CN113937556B

CN113937556B - Power assisting rod and connector with same

Info

Publication number: CN113937556B
Application number: CN202111190831.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 沈海潼; 范丽娟; 陈海峻
Original assignee: Yazaki China Investment Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki China Investment Corp
Priority date: 2021-10-13
Filing date: 2021-10-13
Publication date: 2024-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 2041-10-13
Also published as: CN113937556A

Abstract

The invention provides a power assisting lever for mounting on a first connector and having a temporary locking position and a final locking position, and a connector having the same, wherein engagement and disengagement between the first connector and a counterpart second connector is achieved by rotation of the power assisting lever between the temporary locking position and the final locking position. The booster lever is flat plate type so that the rotation of the booster lever is rotation in a two-dimensional plane. By using the power assisting rod and the connector with the power assisting rod, the operating force during the jogging operation and the separating operation between the first connector and the matched second connector can be greatly reduced, the size of the connector can be effectively controlled, and the connector is simple in structure and low in cost.

Description

Power assisting rod and connector with same

Technical Field

The invention relates to a power-assisted rod and a connector with the power-assisted rod, and belongs to the field of electromechanics.

Background

Conventionally, electrical conduction between connectors is generally achieved by mutually embedding the connectors and the counterpart connectors. When the connector and the counterpart connector are fitted to each other, a certain operating force is required to insert and separate the counterpart connector into and from the connector, and thus there is a need to reduce the operating force in order to facilitate the fitting operation and the separating operation between the connectors. In addition, in particular, in the case of the connector for vehicles, the fitting operation and the operation force of the corresponding disconnecting operation are required in detail, regardless of the vehicle enterprise or the standards of the respective countries (USCAR-25 … …). Without the booster structure, particularly in the latter half of the mating operation, the number of contact assemblies is increasing, and many connectors are not satisfactory.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, connectors with a power assisting structure have appeared on the market, and a power assisting lever is used to assist a fitting operation and a separating operation between a connector and a mating connector, thereby reducing an operation force.

The conventional power assisting structure has a U-shaped structure including a pair of side plates bridging the outside of the connector housing and an operating portion connecting the pair of side plates, and the operating portion is also correspondingly located outside the connector housing, and assists in fitting and separating between the connector and the counterpart connector by designing a complex structure on the side plates and the corresponding wall portions of the connector housing and by rotating the power assisting structure.

Disclosure of Invention

However, with the conventional connector with the assist structure, the overall size of the connector is considerably increased, and the operation stroke of the assist structure is long and the required operation space is large in the fitting process or the separating process of the connector and the mating connector. Therefore, for the occasion where the installation space and the operation space are limited, it is likely that such a conventional connector with the assist structure cannot be applied. Moreover, with such a conventional connector having a power assisting structure, both the power assisting structure and the structure of the corresponding connector are complicated, and complicated and costly in terms of molding and mold design.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a power assist lever and a connector with a power assist lever that can greatly reduce the operation force at the time of the fitting operation and the separating operation between a first connector and a mating second connector, while effectively controlling the size of the connector, and that is simple in structure and low in cost.

Specifically, a first aspect of the present invention provides a booster lever for mounting on a first connector and having a temporary locking position and a final locking position, engagement and disengagement between the first connector and a counterpart second connector being achieved by rotation of the booster lever between the temporary locking position and the final locking position, wherein the booster lever is of a flat plate type such that the rotation of the booster lever is rotation in a two-dimensional plane.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, the booster lever is flat plate-type and the rotation of the booster lever is rotation in a two-dimensional plane, and therefore, the booster lever itself is small in size, and it is unnecessary to occupy a large amount of installation space and operation space for rotation, and it is possible to achieve miniaturization and a low-required operation space while effective booster. In addition, since the power assist lever has the temporary lock position and the final lock position which cannot be rotated, the state of the power assist lever can be reliably controlled, and the reliability can be improved.

Preferably, for the booster lever described in the first aspect above, it may include: a pivot hole through which a pivot shaft of the first connector can pass so that the booster lever can perform the rotation about the pivot shaft via the pivot hole; a temporary locking protrusion that temporarily locks the assist lever to the first connector when the assist lever is in the temporary locking position, and suppresses rotation of the assist lever; a gear portion having a plurality of gear teeth disposed about the pivot hole; and a final locking protrusion that finally locks the assist lever to the second connector when the assist lever is in the final locking position, inhibiting rotation of the assist lever. The temporary locking protrusion, the gear portion, and the final locking protrusion are disposed on the same side of the assist lever.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, by the temporary locking protrusion, the gear portion, and the final locking protrusion provided on the same side of the booster lever, it is possible to reliably realize: before the first connector is jogged with the second connector, the power-assisted rod is reliably and temporarily locked and kept on the first connector, the rotation of the power-assisted rod is restrained, so that the power-assisted rod can be reliably kept at the temporary locking position, and the accuracy and the reliability of the effective stroke of the power-assisted rod are ensured; during the fitting operation or the separating operation of the first connector and the second connector, the rotation of the assist lever can be converted into the movement of the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction or the separating direction by the gear portion, and the fitting and the separating between the first connector and the second connector can be completed with the reduced rotational operation force with a simple structure; and when the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, the assist lever can be reliably and finally locked to the second connector housing and cannot rotate, so that the fitted connection state between the first connector and the second connector can be reliably maintained.

Preferably, the booster lever of the first aspect may include: a cantilever-like first elastic arm that is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector, and the temporary locking protrusion is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the first elastic arm so as to protrude from the first elastic arm.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, the temporary locking protrusion is provided near the free end of the cantilever-like first elastic arm, and therefore, the temporary locking protrusion can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the temporary locking position by elastic deformation of the first elastic arm.

Preferably, in the booster lever of the first aspect, the first elastic arm may be further provided with a release protrusion that protrudes from the first elastic arm at a position separated from the temporary locking protrusion, and that protrudes in the same direction as that of the temporary locking protrusion.

According to the assist lever having the above-described structure, unlocking of the temporary lock can be efficiently achieved with the release protrusion protruding from the first elastic arm on the same side at a position separate from the temporary lock protrusion. For example, the first elastic arm where the release protrusion is located can be elastically deformed upward only by the abutment of the corresponding member against the release protrusion, so that the temporary locking protrusion is also correspondingly displaced upward, thereby releasing the temporary locking.

In the above assist lever, preferably, the assist lever may have a cutout portion provided at a periphery of the first elastic arm, through which the first elastic arm is capable of the elastic deformation.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, the first elastic arm can be elastically deformed more easily, thereby facilitating temporary locking of the temporary locking protrusion provided on the first elastic arm and unlocking of the temporary locking accordingly.

Preferably, in the above booster lever, it may further include: and a cantilever-like second elastic arm which is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, and the final locking projection is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the second elastic arm in such a manner as to protrude from the second elastic arm. The final locking protrusion may have an inclined guide surface.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, the final locking protrusion is provided near the free end of the cantilever-like second elastic arm, and therefore, the final locking protrusion can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the final locking position by elastic deformation of the second elastic arm.

Preferably, in the above booster lever, it may further include: and an unlocking operation portion which is cantilevered from a base portion of the second elastic arm in a direction opposite to the second elastic arm, and which is capable of swinging around the base portion and driving the second elastic arm to swing around the base portion in a direction opposite to the unlocking operation portion.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion can be formed in the form of a teeter-totter. When, for example, maintenance or the like is required to separate the first connector and the second connector that have been fitted, the unlocking of the final lock of the booster lever can be achieved by simply pressing the unlocking operation portion of the booster lever without the aid of an additional jig, so that the separation operation of the first connector and the second connector can be easily performed.

Preferably, in the above power assist lever, the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion are integrally formed, an upper surface of a main body of the power assist lever is formed with a concave recess, the integrally formed part of the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion is integrally formed with the main body of the power assist lever in the recess, such that the unlocking operation portion is accommodated in the recess with a gap between a bottom surface of the recess, and such that the second elastic arm protrudes outward from the main body of the power assist lever.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, both the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion are formed as an integrally molded piece, and are integrally molded with the body of the booster lever in the concave portion recessed on the upper surface of the body of the booster lever. Therefore, for example, the recess for mounting the CPA (connector position assurance) mechanism can be used as the integral molding, and space saving and miniaturization can be facilitated. Further, since the integral part of the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion is located in the recess portion so as to be entirely located at a position having a gap from both the upper surface and the lower surface of the main body of the booster lever, that is, at a position intermediate in the depth direction of the recess portion, particularly with respect to the unlocking operation portion in the recess portion, it is not easy for the peripheral member to touch, and it is possible to suppress accidental unlocking due to accidental touching of the unlocking operation portion by the peripheral member or the like.

Preferably, the above assist lever further includes a connector position assurance mechanism that is movably mounted and locked in the recess so as to switch between an initial position and a final position, the connector position assurance mechanism not interfering with the unlocking operation section when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the initial position, and the connector position assurance mechanism covering the unlocking operation section from above when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the final position.

According to the booster lever having the above-described structure, when the connector position assurance mechanism is in the initial position, the operation of any portion of the booster lever is not affected, and when the connector assurance mechanism is in the final position, the unlocking operation portion cannot be pressed down due to being covered, so that the unlocking operation portion can be further prevented from being accidentally pressed down to be unlocked by the connector position assurance mechanism, and the reliability is further improved.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a connector with a power lever, comprising: a first connector; a second connector; and the booster lever of the first aspect. The first connector may be provided with a temporary locked portion to which the temporary locking protrusion of the assist lever is locked in the temporary locking position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining a temporary locking state of the assist lever. The second connector may be provided with a final locked portion to which a final locking protrusion of the booster lever is locked in the final locking position of the booster lever, thereby maintaining a final locking state of the booster lever.

According to the connector having the above-described structure, since it uses the booster lever of the first aspect, various corresponding technical effects of the booster lever mentioned above can be achieved, and the entire connector can be miniaturized while being effectively boosted. Moreover, since the booster lever of the first aspect is used, the first connector and the second connector only need to be designed with the structure corresponding to the booster lever on the side where the booster lever is fitted, which is also simple in terms of molding of the first connector and the second connector and design of the mold, and can control costs.

Preferably, in the connector of the second aspect, the temporary locked portion includes a projection portion and a catching groove portion provided adjacently, and in the temporary locking position, the temporary locking projection is in the catching groove portion and is caught with the projection portion.

According to the connector having the above-described structure, when the assist lever is mounted to the first connector, the assist lever can be locked by the temporary locking projection engaging with the projection in the engaging groove portion, so that the assist lever cannot be rotated in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions, the temporary locking state of the assist lever on the first connector is reliably maintained, and erroneous operation is effectively prevented. By the engagement between the temporary locking projection and the temporary locked portion described above before the second connector is fitted to the first connector, the assist lever can be mounted and locked to the first connector with high reliability, and cannot be rotated after being mounted and locked to the first connector unless broken with a large force, so that the assist lever is not accidentally unlocked from the first connector by a malfunction or the like. In contrast, in the conventional connector with a power-assisted lever, the power-assisted lever may be rotated before the connector is fitted, resulting in poor fitting.

Preferably, in the connector of the second aspect, a rack portion including a plurality of rack teeth arranged side by side along the fitting direction is provided on the connector housing of the second connector, the plurality of rack teeth of the rack portion being capable of meshing with the plurality of gear teeth of the gear portion.

According to the connector having the above-described structure, the engagement between the gear teeth and the rack teeth is simply utilized to convert the rotation of the booster lever into the linear movement between the first connector and the second connector with a reduced operation force, and the fitting and the separation between the first connector and the second connector are achieved. Meanwhile, the arrangement of the gear teeth and the rack teeth can promote the strength of the booster rod and the first connector in addition to the transmission mechanism, and obviously the strength and the reliability are higher compared with the transmission structure realized by a cam boss and a cam groove.

Preferably, in the connector of the second aspect, the second connector may be provided with a temporary lock release portion that can release a temporary lock state of the assist lever so that the assist lever can rotate from the temporary lock position toward the final lock position, and the temporary lock release portion is the rack portion.

According to the connector having the above-described structure, the temporary lock canceling portion for canceling the temporary lock state of the booster lever on the first connector is configured by the rack portion, and it is unnecessary to provide another member to achieve this function, and the structure can be simplified. In addition, unlocking of the temporary lock can be achieved while the second connector is moved toward the first connector, without requiring additional other operations.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, details of the present invention will be further elucidated by reading the embodiments (hereinafter referred to as "examples") for carrying out the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the invention and are not to be construed as unduly limiting the invention. Wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of a booster lever according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a (hereinafter also referred to as fig. 1A) is a perspective view seen from the front, and in which B (hereinafter also referred to as fig. 1B) is a perspective view seen from the rear;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a first connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a second connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a perspective view of the booster lever according to the embodiment of the present invention mounted to the first connector and in a temporarily locked state;

fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state when a second connector starts to be fitted to the first connector shown in fig. 4, in which a temporary locking state of a booster lever is released and the booster lever is rotatable, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6A is a perspective view of the power lever rotated from the state shown in fig. 5 to the final locking position and the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, wherein the CPA is in an initial state, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6B is a perspective view of the power lever rotated from the state shown in fig. 5 to a final locking position and the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, wherein the CPA is moved from the initial state of fig. 6A and locked to the final state, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a perspective view of a CPA according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8A-C are schematic views showing a process of mounting the assist lever to the first connector according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which fig. 8A is a plan view of an initial state of mounting the assist lever to the first connector, fig. 8B is a plan view of the assist lever rotated by a certain angle in the arrow direction from fig. 8A, and in which the left plan view shows the front face of the assist lever and the right plan view shows a portion of the assist lever cut away so that the rear face of the assist lever can be seen, and fig. 8C is a plan view of the assist lever rotated further in the arrow direction from fig. 8B so that the assist lever is temporarily locked at a temporary locking position of the first connector;

fig. 9A-C are schematic views showing a process of mounting the second connector to the first connector shown in fig. 8C, in which fig. 9A is a plan view of a state before mounting the second connector to the first connector, fig. 9B is a plan view when the second connector starts to be inserted into the first connector, and in which a left plan view shows a front face of the assist lever and a right plan view shows a part of the assist lever cut away so that a rear face of the assist lever can be seen, fig. 9C is a plan view of the assist lever rotated in an arrow direction from fig. 9B so that the second connector is fully engaged with the first connector and the assist lever is in a final locking position finally locked to the second connector;

Fig. 10A-C are schematic views showing a process of separating the second connector from the first connector, in which fig. 10A is a plan view of a state in which the first connector is completely fitted with the second connector, fig. 10B is a plan view of rotating the booster lever in the arrow direction from fig. 10A to the temporary locking position, and in which the left plan view shows the front face of the booster lever and the right plan view shows a portion of the booster lever cut away so that the rear face of the booster lever can be seen, and fig. 10C is a plan view of separating the second connector from the first connector;

FIG. 11 is a view showing the suitability of the rotation angle of the assist lever, the pitch circumference of the gear portion of the assist lever, and the relative displacement when the first connector is engaged with the second connector;

fig. 12 is a view showing the operation force of the fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector without the assist structure, and

Fig. 13 is a view showing the operation force of the fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector in the case of the embodiment of the present invention.

List of reference numerals

1 Booster rod

10 Pivot hole

100 Locking recess

11 First elastic arm

110 Cut-out portion

111 Temporary locking projection

112 Release the protrusion

12 Second elastic arm

120 Base

121 Final locking projection

13 Concave part

14 Insertion opening

15 Unlocking operation section

16 Gear part

160 Gear teeth

17 Holding part

2 First connector

20 Pivot

21 Spacing protruding piece

22 Protrusion part

23 Inclined plane

24 Clamping groove parts

25 Side wall

26 Grooving

28 Chimeric cover

3 Second connector

30 Are finally locked with the protrusions

31 Rack portion (temporary lock release portion)

310 Rack teeth

32 Lug parts

36 Upstanding wall

38 Quilt mosaic cover

40CPA (connector position assurance mechanism)

41 Guide part

42 Locking claw

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the technical aspects of the present invention will be more clearly described by describing specific embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be noted that the drawings in the present invention are simply schematic diagrams for clearly showing the portions related to the aspects of the present invention, and do not show some unnecessary portions that may exist, so these drawings should not be construed as limiting the present invention, which may be different from the actual structure in use. In addition, it is to be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," and the like, as may appear in the following description, are for convenience of description and are not limiting. In this embodiment, the direction in which the first connector and the second connector are fitted is referred to as a fitting direction, the front end of each of the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction is referred to as a front or front portion, the rear end opposite to the front or front portion is referred to as a rear or rear portion, the vertical direction in fig. 2, which is the direction orthogonal to the fitting direction, is referred to as a vertical direction, and the direction orthogonal to both the fitting direction and the vertical direction is referred to as a width direction. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted in the following description for clarity and conciseness.

Fig. 1 shows a booster rod 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which fig. 1A and 1B are perspective views of the booster rod 1 viewed from the front side and the rear side, respectively. Fig. 2 shows a first connector 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention, on which first connector 2 a booster lever 1 is mounted. Fig. 3 shows a second connector 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the second connector 3 being capable of being fitted to the first connector 2 so as to be electrically conductive with the first connector 2 and being separable from the first connector 2. In the present embodiment, the first connector 2 is exemplified by a female connector, and the second connector 3 is exemplified by a male connector.

As shown in fig. 1, a booster lever 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is made of, for example, an insulating resin, is integrally in the form of a flat plate, and is rotatable in a two-dimensional plane in which the flat plate is located. In addition, the length of the assist lever 1 may preferably be controlled to be substantially within the range of the plane of the first connector or slightly beyond the range, so that the size of the assist lever can be further reduced and the operation space can be reduced, but this is not limitative, and the length of the assist lever may be designed as needed.

The booster lever 1 is rotatable between a temporary lock position (see fig. 4) and a final lock position (see fig. 6). The fitting operation and the removing operation are assisted by the rotation of the assist lever 1 when the first connector 2 is fitted to and removed from the second connector 3. That is, the connector of the embodiment of the present invention is an LIF (low insertion force) connector that completes the fitting and the separation between the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 with a low insertion force by the operation of the booster lever 1.

The first connector 2, the second connector 3 are made of, for example, insulating synthetic resin, and as shown in fig. 9, the front portion of the first connector 2 is fitted to the front portion of the second connector 3. The first connector 2 and the second connector 3 may have a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers, respectively, which are formed along the fitting direction of the first connector 2 and the second connector 3, and first terminals and second terminals (not shown) connected to electric wires (not shown) are accommodated in the respective corresponding terminal accommodating chambers, respectively. By fitting the first connector 2 to the second connector 3, the first terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber of the first connector 2 is electrically connected to the second terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber of the second connector 3.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, the front end of the connector housing of the first connector 2 has a cylindrical fitting hood 28, and the front end of the connector housing of the second connector 3 has a cylindrical fitted hood 38. The fitted cover 38 of the second connector 3 can be inserted into the fitting cover 28 of the first connector 2, thereby fitting the second connector 2 with the second connector 3. In the present embodiment, the cutout groove 26 extending in the fitting direction is formed on the upper surface of the fitting hood 28 of the first connector 2, the upstanding standing wall 36 extending in the fitting direction is formed on the upper surface of the fitted hood 38 of the second connector 3, and during fitting of the first connector 2 and the second connector 3, the standing wall 36 of the second connector 3 enters the cutout groove 26 of the first connector 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper surface of the fitting hood 28 of the first connector 2 may be formed with three planes different in height: a first plane as a main plane, a second plane disposed on one side of the first plane and higher than the first plane, and a third plane disposed on one side of the second plane and higher than the second plane. The cutout groove 26 is formed on a first plane of the first connector 2 as a principal plane. At an edge portion of the second plane near the first plane, an upwardly standing side wall 26 is formed. The front end portion of the side wall 26 extends in a direction intersecting the fitting direction so as to be closer to the third surface as it is to the front, and the rest of the side wall 26 extends in the fitting direction. At an edge portion of the second plane adjoining the third plane, a protrusion 22 protruding upward is formed. The protruding height of the protrusion 22 may be designed such that the upper surface of the protrusion 22 is connected to and flush with the third plane, and the protrusion 22 is opposite to a portion of the sidewall 26. The portions between the second surface, the side walls 26 and the protrusions 22 configure the card slot portions 24. The protruding portion 22 and the catching groove portion 24 together constitute a "temporary locked portion". The protrusion 22 may be provided with an inclined surface 23.

As shown in fig. 3, the standing wall 36 on the upper surface of the fitted cover 38 of the second connector 3 is provided with the rack portion 31 and the tab portion 32 at the upper end portion. The rack portion 31 is formed at the front end of the standing wall 36 and projects to one side in the width direction, and the tab portion 32 is formed at the rear end of the standing wall 36 and projects to the same side in the width direction. On the upper surface of the tab portion 32, a final locked projection 30 protruding upward is formed. The rack portion 31 has a plurality of rack teeth 32 arranged side by side in the fitting direction. The rack teeth 32 are capable of meshing with the gear teeth 160 to act as a transmission mechanism. The final locked protrusion 30 may have an inclined surface so that the movement of the final locking protrusion 121 of the booster lever 1 can be guided.

As shown in fig. 2, the pivot shaft 20 protrudes from the upper surface of the first plane of the fitting hood 28 of the connector housing of the first connector 2. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 1, the assist lever 1 has a pivot hole 10 and the pivot 20 of the first connector 2 can be inserted through the pivot hole 10. As a result, the assist lever 1 can rotate about the pivot 20 inserted into the pivot hole 10. Around the pivot hole 10, a locking recess 100 recessed inward from the outer surface of the booster lever 1 is formed. At the tip end of the pivot shaft 20, a stopper projection 21 extending toward the rear of the first connector 2 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the pivot shaft 20 is formed.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the assist lever 1, the shape of the pivot hole 10 corresponds to the shape of the tip end of the pivot 20 having the stopper protrusion 21, and the stopper protrusion 21 can be inserted through the pivot hole 10 only when the assist lever 1 is disposed at a position other than the temporary locking position and the final locking position and the stopper protrusion 21 is aligned with the shape of the pivot hole 10. When the limit projection 21 is in a range corresponding to the locking recess 100 formed in the booster rod 1, the limit projection 21 inserted into the pivot hole 10 is not communicated with the pivot hole 10, but is located on the bottom surface of the locking recess 100 so as to be locked thereto, thus preventing the booster rod 1 from falling out.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the booster lever 1 has a first elastic arm 11 formed at one end, and the first elastic arm 11 has a notch 110 in the periphery thereof, so that the first elastic arm 11 is formed in a cantilever shape capable of being elastically deformed up and down. In the present embodiment, near the free end of the lower surface of the cantilever-like first elastic arm 11, a temporary locking protrusion 111 protruding downward is formed. In this embodiment, the temporary locking protrusion 111 may be elongated as shown, but is not limited thereto. At a position slightly closer to the base end than the center of the first elastic arm 11, a release protrusion 112 is formed. In this embodiment, the release protrusion 112 is provided in the form of a bump as shown, but this is not limiting. When the assist lever 1 is in the temporary lock position on the first connector 2, the release protrusion 112 is located just within the range of the cutout groove 26 of the first connector 2. The assist lever 1 has a temporary locking protrusion 111 for temporarily locking the assist lever 1 in the temporary locking position in the catching groove portion 24 of the first connector 2, and has a final locking protrusion 121 for finally locking the assist lever 1 in the final locking position on the final locked protrusion 30 of the second connector 3. The protruding height of the temporary locking protrusion 111 may be substantially equal to the protruding height of the protrusion 22, and the protruding height of the final locking protrusion 121 may be substantially equal to the protruding height of the final locked protrusion 30, but this is not restrictive as long as effective engagement can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 1B, the assist lever 1 is provided with a gear portion 16. The gear portion 16 has a plurality of gear teeth 160 disposed about the pivot hole 10. The gear portion 16 is provided on the same side as the temporary locking projection 111 and the releasing projection 112 of the first elastic arm 11, that is, both are located below the first elastic arm 11, and the gear portion 16 is located near the base of the first elastic arm 11. The upper surface of the gear teeth 160 may or may not contact the first elastic arm 11 or the lower surface of the flat plate on which the first elastic arm 11 is located, but is not coupled thereto so as not to affect upward elastic deformation of the first elastic arm 11. The gear portion 16 has a certain thickness, and preferably, when mounted on the first connector 2, the entire booster lever 1 is horizontal without being skewed and is rotatable freely above the upper surface of the fitting cover 28 of the first connector 2. In the present embodiment, at the beginning of the fitting of the second connector 3 to the first connector 2, which will be described later, the rack portion 31 formed on the second connector 3 for meshing with the gear teeth 160 can contact the release protrusion 112 from below.

As shown in fig. 1, the booster lever 1 has a second elastic arm 12 in addition to the first elastic arm 11. The second elastic arm 12 is suspended from the main body of the booster lever 1 to the outside, and is thus also elastically deformable up and down. In the present embodiment, the extending direction of the first elastic arm 11 and the extending direction of the second elastic arm 12 are perpendicular to each other, for example, but this is not restrictive, and may be adjusted according to the specific situation as long as the final locking protrusion on the second elastic arm 12 can be locked when the booster lever 1 is rotated to the final locking position. At a base 120 of the second elastic arm 12 opposite to the free end, an unlocking operation portion 15 is cantilevered from the base 120 in a direction opposite to the second elastic arm 12, in other words, in the present embodiment, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 are integrally formed, and the base 120 is provided intermediate the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15, about which the unlocking operation portion 15 is swingable and around which the second elastic arm 12 is caused to swing in a direction opposite to the unlocking operation portion 15.

As shown in fig. 1, a concave recess 13 is formed on the upper surface of the body of the booster lever 1, the recess 13 may extend from one side surface to the other side surface of the body of the booster lever, and preferably, guide groove portions may be provided on opposite standing surfaces of the recess 13 so that the guide portion 41 of the CPA member 40 (see fig. 4-7) may be slidably mounted to the booster lever 1 via the guide groove portions.

As shown in fig. 1, 4, 5, 6, etc., in the embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 may be formed as an integrally molded piece, and integrated with the main body of the booster lever 1 in the recess 13. Specifically, the base 120 between the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 may protrude to both sides to and be connected to the standing surface of the recess 13 such that the unlocking operation portion 15 is accommodated within the recess 13 with a gap between the bottom surface of the recess 13, and the second elastic arm 12 protrudes from the recess 13 to the outside of the main body of the booster lever. Therefore, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 can be formed in a see-saw shape, and can swing with reference to the base 120.

In addition, as shown in fig. 1, in order to facilitate the rotation operation of the booster lever 1, a grip portion 17 that is easy to be gripped by an operator may be provided at the tip end of the booster lever 1. The shape of the grip portion 17 is not limited as long as it can be conveniently gripped. In addition, in order to reduce the rotational operation force, the grip portion 17 may be provided at a position where a long moment can be obtained, but this is not restrictive.

CPA40 may also be provided in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the CPA40 is provided with protruding guide portions 41 on both sides for guiding the installation of the CPA40 to the booster lever 1. Further, the CPA40 is also provided with a locking claw 42 extending along the installation direction of the CPA40, and a catch is provided at the tip of the locking claw 42. The locking claws of the CPA40 can be engaged with corresponding two engaging portions provided on both side surfaces of the recess 13 of the booster lever 1, so that the CPA40 can be moved between an initial position (see fig. 6A) and a final position (see fig. 6B), thereby being locked to the booster lever 1 at both the initial position and the final position. As shown in fig. 6A, when the CPA40 is at the initial position, the CPA40 does not interfere with the unlocking operation portion 15 of the second elastic arm 12, and the unlocking operation portion 15 can be pressed or lifted. As shown in fig. 6B, when the CPA40 is moved to the final position, the CPA40 covers the unlocking operation portion 15 of the second elastic arm 12 from above, so that the unlocking operation portion 15 cannot be pressed down.

The construction of the booster lever 1, the first connector 2, and the second connector 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been generally described above, and hereinafter, the fitting operation and the separating operation of the first connector 2 and the second connector 3 by means of the booster lever 1 will be described with reference to fig. 4 to 6, 7 to 9.

A-C of fig. 8 are schematic diagrams showing a process of mounting the booster lever 1 to the first connector 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a-C of fig. 9 are schematic diagrams showing a process of mounting the second connector 3 to the first connector 2 shown in fig. 8C, and a-C of fig. 10 are schematic diagrams showing a process of separating the second connector 3 from the first connector 2.

< Procedure of mounting the booster rod 1 to the first connector 2 >

As shown in fig. 8A, first, the CPA40 is pre-installed on the booster lever 1 and the CPA40 is brought to the initial position of fig. 6A, the pivot hole 10 of the booster lever 1 is aligned with the limit projection 21 of the pivot 20 of the first connector 2 so that the limit projection 21 of the pivot 20 can pass through the pivot hole 10, and then the booster lever 1 is rotated in the arrow direction (clockwise direction) of fig. 8A while holding the holding portion 17. Then, the stopper projection 21 of the pivot shaft 20 moves to the range of the locking recess 100, and the outward movement of the assist lever 1 is blocked by the stopper projection 21, and the outward detachment of the assist lever 1 from the pivot shaft 20 of the first connector 2 is suppressed.

As the assist lever 1 rotates, as shown in fig. 8B, the temporary locking protrusion 111 of the assist lever 1 is rotated to the inclined surface 23 of the protrusion 22 of the first connector 2. At this time, when the power assist lever 1 is continuously rotated, the temporary locking protrusion 111 of the power assist lever 1 moves onto the inclined surface 23 of the protrusion 22 of the first connector 2, and moves along the inclined surface 23 as the power assist lever 1 is continuously rotated up to the tip of the protrusion 22. Thereby, the temporary locking protrusion 111 is gradually lifted by the inclined surface 23 of the protrusion 22, and the first elastic arm 11 of the booster lever 1 is elastically deformed outward. In the present embodiment, since the inclined surface 23 is provided, the temporary locking protrusion 111 can be easily received and the temporary locking protrusion 111 is guided so as to be easily moved to the tip of the protrusion 22 without an excessive force.

As the power-assisted lever 1 continues to rotate, as shown in fig. 8C, the temporary locking protrusion 111 of the power-assisted lever 1 passes over the protrusion 22 of the first connector 2 and falls into the catching groove portion 24, and then the first elastic portion 111 of the power-assisted lever 1 elastically recovers. At this time, the temporary locking protrusion 111 is locked between the protrusion 22 and the side wall 25 in the locking groove 23, and the assist lever 1 cannot continue to rotate, and is in the temporary locking position. Fig. 4 shows a state in which the assist lever 1 is mounted and temporarily locked on the first connector 2, that is, a state in which the assist lever 1 is in the temporarily locked position.

With such a booster lever 1 of the present embodiment, the booster lever 1 can be locked temporarily to the first connector 2 very easily and reliably, and movement of the booster lever 1 in both the rotational direction and the outward moving-out direction is suppressed. Moreover, when the booster lever 1 is mounted on the first connector 2, the gear portion 16 is on the first plane of the upper surface of the fitting hood of the first connector 2, the temporary locking projection of the first elastic arm is on the second plane and the lower surface of the first elastic arm is at a position higher than the third plane, and therefore, although there is a height difference between the gear portion and the first elastic arm or between the flat plates where the first elastic arm is located, such a height difference is absorbed by the first to third planes different in height, so that the booster lever 1 can maintain a neutral posture. In addition, the CPA 40 may be mounted on the booster rod 1 in advance at the beginning, or may be mounted on the booster rod 1 after or during the booster rod 1 has been mounted on the first connector 2.

< Procedure of fitting first connector 2 and second connector 3 >

After the assist lever 1 has been temporarily locked to the first connector 2, a fitting operation of the second connector 3 to the first connector 2 is performed.

As shown in fig. 9A, the fitted hood 38 of the connector housing of the second connector 3 is aligned with the fitting hood 28 of the connector housing of the first connector 2, and the second connector 3 is moved toward the first connector 2, i.e., in the arrow direction in the drawing, i.e., in the fitting direction.

As the second connector 3 moves, as shown in fig. 9B, the fitted cover 38 of the second connector 3 comes into contact with the fitting cover 28 of the first connector 2, so that the fitted cover 28 of the second connector 3 starts to be inserted into the fitting cover 28 of the first connector 2 and the standing wall 36 of the second connector 3 starts to enter the notch 26 of the first connector 2 until the rack portion 31 of the front end of the standing wall 36 of the second connector 3 contacts the release protrusion 112 of the first elastic arm 11 of the booster lever 1 from below. At this time, the rack portion 31 lifts the release protrusion 112 upward due to the contact between the rack portion 31 and the release protrusion 112, and accordingly, the first elastic arm 11 where the release protrusion 112 is located is elastically deformed upward, the temporary locking protrusion 111 is disengaged from the locking groove portion 24, and the temporary locking between the temporary locking protrusion 111 and the locking groove portion 24 is released, so that the assist lever 1 is rotatable. At this time, the gear teeth 160 of the gear portion 16 are in an initial engagement with the rack teeth 310 of the rack portion 31.

Thereafter, the assist lever 1 is rotated in the arrow direction of fig. 9B, i.e., in the counterclockwise direction, so that the gear teeth of the gear portion of the assist lever 1 gradually mesh with the rack teeth of the rack portion of the second connector 3, and the rotational movement of the assist lever 1 is converted into the linear movement of the second connector 3 in the fitting direction.

As the assist lever 1 rotates, as shown in fig. 9C, the final locking protrusion 121 on the second elastic arm 12 of the assist lever 1 passes over the final locked protrusion 30 of the second connector 3 and then elastically recovers, at this time, the second connector 3 moves to the fully fitted position where the electrical connection with the first connector 2 is completed, and the final locking protrusion 121 engages with the locked protrusion 30, and the rotation in the unlocking direction of the assist lever 1 (the reverse direction of the arrow direction of fig. 9B, clockwise direction) is suppressed, and is held in the final locking position.

Accordingly, the fitting operation of the second connector 3 and the first connector 2 is completed.

Thereafter, by pushing the CPA40 forward by pulling it by hand, so that the CPA is shifted from the initial position of fig. 6A to the final position of fig. 6B, the CPA40 covers the unlocking operation portion 15 from above, so that the unlocking operation portion 15 cannot be pressed down, the unlocking of the unlocking operation portion 15 by being accidentally pressed down is prevented from occurring, and the fitting reliability of the first connector and the second connector is further ensured.

According to the embodiment of the invention, at the time of performing the fitting operation of the second connector and the first connector, the temporary lock state of the assist lever can be easily released to be changed from the non-rotatable state to the rotatable state, and thereafter, by simply rotating the assist lever, the rotational movement is converted into the linear movement between the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction, and the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is achieved with a small operation force. The rack portion of the second connector can also serve as a temporary lock releasing portion for releasing the temporary lock of the temporary lock protrusion, so that the release of the temporary lock can be achieved in the process of moving the second connector to the first connector without additional operations for releasing the temporary lock, thereby simplifying the operations and making the whole fitting operation smoother.

Meanwhile, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the flat plate-shaped booster lever 1 is used, the size thereof is very small, and the rotational movement of the booster lever is performed in a two-dimensional plane, the required operation space is small, so that the connector as a whole can be miniaturized and the requirement for the operation space can be reduced while the fitting operation is effectively completed. In addition, the embodiment adopts the cooperation of the gear and the rack to convert the rotary motion of the operating rod into the relative linear motion of the first connector and the second connector, so that the conversion efficiency is high, the reliability is good, and the tooth part is also beneficial to improving the overall strength.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, particularly, the CPA is also provided, and therefore, the fitted state of the first connector and the second connector can be further reliably maintained.

< Procedure of separating the second connector 3 from the first connector 2 >

When it is desired to separate the second connector from the first connector for maintenance or the like, the separation operation can be easily performed without damaging the respective components by the mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the operator dials the CPA 40 to push and lock the CPA 40 from the final position of fig. 6B to the initial position of fig. 6A, and then, as shown in fig. 10A, the operator presses down the unlocking operation portion 15 of the booster lever 1, so that the second elastic arm 12 on the opposite side of the unlocking operation portion 15 is lifted upward, the final locking protrusion 121 provided on the second elastic arm 12 is moved up to a position not interfering with the final locked protrusion 30, the engagement between the final locking protrusion 121 and the final locked protrusion 30 is released, and the booster lever 1 becomes rotatable in the unlocking direction (the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the booster lever 1 at the time of the fitting operation, the clockwise direction shown by the arrow of fig. 10A).

As the booster lever 1 is rotated in the unlocking direction, the second connector 3 and the first connector 2 are moved in the separating direction by the gear teeth and the rack teeth as shown in fig. 10B, and the second connector 3 can be separated from the first connector 2 as shown in fig. 10C.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the power assisting lever 1 can be unlocked from the final locking position by simply pressing the unlocking operation portion, and the operation is very convenient.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, the CPA is arranged, and the unlocking operation part can be in a state capable of being pressed down by stirring the CPA to the initial position. However, the CPA is not limited, and the CPA may not be provided, and in this case, the upper surface of the unlocking operation portion of the assist lever may be located at a position not exceeding the upper surface of the recess 13 accommodating the unlocking operation portion, more preferably, at a position lower than the upper surface; therefore, the unlocking operation portion can be made less likely to be touched by the peripheral member to some extent, and accidental unlocking due to accidental touching of the peripheral member or the like can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, by rotating the assist lever, the gear teeth mesh with the rack teeth, the rotational movement of the assist lever is converted into the linear movement in the fitting direction between the first connector and the second connector. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the relationship α/360×c=l is satisfied for the rotation angle α of the assist lever, the pitch circumference C of the gear portion of the assist lever, and the relative displacement L when the first connector is engaged with the second connector shown in fig. 11. Therefore, the rotation angle α of the assist lever, the pitch circumference C of the assist lever gear portion, and the relative displacement L when the first connector is fitted to the second connector can be arranged appropriately according to the design requirements, that is, the suitability of the three can be improved.

Fig. 12 shows an operation force F of a fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector without the assist structure, and fig. 13 shows an operation force F of a fitting operation of the first connector and the second connector in the case of the embodiment of the present invention.

Thus, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, the ratio of the operating force F in the case of the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 13 to the operating force F "in the case of the no-assist structure shown in fig. 12 is equal to the inverse ratio of the distance L of the force-receiving point of the assist lever to the center of the pivot shaft to the pitch circle radius R of the gear portion, i.e., F/F" =r/L.

As can be seen, according to the connector of the embodiment of the present invention, since the assist lever is provided, the operation force at the time of performing the connector fitting operation can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the assistant structure is not provided. In addition, depending on the specific case, the distance L from the force receiving point of the booster lever to the center of the pivot shaft and the pitch circle radius R of the gear portion can be set appropriately, thereby achieving a desired degree of reduction in the operating force.

In the above, a booster lever and a connector with a booster lever according to embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which enable the operational force at the time of the fitting operation and the separating operation between a first connector and a counterpart second connector to be greatly reduced while enabling the size of the connector to be effectively controlled, and which are simple in structure and low in cost.

The booster lever is flat plate-type and the rotation of the booster lever is rotation in a two-dimensional plane, and therefore, the booster lever itself is small in size, does not occupy a large amount of installation space and operation space for rotation, and can achieve miniaturization and low-requirement operation space while effective booster. In addition, since the power assist lever has the temporary lock position and the final lock position which cannot be rotated, the state of the power assist lever can be reliably controlled, and the reliability can be improved.

By the temporary locking protrusion, the gear portion, and the final locking protrusion provided on the same side of the booster lever, it is possible to reliably realize: before the first connector is jogged with the second connector, the power-assisted rod is reliably and temporarily locked and kept on the first connector, the rotation of the power-assisted rod is restrained, so that the power-assisted rod can be reliably kept at the temporary locking position, and the accuracy and the reliability of the effective stroke of the power-assisted rod are ensured; during the fitting operation or the separating operation of the first connector and the second connector, the rotation of the assist lever can be converted into the movement of the first connector and the second connector in the fitting direction or the separating direction by the gear portion, and the fitting and the separating between the first connector and the second connector can be completed with the reduced rotational operation force with a simple structure; and when the fitting of the first connector and the second connector is completed, the assist lever can be reliably and finally locked to the second connector housing and cannot rotate, so that the fitted connection state between the first connector and the second connector can be reliably maintained.

The temporary locking protrusion of the booster lever is provided near the free end of the cantilever-like first elastic arm, and therefore, the temporary locking protrusion can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the temporary locking position by elastic deformation of the first elastic arm.

The assist lever can efficiently achieve unlocking of the temporary lock with the release projection projecting from the first elastic arm on the same side at a position separate from the temporary lock projection. For example, the first elastic arm where the release protrusion is located can be elastically deformed upward only by abutting the corresponding member such as the rack portion against the release protrusion, so that the temporary locking protrusion is also correspondingly displaced upward, thereby releasing the temporary locking.

The first elastic arm of the booster lever may be provided with a cutout portion around so that elastic deformation can be more easily achieved, thereby correspondingly facilitating temporary locking of the temporary locking protrusion provided on the first elastic arm and unlocking of the temporary locking.

The final locking protrusion of the booster lever is provided near the free end of the cantilever-like second elastic arm, and therefore, the final locking protrusion can be more easily locked to or unlocked from the final locking position by elastic deformation of the second elastic arm.

The booster lever is provided with an unlocking operation portion, and the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion can be formed in a see-saw form. When, for example, maintenance or the like is required to separate the first connector and the second connector that have been fitted, the unlocking of the final lock of the booster lever can be achieved by simply pressing the unlocking operation portion of the booster lever without the aid of an additional jig, so that the separation operation of the first connector and the second connector can be easily performed.

Both the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion of the assist lever may be formed as an integral piece, and integrated with the main body of the assist lever in a concave portion recessed on the upper surface of the main body of the assist lever. Therefore, for example, the recess for mounting the CPA (connector position assurance) mechanism can be used as the integral molding, and space saving and miniaturization can be facilitated. Further, since the integral part of the second elastic arm and the unlocking operation portion is located in the recess portion so as to be entirely located at a position having a gap from both the upper surface and the lower surface of the main body of the booster lever, that is, at a position intermediate in the depth direction of the recess portion, particularly with respect to the unlocking operation portion in the recess portion, it is not easy for the peripheral member to touch, and it is possible to suppress accidental unlocking due to accidental touching of the unlocking operation portion by the peripheral member or the like. In order to further prevent the unlocking operation portion from being accidentally unlocked to further enhance reliability, the assist lever further includes a connector position assurance mechanism movably mounted and locked in the recess to switch between an initial position and a final position, such that when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the initial position, the connector position assurance mechanism does not interfere with the unlocking operation portion so as not to affect the operation of the respective portions of the assist lever, and when the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the final position, the connector position assurance mechanism covers the unlocking operation portion from above so that the unlocking operation portion cannot be depressed so as not to be unlocked.

The above embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alternatives can occur depending upon design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the cutout portion 110 is provided around the first elastic arm 11 so that the first elastic arm 11 is easily elastically deformed up and down, however, this is not limitative. For example, the notch 110 is not necessarily required, and the notch may not be provided. Without providing the cutout portion, the first elastic arm can be elastically deformed up and down by its own flexibility. For example, the first elastic arm may be a thin flat plate, and may be easily elastically deformed by itself.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the temporary locked portion on the first connector is configured by the projection portion and the card slot portion provided adjacently, but this is not limitative. For example, the temporary locked portion may be a separate hole or recess, and the temporary locking protrusion of the assist lever may be inserted into and locked in the hole or recess, thereby achieving temporary locking.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the fitting hood portion of the first connector is provided to have the first, second, and third planes different in height, however, this is not restrictive. For example, the entire upper surface may be a flat surface, and an appropriate temporary locked portion may be provided on the flat surface alone.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the final locked portion of the second connector is configured by the final locked protrusion. However, this is not limiting. For example, the final locked portion may be a hole or a recess, etc., and the final locking protrusion of the assist lever may enter and be locked in the hole or the recess, thereby being finally temporarily locked.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the second elastic arm 12 and the unlocking operation portion 15 of the booster lever 1 are integrally accommodated in the concave portion, however this is not restrictive. For example, the unlocking operation section 15 may not be accommodated in the recess, but may be made to swing up and down by providing a cutout section around the unlocking operation section and form a so-called see-saw structure with the second elastic arm, or may be provided with two standing wall sections on the upper surface of the main body of the booster lever so that the base 120 is connected thereto. Alternatively, the unlocking operation portion 15 may not be formed, and the final locking protrusion of the second elastic arm may be unlocked from the second connector by lifting the second elastic arm by means of the jig at the time of unlocking.

For example, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the first elastic arm of the assist lever is provided with the release protrusion, but this is not limitative, but the unlocking of the temporary lock may be achieved directly by lifting up the lower surface of the first elastic arm by the counterpart on the second connector, or the unlocking may be achieved by using a jig.

Claims

1. An assist lever for mounting on a first connector and having a temporary locking position and a final locking position, engagement and disengagement between the first connector and a mating second connector being achieved by rotation of the assist lever between the temporary locking position and the final locking position,

Wherein the booster rod is a flat plate type, so that the rotation of the booster rod is a rotation in a two-dimensional plane,

Wherein, the helping hand pole includes:

a pivot hole through which a pivot shaft of the first connector can pass so that the booster lever can perform the rotation about the pivot shaft via the pivot hole,

A temporary locking protrusion that temporarily locks the assist lever to the first connector when the assist lever is in the temporary locking position, suppresses rotation of the assist lever,

A gear portion having a plurality of gear teeth disposed about the pivot hole,

A final locking protrusion that finally locks the assist lever to the second connector when the assist lever is in the final locking position, suppresses rotation of the assist lever, and

A cantilever-like first elastic arm which is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector, and the temporary locking protrusion is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the first elastic arm in a protruding manner from the first elastic arm,

Wherein the temporary locking protrusion, the gear portion, and the final locking protrusion are disposed on the same side of the booster lever, an

Wherein the first elastic arm is further provided with a release protrusion protruding from the first elastic arm at a position separated from the temporary locking protrusion, and a protruding direction of the release protrusion is the same as a protruding direction of the temporary locking protrusion.

2. The booster lever of claim 1, wherein,

The assist lever has a cutout portion provided at a periphery of the first elastic arm, and the first elastic arm is capable of performing the elastic deformation via the cutout portion.

3. The booster lever according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

and a cantilever-like second elastic arm which is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction, and the final locking projection is provided in the vicinity of a free end of the second elastic arm in such a manner as to protrude from the second elastic arm.

4. A booster lever as set forth in claim 3, comprising:

An unlocking operation part which is suspended from the base of the second elastic arm in a direction opposite to the second elastic arm, is integrated with the second elastic arm, and

The unlocking operation portion is capable of swinging around the base portion and driving the second elastic arm to swing around the base portion in a direction opposite to the unlocking operation portion.

5. The booster lever of claim 4, wherein,

The second elastic arm and the unlocking operation part are integrated into one piece,

The upper surface of the body of the booster lever is formed with a concave recess,

The second elastic arm and the integrally formed piece of the unlocking operation portion are integrally formed with the body of the assist lever in the recess such that the unlocking operation portion is accommodated in the recess with a gap between the unlocking operation portion and a bottom surface of the recess, and such that the second elastic arm protrudes outward from the body of the assist lever.

6. The booster lever of claim 5, further comprising,

A connector position assurance mechanism movably mounted and locked in the recess to switch between an initial position and a final position,

When the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the initial position, the connector position assurance mechanism does not interfere with the unlocking operation portion, and

When the connector position assurance mechanism is locked in the final position, the connector position assurance mechanism conceals the unlocking operation portion from above.

7. A connector with a power assist lever, comprising:

A first connector;

A second connector; and

A booster lever according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

Wherein the first connector is provided with a temporary locked portion to which a temporary locking protrusion of the assist lever is locked at the temporary locking position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining a temporary locking state of the assist lever,

Wherein the second connector is provided with a final locked portion to which a final locking protrusion of the assist lever is locked in the final locking position of the assist lever, thereby maintaining a final locking state of the assist lever.

8. The connector of claim 7, wherein,

The temporary locked portion includes a protruding portion and a catching groove portion provided adjacently,

In the temporary lock position of the assist lever, the temporary lock protrusion is in the engagement groove portion and engages with the protrusion portion.

9. The connector according to claim 7 or 8, wherein,

The connector housing of the second connector is provided with a rack portion including a plurality of rack teeth arranged side by side along the fitting direction, the plurality of rack teeth of the rack portion being capable of meshing with the plurality of gear teeth of the gear portion.

10. The connector of claim 9, wherein,

The second connector is provided with a temporary lock release portion capable of releasing a temporary lock state of the assist lever so that the assist lever can be rotated from the temporary lock position toward the final lock position, and

Wherein the temporary lock release portion is the rack portion.