Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6471527
-
Patent Number
6,471,527
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, July 11, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 29, 200221 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 157
- 439 155
- 439 315
- 439 488
- 439 489
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A lever-type connector simply and reliably shows whether male and female connector housings have been correctly fitted together. A posterior face of the female housing 16 has a cover 17. A lever 20 is provided with cam grooves 30 into which fit follower pins 32 of a male connector M and which is supported pivotably by axles 25 formed in the cover 17. The female housing 16 is correctly fitted within a hood 12 of a male housing 11 by pivoting the lever 20 from a start position to and end position. First ribs 40 are formed on the outer circumference of base ends 22 of arms 21 of the lever 20. Second ribs 45 are formed on left and right edges of a ceiling face 17A of the cover 17. When the lever 20 has been pivoted to the end position, these ribs 40 and 45 are aligned. Observing this alignment allows one to ascertain that the lever 20 is in the correct position.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a lever-type electrical connector.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Conventionally, when a connector such as a multi-polar connector has a high fitting force, this fitting force is provided by means of a lever.
This lever-type connector has, for example, a configuration whereby a male housing is provided with cam grooves on a lever pivoted on the male housing, and a corresponding female housing is provided with follower pins which can be inserted into the cam grooves. The two housings can be fitted together when the lever is in a starting position, and the follower pins are fitted into openings of the cam grooves. When the lever is pivoted, the follower pins move within these cam grooves, this drawing the two housings together and causing them to be fully fitted. That is, this lever is operated so as to fit the two housings together using a low application force.
An example of this type of lever-type connector is described in JP 6-275337.
In this type of lever-type connector, in which the two connector housings are fitted together by pivoting the lever to an end position, the fitting causes mutually facing male and female terminal fittings to be joined correctly together. However, it is difficult to judge merely by observation whether the lever has been moved correctly to the end position, and this judgement may be unreliable. In order to deal with this problem, fitting detection using electrical means has been employed. However, this method increases costs.
The present invention has taken the above problem into consideration, and aims to present a lever-type connector wherein one can simply and reliably determine whether two connectors have been correctly fitted together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a lever-type connector assembly comprising a pair of mutually engageable connectors, a lever pivotably supported on one of the connectors and defining a cam, and the other of said connectors defining a follower engageable with said cam such that pivoting of said lever to an end position draws said connectors fully together, wherein said lever and said one of said connectors include markers, said markers being aligned in the end position of said lever. Preferably said markers are in the form of protruding ribs which are aligned lengthwise in the end position. Alignment of such ribs can be observed from three mutually different directions.
The ribs may be of equal thickness and equal height so as to be flush in the end position. Alternatively one rib may have a different height or thickness to another in order to allow both ribs of an aligned pair to be observed. In this case, the outer rib, considering the direction of viewing, should be of reduced thickness or of reduced height so as not to mask the inner rib.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of several preferred embodiments shown by way of example only in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is a diagonal view showing a first embodiment of the present invention prior to being fitted together.
FIG. 2
is a plan view of a female connector.
FIG. 3
is a front view of the female connector.
FIG. 4
is a side face view of the female connector.
FIG. 5
is a diagonal view showing a lever which has been pivoted to the vicinity of an ending position.
FIG. 6
is a diagonal view showing the lever which has been pivoted to the ending position.
FIG. 7
is a diagonal view showing a second embodiment of the present invention wherein the lever has been pivoted to the ending position.
A first embodiment of the present invention is described below with the aid of
FIGS. 1
to
6
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the present embodiment is provided with a male connector M and a female connector F capable of fitting mutually together, the female connector F having a lever
20
attached thereto.
The male connector M is provided with a male housing
11
provided in a unified manner on a specified side face of an apparatus
10
. A hood
12
, which has an oblong shape with respect to the front, is formed on the male housing
11
. Male terminal fittings (not shown), which are connected to an electrical circuit within the apparatus
10
, are housed within the male housing
11
in a manner whereby tips thereof protrude into the hood
12
.
The female connector F is formed from a flat block-shaped female housing
16
that can be fitted into the hood
12
of the male housing
11
, and a cover
17
that covers a posterior face of the female housing
16
. Female terminal fittings (not shown) are housed within the female housing
16
, electric wires which are attached thereto and protrude from a posterior face of the female housing
16
are passed through the cover
17
and are led, in one bundle, towards one direction from a wire exit hole
18
.
The lever
20
is attached to the female connector F. This lever
20
has a bifurcated shape whereby tips of a pair of arms
21
thereof, these arms
21
having disk-shaped base ends
22
, are joined by an operating member
23
. The lever
20
is attached so as to straddle the cover
17
from the exterior. The base ends
22
of the arms
21
are supported by axles
25
formed in both side faces of the cover
17
. The lever
20
can be pivoted between a starting position (shown in
FIG. 1
) and an ending position (shown in FIG.
6
). As shown in
FIG. 2
, the lever
20
is maintained in the starting position by means of semi-retaining protrusions
27
, which protrude from the cover
17
and fit into circular semi-retaining holes
26
which open into the lever
20
. The lever
20
is maintained in the ending position by means of square main retaining protrusions
28
fitting into main retaining holes
29
of the cover
17
.
Cam grooves
30
, which have a specified curved shape, are formed in the base ends
22
of the arms
21
of the lever
20
, and follower pins
32
protrude from upper and lower faces of the hood
12
of the male housing
11
. These follower pins
32
fit into the cam grooves
30
. When the lever
20
is in the starting position, openings
31
of the cam grooves
30
(these openings
31
being provided at starting position sides
30
A thereof) are open towards the anterior side.
Consequently, when the female housing
16
is fitted into the hood
12
of the male housing
11
while the lever
20
is being maintained in the starting position, the follower pins
32
are moved from the openings
31
to the starting position sides
30
A of the cam grooves
30
. Then, as the lever
20
is pivoted, the follower pins
32
are moved within the cam grooves
30
while the cam operation thereof gradually draws the female housing
16
into the hood
12
. When the lever
20
is pivoted to the ending position, the female housing
16
is correctly fitted within the hood
12
, and corresponding male and female terminal fittings make contact correctly.
Markers are provided between the lever
20
and the cover
17
, these being used to visually ascertain whether the lever
20
has been pivoted to the ending position. Firstly, first ribs
40
protrude from outer circumference edges of the base ends
22
of the arms
21
of the lever
20
, at locations opposite the portions of the lever
20
which are between ending position sides
30
B of the cam grooves
30
and the axes
25
. When the lever
20
has reached the ending position, these first ribs
40
face the posterior relative to the direction of insertion of the female housing
16
, and protruding edges
41
of the first ribs
40
form a unified face with a ceiling face
17
A of the cover
17
.
Second ribs
45
are formed on portions of left and right side edges of the ceiling face
17
A of the cover
17
, at locations corresponding to the position in which the first ribs
40
are located when the lever
20
has been rotated to the ending position. The left and right side edges of the ceiling face
17
A of the cover
17
have rounded-off comers. However, the second ribs
45
, which are formed at a right angle to the left and right side edges, have angled comers extending to the location where the corners of the side edges would be if they were not rounded off. As a result of this rounding-off shape, ceiling-face ends (i.e., the opposite ends to the angled comers) of protruding edges
46
of the second ribs
45
form a unified face with the ceiling faces
17
A of the cover
17
. Similarly, side-face ends (i.e. the opposite ends to the angled corners) of protruding edges
47
of the second ribs
45
form a unified face with side faces
17
B of the cover
17
.
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in
FIG. 1
, when the two housings
11
and
16
are to be fitted together, the lever
20
, which is attached to the female housing
16
, is maintained in the starting position. Then the female housing
16
is fitted into the hood
12
of the male housing
11
, whereupon the follower pins
32
of the male housing
11
move from the openings
31
to the starting position sides
30
A of the cam grooves
30
. Then, while the operating member
23
is being pressed by a finger, the lever
20
is pivoted towards the end position, the cam operation between the follower pins
32
and the cam grooves
30
gradually drawing the female housing
16
into the hood
12
(see FIG.
5
). The follower pins
32
are moved towards the ending position sides
30
B of the cam grooves
30
while the lever
20
is being pivoted towards the end position. When the female housing
16
has been correctly fitted within the hood
12
, the main retaining protrusions
28
fit into the main retaining holes
29
, thereby locking the two housings. Simultaneously, the corresponding male and female terminal fittings are maintained in a state whereby they make contact correctly.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, if one observes the left and right angled comer portions of the ceiling face
17
A of the cover
17
when the lever
20
has been pivoted to the end position, the first ribs
40
of the lever
20
and the second ribs
45
of the cover
17
are aligned above and below in a straight line. This allows one to verify that the lever
20
has been correctly rotated to the ending position. If the markers are viewed from the front (from the direction shown by the arrow X in FIG.
6
), the protruding edges
41
of the first ribs
40
are aligned vertically with the protruding edges
46
(the ceiling face ends) of the second ribs
45
. If the markers are viewed from the side (from the direction shown by the arrow Y in FIG.
6
), the left sides of the protruding edges
41
of the first ribs
40
are aligned vertically with the protruding edges
46
(the ceiling face ends) of the second ribs
45
. If the markers are viewed from above (from the direction shown by the arrow Z in FIG.
6
), only a side edge
42
of one of the first ribs
40
is visible. In this manner, one can verify that the ribs
40
and the
45
are aligned.
It is possible that, when the lever
20
has been pivoted to the vicinity of the ending position, resistance such as joining resistance between the terminal fittings may halt the movement of the lever
20
even though the lever operation means that less fitting force is required. In such a case, the lever
20
is halted before it has reached the correct end position, and the two housings
11
and
16
remain in a half-fitted state. In that case, observation of the markers will show a gap between the first ribs
40
of the lever
20
and the second ribs
45
of the cover
17
(see FIG.
5
). In this manner, one can verify that the lever
20
has not been moved to the correct end position. Then one can resume movement of the lever
20
, and verify that the two ribs
40
and
45
have been aligned.
In the present embodiment, after the lever
20
has been pivoted, one can observe whether the first ribs
40
of the lever
20
are aligned with the second ribs
45
of the cover
17
. Consequently, one can ascertain whether the lever
20
has been correctly pivoted to the end position. That is, one can simply and reliably ascertain whether the two housings
1
I and
16
have been correctly fitted together.
The shape of the two ribs
40
and
45
allows one to view the markers from three directions, (from the front, the side, and above), so as to verify whether the markers have been aligned.
The two ribs
40
and
45
are formed so as to be housed within the outer form of the cover
17
. Consequently, foreign objects do not strike against them, and damage thereto is prevented.
A second embodiment of the present invention is described below with the aid of FIG.
7
. This second embodiment differs from the first in that second ribs
50
located on the cover
17
have a differing shape. That is, protruding portions
51
(the ends of the second ribs
50
opposite the angled ends thereof) located on the ceiling face
17
A of the cover
17
protrude outwards for a specified distance relative to the first ribs
40
of the lever
20
.
The remaining configuration is the same as the first embodiment and accordingly the same symbols are used and an explanation of the function thereof is omitted.
In the second embodiment, if the markers are viewed from above (from the direction shown by the arrow Z in FIG.
7
), the side edges
42
of the first ribs
40
are aligned horizontally with side edges
52
of the protruding portions
51
of the second ribs
50
. Consequently, one can verify that the ribs
40
and the
50
are aligned. That is, the ribs
50
are not hidden. Instead, both the ribs
40
and
50
can be seen while their alignment is being verified. Consequently, a more reliable judgement can be made.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with the aid of figures. For example, the possibilities described below also lie within the technical range of the present invention. In addition, the present invention may be embodied in various other ways without deviating from the scope thereof.
(1) The markers may equally well be formed in a shape opposite to that of the embodiments described above. That is, they may be formed in a concave shape. Alternatively, the markers may consist of painted-on lines which have differing colours.
(2) The present invention is equally suited to a lever-type connector using conventional wire to wire attachment. Furthermore, it is equally suited to a case wherein the lever is provided on the male housing.
Claims
- 1. A lever-type connector assembly comprising a pair of mutually engageable connectors, a lever pivotably supported on a first one of the connectors and defining a cam, and a follower disposed on the other connector and engageable with said cam such that pivoting of said lever to an end position draws said connectors fully together, wherein:said lever comprises a first rib that extends outward from a surface of the lever, and that has a long axis and a short axis, said first connector comprises a second rib that extends outward from a surface of the first connector and that has a long axis and a short axis, the first and second ribs are aligned when the lever is in the end position, and said alignment is exposed and observable from the front of the first connector, from a side of the first connector, and from at least one of the top and bottom of the first connector.
- 2. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the long axis of said ribs is parallel to the pivot axis of said lever.
- 3. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein one of said ribs, the pivot axis of said lever and said follower are aligned when the lever is in said end position.
- 4. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the long axes of the first and second ribs are aligned when the lever is in said end position.
- 5. A connector assembly according to claim 4 wherein the first connector comprises a housing and a cover therefor, and wherein the second rib extends outward from a surface of the cover.
- 6. A connector assembly according to claim 4 wherein said ribs are immediately adjacent when the lever is in said end position.
- 7. A connector assembly according to claim 4 wherein said ribs have the same thickness.
- 8. A connector assembly according to claim 4 wherein said ribs have different heights so as to be both visible when viewed on end.
- 9. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein said ribs are immediately adjacent when the lever is in said end position.
- 10. A connector assembly according to claim 9 wherein said ribs have the same thickness.
- 11. A connector assembly according to claim 9 wherein said ribs have different heights so as to be both visible when viewed on end.
- 12. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein said ribs have the same thickness.
- 13. A connector assembly according to claim 12 wherein said ribs have different heights so as to be both visible when viewed on end.
- 14. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein said ribs have different heights so as to be both visible when viewed on end.
- 15. A connector assembly according to claim 14 wherein the long axis of said ribs is parallel to the pivot axis of said lever.
- 16. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein said lever has arms extending on the top and bottom of the first connector, the arms being pivotably attached to said first connector on a common pivot axis, wherein the first rib extends from one of said arms and a third rib extends from the other arm.
- 17. A connector assembly according to claim 16 wherein said connectors have a fitting axis, and in the end position said ribs are aligned and perpendicular to said fitting axis.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2000-244065 |
Aug 2000 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
5476390 |
Taguchi et al. |
Dec 1995 |
A |
5810612 |
Flask et al. |
Sep 1998 |
A |
6203340 |
Yamashita et al. |
Mar 2001 |
B1 |
6213795 |
Drescher et al. |
Apr 2001 |
B1 |