Connector set

Abstract

To provide a connector set capable of avoiding inadvertent contact with an operation lever.SOLUTION: A receptacle-side housing 21 includes a cylindrical case 23, an operation lever 25 that rotates in a circumferential direction of the case 23, and a receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 which is accommodated in the case 23 and is linked to the operation lever 25, and is rotatable in the circumferential direction with respect to the case 23 together with the receptacle-side terminal 20 in an engagement posture in which a receptacle 2 is engaged with a plug between a non-conduction position in which the receptacle-side terminal 20 is at a position different in the circumferential direction from a plug-side terminal in the plug and a conduction position in which the plug-side terminal and the receptacle-side terminal 20 are in contact with each other in an opposing direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector set composed of a pair of electrically connected connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] A butt-type connector is known as a type of connector for achieving electrical connection. In general, in this type of connector, electrode contacts on the plug, which is the connector on one side, and electrode contacts on the receptacle, which is the connector on the other side, come into contact under pressure to establish electrical continuity between the plug and the receptacle.

[0003] The above-mentioned receptacles are installed on structures such as factory walls, equipment, panels, etc., and workers connect plugs to receptacles installed on such structures. However, when power is supplied to the receptacle at a relatively high voltage and current, ensuring safety is particularly important.

[0004] Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a lever-type disconnecting device that uses an operating lever to connect the connector housings of a pair of connectors to create a mated state, thereby switching the connectors from a non-conductive state to a conductive state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-343169 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the case of the disconnecting device of Patent Document 1, when the connectors are connected, the operating lever protrudes significantly toward the front, which may cause the operator to accidentally come into contact with the operating lever, and in some cases, the connector may fall off. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a connector set that can prevent accidental contact with the operating lever by suppressing the amount of protrusion of the operating lever toward the front side in the opposing direction of the connectors.

[0008] A connector set according to one embodiment of the present invention is a connector set constituted by a first connector and a second connector that is arranged opposite the first connector and is capable of conducting to the first connector in an engaged position in which it engages with the first connector, wherein the first connector comprises a first side terminal and a first side housing that supports the first side terminal, and the second connector comprises a second side terminal and a second side housing that supports the second side terminal, and the second side housing has a cylindrical case that extends in the opposing direction of the first connector and the second connector, an operating lever that rotates circumferentially relative to the case, and a terminal holding member that is housed in the case and that, in conjunction with the operating lever, is capable of rotating circumferentially relative to the case together with the second side terminal in the engaged position between a non-conductive position in which the second side terminal is in a position different from the first side terminal in the circumferential direction, and a conductive position in which the second side terminal and the first side terminal are in contact with each other in the opposing direction.

[0009] In the above connector set, the first side housing has a first opposing direction regulating surface facing one side of the opposing direction in the engaged position, and the second side housing has a second opposing direction regulating surface facing the other side of the opposing direction in the engaged position, and when the terminal holding member is in the conductive position, the first opposing direction regulating surface and the second opposing direction regulating surface face each other in the opposing direction to regulate the movement of the first side housing and the second side housing away from each other in the opposing direction, and when the terminal holding member is in the non-conductive position, the first opposing direction regulating surface and the second opposing direction regulating surface are positioned at different positions in the circumferential direction and are not facing each other in the opposing direction, allowing the first side housing and the second side housing to move away from each other in the opposing direction.

[0010] In the above connector set, the second side housing may further have a cover portion provided on one side that is the side of the first connector in the opposing direction relative to the second side terminal in the engaged posture, and the cover portion may have an exposed area that exposes the second side terminal to the one side when the terminal holding member is in the conductive position, and a cover area that is aligned circumferentially with the exposed area and covers the second side terminal from one side in the opposing direction when the terminal holding member is in the non-conductive position.

[0011] In the above connector set, the terminal holding member has a one-side circumferential regulating surface facing one side in the circumferential direction in the engaged position, and the second-side housing further has an other-side circumferential regulating surface provided on the case and facing the other side in the circumferential direction, and in positions other than the engaged position, the one-side circumferential regulating surface and the other-side circumferential regulating surface face each other in the circumferential direction to regulate rotation of the terminal holding member relative to the case, and in the engaged position, the one-side circumferential regulating surface and the other-side circumferential regulating surface are positioned at different positions in the opposing direction and are not facing each other in the circumferential direction, allowing rotation of the terminal holding member relative to the case.

[0012] In the above connector set, the second side housing may further have a rotation restricting body that forms the other side circumferential restricting surface and is pressed toward the other side of the opposing direction by the first side housing in the engaged position, and a biasing member that biases the rotation restricting body toward one side of the opposing direction.

[0013] In the above connector set, the terminal holding member extends in the opposing direction to form a regulator arrangement hole in which the rotation regulator is arranged, and has a blocking portion that blocks a portion of the opening on one side of the opposing direction in the regulator arrangement hole to form a spatial area that exposes the regulator arrangement hole to one side of the opposing direction and forms a second opposing direction regulation surface inside the regulator arrangement hole, and the first side housing may have a pressing piece that is inserted into the regulator arrangement hole through the spatial area to press the rotation regulator and form the first side opposing regulation surface.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector set including a first connector and a second connector disposed opposite the first connector and capable of electrical connection with the first connector in an engaged position in which the first connector is engaged, the first connector including first terminals and a first housing supporting the first terminals, the second connector including second terminals and a second housing supporting the second terminals, the second housing including a cylindrical case extending in a direction in which the first connector and the second connector face each other, and an operating lever that rotates circumferentially relative to the case between an in-use position and an in-use position, and the first housing is configured such that in the engaged position the first connector is in a forward position and the second ... The second housing further has a second opposing direction regulating surface facing the other side of the opposing direction in the engagement posture, and when the operating lever is in the use position, the first opposing direction regulating surface and the second opposing direction regulating surface face each other in the opposing direction in the engagement posture, restricting movement of the first side housing and the second side housing away from each other in the opposing direction, and when the operating lever is in the non-use position, the first opposing direction regulating surface and the second opposing direction regulating surface are positioned at different positions in the circumferential direction in the engagement posture and are not facing each other in the opposing direction, allowing movement of the first side housing and the second side housing away from each other in the opposing direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the connector set described above, the amount of protrusion of the operating lever toward the front side in the opposing direction of the connectors is reduced, and it is possible to avoid inadvertent contact with the operating lever. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are overall perspective views of a connector set according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a plug and a receptacle arranged opposite each other, and FIG. 1B shows the plug as viewed from the side facing the receptacle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the plug. [Figure 3] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a plug-side terminal holding member of the plug, in which (a) is a vertical cross-sectional view and (b) is a view taken along the arrow A in (a). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a receptacle-side terminal holding member and main components of the receptacle, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view seen from one side in the axial direction, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. [Figure 6] 4A and 4B are plan views of the receptacle as viewed from the axial direction, in which FIG. 4A shows a state in which the operating lever is in a non-use position, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the operating lever is in a use position. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing the rotation restrictor of the receptacle, in which (a) is a plan view seen from the axial direction, and (b) is a view seen from the arrow C in (a). [Figure 8] 6A and 6B are longitudinal cross-sectional views corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 5, each showing the operation of the rotation restricting body when the plug and receptacle are engaged with each other, and FIG. 6A shows the plug and receptacle facing each other while being spaced apart, and FIG. 6B shows the plug and receptacle in an engaged position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. (Overall composition) As shown in Figure 1(a), the connector set 100 of this embodiment includes a plug (first connector) 1 and a receptacle (second connector) 2 that is connected to and engages (fits) with the plug 1. The plug 1 and receptacle 2 are disposed opposite each other and are electrically connected when in an engaged position. Each of the plug 1 and the receptacle 2 has a cylindrical shape centered on an axis O that extends in a direction opposite each other when in the engaged position. Hereinafter, the opposing direction between the plug 1 and the receptacle 2 will be referred to as the axial direction. In addition, in the engaged position, the plug 1 side (the side away from the receptacle 2) will be referred to as one side Da in the axial direction, and the receptacle 2 side (the side away from the plug 1) will be referred to as the other side Db.

[0018] (plug) As shown in FIG. 1(b), the plug 1 has plug terminals (first terminals) 10 and a plug housing (first housing) 11 that supports the plug terminals 10. (Plug side terminal) A plurality of plug-side terminals 10 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the plug 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "circumferential direction"). As shown in FIG. 2, each plug-side terminal 10 has a rod-shaped shank 10a connected to a wire (not shown) and a terminal body 10b provided on the other side Db of the shank 10a. The shank 10a has a slit extending in the axial direction on the other side Db, forming a "slotted structure" and functioning as a spring that biases the terminal body 10b toward the other side Db. In this embodiment, four plug-side terminals 10 are provided, making the plug 1 a four-core plug, but the number of plug-side terminals 10 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the plug 1 of this embodiment is a small power connector with a diameter of 70 mm or less and capable of handling high voltages of 400 V or more, but this is not a limitation. The same applies to the receptacle 2, which will be described in detail later.

[0019] (plug housing) The plug housing 11 has a plug-side terminal holding member 12 that holds the plug-side terminals 10, an inner case 13 that covers the plug-side terminal holding member 12 from the outer periphery, and an outer case 14 that further covers the inner case 13 from the outer periphery.

[0020] The plug side terminal holding member 12 is cylindrical with its center on the axis O, and has a plurality of through holes 12a formed at intervals in the circumferential direction that pass through it in the direction of the axis O, and a plug side terminal 10 is inserted into each of the through holes 12a.

[0021] The plug-side terminal holding member 12 also has a hole 12b with a circular cross section centered on the axis O, recessed from an end face 12x facing the other axial side Db. A pressing piece 12c is provided in the hole 12b. The pressing piece 12c has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape centered on the axis O, and as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the outer circumferential surface of the pressing piece 12c is composed of a semi-circular arc-shaped curved surface 121 and a flat surface 122 passing through the axis O. The pressing piece 12c extends from a bottom surface 12y of the hole 12b of the plug-side terminal holding member 12 to a position substantially flush with the end face 12x. The pressing piece 12c also has a recess 124 cut out from the curved surface 121 toward the position of the axis O on the flat surface 122 beyond a tip end surface 123 on the end face 12x side to a position on the other axial side Db. In this embodiment, the bottom surface 124x of the recess 124 is flat and forms an angle θ of approximately 225 degrees with respect to the plane 122. The bottom surface 124x is connected to the plane 122 at the position of the axis O.

[0022] In addition, the plug side opposing direction control surface (first opposing direction control surface) 124y, which is the side surface facing one side Da in the axial direction that constitutes the recess 124, is configured to face the receptacle side opposing direction control surface (second opposing direction control surface) 220 of the receptacle 2, which will be described in detail later, in the axial direction.

[0023] Returning to Fig. 2, the inner case 13 has a cylindrical shape centered on the axis O. More specifically, the inner case 13 has a stepped surface 13a at a midpoint in the axial direction that faces one side Da in the axial direction, and the plug-side terminal holding member 12 of the inner case 13 contacts the stepped surface 13a from the one side Da in the axial direction, and the plug-side terminals 10 held by the plug-side terminal holding member 12 are exposed to the other side Db in the axial direction (see Fig. 1(b)). In this way, the inner case 13 holds the plug-side terminal holding member 12 inside itself.

[0024] A male thread 13b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 13 at one end on one axial side Da, and a plurality of protrusions 13c protruding radially inward are formed at the end on the other axial side Db of the inner peripheral surface of the inner case 13 at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each protrusion 13c has a block shape extending in the circumferential direction. An annular engagement groove 13d is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 13 between the axial male thread 13b and the protrusions 13c.

[0025] The outer case 14 has a cylindrical shape centered on the axis O. Inside the outer case 14, a spacer 15, a C-ring 16, a biasing member (coil spring) 17, and a gripper 18 are provided from the other side Db to one side Da in the axial direction.

[0026] The spacer 15 is disk-shaped and centered on the axis O, and is in contact with the plug-side terminal holding member 12 from one side Da in the axial direction. A plurality of through holes 15a are formed in the spacer 15 corresponding to the through holes 12a of the plug-side terminal holding member 12. A plug-side terminal 10 is inserted into each of the through holes 15a. The region of the gripping body 18 on one side Da in the axial direction is disposed outside the outer case 14 and is a portion that can be held by an operator. The gripping body 18 is cylindrical and centered on the axis O, and wiring (not shown) connected to the shank 10a of the plug-side terminal 10 is inserted inside. A female screw 18a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the gripping body 18 at the end on the other side Db in the axial direction. The female screw 18a is threaded into the male screw 13b of the inner case 13, and when threaded into the male screw 13b, the outer case 14 is pressed toward the other axial side Db by the biasing member 17 which contacts the end face 18b of the gripping body 18 facing the other axial side Db.

[0027] (receptacle) As shown in FIG. 4, receptacle 2 has receptacle terminals (second terminals) 20 and a receptacle housing (second housing) 21 that supports receptacle terminals 20.

[0028] (Receptacle side terminal) The receptacle side terminals (second side terminals) 20 are provided in multiple numbers (four) at intervals in the circumferential direction to correspond to the plug side terminals 10, and each receptacle side terminal 20 is rod-shaped and connected to wiring not shown.

[0029] (receptacle housing) The receptacle housing 21 has a receptacle side terminal holding member 22 that holds the receptacle side terminals 20, a case 23 that covers the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 from the outer periphery, a cover portion 24 provided on the case 23, an operating lever 25 (see Figure 1 (a)) that protrudes from the case 23, a rotation restriction body 26 provided within the receptacle side terminal holding member 22, a biasing member 27 that biases the rotation restriction body 26, and a biasing member support body 28 that supports the biasing member 27.

[0030] Receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 has a cylindrical shape centered on axis O, and has a plurality of through holes 22a formed therein at intervals in the circumferential direction, penetrating the receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 in the direction of axis O. A receptacle-side terminal 20 is inserted into each of through holes 22a. Receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 also has, on one axial side Da, protruding tubular portion 22x surrounded by multiple through holes 22a and having a smaller diameter than the portion on the other axial side Db.

[0031] 5(a) and 5(b), receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 is formed with restrictor arrangement hole 22h having a circular cross section centered on axis O, penetrating from end face 22b of protruding tubular portion 22x facing one axial side Da to end face 22c of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 facing the other axial side Db. Protruding tubular portion 22x is provided with semicircular closing portion 22y at the end of restrictor arrangement hole 22h on the other axial side Db so as to close a portion of opening 22k of restrictor arrangement hole 22h. Restrictor arrangement hole 22h is exposed in the axial direction in semicircular spatial region R when viewed from one axial side Da. The shape of this semicircular spatial region R is formed to be slightly larger than the pressing piece 12c (see Figures 3(a) and 3(b)) of the plug side terminal holding member 12 in accordance with the shape of the pressing piece 12c, and the pressing piece 12c can be inserted into the regulating body arrangement hole 22h through this spatial region R.

[0032] The blocking portion 22y has a planar one-side circumferential direction restricting surface 22z facing one circumferential side inside the restrictor disposing hole 22h. That is, half of the circumferential region of the blocking portion 22y (a region corresponding to 90 degrees around the axis O) is thicker in the axial direction than the remaining half, forming a stepped shape in the axial direction. That is, the blocking portion 22y is composed of a thin-walled portion 22y1 and a thick-walled portion 22y2. The receptacle-side facing direction restricting surface 220, which is the end face of the thin-walled portion 22y1 facing the other axial side Db, is configured to axially oppose the plug-side facing direction restricting surface 124y of the recess 124 in the pressing piece 12c of the plug-side terminal holding member 12 (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)).

[0033] Returning to FIG. 4 , case 23 has a cylindrical shape centered on axis O, and a rectangular flange portion 23x centered on axis O is provided at the end of the other axial side Db. This flange portion 23x secures case 23 to a structure, allowing receptacle 2 to be installed on the structure. Case 23 also has a partition wall 23a at a midpoint in the axial direction, and partition wall 23a has a through-hole 23b penetrating therethrough in the axial direction. Receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 contacts partition wall 23a from the other axial side Db. Receptacle-side terminals 20 held by receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 are exposed through through-hole 23b of partition wall 23a. In this way, case 23 accommodates and holds receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 within itself so that it can move axially.

[0034] Furthermore, a plurality of spherical bodies 23c are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction, protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the case 23. When the plug 1 and the receptacle 2 are engaged, the outer case 14 of the plug 1 is placed over the case 23 so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the case 23. This presses the spherical bodies 23c against the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 14, restricting their radially outward movement. The spherical bodies 23c then enter and engage the annular engagement groove 13d of the inner case 13 of the plug 1, thereby placing the plug 1 and the receptacle 2 in an engaged position. Therefore, the connector set 100 of this embodiment is a ball-lock type connector. Furthermore, the inner side of the case 23 is provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves 23d recessed toward the other axial side Db and extending circumferentially, spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction. In the engaged position, the protrusions 13c of the inner case 13 of the plug 1 are positioned in the circumferential grooves 23d.

[0035] Cover portion 24 is disposed inside case 23 and is provided on one axial side Da relative to partition wall 23a. Therefore, cover portion 24 is provided on one axial side Da relative to receptacle terminals 20. Cover portion 24 is configured to expose receptacle terminals 20 on one side Da when receptacle terminal holding member 22 is in a conductive position P11, which will be described in detail later. That is, cover portion 24 has flower-shaped exposure holes 24a penetrating therethrough. Therefore, cover portion 24 has a plurality of exposed regions 24x that are the radially outermost portions of exposure holes 24a, and a plurality of covered regions 24y (regions without exposure holes 24a) that are arranged circumferentially, one for each exposed region 24x. The exposed regions 24x and the covered regions 24y are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and in this embodiment, four exposed regions 24x and four covered regions 24y are provided corresponding to the number of terminals 10, 20. A plurality of cutout portions 24b are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the cover portion 24. These cutout portions 24b are provided at positions corresponding to the circumferential grooves 23d of the case 23, and in the engaged position, the protrusions 13c of the inner case 13 of the plug 1 are positioned in the circumferential grooves 23d of the cover 23 through the cutout portions 24b.

[0036] Operating lever 25 is provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of case 23 (see FIG. 1(a)), and is configured to rotate circumferentially relative to case 23 between use position P1 (corresponding to conductive position P11 described later) and non-use position P2 (corresponding to non-conductive position P12 described later), as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b). Operating lever 25 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22, and rotates together with receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 relative to case 23 in conjunction with receptacle-side terminal holding member 22.

[0037] Returning to FIG. 5 , rotation restricting body 26 is disposed in restricting body disposing hole 22h of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 , rotation restricting body 26 has a generally semi-cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 , rotation restricting body 26 has semi-cylindrical portion 26a and a pair of end convex portions 26b that protrude circumferentially from semi-cylindrical portion 26a at both ends of semi-cylindrical portion 26a in the axial direction. Each end convex portion 26b protrudes from a region on one side of axis O on plane 26x that forms the outer circumferential surface of semi-cylindrical portion 26a. In this embodiment, when end convex portion 26b is viewed in the axial direction, end convex portion 26b has a sector shape with a central angle θ1 = 90 degrees that is a portion of a perfect circle. Therefore, when viewed from the axial direction, the semi-cylindrical portion 26a and the end convex portion 26b form a sector shape with a central angle θ2 = 270 degrees, which is a part of a perfect circle. As a result, each end convex portion 26b forms an other-side circumferential direction restriction surface 26z that is connected at an angle of 90 degrees to the plane 26x at the position of the axis O.

[0038] Returning to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the biasing member 27 is a coil spring, and is provided on the other side Db in the axial direction with respect to the rotation restricting body 26 to bias the rotation restricting body 26 towards the one side Da.

[0039] Biasing member support body 28 has a generally disk-like shape centered on axis O and is provided inside case 23 so as to be immovable relative to case 23. A spacer 29 is sandwiched between biasing member support body 28 and receptacle-side terminal holding member 22. Spacer 29 is provided with a plurality of through holes 29a that pass through spacer 29 and correspond to the through holes 22a of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 (see FIG. 4). A C-ring 30 is provided on the other axial side Db of biasing member support body 28. C-ring 30 prevents biasing member support body 28 from falling off case 23 to the other axial side Db.

[0040] The biasing member support 28 has a cylindrical portion 28a that houses the biasing member 27 therein and a flange-shaped portion 28b that has a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion 28a. A locking protrusion 28x extending over a partial circumferential region is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 28a at the end of one axial side Da of the cylindrical portion 28a. The locking protrusion 28x forms a locking surface 28z that faces one circumferential side and circumferentially faces the other-side circumferential direction restricting surface 26z on the other axial side Db of the rotation restricting body 26, and supports the biasing member 27, which serves as a coil spring, from the outer circumferential side. A plurality of elongated holes 28c are formed in the flange-shaped portion 28b, penetrating the flange-shaped portion 28b and spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 4). Each of the elongated holes 28c is provided corresponding to each of the through holes 22a of the receptacle-side terminal holding member 22, and has a shape that is longer and thinner in the circumferential direction than each of the through holes 22a.

[0041] (Engagement operation) Next, with reference to Figures 8(a) and 8(b), we will explain the operation when engaging (fitting) the plug 1 and the receptacle 2 to establish electrical continuity. For the sake of convenience, only the main components are shown in Figure 8. First, plug 1 is placed axially opposite receptacle 2, and plug 1 and receptacle 2 are brought close together so that protrusions 13c of inner case 13 of plug 1 are positioned in circumferential groove 23d of receptacle 2. Then, spherical bodies 23c of case 23 of receptacle 2 engage with annular engaging groove 13d of inner case 13 of plug 1 to assume an engaged position (see FIGS. 1(a), 1(b), and 2). At the same time, terminal bodies 10b of plug-side terminals 10 of plug 1 are pressed against receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 through exposed regions 24x of cover portion 24 of receptacle 2 by the biasing force of shaft portions 10a of plug-side terminals 10. When the plug 1 assumes the engaged position, the pressing piece 12c of the plug side terminal holding member 12 is inserted through the spatial region R (see Figure 5(a)) from the opening 22k of the restrictor arrangement hole 22h of the receptacle 2, thereby pressing the rotation restrictor 26 toward the other axial side Db against the biasing force of the biasing member 27.

[0042] As a result, in receptacle-side terminal holding member 22, from a state in which one-side circumferential direction restriction surface 22z is opposed to other-side circumferential direction restriction surface 26z of rotation restriction body 26 in the circumferential direction (a state in which rotation of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 is restricted), other-side circumferential direction restriction surface 26z is disposed at a position shifted to other side Db in the axial direction (a different position) relative to one-side circumferential direction restriction surface 22z, so that one-side circumferential direction restriction surface 22z and other-side circumferential direction restriction surface 26z do not face each other. At the same time, from a state in which other-side circumferential direction restriction surface 26z of rotation restriction body 26 is opposed to locking surface 28z of biasing member support body 28 of receptacle 2 in the circumferential direction, it is disposed at a position shifted to other side Db in the axial direction (a different position), so that locking surface 28z and other-side circumferential direction restriction surface 26z do not face each other. In this manner, when the one-side circumferential restriction surface 22z and the other-side circumferential restriction surface 26z are not opposed to each other, and when the locking surface 28z and the other-side circumferential restriction surface 26z are not opposed to each other, the receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 is allowed to rotate.

[0043] 6(a) and 6(b), by rotating operating lever 25 circumferentially from non-use position P2 to use position P1, receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 rotates relative to case 23 about axis O from non-conductive position P12 corresponding to non-use position P2 of operating lever 25 to conductive position P11 corresponding to use position P1 of operating lever 25. At this time, wiring (not shown) connected to receptacle-side terminals 20 rotates together with receptacle-side terminals 20 and moves circumferentially within elongated holes 28c of biasing member support body 28.

[0044] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 and the operating lever 25 are rotatable in the engagement position in which the pressing piece 12c of the plug side terminal holding member 12 presses the rotation restricting body 26, whereas the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 and the operating lever 25 are unable to rotate in positions other than the engagement position in which the pressing piece 12c of the plug side terminal holding member 12 is not pressing the rotation restricting body 26.

[0045] Furthermore, when the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 is rotated from the non-conductive position P12 toward the conductive position P11 in the engaged posture, the bottom surface 124x of the recess 124 of the plug side terminal holding member 12 and the thin-walled portion 22y1 of the blocking portion 22y of the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 face each other circumferentially, causing the rotation of the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 to stop and position it at the conductive position P11.

[0046] At this time, at non-conductive position P12, receptacle-side facing direction restricting surface 220 of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 is positioned at a different circumferential position from plug-side facing direction restricting surface 124y of plug-side terminal holding member 12 and does not face the axial direction, allowing plug-side terminal holding member 12 and receptacle housing 21 to move apart (see FIG. 8(b)), and at conductive position P11, receptacle-side facing direction restricting surface 220 and plug-side facing direction restricting surface 124y face each other in the axial direction. At conductive position P11, movement of receptacle housing 21 toward the other axial side Db relative to plug housing 11, i.e., movement of plug housing 11 and receptacle housing 21 away from each other in the axial direction, is restricted, and plug housing 11 and receptacle housing 21 are locked in the axial direction.

[0047] Furthermore, at the non-conductive position P12, the receptacle side terminals 20 are covered by the cover area 24y of the cover portion 24 of the receptacle 2 so as not to be exposed in the axial direction. When the receptacle side terminals 20 rotate circumferentially together with the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 from this state and are positioned at the conductive position P11, the receptacle side terminals 20 are exposed from the exposed area 24x of the cover portion 24, so that the receptacle side terminals 20 and the plug side terminals 10 come into contact with each other in the axial direction.

[0048] (Action and effect) According to connector set 100 of the present embodiment described above, operation lever 25 is provided in receptacle 2 so as to be rotatable in the circumferential direction, and is configured to switch between electrical continuity and electrical non-conduction between plug 1 and receptacle 2. For this reason, operation lever 25 does not protrude significantly in the axial direction toward plug 1, i.e., toward the front side of receptacle 2. Therefore, by limiting the amount of protrusion of operation lever 25 toward the front side in this manner, it is possible to avoid a situation in which an operator inadvertently comes into contact with operation lever 25 and causes plug 1 to fall off receptacle 2.

[0049] Furthermore, when operating lever 25 is rotated from non-use position P2 to use position P1 in the engaged posture and receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 is placed at conduction position P11, plug-side opposing direction restriction surface 124y and receptacle-side opposing direction restriction surface 220 face each other in the axial direction, and movement of plug 1 and receptacle 2 away from each other in the axial direction is restricted and locked. Therefore, when electrical conduction is established between plug 1 and receptacle 2, plug 1 can be prevented from falling off receptacle 2.

[0050] Furthermore, by providing cover portion 24 on receptacle 2, when receptacle terminal holding member 22 is positioned in non-conductive position P12 and plug 1 and receptacle 2 are separated from each other and in a position other than the engaged position, receptacle terminals 20 are not exposed in the axial direction. This prevents workers from accidentally touching receptacle terminals 20.

[0051] Furthermore, when plug 1 and receptacle 2 are separated from each other and in a position other than the engaged position, one-side circumferential restriction surface 22z and other-side circumferential restriction surface 26z of receptacle 2 face each other in the circumferential direction, and locking surface 28z and other-side circumferential restriction surface 26z face each other in the circumferential direction, thereby restricting the rotation of operating lever 25 and receptacle-side terminal holding member 22. Therefore, in positions other than the engaged position, receptacle-side terminals 20 are not exposed from cover portion 24 and are always covered, further reducing the risk of an operator coming into contact with receptacle-side terminals 20.

[0052] Furthermore, by providing a rotation restricting body 26 in the receptacle 2 and pressing the rotation restricting body 26 with the pressing piece 12c of the plug 1, it is possible to switch between rotating and not rotating the operating lever 25 and the receptacle side terminal holding member 22, which leads to reduced manufacturing costs and improved assembly.

[0053] In particular, in this embodiment, the rotation restriction body 26 not only switches the rotation of the receptacle side terminal holding member 22 on and off, but also simultaneously prevents the plug 1 from falling off the receptacle 2, making it possible to miniaturize the connector set 100 with a very simple structure.

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the rotation restrictor 26 and the operating lever 25 may be provided on the plug 1 side, in contrast to the above.

[0055] Furthermore, the rotation restriction function of receptacle-side terminal holding member 22 and the detachment restriction function of plug 1 may be realized by a structure other than rotation restriction body 26 as described above, and are not particularly limited to the above structure.

[0056] Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide the function of switching between conduction and non-conduction by rotating receptacle side terminal holding member 22 as described above, and it is also possible to simply rotate operating lever 25 to prevent plug 1 from falling off. [Industrial Applicability]

[0057] According to the connector set of the present invention, the amount of protrusion of the operating lever toward the front side in the opposing direction of the connectors is reduced, making it possible to avoid inadvertent contact with the operating lever. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1...Plug (first connector) 2...Receptacle (second connector) 10...Plug side terminal (first side terminal) 11...Plug housing (first housing) 12...Plug side terminal holding member 12c...Pressing piece 20...Receptacle side terminal (second side terminal) 21...Receptacle housing (second housing) 22...Receptacle side terminal holding member 22h...Regulator placement hole 22k…Aperture 22y…Occluded part 22z…One side circumferential direction regulation surface 23…Case 24...Cover part 24x…Exposed area 24y…coverage area 25...Operating lever 26...Rotation restrictor 26z…Other side circumferential direction regulating surface 27... Urging member 100...Connector set 124y...Plug side facing direction restriction surface (first facing direction restriction surface) 220... Receptacle side opposing direction regulation surface (second opposing direction regulation surface) Da...one side Db...other side O…Axis line P1…Using position P2…Unused position P11...Continuity position P12…Non-conducting position R…Spatial area

Claims

1. A connector set including a first connector and a second connector that is disposed opposite the first connector and is electrically conductive to the first connector when in an engagement position where the second connector is engaged with the first connector, The first connector comprises: A first side terminal; a first housing supporting the first terminal; Equipped with The second connector is A second side terminal; a second housing supporting the second terminals; Equipped with The second housing includes: a cylindrical case extending in a direction in which the first connector and the second connector face each other; an operating lever that rotates in a circumferential direction of the case relative to the case; a terminal holding member accommodated in the case and rotatable in the circumferential direction relative to the case together with the second side terminal in the engagement position between a non-conductive position where the second side terminal is positioned at a different position from the first side terminal in the circumferential direction in response to the operation lever and a conductive position where the second side terminal and the first side terminal are in contact with each other in the opposing direction; A connector set having:

2. the first housing has a first opposing direction restriction surface that faces one side of the opposing direction in the engaged posture, the second housing has a second opposing direction restriction surface that faces the other side in the opposing direction in the engaged posture, When the terminal holding member is in the conductive position, the first opposing direction restricting surface and the second opposing direction restricting surface face each other in the opposing direction to restrict movement of the first housing and the second housing away from each other in the opposing direction, A connector set as described in claim 1, wherein when the terminal holding member is in the non-conductive position, the first opposing direction regulating surface and the second opposing direction regulating surface are positioned at different positions in the circumferential direction and are not opposed to each other in the opposing direction, allowing the first side housing and the second side housing to move away from each other in the opposing direction.

3. the second housing further includes a cover portion provided on one side of the second housing that is closer to the first connector in the opposing direction relative to the second terminals in the engaged position, The cover portion is an exposure region that exposes the second terminal to the one side when the terminal holding member is in the conductive position; a cover region that is aligned with the exposed region in the circumferential direction and that covers the second terminals from one side in the opposing direction when the terminal holding member is in the non-conducting position; 3. The connector set of claim 2, comprising:

4. the terminal holding member has a one-side circumferential direction restricting surface that faces one side in the circumferential direction in the engaged position, the second housing further includes an other-side circumferential direction restriction surface that is provided on the case and faces the other side in the circumferential direction, In a position other than the engaged position, the one-side circumferential direction restricting surface and the other-side circumferential direction restricting surface face each other in the circumferential direction to restrict rotation of the terminal holding member relative to the case, A connector set as described in claim 3, wherein in the engaged position, the one-side circumferential regulating surface and the other-side circumferential regulating surface are positioned at different positions in the opposing direction and are not opposed to each other in the circumferential direction, thereby allowing the terminal holding member to rotate relative to the case.

5. The second housing includes: a rotation restricting body that forms the other-side circumferential direction restricting surface and is pressed toward the other side in the opposing direction by the first-side housing in the engaged attitude; a biasing member that biases the rotation restricting body toward one side in the opposing direction; 5. The connector set of claim 4, further comprising:

6. the terminal holding member has a restrictor arrangement hole extending in the opposing direction and in which the rotation restrictor is arranged, and a closing portion that closes a part of an opening of the restrictor arrangement hole on one side in the opposing direction to form a spatial region that exposes the restrictor arrangement hole to one side in the opposing direction, and that forms a second opposing direction restricting surface inside the restrictor arrangement hole; The connector set according to claim 5 , wherein the first housing has a pressing piece that is inserted into the restrictor placement hole through the spatial region to press the rotation restrictor and that forms the first opposing restrictor surface.

7. A connector set including a first connector and a second connector that is disposed opposite the first connector and is electrically conductive to the first connector when in an engagement position where the second connector is engaged with the first connector, The first connector comprises: A first side terminal; a first housing supporting the first terminal; Equipped with The second connector is A second side terminal; a second housing supporting the second terminals; Equipped with The second housing includes: a cylindrical case extending in a direction in which the first connector and the second connector face each other; an operating lever that rotates relative to the case in a circumferential direction of the case between an in-use position and an in-use position; and the first housing has a first opposing direction restriction surface that faces one side of the opposing direction in the engaged posture, the second housing further includes a second opposing direction restriction surface that faces the other side in the opposing direction in the engaged position, When the operating lever is in the use position, the first opposing direction restriction surface and the second opposing direction restriction surface face each other in the opposing direction in the engaged posture, restricting movement of the first housing and the second housing away from each other in the opposing direction, When the operating lever is in the unused position, in the engaged posture, the first opposing direction regulating surface and the second opposing direction regulating surface are positioned at different positions in the circumferential direction and are not opposed to each other in the opposing direction, thereby allowing the first side housing and the second side housing to move away from each other in the opposing direction.

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