JP2900738B2 - Lever connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lever type connector for engaging and disengaging a connector by a cam action.
In particular, the present invention relates to a terminal having two or more terminal groups having different insertion / removal timings.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A connector of this kind is connected with a small force.
It has an advantage that it can be detached, and is particularly applied to a multi-pole connector having 20 or more poles. The basic principle is based on the leverage of the lever.
What is publicly known in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 62772 is a configuration schematically shown in FIG.

[0003] In the figure, a female connector housing 1 in which a female terminal is incorporated is shown on the upper side, and a male connector housing 2 in which a male terminal is embedded is shown on the lower side. It can be inserted into the male connector housing 2. A lever 4 having a cam groove 3 for performing "lever action" is rotatably provided on the male connector housing 2, and a cam receiving projection 6 is provided on a cover 5 placed on the female connector housing 1 side. Is provided. Here, the cam groove 3 of the lever 4 has an arc shape located around a bearing hole 4a which is the center of rotation of the lever 4 as shown in detail in FIG. 3
a and 3b function as cam surfaces.

When the two connectors 1 and 2 are connected, FIG.
As shown in (B), first, the cam receiving projection 6 of the cover 5 attached to the female connector housing 1 is inserted into the cam groove 3 of the lever 4, and thereafter, the lever 4 is rotated in the direction of the arrow. Then, the side edge 3a of the cam groove 3, which is located on the upper side in FIG. 3C, presses the cam receiving projection 6 downward, so that the cover 5 is pushed downward in the figure, and the terminals of both connectors are connected. The female connector housing 1 is inserted into the male connector housing 2 while the groups are deeply connected to each other. When the lever 4 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 4D, the female connector housing 1 is completely inserted into the male connector housing 2, and the terminal groups of both connectors are completely connected.

In the connection process of such a connector, for example, as the male and female terminals are inserted into each other, a strong insertion resistance acts on the female connector housing 1. Side edge 3a
Since the insertion force that overcomes the insertion resistance acts between the cam connector and the cam receiving protrusion 6 by the "lever action", the female connector housing 1 can be inserted into the male connector housing 2 with a relatively light force. .

[0006]

Generally, in this type of construction, assuming that the angle formed by the tangent of the cam surface at the contact point with the cam receiving projection is θ, the force acting on the cam receiving projection becomes smaller as the angle θ is smaller. Can be increased. This situation is
Vectors f1 and f2 are shown in the vector diagram of FIG. 8 in which the cam surface of the cam groove is represented by "k", the cam receiving projection is represented by "p", and the tangent is represented by "t", and the force acting on the cam receiving projection is obtained. It is easily understood from the comparison. This means that in this type of lever type connector, the force acting on the cam receiving projection 6 with the rotation of the lever 4 is determined by the continuous change of the tangent of the cam surface, that is, the curved shape of the cam groove 3. Means that.

In recent years, a connector has been developed in which one connector housing is provided with two types of terminals, for example, for power and for signal. In this type of connector, since the power terminal is generally large and the signal terminal is small, the insertion of the large power terminal is started first in the process of connecting the connectors, and then the insertion of the signal terminal is started. Will be started. For this reason, each resistance change of insertion and withdrawal accompanying the rotation operation of the lever 4 is:
Whereas the conventional type of one type terminal has a simple curve having one peak, this type of two terminal type connector has a curve having two peaks as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B). Becomes

However, since the cam groove 3 of the lever 4 in the conventional connector has only a simple arc shape as shown in FIG. 7, it is necessary to apply a force adapted to the change of the insertion resistance to the female connector housing 1. There is a problem that the lever cannot be operated smoothly and with a light force.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even when a connector is provided with a plurality of types of terminal groups, it is possible to generate an appropriate force in accordance with a resistance change at the time of connection or disconnection. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lever-type connector capable of performing a turning operation of a lever smoothly and with a light operating force.

[0010]

According to the lever type connector of the present invention, the resistance of connection and disconnection of the connector changes along the direction in which the cam receiving projection is displaced perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lever. The feature is that the shape of the cam surface of the cam groove is discontinuously changed so as to apply a large force to the cam receiving projection when the resistance is increased in accordance with the resistance change of the connection and disconnection of the connector. Have.

[0011]

According to the lever-type connector of the above-described means, the shape of the cam groove of the lever changes discontinuously in response to the change in the resistance of the connection and disconnection of the connector. As a result, the turning operation of the lever can be performed smoothly and with a small force.

[0012]

As described above, according to the lever-type connector of the present invention, even when the resistance of the connection and disconnection of the connector changes on the way, the lever can be turned smoothly and with a light operating force. It has an excellent effect that it can be performed.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The overall structure is as shown in FIG. 3, and a male connector housing 1 in which a male terminal is mounted.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a lower side, and a female connector housing 12 to which a female terminal (not shown) is attached is illustrated at an upper side.

A cover 13 is provided on the upper part of the female connector housing 12 to cover the entire upper surface thereof. The cover 13 is engaged with the female connector housing 12 by an engagement mechanism 13a.
A cam receiving projection 17 engaging with the projection 6 is provided laterally at the center of the side wall.

On the other hand, the male connector housing 11 has a rectangular hood portion 18 whose upper surface is open. In the hood portion 18, there are two types of male terminal groups of a power male terminal TP and a signal male terminal TS. Is provided (schematically shown in FIG. 4). Of these, the power male terminal TP is larger than the signal male terminal TS, and its tip protrudes higher. Further, a pair of lever support shafts 19 project sideways from the side wall of the hood portion 18, and the lever 14 is attached thereto. The lever 14 has a two-legged shape, the upper ends of the left and right legs 15 are connected to each other by a bridge portion 14a, and a bearing hole 20 is formed in each leg 15 so that the lever support shaft 19 is fitted. I have. When the lever 14 is rotated while the cam receiving projection 17 on the female connector housing 12 side and the cam groove 16 are engaged, the cover 13 and thus the female connector housing 12 are displaced with respect to the male connector housing 11 by a cam action. As a result, the two connectors can be connected and disconnected. Note that outer wall portions 21 that cover the lower half of the lever 14 attached thereto from the side are integrally provided on both side walls of the male connector housing 11.

The shape of the cam groove 16 formed in each leg 15 of the lever 14 is as shown in detail in FIG.
It is located on the left side of the bearing hole 20 formed in the leg 15 in the drawing, and its upper end is closed by a thin projection entry portion 16c. This cam groove shape is set so as to correspond to the resistance change at the time of terminal insertion shown in FIG.
A curve connecting two arcs is drawn, and the curve has two peaks and an inflection point in the middle.

To connect the connectors in the above configuration, first, the female connector housing 12 is inserted into the hood 18 of the male connector housing 11. Then, the cam receiving projection 17 of the cover 13 provided on the female connector housing 12 elastically deforms the two legs 15 of the lever 14 so as to expand each other. It enters the groove 16.

Next, the lever 14 is turned in the direction of arrow A in FIG. Then, one side edge of the cam groove 16 pushes down the cam receiving projection 17, and the cover 13 and thus the female connector housing 12 are inserted deeper into the hood 18. With this, both connector housings 11,
Although the male and female terminal groups provided at 12 are inserted into each other, in the present embodiment, the male terminal group is composed of two types of male terminal TP and male terminal TS for power, which are different in height. Male terminal T for electric power
Insertion starts from group P, and then the signal male terminal TS
The group insertion begins. For this reason, the insertion resistance associated with the insertion of the male and female terminal groups varies discontinuously as shown in FIG.

However, in this embodiment, the shape of the cam groove 16 is a discontinuous curve connecting two arcs as a whole so as to correspond to the resistance change at the time of terminal insertion shown in FIG. Since the female connector housing 12 is set so as to be drawn, a discontinuous force is applied to the female connector housing 12 in accordance with the insertion timing of the two types of terminals TP and TS. It will match a continuous change. As a result, even if there is a discontinuous resistance change in the insertion of the terminal group, the turning operation of the lever 14 can be performed smoothly and with a light operating force.

Further, in order to release the connected connector, the lever 14 is rotated in the direction opposite to that in FIG. Then, the cam receiving projection 17 receives a force that is pushed up from the other side edge of the cam groove 16 this time.
3 and, consequently, the female connector housing 12 is moved away from the inside of the hood portion 18, whereby the male and female terminal groups are pulled out of each other. Also in this case, in this embodiment, 2
Since there are male terminal groups of various types, the withdrawal resistance accompanying the withdrawal of each male and female terminal group varies discontinuously, as does the change in the insertion resistance shown in FIG. 5B. However, also in this case, a discontinuous force acts on the female connector housing 12 due to the unique shape of the cam groove 16, which corresponds to a discontinuous change in the withdrawal resistance of the terminal group. The turning operation of the lever 14 can be performed smoothly and with a light operating force.

As described above, according to this embodiment, in consideration of the fact that there are two types of terminals that are inserted and withdrawn at different timings, the shape of the cam groove 16 is adjusted to the timing for inserting and withdrawing each terminal group. Since it is changed discontinuously in response, discontinuous coupling and
A release force can be exerted on the female connector housing 12. Thus, there is an excellent effect that the turning operation of the lever 14 can be performed smoothly and with a light operating force.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with the following modifications, for example.

(A) In the above embodiment, the male connector housing 11 is provided with the lever 14 and the female connector housing 1
Although the cam receiving projection 17 is provided on the two sides, the lever may be provided on the female connector housing and the cam receiving projection may be provided on the male connector housing.

(B) In the above embodiment, the cam receiving projection 17 is provided on the female connector housing 12 with the cover 13.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be provided directly on the female connector housing.

(C) Further, in the above embodiment, the cam groove 16
The left and right inner edge portions have substantially the same shape, but are not limited thereto, and may have different shapes. That is, when connecting and disconnecting the connector, different ones of the left and right inner edges of the cam groove function as the cam surfaces. , And the inner edge on the side that functions as a cam surface when the connector is disconnected may have a shape corresponding to the change in the resistance of terminal removal during disconnection.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, but is widely applied to a lever-type connector having a plurality of types of terminals which are inserted and withdrawn at different timings. Is what you can do.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a lever showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lever along the line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the entire connector.

FIG. 4 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a connecting process of the connector.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in resistance when a terminal is inserted and withdrawn.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional lever-type connector.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a lever showing a shape of a cam groove in a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a vector diagram for explaining the force acting on the cam receiving protrusion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 ... Male connector housing 12 ... Female connector housing 14 ... Lever 16 ... Cam groove 17 ... Cam receiving projection TP ... Male terminal T for power TS ... Male terminal T for signal

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Nakata 1-114, Nishisuehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. (56) References JP-A-4-62772 (JP, A) (58) Survey Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01R 13/629

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A pair of connector housings are provided with male and female terminals inserted and connected to one and the other of the paired connector housings, and a lever is rotatably provided on one side of both connector housings, and the lever is provided on the other side. A cam receiving protrusion engaging with a cam groove formed in a lever is provided, and by rotating the lever, the cam receiving protrusion is displaced in the cam groove to connect and disconnect the connector against resistance. And the resistance of the coupling and disengagement changes along a direction in which the cam receiving protrusion is displaced perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lever. A lever-type connector in which a large force is applied to the cam receiving projection in a discontinuous manner in response to a change in the resistance of the coupling and disengagement when the resistance increases.