JP6850682B2 - Connector device equipped with locking means and connector used for this - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector device provided with a locking means including a locking portion and a locked portion for maintaining a fitted state between connectors, and a connector used therein. Specifically, a locking means capable of recognizing that the connectors are firmly locked by the locking means by the feel transmitted to the fingertips of the operator when the locking means is operated. Regarding the configuration.

As a conventional example of a connector device provided with a locking means, a connector device as described in Japanese Patent No. 5937046 (Patent Document 1) can be mentioned. In a conventional connector device consisting of a female connector (first connector) and a male connector (second connector), the operating lever of the female connector is lowered, that is, moved in the direction of the male connector to form a part of the operating lever. The formed locking portion (arm portion) can be hooked on the locked portion (overhanging portion of the locking member).

By hooking the locking portion on the locked portion, the female connector can be locked with respect to the male connector. In this way, since the female connector is locked to the male connector, even if a force for pulling the female connector away from the male connector is applied, the locking portion of the female connector becomes the locked portion of the male connector. Since it is caught, the mated state of the female connector and the male connector is not released, and the state can be maintained.

In the conventional example, the cable-side connector having a female terminal is called a female connector and the device-side connector having a male terminal is called a male connector based on the shape of the terminal, but the shape of the terminal may be switched between male and female depending on the embodiment. Therefore, in the present invention, the cable-side connector is referred to as a plug connector, and the device-side connector is referred to as a receptacle connector.

Patent No. 5937046

In the conventional connector device, when the operation lever of the plug connector (female connector) is lowered, first, the edge portion of the locking portion formed as a part of the operation lever (hereinafter, also referred to as “upper edge portion””. ) Contact the locked portion of the receptacle connector (male connector). Then, the upper edge portion of the locking portion slides on the surface of the locked portion while being in contact with the surface of the locked portion to operate the operation lever formed as a part of the locked portion. (Hereinafter, also simply referred to as "operator") can lower the operating lever to the bottom (that is, the receptacle connector side). When the upper edge of the locking portion is in contact with the surface of the locked portion, a load generated by friction or the like is applied to the operation lever, and the load is transmitted to the fingertips of the operator or the like. Therefore, the operator can recognize that the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked due to the load applied to the operation lever.

However, while the upper edge of the locking portion formed as a part of the operating lever is in contact with the surface of the locked portion of the receptacle connector, the operating lever continues to be loaded, so that the operator operates. Before the lever is fully lowered, it may be mistakenly recognized that the plug connector and the receptacle connector are completely locked. In this case, since the operator stops the operation of the operation lever in the middle, the locking between the plug connector and the receptacle connector may remain incomplete.

In an incompletely locked state, the locking portion of the plug connector is disengaged from the locked portion of the receptacle connector due to external force such as vibration applied to one or both of the plug connector and the receptacle connector, and the connectors are separated from each other. There is a risk that the lock will be released. When the lock between the connectors is released, there is a high possibility that the plug connector will be pulled out of the receptacle connector (or the receptacle connector will be pulled out of the plug connector) due to an external force.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem in the prior art, and a concave portion formed by recessing the upper edge portion is formed in the upper edge portion on the tip end side of the locking portion of the operating lever. By providing, a connector device is provided in which the operating lever is not loaded from the start of lowering the operating lever to the middle stage (for example, just before the operating lever is completely lowered) to lock between the connectors fitted to each other. The purpose is to do. That is, assuming that a recess is provided in the upper edge of the locking portion so that there is a gap between the locking portion and the engaged portion, or the upper edge of the locking portion is in contact with the locked portion. Also provides a connector device configured so that friction or the like is hardly generated.

The connector device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first connector and a second connector that can be fitted to each other.
The first connector includes a first housing and an operating lever rotatably pivotally supported and provided with a locking portion with respect to the first housing.
The second connector includes a second housing with a locked portion.
The locking portion is locked by the locked portion of the second housing when the operating lever is rotated with respect to the first housing, so that the first connector and the second connector are in a fitted state. Is configured to maintain
The locking portion is characterized by having a recess on the edge on the side in contact with the locked portion.

A preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention is characterized in that the recess is formed in a recessed shape so as not to lock the locked portion.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the second housing has a flange portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction of the connector.
The flange portion has an upright support portion on the side to be fitted with the first connector.
The locked portion is provided so as to project from the support portion in a direction toward the second fitting portion of the second housing.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the locking portions are arranged on both side surfaces of the first housing and are formed as arm portions curved along the rotation direction of the operating lever.
The recess is characterized in that it is formed on the edge of the arm portion on the tip end side.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the arm portion has an upper edge portion after the recess formed in the edge on the distal end side.
The upper edge portion is characterized in that it is in contact with the locked portion when the operating lever is lowered to the range of motion limit on the second connector side by rotational movement.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the locked portion has a contact portion sharpened in a certain direction of the flange portion.
The contact portion is characterized in that the first connector and the second connector are locked by contacting the upper edge portion of the arm portion.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the arm portion has a first inclined portion before the recess, and has a top portion between the recess and the first inclined portion.
The locked portion has a second inclined portion on the side facing the flange portion.
When the first connector and the second connector are fitted, the first inclined portion, the top portion, and the second inclined portion are configured to be slidable with each other.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the operating lever includes an elastic claw portion.
The first housing is provided with a protrusion at a position where the claw portion abuts when the operating lever is rotated to lock the connectors.
When the operating lever is lowered to the limit of the range of motion on the second connector side due to rotational movement, the claw portion gets over the protrusion.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the first housing includes a claw receiving portion adjacent to the protrusion.
When the claw portion gets over the protrusion, the claw portion hits the claw receiving portion to generate a sound.

As a preferred embodiment of the connector device according to the present invention, the support portion is arranged outside the arm portion arranged on both side surfaces of the first housing.

The first connector according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it is used in the connector device according to any one of the above embodiments.

In the connector device according to the present invention, the connector devices fitted to each other are locked by providing a recess formed by recessing the upper edge portion at the upper edge portion on the tip end side of the locking portion of the operation lever. It is possible to prevent the operation lever from being loaded from the start of lowering the operation lever to the middle stage (for example, just before the operation lever is completely lowered). That is, assuming that a recess is provided in the upper edge of the locking portion so that there is a gap between the locking portion and the engaged portion, or the upper edge of the locking portion is in contact with the locked portion. In the connector device according to the present invention, the time when the load starts to be applied to the operation lever can be shifted to just before the operation lever is completely lowered, and the operation lever can be lowered. It is possible to prevent the plug connector and the receptacle connector from being mistakenly recognized as being completely locked before they are fully lowered.

With such a configuration, in the connector device according to the present invention, a load is applied to the operation lever immediately before the first connector and the second connector are completely locked, so that the operator is in the middle of operating the operation lever. You can prevent it from stopping at. As a result, it is possible to prevent the connectors from remaining in an incomplete state, and the first connector is engaged by an external force such as vibration applied to one or both of the first connector and the second connector. It is possible to prevent the stop portion from coming off from the locked portion of the second connector and the locking between the connectors from being released.

Further, in the connector device according to the present invention, when the connector device is completely locked, the claw portion provided on the operation lever of the first connector gets over the protrusion provided on the second housing of the second connector and second. It is also possible to notify the operator that the locking is completed by hitting the surface (or the claw receiving portion) of the housing and making a sound.

It is a perspective view which shows the state before fitting of the plug connector and the receptacle connector included in the connector device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the plug connector and the receptacle connector are half-fitted from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug connector and the receptacle connector are completely fitted from the state shown in FIG. 2 and the operation lever is lowered to lock the connector. It is a top view which shows the state after fitting of the connector device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which cut the connector device vertically along the line AA shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which cut the connector device vertically along the line BB shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which cut the connector device vertically along the CC line shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the operating lever is raised from the state shown in FIG. 5 and the connectors are not locked to each other. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which lowered the operation lever downward from the state shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which lowered the operation lever downward from the state shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which lowered the operation lever downward from the state shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which lowered the operation lever downward from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the connector device in the state shown in FIG. 11 vertically cut along the line CC shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which lowered the operation lever downward from the state shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the result of observing the change of the force applied when the connectors of the connector device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention lock each other. It is a graph which shows the result of observing the change of the force applied at the time of locking the connector of the conventional connector device which does not have a recess in an arm part. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st connector (plug connector) which concerns on another Embodiment of this invention.

The connector device according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Although the waterproof connector will be mainly described as an example, the present invention can be applied to various types of connector devices other than the waterproof connector. In addition, in all the figures for demonstrating the embodiment, the same member is given the same reference numeral in principle, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state before fitting of the plug connector and the receptacle connector included in the connector device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug connector and the receptacle connector are halfway fitted from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug connector and the receptacle connector are completely fitted from the state shown in FIG. 2 and the operation lever is lowered and locked. The connector device 1 includes a plug connector (first connector) 10 and a receptacle connector (second connector) 50. The plug connector 10 is used by being connected to one end of an electric cable (not shown), while the receptacle connector 50 is installed and used on the surface of a housing (not shown) of a motor or other device. Both can be fitted to each other by approaching each other in the fitting direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1).

The plug connector 10 is composed of parts such as an insulating housing 11 formed of an insulating resin, an operating lever 20, a clamp receiving portion 29, a clamp 30, and terminals. Two cables (not shown) can be fixed to the plug connector 10 using each of the two clamps 30. A rotating shaft 12 is provided near the center of each of the left and right side surfaces of the insulating housing 11 so as to face outward. Corresponding to these rotating shafts 12, shaft holes through which the rotating shafts 12 are inserted are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the operating lever 20. By inserting the rotating shaft 12 of the insulating housing 11 into the shaft hole of the operating lever 20, the operating lever 20 is rotatably supported by the insulating housing 11. At this time, the operating lever 20 is hung through the front surface of the insulating housing 11 and across both side surfaces of the insulating housing 11. By hanging the operating lever 20 over the insulating housing 11, the operating lever 20 occupies a larger range in the insulating housing 11, and as a result, the operability of the operating lever 20 is improved, and further, the insulating housing 11 The position of the operating lever 20 in the above can be easily grasped by the user.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the operating lever 20 is a strip-shaped member that is bridged from one side surface of the insulating housing 11 to the other side surface via the front surface. The operating lever 20 has wide bearing portions 26 on the outside of both ends. The bearing portion 26 has an inclined bearing edge portion 27 at the edge portion, and the bearing edge portion 27 on the side (lower side) that receives the locking member 57 is formed to have a long inclination (see FIG. 3).

When the operating lever 20 is moved to the receptacle connector 50 side, that is, when the operating lever 20 is lowered as shown in FIG. 3, a protrusion 13 is provided on the front surface of the insulating housing 11 covered with the operating lever 20. Has been done. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two protrusions 13 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and one or more protrusions 13 may be provided. The protrusion 13 is a position where the claw portion 25 provided on the operation lever 20 comes into contact with the protrusion 13 when the operation lever 20 is lowered toward the receptacle connector side by rotational movement, and the operation lever 20 is as shown in FIG. When the position is lowered to the limit of the range of motion on the receptacle connector side, the claw portion 25 is arranged at a position where it can slide over the protrusion 13. The claw portion 25 has elasticity and is pushed by the protrusion 13 and curved outward from the time it hits the protrusion 13 until it gets over the protrusion 13.

The claw receiving portion 15 is provided on the front surface of the insulating housing 11 adjacent to the protrusion 13. When the operating lever 20 is lowered to the bottom, the elastic claw portion 25 gets over the protrusion 13, and the claw portion 25, which has been pushed by the protrusion 13 and is curved, tries to return to its original shape, and its tip momentum. By hitting the claw receiving portion 15 well, it can be configured to emit a sound. As a matter of course, the tip of the claw portion 25 may come into direct contact with the surface of the insulating housing 11 when the operating lever 20 is lowered to the bottom without providing the claw receiving portion 15. The fitting portion 16 is configured to fit with the fitting portion 52 of the receptacle connector 50 which is a mating connector (see also the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7).

The restricting portions 14 are provided on both side surfaces of the insulating housing 11 and are provided outward from the edge of the fitting portion 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the regulating unit 14 is configured to hit the lever lower edge portion 28 of the operating lever 20 when the operating lever 20 is lowered, and can restrict the movement of the operating lever 20. As a result, the regulating unit 14 can determine the limit at which the operating lever 20 can be lowered, that is, the limit of the range of motion on the receptacle connector side. The operating lever 20 has an inclined portion 23 at its tip, and has a recess 24 on the side (upper side) edge that contacts the locking member 57 when engaged. The recess 24 is formed in a recessed shape so as not to lock the locking member 57.

The receptacle connector 50 is composed of an insulating housing 51 formed of an insulating resin and parts such as terminals. The insulating housing 51 intersects the fitting portion 52 formed in a tubular shape so as to fit with the fitting portion 16 of the plug connector 10 at right angles to the fitting direction of the connector (horizontal to the mounting surface). ), And includes a flange portion 53 that forms a butt surface on the mating side of the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50. The fitting portion 52 is provided so as to project above the flange portion 53, and terminals and the like are arranged inside.

When the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are fitted together, the gasket 54 that functions as a waterproof member for preventing the ingress of water is provided in close contact with the groove formed on the outer periphery of the fitting portion 52. The gasket 54 is made of rubber and has an elastic action, and can fill a gap that may occur between the fitting portion 16 of the insulating housing 11 and the fitting portion 52 of the insulating housing 51. In this way, the connector device 1 can be a waterproof connector device.

The flange portion 53 has an upright support portion 55 on the side (upper side in FIG. 1) that fits with the plug connector 10. The support portion 55 is arranged outside the arm portions 22 arranged on both side surfaces of the insulating housing 11. A taper 56 can be provided at the upper end of the support portion 55 extending vertically from the flange portion 53. The taper 56 is linked to raising the operating lever 20 when releasing the locking between the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 by raising the operating lever 20, and the bearing edge portion 27 of the bearing portion 26. May be configured to be pressed (see FIG. 2). When the bearing edge portion 27 is pressed against the taper 56, the fitting portion 16 of the plug connector 10 is pushed up from the fitting portion 52 of the receptacle connector 50 to release the fitting state.

The locking member 57 is provided so as to project from the support portion 55 in the direction toward the fitting portion 52. When the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are fitted and the operating lever 20 is lowered, the operating lever 20 is in the gap surrounded by the locking member 57, the support portion 55, the flange portion 53, and the fitting portion 52. The arm portion 22 of the above is inserted, and the connectors can be locked to each other. The arm portion 22 is formed narrowly on the outside of both ends of the operating lever 20, extends substantially parallel to the bearing portion 26, and is formed to be curved along the rotation direction of the operating lever 20. The recess 24 is formed on the edge of the arm portion 22 on the tip end side.

The locking member 57 is provided with an inclined portion 58 on the side (lower side) facing the flange portion 53. When the operating lever 20 is lowered, the inclined portion 58 hits the tip of the arm portion 22 of the operating lever 20 and can slide on the inclined surface. Therefore, the inclined portion 58 can easily attract the arm portion 22 of the operating lever 20 into the gap surrounded by the locking member 57, the support portion 55, the flange portion 53, and the fitting portion 52.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state after fitting of the connector device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Cross-sectional views of the connector device 1 in the locked state after fitting are vertically cut along the lines AA, BB, and CC shown in FIG. 4, respectively. It is shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5, the operating lever 20 is completely lowered (receptacle connector 50 side), the lower edge portion 28 of the lever hits the regulating portion 14 of the insulating housing 51, and the operating lever 20 is not moved further downward. Can be regulated as such.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the connectors are locked to each other, the arm portion 22 of the operating lever 20 is inserted between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60. A contact portion 59 is provided at the tip of the inclined portion 58 provided on the lower side of the locking member 57. The contact portion 59 has a shape in which the flange portion 53 protrudes in a certain direction, that is, a sharp shape facing downward (toward the arm receiving surface 60). When the operating lever 20 is lowered to the limit of the range of motion, the contact portion 59 strongly abuts (presses) the upper edge portion 32 of the arm portion 22, and the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are locked. The connector. A top portion 31 is provided between the inclined portion 23 and the recess 24 of the arm portion 22. The arm portion 22 includes an upper edge portion 32 after the recess 24 formed on the edge on the distal end side.

The cross-sectional shape of the locking member 57 is substantially diamond-shaped, that is, symmetrical and vertically asymmetric. The upper part of the locking member 57 (the portion facing the bearing portion 26 at the time of locking) is formed by an upper surface and an inclined surface, and the side surfaces (the left and right portions of the locking member 57 in FIG. 6) are slightly downwardly inclined (inclined). The lower portion, which is formed by the portion 58) and includes the contact portion 59, extends downward and is formed in a sharp shape. The two inclined portions 58 leading to the abutting portion 59 have the same angle, and the cross-sectional shape of the locking member 57 including the inclined portion 58 is formed symmetrically as described above. By forming the receptacle symmetrically in this way, the contents (terminals, etc.) of the receptacle connector can be flipped horizontally, so that the mounting direction of the plug connector (direction in which the cable comes out) can be flipped horizontally.

The arm receiving surface 60 is a curved surface that matches the outer shape of the tip of the arm portion 22. When the plug connector 10 is pulled out while the connectors are locked to each other, even if the arm portion 22 is pushed by the contact portion 59 of the locking member 57 and the arm portion 22 tries to expand outward, the arm portion 22 Since the lower portion hits the arm receiving surface 60, it is possible to prevent the arm portion 22 from expanding to the outside.

When releasing the locked state of the connectors, the bearing edge of the bearing portion 26 of the operating lever 20 is interlocked with raising the operating lever 20 from the locked state (see FIG. 6). 27 hits the upper portion (or taper 56) of the locking member 57, and the fitting portion 16 of the plug connector 10 can be pulled out from the fitting portion 52 of the receptacle connector 50 by the principle of the bearing.

As shown in FIG. 7, the fitting portion 16 of the plug connector 10 receives and fits the fitting portion 52 of the receptacle connector 50, and is locked by lowering the operating lever 20. At the tip of the claw portion 25 of the operating lever 20, an L-shaped claw tip portion 61 bent toward the insulating housing 11 is provided. The claw tip portion 61 hits the claw receiving portion 15 provided on the lower side (receptacle connector 50 side) beyond the protrusion 13 formed on the surface of the insulating housing 11. Since the claw tip portion 61 of the claw portion 25 is hooked on the protrusion 13, the operation lever 20 itself is locked, and the locked state between the connectors can be maintained. Fitting of the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50, which may be formed between the fitting portion 16 of the plug connector 10 and the fitting portion 52 of the receptacle connector 50 when the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are fitted. A gasket 54, which is a waterproof means for filling the gap, is arranged in the gap along the direction.

The cross-sectional views of FIGS. 8 to 12 show the process leading to the state in which the connectors are locked as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are half-fitted. At least one of the inclined portion 23 and the top portion 31 of the arm portion 22 hits the inclined portion 58 of the locking member 57, and while sliding on the inclined portion 58, the arm portion 22 is between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60. Be tempted. By determining the angle of each inclination so that the surface of the inclined portion 23 hits the surface of the inclined portion 58 as a whole at the time of locking, the arm portion 22 is placed between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60. It can be easily attracted. That is, the inclined portion 23 of the arm portion 22 has substantially the same angle at the time of contact with the inclined portion 58, and the arm portion 22 can be guided. Further, when the arm portion 22 is invited between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60, the arm tip portion 62 hits the arm receiving surface 60 and slides on the arm receiving surface 60.

The person (operator) who operates the operation lever 20 pushes the plug connector 10 halfway into the receptacle connector 50 without touching the operation unit 21, so that the arm unit 22 is locked by the locking member 57 as shown in FIG. Is invited between the arm receiving surface 60 and the arm receiving surface 60. By further pushing the plug connector 10 into the receptacle connector 50 from the state shown in FIG. 8, the edge of the fitting portion 16 of the insulating housing 11 abuts against the flange portion 53 of the insulating housing 51 as shown in FIG. The plug connector 10 is completely fitted with the receptacle connector 50. Here, in the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 to 12, the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 12 to the contact portion 59 was measured and found to be 5.4 mm. Then, the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 12 in the state shown in FIG. 9 to the upper edge of the arm portion 22 located on a straight line passing through the contact portion 59 was 5.4 mm.

At this time, even if the operating lever 20 is not operated, the arm portion 22 is further invited between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60, and the top portion 31 of the arm portion 22 is an inclined portion of the locking member 57. It slides on 58 and reaches the contact portion 59. Without touching the operation unit 21 of the operation lever 20, or by lightly touching the operation unit 21, the operation lever 20 can be lowered and the state shown in FIG. 9 can be changed to the state shown in FIG.

In FIG. 10, the top portion 31 of the arm portion 22 goes beyond the abutting portion 59 of the locking member 57, and the abutting portion 59 of the locking member 57 is in the recess 24 of the arm portion 22. Is shown. The distance from the center of the rotating shaft 12 in the state shown in FIG. 10 to the upper edge of the arm portion 22 located on a straight line passing through the contact portion 59 was 5.6 mm. Compared to the state shown in FIG. 9, the distance is 0.2 mm wider, and there is a slight gap or almost no friction occurs. That is, the abutting portion 59 and the recess 24 are in a state where there is a slight gap between them or they are in contact with each other to the extent that almost no friction occurs.

The state of FIG. 10 can be changed to the state of FIG. 11 by not operating the operation lever 20 or by touching the operation unit 21 and slightly lowering the operation lever 20. In this way, from the state shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 until immediately before the state shown in FIG. 11, no load is applied to the operation lever 20 or almost no load is applied. Therefore, the operation lever is operated before the operation lever is sufficiently lowered to the bottom. One does not mistakenly recognize that the connectors are completely locked together.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the contact portion 59 of the locking member 57 moves on the recess 24 of the arm portion 22 and comes into contact with the edge of the recess 24. The distance from the center of the rotating shaft 12 in the state shown in FIG. 11 to the upper edge of the arm portion 22 located on a straight line passing through the contact portion 59 was 5.3 mm. This is shorter than the distance of 5.4 mm in the state shown in FIG. 9 and the distance of 5.6 mm in the state shown in FIG. 10, and at this time, the operating lever 20 starts to be loaded. From the state of FIG. 11, when the operator applies a force not to be defeated by the load to the operation unit 21 and lowers the operation lever 20, the state shown in FIG. 12 becomes the state shown in FIG. When the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 12 to the upper edge of the arm portion 22 located on the straight line passing through the contact portion 59 in the state shown in FIG. 6 was measured, it remained at 5.3 mm. At this time, since the connector device 1 is configured so that the feeling transmitted to the fingertips of the operator or the like due to the load applied to the operation lever 20 is transmitted at the same time as or almost at the same time as the locking of the connectors is completed, the operation of the operation lever is performed. It is possible to prevent misunderstandings such as stopping the connector on the way. FIG. 12 shows a state immediately before locking, in which the contact portion 59 of the locking member 57 rides on the upper edge portion 32 from the recess 24 of the arm portion 22 and presses the upper edge portion 32 of the arm portion 22. Since it is pressed, the load applied to the operating lever 20 becomes stronger.

When the operating lever 20 is further lowered, as shown in FIG. 6, the lever lower edge portion 28 of the operating lever 20 hits the regulating portion 14 of the insulating housing 11 and reaches the limit of the range of motion on the receptacle connector 50 side. become. At this time, the upper edge portion 32 of the arm portion 22 strongly abuts on the abutting portion 59 of the locking member 57, and the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are locked. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the claw portion 25 of the operating lever 20 is also locked because the claw tip portion 61 is caught by the protrusion 13.

The claw portion 25 of the operating lever 20 gets over the protrusion 13 when the operating lever 20 is in the state shown in FIG. 7, that is, when the operating lever 20 is lowered to the range of motion limit on the receptacle connector 50 side by rotational movement. It will be. The operation of the claw tip 61 over the protrusion 13 is shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 shows that the claw tip 61 of the claw portion 25 is on the surface of the protrusion 13 when the contact portion 59 of the locking member 57 is in contact with the edge of the recess 24 in the state shown in FIG. Indicates the state of contact. At this time, since the claw portion 25 has elasticity, it is pushed by the protrusion 13 and bends to the side opposite to the side where the protrusion 13 is located. By lowering the operating lever 20, the claw tip 61 slides on the protrusion 13 and is in the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 shows the state shown in FIG. 12, that is, when the contact portion 59 rides on the upper edge portion 32 from the concave portion 24, the claw tip portion 61 crosses the surface of the protrusion 13 and receives the claw receiver. The state immediately before reaching the part 15 is shown. By further lowering the operating lever 20, the state shown in FIG. 14 shifts to the state shown in FIG. 7. At this time, the claw tip 61 gets over the protrusion 13, and the claw 25 bent to the opposite side of the protrusion 13 tries to return to its original shape vigorously due to the reaction, and the claw tip 61 hits the claw receiving portion 15. Make a sound.

7A and 7B show a state shown in FIG. 6, that is, when the upper edge portion 32 strongly abuts on the contact portion 59, the claw tip portion 61 gets over the protrusion 13 and the claw tip portion 61 is clawed. A sound is emitted from the receiving portion 15, and the operating lever 20 is locked by being caught by the protrusion 13. It should be noted that the claw tip portion 61 may be configured to directly hit the insulating housing 11 to emit sound without providing the claw receiving portion 15 on the insulating housing 11.

In this way, the lever lower edge portion 28 of the operating lever 20 is in contact with the regulation portion 14, that is, the contact portion 59 of the locking member 57 is strongly in contact with the upper edge portion 32 of the arm portion 22 (see FIG. 6). Or, at about the same time, the claw tip 61 of the claw portion 25 of the operating lever 20 hits the claw receiving portion 15 (see FIG. 7) and emits a sound, so that the operator of the operating lever 20 completely engages the connectors with each other. It is easy to recognize that it has been stopped. That is, the operator of the operation lever 20 must stop lowering the operation lever 20 to securely lock the connectors until the claw tip 61 of the claw portion 25 hits the claw receiving portion 15 and makes a sound. Can be done. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the operation of the operating lever 20 from being accidentally stopped in the middle.

FIG. 15 is a graph showing the results of simulating and observing changes in the force applied when the connectors of the connector device according to the embodiment of the present invention are locked to each other on a computer. The vertical axis of the graph shows the force applied to the operating lever 20 when the arm portion 22 of the operating lever 20 is inserted between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60 (see FIGS. 8 to 12 and 6). Is expressed as the insertion force (Newton, N). The horizontal axis of the graph represents the rotation angle (°) of the operating lever 20 with respect to the flange portion 53. Since the load is only slightly applied to the operating lever 20 from the start of operation of the operating lever 20 (about 30 °) until the rotation angle becomes about 3.6 ° or less, the insertion force (N) is gently 4. It increases to about 3N. The fingertips of the operator of the operating lever 20 are not loaded so as to be mistaken for being locked. The state of the operating lever 20 at this time corresponds to the state shown in FIGS. 8 to 11.

As the rotation angle becomes smaller than about 3.6 °, the operating lever 20 begins to be loaded, and the insertion force (N) for inserting the arm portion 22 between the locking member 57 and the arm receiving surface 60. ) Increases rapidly. When the rotation angle of the operating lever 20 is about 2.4 °, the insertion force (N) becomes the maximum value of about 18N. The state of the operating lever 20 at this time shifts from the state shown in FIG. 11 to the state shown in FIG. 12, and shifts from the state shown in FIG. 12 to the state shown in FIG. That is, since the abutting portion 59 of the locking member 57 strongly abuts on the upper edge portion 32 of the arm portion 22, a load is applied to the operating lever 20, and as shown in FIG. 15, the insertion force (N) suddenly increases. The insertion force (N) reaches the maximum value when the locking is completed. When the rotation angle of the operating lever 20 becomes smaller than about 2.4 °, the connectors are engaged with each other, so that the force applied to the operating lever 20 is stopped and the operation of the operating lever 20 is completed.

For comparison with the connector device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a change in the force applied when the connectors of the connector device are locked so that the arm portion 22 does not have the inclined portion 23 and the recess 24 is displayed on the computer. The results of the simulation and observation in FIG. 16 are shown in FIG. The vertical and horizontal axes of the graph shown in FIG. 16 are the same as the vertical and horizontal axes of the graph shown in FIG. Since the rotation angle of the operating lever continues to increase from about 30 ° to about 1.8 °, the load applied to the operating lever continues to increase, so the force (insertion force) that lowers the operating lever is also a constant ratio from 0N to about 18.6N. Increased in.

As shown in FIG. 16, as compared with the result shown in FIG. 15, the operating lever is loaded for a longer period of time (the rotation angle of the operating lever is from about 30 ° to about 1.8 °), so that the operating lever is moved down. You must continue to exert force to lower it. In particular, an insertion force of about 10 N or more is required after the rotation angle exceeds 15 °. Therefore, the person who operates the operating lever mistakenly recognizes that the plug connector and the receptacle connector are completely locked before the operating lever is fully lowered due to the continuous load on the operating lever. It may end up. In this case, since the operator stops the operation of the operation lever in the middle, the locking between the plug connector and the receptacle connector may remain incomplete.

On the other hand, in the connector device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 15, only for a short period (the rotation angle of the operating lever 20 is from about 3.6 ° to about 2.4 °). Since no load is applied to the operating lever 20, it is not necessary to continuously apply force to lower the operating lever. Then, since the time when the load is applied to the operation lever 20 and the force (insertion force (N)) is started to be applied is just before the operation lever 20 is completely lowered, the operator of the operation lever 20 loads the operation lever 20. By applying force after the force starts to be applied, the engagement between the connectors can be completed immediately. In this way, the period during which a strong load is applied to the operation lever 20 is shortened as compared with the conventional example of the connector device (see FIG. 16), and the time when the load is applied is shifted immediately before the connectors are engaged with each other. It is possible to prevent the operator of 20 from erroneously recognizing that the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are completely locked and stopping the operation lever 20 from being lowered halfway.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a first connector (plug connector) according to another embodiment of the present invention. The plug connector 90 shown in FIG. 17 is configured as a vertical connector in which the cable extends substantially in a straight line with respect to the mating direction with the mating connector (receptacle connector). Similar to the plug connector 17, the plug connector 90 can fix the cable 2 using one clamp 30'. The operating lever 20'has a shape that matches the insulating housing of the vertical plug connector 90, but basically has the same configuration and function as the plug connector 10 in the connector device 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. ..

It can be widely applied to various connectors that maintain a mated state by using an arm portion.

1 Connector device 2 Cable 10, 90 Plug connector (first connector)
11 Insulated housing (first housing)
12 Rotating shaft 13 Protrusion 14 Restriction part 15 Claw receiving part 16 Fitting part (first fitting part)
20, 20'Operating lever 21 Operating unit 22 Arm unit (locking unit)
23 Inclined part (first inclined part)
24 Recess 25 Claw 26 Bearing 27 Bearing edge 28 Lever lower edge 29 Clamp receiving part 30, 30'Clamp 31 Top 32 Upper edge 50 Receptacle connector (second connector)
51 Insulated housing (second housing)
52 Fitting part (second fitting part)
53 Flange part 54 Gasket 55 Support part 56 Taper 57 Locking member (locked part)
58 Inclined part (second inclined part)
59 Contact part 60 Arm receiving surface 61 Claw tip part 62 Arm tip part

Claims (10)

A connector device consisting of a first connector and a second connector that can be fitted to each other.
The first connector includes a first housing and an operating lever rotatably pivotally supported and provided with a locking portion with respect to the first housing.
The second connector includes a second housing with a locked portion.
The locking portion is locked by the locked portion of the second housing when the operating lever is rotated with respect to the first housing, so that the first connector and the second connector are in a fitted state. Is configured to maintain
The locking portion is to have a recess the the side edge in contact with the engaged portion,
The second housing has a flange portion extending in a direction intersecting at right angles to the fitting direction of the connector.
The flange portion has an upright support portion on the side to be fitted with the first connector.
The connector device is characterized in that the locked portion is provided so as to project from the support portion in a direction toward the second fitting portion of the second housing. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the recess is formed in a recessed shape so as not to lock the locked portion. The locking portion is arranged on each of the side surfaces on both sides of the first housing, and is formed as an arm portion curved along the rotation direction of the operating lever.
The connector device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the recess is formed on an edge on the tip end side of the arm portion. The arm portion has an upper edge portion after the recess formed on the edge on the distal end side.
The upper edge portion is characterized in that it is in contact with the locked portion when the operating lever is lowered to the range of motion limit on the second connector side by rotational movement. 3. The connector device according to 3. The locked portion has a contact portion pointed in a certain direction of the flange portion, and has a contact portion.
The connector device according to claim 4 , wherein the contact portion contacts the upper edge portion of the arm portion to lock the first connector and the second connector. The arm portion has a first inclined portion before the recess, and has a top portion between the recess and the first inclined portion.
The locked portion has a second inclined portion on the side facing the flange portion.
The claim is characterized in that when the first connector and the second connector are fitted, the first inclined portion, the top portion, and the second inclined portion are configured to be slidable with each other. The connector device according to any one of 3 to 5. The operating lever includes an elastic claw portion and has an elastic claw portion.
The first housing is provided with a protrusion at a position where the tip of the claw portion abuts when the operating lever is rotated to lock the connectors.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the tip of the claw portion gets over the protrusion when the operating lever is lowered to the limit of the range of motion on the second connector side by rotational movement. Connector device. The first housing includes a claw receiving portion adjacent to the protrusion.
The connector device according to claim 7 , wherein when the claw portion gets over the protrusion, the tip of the claw portion hits the claw receiving portion to generate a sound. The connector device according to any one of claims 3 to 6 , wherein the support portion is arranged outside the arm portion arranged on both side surfaces of the first housing. It said first connector used in the connector device according to any one of claims 1 9.

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