Lever type connector

Abstract

To provide a lever type connector having an excellent departure operability of both connectors which is completely fitted.SOLUTION: A lever type connector 1 comprises: a first connector 10; a second connector 20; and a lever 30 that is mounted to the first connector 10 so as to be freely rotated between an initial position and a fitting completion position, and fits or detaches the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 by a rotational operation. The lever 30 includes: an engagement arm 41; an engagement projection 42 that is engaged to an engaged projection 27 of the second connector 20 at a fitting completion position so as to enable a cancellation; a depression part 43 that is provided to a free-end of the engagement arm 41; and an almost cylinder-like protection part 36 in which at least the depression part 43 is arranged to an internal space. In an open end on the free-end side in the protection part 36, one end part of a finger hooking part 38 projected toward one end side of the cross direction so as to block one part of an open 37 is positioned to one end side of a cross direction from a tip end part of the depression part 43 at a momentum of the engagement arm 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lever-type connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, mating connectors have been proposed that have male and female connectors that are mated with each other. One such mating connector is a lever-type connector in which a rotatable lever member is attached to one of the connectors, and the rotation of the lever member reduces the mating and disengagement force between the male and female connectors (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-88274 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional lever-type connector as described above, when the two connectors are completely mated by rotating the lever member, the lever member and, for example, the other connector are locked to each other from the viewpoint of restricting the operation of the lever member and ensuring the mating. On the other hand, when releasing the complete mating of the two connectors (i.e., disengaging), the lever member is rotated in the opposite direction to that when the two connectors are mated, so that it is necessary to rotate the lever member while releasing the lock between the lever member and the other connector. Specifically, for example, by performing the above-mentioned unlocking operation with the index finger and supporting the lever member with the thumb and middle finger while performing the rotation operation, one connector is disengaged from the other connector and the complete mating of the two connectors is released. Such a disengaging operation is not necessarily easy to operate and there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lever-type connector that is easy to separate completely mated connectors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the lever-type connector according to the present invention has the following features. A lever-type connector comprising: a first connector; a second connector that can be mated with and separated from the first connector; and a lever that is attached to the first connector so as to be rotatable between an initial position and a mating completion position, and that mates or disengages the first connector and the second connector by a rotational operation, The lever is A locking arm extending in a predetermined direction and capable of bending and deforming in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction; a locking protrusion provided on the locking arm, the locking protrusion being releasably locked to the locked protrusion of the second connector at the mating completion position and being released from the locked protrusion when the locking arm is deflected; A push-down portion provided at a free end of the locking arm; a protection section formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the predetermined direction and having an internal space in which at least the depression section is disposed, A finger hook portion is provided at an opening end on the free end side of the protective portion, the finger hook portion protruding toward one end side in the intersecting direction so as to close a part of the opening, one end of the finger hook portion is located on one end side in the intersecting direction relative to a tip end of the push-down portion when the locking arm bounces. It is a lever type connector. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, when the first connector and the second connector are completely mated, a finger (e.g., index finger) is inserted through the opening of the protective part of the lever, and the locking arm is bent by operating the push-down part, thereby releasing the lock between the locking protrusion and the locked protrusion of the second connector. When the locking arm is bent, one end of the finger hook part is located on the one end side in the cross direction from the tip of the push-down part, so that the finger (index finger) can be hooked on the finger hook part while operating the push-down part. In this state, by applying a force to the finger hook part so as to rotate the lever to the initial position, the first connector and the second connector start to be separated. That is, according to the present invention, the first connector and the second connector can be separated with one finger. Thus, the present invention is superior to the conventional art in terms of operability in separating completely mated connectors from each other.

[0008] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lever-type connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of the lever-type connector, showing a state in which the lever is attached to the first connector (only the second connector corresponds to the cross section AA in FIG. 1). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating a state in which the first connector and the second connector are not yet fully mated. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the first connector and the second connector have been completely mated (fully mated). [Figure 6] FIG. 6 corresponds to a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 1 of the lever, and is an enlarged view of the operating portion. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a first diagram for explaining a disengagement operation of the first connector and the second connector which are completely mated. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a second view for explaining the operation of disengaging the completely mated first connector and second connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a lever-type connector 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" as shown in FIG. 1 etc. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" are mutually perpendicular. The front-rear direction corresponds to the "predetermined direction" of the present invention, the front side corresponds to the "free end side" of the present invention, and the rear side corresponds to the "base end side" of the present invention. The left-right direction corresponds to the "crossing direction" of the present invention, the right side corresponds to the "one end side" of the present invention, and the left side corresponds to the "other end side" of the present invention.

[0012] 1 and 2, the lever-type connector 1 is configured to include a first connector 10, a second connector 20, and a lever 30. The lever-type connector 1 is configured such that the housing 11 of the first connector 10 can be fitted to and separated from the housing 21 of the second connector 20, and the fitting and disengagement of the first connector 10 to and from the second connector 20 is assisted by rotating the lever 30. The first connector 10, the second connector 20, and the lever 30 that constitute the lever-type connector 1 will be described below in order.

[0013] First, a description will be given of the first connector 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the first connector 10 has a housing 11 having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (reference numbers omitted).

[0014] A cylindrical pivot shaft 12 protruding outward in the up-down direction is provided on each of the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 11 at approximately the center in the front-rear and left-right directions (see Figs. 2 to 5). The pivot shaft 12 is inserted into a shaft hole 33 of a lever 30 (described later) (see Fig. 3) and functions as a pivot shaft of the lever 30.

[0015] Guide ribs 13 that protrude outward in the up-down direction and extend in the front-rear direction are provided at the rear ends of both left-right ends on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 11 (see Figs. 2 to 5). The guide ribs 13 are inserted into guide grooves 26 of the second connector 20 (described later) (see Figs. 4 and 5) to assist the first connector 10 in sliding relative to the second connector 20.

[0016] A temporary holding protrusion 14 that protrudes outward in the up-down direction is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 11 in the right region in the left-right direction (see Figs. 2 and 3). When the lever 30 is rotated to the mating completion position, a temporary holding piece 35 of the lever 30, which will be described later, is engaged with the temporary holding protrusion 14.

[0017] Next, the second connector 20 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the second connector 20 has a housing 21 that is substantially rectangular and cylindrical and has a bottom. Therefore, a mating recess 22 that opens forward is formed in the housing 21. The first connector 10 is mated with the mating recess 22.

[0018] The upper and lower surfaces of the fitting recess 22 are provided with cam grooves 23 corresponding to the cam protrusions 34 of the lever 30 attached to the first connector 10 described later (see Figs. 2 to 5). The cam groove 23 has a first portion and a third portion extending linearly in the front-rear direction in the front and rear regions, respectively, offset in the left-right direction, and a second portion extending linearly in the left-right direction at approximately the center in the front-rear direction connects the first portion and the third portion. That is, the cam groove 23 is formed in a so-called crank shape (see Figs. 3 to 5). When the first connector 10 is inserted into the fitting recess 22, the cam protrusions 34 enter the cam groove 23 (see Figs. 4 and 5).

[0019] A mating fulcrum portion 24 is provided on the left side of each cam groove 23 so as to be adjacent to each cam groove 23 in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 3 to 5). A cam protrusion 34 that enters the cam groove 23 engages with the mating fulcrum portion 24 when the first connector 10 is mated with the second connector 20.

[0020] A disengagement fulcrum portion 25 is provided on the right side of each cam groove 23 so as to be adjacent to each cam groove 23 in the left-right direction (see FIGS. 3 to 5). When the first connector 10 is disengaged from the second connector 20, a cam projection 34 that has entered the cam groove 23 engages with the disengagement fulcrum portion 25.

[0021] Guide grooves 26 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the fitting recess 22 in correspondence with the guide ribs 13 of the first connector 10 (see FIGS. 2 to 5). The guide grooves 26 extend in a substantially straight line over the entire area of ​​the fitting recess 22 in the front-rear direction (see FIGS. 3 to 5).

[0022] A locked projection 27 is provided on the right end of the housing 21 in correspondence with a locking portion 40 (particularly, a locking projection 42) of the lever 30 described later (see Figs. 3, 7 and 8). The locked projection 27 is locked with the locking projection 42 of the lever 30 (see Fig. 7).

[0023] Next, the lever 30 will be described. The lever 30 is attached to the first connector 10 so as to be rotatable between an initial position (see FIG. 3) and a mating completion position (see FIG. 5), and is rotated to mate and separate the first connector 10 with respect to the second connector 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 30 is integrally formed in a substantially rectangular U-shape and has a pair of side plates 31 spaced apart in the vertical direction and an operating portion 32 that connects the pair of side plates 31 in the vertical direction at right ends of the pair of side plates 31.

[0024] The pair of side plates 31 are each provided with a shaft hole 33 that penetrates in the vertical direction in correspondence with the rotation shaft 12 of the first connector 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0025] A cam projection 34 that projects outward in the up-down direction is provided on each outer surface (upper surface on the upper side and lower surface on the lower side) of the pair of side plates 31 in a left-right region in the left-right direction (see Figs. 2 to 5). When the first connector 10 is inserted into the fitting recess 22, the cam projection 34 enters the cam groove 23, and during the above fitting, it engages with the fitting fulcrum portion 24 as the lever 30 rotates, drawing the second connector 20 toward the first connector 10, and during the above disengagement, it engages with the disengagement fulcrum portion 25 as the lever 30 rotates, drawing the second connector 20 away from the first connector 10.

[0026] The rear end edges of the pair of side plates 31 are each provided with a cantilever-shaped temporary holding piece 35 extending rearward in correspondence with the temporary holding projection 14 of the first connector 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0027] A generally rectangular cylindrical protective section 36 extending in the front-rear direction is provided at the front end of the operating section 32 (see Figs. 6 to 8). A finger hook 38 protruding rightward from the left side wall 36a so as to cover part of the opening 37 is provided at the open end of the protective section 36 (see Figs. 6 to 8). The finger hook 38 functions as a hook for a finger when the locking projection 42 is released from the locked projection 27 of the second connector 20 described later.

[0028] The operation portion 32 is provided with a locking portion 40 in which a locking arm 41, a locking projection 42, and a push-down portion 43 are integrally formed (see FIGS. 6 to 8).

[0029] The locking arm 41 is formed in a cantilever shape so that the rear end of the operating portion 32 serves as the base end, and extends in the front-to-rear direction so that at least the push-down portion 43 is positioned in the internal space (cylindrical hole) of the protective portion 36 and so that the front end of the push-down portion 43 is located near the finger hook portion 38.

[0030] The locking projection 42 is provided on the base end side (rear side) of the locking arm 41, and is locked to the locked projection 27 of the second connector 20 when the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 are in a completely mated state.

[0031] The push-down portion 43 is provided at the free end (front end) of the locking arm 41, and an inclined surface 44 that inclines from right to left as it goes from rear to front is formed on the right end surface. The inclined surface 44 functions to pick up a finger inserted into the opening 37 when the locking is released.

[0032] The above has described the first connector 10, the second connector 20, and the lever 30 that constitute the lever-type connector 1. Next, an example of the operation of the lever-type connector 1 will be described.

[0033] First, an example of the mating operation of the lever-type connector 1 will be described. When mating the first connector 10 to the second connector 20, the operating portion 32 of the lever 30 is positioned so as to be oblique to the first connector 10, as shown in Fig. 3 (this position is the "initial position" of the lever 30). In this state, the first connector 10 is brought relatively close to the second connector 20, and the first connector 10 is inserted into the mating recess 22 of the second connector 20.

[0034] When the first connector 10 is inserted into the fitting recess 22 , the cam protrusion 34 of the lever 30 fits into the cam groove 23 of the second connector 20 , and the guide rib 13 of the first connector 10 fits into the guide groove 26 of the second connector 20 .

[0035] Then, when the first connector 10 is pushed into the mating recess 22 while rotating the lever 30 toward the mating completion position, the cam protrusion 34 that has entered the cam groove 23 engages with the mating fulcrum portion 24 of the second connector 20, and the lever 30 rotates with the cam protrusion 34 as a fulcrum. Then, due to the rotation of the lever 30, an insertion force is applied from the lever 30 to the first connector 10, and the first connector 10 is pushed in toward the rear side (i.e., the mating side).

[0036] When the rotation operation is continued until the lever 30 becomes substantially parallel to the first connector 10 as shown in Fig. 5 (this position is the "mating completion position" of the lever 30), the first connector 10 is mated with the mating recess 22 (see Figs. 1 and 5), and the locking projection 42 of the lever 30 is locked with the locked projection 27 of the second connector 20 (see Fig. 7). As a result, the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 are electrically connected, and the mating of the first connector 10 to the second connector 20 is completed.

[0037] Next, a description will be given of an example of a disengagement operation of the lever-type connector 1. As described above, when the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 are in a completely mated state, the locking projection 42 of the lever 30 is locked to the locked projection 27 of the second connector 20, and the lever 30 cannot be rotated. Therefore, in order to disengage the first connector 10 from the second connector 20, it is necessary to release the lock between the locking projection 42 and the locked projection 27.

[0038] To release the engagement between the locking projection 42 and the locked projection 27, a finger F is inserted from the opening 37 of the lever 30. Then, the finger F inserted from the opening 37 is picked up by the inclined surface 44 of the push-down portion 43 of the lever 30 and placed on the push-down portion 43 (see FIG. 7).

[0039] When the push-down portion 43 is pushed down, the locking arm 41 of the lever 30 is bent and deformed toward the left (see FIG. 8). At this time, the front end of the push-down portion 43 sinks to the left side, which is the protruding base end side, from the right end, which is the protruding end, of the finger hook portion 38. As a result, with the push-down portion 43 pushed down, the pad of the finger F is hooked on the finger hook portion 38.

[0040] In this state, when a force is applied to finger hook portion 38 to rotate lever 30 toward the initial position, cam projection 34 engages with disengagement fulcrum portion 25, and lever 30 rotates with cam projection 34 as the fulcrum. Then, due to the rotation of lever 30, a pulling force is applied from lever 30 to first connector 10, and first connector 10 is pulled away to the front side (i.e., the disengagement side).

[0041] When the turning operation is continued until the lever 30 reaches the initial position as shown in FIG. 3, the first connector 10 is pulled out of the mating recess 22, and the removal of the first connector 10 from the second connector 20 is completed.

[0042] An example of the mating operation and the disengagement operation of the lever-type connector 1 have been described above.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 are completely mated, a finger (e.g., index finger) is inserted through the opening 37 of the protective portion 36 of the lever 30, and the locking arm 41 is bent by operating the push-down portion 43, thereby releasing the lock between the locking protrusion 42 and the locked protrusion 27 of the second connector 20. When the locking arm 41 is bent, the right end of the finger hook portion 38 is located to the right of the front end of the push-down portion 43, so that the finger (index finger) can be hooked on the finger hook portion 38 while operating the push-down portion 43. In this state, by applying a force to the finger hook portion 38 so as to rotate the lever 30 to the initial position, the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 start to be separated. That is, according to this embodiment, the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 can be separated with one finger. Thus, this embodiment is superior in operability of separating completely mated connectors from each other compared to the conventional art.

[0044] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the inclined surface 44 is formed on the right end surface of the push-down portion 43, so that a finger inserted through the opening 37 during a removal operation can be easily picked up by the inclined surface 44 of the push-down portion 43.

[0045] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the front end of push-down portion 43 is disposed near finger hook 38, making it easier to operate push-down portion 43 and rotate lever 30 using only the fingertip (for example, the pad of the finger).

[0046] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0047] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the lever-type connector according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3].

[0048] [1] A lever-type connector (1) comprising: a first connector (10); a second connector (20) that can be mated with and separated from the first connector (10); and a lever (30) that is attached to the first connector (10) so as to be rotatable between an initial position and a mating completion position, and that mates or disengages the first connector (10) and the second connector (20) by a rotational operation, The lever (30) is A locking arm (41) extending in a predetermined direction (front-rear direction) and capable of being flexibly deformed in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction (left-right direction); a locking projection (42) provided on the locking arm (41), releasably locked to the locked projection (27) of the second connector (20) at the mating completion position, and released from the locked projection (27) when the locking arm (41) is deflected; a push-down portion (43) provided at a free end (front end) of the locking arm (41); a protective portion (36) formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the predetermined direction, with at least the push-down portion (43) disposed in an internal space thereof; A finger hook portion (38) is provided at an opening end on the free end side of the protective portion (36) so as to protrude toward one end side in the intersecting direction so as to cover a part of the opening (37), One end (right end) of the finger hook portion (38) is located on one end side (right side) of the tip end of the push-down portion (43) in the intersecting direction when the locking arm (41) bounces. Lever connector (1).

[0049] According to the configuration [1], when the first connector and the second connector are completely mated, a finger (e.g., index finger) is inserted through the opening of the protective part of the lever, and the locking arm is bent by operating the push-down part, thereby releasing the lock between the locking protrusion and the locked protrusion of the second connector. When the locking arm is bent, one end of the finger hook is located on the one end side in the cross direction from the tip of the push-down part, so that the finger (index finger) can be hooked on the finger hook while operating the push-down part. In this state, by applying force to the finger hook so as to rotate the lever to the initial position, the first connector and the second connector start to be separated. That is, according to the above configuration, the first connector and the second connector can be separated with one finger. Thus, the above configuration is superior to the conventional configuration in terms of operability of separating completely mated connectors from each other.

[0050] [2] The lever-type connector (1) described in [1] above, An inclined surface (44) is formed on the surface of the one end side of the push-down portion (43), the inclined surface (44) being inclined from the one end side (right side) to the other end side (left side) as it moves from the base end portion (rear end portion) to the tip end portion (front end portion). Lever connector (1).

[0051] According to the above configuration [2], an inclined surface is formed on the surface on one end side of the push-down portion, so that a finger inserted through the opening during a removal operation is easily picked up by the inclined surface of the push-down portion.

[0052] [3] The lever-type connector (1) according to the above [1] or [2], The tip portion is disposed in the vicinity of the finger hook portion (38). Lever connector (1).

[0053] According to the configuration [3] above, the tip of the push-down part is disposed near the finger hook, making it easy to operate the push-down part and rotate the lever using only the fingertip (for example, the pad of the finger). [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Lever Type Connector 10 First Connector 12 Rotating shaft 20 Second Connector 22 Fitting recess 23 Cam groove 24 Fitting support part 25 Release fulcrum 27 Locked protrusion 30 Lever 32 Operation section 33 Shaft hole 34 Cam protrusion 36 Protection Department 37 Aperture 38 Finger rest 40 Locking part 41 Locking arm 42 Locking protrusion 43 Pressing section 44 Slope

Claims

1. A lever-type connector comprising: a first connector; a second connector that can be mated with and separated from the first connector; and a lever that is attached to the first connector so as to be rotatable between an initial position and a mating completion position, and that mates or disengages the first connector and the second connector by a rotational operation, The lever is A locking arm extending in a predetermined direction and capable of bending and deforming in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction; a locking protrusion provided on the locking arm, the locking protrusion being releasably locked to the locked protrusion of the second connector at the mating completion position and being released from the locked protrusion when the locking arm is deflected; A push-down portion provided at a free end of the locking arm; a protection section formed in a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the predetermined direction and having an internal space in which at least the depression section is disposed, A finger hook portion is provided at an opening end on the free end side of the protective portion, the finger hook portion protruding toward one end side in the intersecting direction so as to close a part of the opening, one end of the finger hook portion is located on one end side in the intersecting direction relative to a tip end of the push-down portion when the locking arm bounces. Lever type connector.

2. 2. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, a surface on the one end side of the push-down portion that is inclined from the one end side to the other end side as it moves from the base end portion to the tip end portion; Lever type connector.

3. 3. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, The tip portion is disposed in the vicinity of the finger hook portion. Lever type connector.

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