JP2010108791A - Electric connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly capable of efficiently and reliably engaging a receptacle connector and a plug connector.
A deforming piece 61 of a lever 40B includes a first engaging claw 62 and a second engaging claw, and the lever 40B is fully engaged with the receptacle housing 21 by the first engaging claw 62, and the second engaging claw 62 is engaged. The lever 40B is temporarily engaged with the plug housing 31 by the pawl. Then, until the plug housing 31 is fitted into the receptacle housing 21, the lever 40B is temporarily fixed to the plug housing 31 with the lever 40B in a tilted state, whereby wiring or the like is provided in the gap between the engaging portion 60 and the plug housing 31. To prevent intrusion.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  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.

  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 substrate) such as a printed wiring board and connects the substrate 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 tip side (the side away from the fulcrum) of the lever, the working point provided in the vicinity of the fulcrum of the lever can be moved between the receptacle connector and the plug connector. A force in the direction of approaching or separating (this force is referred to as a 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 plug connector is fitted to the receptacle connector by the lever, the fitting state is generally maintained by engaging the claws provided on both sides. However, in the case of claws that are in a fixed state, if the plug connector is repeatedly attached to and detached from the receptacle connector, the claws may be worn away, the engagement force may be weakened, and foreign matter may be generated due to wear. is there.

  In a plug connector having a lever as described above, a wiring 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 wiring to the plug connector and before the step of fitting the plug connector to the receptacle connector, the wiring may be sandwiched between the lever and the plug housing during transportation. If the wiring is caught between the lever and the plug housing, the worker must remove the inserted wiring before fitting the plug connector to the receptacle connector, which takes time and reduces production efficiency. It leads to. Further, if an unexpected force is applied to the lever while the wiring is sandwiched between the lever and the plug housing, the wiring may be disconnected.

  Furthermore, when fitting the plug connector to the receptacle connector, with the lever raised, insert the plug housing into the hood of the receptacle connector, then push down the lever and use the boost exerted by the lever. Fit the plug and the receptacle plug. However, there is a possibility that an unfamiliar operator or the like tries to fit the plug connector into the receptacle connector while the lever is pushed down. If the plug connector is forcibly fitted to the receptacle connector, there is a possibility that the housing and the contact may be deformed.

  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 capable of efficiently and surely fitting a receptacle connector and a plug connector. To do.

The present invention based on such an object is an electrical connector assembly, which is a first housing, a second housing fitted to the first housing, and a first housing held by the first housing. And a second contact held in the second housing and connected to the first contact, the first housing comprising a hood forming a space for receiving the second housing, The second housing includes a lever that is rotatably provided via a support shaft in order to reduce the insertion force of the second housing into the hood. The lever is flexible so that it can be deformed in a direction of approaching and separating from the inner wall surface at a position facing the inner wall surface of the hood with the second housing fitted to the first housing. Having a deformed piece. A first engagement portion that engages with the hood when the second housing is fitted to the first housing, and a second engagement portion that engages with the second housing. It is characterized by providing.
Thus, by providing the deformed piece with the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion, the first engagement is achieved when the lever is tilted and the second housing is fitted to the first housing. If the joint portion is engaged with the hood, the second housing and the first housing can be locked in the fitted state. Further, if the second engaging portion is engaged with the second housing, the lever can be temporarily fixed to the second housing in a state where the second housing is not fitted into the first housing. .
When the first engaging portion or the second engaging portion is engaged with the hood or second housing to be engaged, or when the engagement with the engagement target is released, the flexible deformation The piece is bent in a direction away from the engagement target. Therefore, both engagement / release operations can be performed in a state where the contact pressure between the first engagement portion and the hood, and the second engagement portion and the second housing is reduced.
Here, there is no intention to limit the specific structure of the deformed piece, but it has the same configuration as a plate-like or beam-like spring in which one end side is a fixed end and the other end side is a free end. It is preferable to do this. In such a configuration, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion are provided on the free end side.

Here, when the second housing is fitted to the first housing, only the first engaging portion is engaged with the hood, and the second engaging portion is the second housing. And disengaged with each other. That is, in a state where the second housing is fitted to the first housing and only the first engaging portion is engaged with the hood, the second engaging portion is not engaged with the second housing. In a state where the second housing is fitted to the first housing, not only the first engaging portion engages with the hood but also the second engaging portion engages with the second housing. This is because, when the lever is raised, the deformation piece must be deformed and the engagement with the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion must be released at the same time, making the release difficult.
In this state, the lever is inclined with respect to the second housing in a state where the first engaging portion is engaged with the hood and a state where the second engaging portion is engaged with the second housing. It is preferable that they are different. Further, in the state where the second engagement portion is engaged with the second housing, if the lever is further tilted than in the state where the first engagement portion is engaged with the hood, the second engagement portion will be described. In a state where the joint portion is engaged with the second housing, the lever interferes and the second housing cannot be completely fitted to the first housing.

In addition, a slit is formed in the deformed piece, and a protrusion that can be inserted into the slit is formed on the side surface of the second housing, and the second engagement portion is engaged with the second housing. It is preferable that a protrusion is inserted into the slit.
As a result, when the second engaging portion is engaged with the second housing and the protrusion is inserted into the slit, the wiring or the like may inadvertently enter between the lever and the second housing. Can be prevented.

The first engagement portion and the second engagement portion may be arranged in any manner, but the second engagement portion is disposed in the center portion in the width direction of the deformed piece, and the first engagement portion is It is preferable to provide at two places on both sides of the second engaging portion.
Further, in the deformed piece, a configuration in which the first engaging portion is formed on one of the surface facing the inner wall surface of the hood and the opposite side, and the second engaging portion is formed on the other surface. It can also be.

According to the present invention, the lever deformation piece includes the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion, and when the first housing and the second housing are fitted together, the first engagement portion is provided. The lever is fully engaged with the first housing by the portion. Further, the lever is temporarily engaged with the plug housing by the second engaging portion. Thus, in one deformation piece, the main engagement of the lever to the first housing and the temporary engagement to the second housing can be realized.
In addition, when the first engagement portion or the second engagement portion is engaged with the hood or the second housing to be engaged, or when the engagement with the engagement target is released, there is flexibility. The deformed piece is elastically deformed by bending in a direction away from the hood or the second housing. Therefore, both engagement / release operations can be performed in a state where the contact pressure between the first engagement portion and the hood, and the second engagement portion and the second housing is reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent wear of the engaging portion between the first engaging portion and the hood, the second engaging portion and the second housing, and generation of foreign matter.

When the second housing is fitted to the first housing, only the first engaging portion is engaged with the hood, and the second engaging portion is not engaged with the second housing. It can also be in a combined state. Thus, when the lever is raised, when the first engagement portion is released from the first housing, the second engagement portion is simultaneously released from the second housing. Therefore, it is possible to easily disengage the first engaging portion from the hood with a light operating force.
Further, when the second housing is fitted to the first housing from the state where the second engaging portion is engaged with the second housing, the engagement of the second engaging portion to the second housing is performed. It is necessary to release the connection by pressing the deformed piece. By this operation, the operator can recognize the release of the temporary engagement with the second housing by the deformed piece, and can reliably perform the work.

  With the second engagement portion engaged with the second housing, the protrusion formed on the side surface of the second housing is inserted into the slit formed in the deformed piece. It is possible to prevent inadvertent entry of wiring or the like between the lever and the second housing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly according to the present embodiment as viewed from the plug connector side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly according to the present embodiment as viewed from the receptacle connector side. FIG. 3 is a front view of the electrical connector assembly according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector. 5A is a left side view of the plug connector, FIG. 5B is a front view of the plug connector, and FIG. 5C is a right side view of the plug connector. 6A is a perspective view of the lever, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing the plug connector in a state where the lever is raised. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the plug connector in a state where the lever is fully engaged in the AA cross section of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the plug connector in a state where the lever is temporarily engaged in a cross section taken along the line B-B in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the connector (electrical connector assembly) 10 includes a receptacle connector 20 that is fixed to the printed wiring board side and a plug connector 30 that can be fitted to the receptacle connector 20. .
In the present embodiment, for example, three plug connectors 30A, 30B, and 30C are fitted in the receptacle connector 20 in one direction. It should be noted that the number of plug connectors 30 that are fitted to the receptacle connector 20 is not intended to be limited in the present invention, and may be one, two, four, or more.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the receptacle connector 20 includes a resin-made receptacle housing (first housing) 21 and contacts (first contacts) 22 made of a conductive material such as a copper-based material. Consists of

The receptacle housing 21 is provided with a contact holding wall 23 that holds a plurality of contacts 22 in a state of being arranged at intervals.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the receptacle housing 21, one surface side of the contact holding wall 23 is inserted into the unit housing 100 such as an electrical unit, and the other surface side of the contact holding wall 23 faces the outside of the unit housing 100. It is attached to the unit housing 100 in a state where On one surface side of the contact holding wall 23, a bowl-shaped cover portion 24 is formed that covers a plurality of contacts 22 connected to a printed wiring board (not shown) housed in the unit housing 100.

  As shown in FIG. 4, on the other surface side of the contact holding wall 23, a fitting portion 25 into which the plug connectors 30A, 30B, 30C are fitted is provided. The fitting portion 25 is formed of a rectangular outer peripheral wall portion 25a that rises from the contact holding wall 23 to the other surface side, and partition walls 25b and 25c that divide the outer peripheral wall portion 25a into three. And the outer periphery wall part 25a is divided into three by the division walls 25b and 25c, and three cylindrical food | hood 26A, 26B, 26C is formed. Inside the hoods 26A, 26B, and 26C are receiving spaces 27A, 27B, and 27C for inserting the plug connectors 30A, 30B, and 30C.

In the hood 26A, 26B, 26C, an insertion hole (not shown) is formed through the contact holding wall 23 for holding the plurality of contacts 22 in a state of being arranged at intervals.
The contact holding wall 23 is formed with a protruding portion 29 adjacent to the hoods 26A and 26C at both ends and protruding outward in the direction in which the hoods 26A, 26B and 26C are arranged (opposite to the side adjacent to the hood 26B). Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plug connectors 30A, 30B, and 30C include a resin plug housing (second housing) 31 that fits in the hoods 26A, 26B, and 26C of the receptacle housing 21, and a copper alloy, etc. And a contact made of a conductive material (second contact: not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the plug housing 31 has a cross-sectional shape that fits the hoods 26A, 26B, and 26C of the receptacle housing 21 (in FIG. 5, an example of the plug connector 30B is shown). .). As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of contact holding holes 32 are formed in the plug housing 31 at intervals with respect to the plurality of contacts 22 of the receptacle connector 20. A contact (not shown) 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 a contact (not shown) in the contact holding hole 32.

  Such plug connectors 30A, 30B, and 30C are fitted into the receptacle connector 20 by inserting the plug housing 31 into the hoods 26A, 26B, and 26C of the receptacle housing 21. Then, the contacts (not shown) on the side of the plug connectors 30A, 30B, 30C are electrically connected to the contacts 22 located in the hoods 26A, 26B, 26C of the receptacle housing 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, 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 rotatably supported by the plug housing 31 on its one end 40 a side. Is provided. 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.
Hereinafter, the structure will be described in detail. Here, in order to facilitate the understanding of the description, when the plug housing 31 is fitted to the receptacle housing 21, the side facing the contact holding wall 23 will be described as the lower side, and the opposite side will be described as the upper side.

  In the plug connectors 30A and 30C connected to the hoods 26A and 26C on both ends, when the levers 40A and 40C are tilted with the plug housing 31 inserted into the hoods 26A and 26C, the levers 40A and 40C are moved to the hoods 26A and 26C. It has the length which protrudes outside. The levers 40A and 40C are engaged with locking claws 71 provided on the receptacle housing 21 at engaging portions 70 provided on the outside of the hoods 26A and 26C.

  On the other hand, in the plug connector 30B connected to the hood 26B located between the hoods 26A and 26C, the lever 40B engages with the receptacle housing 21 inside the hood 26B in a state where the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26B. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lever 40 </ b> B is rotatably connected to a support shaft 41 provided on the side surface of the plug housing 31 on the one end 40 a side. The support shaft 41 is offset from the center of the plug housing 31 toward the one end 40 a side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lever 40 </ b> B is formed along the side surfaces on both sides of the plug housing 31 when the lever 40 </ b> B is tilted into the engaged state. As shown in FIG. 5, in the lever 40 </ b> B, portions along the side surfaces on both sides of the plug housing 31 are formed by thin plate portions 42. And in order to reinforce the plate part 42, the truss structure-shaped reinforcement beam part 43 is integrally formed in the upper end part of the plate part 42. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the operating force is transmitted to the receptacle housing 21 when the lever 40 </ b> B is rotated to a position where the plate portion 42 protrudes from the support shaft 41 toward the one end 40 a side of the lever 40 </ b> B. A cam projection 55 is formed to project.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a cam groove 56 that guides the cam protrusion 55 is formed in the outer peripheral wall portion 25 a of the fitting portion 25 of the receptacle housing 21. The cam groove 56 is formed downward from the upper end portion of the outer peripheral wall portion 25a, and the cam protrusion 55 moves along the cam groove 56 when the lever 40B is rotated. At this time, when the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21 with the lever 40B raised, the cam protrusion 55 enters the cam groove 56. Then, when the other end portion 40 b of the lever 40 B is pushed and the lever 40 B is tilted, 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 40B acts between the cam projection 55 and the cam groove 56 according to 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 42 at a position protruding from the support shaft 41 toward the one end 40a of the lever 40B.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the plug housing 31 is formed with a slit 45 into which the stopper portion 44 that moves in the vertical direction when the lever 40B is rotated is inserted. The slit 45 is formed with a stopper portion 46 that contacts the stopper portion 44 when the lever 40B 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. By engaging the stopper claw 47 with the claw 44 a, the lever 40 </ b> B can be held up from the plug housing 31. When the lever 40B is tilted, the claw 44a gets over the stopper claw 47.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an engaging portion 60 is provided at the other end portion 40 b of the lever 40 </ b> B. The engaging portion 60 is for engaging the lever 40B with the receptacle housing 21 when the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40B is further tilted.
The engaging portion 60 is provided with a deformable piece 61 having a lower end portion 61a fixed to the lever 40B and an upper end portion 61b extending upward. The upper end 61b of the deformable piece 61 is exposed on the side surface of the lever 40B on the other end 40b side (the side away from the one end 40a). The deformable piece 61 is formed of a flexible resin material. When the upper end portion 61b of the deformable piece 61 is pressed toward and away from the one end portion 40a side of the lever 40B, a plate shape or a beam is formed. It is elastically deformed like a spring, and the upper end 61b side is displaced around the lower end 61a side.

In the deformed piece 61, a slit 61c is formed from the lower end portion 61a side toward the upper end portion 61b. In the deformed piece 61, the engaging portion 60 is provided on each side of the slit 61c on the surface of the lever 40B that is separated from the one end 40a (the surface facing the inner wall surface of the hood 26B). A first engagement claw (first engagement portion) 62 for engaging with the first engagement claw is formed.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, in the hood 26 </ b> B of the receptacle housing 21, there are two first engagements at a position facing the first engagement claw 62, that is, at the upper end of the partition wall 25 c of the fitting portion 25. A main engagement protrusion 63 that engages with each of the claws 62 is formed to protrude.

When the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40B is further tilted, the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed so that the first engaging claw 62 of the engaging portion 60 becomes the main engaging protrusion of the hood 26B. 63, the first engaging claw 62 of the engaging portion 60 and the main engaging protrusion 63 of the hood 26B are engaged with each other. As a result, the lever 40B is locked in a tilted state, and the plug housing 31 is locked in a state of being fitted to the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21. In this state, the lever 40B has the reinforcing beam portion 43 parallel to the upper surface of the plug housing 31.
Further, the deformed piece 61 has an upper end 61b protruding above the hood 26B so that the plug housing 31 can be inserted into the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21 and the lever 40B can be pushed down. Is formed.
In order to release the lock of the lever 40B, the upper end 61b of the deformable piece 61 is pressed in a direction approaching the one end 40a of the lever 40B. Then, the upper end portion 61b side of the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the one end portion 40a of the lever 40B, and the engagement between the first engaging claw 62 of the engaging portion 60 and the main engaging protrusion 63 of the hood 26B is engaged. Since it can be released, the lever 40B may be raised as it is.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the deformed piece 61 is provided with a lever 40B near the end 61d of the slit 61c on the surface facing the one end 40a of the lever 40B (the side facing the plug housing 31). A second engagement claw (second engagement portion) 64 that is temporarily engaged with the plug housing 31 is formed to protrude.

As shown in FIGS. 6B and 8, the plug housing 31 is formed with a protrusion 65 that is continuous in the vertical direction on the side surface facing the second engagement claw 64. The protrusion 65 is formed at a position where the protrusion 65 enters the slit 61c of the deformable piece 61 when the lever 40B is tilted.
A temporary engagement protrusion 66 that protrudes toward the second engagement claw 64 is formed at the upper end of the protrusion 65. As shown in FIG. 8, when the lever 40B is tilted without inserting the plug housing 31 into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21 and remains alone, the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed, thereby causing the second engagement. The joint claw 64 gets over the temporary engagement protrusion 66 of the plug housing 31, and the second engagement claw 64 and the temporary engagement protrusion 66 of the plug housing 31 engage with each other. Then, the lever 40 </ b> B cannot be raised above the engagement position between the second engagement claw 64 and the temporary engagement protrusion 66 of the plug housing 31, and is temporarily engaged with the plug housing 31.
At this time, the lever 40B is temporarily engaged with the upper surface 31a (see FIG. 1) of the plug housing 31 so that the reinforcing beam portion 43 is gradually lowered from the one end portion 40a side toward the other end portion 40b side. Is done.
In order to release the temporary locking of the lever 40B to the plug housing 31, the upper end portion 61b of the deformable piece 61 is pressed in a direction away from the one end portion 40a of the lever 40B. Then, the upper end portion 61b of the deformable piece 61 is elastically deformed in a direction away from the one end portion 40a of the lever 40B, and the engagement between the second engagement claw 64 and the temporary engagement protrusion 66 of the engagement portion 60 is released. Therefore, the lever 40B may be raised as it is.

Thus, by providing the deformable piece 61 of the lever 40B with the first engaging claw 62 and the second engaging claw 64, the main engagement of the lever 40B with the receptacle housing 21 in one deformed piece 61 is achieved. And temporary engagement with the plug housing 31 of the lever 40B is realizable.
Further, when the lever 40B and the receptacle housing 21 or the lever 40B and the plug housing 31 are engaged with each other or when the engagement is released, the flexible deformable piece 61 is bent and elastically deformed. Therefore, both engagement / release operations can be performed in a state where the contact pressure between the lever 40B and the receptacle housing 21 or between the lever 40B and the plug housing 31 is reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent wear of the engaging portion between the lever 40B and the receptacle housing 21, or the lever 40B and the plug housing 31, and generation of foreign matters.

  Further, by temporarily fixing the lever 40B to the plug housing 31 in a state where the lever 40B is tilted, the lever 40B can be broken or the engaging portion 60 and the plug housing 31 can be disconnected until the plug connector 30 is fitted to the receptacle connector 20. It is possible to prevent the wiring or the like from being caught in the gap. In particular, the protrusion 65 of the plug housing 31 enters the slit 61c of the deformable piece 61 of the lever 40B, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the wiring and the like from entering the gap between the engaging portion 60 and the plug housing 31.

As shown in FIG. 7, the plug housing 31 is fitted to the receptacle housing 21, the lever 40B is tilted and engaged with the receptacle housing 21 by the engaging portion 60 (hereinafter, this state is referred to as main fixing). The lever 40B is parallel to the upper surface 31a of the plug housing 31. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, in the state where the lever 40B is temporarily fixed to the plug housing 31, the lever 40B is further tilted with respect to the upper surface 31a of the plug housing 31, and the other end from the one end 40a side. The reinforcing beam portion 43 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 second engagement claw 64 and the temporary engagement protrusion 66 are not engaged with each other. Therefore, when the lever 40B is raised from the fully fixed state when the plug connector 30 is pulled out from the receptacle connector 20, only the engagement between the first engagement claw 62 and the main engagement protrusion 63 of the hood 26B is performed by elastically deforming the deformable piece 61. The lever 40B can be disengaged from the receptacle housing 21 with an easy and light operating force.

In a state in which the lever 40B is temporarily fixed to the plug housing 31, the lever 40B is pushed further downward in the plug housing 31 than in the state in which the lever 40B is permanently fixed to the receptacle housing 21. Therefore, in this state, the lever 40B interferes with the hood 26B, so that the plug housing 31 and the receptacle housing 21 cannot be completely fitted, and erroneous insertion can be prevented.
In the stage before the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21, as described above, the lever 40B is temporarily fixed while the lever 40B is tilted. When the plug housing 31 is inserted into the hood 26 of the receptacle housing 21, the lever 40B must be raised. When the lever 40B is raised, the operator needs to release the temporary locking of the lever 40B to the plug housing 31 by pressing the upper end 61b of the deformable piece 61 in a direction away from the one end 40a of the lever 40B. is there. The operator recognizes that the temporary engagement of the deformable piece 61 to the plug housing 31 is released by the operation of pressing the upper end portion 61 b of the deformable piece 61. Accordingly, it is possible to proceed with the operation while reliably recognizing the procedure of inserting the plug housing 31 into the hood 26B of the receptacle housing 21 after the lever 40B is surely raised. As a result, the operation can be accurately performed, and it is possible to avoid the problem that the plug housing 31 interferes with the contact 22 of the receptacle housing 21 and the contact 22 is deformed.

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. For example, the deformation piece 61, the first engagement claw 62, and the second engagement claw 64 are provided on the side surface of the other end portion 40b of the lever 40B on the side away from the one end portion 40a. It may be provided on the side surface of 40B.
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.

It is the perspective view which looked at the electrical connector assembly in this Embodiment from the plug connector side. It is the perspective view which looked at the electrical connector assembly in this Embodiment from the receptacle connector side. It is a front view of the electrical connector assembly in this Embodiment. It is a perspective view of a receptacle connector. (A) is a left side view of the plug connector, (b) is a front view of the plug connector, and (c) is a right side view of the plug connector. (A) is a perspective view of a lever, (b) is a perspective view which shows the plug connector in the state which raised the lever. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the plug connector in a state where the lever is fully engaged, taken along a line AA in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the plug connector in a state where the lever is temporarily engaged in a cross section taken along line BB in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connector (electric connector assembly), 20 ... Receptacle connector, 21 ... Receptacle housing (first housing), 22 ... Contact (first contact), 25 ... Fitting part, 26A, 26B, 26C ... Hood, 27A, 27B, 27C ... receiving space, 30, 30A, 30B, 30C ... plug connector, 31 ... plug housing (second housing), 40, 40A, 40B, 40C ... lever, 40a ... one end, 40b ... other end , 41 ... support shaft, 60 ... engagement portion, 61 ... deformed piece, 61c ... slit, 62 ... first engagement claw (first engagement portion), 63 ... main engagement projection, 64 ... second engagement Joint claw (second engagement portion), 65 ... protrusion, 66 ... temporary engagement protrusion

Claims (6)

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;
The second housing includes a lever that is rotatably provided via a support shaft in order to reduce the insertion force of the second housing into the hood.
The lever is flexibly deformable in a direction facing the inner wall surface of the hood in a direction of approaching and separating from the inner wall surface in a state where the second housing is fitted to the first housing. Having a deformed piece with
When the second housing is fitted to the first housing, the first engaging portion that engages with the hood, and the second engaging with the second housing. An electrical connector assembly comprising: an engaging portion.   In the deformed piece, when the second housing is fitted into the first housing, only the first engaging portion is engaged with the hood, and the second engaging portion is The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connector assembly is disengaged from the second housing.   The lever has an inclination angle with respect to the second housing in a state where the first engagement portion engages with the hood and a state where the second engagement portion engages with the second housing. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein are different from each other.   A slit is formed in the deformable piece, and a protrusion that can be inserted into the slit is formed on a side surface of the second housing, and the second engaging portion is engaged with the second housing. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is inserted into the slit in a state.   The second engagement portion is disposed at a central portion in the width direction of the deformable piece, and the first engagement portion is provided at two positions on both sides of the second engagement portion. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1.   In the deformed piece, the first engagement portion includes the first engagement portion formed on one of the surfaces facing the inner wall surface of the hood and the opposite side thereof, and the first surface on the other surface. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein a second engagement portion is formed.

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