JP3875034B2 - Connector with booster and electrical connection device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector with a booster mechanism having a function of reducing an operation force required for fitting with a mating connector, and an electrical connection device including the connector.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, for example, a connector disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-40250 is known as a connector having a function of reducing an operation force required for fitting with a counterpart connector.
[0003]
This connector includes a housing that holds terminals and a holder (support member) that slidably supports the terminal, and a cam mechanism (a boost mechanism) that includes a swing lever or the like is interposed between the housing and the holder. is doing. Then, when the swing lever engages with the driven pin of the mating connector, the housing and the holder relatively slide, so that the slide force is increased by the boosting action of the swing lever. It is converted into a larger fitting force between the connectors.
[0004]
By the way, in this type of connector, it is necessary to hold the relative position of the housing with respect to the holder at a predetermined position (fitting start position) before the connector and the mating connector are coupled. As the means, in the above publication, a movable arm that can be bent from the holder toward the mating connector is extended, while a projecting piece protruding inward is formed on the inner surface of the hood formed on the housing, The relative position between the housing and the holder is fixed to a predetermined initial position by the tip of the movable arm coming into contact with the projecting piece (housing lock), and in this state, the housing of the mating connector is placed on the housing. A configuration is disclosed in which when the connector is fitted, the distal end portion of the housing of the mating connector pushes and opens the distal end portion of the movable arm from the inside to forcibly release the lock.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the connector disclosed in the above publication, in order to obtain a sufficient boosting action (fitting operation force reducing action), it is necessary to secure a large sliding stroke of the housing with respect to the holder (work principle).
[0006]
However, in the connector according to the publication, the movable arm for temporary locking is configured to extend to the housing side with the holder exposed to the outside, so that the movable arm is greatly extended as the slide stroke increases. Then, the movable arm is easy to break, and there is a risk that the lock may be inadvertently released even if a slight external force is applied.
[0007]
Furthermore, the larger the slide stroke, the more difficult it is to stably hold the housing on the holder side. In particular, the housing tends to tilt at the fitting start position where the housing greatly protrudes from the holder. There is also a risk of being disturbed.
[0008]
In view of such circumstances, the present invention supports the housing on the holder side in a stable state while ensuring a sufficient sliding stroke of the housing for effectively reducing the fitting operation force, and fitting. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector with a booster mechanism that can be reliably locked at a start position and an electrical connection device including the connector.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a housing that holds a plurality of terminals, a holder that holds the housing so as to be slidable in a fitting direction between the terminals and the terminals of the mating connector, and the holder, By being engaged with the mating connector when the housing and the mating connector are fitted, the housing is operated with respect to the holder in the mating operation direction. In the connector with a booster mechanism provided with a booster mechanism that reduces the required fitting operation force, the holder includes a frame-shaped main body that covers the periphery of the housing, and the main body from the main body toward the mating connector. Extending in a direction parallel to the terminal fitting direction, and fitting to the housing to support the housing so as to be slidable in the terminal fitting direction. And a slide support portion, on the inner side of the slide support portion, engages the housing at the mating start position for starting the mating connector mate and said housing at the beginning of the fitting A lock portion to be released is provided, and the slide support portion has a U-shaped cross section composed of an outer wall and an upper and lower wall, and a slit is formed to cut backward from the front end surface of the slide support portion. The housing is slidably supported by fitting the outer portion of the housing on the inside, and the inner portion of the slit is a deflectable piece that can bend and deform outward. is the locking portion of the front end form, and are structured as locking of the housing by the locking portion by bending deformation of the deforming pieces is released It is intended.
[0010]
Moreover, this invention consists of the said connector with a booster mechanism and its other party connector, and the said other party connector hold | maintains these terminals with multiple types of terminal fitted to each terminal of the said connector with a booster mechanism And a mating engagement portion that engages with the booster mechanism, and a release operation portion that releases the holding of the housing by the lock portion when the connector is fitted to the connector with the booster mechanism. It is an electrical connection device.
[0011]
In these configurations, the holder is provided with a slide support portion extending in a direction parallel to the terminal fitting direction, and the housing is supported so as to be slidable in the direction in a state where the housing is fitted to the slide support portion. Therefore, the housing can be slidably supported in a stable state without increasing the size of the entire holder. And since the lock part for locking the said housing to a fitting start position is provided inside this slide support part, this latching | locking part is effectively protected from external force by the outer part of the said slide support part. be able to.
[0012]
In addition, since the slide support portion has a U-shaped cross section composed of an outer wall and an upper and lower wall , the support rigidity can be increased , and the outer portion of the housing is fitted inside the slide support portion. Therefore, the outside of the housing can be fitted in a stable state, and as a result, a stable sliding operation of the housing can be realized.
[0013]
Further, the slits cut backward from the front end surface before Symbol slide support portion is formed, and the inner portion becomes deformable deforming pieces deflected outward than the slit, a front end portion of the deflection piece the lock engaging portion for engagement with the housing at the mating start position is formed, and is configured to engage with said through flexural deformation of the flexing piece housing and the locking engaging portion disengages the Therefore , a simple structure that only forms a slit on the front side of the slide support part, and without increasing the number of parts, a lock part that can be switched between a locked state and a released state is provided inside the slide support part. Can be provided.
[0014]
Then, an operated protrusion is formed at a position off the lock portion in the bending piece, and the operated protrusion is pressed outward by an operating portion provided on the counterpart connector when fitted to the counterpart connector. Thus, by adopting a configuration in which the bending piece bends and deforms outward, the lock portion can have a function of automatically releasing the lock of the housing when mated with the mating connector.
[0015]
In the case where the housing has a cross-sectional shape extending in one direction, it is preferable that the slide support portion is provided on both outer sides in the longitudinal direction. According to this configuration, the housing can be supported efficiently and stably by the both slide support portions.
[0016]
In this way, by supporting the housing with both slide support portions, it is possible to make the structure strong against an uneven load. For example, a plurality of booster mechanisms arranged between the slide support portions are attached to the housing. Thus, even if the two sides are unevenly distributed, it is possible to prevent the smooth sliding of the housing from being hindered due to the uneven load applied from these booster mechanisms. In this way, the plurality of booster mechanisms are unevenly distributed on one side of the housing, so that a gap that must be secured between the housing and the holder to provide these booster mechanisms is only on one side of the housing. As a result, the entire connector can be further reduced in size as compared with the case where a plurality of booster mechanisms are distributed on both sides of the housing.
[0017]
Furthermore, if the booster mechanism is configured to be provided symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the housing, it is possible to suppress an uneven load with respect to the longitudinal direction of the housing and to ensure smoother sliding of the housing.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 shows a connector C1 with a booster mechanism according to the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “connector C1”) and a counterpart connector C2.
[0020]
The mating connector C2 includes a large number of male terminals 40 extending in the front-rear direction and a resin housing 41 that holds the male terminals 40. The housing 41 is formed with a hood 42 that surrounds the terminals 40 from the outside. Has been. Further, cam pins 44 project from the upper and lower outer surfaces of the hood 42, and a cam plate cover 43 is formed to cover the cam pins 44 from the outside. Each cam plate cover 43 is flat and has a large opening on the connector C1 side.
[0021]
On the other hand, the connector C <b> 1 includes a housing 10, a pair of upper and lower cam plates (rotating members) 20, and a holder 30.
[0022]
The entire housing 10 is integrally formed of an insulating material having elasticity such as resin. Specifically, a plurality of housing blocks 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, and 11F are arranged in a lateral direction ( The entire housing 10 has a cross-sectional shape extending in the same direction by being integrally provided in the left-right direction), and a common frame portion 14 is formed at the rear thereof. Each housing block 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> F holds a large number of female terminals 12 that can be fitted to the male terminals 11.
[0023]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B, the male terminal 40 is provided with two types of male terminals 40A and 40B, and the female terminal 12 is correspondingly large. Two types of female terminals 12A and small female terminals 12B are provided. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, first, the fitting between the male terminal 40A and the female terminal 12A is started, and then the fitting between the male terminal 40B and the female terminal 12B is delayed as shown in FIG. 7B. The fitting timing of each terminal is set so that the match is started.
[0024]
Each cam plate 20 has a thin plate shape and is rotatably attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the frame portion 14. The cam plate 20 has a cam groove 24 on one end side (the mating connector C2 side) and outwards on the other end side. And a cam projection (protrusion) 22 that protrudes toward the center.
[0025]
The cam groove 24 is formed in a bottomed shape on the inner surface of the cam plate 20 and has a gentle curved shape, and its end is a pin inlet 24a that opens toward the mating connector C2. . The mating connector C2, the housing 10 and the terminal 12 are fitted while the cam pin 44 of the mating connector C2 enters the cam groove 24 from the pin inlet 24a. The shape of the cam groove 24 is set so that the cam plate 20 rotates accordingly.
[0026]
At this time, the opening width of the cam plate cover 43 is set so that the cam plate 20 is inserted in the thickness direction in the cam plate cover 43 of the mating connector C2 (see FIG. 5). ).
[0027]
The holder 30, like the housing 10, is integrally formed of an insulating material having elasticity, such as resin, and has a frame-shaped main body 31 that covers the periphery of the housing 10, and this frame-shaped main body. The housing 10 is held inside 31 so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the coupling direction with the mating connector C2.
[0028]
Specifically, a pair of slide support portions 32 extending in parallel with the terminal fitting direction toward the front side (the counterpart connector C2 side) are provided on the left and right side portions of the frame-shaped main body 31. The housing 10 is slidably supported by fitting the inner side surface with the left and right outer side surfaces of the housing 10. In other words, slide support portions 32 are provided on both outer sides of the housing 10 in the left-right direction (longitudinal direction) for supporting the slide.
[0029]
As shown in FIGS. 2 (a), 3 (a) and 3 (b), these slide support portions 32 include a horizontal upper wall 32a, a lower wall 32b, and a vertical outer wall 32c connecting the walls 32a and 32b. A guide groove 37 extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the upper and lower inner walls 32a, 32b. On the other hand, on both the left and right outer portions of the housing 10, a fitting portion 13 that is fitted inside the slide support portion 32 protrudes outward, and a protrusion 15 that protrudes upward and downward from the fitting portion 13. These ridges 15 are fitted in the guide grooves 37.
[0030]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 8A to 8C, slits 33 are formed at the front end portions of the left and right side walls of the frame-shaped main body 31 so as to cut backward from the front surface thereof. The inner part of the slit 33 is a bending piece 34 that can be bent and deformed in the outer direction.
[0031]
On the inner surface of the front end of the deflecting piece 34, an operation protrusion 34a protruding inward is formed at the center in the vertical direction. The operation protrusion 34a is located above and below the operation protrusion 34a and slightly more than the operation protrusion 34a. A locking projection (locking engagement portion) 34b is formed at the rear position.
[0032]
On the other hand, at the front end portions of the left and right outer side surfaces of the housing 10, a held projection 16 with which the locking projection 34b can be contacted from the rear is formed. It is locked at a position where the fitting with the connector C2 is started. Further, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, an operation wall (release operation portion) 45 extending forward is formed inside the hood 41 of the mating connector C2, and this operation wall 45 is formed at the start of connector fitting. Presses the operated protrusion 34a from the inside, whereby the bending piece 34 is bent outward, and the engagement between the locking protrusion 34a of the bending piece 34 and the held protrusion 16 of the housing 10 is released (the lock is released). To be).
[0033]
Ear portions 35 are formed around the frame-shaped main body 31, and attachment portions 36 that are fitted and fixed in attachment holes provided in a panel or the like (not shown) are provided on the left and right ends of the ear portions 35. Is formed.
[0034]
On the other hand, the upper and lower walls of the holder 30 are formed with cam grooves 38 penetrating therethrough, and the cam plate 20 rotates with the cam protrusions 22 of the cam plate 20 fitted in the cam grooves 38. It comes to move.
[0035]
In this embodiment, the cam groove 38 has a first groove portion 38a, a second groove portion 38b, and a third groove portion 38c successively from the front side (side closer to the mating connector C2; right side in FIG. 4). is doing.
[0036]
The first groove portion 38a and the second groove portion 38b are directions in which a first direction component in a direction parallel to the terminal fitting direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4) and a second direction component in a direction orthogonal to the direction are combined. The second groove portion 38b has a larger first direction component than the first groove portion 38a (inclined to about 45 ° in the figure). In addition, the third groove portion 38c has almost no first direction component, and almost only the second direction component. The relationship between the cam groove 38 and the cam protrusion 22 is set so as to obtain the following action.
[0037]
First, in a state before the connectors C1 and C2 are fitted to each other, the housing 10 is positioned at the foremost end position (fitting start position) with respect to the holder 30. At this time, the cam projection 22 of the cam plate 20 is positioned in the first groove portion 38a of the cam groove 38, and the lock projection 34b of the slide support portion 32 is provided with the housing 10 as shown in FIG. The housing 10 is locked at the foremost end position by coming into contact with the held projection 16 from behind.
[0038]
When the fitting between the connectors C1 and C2 is started from this state, the operation wall 45 formed on the outer surface of the hood 42 of the connector C2 is first bent as shown in FIG. In order to press the pressed protrusion 34 a of the piece 34 from the inside to the outside and to bend and deform the bent piece 34 outward, the locking protrusion 34 b formed on the bent piece 34 is the held protrusion 16 of the housing 10. Automatically disengages from the outside. That is, the lock is released and the housing 10 is allowed to move backward (slide backward) in the holder 30.
[0039]
On the other hand, in the cam plate 20, the cam pin 44 provided on the connector C2 enters the cam groove 24 of the cam plate 20 from the pin inlet 24a, and the cam plate is moved along with the fitting of the connectors C1 and C2. 20 is rotated. Since the cam projection 24 formed on the cam plate 20 is guided to the first groove portion 38a of the cam groove 38 of the holder 30 (FIG. 6A), the housing moves with the rotation of the cam plate 20. 10 slides backward with respect to the holder 30. This rear slide generates a boosting action and reduces the operating force required for connector fitting.
[0040]
The fitting of the connectors C1 and C2 starts with the fitting of the male terminal 40A and the female terminal 12A as shown in FIG. 6 (b). Next, the fitting of the male terminal 40B and the female terminal 12B as shown in FIG. 7B also starts, and at this time, as shown in FIG. The second groove portion 38b is shifted to the inside. Then, the fitting between the connectors is completed so that the cam projection 24 enters the third groove 38c.
[0041]
According to the above connectors C 1 and C 2, the slide support portion 32 extends forward from the frame-shaped main body 31 of the holder 30 in parallel with the terminal fitting direction, and the housing is formed by fitting the slide support portion 32 and the housing 10. Since 10 is slidably supported in the terminal fitting direction, the housing 10 can be stably supported without enlarging the entire holder 30. And since the bending piece 34 which has the to-be-operated protrusion 34a and the lock | rock protrusion 34b is formed inside this slide support part 32, the lock part which locks the housing 10 to a fitting start position is constructed | assembled. The portion can be effectively protected by the outer portion of the slide support portion 32 without exposing the portion to the outside.
[0042]
Therefore, according to the connectors C1 and C2, the housing 10 can be stably supported and securely locked to the fitting start position while ensuring a sufficient sliding stroke of the housing 10 to reduce the required fitting operation force. And can be realized.
[0043]
In the case where a plurality of booster mechanisms including the cam plate 20 or the like are provided, the specific arrangement can be variously set. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, if the booster mechanisms are distributed on both the upper and lower sides of the housing 10 between the left and right slide support portions 32, the load acting on the housing 10 from these booster mechanisms can be equalized. It becomes possible.
[0044]
However, in the present invention, since the housing 10 is supported by the slide support portion 32, a structure that resists uneven loads can be obtained. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the boosting power is aligned in the left-right direction (housing longitudinal direction). Even if the mechanism (the cam plate 20 or the like) is unevenly distributed on one side (the upper side in the drawing) of the housing 10, a smooth sliding operation of the housing 10 can be ensured. And by making all the boosting mechanisms unevenly distributed on one side of the housing 10 in this way, a gap d (FIG. 11) between the housing 10 and the holder 30 for providing the boosting mechanism is provided only on one side of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to further reduce the size of the entire connector as compared with the structure in which the gap d for arranging the booster mechanism must be provided on both upper and lower sides of the housing 10 as shown in FIG. Become.
[0045]
Furthermore, if the pair of booster mechanisms are arranged symmetrically as shown in FIG. 10, the uneven load in the left-right direction can be eliminated, and a smoother sliding operation of the housing 10 can be ensured. .
[0046]
In addition, this invention can also take the following embodiment as an example.
[0047]
In the present invention, regardless of the specific structure of the booster mechanism, for example, the one disclosed in JP-A-11-40250 may be applied as it is. In short, what is necessary is just to be able to reduce the necessary fitting operation force by utilizing the sliding of the housing in the terminal fitting direction with respect to the holder.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in the connector with a booster mechanism in which the housing slides in parallel with the terminal fitting direction with respect to the holder, the holder is provided with a slide support portion extending in parallel with the terminal fitting direction. The housing is slidably supported by the portion, and a lock portion for locking the housing to the fitting start position is provided inside the slide supporting portion, so that the fitting operation force can be effectively reduced. There is an effect that the housing can be held in a stable state and can be reliably locked at the fitting start position while sufficiently securing the sliding stroke of the housing. In addition, since the slide support portion has a U-shaped cross section, the support rigidity is increased, and the outside of the housing can be stably fitted to the inside thereof, thereby realizing a stable sliding operation of the housing. There is an effect that can be. Further, in the present invention, a slit is formed in the slide support portion so as to cut rearward from the front end surface thereof, and a portion on the inner side of the slit is formed as a bending piece that can be bent outward and deformed. There is an effect that the lock part can be provided inside the slide support part without increasing the number of parts with a simple structure of forming the lock part.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector with a booster mechanism and its counterpart connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a front view showing a side portion of the connector with a booster mechanism, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 2A;
3A is a partial cross-sectional front view including a cross section along line AA in FIG. 2B; FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional front view including a cross section along line BB in FIG. 2B; is there.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the vicinity of a cam plate in the connector with a booster mechanism.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.
6A is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing the position of the cam plate at the stage when the first terminal fitting is started, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional side view showing the state of the terminal fitting.
7A is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing the position of the cam plate at the stage when the second terminal fitting is started, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional side view showing the state of the terminal fitting. .
FIGS. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional plan views showing the relationship between the lock portion and the operation portion during the connector fitting operation. FIGS.
FIG. 9 is a front view showing an example in which boosting mechanisms in the connector with a boosting mechanism are distributed on both upper and lower sides of the housing.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example in which a booster mechanism in the connector with a booster mechanism is provided on the upper side of the housing.
11 is a front view of the connector with a booster mechanism according to FIG. 10;
[Explanation of symbols]
C1 Connector with booster mechanism C2 Mating connector 10 Housing 12 Female terminal 16 Holding protrusion 20 Cam plate (component of booster mechanism)
22 Cam projection 24 Cam groove (engagement with mating connector)
30 Holder 32 Slide support portion 33 Slit 34 Bending piece 34a Operated projection 34b Locking projection 40 Male terminal 41 Housing 44 Pin for cam (mating engagement portion)
45 Operation wall (release operation part)

Claims (6)

A housing for holding a plurality of terminals, a holder for holding the housing so as to be slidable in a fitting direction between the terminals and the terminals of the mating connector, and the housing and the mating connector provided between the holder and the housing. Is engaged with the mating connector at the time of mating, and the housing is slid in the mating operation direction relative to the holder in conjunction with the mating operation to reduce the necessary mating operation force. In a connector with a booster mechanism equipped with a force mechanism,
The holder has a frame-shaped main body that covers the periphery of the housing, and extends from the main body toward the mating connector side in a direction parallel to the terminal fitting direction. A slide support part that is slidably supported in a direction ,
A lock portion is provided inside the slide support portion to lock the housing at a fitting start position for starting fitting with the counterpart connector, and to release the housing at the start of the fitting. And
The slide support portion has a U-shaped cross section composed of an outer wall and an upper and lower wall, and a slit is formed to cut backward from the front end surface thereof,
The housing is slidably supported by fitting the outer portion of the housing inside the slide support portion,
The inner part of the slit is a deflectable piece that can be bent outward and deformed, the lock portion is formed at the front end of the deflectable piece, and the housing is formed by the lock portion by the deformation of the deflected piece. A connector with a booster mechanism, wherein the lock is released . The connector with a booster mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein an operation protrusion is formed at a position of the flexure piece that is disengaged from the lock portion, and the operation portion provided on the counterpart connector at the time of mating with the counterpart connector is used for the operation. A connector with a booster mechanism, wherein when the operation protrusion is pressed outward, the bending piece is bent outwardly. The connector with a booster mechanism according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the housing has a cross-sectional shape extending in one direction, and the slide support portions are provided on both outer sides in the longitudinal direction. apparatus. The connector with a booster mechanism according to claim 3 , wherein a plurality of booster mechanisms are arranged in parallel between the slide support portions, and these booster mechanisms are unevenly distributed on one side of the housing. An electrical connection device characterized by the above. The connector with a booster mechanism according to claim 4 , wherein the booster mechanism is provided symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction of the housing. It consists of the connector with a booster mechanism in any one of Claims 1-5 , and its other party connector, The said other party connector is a some terminal fitted to each terminal of the said connector with a booster mechanism, These A housing for holding a terminal, and a release operation for releasing the holding of the housing by the lock portion when the mating engagement portion is engaged with the booster mechanism and the connector with the booster mechanism. And an electrical connection device.

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