1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a lever-type connector.
2. Background Art
This lever-type connector 100 is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3442661, and includes a first connector housing 110, a second connector housing 120 which is fitted and connected together with the first connector housing 110, and a fitting control lever 130 which is mounted rotatably on the first connector housing 110.
The second connector housing 120 has an outer angularly tubular wall portion (a hood portion) 121 into which the first connector housing 110 is inserted.
The fitting control lever 130 is mounted rotatably on boss portions 111 which are provided on outer surfaces of the first connector housing 110 so as to project therefrom as a lever member which reduces operation forces with which the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 are fitted together and are released from such a fitted state.
As shown in
In the case of the depicted example, the connecting member 132 doubles as a force application point to which a force is applied when the lever main bodies 131 are rotated about the boss portions 111.
In the lever-type connector 100 of Japanese Patent No. 3442661, the first connector housing 110 and the second connector housing 120 are fitted and connected together according to the following procedure.
Firstly, as shown in the figure, the fitting control lever 130 is mounted rotatably on the first connector housing 110. Following this, as indicated by an arrow X1 in
Following this, the connecting member 132 of the fitting control lever 130 is pressed downwards so as to rotate the fitting control lever 130 as indicated by an arrow R1 in the figure. The rotating operation of the fitting control lever 130 draws the second connector housing 120 towards the first connector housing 110, whereby both the connector housings are fitted together completely.
When the connector housings which are fitted together so are released from the fitted state, the connecting member 132 is rotated in an opposite direction to the direction indicated by the arrow R1 in the figure, whereby the connector housings are separated from each other.
In addition, Patent Literature, JP-A-7-135046, discloses a lever-type connector having a configuration in which a first connector housing and a second connector housing which are registered with their fitting initiating position are fitted and connected together by means of a fitting control lever (which is called a slide 14 in JP-A-7-135046) which is inserted to be mounted in the first connector housing.
The fitting control lever of JP-A-7-135046 is inserted into the first connector housing in a direction which is at right angles to a direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together. In this fitting control lever, guide grooves are formed in an inclined fashion so that lever engagement shaft portions which are provided on outer surfaces of the second connector housing so as to project therefrom can slide therealong. Then, both the connector housings are fitted to each other by pulling in the lever engagement shaft portions along the inclined guide grooves in the direction in which the connector housings are fitted together.
In the case of the lever-type connectors of Patent Literatures, Japanese Patent No. 3442661 and JP-A-7-135046, however, the fitting control lever cannot be removed from the first connector housing in such a state that both the connector housings are fitted and connected together.
Because of this, in the case of the lever-type connectors of Japanese Patent No. 3442661, the weight of the fitting control lever is kept additionally applied to the connector even after both the connector housings are completely fitted and connected together, resulting in a factor which calls for an increase in weight of the connector.
In addition, in the case of the lever-type connectors of Patent Literatures, Japanese Patent No. 3442661 and JP-A-7-135046, the connector has to be accompanied by the fitting control lever in any case, leading to a problem that the production costs are increased due to the increase in the number of constituent parts involved.
Then, the invention has been made to solve the problems inherent in the conventional lever-type connectors, and an object of the invention is to provide a lever-type connector which can realize a reduction in production cost and weight in use by reducing the number of constituent parts involved.
The object of the invention is attained by the following configurations.
(1) A lever-type connector comprising:
a first connector housing:
a second connector housing which is fitted and connected to the first connector housing; and
a fitting control lever which is mounted on the first connector housing as a fitting assist member; wherein
the first connector housing comprises:
a housing main body including a plurality of terminal insertion holes; and
a pair of first lever engagement shaft portions which are provided individually on a pair of outer side walls of the housing main body so as to project therefrom; wherein
the second connector housing comprises:
an outer angularly tubular wall portion which fits on an outer circumference of the first connector housing;
a pair of second lever engagement shaft portions that are provided individually on a pair of inner side surfaces of the outer angularly tubular wall portion which oppositely face the pair of outer side walls of the first connector housing so as to project therefrom and which are positioned a predetermined spacing distance opposite to the first lever engagement shaft portions in a direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together when the first connector housing and the second connector housing are registered with their fitting initiating position; and
guide ribs which are provided individually on the pair of inner side surfaces so as to extend at a first inclination angle which is set to a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together; wherein
the fitting control lever comprises:
a pair of lever main bodies which are disposed opposite to each other so as to be inserted into gaps defined between the pair of outer side walls of the first connector housing and the pair of inner surfaces of the outer angularly tubular wall portion;
first boss introduction grooves that are formed individually on inner surfaces of the pair of main bodies along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together and which guide the first lever engagement shaft portions to a first mounting initiating position when the pair of lever main bodies are placed on the pair of outer side walls;
first fitting control grooves along which the first lever engagement shaft portions which are situated in the first mounting initiating position slide when the fitting control lever which is mounted on the first connector housing is pulled out of the first connector housing at the first inclination angle and which are formed so as to communicate with the first boss introduction grooves at a second inclination angle at which portions of the first fitting control grooves which are far away from the first mounting initiating position intersect extensions of the guide ribs which extend at the first inclination angle;
second boss introduction grooves that are formed individually on outer surfaces of the pair of lever main bodies along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together and which guide the second lever engagement shaft portions to a second mounting initiating position when the first connector housing on which the fitting control lever is mounted in such a state that the first lever engagement shaft portions are situated in the first mounting initiating position and the second connector housing are registered with their fitting initiating position; and
second fitting control grooves along which the second lever engagement shaft portions which are situated in the second mounting initiating position slide when the fitting control lever which is mounted in such a state that the second lever engagement shaft portions are situated in the second mounting initiating position is pulled out of the second connector housing at the first inclination angle and which are formed so as to communicate with the second boss introduction grooves at the first inclination angle; and wherein
both the connector housings are fitted and connected together, by pulling out the fitting control lever from both the connector housings in such a state that the first connector housing and the second connector housing are registered with their fitting initiating position, the first lever engagement shaft portions are situated in the first mounting initiating position, and the second lever engagement shaft portions are situated in the second mounting initiating position.
The fitting control lever may be adapted to reduce operation forces with which the first connector housing and the second connector housing are fitted together and are released from such a fitted state.
The first connector housing may further comprise a locking securing portion that is provided on a side surface of the housing main body and which is brought into engagement with the second connector housing when the first connector housing and the second connector housing are fitted and connected together completely to thereby lock both the connector housings in a connected state.
The second connector housing may further comprise a securement ensuring portion which is brought into engagement with the locking securing portion when the first connector housing and the second connector housings are fitted and connected together completely to thereby lock both the connector housings in a connected state
The fitting control lever may further comprise temporary securing pieces which are brought into engagement with the guide ribs when the second lever engagement shaft portions are situated in the second mounting initiating position to thereby restrain the fitting control lever from moving along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together to be disengaged from the second connector housing.
(2) The lever-type connector according to the above (1), wherein
the first lever engagement shaft portions and the second lever engagement shaft portions are disposed so as to be aligned with each other in a direction which is at right angles to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together.
(3) The lever-type connector according to the above (1), wherein
the first connector housing comprises temporary lever securing portions which are positions away from the first lever engagement shaft portions in the direction which is at right angles to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together, and wherein
the fitting control lever comprises positioning portions which are brought into engagement with the temporary lever securing portions when the first lever engagement shaft portions which fit in the first boss introduction grooves reach the first mounting initiating position.
(4) The lever-type connector according to the above (1), wherein
the first fitting control grooves and the second fitting control grooves are formed into a curvilinear configuration so that a moving locus of the fitting control lever produced when the fitting control lever is pulled out becomes curvilinear.
According to the configuration described under (1) above, as an operating procedure of fitting and connecting the connector housings together, firstly, the fitting control lever is mounted on the first connector housing so that the pair of first lever engagement shaft portions on the first connector housing fit in the pair of first boss introduction grooves on the fitting control lever, and the fitting control lever is fixed to the first connector housing in a temporarily secured state in which the first lever engagement shaft portions reach the first mounting initiating position.
Following this, the first connector housing to which the fitting control lever is temporarily secured is inserted into the outer angularly tubular wall portion of the second connector housing along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together, whereby the first connector housing and the second connector housing are registered with their fitting initiating position.
With the first connector housing and the second connector housing registered with their fitting initiating position, the pair of second lever engagement shaft portions of the second connector housing fit in the second boss introduction grooves of the fitting control lever and reach the second mounting initiating position on the second boss introduction grooves.
In addition, with the first connector housing and the second connector housing registered with their fitting initiating position, the temporary securing pieces provided on the fitting control lever are in engagement with the guide ribs on the second connector housing. Then, by the engagement of the temporary securing pieces with the guide ribs, the fitting control lever is restrained from moving along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together to be disengaged from the second connector housing, whereby the fitting control lever is temporarily secured to the first connector housing and the second connector housing.
Following this, the fitting control lever is pulled out of the first connector housing and the second connector housing which are registered with their fitting initiating position. When the fitting control lever is pulled out so, the first lever engagement shaft portions which are situated in the first mounting initiating position slide on the first fitting control grooves which are formed so as to communicate with the first boss introduction grooves. Additionally, the second lever engagement shaft portions which are situated in the second mounting initiating position slide on the second fitting control grooves which are formed so as to communicate with the second boss introduction grooves.
Then, since the inclination angles of the first and second fitting control grooves set so that the portions of the first fitting control grooves on the fitting control lever which are away from the first mounting initiating position intersect the second fitting control grooves, as the fitting control lever is pulled out progressively, the first lever engagement shaft portions on the first fitting control grooves are moved towards the second lever engagement shaft portions on the second fitting control grooves, whereby the connector housings are fitted deeply together.
Then, when the fitting control lever is pulled out of both the connector housings, the connector housings are fitted and connected together completely, and at the same time, the fitting control lever is disengaged from both the connector housings. Additionally, when both the connector housings are fitted and connected together completely, a locking securing portion of the first connector housing is brought into engagement with a securement ensuring portion of the second connector housing, whereby both the connector housings are locked in the connected state.
Namely, according to the configuration described under (1) above, the connector housings are configured so as to be fitted deeply together by pulling out the fitting control lever. When the connector housings are fitted and connected together completely, the fitting control lever has been pulled out of both the connector housings and is then disengaged therefrom. Because of this, the weight of the fitting control lever is not applied to the connector when in use, thereby making it possible to realize a reduction in weight of the connector when in use.
Additionally, the fitting control lever that is disengaged from the connector housings can be used to build up another lever-type connector. Because of this, the first connector housing and the second connector housing excluding the fitting control lever only have to be prepared as a set of parts for a normal lever-type connector, thereby making it possible to realize a reduction in the number of parts involved.
According to the configuration described under (2) above, the first boss introduction grooves and the second boss introduction grooves on the fitting control lever are formed on the front and rear sides of the lever main bodies so as to be aligned with each other in the direction which is at right angles to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together. Therefore, the first boss introduction grooves and the second boss introduction grooves can be designed to be disposed the same spacing distance from the same reference plane, thereby making it possible to facilitate the disposition design of the first boss introduction grooves and the second boss introduction grooves.
According to the configuration described under (3) above, when the fitting control lever is mounted on the first connector housing, the first lever engagement shaft portions on the first connector housing are positioned in the first mounting initiating position by the first boss introduction grooves. Further, the positioning portions on the fitting control lever are brought into abutment with the temporary lever securing portions of the first connector housing, whereby the fitting control lever is temporarily fixed to the first connector housing.
In other words, the fitting control lever mounted on the first connector housing is positioned at such two locations as the first boss introduction grooves and the positioning portions, and therefore, it is possible to ensure the stable positioning of the fitting control lever with respect to the first connector housing, whereby the loosening of the fitting control lever relative to the first connector housing is made difficult to occur. Because of this, the inadvertent displacement of the fitting control lever can be prevented which would otherwise occur when the first connector housing and the second connector housing are registered with their fitting initiating position, thereby making it possible to facilitate the registration of the first and second connector housings with their fitting initiating position.
Consequently, the fitting and connecting of the first and second connector housings can be facilitated.
According to the configuration described under (4) above, when the fitting control lever is pulled out of the connector housings, the displacement of the fitting control lever in a direction which is at right angles to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together can be reduced, compared with the case where the moving locus of the fitting control lever is rectilinear. Because of this, the working space necessary for the pulling out operation of the fitting control lever can be reduced, thereby making it possible to realize a highly compact mounting of the lever-type connector.
According to the lever-type connector of the invention, the fitting control lever is disengaged from the connector housings after the connector housings are fitted and connected completely, and therefore, it is possible to realize a reduction in weight of the connector when in use.
In addition, the fitting control lever that is disengaged from the connector housings can also be used to build up another lever-type connector. Therefore, the first connector housing and the second connector housing excluding the fitting control lever only have to be prepared as a set of parts for a normal lever-type connector, thereby making it possible to realize a reduction in the number of parts involved.
Thus, the invention has been described briefly. Further, the details of the invention will be made clearer by perusing the following modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter, referred to as “embodiments”) by reference to accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of lever-type connectors according to the invention will be described in detail by reference to the drawings.
As shown in
As shown in
The housing main body 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as an external shape.
The pair of first lever engagement shaft portions 12 are cylindrical shafts which are provided individually on a pair of outer side walls 11b of the housing main body 11 so as to project therefrom. The pair of outer side walls 11b are side walls which stand opposite to each other in a direction indicated by an arrow X2 in
As shown in
As shown in
The pair of temporary lever securing portions 14 are projecting portions which are provided on the pair of outer side walls 11b. The respective temporary lever securing portion 14 are provided on the pair of outer side walls 11b in positions which are spaced away from the first lever engagement shaft portions 12 in a direction which is at right angles (a direction indicated by an arrow Y2 in
As shown in
The outer angularly tubular wall portion 21 is an angularly tubular portion that is formed on a front end side of the second connector housing 20 and which fits on an outer circumference of the first connector housing 10. In this outer angularly tubular wall portion 21, inner side surfaces 211b, which are inner surfaces of a pair of side walls 211 which stand opposite to each other, are surfaces which stand opposite to the pair of outer side walls 11b of the first connector housing 10.
The pair of second lever engagement shaft portions 22 are cylindrical shafts which are provided individually on the pair of inner side surfaces 211b of the outer angularly tubular wall portion 21. The pair of second lever engagement shaft portions 22 are positioned a predetermined spacing distance L1 (refer to
In the case of this embodiment, the first lever engagement shaft portions 12 and the second lever engagement shaft portions 22 are disposed so as to be aligned with each other in a direction which is at right angles to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted to each other. Consequently, as shown in
As shown in
The securement ensuring portion 24 is brought into engagement with the locking securing portion 13 of the first connector housing 10 so as to lock both the connector housings in the connected state when the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are fitted and connected together completely as shown in
The fitting control lever 30 is mounted on the first connector housing 10 as a fitting assist member which reduces operation forces with which the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are fitted together or are released from the fitted state.
As shown in
The pair of lever main bodies 31 are thick plate-like members which are disposed opposite to each other so as to be inserted into corresponding gaps defined individually between the pair of outer side walls 11b of the first connector housing 10 and the pair of inner side walls 211b of the outer angularly tubular wall portion 21 of the second connector housing 20. As shown in
As shown in
The first boss introduction grooves 32 guide the first lever engagement shafts 12 to a first mounting initiating position P1 when the pair of lever main bodies 31 are placed on the pair of outer side walls 11b of the first connector housing 10 as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The first fitting control groove 33 is a groove along which the first lever engagement shaft portion 12 which lies in the first mounting initiating position P1 slides when the fitting control lever 30 mounted on the first connector housing 10 is pulled out of the first connector housing 10 along the first inclination angle θ1 as indicated by an arrow X3 in
The second boss introduction grooves 34 are formed individually on outer surfaces of the pair of lever main bodied 31 so as to extend along a straight line m3 as shown in
The second boss introduction grooves 34 guide the second lever engagement shaft portions 22 to a second mounting initiating position P2 as shown in
As shown in
The straight line m5 is a straight line which extends at the first inclination angle θ1 (the inclination angle of the guide ribs 23) with respective to the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together (the direction indicated by the arrow Z2 in
The second fitting control groove 35 is a groove along which the second lever engagement shaft portion 22 which lies in the second mounting initiating position P2 slides when the fitting control lever 30 which is mounted on the first connector housing 10 with the second lever engagement shaft portion 22 situated in the second mounting initiating position P2 is pulled out of the second connector housing 20 at the first inclination angle θ1 as indicated by an arrow X4 in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the lever-type connector 1 of this embodiment, by pulling out the fitting control lever 30 from both the connector housings in such a state that the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are registered with their fitting initiating position with the first lever engagement shaft portions 12 lying in the first mounting initiating position P1 and the second lever engagement shaft portions 22 lying in the second mounting initiating position P2 as shown in
Next, an operating procedure of fitting and connecting together the connector housings of the lever-type connector 1 of this embodiment and the working effect thereof will be described based on
In the case of this embodiment, firstly, the fitting control lever 30 is mounted on the first connector housing 10 so that the pair of first lever engagement shaft portions 12 of the first connector housing 10 fit in the pair of boss introduction grooves 32 on the fitting control lever 30. Then, the fitting control lever 30 is fixed to the first connector housing 10 in a temporarily secured state in which the first lever engagement shaft portions 12 reach the first mounting initiating position P1 as shown in
Following this, the first connector housing 10 to which the fitting control lever 30 is temporarily secured is inserted into the outer angularly tubular wall portion 21 of the second connector housing 20 along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together as indicated by an arrow Z2 in
With the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 registered with their fitting initiating position, as shown in
Additionally, with the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 registered with their fitting initiating position, the temporary securing pieces 36 which are provided on the fitting control lever 30 are brought into engagement with the corresponding guide ribs 23 on the second connector housing 20. Then, by engagement of the temporary securing pieces 36 with the guide ribs 23, the fitting control lever 30 is restrained from moving along the direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together to thereby be disengaged from the second connector housing 20. Thus, as shown in
Next, the fitting control lever 30 is pulled out in a direction indicated by an arrow X4 shown in
The respective pairs of fitting control grooves are formed so as to extend while being inclined at such inclination angles that the first fitting control grooves 33 on the fitting control lever 30 intersect the second fitting control grooves 35 at the end portions which are spaced far away from the first mounting initiating position P1. Therefore, as the fitting control lever 30 is pulled out progressively, the first lever engagement shaft portions 12 on the first fitting control grooves 33 are moved towards the second lever engagement shaft portions 22 on the second fitting control grooves 35, whereby both the connector housings are getting fitted deeply together.
Then, when the fitting control lever 30 is pulled out of both the connector housings as shown in
Namely, the lever-type connector 1 of the first embodiment which has been described heretofore has the configuration in which the connector housings are fitted together deeply in the progressive fashion as the fitting control lever 30 is pulled out. Then, when the connector housings are fitted and connected together completely, the fitting control lever 30 is pulled out of the connector housings and is disengaged from both the connector housings. Because of this, the weight of the fitting control lever 30 is not applied to the connector housings when the connector 1 is in use, thereby making it possible to realize a reduction in weight of the connector 1 when in use.
In addition, the fitting control lever 30 can be used to build up another lever-type connector. Because of this, the fitting control lever 30 can be excluded from a set of parts for a normal lever-type connector so that only the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 have to be prepared therefor, thereby making it possible to realize a reduction in the number of parts involved.
Further, in the case of the lever-type connector 1 of the first embodiment, as shown in
In addition, in the case of the lever-type connector 1 of the first embodiment, when the fitting control lever 30 is mounted on the first connector housing 10, the first lever engagement shaft portions 12 of the first connector housing 10 are positioned in the first mounting initiating position P1 by the first boss introduction grooves 32. Further, the positioning portions 37 of the fitting control lever 30 are brought into abutment with the lever temporary securing portions 14 of the first connector housing 10, whereby the fitting control lever 30 is temporarily fixed to the first connector housing 10.
In other words, since the fitting control lever 30 mounted on the first connector housing 10 is positioned at two locations such as the first boss introduction grooves 32 and the positioning portions 37, it is possible to ensure a stable positioning of the fitting control lever 30 in which the loosening of the fitting control lever 30 is made difficult to occur. Because of this, when the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 are registered with their fitting initiating position, the fitting control lever 30 can be prevented from being displaced inadvertently, thereby making it possible to facilitate the registration of the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 with their fitting initiating position.
Consequently, the fitting and connecting of the first connector housing 10 and the second connector housing 20 can be facilitated.
A fitting control lever 30A of the lever-type connector 1A according to the second embodiment is such that the fitting control grooves 33 and the second fitting control grooves 35 of the fitting control lever 30 of the first embodiment are changed to first fitting control grooves 33A and second fitting control grooves 35A, respectively. The first fitting control grooves 33A and the second fitting control grooves 35A of the second embodiment have such curved groove configurations that a moving locus of the fitting control lever 30A that is formed when the fitting control lever 30A is pulled out is made into a curve as indicated by an arrow R in
In the case of the fitting control lever 30A of the second embodiment, when the fitting control lever 30A is pulled out from both the connector housings, a displacement of the fitting control lever 30A in a direction in which both the connector housings are fitted together is shortened by a distance L2 shown in
It should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiments that have been described heretofore and hence can be modified or improved as required. Additionally, the materials, shapes, dimensions, numbers and arrangements of the constituent elements in the respective embodiments are arbitrary and are not limited thereto, provided that the invention can be attained.
For example, while the single locking securing portion 13 and the single securement ensuring portion 24 are provided in the embodiments described, a configuration may be adopted in which locking securing portions 13 and securement ensuring portions 24 are each provided in a plurality of locations so that both connector housings are locked in a connected state by a plurality of securing portions.
It is apparent that various modifications can be made in the invention within a scope not deviating from the gist of the invention.
The present invention is useful for providing a lever-type connector which can realize a reduction in production cost and weight in use by reducing the number of constituent parts involved.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2012-117826 | May 2012 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT application No. PCT/JP2013/064139, which was filed on May 15, 2013 based on Japanese patent application (patent application 2012-117826) filed on May 23, 2012, whose contents are incorporated herein by reference. Also, all the references cited herein are incorporated as a whole.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2013/064139 | May 2013 | US |
Child | 14549081 | US |