WO2010058529A1

WO2010058529A1 - Electric connector and electric connector assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2010058529A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/005838
Authority: WO
Inventors: 實藤雄介
Original assignee: タイコエレクトロニクスジャパン合同会社
Priority date: 2008-11-19
Filing date: 2009-11-04
Publication date: 2010-05-27
Also published as: JP2010123395A

Abstract

An electric connector assembly, wherein a receptacle connector and a plug connector can be easily and reliably fitted to each other. A lever (40) is pivotably connected at ends (40a) thereof to support shafts (41) provided to side surfaces of a plug housing (31), and the lever is formed in such a manner that extending sections (42) extending toward remaining ends (40b) of the lever lie along the side surfaces on both sides of the plug housing (31) when the lever (40) is tilted down into an engaged state. A downwardly extending block-shaped projecting section (60) is provided at the remaining ends (40b) of the lever (40). The configuration causes the lever (40) to have a substantial L-shape formed by an extending section (42) and the projecting section (60) with a remaining end (40b) therebetween. A deforming section (61) of the projecting section (60) is provided to a side of an electric wire routed in the longitudinal direction of the plug housing (31).

Description

[Name of invention determined by ISA based on Rule 37.2] Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly including a plug connector having a plug housing that holds one connector, and a receptacle connector that holds the other connector and receives the plug housing, and one of the electrical connectors.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrical connector (hereinafter simply referred to as a connector) that is mounted on a circuit board (hereinafter simply referred to as a board) such as a printed wiring board and connects the board to another electrical circuit has been widely used. This connector mainly includes a contact and a housing that holds the contact. The connector includes a female receptacle connector and a male plug connector. The receptacle connector has a cylindrical hood, and a plurality of contacts are arranged in the hood. The plug connector has a housing that is inserted into the hood, and contacts that fit into the contacts of the receptacle connector are provided in the housing.

In order to reduce the insertion force of the plug connector into the receptacle connector when the plug connector is fitted to the receptacle connector, a connector with a lever has been conventionally provided (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The connector with the lever is provided so that the lever can rotate with respect to the plug connector. When the operator manually rotates the force point on the tip side of the lever (the side away from the fulcrum), from the action point provided near the fulcrum of the lever, between the receptacle connector and the plug connector, A force in a direction that causes both to approach or separate from each other (this force is referred to as boost) is applied. The receptacle connector and the plug connector can be inserted and removed with a lighter force by the boosting force generated by the lever.

JP 2007-188663 A

However, the conventional connector assembly including a lever has the following problems.
When the connector assembly is used for, for example, an automobile electrical component, the connector assembly is required to be miniaturized in the same manner as the automotive electrical component that is always required to be miniaturized. Moreover, in the manufacturing process of a motor vehicle, the operation | work which connects the plug connector provided in the front-end | tip part of a wire harness to the receptacle connector provided in the electrical component side for motor vehicles is performed. At this time, for example, the plug connector is required to be miniaturized in order to insert the wire harness into, for example, a hole formed in a partition wall that separates the engine room and the vehicle compartment of the automobile.
In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the lever 4 covers the male connector 3. This increases the width of the male connector 3 in the short direction by the thickness of the lever 4. However, if the lever 4 does not cover the male connector 3 and is disposed so as to be within the width of the male connector 3 in the short direction, the male connector housing 32d becomes an obstacle, and the lever 4 cannot cover the male connector. . For this reason, the lever 4 must be shortened accordingly.
However, if the lever is shortened in this way, the boost generated by the lever is reduced, and the effect of reducing the force with which the plug connector is inserted into and removed from the receptacle connector is reduced. In recent years, the number of terminals has been increasing in the electrical components for automobiles, and the force required to insert / remove the plug connector into / from the receptacle connector tends to increase. Therefore, a decrease in the effect of reducing the force with which the plug connector is inserted into and removed from the receptacle connector may lead to a decrease in workability.

In a plug connector having a lever as described above, an electric wire is connected in advance to a contact held by the plug housing. Then, this plug connector is fitted into the receptacle connector. However, after the step of connecting the electric wire to the plug connector and before the step of fitting the plug connector to the receptacle connector, the electric wire may be sandwiched between the lever and the plug housing during transportation. When the electric wire is sandwiched between the lever and the plug housing, the operator must remove the sandwiched electric wire before the plug connector is fitted into the receptacle connector. This work takes time and leads to a decrease in production efficiency. In addition, if an unexpected force is applied to the lever while the electric wire is sandwiched between the lever and the plug housing, the electric wire may be disconnected.

The present invention has been made based on such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly in which the receptacle connector and the plug connector can be easily and reliably engaged.

The electrical connector of the present invention made for this purpose is provided on a housing, a contact held by the housing, and one surface side of the housing, and one end portion thereof is rotatably connected to the housing via a support shaft. And a lever having an extending portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the housing toward the other end portion. The lever is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes along the housing toward the other surface side of the housing at the other end portion, and the extending portion and the protruding portion are substantially L-shaped through the other end portion. It is characterized by.
Since such a lever extends from one end of the housing toward the other end, the lever length can be increased and a boost can be ensured. Such a lever may be engaged inside the hood that houses the housing with the housing fitted to another housing, or may be engaged outside the hood. good.

The present invention also relates to an electrical connector assembly, which is a first housing, a second housing that fits into the first housing, a first contact held by the first housing, and a second And a second contact connected to the first contact, the first housing including a hood forming a space for receiving the second housing. In order to reduce the insertion force of the second housing into the hood on one surface side of the second housing, one end is pivotally connected to the second housing via a support shaft and is directed toward the other end. And a lever having an extending portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the second housing. The lever is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes toward the other surface side of the second housing at the other end portion, and the extending portion and the protruding portion are substantially L-shaped through the other end portion. Further, the lever is inserted into the first housing in the short side direction of the second housing with the second housing inserted into the hood of the first housing. An engaging portion is provided to engage with.

Here, the engaging portion can include a deformable piece that can be deformed in the longitudinal direction or the short-side direction of the second housing, and an engaging claw that is formed on the deformed piece and is engaged with the hood.
In such a configuration, when the engaging claw of the engaging portion is engaged with the hood, the lever is engaged with the hood, that is, the first housing, and the first housing and the second housing are engaged. Can be locked. Further, the deforming piece of the engaging portion is pressed and deformed in the longitudinal direction or the short-side direction of the second housing, so that the engaging claw formed on the deforming piece is displaced in a direction away from the hood. Can be disengaged.
However, the engaging portion may have any other configuration as long as the lever can be engaged with the first housing.

When the electric wire connected to the second contact held in the second housing is routed along the longitudinal direction of the second housing, it is routed along the longitudinal direction of the second housing. By providing a deformed piece with an engaging claw engaged with the hood on the side of the electric wire, the operator can easily and reliably operate the deformed piece without being affected by the wiring direction of the electric wire. .

It is preferable that either one of the second housing and the lever is provided with a convex portion that prevents the electric wire from entering between the second housing and the lever.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent an electric wire or the like from entering between the lever and the second housing.

Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a lever engaging portion for engaging the lever with the second housing on the convex portion. Accordingly, the lever can be temporarily fixed to the second housing in a state where the second housing is not inserted into the first housing.

The lever is preferably configured such that the inclination angle with respect to the second housing differs between the state in which the engaging portion engages with the hood and the state in which the lever engaging portion engages with the second housing. That is, when the second housing is fitted to the first housing, only the engaging portion is engaged with the hood, and the lever engaging portion is not engaged with the second housing. preferable. In a state where the second housing is fitted to the first housing, not only the engaging portion engages with the hood, but also the lever engaging portion is engaged with the second housing. This is because in the case of waking up, the engagement by the engaging portion and the engagement by the lever engaging portion must be released at the same time, which makes it difficult to release.
Further, when the lever engaging portion is engaged with the second housing, the lever engaging portion is moved to the second housing if the lever is further tilted than the state where the engaging portion is engaged with the hood. In the engaged state, the lever interferes and the second housing cannot be completely fitted to the first housing.

According to the present invention, even with a miniaturized connector, a boost by the lever can be secured.
In addition, in the engaging portion, by arranging a deformed piece having an engaging claw engaged with the hood on the side of the electric wire arranged along the longitudinal direction of the second housing, the electric wire is arranged. The operator can easily and reliably operate the deformed piece without being influenced by the direction. Thereby, the fall of maintainability can be avoided.

In addition, by providing a protrusion on either one of the second housing or the lever to prevent the electric wire from entering between the second housing and the lever, an electric wire or the like is provided between the lever and the second housing. Inadvertent entry can be prevented. Thereby, it can prevent that workability | operativity falls.

Furthermore, if the protrusion is provided with a lever engaging portion for engaging the lever with the second housing, the lever is temporarily attached to the second housing in a state where the second housing is not inserted into the first housing. Can be fixed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the lever from being bent or the electric wire or the like from being caught in the gap between the engaging portion and the first housing until the second housing is fitted to the first housing.

When the lever is raised if the angle of inclination of the lever with respect to the second housing is different between the state where the engaging portion engages with the hood and the state where the lever engaging portion engages with the second housing In this manner, it is possible to avoid having to release the engagement by the engagement portion and the engagement by the lever engagement portion at the same time, and the engagement portion can be easily released from the hood.

It is a figure which shows the electrical connector assembly in 1st embodiment, (a) is the perspective view which looked at the electrical connector assembly from the one end side of a lever, (b) is the other end side of the lever It is the perspective view seen from. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state immediately before the plug connector is inserted into the receptacle connector in the electrical connector assembly shown in FIG. 1, (a) is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly as viewed from one end side of the lever; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly as viewed from the other end side of the lever. FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a plug connector, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the center line of the plug connector (AA cross-sectional view in FIG. 4A). It is a figure which shows the state which fixed the lever of the plug connector temporarily, (a) is a side view of a plug connector, (b) is a front view of a plug connector. It is a figure which shows the state which raised the lever of the plug connector, (a) is a side view of a plug connector, (b) is a front view of a plug connector. It is a figure which shows the state which fitted the plug connector to the receptacle connector, (a) is BB sectional drawing of (b), (b) is a front view. It is the perspective view which looked at the electrical connector assembly in 2nd embodiment from the other end side of the lever.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
[First embodiment]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a connector (electrical connector assembly) 10 includes a receptacle connector (first connector) 20 fixed to the printed wiring board side and a plug connector that can be fitted to the receptacle connector 20. (Second connector, electrical connector) 30.

The receptacle connector 20 includes a resin-made receptacle housing (first housing) 21 and a contact (first contact: not shown) formed of a conductive material such as a copper-based material.

As shown in FIG. 2, the receptacle housing 21 is provided with a contact holding wall 23 that holds a plurality of contacts (not shown) arranged in a state of being spaced apart from each other. On one surface side of the contact holding wall 23, a hood 26 to which the plug connector 30 is fitted is provided. The hood 26 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that rises from the contact holding wall 23, and the inside thereof serves as a receiving space 27 for inserting the plug connector 30.

The contact holding wall 23 is formed with a through hole 23a for holding a plurality of contacts (not shown) in the hood 26 while being arranged at intervals.

As shown in FIG. 1, each plug connector 30 is made of a resin plug housing (second housing, housing) 31 that fits into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and a conductive material such as a copper alloy. It comprises a contact (second contact) 33 (see FIG. 3B).

2, the plug housing 31 has a cross-sectional shape that fits into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of contact holding holes 32 are formed in the plug housing 31 at intervals from each other, corresponding to a plurality of contacts (not shown) of the receptacle connector 20. A contact 33 is held in each of the contact holding holes 32.

An electric wire (not shown) is inserted into the contact holding hole 32 opened on the upper surface side of the plug housing 31. This electric wire (not shown) is electrically connected to the contact 33 in the contact holding hole 32. The wire harness in which the wires connected to the plurality of contacts 33 are bundled is orthogonal to the insertion / extraction direction of the plug connector 30 with respect to the receptacle connector 20, and the longitudinal direction of the plug housing 31 (longitudinal direction of the lever 40: FIG. ) In the left-right direction).

Such a plug connector 30 is fitted to the receptacle connector 20 by inserting the plug housing 31 into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21. Then, the contact 33 on the plug connector 30 side is electrically connected to a contact (not shown) located in the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21.

In order to reduce the force required when the plug housing 31 is inserted into and removed from the receptacle housing 21, a lever 40 is provided on one surface side of the plug housing 31 with its one end 40a side being rotatably supported. . When the plug housing 31 is inserted into and removed from the receptacle housing 21, the lever 40 is rotated.
The lever 40 also has a function of engaging the plug housing 31 with the receptacle housing 21. In order to engage the plug housing 31 with the receptacle housing 21 with the lever 40, the other end portion 40 b is pushed to tilt the lever 40, and the other end portion 40 b is engaged with the receptacle housing 21. The plug connector 30 is engaged with the receptacle housing 21 inside the hood 26 with the plug housing 31 inserted into the hood 26.

2 and 3A, the lever 40 is rotatably connected to a support shaft 41 provided on the side surface of the plug housing 31 on the one end 40a side. The support shaft 41 is offset from the center of the plug housing 31 toward the one end 40 a side.

The lever 40 has an extending portion 42 extending from the one end portion 40a toward the other end portion 40b. The extending portion 42 is formed along the side surfaces on both sides of the plug housing 31 when the lever 40 is brought into the engaged state. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in the extending portion 42 of the lever 40, portions along the side surfaces on both sides of the plug housing 31 are formed by a thin plate portion 42 p. In the extending portion 42, a reinforcing beam portion 42b having a truss structure is integrally formed at the upper end portion of the plate portion 42p in order to reinforce the plate portion 42p.

In the plate portion 42p, a cam projection 55 for projecting the operating force to the receptacle housing 21 when the lever 40 is rotated to a position projecting toward the one end 40a side of the lever 40 from the support shaft 41 is formed to project. Has been.
On the other hand, a cam groove 56 that guides the cam projection 55 is formed in the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21. The cam groove 56 is formed downward from the upper end portion of the hood 26, and the cam protrusion 55 moves along the cam groove 56 when the lever 40 is rotated. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, when the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 with the lever 40 raised, the cam protrusion 55 enters the cam groove 56. When the lever 40 is pushed down by pushing the other end 40 b of the lever 40, the cam protrusion 55 is displaced along the cam groove 56. At this time, the operating force input to the other end 40b of the lever 40 acts between the cam projection 55 and the cam groove 56 by the lever principle, whereby the plug housing 31 is inserted into and removed from the receptacle housing 21. The Therefore, the cam groove 56 is formed in an appropriate shape that exhibits a boosting force for inserting and removing the plug housing 31 into and from the receptacle housing 21.

A stopper 44 is formed at the tip of the plate 42p at a position protruding from the support shaft 41 toward the one end 40a of the lever 40.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 4A, the plug housing 31 is formed with a slit 45 into which a stopper portion 44 that moves in the vertical direction when the lever 40 is rotated is inserted. The slit 45 is formed with a stopper portion 46 that contacts the stopper portion 44 when the lever 40 is raised and restricts further movement. The slit 45 is formed with a stopper claw 47 that engages with a claw 44 a formed on the stopper portion 44. As shown in FIG. 5, the lever 40 can be held up from the plug housing 31 by engaging the stopper claw 47 with the claw 44 a. When the lever 40 is tilted, the claw 44 a gets over the stopper claw 47.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the other end portion 40b of the lever 40 is provided with a block-shaped protruding portion 60 that protrudes downward (to the other surface side of the plug housing 31). Thereby, as for the lever 40, the extending | stretching part 42 and the protrusion part 60 are substantially L-shaped via the other end part 40b.
The protrusion 60 is for engaging the lever 40 with the receptacle housing 21 when the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40 is further tilted as shown in FIGS. is there.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the projecting portion 60 is provided with a deformed piece (engaging portion) 61 in which the lower end portion 61a is fixed to the lever 40 and the upper end portion 61b extends upward. The deformable piece 61 is formed in the protruding portion 60 so as to face one side of the hood 26 in the short direction. The deformable piece 61 is formed of a flexible resin material. When the upper end 61b of the deformable piece 61 is pressed, the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed like a plate-like or beam-like spring, and the lower end 61a side is the center. As a result, the upper end 61 b side is displaced in the short direction of the hood 26.
The deformable piece 61 is provided with an engaging claw 63 at a position facing the inner peripheral surface of the hood 26. The engaging claw 63 approaches and separates from the inner peripheral surface of the hood 26 due to the displacement of the deformable piece 61 in the above direction.

On the other hand, on the inner peripheral surface of the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21, an engagement recess 64 that engages with the engagement claw 63 at a position facing the engagement claw 63 when the plug connector 30 is fitted to the hood 26. Is formed.

When the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40 is further tilted, the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed so that the engaging claw 63 of the protrusion 60 is engaged with the engaging recess 64 of the hood 26. To do. As a result, the lever 40 is locked while being tilted, and the plug housing 31 is locked while being fitted to the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21. In this state, in the lever 40, the reinforcing beam portion 42b is parallel to the upper surface 31a of the plug housing 31.
The deformed piece 61 has an upper end portion 61b protruding upward from the hood 26 so that the plug housing 31 can be inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40 can be pressed. It is formed to do. In order to unlock the lever 40, the upper end 61 b of the deformable piece 61 is pressed in the short direction of the hood 26. Then, the upper end 61b side of the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the hood 26, and the engagement between the engagement claw 63 of the protrusion 60 and the engagement recess 64 of the hood 26 can be released. The lever 40 may be raised.

As shown in FIG. 2 (b), in the plug housing 31, a protrusion (projection) 70 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the side surface 31 b on the other end 40 b side of the lever 40. A deformed piece 71 having a lower end portion fixed to the plug housing 31 and an upper end portion being a free end is formed at an intermediate portion in the width direction of the protrusion 70. An engaging protrusion (lever engaging portion) 72 that protrudes toward the other end portion 40 b of the lever 40 is formed on the upper end portion of the deformable piece 71.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, an engaging step portion 73 that engages with the engaging protrusion 72 is formed on the protruding portion 60 on the side facing the side surface 31 b of the plug housing 31.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the lever 40 is tilted while the plug housing 31 is not inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and remains alone, the deformable piece 71 is elastically deformed to be engaged. The stepped portion 73 gets over the engaging protrusion 72 of the plug housing 31. Then, the deformation piece 71 is restored by the elastic force, and the engagement protrusion 72 and the engagement step portion 73 are engaged with each other. The lever 40 cannot be raised above the engagement position between the engagement protrusion 72 and the engagement step portion 73 and is temporarily engaged with the plug housing 31.
At this time, the lever 40 is temporarily engaged with the upper surface 31a of the plug housing 31 so as to be gradually lowered from the one end portion 40a side toward the other end portion 40b side.
To release the temporary engagement of the lever 40 with the plug housing 31, the upper end portion of the deformable piece 71 is pressed toward the one end portion 40 a side of the lever 40. Then, the upper end portion of the deformable piece 71 is elastically deformed, and the engagement between the engagement protrusion 72 and the engagement step portion 73 is released. Therefore, the lever 40 may be raised as it is.

According to the configuration as described above, the deformation piece 61 of the protrusion 60 is formed on the side of the electric wire (wire harness) routed along the longitudinal direction of the plug housing 31. Thereby, the deformation | transformation piece 61 will be located in the side of an electric wire, and the operation is not prevented by the electric wire. Therefore, the operator can operate the deformable piece 61 easily and reliably, raise the lever 40, and pull out the plug connector 30 from the receptacle connector 20.

Further, by temporarily fixing the lever 40 to the plug housing 31 with the lever 40 in a tilted state, the lever 40 may be broken or the protrusion 60 and the plug housing 31 may be disconnected until the plug connector 30 is fitted to the receptacle connector 20. It is possible to prevent an electric wire or the like from being caught in the gap.
Further, in a state where the lever 40 is temporarily fixed to the plug housing 31, the lever 40 is pushed further downward in the plug housing 31 than in a state where the lever 40 is permanently fixed to the receptacle housing 21. Therefore, in this state, since the lever 40 interferes with the hood 26, the plug housing 31 and the receptacle housing 21 cannot be completely fitted, and erroneous insertion can be prevented.

In addition, by forming the protrusion 70 on the side surface 31b of the plug housing 31, the gap between the protrusion 60 of the lever 40 and the plug housing 31 can be closed when the lever 40 is tilted, It is possible to reliably prevent the electric wire and the like from entering. Moreover, the protrusion 70 has an engagement step 73 for temporarily fixing the lever 40 to the plug housing 31. That is, the protrusion 70 has two functions, namely, preventing the electric wire from entering and temporarily fixing the lever 40.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the plug housing 31 is fitted to the receptacle housing 21, the lever 40 is tilted and engaged with the receptacle housing 21 by the protruding portion 60 (this state is hereinafter referred to as permanent fixing). In some cases, the lever 40 is parallel to the upper surface 31 a of the plug housing 31. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the lever 40 is temporarily fixed to the plug housing 31, the lever 40 is further tilted with respect to the upper surface 31 a of the plug housing 31. The reinforcing beam portion 42b is inclined so as to gradually become lower toward the end portion 40b side.
In the state where the receptacle housing 21 is permanently fixed, the engagement protrusion 72 and the engagement step portion 73 are not engaged with each other. Therefore, when the lever 40 is raised from the fully fixed state when the plug connector 30 is pulled out from the receptacle connector 20, the deformation piece 61 is elastically deformed to engage the engagement claw 63 of the protrusion 60 and the engagement recess 64 of the hood 26. The engagement of the lever 40 with the receptacle housing 21 can be released with an easy and light operating force.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the modification of said 1st embodiment is shown. In the following description, the difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is only the configuration of the protruding portion 60. Therefore, in the following description, only points different from the configuration shown in the first embodiment will be referred to, and other configurations that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Description is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 7, the other end portion 40 b of the lever 40 is provided with a block-shaped protrusion 60 extending downward. The protrusion 60 is for engaging the lever 40 with the receptacle housing 21 when the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40 is further tilted.
The protruding portion 60 is provided with a deformed piece (engaging portion) 66 having a lower end portion 66a fixed to the lever 40 and an upper end portion 66b extending upward. The deformation piece 66 is provided on one side of the protrusion 60 in the short direction of the hood 26. The deformation piece 66 is formed of a flexible resin material. When the upper end portion 66b of the deformation piece 66 is pressed, the deformation piece 66 is elastically deformed like a plate-like or beam-like spring, and the lower end portion 66a side is the center. As a result, the upper end 66 b side is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the hood 26.
The deformation piece 66 is provided with an engaging claw 67 at a position facing the inner peripheral surface of the hood 26. The engaging claw 67 approaches and separates from the inner peripheral surface of the hood 26 due to the displacement of the deformation piece 66 in the above direction.

On the other hand, the inner peripheral surface of the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 is engaged at a position facing the engaging claw 67 when the plug connector 30 is fitted to the hood 26 as in the first embodiment. An engaging recess (not shown) that engages with the claw 67 is formed.

When the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40 is further tilted, the deformation piece 66 is elastically deformed, whereby the engagement claw 67 of the protrusion 60 is engaged with the engagement recess (not shown) of the hood 26. Engage with. As a result, the lever 40 is locked while being tilted, and the plug housing 31 is locked while being fitted to the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21.
Further, the deformed piece 66 has an upper end portion 66b protruding upward from the hood 26 so that the plug housing 31 can be inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40 can be pressed. It is formed to do. To release the lock of the lever 40, the upper end portion 66b of the deformable piece 66 is pressed toward the one end portion 40a side of the lever 40 along the longitudinal direction of the hood 26. Then, the upper end 66b side of the deformable piece 66 is elastically deformed in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the hood 26, and the engagement between the engagement claw 67 of the protrusion 60 and the engagement recess (not shown) of the hood 26 can be released. Therefore, the lever 40 may be raised as it is.

In such a lever 40, as in the first embodiment, a protrusion 70 is formed on the side surface 31b of the lever 40 on the other end 40b side in the plug housing 31. Further, an engaging step portion 73 that engages with the engaging protrusion 72 is formed on the protruding portion 60 on the side facing the side surface 31 b of the plug housing 31.

Even in the configuration as described above, the deformation piece 66 of the protrusion 60 is provided to be located on the side of the electric wire. Thereby, the electric wire electrically connected to the contact held by the plug housing 31 is perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction of the plug housing 31 with respect to the receptacle housing 21 and extends in the direction in which the lever 40 extends. However, the operation of the deformation piece 66 is not hindered by the electric wire. Therefore, the operator can operate the deformable piece 66 easily and reliably, raise the lever 40, and pull out the plug connector 30 from the receptacle connector 20.

Further, by temporarily fixing the lever 40 to the plug housing 31 with the lever 40 in a tilted state, the lever 40 may be broken or the protrusion 60 and the plug housing 31 may be disconnected until the plug connector 30 is fitted to the receptacle connector 20. It is possible to prevent an electric wire or the like from being caught in the gap.
Further, when the lever 40 is temporarily fixed to the plug housing 31, the lever 40 interferes with the hood 26, so that the plug housing 31 and the receptacle housing 21 cannot be completely fitted, and erroneous insertion can be prevented.
In addition, by forming the ridge 70 on the side surface 31 b of the plug housing 31, it is possible to reliably prevent an electric wire or the like from entering the gap between the protrusion 60 of the lever 40 and the plug housing 31.
Further, in the state where the receptacle housing 21 is permanently fixed, the engagement protrusion 72 and the engagement step portion 73 do not engage with each other, and when the lever 40 is raised from this state, the receptacle housing of the lever 40 can be easily and lightly operated. 21 can be disengaged.

Note that the configuration shown in the above embodiment is merely an example, and the specific structure and the like can be changed other than those shown in the above embodiment.
Moreover, although the protrusion part 60 was set as the structure which has the deformation |

transformation pieces

61 and 66 which have the engaging

claws

63 and 67, it is not restricted to this. The protrusion 60 can be applied by appropriately adopting other known engagement methods.
In addition to this, as long as it does not depart from the gist of the present invention, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector (electric connector assembly), 20 ... Receptacle connector (first connector), 21 ... Receptacle housing (first housing), 26 ... Hood, 30 ... Plug connector (second connector, electric connector), DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Plug housing (2nd housing, housing), 33 ... Contact (2nd contact), 40 ... Lever, 40a ... One end part, 40b ... Other end part, 41 ... Support shaft, 55 ... Cam protrusion, 56 ... Cam groove, 60 ... Projection, 61, 66 ... Deformed piece (engagement part), 63, 67 ... Engagement claw, 64 ... Engagement recess, 70 ... Projection part (convex part), 71 ... Deformation piece, 72 ... engagement protrusion (lever engagement part), 73 ... engagement step part

Claims

A housing;
A contact held in the housing;
A lever provided on one side of the housing, having one end portion rotatably connected to the housing via a support shaft, and an extending portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the housing toward the other end portion; With
The lever is provided with a projecting portion projecting toward the other surface side of the housing at the other end portion of the lever, and the extending portion and the projecting portion are substantially L-shaped through the other end portion. An electrical connector characterized by
An electrical connector assembly comprising:
A first housing;
A second housing that fits into the first housing;
A first contact held in the first housing;
A second contact held in the second housing and connected to the first contact,
The first housing includes a hood that forms a space for receiving the second housing;
In order to reduce the insertion force of the second housing into the hood, one end of the second housing is rotatably connected to the second housing via a support shaft. A lever having an extending portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the second housing toward the end, and the lever is provided at the other end of the lever toward the other surface of the second housing. Protruding protrusions are provided, and the extending part and the protruding part are substantially L-shaped through the other end part,
In the lever, the second housing is inserted into the hood of the first housing, and the lever is placed inside the hood at one end in the short direction of the second housing. An electrical connector assembly comprising an engaging portion for engaging with the first housing.
The engaging portion includes a deformable piece that can be deformed in a longitudinal direction or a short direction of the second housing, and an engaging claw that is formed on the deformed piece and is engaged with the hood. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2.
The electric wire according to claim 2, wherein the electric wire connected to the second contact held by the second housing is routed along a longitudinal direction of the second housing. Connector assembly.
The convex part which prevents that the said electric wire enters from between the said 2nd housing and the said lever is provided in either one of the said 2nd housing or the said lever, The Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Electrical connector assembly.
6. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 5, wherein a lever engaging portion for engaging the lever with the second housing is provided on the convex portion.
The lever is different in inclination angle with respect to the second housing between a state in which the engaging portion engages with the hood and a state in which the lever engaging portion engages with the second housing. The electrical connector assembly of claim 6.