JPH0755827Y2 - Connector connection structure - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] "Industrial Application Field" The present invention is provided in the opening hollow portion of one connector housing.
The present invention relates to a connector coupling structure in which the front half of the other connector housing is fitted to couple and connect the two.

"Prior Art" As a connector coupling structure, there are roughly two means for accurately coupling a multipolar connector having a large coupling resistance with a small force.

That is, one of them is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-99788, in which one of a pair of mutually connected connector housings is attached with a rotary lever having a pinion portion on the outer circumference of a fulcrum, and the other connector housing A rack lever structure is provided in which a rack portion that engages with the pinion portion is provided, and the rotation lever is rotated in a direction different from the coupling direction of the connector housing to amplify the coupling force and couple the connector housing with a small force. One of them is a coupling bolt structure in which a pair of connector housings are tightened and coupled by a coupling bolt that moves forward and backward in the coupling direction of the connector housing.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The above-mentioned two conventional means have a low insertion force action in which a large coupling force is generated by a small operation force. But,
In the former rotary lever structure, the rotation direction of the rotation lever is different from the connecting direction of the connector housings, and the pair of connector housings are temporarily mated (slightly mated together) Since it will be a joint work to rotate the lever, it will be necessary to change the handle,
There is a drawback in that it is inferior in operability in joining.

Therefore, the connector cannot be visually confirmed in a narrow place, and it is not suitable for a wire harness for automobiles that requires the coupling action of one-handed handing, and the rotation space of its rotating lever is required around the connector, so it is limited to a narrow peripheral space. It is not suitable as an automotive connector that is often used.

On the other hand, with the latter connecting bolt structure, the work of tightening the bolt with a tightening tool is indispensable, so it is inferior to the connecting workability like the former, and the above hand-gripping connection cannot be performed. Since a space for the above is required around the connector, it has the same difficulty as the former, which is not applicable as a connector for an automobile wire harness.

The present invention provides a connector coupling structure that solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional means.

"Means for Solving the Problems" The present invention which solves the above technical problems is "a connector in which the front half portion of the other connector housing is fitted into the opening hollow portion of the one connector housing, and the two are coupled and connected. One of the connector housings is "integrally connected to the outer periphery of the peripheral wall via a thin hinge made of the same material as the connector housing, and also overlaps with the outer side of the peripheral wall so that it can be closed.
A coupling lever that has a cam plate facing the first half that projects downwards "
The cam plate has a "cam groove for gradually reducing the turning radius from the hinge from the cam start end at the tip toward the cam end end", and the cam follower for the cam plate is provided outside the other connector housing. Node pins are projected, and further,
A cam plate pocket into which the cam plate is inserted from the insertion slit is provided in the opening hollow part, and the lower half portion is inserted into the insertion slit by the holding force of the thin hinge, and the cam groove start end of the coupling lever is The structure is such that the coupling lever that receives the cam follower pin can be maintained in the steady posture in the anti-closed state, and the coupling lever in the steady posture is pushed in to close the cam follower pin, which is guided to the cam groove. It is configured to be moved rearward to couple and connect the pair of connector housings.

[Operation] In the connector coupling structure of the present invention described above, the cam follower pin of the other connector housing is engaged with the cam groove of the coupling lever provided in one connector housing, and the cam follower pin is closed by closing the coupling lever. Is guided rearward, the operating force of the connecting lever is amplified and transmitted to the cam follower pin, and the connector housing is connected by a large connecting force.

Then, the coupling lever guides the cam follower pin from the semi-closed posture, and the connector can be coupled and connected by closing so as to overlap the outer periphery of the connector housing, so that the operation can be suppressed only with a fingertip. well,
The connection operation of the connector is extremely simple, and even if the connector cannot be visually confirmed in a narrow space, it can be easily connected with one hand. Since the operation stroke of the rotary lever is small, there is no need for a special operation space around the connector, and if there is only a space where the fingertip can enter, there is a unique advantage that the connecting work can be performed accurately. Further, in the connector coupling structure of the present invention having the above-described structure, the hinge for rotatably supporting the coupling lever is formed by the thin-walled (thin resin of the same material as the connector housing) hinge, with the coupling lever protruding from the connector housing. After that, since the thin hinge is bent and the lower half part of the coupling lever is put in the above-mentioned steady posture in the connector housing, the thin hinge has an appropriate amount of bending rigidity.
The steady posture can be maintained. That is, the connecting lever formed in the above-mentioned protruding shape is pressed to the connector housing side to form a completely closed posture, and then the pressing lever is released to be in a free state, so that the forcibly bent thin-walled hinge is slightly moved. It is possible to maintain the above-mentioned steady posture while performing plastic bending and leaving some bending rigidity.

Therefore, the work of assembling the coupling lever to the connector housing becomes unnecessary, and the coupling lever in the connector housing single state (state before coupling) maintains a steady posture with the lower half portion inserted in the connector housing. Before connecting the housings to each other, there is no risk of deformation or breakage of the connecting lever. Moreover, when connecting, there is no need to reposition so that the cam groove and the cam follower pin are connected. Is stable, easy to handle, and extremely easy to join. And
After the connector housing is coupled, the cam plate portion is housed in the cam plate pocket, so that the coupling lever can be protected when the connector is used. There is the above-mentioned unique action.

"Example" Hereinafter, it demonstrates in detail based on an Example. Referring to FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of the present invention, a female connector housing 2 (hereinafter, referred to as a male housing 2) having a male terminal 3 accommodated therein is provided with a female terminal (not shown) in a hollow portion 4. In a connector for fitting and connecting a connector housing 1 (hereinafter referred to as a female housing 1), the male housing 2 is integrally formed on the outside of the male housing 2 via a hinge 8 near the rear end of the male housing 2. A rotatable plate-like coupling lever 5 is provided, and on both sides of the front half of the coupling lever 5, symmetrical vane-shaped cam plates 6A6B projecting downward are formed, and the cam plates are also formed. A cam groove 7 for coupling is provided inside 6A6B.

That is, the hinge 8 is a thin-walled hinge made of the same resin as the male housing 2 and is formed integrally with the male housing 2. The coupling lever 5 is shown in FIG.
(B) As shown by the dotted line in the figure, after being molded into a shape protruding from the male housing 2, the hinge 8 is bent,
The lower half of the hinge is inserted from the insertion slit 17 so that the coupling lever 5 is in a semi-closed state with respect to the male housing 2 and the steady posture of the solid line in the drawing is held by the bending rigidity of the hinge 8.

A cam follower pin 10 that engages with the cam groove 7 of the cam plate 6A6B is provided on the side of the other female housing 1 so as to be fitted to the opening hollow portion 4 of the male housing 2. In a semi-fitted state in which the first and second halves of the male and female housings 1 and 2 are slightly fitted, the cam starting end 12 of the cam groove 7 of the cam plate 6A6B in the steady posture and the cam follower pin 10 are engaged, and the coupling lever 5 is pressed as it is. Then, the cam follower pin 10
Is drawn to the rear of the opening hollow portion 4, and the male and female housings 1
• 2 is configured to connect and join normally.

For details, refer to FIGS. 1 (B) to (D). The cam groove 7 of the coupling lever 5 has a cam start end 12 at the tip of the cam plate 6A6B and a cam plate 6A6B.
It has an intermediate cam end 13 and is formed symmetrically inside the cam plates 6A6B, and the distance from the hinge 8 which is the center of rotation of the coupling lever 5 is from the cam start end 12 R ₁ to the cam end 13 R ₂ It has a cam shape that gradually decreases toward.

Then, inside the opening hollow portion 4, the inserted cam plate 6A6B
Is provided below the insertion slit 17, and the inner wall 15 of the cam plate pocket 9 forms the peripheral wall of the fitting portion that receives the female housing 1, and the upper end of the inner wall 15 is It becomes a guide receiving portion 11 of the cam follower pin 10 of the female housing 1 to be fitted, and this guide receiving portion 11 is formed in a groove shape and extends rearward from the inlet of the opening hollow portion 4.

A cam positioned on the guide receiving portion 11 with the male and female housings 1 and 2 in the half-fitted state in the posture of the half-set of the coupling lever 5 in the steady posture (solid line position in FIGS. 1B and 1C). The follower pin 10 is formed in a shape that engages with the cam start end 12 of the cam groove 7.

When the coupling lever 5 in the half-fitted state is pushed in with a fingertip, the cam follower pin 10 engaged with the cam groove 7 is rotated by a radius of gyration R (the hinge of the rotation fulcrum) as shown in FIGS. (Rotation radius from 8) is guided to the cam groove 7 which gradually decreases in the direction of the cam end 13 and moves rearward on the guide receiving portion 11, the male and female housings 1 and 2 come close to each other, and the coupling lever 5 moves to the male side. When the housing 2 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the housing 2 and falls into a closed posture, the cam follower pin 10 reaches the end 13 of the cam, and the housings are normally fitted and connected to each other.

A non-return pawl 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the cam plate 6A6B near the tip thereof, and a stopper pin 14 that engages with the non-return pawl 16 is provided in the cam plate pocket 9 so that the coupling lever 5 is in the final posture. A locking mechanism is provided in which the check claw 16 and the stopper pin 14 are engaged with the "pachin" and the closed posture of the coupling lever 5 is locked.

In the connector coupling structure of the above embodiment, since the male and female connector housings 1 and 2 are coupled and connected only by pushing the coupling lever 5 in the half-set posture with the fingertip, for automobiles arranged in a narrow space with high density. It is extremely suitable for the connector of the wire harness, enables hand-grid connection operation, does not require a special operation space, and the operability of connector connection is significantly improved compared to the conventional means, and the above-mentioned action can be fully expected. .

The guide receiving portion 11 of the above embodiment is provided for smoothing the rearward movement of the cam follower pin 10, and can be omitted or changed to another guide means.

"Effect of device" As described above, the connector connection structure of the present invention is
It has excellent coupling operability, does not require a special space for its operation, and is extremely suitable for a wire harness connector that is densely arranged in a narrow peripheral space. There is a practical effect of improving operability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a connector coupling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a perspective view thereof, (B) is a perspective view of one connector housing thereof, (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (B),
(D) is a front view of the coupling lever, FIG. 2 (A)
(B): FIG. 1 is a front view showing the working state of the embodiment Main symbols, 1: female connector housing, 2: male connector housing, 4: open hollow part, 5: coupling lever, 6A6B: cam plate,
7: Cam groove, 8: Hinge, 9: Cam plate pocket, 10: Cam follower pin, 11: Guide receiving part, 12: Cam start end, 13: Cam end

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. In a connector in which the front half of the other connector housing is fitted into the open hollow portion of the one connector housing, and the two are joined and connected, one connector housing is provided with "a thin hinge made of the same material as the connector housing. A connecting lever that is integrally connected to the outside of the peripheral wall via the, and can be closed by overlapping the outside of the peripheral wall, and that has a cam plate facing the front half and protruding downward. A cam groove that gradually reduces the turning radius from the hinge from the cam start end to the cam end, and the cam follower pin for the cam plate is provided on the outer side of the other connector housing, and A cam plate pocket into which the cam plate is inserted from the insertion slit is provided in the opening hollow portion, and the lower half portion is inserted into the insertion slit by the holding force of the thin hinge. Is, the cam groove start of the coupling lever, the coupling structure of a connector characterized by the structure can be held steady posture of semi-closed state of the coupling lever for receiving a cam follower pin.