Connector structure

Abstract

To suppress rotation of a lever toward a completion position from an initial position in the case of shallowly fitting a first connector and a second connector.SOLUTION: A connector structure 10 comprises: a first connector 11; and a second connector 12 fitted to the first connector 11. The first connector 11 comprises: a housing 30; and a lever 40 that is rotatably attached to the housing 30 between an initial position and a completion position. The housing 30 comprises a lock reception part 35. The lever 40 comprises a lock piece 43 that is engaged with the lock reception part 35 to hold the lever 40 at the initial position. The lock piece 43 can be elastically deformed. The second connector 12 comprises a cancellation part 18 that cancels the engagement of the lock piece 43 and the lock reception part 35 by being brought into slide contact with the lock piece 43 when the fitting between the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 is started. When the cancellation part 18 and the lock piece 43 are in the slide contact with each other, the lever 40 receives a force directed in a direction that is opposite to a rotational direction RD directed to the completion position from the initial position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector arrangement. [Background technology]

[0002] A known lever-type connector that assists the mating operation of connectors by rotating a lever is the female connector described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-164933 (Patent Document 1 below). The female connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a holder and a lever assembled to the holder. The lever includes a cantilevered elastic locking piece at the edge of a cam plate. A protrusion protruding outward is provided at the tip of the elastic locking piece. The holder is formed with a rib entry groove and a lock receiving portion that engages with the protrusion. The lever is held in its initial position by the engagement between the protrusion and the lock receiving portion. The housing of the male connector that mates with the female connector is provided with an unlocking rib. When the female connector and the male connector are shallowly mated, the unlocking rib enters the rib entry groove and abuts against the protrusion of the elastic locking piece. This releases the engagement (initial lock) between the protrusion and the lock receiving portion, allowing the lever to be rotated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-164933 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above configuration, if the male connector is pushed further in the mating direction after the two connectors are shallowly mated and the initial lock is released, the male connector may move forward slightly and the lever may rotate slightly even though the lever has not been rotated, which could lead the operator to mistakenly believe that the mating operation is complete. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The connector structure of the present disclosure comprises a first connector and a second connector that mates with the first connector, the first connector comprising a housing and a lever rotatably attached to the housing between an initial position and a completion position, the housing comprising a lock receiving portion, the lever comprising a lock piece that engages with the lock receiving portion to hold the lever in the initial position, the lock piece being elastically deformable, the second connector comprising a release portion that slides against the lock piece to release the engagement between the lock piece and the lock receiving portion when mating of the first connector and the second connector begins, and when the release portion slides against the lock piece, the lever receives a force in the direction opposite to the rotation direction from the initial position to the completion position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, when the first connector and the second connector are shallowly mated, the lever can be prevented from rotating from the initial position toward the completed position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a rear view of a second connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the second connector. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the first connector and the second connector are shallowly fitted together. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first connector with the lever in the initial position. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the first connector with the lever in the initial position. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of the first connector with the lever in the initial position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a view showing a state in which the release portion and the release protrusion are in sliding contact with each other in a cross section taken along the line CC in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a view showing a state in which the release portion and the release projection are in sliding contact with each other in the cross section taken along the line DD in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the lever. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the lever. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the first connector with the lever in the final position. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a front view of the first connector with the lever in the completed position. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a side view of the first connector with the lever in the completed position. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The connector assembly of the present disclosure comprises a first connector and a second connector that mates with the first connector, the first connector comprising a housing and a lever rotatably attached to the housing between an initial position and a completion position, the housing comprising a lock receiving portion, the lever comprising a lock piece that engages with the lock receiving portion to hold the lever in the initial position, the lock piece being elastically deformable, the second connector comprising a release portion that slides against the lock piece to release the engagement between the lock piece and the lock receiving portion when mating of the first connector and the second connector begins, and when the release portion slides against the lock piece, the lever receives a force in a direction opposite to the rotation direction from the initial position to the completion position.

[0009] With this configuration, when the release portion releases the engagement between the lock piece and the lock receiving portion, the lever can be prevented from rotating in the rotation direction from the initial position toward the completion position.

[0010] [2] In the above [1], the direction in which the first connector and the second connector are mated is a first direction, the first connector is mated to the second connector from one side in the first direction, the lever comprises a plate-shaped portion journaled on a side surface of the housing, and the locking piece extending from the plate-shaped portion to the other side in the first direction when the lever is in the initial position, the locking piece comprises a main body, a locking portion protruding from a tip end of the main body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a release protrusion protruding from a tip end of the main body on one side in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, and as the release portion and the release protrusion slide against each other, the locking piece elastically deforms so as to move away from the side surface in the second direction, and the locking portion comprises an inclined portion arranged at an end on the other side in the third direction, and the inclined portion has a protruding dimension from the main body that becomes smaller as it goes toward the other side in the third direction.

[0011] With this configuration, when the locking piece is elastically deformed by sliding contact between the release portion and the release protrusion so that the locking piece rotates about an axis extending in the first direction, it becomes easier to release the engagement between the locking portion and the lock receiving portion.

[0012] [3] In the above [1] or [2], a direction in which the first connector and the second connector are mated is a first direction, the first connector is mated to the second connector from one side in the first direction, the lever comprises a plate-shaped portion pivotally supported on a side surface of the housing, and the lock piece extends from the plate-shaped portion to the other side in the first direction when the lever is in the initial position, the lock piece comprises a main body portion, a lock portion protruding from a tip end of the main body portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a lock portion extending in the first direction and the second direction. and a release protrusion protruding from the tip of the main body portion on one side in a third direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions, wherein sliding contact between the release portion and the release protrusion causes the locking piece to elastically deform so as to move away from the side surface in the second direction, the thickness of the locking piece being set smaller than the thickness of the plate-shaped portion, an elastic deformation space being formed inside the outer surface of the plate-shaped portion, and the locking piece elastically deforming inside the elastic deformation space, thereby releasing the engagement between the locking portion and the lock receiving portion.

[0013] With this configuration, when the locking piece elastically deforms, it is not positioned further outward in the second direction than the plate-shaped portion, so that when the second connector is fitted to the first connector from the outside, the dimension of the second connector in the second direction can be reduced.

[0014] [4] In the above [2] or [3], it is preferable that the housing has a protective wall protruding from the side surface in the second direction and extending in the first direction, and the locking piece is arranged between the protective wall and the plate-shaped portion in the third direction.

[0015] According to this configuration, the protective wall protects the lock piece, and it is possible to prevent the lock portion and the lock receiving portion from being disengaged.

[0016] [5] In the above item [4], it is preferable that the protective wall has an abutment portion that abuts against the plate-shaped portion from the other side in the first direction when the lever is in the completed position.

[0017] According to this configuration, the contact portion comes into contact with the plate-shaped portion, thereby preventing the lever from rotating further in the rotation direction from the completion position.

[0018] [6] In the above [4] or [5], it is preferable that the second connector has a recess extending in the first direction and receiving the protective wall.

[0019] According to this configuration, the recess receives the protective wall, thereby making it possible to guide the mating of the first connector and the second connector.

[0020] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In the drawings, for the sake of convenience, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the components may differ between drawings. In this specification, "orthogonal" does not only refer to a strict orthogonal relationship, but also includes a roughly orthogonal relationship within the scope of the operation and effect of the present embodiment.

[0021] In addition, "facing" in this specification refers to surfaces or components facing each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. In addition, "facing" in this specification includes both cases where a component separate from the two components is interposed between the two components, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two components.

[0022] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 17. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is upward, the direction indicated by arrow X is forward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y is leftward. The front-to-back direction is an example of a first direction. The left-to-right direction is an example of a second direction. The up-to-down direction is an example of a third direction. Note that, for multiple identical components, only some of the components may be assigned reference numerals, and the reference numerals of the other components may be omitted.

[0023] (Connector assembly 10) 3, the connector assembly 10 includes a first connector 11 and a second connector 12 that fits into the first connector 11. In this embodiment, the direction in which the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 fit together is the front-to-rear direction, and the configuration of the connector assembly 10 will be described assuming that the first connector 11 is disposed rearward of the second connector 12 (an example of one side of the first direction).

[0024] (Second connector 12) The second connector 12 includes a hood portion 14 and second terminals 13. The hood portion 14 is made of an insulating synthetic resin. The hood portion 14 includes a rear wall 15 and a peripheral wall 16 extending from the rear wall 15 toward the first connector 11 (rearward), and is open rearward. The hood portion 14 is adapted to fit into the first connector 11 from the outside. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of side walls 16A disposed on both the left and right sides of the peripheral wall 16 are each formed with a cam pin 17 that protrudes inward into the hood portion 14 from the inner surface of each side wall 16A. The cam pin 17 is generally cylindrical. The cam pin 17 is adapted to enter a cam groove 41D of a lever 40 (described later) (see FIG. 3). Cam pin 17 is disposed inside cam groove 41D, and by rotating lever 40 while cam pin 17 is engaged with the inner wall of cam groove 41D, mating and disengagement of first connector 11 and second connector 12 is assisted. Second terminal 13 is made of conductive metal and has a tab shape as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Second terminal 13 is held by rear wall 15 and protrudes rearward within hood portion 14.

[0025] (Release section 18) As shown in FIG. 2, the hood portion 14 has two release portions 18 that are elongated in the front-to-rear direction. The release portions 18 are arranged slightly apart from each side wall 16A inward of the hood portion 14. The release portions 18 are also arranged slightly apart from the top wall 16B, which is arranged on the upper side of the peripheral wall 16, inward (downward) of the hood portion 14. The hood portion 14 has protruding walls 19 that protrude inward of the hood portion 14 in the left-right direction from each side wall 16A. The protruding walls 19 extend in the front-to-rear direction. The release portions 18 are formed by extending downward from the protruding ends of the protruding walls 19. The end (rear end) of the release portions 18 that is arranged on the first connector 11 side is approximately aligned with the open end of the hood portion 14.

[0026] (recess 20) The hood portion 14 has a recess 20 extending in the front-rear direction. The recess 20 is disposed above the release portion 18. The recess 20 is composed of a top wall 16B, a protruding wall 19, and a connecting portion 21 that connects the top wall 16B and the protruding wall 19 in the up-down direction. The recess 20 is recessed in the left-right direction from the protruding end of the protruding wall 19 in a direction from the inside to the outside of the hood portion 14.

[0027] (First connector 11) As shown in FIG. 4, the first connector 11 includes a housing 30 and a lever 40. The lever 40 is attached to the housing 30 so as to be rotatable between an initial position shown in FIG. 6 and a completed position shown in FIG. 16. The curved arrow in FIG. 3 indicates a rotation direction RD from the initial position toward the completed position. When starting to mate the first connector 11 and the second connector 12, the lever 40 is placed in the initial position, and the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 are shallowly mated. Then, the cam pin 17 enters the cam groove 41D, and the cam pin 17 engages with the inner wall of the cam groove 41D. With the cam pin 17 engaged with the inner wall of the cam groove 41D, the lever 40 is rotated to the completed position, thereby completing the mating of the first connector 11 and the second connector 12.

[0028] (Housing 30) The housing 30 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the housing 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing 30 has a terminal accommodating portion 31 that accommodates a first terminal (not shown). The terminal accommodating portion 31 is formed to penetrate the housing 30 in the front-to-rear direction. The first terminal is made of a conductive metal and has a connecting tubular portion that receives the second terminal 13. An electric wire (not shown) is connected to the first terminal and is led out to the rear of the housing 30. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, an electric wire cover 32 that covers the electric wire is attached to the rear end of the housing 30.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, a lock arm 33 is formed on the top surface 30A of the housing 30. The lock arm 33 extends rearward from the front portion of the top surface 30A of the housing 30. The lock arm 33 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. The lock arm 33 includes a fitting lock portion 33A that protrudes upward from the lock arm 33. The fitting lock portion 33A is configured to engage with the lever 40.

[0030] The housing 30 includes a pivot shaft 34 that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from each side surface 30B of the housing 30. The pivot shaft 34 is generally cylindrical. The lever 40 is assembled to the housing 30 by inserting the pivot shaft 34 into a shaft hole 41C provided in the lever 40.

[0031] (Lever 40) The lever 40 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 15, the lever 40 has a generally U-shape overall. As shown in FIG. 12, the lever 40 includes two plate-shaped portions 41, an operating portion 42 connecting the ends of the two plate-shaped portions 41, and a locking piece 43 extending from each plate-shaped portion 41. The two plate-shaped portions 41 are arranged opposite each other. The plate-shaped portion 41 has an inner surface 41A arranged inside the lever 40 and an outer surface 41B arranged on the opposite side of the inner surface 41A. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the inner surface 41A is arranged opposite the side surface 30B of the housing 30. As shown in FIG. 12, the plate-shaped portion 41 is formed with a shaft hole 41C penetrating the plate-shaped portion 41 and a cam groove 41D recessed from the outer surface 41B of the plate-shaped portion 41 in the thickness direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 41. 3, cam groove 41D has an entrance 41D1 at the outer edge of plate-shaped portion 41, and extends in a generally arc shape from entrance 41D1 toward shaft hole 41C. Entrance 41D1 is an opening for receiving cam pin 17 into cam groove 41D.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 17 , the lever 40 has a fitting lock receiving portion 42A that protrudes from the operating portion 42. The fitting lock receiving portion 42A is configured to engage with the fitting lock portion 33A. Specifically, during the process of rotating the lever 40 in the rotation direction RD, the fitting lock receiving portion 42A comes into sliding contact with the fitting lock portion 33A, causing the lock arm 33 to bend downward. When the lever 40 reaches the completion position, the sliding contact between the fitting lock receiving portion 42A and the fitting lock portion 33A is released, and the lock arm 33 returns to its natural state. As a result, the fitting lock receiving portion 42A and the fitting lock portion 33A face each other in the front-rear direction and are arranged to be able to engage with each other. The engagement between the fitting lock receiving portion 42A and the fitting lock portion 33A holds the lever 40 in the completion position.

[0033] (Lock piece 43, lock portion 45, release protrusion 46) As shown in FIG. 13, the lock piece 43 includes a main body 44, a locking portion 45 formed at the tip of the main body 44, and a release protrusion 46. As shown in FIG. 6, when the lever 40 is in the initial position, the lock piece 43 extends forward. The release protrusion 46 protrudes upward (an example of one side of the third direction) from the tip of the main body 44. As shown in FIG. 7, the locking portion 45 protrudes in the left-right direction from the tip of the main body 44. In detail, the locking portion 45 protrudes from the main body 44 toward the housing 30.

[0034] (Slope part 45A) 10, when the lever 40 is in the initial position, the locking portion 45 has an inclined portion 45A at its lower end (an example of the end on the other side in the third direction) which is inclined such that the protruding dimension of the inclined portion 45A from the main body portion 44 decreases downward.

[0035] (Elastic deformation space 47) As shown in Fig. 7, the thickness T1 (dimension in the left-right direction) of the locking piece 43 is set smaller than the thickness T2 of the plate-shaped portion 41. The locking piece 43 is recessed from the outer surface 41B of the plate-shaped portion 41 to form a step. The locking piece 43 is formed continuously with the inner surface 41A of the plate-shaped portion 41 without any step. An elastic deformation space 47 is formed outside the locking piece 43 and inside the outer surface 41B of the plate-shaped portion 41 in the left-right direction.

[0036] (Lock receiving part 35) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the housing 30 includes a lock receiving portion 35 extending in the front-rear direction. The lock receiving portion 35 is disposed near the upper end of the side surface 30B. As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, the lock receiving portion 35 is recessed from each side surface 30B. When the lever 40 is disposed in the initial position, a lock portion 45 is disposed within the lock receiving portion 35, and the lock receiving portion 35 and the lock portion 45 are engaged with each other. The engagement of the lock receiving portion 35 and the lock portion 45 prevents the lever 40 from rotating in the rotation direction RD from the initial position. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the release protrusion 46 is disposed at a distance from the side surface 30B in the left-right direction.

[0037] (protection wall 36) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 , the housing 30 includes a protective wall 36 extending in the front-rear direction. The protective wall 36 is disposed above the lock receiving portion 35. As shown in FIG. 10 , the protective wall 36 protrudes from the side surface 30B. When the lever 40 is in the initial position, the protective wall 36 is disposed so as to cover the lock piece 43 from above. The protruding end of the protective wall 36 is preferably disposed outside the housing 30 in the left-right direction relative to the lock piece 43. In addition, a plate-shaped portion 41 is disposed below the lock piece 43. Therefore, the lock piece 43 is disposed between the protective wall 36 and the plate-shaped portion 41 in the up-down direction. Therefore, the protective wall 36 and the plate-shaped portion 41 protect the lock piece 43 and can prevent the lock piece 45 and the lock receiving portion 35 from being disengaged.

[0038] 9, when the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 are shallowly fitted together, the release portion 18 comes into sliding contact with the side surface 30B and interferes with the release protrusion 46. This causes the lock piece 43 to elastically deform so as to move away from the housing 30. As a result, the lock portion 45 is disposed outward from the lock receiving portion 35, and the engagement between the lock portion 45 and the lock receiving portion 35 is released.

[0039] The locking pieces 43 elastically deform within the elastic deformation space 47 and are positioned closer to the side surface 30B than the outer surface 41B of the plate-like portion 41. Therefore, by positioning the inner surface of the side wall 16A of the hood portion 14 so that it slides against the outer surface 41B of the plate-like portion 41, the hood portion 14 can be made smaller in the left-right direction. Therefore, the second connector 12 having the hood portion 14 can be made smaller in the left-right direction. However, unlike this embodiment, when the locking pieces elastically deform to protrude beyond the outer surface of the plate-like portion, the inner surface of the side wall of the hood portion is positioned outside the outer surface of the plate-like portion so that the locking pieces do not interfere with the inner surface of the side wall. As a result, the left-right dimensions of the hood portion and the second connector are larger than those of this embodiment.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 11 , the release portion 18 interferes with the release protrusion 46 disposed on the upper portion of the locking piece 43, so that the amount of elastic deformation of the locking piece 43 is large at the upper portion of the locking piece 43 and small at the lower portion of the locking piece 43. That is, the locking piece 43 undergoes torsional deformation so as to rotate about an axis extending in the front-to-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing). As a result, the lower portion of the locking portion 45, where the amount of elastic deformation is small, does not retract from the lock receiving portion 35, and the engagement between the locking portion 45 and the lock receiving portion 35 may not be completely released. However, in this embodiment, the lower end of the locking portion 45 is formed with an inclined portion 45A, so that the release portion 18 interferes with the release protrusion 46, making it easier to release the engagement between the locking portion 45 and the lock receiving portion 35.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 3, the release portion 18 interferes with the release protrusion 46 from the front, and therefore the release protrusion 46 receives a force directed rearward (to the right in the figure). The release protrusion 46 is disposed diagonally upward front (diagonally upward left in the figure) with respect to the rotation shaft 34, and therefore the lever 40 tends to rotate clockwise in the figure. On the other hand, the rotation direction RD, which is the direction in which the lever 40 is rotated when mating the first connector 11 and the second connector 12, is counterclockwise in the figure. Therefore, when the release portion 18 releases the engagement between the lock piece 43 (lock portion 45) and the lock receiving portion 35, the force received from the release portion 18 prevents the lever 40 from rotating in the rotation direction RD. This prevents a worker performing the mating operation between first connector 11 and second connector 12 from mistakenly believing that the mating operation between first connector 11 and second connector 12 is complete after shallowly mating first connector 11 and second connector 12 and releasing the engagement between locking portion 45 and lock receiving portion 35. Then, by rotating lever 40 in rotation direction RD, the worker can recognize the need to proceed with the mating of first connector 11 and second connector 12.

[0042] 11, during the process of mating the first connector 11 and the second connector 12, the protective wall 36 engages with the recess 20. This guides the mating of the first connector 11 and the second connector 12.

[0043] (Abutting part 36A) 14 and 16, the protective wall 36 has an abutment portion 36A at its rear end. When the lever 40 is in the completed position, the abutment portion 36A abuts against the plate-shaped portion 41 from the front. The abutment of the abutment portion 36A against the plate-shaped portion 41 prevents the lever 40 from rotating further in the rotation direction RD from the completed position.

[0044] 14 and 15, a completion recess 37 recessed from the side surface 30B is formed at the front end of the lower portion of the side surface 30B. The completion recess 37 is configured to accommodate the locking portion 45 when the lever 40 is disposed in the completion position.

[0045] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) A connector assembly 10 according to an embodiment includes a first connector 11 and a second connector 12 that mates with the first connector 11. The first connector 11 includes a housing 30 and a lever 40 that is rotatably attached to the housing 30 between an initial position and a completed position. The housing 30 includes a lock receiving portion 35. The lever 40 includes a locking piece 43 that engages with the locking receiving portion 35 to hold the lever 40 in the initial position. The locking piece 43 is elastically deformable. The second connector 12 includes a release portion 18 that slides against the locking piece 43 to release the engagement between the locking piece 43 and the locking receiving portion 35 when mating between the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 begins. When the release portion 18 slides against the locking piece 43, the lever 40 receives a force in the direction opposite to the rotation direction RD from the initial position to the completed position.

[0046] With this configuration, when the release portion 18 releases the engagement between the lock piece 43 and the lock receiving portion 35, the lever 40 can be prevented from rotating in the rotation direction RD from the initial position toward the completion position.

[0047] (2) In the embodiment, the direction in which the first connector 11 and the second connector 12 are mated is a first direction (front-rear direction), the first connector 11 is mated with the second connector 12 from one side (rear) in the first direction, the lever 40 includes a plate-shaped portion 41 pivotally supported on a side surface 30B of the housing 30, and a lock piece 43 extending from the plate-shaped portion 41 to the other side (front) in the first direction when the lever 40 is in the initial position, and the lock piece 43 is connected to a main body 44 and a tip end of the main body 44 in a second direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the first direction. and a release protrusion 46 protruding from the tip of the main body 44 on one side (upper) in a third direction perpendicular to both the first and second directions, and as the release part 18 and the release protrusion 46 come into sliding contact with each other, the lock piece 43 elastically deforms so as to move away from the side surface 30B in the second direction, and the lock part 45 has an inclined part 45A arranged at the end (lower end) on the other side in the third direction, and the protruding dimension of the inclined part 45A from the main body 44 becomes smaller as it goes toward the other side (downward) in the third direction.

[0048] With this configuration, when the locking piece 43 is elastically deformed so as to rotate about an axis extending in the first direction due to sliding contact between the release portion 18 and the release protrusion 46, it becomes easier to release the engagement between the locking portion 45 and the lock receiving portion 35.

[0049] (3) In the embodiment, the thickness T1 of the locking piece 43 is set smaller than the thickness T2 of the plate-shaped portion 41, and an elastic deformation space 47 is formed inside the outer surface 41B of the plate-shaped portion 41. The locking piece 43 elastically deforms inside the elastic deformation space 47, thereby releasing the engagement between the locking portion 45 and the lock receiving portion 35.

[0050] With this configuration, when the locking piece 43 elastically deforms, it is not positioned further outward in the second direction than the plate-shaped portion 41, so that when the second connector 12 is fitted to the first connector 11 from the outside, the dimension of the second connector 12 in the second direction can be reduced.

[0051] (4) In the embodiment, the housing 30 has a protective wall 36 that protrudes from the side surface 30B in the second direction and extends in the first direction, and the locking piece 43 is arranged between the protective wall 36 and the plate-shaped portion 41 in the third direction.

[0052] According to this configuration, the protection wall 36 protects the lock piece 43, and it is possible to prevent the lock portion 45 and the lock receiving portion 35 from being disengaged.

[0053] (5) In the embodiment, the protective wall 36 includes the contact portion 36A that contacts the plate-shaped portion 41 from the other side in the first direction when the lever 40 is in the completed position.

[0054] According to this configuration, the contact portion 36A comes into contact with the plate-shaped portion 41, thereby preventing the lever 40 from rotating further in the rotation direction RD from the completion position.

[0055] (6) In the embodiment, the second connector 12 has a recess 20 that extends in the first direction and receives the protective wall 36 .

[0056] With this configuration, recess 20 receives protective wall 36, thereby making it possible to guide the mating of first connector 11 and second connector 12.

[0057] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the locking portion 45 has the inclined portion 45A, but the locking portion does not have to have an inclined portion.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the locking piece 43 is configured to elastically deform inward from the outer surface 41B of the plate-shaped portion 41, but the locking piece may be configured to elastically deform outward from the outer surface of the plate-shaped portion.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the housing 30 is provided with the protective wall 36, but the housing does not necessarily have to be provided with a protective wall.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the first connector 11 is provided with the wire cover 32, but the first connector does not have to be provided with a wire cover. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10: Connector assembly 11: First connector 12: Second connector 13: 2nd terminal 14: Food section 15: Back wall 16: Peripheral wall 16A: Side wall 16B: Ceiling wall 17: Campin 18: Release section 19:Protruding wall 20: Recess 21:Connection part 30: Housing 30A:Top surface 30B: Side 31: Terminal housing 32: Wire cover 33: Lock Arm 33A: Mating lock part 34: Rotating axis 35: Lock receiving part 36: Protective wall 36A: Contact part 37:Completed recess 40: Lever 41: Plate-shaped part 41A:Inside 41B: External surface 41C: Shaft hole 41D: Cam groove 41D1: Entrance 42:Operation unit 42A: Mating lock receiving part 43: Lock piece 44: Main body 45: Rock Club 45A: Inclined part 46:Release protrusion 47: Elastic deformation space RD: Rotation direction T1: Thickness of lock piece 43 T2: Thickness of the plate-shaped portion 41

Claims

1. A first connector; a second connector that mates with the first connector, The first connector includes a housing and a lever rotatably attached to the housing between an initial position and a completion position. The housing includes a lock receiving portion, the lever includes a lock piece that engages with the lock receiving portion to hold the lever in an initial position, The lock piece is elastically deformable, the second connector includes a release portion that slides against the lock piece to release the engagement between the lock piece and the lock receiving portion when the first connector and the second connector start to be fitted to each other, When the release portion and the lock piece come into sliding contact with each other, the lever receives a force in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation from the initial position to the completion position.

2. A direction in which the first connector and the second connector are fitted together is a first direction, the first connector is fitted to the second connector from one side in the first direction, the lever includes a plate-shaped portion pivotally supported on a side surface of the housing, and the lock piece extends from the plate-shaped portion to the other side in the first direction when the lever is in the initial position, the lock piece includes a main body portion, a lock portion protruding from a tip end portion of the main body portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a release protrusion protruding from the tip end portion of the main body portion on one side in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, When the release portion and the release projection are in sliding contact with each other, the lock piece is elastically deformed so as to move away from the side surface in the second direction, the lock portion includes an inclined portion disposed at an end portion on the other side in the third direction, The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the inclined portion has a protruding dimension from the main body portion that decreases toward the other side in the third direction.

3. A direction in which the first connector and the second connector are fitted together is a first direction, the first connector is fitted to the second connector from one side in the first direction, the lever includes a plate-shaped portion pivotally supported on a side surface of the housing, and the lock piece extends from the plate-shaped portion to the other side in the first direction when the lever is in the initial position, the lock piece includes a main body portion, a lock portion protruding from a tip end portion of the main body portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a release protrusion protruding from the tip end portion of the main body portion on one side in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction, When the release portion and the release projection are in sliding contact with each other, the lock piece is elastically deformed so as to move away from the side surface in the second direction, The thickness of the lock piece is set to be smaller than the thickness of the plate-shaped portion, An elastic deformation space is formed on the inside of the outer surface of the plate-shaped portion, 2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the locking piece is elastically deformed within the elastic deformation space, thereby releasing the engagement between the locking portion and the lock receiving portion.

4. the housing includes a protective wall protruding from the side surface in the second direction and extending in the first direction, 4. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein the locking piece is disposed between the protective wall and the plate-like portion in the third direction.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the protective wall includes an abutment portion that abuts against the plate-like portion from the other side in the first direction when the lever is in the completed position.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the second connector has a recess extending in the first direction to receive the protective wall.

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