Patent Application
20130280935
The present invention relates to a connector and in particular to a lever-type connector to unite and release from a mating connector by rotation of a lever.
In recent years, electric connectors having numerous terminals are being used in the field of automobiles and the like, and are continually become more and more advanced. With an electric connector having numerous terminals, a large force is necessary to mate together connectors and release the connection. Therefore, in the field of automobiles and the like, a lever-type connector to mate with and release from a mating connector utilizing effect of boosting by a lever is used. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-245608 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-245609 discloses known lever-type connectors to mate with and release from a mating connector.
As shown in
In the process for assembling the lever-type connector 1, when the lever 2 is attached to the housing 3, a worker needs to manually insert each of the lever moving projections 4 formed on the lever 2 into a projection receiving portion 6 formed in a lever bearing section 5. The configuration is made such that, at this time, when the lever 2 is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the housing 3, the lever moving projections 4 can be inserted into the projection receiving portion 6. Therefore, the worker needs to adjust the tilt angle of the lever 2 with respect to the housing 3 so that the lever moving projections 4 coincide with the projection receiving portion 6, this work being troublesome.
Further, as shown in
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a lever-type connector according to the invention.
The lever-type connector having a housing containing a contact, a wire cover attachable to a rear side of the housing, and a lever rotatably attached to the housing. The wire cover includes a guide with a cover guide surface extending toward the housing and a stopper surface extending from an end of the wire cover and intersecting the cover guide surface. The lever includes a pair of side plates positioned around the wire cover, each of the pair of side plates having a guide protrusion positioned along an end thereof and projecting toward the housing and engaging the guide when the lever is made at a predetermined angle once the lever is attached to the housing.
The invention is described in more detail in the following with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. Similar or corresponding details in the Figures are provided with the same reference numerals. The invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures of which:
The present invention will now be described in detail based on an exemplary embodiment of the invention, shown in the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, the slider 13 is a flat plate shape member having a plurality of cam grooves (not shown) that draw in and push out cam pins (not shown) provided on the mating connector.
Also, as shown in
Also, as shown in
As shown in
A joining section 32a is positioned at one end of each of both the side plates 32, and extends at a fixed angle with respect to the direction to which both the side plate 32 extend. In the shown embodiment, each joining section 32a extends substantially orthogonal with respect to the direction to which both the side plate 32 extend.
Each slider moving projection 35 is positioned on the outer surface of each joining section 32a. The slider moving projection 35, which is fitted in the slider projection receiving portion 15 in the slider 13, projects toward the outside, while the lever moving projection 34 are positioned on the inner surface thereof and project toward the inside and is fittable with the housing projection receiving portion 16 of the housing 10.
Also, on the inner surfaces of one end portions of both the side plates 32, a connecting plate 37 extending toward the inside is provided.
Further, a planar section 38 is formed on the inner surface on one end side of each of both the side plates 32.
A guide protrusion 60 is formed on the inner surface on one end side of the side plate 32, in a region facing the lever moving projection 34 and the slider moving projection 35. The guide protrusion 60 projects toward the inside with respect to the planar section 38. In the shown embodiment, the guide protrusion 60 has a lever cover guide surface 60a, which is planar shaped in the shown embodiment, and intersects the planar section 38 at a right angle. Also, a backup surface 60b is formed adjacent to the lever cover guide surface 60a, and intersect the lever cover guide surface 60a at a right angle. The backup surface 60b extends at an acute angle with respect to the lever cover guide surface 60a.
The connecting part 33 includes a depression 33a to which a locking piece 27b of a lock 27, described later, of the wire cover 20 is locked.
As shown in
In the shown embodiment, a wire outlet 24 is positioned on one side of the stoppers 22, which that allows the electric wires connected to the contacts received in the housing 10 to be pulled out of the wire cover 20. Also, a hood part 25 is positioned around the wire outlet 24 and projects toward one side of the wire cover 20.
A guide 70 is positioned along one end portion of the body 21. The guide 70 regulates the angle of the lever 30 when the slider moving projections 35 and the lever moving projections 34 are fitted in the slider projection receiving portions 15 and the housing projection receiving portions 16, respectively. The guide 70 has a cover guide surface 70a (i.e. straight line-shaped) and a stopper surface 70b. The cover guide surface 70a extends in the direction in which the slider moving projections 35 and the lever moving projections 34 are inserted into the slider projection receiving portions 15 and the housing projection receiving portions 16, respectively. The stopper surface 70b is continuous with the end portion. The stopper surface 70b in the shown embodiment intersects the cover guide surface 70a at right angles. However, one skilled the art should appreciate that the stopper surface 70b could intersect the cover guide surface 70a at an acute crossing or other angles θ.
As shown, the lock 27 is provided on the rear surface of the body 21. The lock 27 prevents the lever 30, which has been rotated to a final position on the front side, from rotating toward the rear side. The lock 27 is formed in a cantilever plate-spring form and extends from the rear side toward the front side of the connecting part 33 of the lever 30 when positioned at the final position on the front side. The lock 27 has a plate spring 27a, and a locking piece 27b and a release projection portion 27c provided on the outer surface of the plate spring 27a. The plate spring 27a extends from the rear toward the front of the connecting part 33 of the lever 30 positioned at the final position on the front side. The locking piece 27b is provided for latching onto the depression 33a of the connecting part 33 when positioned at the final position on the front side. The release projection portion 27c is provided so as to be positioned on the front side of the connecting part 33 of the lever 30 when positioned at the final position on the front side. The release projection portion 27c releases the locking of the locking piece 27b to the depression 33a in the connecting part 33 due to the elastic deformation of the plate spring 27a caused by the pressing thereof.
Lock projection portions 28, which prevent the lever 30 that has been rotated until the final position on the front side from rotating toward the rear, are provided on the top surface and the bottom surface of the body 21. Each of the lock projection portions 28 is provided for latching onto the sides of the notches 32b of each of the side plates 32 of the lever 30 positioned at the final position on the rear side.
Next, a method for assembling the lever-type connector 100 is explained.
When the lever-type connector 100 is assembled, first, the contacts connected to the electric wires are positioned in the plurality of contact receiving passageways 11 in the housing 10. Also, the sliders 13 are inserted into both the slider receiving passageways 12 in the housing 10.
Subsequently, the wire cover 20 is mounted to the housing 10 in which the plurality of contacts has been received. Once the wire cover 20 is mounted to the housing 10, the electric wires, connected to the plurality of contacts, are bundled and pulled out to the outside through the wire outlet 24.
Next, the lever 30 is attached to the housing 10 to which the wire cover 20 has been mounted. Once the lever 30 is attached to the housing 10, the lever 30 must be arranged such that both the side plates 32 are laid across the back surface side of the wire cover 20 and the wire cover 20 is held between both the side plates 32.
Therefore, when the lever 30 is attached to the housing 10, first, the tip end portions of both the side plates 32 are manually expanded, and the wire cover 20 is inserted between the tip ends of the connecting plates 37 of both the side plates 32.
When the lever 30 is pushed in further, the tip ends of the connecting plates 37 of both the side plates 32 go beyond the body 21 of the wire cover 20. Then, the deformation of the connecting part 33 of the lever 30 is released, and the lever 30 is arranged on the wire cover 20 such that the wire cover 20 is held between both the side plates 32.
The lever moving projections 34 on both the side plates 32 of the lever 30 are fitted in the housing projection receiving portions 16 in the housing 10, and the slider moving projections 35 on both the side plates 32 of the lever 30 are fitted in the slider projection receiving portions 15 in the sliders 13.
At this time, as shown in
In this manner, the lever 30 is attached to the wire cover 20, and the assembly of the lever-type connector 100 is completed. Accordingly, the lever 30 can be fitted in the slider projection receiving portions 15 and the housing projection receiving portions 16 easily and reliably. As the result, the assembly of the lever-type connector 100 is improved.
Also, at this time, since the guide 70 is formed with the stopper surface 70b, if the lever 30 is going to move away from the slider moving projections 35 and the lever moving projections 34 fitted in the slider projection receiving portions 15 and the housing projection receiving portions 16, respectively, the guide protrusions 60 collide with the stopper surface 70b. Further, since the stopper surface 70b is positioned orthogonal to the cover guide surface 70a, the guide protrusions 60 are less liable to come off the guide 70.
In the above-described embodiment, the guide 70 is substantially L shaped, consisting of the cover guide surface 70a and the stopper surface 70b positioned orthogonal to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The stopper surface 70b may be formed so as to make an acute angle with the cover guide surface 70a, or the guide 70 may be made such as to substantially have a J shape or the like shape by providing an extension portion, which extends to the slider projection receiving portions 15 and the housing projection receiving portions 16 side, in the tip end portion of the stopper surface 70b, thereby more reliably preventing the guide protrusions 60 from coming off the guide 70 when the lever 30 is mounted.
Also, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the lever-type connector 100 has been explained. As far as the guide protrusions 60 and the guide 70 are provided, the housing 10, the wire cover 20, and the lever 30 may have any configuration.
Besides, the configurations described in the above embodiment can be selected, or can be changed as appropriate to any other configuration without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010288415 | Dec 2010 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/JP2011/006239, filed Nov. 8, 2011, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2010-288415, filed Dec. 24, 2010.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2011/006239 | Nov 2011 | US |
| Child | 13925112 | US |
