JP6883407B2 - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lever type connector.

As a type of lever type connector attached to a panel, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 17, the lever type connector 500 includes a male connector housing 501 and a female connector housing 503, and the panel is in a state where the male connector housing 501 and the female connector housing 503 are already fitted. It is mounted so as to fit into the mounting hole (not shown).
The male side connector housing 501 has an oval shape in which both upper and lower ends are semicircular as a whole, and a flange portion 505 forming an oval shape is formed on the outer periphery of the rear end portion, and the flange portion 505 is slightly forward of the flange portion 505. A positional elastic retaining piece 507 is formed. On the front end side of the male connector housing 501, a hood portion 509 projecting forward is formed. A pair of shaft portions 511 are formed on the left and right outer surfaces of the hood portion 509, and the lever 513 is supported by the shaft portions 511. A pair of cam followers 515 are projected on the left and right outer surfaces of the female connector housing 503.

When mating the male connector housing 501 and the female connector housing 503, first, the lever 513 is made to stand by at the standby position, the female connector housing 503 is shallowly fitted into the hood portion 509, and the cam follower 515 is fitted into the cam groove 517. Enter the entrance of.
Next, when the lever 513 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 17 from this state, both connectors are connected even if the operating force applied to the lever 513 is small due to the lever action due to the engagement between the cam groove 517 and the cam follower 515. When the fitting of the housing proceeds smoothly and the lever 513 reaches the fitting position, both connector housings are in the normal fitting state.

The lever-type connector in which the male connector housing 501 and the female connector housing 503 are fitted in this way is oval (male) from the front side of the panel with the hood portion 509 of the male connector housing 501 facing forward. It is fitted into the mounting hole (similar to the outer circumference of the side connector housing 501), the flange portion 505 of the male side connector housing 501 is brought into contact with the hole edge of the mounting hole from the front side, and the protrusion 519 of the elastic retaining piece 507 is brought into contact with the hole edge of the mounting hole. It is attached to the panel by locking it from the back side with respect to the edge of the attachment hole.

JP-A-2002-359029

However, although the conventional lever type connector 500 described above is fixed to the panel by the elastic retaining piece 507, it can be attached and fixed to the panel even when the male side connector housing 501 and the female side connector housing 503 are in the half-fitted state. Is. If the male connector housing 501 and the female connector housing 503 are attached to the panel in a halfway fitted state, the lever type connector 500 may be disengaged (disengaged) due to vibration during vehicle travel.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lever-type connector capable of preventing attachment to a panel in a half-fitted state and preventing detachment due to half-fitted after panel mounting. There is.

The above object according to the present invention is achieved by the following configuration.
(1) A first connector, a second connector that fits with the first connector, and a lever that is arranged inside the first connector and that fits the first connector and the second connector by rotation. The first connector is flexible and is formed so as to project to the outside of the first connector so that it can be displaced inside the first connector only when the first connector and the second connector are completely fitted. A panel locking lock that enables mounting of the first connector panel fitted with two connectors into a mounting hole is provided, and the panel locking lock includes a first panel locking lock piece and a lock piece. The first panel locking lock piece and the second panel locking lock piece are composed of a second panel locking lock piece, and a protrusion is formed on the side facing the lever to lock the first panel. In the lock piece for use, the protrusion faces the surface of the lever to prevent bending in the initial / half-fitted state of the first connector and the second connector, while the surface of the lever is completely fitted. The protrusion can be bent at a position where the protrusion is disengaged from the above, and the second panel locking lock piece has the protrusion facing the surface of the lever in a state where the first connector and the second connector are halfway fitted. The lever-type connector is characterized in that the protrusions coincide with the recesses formed on the surface of the lever in a completely fitted state so that the protrusions can be bent while being prevented from bending.

According to the lever type connector having the configuration of (1) above, the first connector fitted with the second connector is attached to the mounting hole of the panel. At this time, the first connector is attached by locking the panel locking lock on the back side of the opening edge of the mounting hole. Before being locked to the back side of the opening edge, the panel locking lock is once displaced inside the first connector, overcomes the opening edge, and then elastically returns and is locked to the back side of the opening edge. The displacement of the panel locking lock is possible only when the first connector and the second connector are completely fitted. Therefore, the displacement of the first connector and the second connector is prevented in the initial / half-fitted state, and as a result, the panel locking lock cannot get over the opening edge of the mounting hole, and the first connector is mounted on the panel. It becomes impossible. As a result, it becomes possible to detect that the first connector and the second connector are in the initial / halfway mated state.
According to the lever type connector having the configuration of (2) above, the fitting state of the first connector and the second connector is detected at different positions in the rotation process of the lever. That is, in the initial state of the lever rotation process, the bending of the lock piece for locking the first panel is prevented. Further, in the middle state of the lever rotation process, the bending of the first panel locking lock piece and the second panel locking lock piece is prevented. As a result, the lever type connector can detect a fitting state (incomplete fitting state) that is not a perfect fitting state with higher accuracy and reliability without erroneous detection or omission of detection.

According to the lever type connector according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the panel from being attached to the panel in the half-fitted state and to prevent the panel from being detached due to the half-fitted state after the panel is attached.

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

It is an exploded perspective view of the lever type connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view which omitted the 2nd connector of the lever type connector shown in FIG. It is an exploded perspective view of the 2nd connector shown in FIG. It is a top view of the frame in the 1st connector shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. It is a perspective view of the lever shown in FIG. It is a side view of the lever shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. It is a perspective view of the lever type connector which concerns on this Embodiment before attaching to a panel. (A) is a side view of the lever type connector in the initial mated state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of (a). (A) is a cross-sectional view of a lever-type connector when it is inserted into a mounting hole of a panel in the initial mating state, and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of (a). (A) is a side view of the lever type connector in the half-fitted state, and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line EE of (a). (A) is a side view of the lever type connector in a completely fitted state, and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line FF of (a). (A) is a cross-sectional view of a lever-type connector when it is inserted into a mounting hole of a panel in a completely fitted state, and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of (a). It is a perspective view of the lever type connector which concerns on this embodiment attached to a panel. It is a side view of the conventional lever type connector.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lever-type connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The lever-type connector 100 according to the present embodiment includes a first connector 11, a second connector 13, a lever 15, and a panel locking lock 17. In this embodiment, the directions of up, down, front, back, left, and right follow the directions of the arrows shown in FIG.

In the lever type connector 100, the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are fitted in advance on the outside of the panel 19 (see FIG. 10), and both of the fitted connectors are fitted into the mounting holes 21 of the panel 19. It is a type that accommodates both connectors 11, 13 and the lever 15 inside the panel 19.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lever-type connector 100 shown in FIG. 1 in which the second connector 13 is omitted.
The first connector 11 has an inner housing 23, a frame 25, and a lever 15. The inner housing 23 has a structure in which two first housing members 27 and a first housing member 29 are arranged side by side, and a plurality of female terminals (not shown) are housed therein. The inner housing 23 is housed in the frame 25.

The lever 15 is arranged inside the first connector 11, and the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are fitted by rotation. The lever 15 is rotatably assembled to the frame 25 by shaft support portions 31 provided on both side surfaces. The lever 15 rotates by pressing the operation unit 37 in a state where the cam follower 33 of the second connector 13 is inserted into the cam groove 35, that is, in a temporarily fitted state of the first connector 11 and the second connector 13. Then, the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are brought into a normal mating state by the lever action. A locking portion 41 that is locked to the locked portion 39 of the frame 25 is provided at the swinging tip of the lever 15.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the second connector 13.
The second connector 13 has a structure in which two second housing members 43 and a second housing member 45, which are larger than the inner housing 23, are united on the left and right sides, and a plurality of connectors are internally connected to the female terminals. A male terminal (not shown) is housed. Further, cam followers 33 to be inserted into the cam grooves 35 of the lever 15 are projected on both side surfaces of the second housing member 45, respectively. In the second connector 13, the cam follower 33 is inserted into the cam groove 35, and the inner housing 23 is fitted by the rotation of the lever 15, and the plurality of female terminals and the plurality of male terminals are collectively connected.

An engaging rail 49 and an engaging rail 51 extending in the vertical direction are formed on each of the combined surfaces 47 of the second housing member 43 and the second housing member 45. The engaging rail 49 and the engaging rail 51 are formed by, for example, a dovetail tenon and a dovetail groove. The engaging rail 49 and the engaging rail 51 are inserted into each other on one end side and the other end side in the extending direction, and slide in the extending direction (vertical direction) to form the second housing member 43 and the second housing member 43. 2 The housing member 45 is immovably united in the separation direction (left-right direction).

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the frame 25 in the first connector 11.
The frame 25 has a flange portion 53 formed of a similar oval that is larger than the mounting hole 21 of the panel 19. On the surface of the flange portion 53 on the mounting hole insertion side (front side), a pair of parallel side walls 55 are connected by a curved wall 57, and a C-shaped peripheral wall 61 having an open portion 59 on one end side is erected. .. A pair of panel locking locks 17 are formed on each of the pair of side walls 55 so as to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the oval. That is, a total of four panel locking locks 17 are provided on the peripheral wall 61 of the frame 25.

In the present embodiment, the four panel locking locks 17 include a pair of first panel locking lock pieces 63 and a pair of second panel locking lock pieces 65. The first panel locking lock piece 63 is provided on one end side (curved wall side) of the side wall 55, and the second panel locking lock piece 65 is provided on the other end side (open portion side) of the side wall 55. That is, a lock piece 63 for locking the first panel and a lock piece 65 for locking the second panel are provided on each of the side walls 55 on both sides.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
The first panel locking lock piece 63 and the second panel locking lock piece 65 are separated from the side wall 55 and the flange portion 53 by a slit so that the base end is connected to the side wall 55 and the tip is a free end. It is a rectangular cantilever flexible piece. As a result, the lock piece 63 for locking the first panel and the lock piece 65 for locking the second panel have the flexibility that the tips of the lock pieces 65 are displaced in and out of the first connector 11.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.
The lock piece 63 for locking the first panel and the lock piece 65 for locking the second panel are formed so that the locking claws 67 project to the outside of the first connector 11. Further, the first panel locking lock piece 63 and the second panel locking lock piece 65 are formed with protrusions 69 on the side facing the lever. The protrusion 69 is formed, for example, in a square columnar shape.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lever 15.
The lever 15 is formed in a U-shape in a plan view in which one ends of a pair of parallel lever side plates 71 are connected to each other by the operation portion 37. The lever side plate 71 is formed in a substantially diamond shape in which both ends sandwiching the shaft support portion 31 are narrowed in a side view. A recess 73 is formed in each lever side plate 71 between the shaft support portion 31 and the operation portion 37.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the lever 15.
The lever side plate 71 has a base side portion 75 as one side portion sandwiching the recess 73 between the shaft support portion 31 and the operation portion 37. The base side portion 75 is parallel to the flange portion 53 of the frame 25 in a state where the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are completely fitted. The base side portion 75 is connected to the rear inclined side portion 77 on the side opposite to the operation portion 37. The rear inclined side portion 77 is connected to the front inclined side portion 81 via an arc-shaped portion (R portion) 79. A part of the lever side plate 71 surrounded by the rear inclined side portion 77, the arc-shaped portion 79, and the front inclined side portion 81 becomes the lock flexible restricting portion 83. The lock flexibility restricting portion 83 and the recess 73 are formed so as to be in a predetermined relative position.

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.
In the present embodiment, the recess 73 is a through hole that penetrates the lever side plate 71 in the thickness direction. The recess 73 is arranged at the same position on the left and right lever side plates 71. The recess 73 is formed in a quadrangle that can accept the protrusion 69 formed on the back surface of the panel locking lock 17.

Next, the operation of the lever type connector 100 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lever type connector 100 before being attached to the panel 19.
The lever type connector 100 is inserted and attached to the mounting hole 21 of the panel 19 from the opposite side (front side) of the flange portion 53 with the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 completely fitted.

11A is a side view of the lever type connector 100 in the initial mated state, and FIG. 11B is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 11A.
When the lever type connector 100 is inserted, if the lever 15 is in the initial mating state shown in FIG. 11 (a), as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the lock flexible restricting portion 83 of the lever 15 is first. It is arranged on the back surface of the protrusion 69 of the panel locking lock piece 63. At this time, the lever side plate 71 is not arranged on the back surface of the lock piece 65 for locking the second panel.

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of the lever type connector 100 when it is inserted into the mounting hole 21 of the panel 19 in the initial mating state, and FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 12A.
As shown in FIG. 12A, the first panel locking lock piece 63 in which the protrusion 69 abuts on the lock flexible restricting portion 83 of the lever 15 cannot bend inward of the first connector 11. .. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12B, the lever type connector 100 is prevented from being attached to the panel 19 when the locking claw 67 hits the opening edge of the attachment hole 21. As a result, the initial mating state of the lever 15 is detected.

13 (a) is a side view of the lever type connector 100 in the half-fitted state, and FIG. 13 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line EE of (a).
Further, when the lever type connector 100 is inserted, if the lever 15 is in the half-fitted state shown in FIG. 13 (a), the surface 85 of the lever 15 is locked to the second panel as shown in FIG. 13 (b). It is arranged on the back surface of the protrusion 69 of the lock piece 65. At this time, the lock flexibility restricting portion 83 may or may not be arranged on the back surface of the lock piece 63 for locking the first panel. In the present embodiment, the lock flexibility restricting portion 83 is arranged on the back surface of the lock piece 63 for locking the first panel even in the half-fitted state.

The lock piece 65 for locking the second panel, in which the protrusion 69 abuts on the surface 85 of the lever 15, cannot bend inward of the first connector 11. As a result, in the lever type connector 100, the locking claw 67 hits the opening edge of the mounting hole 21, and the lever type connector 100 is prevented from being mounted on the panel 19. As a result, the halfway fitted state of the lever 15 is detected.

14 (a) is a side view of the lever type connector 100 in a fully fitted state, and FIG. 14 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line FF of (a).
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the lever 15 is rotated to a position where the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are in a completely fitted state, the lock piece 65 for locking the second panel 65. The recess 73 of the lever 15 coincides with the protrusion 69 of the lever 15. At this time, the lock flexibility restricting portion 83 is not arranged on the back surface of the lock piece 63 for locking the first panel.

FIG. 15 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the lever-type connector 100 when it is inserted into the mounting hole 21 of the panel 19 in a completely fitted state, and FIG. 15 (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of (a).
As shown in FIG. 15A, the second panel locking lock piece 65 whose protrusion 69 coincides with the recess 73 of the lever 15 can be bent inward of the first connector 11. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the lever type connector 100 is inserted into the mounting hole 21, when the four locking claws 67 hit the opening edge of the mounting hole 21, all four locking claws are used. 67 moves inside the first connector 11 and can be attached to the panel 19.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the lever type connector 100 attached to the panel 19.
In the lever type connector 100, after the first panel locking lock piece 63 and the second panel locking lock piece 65 bend inward of the first connector 11, the locking claw 67 passes through the mounting hole 21. The locking claw 67 elastically returns and is locked to the back side of the opening edge of the mounting hole 21, so that the mounting to the panel 19 is completed.

As described above, in the lock piece 63 for locking the first panel, the protrusion 69 faces the surface 85 of the lever 15 in the initial / half-fitted state of the first connector 11 and the second connector 13, and the bending is prevented. On the other hand, in the completely fitted state, the protrusion 69 is separated from the surface 85 of the lever 15 and can be bent.

Further, the lock piece 65 for locking the second panel is completely fitted while the protrusion 69 faces the surface 85 of the lever 15 in a halfway fitted state between the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 to prevent bending. In the combined state, the protrusion 69 coincides with the recess 73 formed on the surface 85 of the lever 15 and can be bent.

That is, in the lever type connector 100, only when the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are completely fitted, the first panel locking lock piece 63 and the second panel locking lock piece 65 are the first connectors. It becomes flexible inside the 11 and enables the first connector 11 fitted with the second connector 13 to be attached to the mounting hole 21 in the panel 19.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.
In the lever type connector 100 according to the present embodiment, the lever 15 is provided inside the first connector 11. The lever 15 rotates to fit the second connector 13 to the first connector 11. The first connector 11 fitted with the second connector 13 is attached to the mounting hole 21 of the panel 19.

At this time, the first connector 11 is attached by locking the panel locking lock 17 on the back side of the opening edge of the mounting hole 21. The panel locking lock 17 is temporarily displaced inside the first connector 11 before being locked to the back side of the opening edge, and after getting over the opening edge, elastically returns and is locked to the back side of the opening edge. .. The displacement of the panel locking lock 17 is possible only when the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are completely fitted.

Therefore, the displacement of the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 is prevented in the initial / half-fitted state, and as a result, the panel locking lock 17 cannot get over the opening edge of the mounting hole 21, and the first connector cannot be overcome. 11 cannot be attached to the panel 19. As a result, it becomes possible to detect that the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 are in the initial / halfway fitted state. As described above, in the lever type connector 100, only the connector in the fully fitted state is attached to the panel 19, so that the connector in the half-fitted state does not come off after the panel is attached.

Further, in the lever type connector 100, the fitting state detection between the first connector 11 and the second connector 13 is performed at different positions in the rotation process of the lever 15. That is, in the initial state of the lever rotation process, the bending of the lock piece 63 for locking the first panel is prevented. Further, in the middle state of the lever rotation process, the bending of the first panel locking lock piece 63 and the second panel locking lock piece 65 is prevented. As a result, the lever type connector 100 can detect a fitting state (incomplete fitting state) that is not a perfect fitting state with higher accuracy and reliability without erroneous detection or omission of detection.

Therefore, according to the lever type connector 100 according to the present embodiment, the attachment to the panel 19 in the halfway fitting state (incomplete fitting state) is prevented, and the detachment due to the halfway fitting after the panel mounting is prevented. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, and the like. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the lever-type connector according to the present invention are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] and [2], respectively.
[1] With the first connector (11)
A second connector (13) that fits with the first connector,
A lever (15) arranged inside the first connector and fitting the first connector and the second connector by rotation, and a lever (15).
The second connector is flexible and is formed so as to project outward from the first connector so that it can be displaced inside the first connector only when the first connector and the second connector are completely fitted. A panel locking lock (17) that enables attachment to the attachment hole (21) in the panel (19) of the first connector fitted with the connector, and
A lever-type connector (100) comprising.
[2] The lever-type connector according to the above [1].
The panel locking lock (17) is composed of a first panel locking lock piece (63) and a second panel locking lock piece (65).
A protrusion (69) is formed on the lever facing side of the first panel locking lock piece and the second panel locking lock piece.
The first panel locking lock piece is prevented from bending while the protrusion faces the surface (85) of the lever in the initial / halfway fitting state of the first connector and the second connector. In the fully fitted state, the protrusion is separated from the surface of the lever and can be bent.
The lock piece for locking the second panel is in a fully fitted state while the protrusions face the surface of the lever to prevent bending in the halfway fitted state between the first connector and the second connector. A lever-type connector (100), characterized in that the protrusions coincide with the recesses (73) formed on the surface of the lever so that the protrusions can be bent.

11 ... 1st connector 13 ... 2nd connector 15 ... Lever 17 ... Panel locking lock 19 ... Panel 21 ... Mounting hole 63 ... 1st panel locking lock piece (panel locking lock)
65 ... Lock piece for locking the second panel (lock for locking the panel)
69 ... Protrusion 73 ... Recess 85 ... Surface 100 ... Lever type connector

Claims (1)

With the first connector
A second connector that fits with the first connector,
A lever that is arranged inside the first connector and that fits the first connector and the second connector by rotation.
The second connector is flexible and is formed so as to project outward from the first connector so that it can be displaced inside the first connector only when the first connector and the second connector are completely fitted. A panel locking lock that enables mounting of the first connector fitted to the connector into a mounting hole in the panel,
With
The panel locking lock comprises a first panel locking lock piece and a second panel locking lock piece.
The first panel locking lock piece and the second panel locking lock piece are formed with protrusions on the side facing the lever.
The lock piece for locking the first panel is completely fitted while the protrusions face the surface of the lever to prevent bending in the initial / halfway fitting state of the first connector and the second connector. In this state, the protrusion is separated from the surface of the lever and can be bent.
The lock piece for locking the second panel is in a fully fitted state while the protrusions face the surface of the lever to prevent bending in the halfway fitted state between the first connector and the second connector. A lever-type connector characterized in that the protrusions coincide with a recess formed on the surface of the lever and can be bent.

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