JPH09171851A - Lever type connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lever type connector surely operable with a simple mechanism in which wires can be arranged in good order. SOLUTION: This connector is formed of a cap housing 3 having an opening part 41 and a plug housing 2 to be inserted unto the opening part 41, and it has a lever 51 rotatably mounted on the cap housing 3 to inserting and pull the plug housing 2 to and from the cap housing 3. The cap housing 3 has a plurality of opening parts 41 for receiving the plug housing 2 are formed in a row on the cap housing 3, and the lever 51 is provided in conformation to each opening part 41. Each lever 51 is held in a first turning position for preventing the advance of the plug housing 2 to the opening part adjacent to one prescribed directional side before the plug housing 2 is received by the opening part 41, and held in a second turning position for allowing the advance of the plug housing 2 to the opening part adjacent to the one directional side after the plug housing 2 is received in the opening part 41.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector which comprises a cap housing having an opening and a plug housing inserted into the opening, and a lever connector provided with a lever for smoothly inserting and removing the plug housing. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many kinds of electric connectors have been used to connect two electric or electronic circuits to each other, and one of them is a cap housing having an opening and an insertion into the opening. There is a lever-type connector including a plug housing and a cap housing provided with a lever for smoothly inserting and removing the plug housing.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional lever type connector, and FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of the lever type connector shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the lever-type connector 1 includes a plug housing 2 and a cap housing 3 as a set. A recess 8 formed substantially in the center of the upper surface 6 of the plug housing 2.
A pair of racks 10 and 10 are formed on the
The rack 1 is provided on the inner surface of the outer wall 3a of the cap housing 3.
A pair of pinions 38, 38 that engage with 0, 10 respectively
Are formed. The pinions 38, 38 are rotatably supported by the outer wall 3a. The outer wall 3 a of the cap housing 3 is provided with a rotatable lever 51.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lever 51 is axially supported by the shaft 61 of one of the pair of pinions 38, 38, and the rotation of the lever 51 causes the two pinions 38, 38 to move. They are rotated in opposite directions. In order to fit the pair of plug housing 2 and cap housing 3 to each other, the racks 10 and 10 and the pinion 3 are connected to each other.
The lever 51 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A after engaging with 8, 38. By rotating the lever 51, the plug housing 2 and the cap housing 3 are fitted together with a small force according to the principle of leverage. Also when removing the plug housing 2 fitted in the cap housing 3,
The lever 51 can be pulled out with a smaller force.

As described above, since the lever type connector can be fitted and removed with a small fitting force, it is widely used for a connector having a large number of contacts and requiring a large fitting force.

[0006]

However, recently, the scale of electric or electronic circuits has increased, and accordingly, the number of contacts provided in one connector has increased, the number of wires connected to the connector has increased, and the number of connectors also increased. It tends to increase in size. As the number of wires in the connector increases,
Even if the lever type is adopted, as the number of wires increases, an even greater mating force is required, which may make it difficult to mate and disconnect the connector.

Further, in the case of a connector having a large number of wires, when the connector is attached to a target device and wiring is performed, there is a problem that the wires cannot be arranged in an orderly manner due to the large number of wires extending from the housing. In view of this, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 13250/1994 discloses a connector having a plurality of plug housings and one cap housing, which is provided with an operation member (lever type or cam type) for insertion / removal, and regulates the fitting order. There is disclosed a connector which prevents occurrence of erroneous fitting. In this connector, each operation member provided for each opening of the cap housing is provided with rotation restricting means for restricting the rotation of the operation members adjacent to each other. In the case of a lever type operation member, one lever is provided with a locking projection, and the other lever is provided with a lock groove that engages with the locking projection. Before the connector is fitted, the locking projection is engaged with the lock groove to prevent the other lever from rotating alone. In the case of the cam type operation member, an operation member is used in which a rotating disk-shaped cam is provided with a cutout portion for restricting rotation of adjacent cams. Thus, when one cam is operated and the cam is rotated to the fitting completion position, the cutout portion of the cam is configured to allow the rotation of the adjacent cam.

However, in the connector rotation control means of the above publication, both lever-type and cam-type operation members for insertion / removal work in cooperation with each other, and the mechanism is complicated and expected to operate reliably. Is difficult In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lever-type connector that allows wires to be wired in order, has a simple structure, and operates reliably.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A lever connector of the present invention that achieves the above object has a cap housing having a plurality of contacts arranged therein and having a predetermined longitudinally extending opening, and The plug housing is formed by arranging a plurality of contacts that are electrically connected to the contacts of the cap housing by being inserted into the opening. The plug housing is rotatably attached to the cap housing, and the plug housing is attached to the cap housing. In the lever-type connector having a lever to be inserted into and removed from the cap housing, a plurality of openings for receiving the plug housing are formed side by side in the cap housing, and the lever is provided corresponding to each of the openings. The plug housing in the opening that corresponds to its lever. Before being opened, the plug housing is held in the first rotation position that prevents the plug housing from entering the opening adjacent to the predetermined one direction side where the openings are arranged, and after the plug housing is received in the opening, It is characterized in that it is held at a second rotation position that allows the plug housing to enter the opening adjacent to the one direction side.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cap housing in a first embodiment of a lever-type connector of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a side view of the cap housing of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction of arrow A.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cap housing of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow BB ', and FIG. 4 is a view of the cap housing of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow CC'. FIG. The cap housing 3 shown in FIG. 1 is formed with three openings 41, 42, 43 arranged side by side, each receiving a plug housing (not shown). Bottom surfaces 41a, 42a,
43a is provided with a plurality of contacts 44 that are electrically connected to the plurality of contacts on the plug housing side of the mating partner. In addition, in each opening 41, 42, 43,
U-shaped levers 51, 52 and 53 for inserting and removing the plug housing are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a recess 60 is formed in the inner wall 3b of the cap housing 3. Each of the pinion portions 38 of the levers 51, 52, 53 is provided in the recess 60.
Is formed with a shaft 61 for mounting. In this way, the levers 51, 52, 53 are pivotally supported by the cap housing 3 so that the levers 51, 52, 53 are
D'It is rotatable in both directions.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, grooves 31a, 31b, 3 are formed in both inner walls 3b of the cap housing 3.
2a, 32b, 33a, 33b are formed so as to engage with a rib (described later) formed on the outer wall of the plug housing when the cap housing and the plug housing are fitted together. 5 is a side view of the plug housing inserted into the cap housing of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the plug housing of FIG. 5 viewed in the direction of arrow AA ′.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pinion portion 38 of the cap housing 3 is provided on one outer wall 2a of the plug housing 2 facing the inner wall 3b of the cap housing 3 and the other outer wall 2b on the opposite side. A rack 10 for engagement is formed. The ribs 21 and 22 visible in front of the rack 10 in FIG. 6 are for guiding the plug housing 2 and the plug housing 2 when the plug housing 2 is inserted into the openings 41, 42, 43 (see FIG. 1) of the cap housing 3.
Which is a member for reinforcing the inner wall 3b of the cap housing 3 at the time of fitting, and the grooves 31a, 31b, 32a,
Engage with 32b, 33a, 33b (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

When the plug housing 2 is inserted into the openings 41, 42, 43 of the cap housing 3,
Bottom surfaces 41a, 42a, 43a of the openings 41, 42, 43
A plurality of contacts 45 electrically connected to the plurality of contacts 44 of the cap housing 3 are provided on the outer wall 2c opposed to the. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first rotation position and a second rotation position of the lever according to the first embodiment.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, the turning position of the lever 51 before the plug housing 2 is received in the opening 41 of the cap housing 3 is referred to as a first turning position. . When the lever 51 is held in the first rotation position, the tip 51a of the lever 51 extends onto the adjacent opening 42, so that the plug housing 2 does not enter the adjacent opening 42. Certainly blocked.

In the state shown in FIG. 7A, when the force for inserting the plug housing 2 into the opening 41 of the cap housing 3 is applied from the outside, the teeth of the rack 10 of the plug housing 2 are moved to the cap housing 3. It engages with the teeth of the pinion portion 38 pivotally supported by the lever 51, and the lever 51 pivots slightly in the direction of arrow A. Therefore, the tip portion 5 of the lever 51
A slight gap is formed between 1a and the main body of the cap housing 3, and the lever 51 is in a state in which it can be easily rotated.

Therefore, by further rotating the tip portion 51a of the lever 51 in the direction of arrow A, the plug housing 2 can be fitted into the opening portion 41 of the cap housing 3 with a small fitting force by the lever principle. When the plug housing 2 and the cap housing 3 are fitted together, the position of the lever 51 changes to the second rotation position shown in FIG. 7B.

When the lever 51 is held in the second rotating position, the tip 51a of the lever 51 does not prevent the plug housing from entering the adjacent opening 42. Next, a case where the plug housing 2 shown in FIGS. 5 to 6 is fitted to the cap housing 3 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the cap housing 3 before receiving the plug housing 2, the levers 51, 52, 53 provided corresponding to the openings 41, 42, 43 are arranged as shown in FIG. It is held in the first rotation position shown in a).

Thus, the levers 51, 52, 53 are the first
When the levers 51 and 52 are held in the rotating position, the opening portions 41, 42 and 4 are moved by the tip portions 51a and 52a of the levers 51 and 52, respectively.
Since the plug housing is prevented from entering the openings 42 and 43 adjacent to the direction of the arrow E in which 3 is aligned, for example,
If the plug housing is inserted into the opening 42 before the plug housing is fitted into the opening 41, the lever 5
The distal end 51a of No. 1 prevents the plug housing from entering the opening 42 and cannot be inserted.

However, after the plug housing is fitted into the opening 41, as shown in FIG.
Since 1 is the second rotation position, the tip portion 5 of the lever 51 is
1a is in a state in which the plug housing is allowed to enter the adjacent opening 42. Then, next, by fitting the plug housing into the opening 42, the lever 52 is also in the second rotation position, and the tip portion 52 of the lever 52 is also moved.
The state a allows the plug housing to enter the adjacent opening 43. As described above, unless the fitting is performed in the predetermined order, that is, the order toward the one direction side of the arrow E, the fitting cannot be performed in the other order.

In this way, the plug housings are fitted into the respective openings 41, 42, 43 in a predetermined order, so that even with a lever-type connector having a large number of wires, a large number of wires can be arranged in an orderly manner. Further, since the cap housing 3 of this embodiment is formed with three openings for receiving the plug housing 2, even if the number of contacts of the entire connector is large, the fitting force per plug housing is 3 minutes. Therefore, the fitting and withdrawing operations are facilitated.

As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), the first rotation position has less protrusion of the lever 51 from the main body of the cap housing 3 than the second rotation position.
Since the lever rarely interferes with other members, during transportation of the cap housing 3 and before attachment to the device,
It is desirable to keep each lever in the first pivoted position.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the grooves 31a,
The mounting position and the size in each opening of 31b are different. Corresponding to this, 2 of the above-mentioned plug housing
Since the attachment positions and dimensions of the book ribs 21a and 21b (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to the plug housing are determined, for example, the ribs 21a and 21b matching the grooves 31a and 31b of the opening 41 are formed. Can only be inserted into the plug housing, and the grooves 32a, 3 of the opening 42 can be inserted.
Only a plug housing having a rib corresponding to the opening 42 can be inserted into 2b. By doing so, it is possible to prevent each plug housing from being erroneously fitted into the opening other than the predetermined opening.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 8 is a side view of the cap housing in the second embodiment of the lever-type connector of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the cap housing of FIG. FIG.
0 is the first rotation position and the second rotation position in the second embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the relationship of the lever and the rack and pinion which were hold | maintained at the rotation position of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the cap housing 3 in the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, but the cap housing 3 is provided. Levers 51 ', 52', 5
The shape of 3'and the attachment position to the cap housing 3 are different. That is, as shown in FIG.
1 ', 52', 53 'The shape of the main body is linear, and each lever 51', 5 in the first rotation position
2 ', 53' tips 51a ', 52a', 53a '
Is housed inside the main body of the cap housing 3, and as shown in FIGS.
On the outside of the body, the levers 51 ', 52', 53 'project only slightly.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the lever 51 ', the pinion 38, the rack 10 and the like before and after the plug housing 2 is received in the opening 41 of the cap housing 3. The operation of is similar to that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b). The only difference from the first embodiment is that the tip 51a ′ of the lever 51 ′ held in the first rotation position is housed inside the cap housing 3 main body.

As described above, in the plug housing 2 of the second embodiment, the lever 51 is held at the first rotation position so that the cap housing 3 has almost no protrusion outside the main body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the trouble such as the tip portion 51a of the lever from interfering with other members or the like during transportation to cause a trouble.

[0029]

As described above, according to the lever type connector of the present invention, a plurality of openings for receiving the plug housing are formed in the cap housing, and a lever for insertion / removal is provided for each of these openings. Each of the levers is held in a first pivoted position that prevents the plug housing from entering the opening adjacent to the predetermined one direction side before the plug housing is received in the opening. A second housing that allows the plug housing to enter the opening adjacent to the one direction side after the plug housing is received in the second portion
Since it is equipped with a lever that is held in the rotating position of
The plug housing can be fitted into the plurality of openings in a predetermined order. Therefore, even with a connector having a large number of wires, a large number of wires can be arranged in an orderly manner.

Further, according to the lever type connector of the present invention, a lever type connector having a reliable operation can be obtained by a simple mechanism that only physically blocks the entrance of the plug housing into the opening adjacent to the lever itself. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cap housing in a first embodiment of a lever-type connector of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cap housing of FIG. 1 viewed from a direction of an arrow A.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cap housing of FIG. 1 viewed in the direction of arrow BB ′.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cap housing of FIG. 1 viewed in the direction of arrow CC ′.

5 is a side view of a plug housing inserted into the cap housing of FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view of the plug housing of FIG. 5 as seen in the direction of arrow EE ′.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a lever and a rack and pinion held in a first rotation position and a second rotation position in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the cap housing in the second embodiment of the lever-type connector of the present invention.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the cap housing of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between a lever and a rack and pinion held at a first rotation position and a second rotation position in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional lever-type connector.

12 is a partially enlarged view of the lever-type connector shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lever type connector 2 Plug housing 2a, 2b, 2c Outer wall 3 Cap housing 3a Outer wall 3b Inner wall 6 Upper surface 8 Recess 10 Rack 21,21a, 21b, 22 Rib 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b
Groove 38 Pinion 41, 42, 43 Opening 41a, 42a, 43a Bottom 44, 45 Contact 51, 52, 53 Lever 51a, 52a, 53a Tip 60 Recess 61 Shaft

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cap housing having a plurality of contacts arranged therein and having an opening extending in a predetermined longitudinal direction, and electrically connected to a contact of the cap housing by being inserted into the opening. A plug housing in which a plurality of contacts are arranged, the lever housing being rotatably attached to the cap housing and having a lever for inserting and removing the plug housing into and from the cap housing. A plurality of openings for receiving the housing are formed side by side, and the levers are provided corresponding to the respective openings, and each of the levers is provided before the plug housing is received in the opening corresponding to the lever. Is a plug into the opening adjacent to the one side in which the openings are lined up. A second rotation that is held in a first rotation position that prevents the housing from entering and that allows the plug housing to enter the opening adjacent to the one direction side after the plug housing is received in the opening. A lever-type connector that is held in position.