Connector housing assembly and connector

Abstract

To provide a connector housing assembly with improved operational safety.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a connector housing assembly including: a connector housing for receiving at least one electrical terminal; and a lever 20 for mating the connector housing with a mating connector along a mating direction, the lever 20 being pivotable and / or displaceable in relation to the connector housing depending on its position. For improved operational safety, the lever 20 is first displaceable from an initial position to a rotation start position before it is pivotable. The connector housing assembly furthermore includes a displacement start blocking structure 40 which is configured to block displacement from the initial position to the rotation start position and which is releasable when the connector housing is mated with the mating connector. The present invention additionally relates to a connector having such a connector housing assembly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector housing assembly and a connector including a connector housing assembly. [Background technology]

[0002] Connector housing assemblies are known from the prior art, which have a pivotable lever on the connector housing, which can be pivoted to mate or plug the connector housing with a mating connector along a mating direction, and which can also be locked by displacing the lever in translation.

[0003] However, with such known connector housing assemblies there is a risk that the lever will rotate prematurely when the mating connector is not yet in position along the mating direction. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector housing assembly having improved operational safety. [Means for solving the problem]

[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 and a lever for mating the connector housing with a mating connector along a mating direction, the lever being pivotable and / or displaceable relative to the connector housing depending on its position. In particular, the lever is initially displaceable from the initial position to the rotation start position before it is allowed to pivot. In other words, in the initial position, the lever is only allowed to move to the rotation start position but is not allowed to pivot. The connector housing assembly further includes a displacement start prevention structure configured to prevent displacement from the initial position to the rotation start position and which is releasable when the connector housing is mated with a mating connector.

[0006] According to this aspect, improper use can be reliably suppressed, since the lever must first be displaced before it can rotate. This prevents the lever from rotating when it is in an idle state, i.e., not yet engaged with the mating connector. In addition, translational displacement can be prevented by a displacement start prevention structure, which can be released, in particular, upon mating with the mating connector. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent improper operation.

[0007] The invention can be further improved by the following configurations, which are advantageous alone and can be combined randomly with one another:

[0008] The displacement start prevention structure preferably comprises a housing side engagement portion provided on the elastic arm portion of the connector housing.

[0009] In this way, the displacement start prevention structure can be easily released by elastic deformation of the elastic arm portion. The elastic arm portion may be deformed in particular by contact with the mating connector. The contact with the mating connector may occur at the contact portion of the elastic arm portion.

[0010] The housing side engaging portion is preferably provided at a position different from the contact portion of the elastic arm portion with the mating connector in the mating direction and / or in the direction intersecting the mating direction. In other words, the housing side engaging portion and the contact portion with the mating connector are disposed at different positions.

[0011] This ensures that the housing side engaging portion does not interfere with the mating connector, thereby ensuring that the mating connector can be reliably fitted to the connector housing.

[0012] According to a further aspect, the connector housing assembly further comprises an end-of-displacement prevention structure configured to define a rotation start position.

[0013] This allows a unique rotation start position, particularly a position after displacement, to be defined and further displacement to be prevented, in other words, the lever can be operated purely by rotation from the rotation start position, which simplifies the operation.

[0014] According to yet another aspect, the lever may be slidable along an axis defining a pivot axis during the displacement movement.

[0015] The translational movement of the lever can thus be at least partially guided by the shaft formation, and at the same time the number of components can be reduced.

[0016] According to yet another aspect, the connector housing assembly may further include a rotational guide structure configured to guide rotational movement of the lever.

[0017] According to this embodiment, since translational motion can be prevented by the rotation guide structure, pure rotational motion can be obtained.

[0018] Preferably, the rotation guide structure includes a slideway along which the peripheral portion of the lever can slide.

[0019] This allows the lever to be guided simply and in particular without the need for a guide link, for example the outer periphery of the lever can be used for guiding instead.

[0020] According to yet another aspect, the connector housing assembly may further include a rotation prevention structure configured to prevent rotational movement before reaching a rotation start position.

[0021] This ensures that a pure translational displacement of the lever is obtained initially.

[0022] The rotation prevention structures are preferably provided at two different positions in the circumferential direction about the pivot axis.

[0023] This allows for better load distribution for the intended rotation.

[0024] It is preferable that at least a portion of the rotation guide structure is adjacent to at least a portion of the rotation prevention structure.

[0025] This allows for a particularly simple construction, so that the rotational guidance structure and the rotation prevention structure can be formed by the connector housing part and can be continuous surfaces of the connector housing part.

[0026] According to yet another aspect, the maximum lever arm length of the lever at the rotation start position may be greater than that at the initial position.

[0027] This allows for efficient mating with the mating connector since the force applied by the operator is reduced due to leverage.

[0028] Preferably, the lever has an off-center control which is engageable with a mating connector for mating.

[0029] The eccentric control can engage with an engagement portion of the mating connector, so that the relative speed of travel between the connector housing and the mating connector in the mating direction can be controlled with respect to the rotation angle of the lever. A force applied to the lever by an operator can then be used to transfer to the mating connector at the eccentric control. Thus, the lever can be used to facilitate the mating process.

[0030] The eccentric control portion is preferably formed in the shape of a tooth.

[0031] The tooth-like eccentric control portion can achieve uniform mating with the mating connector. Furthermore, the teeth can be easily formed and the structure is compact.

[0032] According to yet another aspect, the connector housing assembly may further include a retention structure configured to retain the lever in the rotation start position.

[0033] This makes it possible to prevent undesired rotation at the rotation start position. Only when a predetermined force is applied can the rotation holding structure be released and rotation occur.

[0034] According to yet another aspect, the lever and / or the connector housing may be injection molded.

[0035] This simplifies the manufacture of the lever and / or the connector housing. In addition, the above-mentioned structure can be easily obtained. Thermoplastic materials may be used as materials.

[0036] According to yet another aspect, the connector housing may include a guide portion configured to guide the mating connector parallel to the mating direction.

[0037] This ensures that the translational movement of the mating connector can be achieved even when the lever is rotated.

[0038] A further aspect provides a connector comprising a connector housing assembly according to at least one of the preceding aspects.

[0039] This makes it possible to provide a connector with improved operational safety.

[0040] Depending on the application, the connectors may include electrical, optical, or opto-electrical contact elements that, when mated, connect with correspondingly formed complementary mating contacts in a mating connector.

[0041] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show exemplary embodiments, the various features of which may be combined with one another as necessary in accordance with the above description. In particular, individual features may be added to the described embodiments in accordance with the above description if the effects of these features are necessary for a particular application. Conversely, individual features may be omitted from existing embodiments if the technical effects of these features are not important in a particular application. Similar, identical, and functionally identical elements in the drawings are, where appropriate, labeled with the same reference numerals. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 shows the connector housing assembly as viewed from the outside with the lever in the initial position. [Diagram 2] 13A and 13B are views showing the connector housing assembly at a rotation start position of the lever. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 shows the connector housing assembly with the lever in a rotated position. [Figure 4] 13A and 13B are views showing the connector housing assembly at the end of the lever rotational position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the connector housing assembly in an initial position. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a view of the connector housing assembly from the inside in the initial position. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a view of the connector housing assembly from the inside in the start of rotation position. [Figure 8] A view of the connector housing assembly from the inside with the lever in the rotated position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] 1 to 4 show the connector housing assembly 1 in an initial position, a rotation start position, a rotated position, and an end position, in that order. The connector housing assembly 1 includes components of a connector housing 10 and a lever 20.

[0044] The connector housing assembly 1 may be used, for example, in a connector for high voltage applications. The connector includes at least one electrical terminal received within the connector housing 10.

[0045] Thus, the connector housing 10 has a housing function. It has a substantially parallelepiped shape. It has two walls 11. The two walls 11 are side walls arranged on opposite sides, receive at least one terminal therebetween, and are arranged opposite each other in a lateral direction. The lateral direction is perpendicular to a mating direction A shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The mating direction A is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the electrical terminals.

[0046] Each side wall portion 11 has a shaft forming portion 12 that defines a pivot axis 13 at its center. The shaft forming portion 12 protrudes from the outer surface of the side wall portion 11 and functions as a support portion for a lever 20.

[0047] The connector housing part 10 further comprises a resilient arm part 14 formed in a cantilevered manner and offset from the other part of the side wall part 11. As can be seen in Fig. 5, the arm part 14 comprises a protrusion part 14a which protrudes in the direction of the pivot axis at the arm part facing away from the mating connector 30 in the mating direction A. The resilient arm part 14 further comprises a contact part 14b with the mating connector 30. In this example, this is formed on the inner surface of the arm part 14 by two protrusions, as can be seen in Fig. 7. In the direction perpendicular to the mating direction A and the lateral direction, the protrusion part 14a is arranged closer to the pivot axis 13 than the contact part 14b and is arranged closer to the connector housing 10 in the mating direction A.

[0048] As can be seen in Figures 5 and 6, the connector housing part 10 comprises housing-side rotation prevention features 15, one of which is provided on the outer surface of the side wall part 11 and the other on the inner surface. These rotation prevention features 15 are substantially aligned in the circumferential direction (here perpendicular to the mating direction A and to the pivot axis), meaning that they have contact surfaces facing in the circumferential direction. The rotation prevention features 15 are provided in particular at two positions in the circumferential direction, axially symmetrical with respect to the pivot axis 13.

[0049] Furthermore, the connector housing 10 comprises housing-side rotation guides 16, which are also each provided laterally on different sides of the side wall part 11. They are configured as slideways extending substantially in the circumferential direction. It should be noted that the two rotation guides 16 are likewise provided axially symmetrically in the circumferential direction, preferably with respect to the pivot axis 13. The rotation prevention part 15 and the rotation guide 16 are each formed by a connector housing part. Their surfaces are therefore continuous with one another and they share at least one joint.

[0050] 7, a retaining projection 17 is provided on the side wall 11. It projects in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction and the lateral direction and is located farther from the pivot axis 13 in said direction than the projection 14a and the contact portion 14b. In the mating direction, it is located closer to the connector housing 10.

[0051] Although not shown, the lever 20 has a general U-shape with two laterally opposed legs and a laterally connecting joint.

[0052] Each leg has a lever support 21 at the end opposite the connection. The lever support 21 is an elongated hole having substantially the same diameter as the shaft forming portion 12 in the width direction and being longer in the longitudinal direction.

[0053] When viewed laterally (along the pivot axis 13), this end is formed to be generally circular and joins an extension which extends to a connection portion.

[0054] The end portion is provided with an eccentric control portion 22 around the circumference of the circular portion, which is toothed, here with two teeth 22a, 22b along the circumferential direction.

[0055] Furthermore, a locking projection 24a is provided on the outer surface of the lever 20, projecting away from the pivot axis.

[0056] The lever-side rotation prevention portions 25 are formed on the outer and inner faces so as to protrude laterally. The two rotation prevention portions 25 formed in this way are substantially aligned in the circumferential direction (here perpendicular to the mating direction A and the pivot axis), which means that they have contact surfaces facing in the circumferential direction. The rotation prevention portions 25 are provided in particular axially symmetrically with respect to the pivot axis 13 at two positions in the circumferential direction.

[0057] The lever-side rotation prevention portions 25 are adjacent to respective lever-side rotation guide portions 26. These rotation guide portions are also provided at two circumferential positions and correspond to the housing-side rotation guide portions 16 on their circumferential periphery.

[0058] 7, a lever-side retaining projection 27 is provided to protrude from the inner surface of the lever 20. In the direction perpendicular to the mating direction A and the lateral direction, it is located farther from the pivot axis 13 than the lock projection 24a, the rotation prevention portion 25 and the rotation guide portion 26.

[0059] 1 to 4, the mating connector 30 moves relatively toward the connector housing 10 in a mating direction A. It has an arm 31 facing the mating direction. At its end on the connector housing side, teeth 32a, 32b are provided on the side facing the pivot shaft 13 and are spaced apart in the mating direction A.

[0060] Here, the functions and effects will be described.

[0061] Furthermore, the connector housing assembly includes a displacement start prevention structure 40. This includes a protrusion 14a and a locking projection 24a that are disposed opposite each other in the mating direction (the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole) and thereby prevent displacement of the lever 20 along the elongated hole toward the connector housing (upward in the drawing) in the initial position in FIG.

[0062] Only when the arm 31 of the mating connector 31 comes into contact with the contact portion 14b of the resilient arm portion 14, the resilient arm portion 14 bends outward and the displacement start prevention structure 40 is released. The tooth 32a comes into contact with the lever 20, so that the displacement can be performed. Thus, the connector housing assembly may be configured so that the mating connector 30 performs the displacement movement.

[0063] A rotation prevention structure 50 prevents rotation of the lever 20 at least in the initial position, but here up to the rotation start position. It comprises a housing-side rotation prevention part 15 and a lever-side rotation prevention part 25, each arranged opposite each other in the circumferential direction, thereby preventing rotation. It should be noted that in Figure 5, a part of the side wall part 11 on which the rotation prevention structure 50 is formed has been cut away so that the rotation prevention structure 50 is exposed.

[0064] The lever 20 may then be moved upwards. The displacement end prevention structure defines the displacement end and therefore the position / attitude of the lever 20 at the rotation start position of Fig. 2. This comprises the end of the slot and the end of the shaft forming portion 12, each on the mating connector side.

[0065] When moving from the initial position to the rotation start position, the edge of the slot slides along the axis forming part by a distance D in FIG. 5. This guides the translational movement. At the same time, the rotation prevention parts 15, 25 are also displaced by translation relative to each other by a distance D. This releases the rotation prevention structure 50. Due to this displacement, the maximum lever length (the distance between the pivot axis 13 and the connection part of the lever 20) increases.

[0066] In the rotation start position, the retaining projection 17 is located opposite the lever-side retaining projection 27 in the mating direction A, at a distance from the pivot axis 13, so that rotation is initially prevented, thereby forming a retaining structure 60 for the rotation position. The retaining projections 17, 27 have corresponding portions that are inclined in the mating direction A, so that they can slide along each other so that rotation can be initiated.

[0067] 3, the lever 20 may then be rotated / pivoted by an operator to mate with the mating connector 30. The rotation guide structure 70 includes rotation guide portions 16, 26 adjacent to the ends of the rotation prevention portions 15, 25 in the direction of displacement in the circumferential direction, respectively, to guide the rotational movement. In this embodiment, the rotation guide structure 70 is at least partially formed by the rotation prevention structure 50.

[0068] The teeth 22a, 22b of the eccentric control portion 22 engage with the teeth 32a, 32b to displace the connector housing assembly 10 in the mating direction A relative to the mating connector 30.

[0069] Here, it is advantageous that the connector housing 10 is provided with a guide portion for guiding the mating connector 30 in the mating direction A.

[0070] 4, the lever 20 has finally reached the rotation end position. The lever 20 may be locked to the connector housing 10 by a lock structure at the rotation end position.

[0071] In this embodiment, the housing side engagement portion is a protrusion 14a, although it may also be formed as a recess. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Connector Housing Assembly 10 Connector housing 11 Side wall 12 Shaft forming part 13 Rotation axis 14 Elastic arm part 14a Protrusion (housing side engagement portion) 14b Contact part 15 Rotation prevention part on housing side 16 Rotation guide part on housing side 17 Housing side retaining projection 20 Lever 21 Lever support 22 Eccentricity control section 22a, b teeth 24a Lock protrusion 25 Lever side rotation prevention part 26 Rotation guide part on lever side 27 Lever side retaining protrusion 30 Mating connector 31 Arm of mating connector 32a, b Teeth of mating connector 40 Displacement initiation prevention structure 50 Anti-rotation structure 60 Retention structure 70 Rotational guide structure A Mating Direction D Displacement path

Claims

1. A connector housing assembly (1), a connector housing (10) for receiving at least one electrical terminal; A lever (20) for mating the connector housing with a mating connector (30) along a mating direction (A), the lever (20) being pivotable and / or displaceable relative to the connector housing (10) depending on its position; Equipped with The lever (20) is initially displaceable from an initial position to a rotation start position before being able to pivot; The connector housing assembly (1) further includes a displacement start prevention structure (40) configured to prevent displacement from the initial position to the rotation start position and which is releasable when the connector housing (10) is mated with the mating connector (30). Connector housing assembly (1).

2. The displacement start prevention structure (40) includes a housing side engagement portion (14a) provided on the elastic arm portion (14) of the connector housing (10). A connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 1.

3. The housing side engagement portion (14a) is provided at a position different from a contact portion (14b) of the elastic arm portion (14) with the mating connector (14) in the fitting direction (A) and / or a direction intersecting the fitting direction (A). The connector housing assembly (10) of claim 2.

4. and a displacement end prevention structure configured to define the rotation start position. A connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. said lever (20) being slidable along an axis forming part (12) which, during a displacement movement, forms an axis (13) of a pivoting movement; A connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

6. A rotational guide structure (70) configured to guide the rotational movement of the lever (20). The connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:

7. The rotation guide structure (70) has a slideway along which the periphery of the lever (20) can slide. A connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 6.

8. and a rotation prevention structure (50) configured to prevent rotational movement before the rotation start position is reached. A connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. At least a portion of the rotation guide structure (70) is adjacent to at least a portion of the rotation prevention structure (50). A connector housing assembly (1) according to claims 6 or 7 and 8.

10. The maximum lever arm length of the lever (20) at the rotation start position is greater than that at the initial position. A connector housing assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.

11. The lever (20) includes an eccentric control portion (22) that is engageable with the mating connector (30) for mating. A connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

12. The eccentric control portion (22) is formed in a tooth shape. A connector housing assembly (1) according to claim 11.

13. A retaining structure (60) configured to retain the lever (20) in the rotation start position. The connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising:

14. The connector housing (10) includes a guide portion configured to guide the mating connector (30) in a direction parallel to the mating direction. A connector housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. A connector comprising the connector housing assembly (1) according to at least one of the preceding claims.

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