arm part 22 ... Operation part 25 ... Cam groove 26 ... Operation surface 30 ... 2nd housing 33 ... Cam follower 34 ... 2nd index part (index part, stopper)
40 ... Bracket 43F ... Front wall (side wall)
43R ... Rear wall (side wall)
44L ... Left side wall (wall surface)
45 ... Notch 47 ... Recess

Claims (4)

A first housing;
A second housing that is engageable with the first housing and has a cam follower formed on an outer surface;
A lever in a form in which a pair of plate-like arm portions, which are rotatably supported on the outer side surface of the first housing and formed with cam grooves engageable with the cam follower on the inner side surface, are connected by an operation unit;
Provided on any two members of the first housing, the second housing, and the lever, and the positional relationship is displaced as the fitting operation of the first housing and the second housing proceeds. A pair of indicator parts to be
The pair of plate-like arm portions have side wall portions that can be controlled to be displaced in the opening direction, and the pair of index portions when the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted to the side wall portions. A lever-type connector, comprising: a bracket formed with a notch portion that enables visual recognition of the positional relationship.   The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the pair of indicator portions are elongated in a rib shape. In a state where the lever is in a standby state at the initial position when the fitting of the first housing and the second housing is started, the operation surface of the operation unit is in a direction intersecting with the wall surface portion constituting the bracket, And it is arranged near the edge of the wall surface,
The concave portion for allowing a finger to contact the operation surface when the lever is in the initial position is formed on an outer surface of the wall surface portion. 2. The lever type connector according to 2. At least one of the pair of indicator portions is provided in either the first housing or the second housing,
4. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the one indicator portion serves as a stopper that restricts the rotation of the lever that has reached the fitting position. 5.

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