Connector housing arrangement and connectors

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector housing arrangement (1) comprising: a connector housing (10) for receiving at least one electrical connection; a pivotable lever (20) for mating the connector housing with a mating connector (30) along a mating direction (A), wherein the lever (20) is pivotable about a pivot axis (13) of the connector housing (10) between an initial position and an end position; a rotation-prevention structure (40) configured to prevent rotation in the initial position of the lever (20). The lever (20) has a deformation section (22) which, when mated with the mating connector (30), is deformable such that the lever (20) is rotatable, in particular from the initial position.To improve operational reliability, the connector housing arrangement (1) further comprises a deformation maintenance structure designed to maintain the deformed state of the deformation section until the end position of the lever (20) is reached. The present invention also relates to a connector with such a connector housing arrangement.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector housing assembly and a connector comprising the connector housing assembly.

[0002] Connector housing assemblies are known from the prior art that feature a pivotable lever on a connector housing. By pivoting the lever, the connector housing can be mated or plugged together with a mating connector along a mating direction.

[0003] With the current technology, premature and / or unintentional pivoting of the lever can occur. However, any locking mechanisms that temporarily prevent the lever from moving usually require a complex removal process.

[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector housing assembly with improved operational reliability and manageability.

[0005] This object is achieved according to the invention by a connector housing assembly comprising: a connector housing for receiving at least one electrical terminal; a pivotable lever for mating the connector housing with a mating connector along a mating direction, wherein the lever is pivotable about a pivot axis of the connector housing between an initial position and an end position; a rotation-preventing structure configured to prevent rotation in the initial position of the lever, wherein the lever has a deformation portion that is deformable upon mating with the mating connector such that the lever is rotatable, in particular from the initial position. Furthermore, the connector housing assembly has a deformation-maintaining structure configured to maintain the deformed state of the deformation portion until the end position of the lever.

[0006] The anti-rotation structure is provided to prevent premature rotation of the lever before engagement with the mating connector. The deformation maintenance structure, in turn, ensures that the deformed section does not re-deform after rotation is permitted and thus does not return to the undeformed state during the rotation of the lever. This prevents problems when returning the lever to its initial position, which would otherwise require further deformation. Furthermore, a return to the undeformed state could adversely affect the mating process, which is also prevented by the deformation maintenance structure.

[0007] According to this aspect, the deformation of the deformation section can be maintained until the end position is reached. Thus, a return to the undeformed state during rotation can be prevented, and further deformation when the lever is returned to the initial position can be prevented. The number of load cycles can thus be reduced. Furthermore, mating with the mating connector can be performed consistently in the deformed state.

[0008] The invention can be further improved by the following embodiments, each of which is advantageous in itself and can be combined with one another as desired.

[0009] According to one possible embodiment, the deformation section can in particular be purely elastically deformable in order to prevent undesirable permanent deformation.

[0010] The deformation section can be deformed, in particular, by contact between the connector housing assembly and the mating connector. Thus, the anti-rotation structure is released automatically and without additional manual intervention.

[0011] Preferably, the rotation prevention structure is formed by positive engagement between the lever and the connector housing, and the deformation portion is deformable so that the positive engagement is canceled.

[0012] Thus, the rotation of the lever can be more reliably prevented by the anti-rotation structure, which would result in considerable misuse force that the user or operator would have to exert to initiate rotation. Furthermore, the positive locking can be easily restored by simply turning the lever back from its deformed state.

[0013] According to another aspect, the rotation preventing structure may include a lever-side engaging portion and a housing-side engaging portion engageable with each other in the initial position.

[0014] Thus, the positive locking can be achieved by mutual engagement of the lever-side engagement portion and the housing-side engagement portion, and in the initial position, the housing-side engagement portion can block the rotation of the lever.

[0015] During rotation, the lever-side engagement portion cannot be brought into engagement with the housing-side engagement portion until the end position.

[0016] Preferably, one of the lever-side engaging portion and the housing-side engaging portion is recessed, and the other is protruded.

[0017] This makes it easy to manufacture the engagement sections. The protruding and recessed sections can be positioned parallel to the pivot axis.

[0018] Alternatively or additionally, the lever-side engagement portion may have a plurality of lever-side engagement elements and the housing-side engagement portion may have a plurality of housing-side engagement elements.

[0019] Thus, the misuse force can be increased because a plurality of engagement elements are engaged with each other, which increases the resistance of the rotation prevention structure.

[0020] Preferably, when the lever is rotated to the end position, at each circumferential position at least one lever-side engagement section is always not in engagement with a housing-side engagement element.

[0021] Preferably, the plurality of lever-side and housing-side engagement elements are spaced apart from one another along a circumferential direction about the pivot axis.

[0022] This increases resistance to misuse forces, thus enhancing operating safety. Furthermore, even if one engagement element fails, the remaining engagement elements can prevent the lever from rotating.

[0023] It is advantageous if a respective engagement contact surface, on which the at least one lever-side and housing-side engagement element engage with each other, extends at least in sections and with at least one component perpendicular to the circumferential direction.

[0024] This can also increase the risk of misuse.

[0025] According to a further aspect, the deformation maintenance structure can be formed at least in sections by the lever-side engagement portion and the housing-side engagement portion during the transfer between the initial position and the final position.

[0026] This can make the connector housing assembly compact. Furthermore, the number of components can be reduced, as no additional components need to be provided to form the deformation-maintaining structure.

[0027] According to a further aspect, the lever can be brought into frictional contact with the connector housing along a plane perpendicular to the pivot axis during the entire transfer between the initial position and the end position.

[0028] This creates a frictional force that can prevent unwanted lever rotation when the lever is stopped. In other words, the lever can be temporarily held in an intermediate position by the frictional force. This increases handling. For example, the lever-side engagement portion can slide on the housing-side engagement portion.

[0029] According to yet another aspect, the lever may have a mating connector contact portion which, upon mating, can be brought into contact with the mating connector and is preferably configured to widen or taper in the mating direction.

[0030] Thus, the deformation of the deformation section can be achieved through contact with the mating connector at the mating connector contact section. Through a tapered or widened design, the deformation of the deformation section can occur smoothly and / or continuously.

[0031] Preferably, the mating connector contact section is spaced further apart from the anti-rotation structure with respect to the pivot axis, at least in some sections. In other words, a distance between the mating connector contact section and the pivot axis can be greater than a distance between the anti-rotation structure and the pivot axis.

[0032] This allows for a sufficiently large deformation to release the anti-rotation structure, enabling reliable operation.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, in the initial position of the lever, the mating direction may be substantially perpendicular to a connecting line between the pivot axis and the mating connector contact section.

[0034] This allows the connector housing assembly to be compact in the mating direction. Furthermore, the mating connector contact portion can easily disengage from the mating connector upon mating, reducing the stress on the lever. Please note that the term "substantially" here includes angular deviations of + / - 20° from the vertical.

[0035] According to yet another aspect, the lever may have an eccentric control portion engageable with the mating connector for mating.

[0036] The eccentric control portion can engage with an engagement portion of the mating connector, whereby the relative feed rate between the connector housing and the mating connector in the mating direction can be controlled based on the rotation angle of the lever. Thus, the force applied by an operator to the lever can be used to transmit it to the mating connector via the eccentric control portion. Thus, the lever can be used to assist the mating process. In the present invention, the eccentric control portion can be constantly deformed by the deformation maintenance structure, thus reliably mating with the mating connector.

[0037] Preferably, the eccentric control section is tooth-like.

[0038] A tooth-like eccentric control section can enable consistent mating with the mating connector. The tooth flanks can be consistently deformed so that, in the deformed state, they are parallel to the tooth flanks of the mating connector's engagement section.

[0039] According to yet another aspect, the lever and / or the connector housing may be injection molded.

[0040] This allows for simple manufacturing. The engagement sections on the lever and housing sides can also be easily manufactured. A thermoplastic material can be used for this.

[0041] According to yet another aspect, the connector housing may have a guide portion configured to guide the mating connector parallel to the mating direction.

[0042] Thus, even by rotating the lever, a linear movement along the mating direction between the connector housing and the mating connector can be achieved.

[0043] Another aspect of the invention provides a connector comprising the connector housing assembly according to at least one of the preceding aspects.

[0044] This allows for a connector with increased operating safety and ease of handling. Depending on the application, the connector can feature electrical, optical, or opto-electrical contact elements that are connected to the correspondingly complementary mating contacts of the mating connector during mating.

[0045] The present invention will now be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show exemplary embodiments whose different features can be combined with one another as desired, in accordance with the above remarks. In particular, individual features can be added to the described embodiments in accordance with the above explanations if the effect of these features is necessary for a specific application. Conversely, individual features can be omitted from the described embodiments if the technical effect of these features is not important in a specific application. In the drawings, similar, identical, and functionally equivalent elements are provided with identical reference numerals, where appropriate.

[0046] They show: Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a connector housing of a connector housing assembly; Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a lever of a connector housing assembly; Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a mating connector for mating with the connector housing assembly; Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the lever is in an initial position and the rotation preventing structure prevents the lever from rotating, Fig. 4a) in side view, Fig. 4b) in a sectional view along the pivot axis, and Fig. 4c) in a section perpendicular to the pivot axis through the anti-rotation structure; Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state at the beginning of mating with the mating connector in which the lever is in an initial position and the rotation preventing structure prevents the rotation of the lever, Fig. 5a) in side view, and Fig. 5b) in a sectional view parallel to the pivot axis through the anti-rotation structure; Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state of advanced mating with the mating connector in which the lever is in an initial position and the rotation prevention structure is released, Fig. 6a) in a sectional view perpendicular to the pivot axis through an eccentric control section, and Fig. 6b) in a sectional view parallel to the pivot axis through the anti-rotation structure; Fig. 7 is a schematic representation of a state of further mating with the mating connector in which the lever is in an intermediate position and the rotation prevention structure is released, Fig. 7a) in a sectional view perpendicular to the pivot axis through the eccentric control section, Fig. 7b) in a sectional view parallel to the pivot axis, and Fig. 7c) in a section perpendicular to the pivot axis through a lever-side engagement section; and Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of a state of further advanced mating with the mating connector, in which the lever is in an end position and the rotation prevention structure is released, Fig. 8a) in side view, and Fig. 8b) in a sectional view perpendicular to the pivot axis through the lever-side engagement section.

[0047] The Fig. 4 to 8 show a connector housing assembly 1. The connector housing assembly 1 comprises the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shown components, connector housing 10 and lever 20.

[0048] The connector housing assembly 1 can be used, for example, in a connector for high-voltage applications. The connector has at least one electrical terminal housed inside the connector housing 10.

[0049] The connector housing 10 thus has a housing function. It has a substantially parallelepiped shape. It has two wall sections 11, each of which is an opposite side wall section, which receives at least one terminal therebetween, and which is opposite one another in a transverse direction. The transverse direction is perpendicular to a mating direction A, shown in Fig. 5 to 8. The mating direction A runs parallel to a longitudinal direction of the electrical connection.

[0050] Each side wall portion 11 has an axle-forming portion 12 defining a pivot axis 13, for example, at a center thereof. The axle-forming portion 12 protrudes from an outer surface of the side wall portion 11 and serves as a support portion for the lever 20.

[0051] Furthermore, the connector housing 10 has a housing-side engagement portion 14. This has grooves 14A around the axis-forming portion 12 at intervals in a circumferential direction about the pivot axis 13. The grooves 14A are arranged at regular intervals in the mating direction A, being arranged in parallel. More specifically, the grooves 14A are thus spaced apart in the circumferential direction by at least one component. The grooves 14A have a main extension direction that intersects the mating direction A and is not parallel to the radial direction about the pivot axis 13 at least at one circumferential position. The grooves 14A are provided in a recessed manner in the outer surface and each have a groove bottom wall and two opposite groove side end walls.

[0052] The lever 20 has, although not shown, an overall U-shape with two transversely opposite legs and a transversely connecting connecting section.

[0053] Each leg has a lever bearing section 21 at an end section opposite the connecting section. The lever bearing section 21 is an opening which, in the assembled state, is arranged concentrically with the pivot axis 13. The end section is predominantly circular when viewed in the transverse direction (along the pivot axis) and merges into an extension section which extends to the connecting section. It further has a deformation section 22, which will be described in more detail below. The deformation section 22 has a mating connector contact section 23. In the initial position of the lever 20, the mating connector contact section 23 is exposed to the mating connector 30 in the mating direction A and points towards the housing. It has a section which tapers towards the mating connector 30 in the mating direction A by means of an inclined inner surface.The mating connector contact portion 23 is located further away in a direction parallel to the pivot axis 13 than the grooves 14A and further away than a lever-side engagement portion 24. It should be noted that the lever 20 in . Fig. 2 is shown with an inner side facing outwards.

[0054] With respect to the lever support portion 21, the lever-side engagement portion 24 is provided further inward, i.e., closer to the pivot axis 13, from the mating connector contact portion 23 in the deformation portion 22. It comprises a plurality of projections 24A.

[0055] Similar to the grooves 14A of the connector housing 10, the projections 24A are arranged around the lever support portion 21 at intervals in a circumferential direction around the pivot axis 13. The projections 24A are arranged at regular intervals in the mating direction A in the initial position, being arranged in parallel. More specifically, the projections 24A are thus spaced at least by a component in the circumferential direction. The projections 24A have a main extension direction that intersects the mating direction A and is not parallel to the radial direction around the pivot axis 13 at least at one circumferential position. Like the grooves 14A, the projections 24A extend with a component perpendicular to the circumferential direction. The projections 24A are provided protrudingly on the inner surface of the deformation portion 22 and each have an innermost projection tip wall and two opposite projection side walls.In the transverse direction, the projections 24A (the lever-side engagement portion 24) are located further inward than the mating connector contact portion 23.

[0056] In addition to the projections 24A, the deformation section 22 has an eccentric control section 25 on the periphery of the circular section. The eccentric control section 25 is also located closer to the pivot axis 13 than the mating connector contact section 23. In the transverse direction, it is arranged further inward than the mating connector contact section 23. It is tooth-shaped and here comprises two teeth 25a, 25b along the circumferential direction. A gap between the teeth 25a, 25b in the circumferential direction for engagement with teeth of the mating connector is covered on the outside.

[0057] Functions and effects of the present invention will now be described.

[0058] First, the two legs of the lever 20 are spread apart to mount the end section with the lever bearing section 21 on the axle forming section 12. The projections 24A are brought into engagement with the grooves 14A, as shown in Fig. 4. The lever 20 is in an initial position in which the lever arms extend substantially in the mating direction A.

[0059] The housing-side engagement portion 14 and the lever-side engagement portion 24 form a rotation-preventing structure 40. Specifically, upon clockwise rotation of the lever 10 about the pivot axis 13, the projection sidewalls located on the housing side in the mating direction A and the groove sidewalls located on the mating direction A on the mating connector side are each engagement contact surfaces. Since these extend with a component perpendicular to the circumferential direction, they block rotation. The projections 24A can be inserted into the grooves 14A with some clearance.

[0060] In Fig. 5, the counter connector 30 is made of Fig. 3 in the mating direction A towards the connector housing 10. It has an arm 31 pointing in the mating direction A. At its front end, a section 32 tapering towards the connector housing 10 is provided (see Fig. 6). The connector housing 10 has an arm deflection portion 15 located in the mating direction in the path of the arm 31. Thus, the arm 31 can be moved outward in the transverse direction.

[0061] Fig. 6 shows a state in which the tapered portion 32 and the tapered portion of the mating connector contact portion 23 have passed each other in the mating direction A. The deformation portion 22 extends substantially from the mating connector contact portion 23 to the pivot axis 13 in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis 13. Thus, the deformation portion 22 is elastically deformed. Specifically, the deformation portion 22 is bent outward in the transverse direction with the axis forming portion 12 serving as a bending center. Since the grooves 14A and the projections 24A extend substantially parallel to a connecting line from the pivot axis 13 to the mating connector contact portion 23, the bending moment caused by the arm 31 can reliably disengage the projections 24. Thus, the lever 20 can then be rotated in the circumferential direction.The connecting line is still essentially perpendicular to the mating direction A, which allows the bending moment to be applied reliably.

[0062] By rotation, the teeth 25a and 25b can be brought into engagement with teeth 33a and 33b of the mating connector 30.

[0063] Fig. 7 shows an intermediate position between the initial position and the final position. As can be seen therein, at least one projection 24A, preferably all of them, is not engaged with a groove 14A. This is because at least the lever-side projections 24A do not extend in the radial direction and cannot be aligned with a groove 14A at circumferential positions other than the initial position. Thus, the projection tip wall of each projection 24A slides on the outer surface of the connector housing 10 provided between the grooves 14. At this time, frictional contact is formed between the lever 20 and the connector housing 10. In addition, the deformation maintaining portion is formed by the housing-side engaging portion 14 and the lever-side engaging portion 24. This means that deformation is ensured in the area where the two engaging portions overlap during rotation.As a result, the deflection of the deformation section 22 is maintained.

[0064] In addition, the teeth 25a and 25b engage with the teeth 33a and 33b (engaging portion of the mating connector) of the arm 31, which are formed on a side of the arm 31 facing the pivot axis 13 in the mating direction A. Thus, the arm 31 and the mating connector can be moved toward the connector housing 10 by a force applied to the connecting portion of the lever 20. The connecting portion is preferably located farther from the pivot axis 13 than the eccentric control portion 25. Thus, the mating can be performed efficiently.

[0065] It should be noted that the connector housing 10 may have a guide portion for guiding the arm 31 along the mating direction.

[0066] In the deformed state, the eccentric control section 25 is deformed such that the tooth flanks of the teeth 25a and 25b are parallel to the pivot axis 13, or a tooth plane (also a control plane) is perpendicular to the pivot axis 13. This ensures optimal engagement.

[0067] As in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 8, the deformed state is maintained until the end position. In this case, the mating connector contact section 23 can be brought out of contact with the arm 31 and thus no longer needs to provide the deformation.

[0068] The connector housing 10 may have a stop that defines the end position of the lever. A locking structure may be provided that locks the lever 20 in the end position on the connector housing 10.

[0069] The lever 20 can be pivoted between the initial position and the end position by at least 60°, preferably at least 75°, and even more preferably by at least 90°. In the end position, the legs extend substantially transversely to the mating direction A.

[0070] The lever 20 and / or the connector housing 10 can be injection-molded from a thermoplastic material. This facilitates the formation of the lever-side and housing-side engagement sections.

[0071] As in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 1, the outer surface in which the grooves 14A are provided is circularly offset from the rest of the side wall 11, so that the end portion of the lever can be guided in the rotational direction (circumferential direction). In other words, the connector housing assembly can have a rotational guide structure.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the anti-rotation structure 40 is formed by positive locking. However, it can also be formed by friction locking.

[0073] Furthermore, the grooves 14A are examples of housing-side engagement elements, while the rib-shaped projections 24A are examples of lever-side engagement elements. However, instead of the projecting configuration, the lever-side engagement portion can also be recessed, while the housing-side engagement portion can be projected.

[0074] More complex geometries of the engagement sections, such as hook-shaped designs, are also conceivable.

[0075] In the embodiment, the deformation section is deformed by bending. However, purely translational deformations are also conceivable, as long as the anti-rotation structure can be released by deformation.

[0076] The deformation-maintaining structure may also include another element on the housing. If this element becomes worn due to friction, it can be replaced without having to replace the lever 20 and / or the connector housing 10.

[0077] The mating connector contact section has a section that tapers toward the mating connector. In other embodiments, with a corresponding design of the mating connector, it can also be configured to widen.

[0078] The eccentric control section can also be designed as a slotted guide. Reference symbol 1 Connector housing arrangement 10 connector housings 11 Side wall 12 Axle formation section 13 Swivel axis 14 Housing-side engagement section 14A Groove (housing-side engagement element) 15 Arm deflection section 20 levers 21 Lever bearing section 22 Deformation section 23 Mating connector contact section 24 lever-side engagement section 24A projection (lever-side engagement element) 25 eccentric control section 25a, 25b tooth 30 counter connectors 31 Arm 32 tapered section 33a, b Tooth of the mating connector 40 Anti-rotation structure A Mating direction

Claims

[1] Connector housing assembly (1) comprising: a connector housing (10) for receiving at least one electrical connection; a pivotable lever (20) for mating the connector housing with a mating connector (30) along a mating direction (A), wherein the lever (20) is pivotable about a pivot axis (13) of the connector housing (10) between an initial position and an end position; a rotation prevention structure (40) designed to prevent rotation in the initial position of the lever (20), wherein the lever (20) has a deformation section (22) which, when paired with the mating connector (30), is deformable so that the lever (20) is rotatable, wherein the connector housing assembly (1) further comprises a deformation maintaining structure configured to maintain the deformed state of the deformation portion until the end position of the lever (20). [2] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rotation preventing structure (40) is formed by positive engagement between the lever (20) and the connector housing (10), and the deformation portion (20) is deformable so that the positive engagement is canceled. [3] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation preventing structure (40) comprises a lever-side engaging portion (24) and a housing-side engaging portion (14) engageable with each other in the initial position. [4] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 3, wherein one of the lever-side engaging portion (24) and the housing-side engaging portion (14) is recessed, and the other is protruded. [5] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the lever-side engaging portion (24) has a plurality of lever-side engaging elements (24A) and the housing-side engaging portion (14) has a plurality of housing-side engaging elements (14A). [6] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of lever-side (24A) and housing-side engagement elements (14A) are spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction about the pivot axis (13). [7] The connector housing assembly (1) according to one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the deformation maintenance structure is formed at least in sections during the transfer between the initial position and the final position by the lever-side engagement portion (24) and the housing-side engagement portion (14). [8] The connector housing assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the lever (20) can be brought into frictional contact with the connector housing (10) along a plane perpendicular to the pivot axis (13) during the entire transfer between the initial position and the final position. [9] The connector housing assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lever (20) has a mating connector contact portion (23) which can be brought into contact with the mating connector (30) when mated, and is preferably widened or tapered in the mating direction (A). [10] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 9, wherein the mating connector contact portion (23) is at least partially spaced from the rotation preventing structure (40) with respect to the pivot axis (13). [11] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein in the initial position of the lever (20) the mating direction (A) is substantially perpendicular to a connecting line between the pivot axis (13) and the mating connector contact portion (23). [12] The connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the lever (20) has an eccentric control portion (25) engageable with the mating connector (30) for mating. [13] The connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 12, wherein the eccentric control portion (25) is tooth-like. [14] The connector housing assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the connector housing (10) has a guide portion configured to guide the mating connector (30) parallel to the mating direction (A). [15] A connector comprising the connector housing assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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