Lever-equipped connector

Abstract

To provide a connector with a lever capable of hardly causing inclined fitting with a mating connector and capable of miniaturizing a connector size.SOLUTION: The gear mechanism 12 provided in the lever-equipped connector 1 has an internal gear 20 and an external gear 21 formed in the lever 4. In the gear mechanism 12, the internal gear 20 meshes with a first gear 13 rotatably provided in the connector housing 3, and the external gear 21 meshes with a second gear 14 rotatably provided in the connector housing 3. The first gear 13 has a first engaging piece 24 that bites into and engages with the inside of a first engaged portion 26 of the mating connector 2 when the lever 4 is rotated to the mating position. The second gear 14 has a second engaging piece 25 that bites into and engages with the inside of a second engaged part 27 of the mating connector 2 when the lever 4 is rotated to the mating position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a connector assembly is known in which a first connector is fully mated with a second connector by rotating a lever of the first connector mated with the second connector. The first connector has a drive gear provided on the lever and a mating gear that rotates driven by the drive gear. When the lever is rotated, the drive gear and the mating gear rotate in opposite directions. At this time, the lever lobes of the drive gear and the lever lobes of the mating gear engage with cam tracks formed on the second connector, thereby fully mating the first connector with the second connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 2274800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of Patent Document 1, the drive gear is formed integrally with the lever, so it rotates directly due to the operating force of the lever's rotation. Meanwhile, the mating gear is meshed with the drive gear, so it rotates by indirectly receiving the operating force of the lever's rotation via the drive gear. As a result, when the lever is rotated, the rotational loads of the drive gear and the mating gear are not the same, so there is a possibility that the first connector will be mated at an angle relative to the second connector. Meanwhile, there is a strong demand for miniaturization of connector assemblies that use a gear structure for connector mating.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a lever-equipped connector that can reduce the occurrence of tilted mating with a mating connector and that can reduce the connector size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A lever-equipped connector that solves the above problem is configured to connect to a mating connector when a lever rotatably mounted on a connector housing that is mated with a mating connector is rotated from an initial mating position to a mating position, and has an internal gear formed on the lever so that its teeth are arranged in the direction of lever rotation, and an external gear formed on the lever so that it rotates integrally with the internal gear, and is provided with a gear mechanism in which the internal gear meshes with a first gear rotatably mounted on the connector housing, and the external gear meshes with a second gear rotatably mounted on the connector housing, and the first gear has a first engagement piece that meshes with and engages the inside of a first engaged portion of the mating connector when rotated by the internal gear in an operation to position the lever in the mating position, and the second gear has a second engagement piece that meshes with and engages the inside of a second engaged portion of the mating connector when rotated by the external gear in an operation to position the lever in the mating position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present disclosure can make it difficult for tilted mating with a mating connector to occur, and can also reduce the connector size. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lever-equipped connector mated with a mating connector. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lever-equipped connector in a mated state. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lever-equipped connector and the mating connector. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lever with the first gear and the second gear removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lever connector as seen from the back side. [Figure 7] 7(a) and 7(b) are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the locking mechanism. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the lever connector being attached to the mating connector. [Figure 9] 9(a) to 9(c) are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the gear mechanism. [Figure 10] 10(a) and 10(b) are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the gear mechanism at a position different from that shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The lever-equipped connector of the present disclosure is configured to connect to a mating connector when a lever rotatably provided on a connector housing to be mated with the mating connector is rotated from an initial mating position to a mating position, and has an internal gear formed on the lever so that the teeth are arranged in the direction of lever rotation, and an external gear formed on the lever so that it rotates integrally with the internal gear, and is provided with a gear mechanism in which the internal gear meshes with a first gear rotatably provided on the connector housing, and the external gear meshes with a second gear rotatably provided on the connector housing, and the first gear has a first engagement piece that meshes with and engages the inside of a first engaged portion of the mating connector when rotated by the internal gear in an operation to position the lever to the mating position, and the second gear has a second engagement piece that meshes with and engages the inside of a second engaged portion of the mating connector when rotated by the external gear in an operation to position the lever to the mating position.

[0010] According to this configuration, both the first engaging piece that engages with the first engaged portion of the mating connector and the second engaging piece that engages with the second engaged portion of the mating connector are formed as driven gears (first gear, second gear) that rotate with the lever. Therefore, when the lever is rotated to the mating position, there is little difference in rotational load between the first engaging piece, which rotates with the first gear and engages with the first engaged portion, and the second engaging piece, which rotates with the second gear and engages with the second engaged portion. As a result, the first engaging piece and the second engaging piece engage with their mating members with equal loads, making it difficult for the lever-equipped connector to be mated with the mating connector in an inclined state.

[0011] However, to engage the first engaging piece with the inside of the first engaged portion and the second engaging piece with the inside of the second engaged portion, the first gear and the second gear must be rotated in opposite directions. In this case, for example, if both the first gear and the second gear are configured to mesh with the external teeth of the lever, one of the first gear and the second gear must be meshed with the external teeth via another gear, which raises concerns about increased size. On the other hand, with this configuration, the first gear meshes with the internal gear of the lever. This does not increase the number of gears, making it possible to miniaturize the lever-equipped connector. As a result, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of misaligned mating with the mating connector and to miniaturize the connector.

[0012] [2] In the above [1], the first engaging piece is disposed inside the first gear, and the second engaging piece is disposed inside the second gear. With this configuration, the engagement portion between the first engaging piece and the first engaged portion can be covered by the meshing portion between the internal gear of the lever and the first gear, in other words, the side wall of the lever. Similarly, the engagement portion between the second engaging piece and the second engaged portion can be covered by the meshing portion between the external gear of the lever and the second gear, in other words, the side wall of the lever. Therefore, since the mating portion between the mating connector and the connector housing can be covered by the side wall of the lever, it becomes possible to prevent foreign matter and water from entering the inside of the lever.

[0013] [3] In the above [1] or [2], the first gear is housed in a first recess formed on the inner surface of the lever, and the second gear is housed in a second recess formed on the inner surface of the lever. This configuration makes it possible to reduce the size of the lever in the axial direction (specifically, the thickness direction), thereby contributing to the miniaturization of the lever-equipped connector in the same direction.

[0014] [4] In any of the above items [1] to [3], the lever has a reinforcing portion formed to connect the internal gear to the lever body on the side of the first gear in order to improve the strength of the internal gear. With this configuration, the strength of the internal gear can be increased by the reinforcing portion, making it possible to reduce the likelihood of abnormalities occurring in the internal gear.

[0015] [5] In any of [1] to [4] above, the lever-equipped connector includes a locking mechanism that, when the lever is operated to the mating position, engages the locking portion of the lever with the locking stopper of the connector housing to lock the rotation of the lever. When the connector housing is not mated with the mating connector, the locking portion engages with the position-retaining portion of the connector housing to retain the lever in the initial mating position. During the mating process of the connector housing, the position-retaining state by the position-retaining portion is released by the release portion of the mating connector, allowing the lever to be rotated to the mating position. This configuration allows the lever to be retained in the initial mating position by the locking mechanism before the lever-equipped connector is mated with the mating connector. This makes it less likely that the lever will unintentionally rotate in the mating direction before the lever-equipped connector is attached to the mating connector. This contributes to improved operability when mating the lever-equipped connector with the mating connector.

[0016] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In each drawing, for the convenience of explanation, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions of each part may differ from the actual ones.

[0017] (Lever connector 1) As shown in Figure 1, the lever-equipped connector 1 includes a connector housing 3 that is mated with a mating connector 2, and a lever 4 that is rotatably attached to the connector housing 3. The lever-equipped connector 1 and the mating connector 2 each have a plurality of terminals (not shown) that are electrically connected when they are mated. The lever-equipped connector 1 is mated with a mating portion 2a of the mating connector 2. The set of the lever-equipped connector 1 and the mating connector 2 is, for example, for use in a vehicle.

[0018] The lever 4 can take two positions, for example, an initial mating position before being rotated, and a mating position where it is rotated from the initial mating position in the mating direction. When the lever 4 is rotated from the initial mating position to the mating position, the lever-equipped connector 1 is fully mated with the mating connector 2 and the connector housing 3. One of the lever-equipped connector 1 and the mating connector 2 is a male connector, and the other is a female connector.

[0019] (Lever 4) As shown in FIG. 1 , the lever 4 has a lever body 6 that forms the main body of the lever 4. The lever body 6 has a pair of side walls 7 and a connecting wall 8 that connects the pair of side walls 7. The pair of side walls 7 are disposed in housing recesses 9a recessed in side portions 9 of the connector housing 3. A shaft 10 formed in the side portions 9 of the connector housing 3 is rotatably fitted into the shaft holes 7a of the pair of side walls 7. The lever 4 is rotated from the initial mating position to the mated position by rotating around the shaft 10. The rotation angle when the lever 4 is rotated from the initial mating position to the mated position is set to, for example, about 30 degrees.

[0020] (Gear mechanism 12) 2, the lever-equipped connector 1 is equipped with a gear mechanism 12 that, in conjunction with the lever 4 that is rotated from the initial mating position to the mated position, completely mates the lever-equipped connector 1, which is in the middle of mating, with the mating connector 2. The gear mechanism 12 in this example is provided on both of the pair of side walls 7 of the lever 4.

[0021] (First gear 13 and second gear 14) As shown in FIG. 3 , the gear mechanism 12 has a first gear 13 and a second gear 14 rotatably mounted on the connector housing 3. The first gear 13 is rotatably mounted on a first gear shaft 15 formed on the side portion 9 of the connector housing 3. The first gear shaft 15 is inserted into a hole 13a formed in the center of the first gear 13. The second gear 14 is rotatably mounted on a second gear shaft 16 formed on the side portion 9 of the connector housing 3 so as to form a pair with the first gear shaft 15. The second gear shaft 16 is inserted into a hole 14a formed in the center of the second gear 14. The first gear 13 and the second gear 14 are formed in the same gear shape. The second gear shaft 16 is positioned so that the distance from the shaft portion 10 is longer than the distance between the shaft portion 10 and the first gear shaft 15.

[0022] The gear mechanism 12 is provided on both of the pair of side walls 7 of the lever 4, i.e., on both the front and back sides of the paper, but in this example, for simplicity of explanation, only the gear mechanism 12 on the front side of the paper will be described.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, the first gear 13 is accommodated in a first recess 17 formed in the lever 4. In this example, the first recess 17 is disposed on the inner surface of the side wall 7 of the lever 4 and is formed so as not to penetrate through. The second gear 14 is accommodated in a second recess 18 disposed on the inner surface of the side wall 7 of the lever 4 at a corner of the lever 4. In this example, the side wall 7 is disposed to the lateral side of the second recess 18.

[0024] (Internal gear 20 and external gear 21) As shown in Figure 2, the gear mechanism 12 has an internal gear 20 formed on the lever 4 so that its teeth are arranged in the lever rotation direction (the direction of arrow A in Figure 2). The internal gear 20 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the first recess 17 that houses the first gear 13. The internal gear 20 meshes with the first gear 13 that is rotatably attached to the connector housing 3. The gear ratio between the first gear 13 and the internal gear 20 is set so that, for example, the first gear 13 rotates approximately 70 to 80 degrees for each approximately 30 degree rotation of the lever 4.

[0025] The gear mechanism 12 has an external gear 21 formed on the lever 4 so as to rotate integrally with the internal gear 20. The external gear 21 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the second recess 18 that houses the second gear 14, at a position close to the shaft portion 10. The tooth pitch of the external gear 21 is formed to be the same as the tooth pitch (e.g., tooth size and number of teeth) of the internal gear 20. The external gear 21 meshes with the second gear 14 that is rotatably attached to the connector housing 3. The gear ratio between the second gear 14 and the external gear 21 is set to be the same as the gear ratio between the first gear 13 and the internal gear 20, for example.

[0026] The internal gear 20 and the external gear 21 are arranged on the same rotation locus La when the lever 4 is rotated. When the lever 4 is rotated, the internal gear 20 and the external gear 21 rotate in opposite directions.

[0027] (reinforcement part 22) As shown in FIG. 5, the lever 4 has a reinforcing portion 22 formed to strengthen the internal gear 20. The reinforcing portion 22 is formed to connect the internal gear 20 to the lever body 6 on the side of the first gear 13. The reinforcing portion 22 in this example forms a part of the side wall 7 of the lever 4. In this way, the reinforcing portion 22 also serves as a side plate of the lever 4. The reinforcing portion 22 in this example also serves as a wall of the first recess 17 that houses the first gear 13.

[0028] (First engagement piece 24 and second engagement piece 25) 3 and 4, the gear mechanism 12 has a first engaging piece 24 on the first gear 13 and a second engaging piece 25 on the second gear 14. As shown in Fig. 3, a first engaged portion 26 with which the first engaging piece 24 engages and a second engaged portion 27 with which the second engaging piece 25 engages are formed on the side surface of the mating portion 2a of the mating connector 2. In this way, the first engaging piece 24 and the first engaged portion 26 form a pair, and the second engaging piece 25 and the second engaged portion 27 form a pair.

[0029] The first engaging piece 24 is formed on the inside of the first gear 13. The first engaging piece 24 has a first protrusion 28 and a second protrusion 29 arranged opposite each other in the rotational direction of the first gear 13. The first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 are formed, for example, in a generally fan shape. The first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 are arranged at a predetermined angle along the rotational direction of the first gear 13. The first engaged portion 26 has a protruding portion 30 arranged near the opening of the fitting portion 2a of the mating connector 2 and a recessed portion 31 formed at a lower position than the protruding portion 30. Between the first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 is a recessed portion 32 in which the protruding portion 30 of the first engaged portion 26 is arranged.

[0030] The second engaging piece 25 is formed on the inside of the second gear 14. The second engaging piece 25 has a third protrusion 34 and a fourth protrusion 35 similar to the first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 of the first engaging piece 24. The second engaged portion 27 has a protruding portion 36 and a recessed portion 37 similar to the protruding portion 30 and the recessed portion 31 of the first engaged portion 26. Between the third protrusion 34 and the fourth protrusion 35 is a recessed portion 38 in which the protruding portion 36 of the second engaged portion 27 is disposed.

[0031] The first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29 of the first gear 13 and the third protrusion 34 and the fourth protrusion 35 of the second gear 14 are arranged symmetrically in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 10 of the lever 4 (the X-axis direction in FIG. 3, etc.). Similarly, the first engaged portion 26 and the second engaged portion 27 are also arranged symmetrically in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 10 of the lever 4 (the X-axis direction in FIG. 3, etc.). The protruding portion 30 and the recessed portion 31 of the first engaged portion 26 and the protruding portion 36 and the recessed portion 37 of the second engaged portion 27 are arranged to face each other.

[0032] When the lever 4 is operated to the mating position, the gear mechanism 12 has the first engaging piece 24 meshing with and engaging the inside of the first engaged portion 26, and the second engaging piece 25 meshing with and engaging the inside of the second engaged portion 27. Specifically, when the first gear 13 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 4, the protruding portion 30 of the first engaged portion 26 meshes and engages between the first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29. Furthermore, when the second gear 14 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lever 4, the protruding portion 36 of the second engaged portion 27 meshes and engages between the third protrusion 34 and the fourth protrusion 35.

[0033] 6, the first engagement piece 24 is disposed inside a first opening 40 formed in the side portion 9 of the connector housing 3. The first opening 40 has a first groove 41 which provides space for movement of the first engagement piece 24, and a second groove 42 which provides space for placement of the first engaged portion 26 when the connector housing 3 is mated with the mating connector 2. When the lever 4 is in the initial mating position, the first protrusion 28 of the first engagement piece 24 is positioned on the groove passage of the second groove 42, and the second protrusion 29 of the first engagement piece 24 is positioned deep inside the first groove 41.

[0034] The second engagement piece 25 is disposed inside a second opening 43 formed adjacent to the first opening 40 in the side portion 9 of the connector housing 3. The second opening 43 is disposed side by side with the first opening 40 in a direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 6) intersecting the lever axial direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 6). The second opening 43 has a third groove 44 and a fourth groove 45 similar to those of the first opening 40. The first opening 40 and the second opening 43 are formed symmetrically in a direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 6) intersecting the lever axial direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 6).

[0035] (locking mechanism 47) As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the lever-equipped connector 1 is provided with a locking mechanism 47 that locks the lever 4 to the connector housing 3 when the lever 4 is operated to the mating position. The locking mechanism 47 has a locking portion 48 (see Figure 4, etc.) formed on the lever 4. The locking portion 48 is an elastic piece formed by making a slit in the side wall 7 at a corner of the side wall 7 of the lever 4 (see Figure 4, etc.). A protrusion 48a is formed at the tip of the locking portion 48.

[0036] The locking mechanism 47 has a locking stopper 52 formed on the connector housing 3. The locking stopper 52 is a hole formed on the side portion 9 of the connector housing 3. When the lever 4 is operated to the mating position, the locking mechanism 47 locks the rotation of the lever 4 by engaging the locking portion 48 of the lever 4 with the locking stopper 52 of the connector housing 3. In this example, the protrusion 48a of the locking portion 48 engages with the locking stopper 52 of the connector housing 3. This holds the lever 4 in the mating position.

[0037] The locking mechanism 47 has a position-retaining function of holding the lever 4 in the initial mating position before the lever-equipped connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 2. In this case, the locking mechanism 47 has a position-retaining portion 49 formed on the connector housing 3 to hold the lever 4 in the initial mating position. The position-retaining portion 49 is a side portion of the second groove 42 of the first opening 40. When the connector housing 3 is not mated with the mating connector 2, the locking mechanism 47 enters a position-retaining state as the protrusion 48a of the locking portion 48 engages with the position-retaining portion 49 of the connector housing 3. When the locking mechanism 47 is in the position-retaining state, the lever 4 is held in the initial mating position.

[0038] The mating connector 2 has a release portion 51 that releases the position-maintaining state of the locking mechanism 47. In this example, the release portion 51 is the first engaged portion 26 formed on the side surface of the mating portion 2a. When the connector housing 3 is mated with the mating connector 2, the locking state of the locking portion 48 is released by the release portion 51 of the mating connector 2, allowing the lever 4 to be rotated to the mating position. For example, when the connector housing 3 is mated with the mating connector 2, the release portion 51 releases the position-maintaining state by lifting the protrusion 48a of the locking portion 48.

[0039] [Effect] Next, the operation of the lever connector 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 8, the lever-equipped connector 1 is positioned so as to face the mating portion 2a of the mating connector 2 with the lever 4 in the initial mating position. The lever-equipped connector 1 is then attached to the mating connector 2 so as to fit into the mating portion 2a (the state shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 8). When the lever-equipped connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 2 with the lever 4 in the initial mating position, it is not completely mated with the mating connector 2 but is in the initial mating state.

[0040] As shown in Figure 7(a), when the lever-equipped connector 1 is partially mated with the mating connector 2, the protrusion 48a of the locking portion 48 is lifted by the release portion 51 (in this example, the first engaged portion 26) of the mating connector 2, and is therefore released from the position-maintaining portion 49 of the connector housing 3. This causes the locking mechanism 47 to enter a position-maintaining release state. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7(b), the lever 4 is permitted to be rotated from the initial mating position to the mated position.

[0041] 9(a), when the lever-equipped connector 1 is in the initial stage of mating with the mating connector 2, the first gear 13 has not yet rotated, so the first protrusion 28 of the first gear 13 comes into contact with the protruding portion 30 of the first engaged portion 26. Similarly, the third protrusion 34 of the second gear 14 comes into contact with the protruding portion 36 of the second engaged portion 27. As described above, the first protrusion 28 is interfered with by the first engaged portion 26, and the third protrusion 34 is interfered with by the second engaged portion 27, so that the lever-equipped connector 1 is in the initial stage of mating with the mating connector 2.

[0042] 10(a) and 10(b), when the lever 4 is rotated from the initial mating position to the mated position, the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 also rotate in accordance with the rotation. When the lever 4 is rotated, the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 rotate in opposite directions. Specifically, when the lever 4 rotates clockwise on the page, the first gear 13 rotates in the same clockwise direction as the lever 4, and the second gear 14 rotates counterclockwise on the page, opposite to the lever 4.

[0043] As shown in Figures 9(b) and (c), when the first gear 13 rotates, the first engaging piece 24 on the back side of the first gear 13 also rotates coaxially. As a result, the protruding portion 30 of the first engaged portion 26 engages with the recess 32 between the first protrusion 28 and the second protrusion 29, and a sinking load is generated in the connector housing 3 in the mating direction (indicated by the white arrow in Figure 9(b)). Furthermore, when the second gear 14 rotates, the second engaging piece 25 on the back side of the second gear 14 also rotates coaxially. As a result, the protruding portion 36 of the second engaged portion 27 engages with the recess 38 between the third protrusion 34 and the fourth protrusion 35, and a sinking load is generated in the connector housing 3 in the mating direction (indicated by the white arrow in Figure 9(b)).

[0044] When the lever 4 is operated to the mating position, the gear mechanism 12 generates a sinking load on the connector housing 3, causing the connector housing 3 to fully mate with the mating connector 2. In this way, the lever-equipped connector 1 moves in a sinking manner, thereby fully mating with the mating connector 2. As a result, the terminals of the lever-equipped connector 1 and the terminals of the mating connector 2 are also fully connected. In this way, the lever-equipped connector 1 is assembled to the mating connector 2.

[0045] In the present example, when the lever 4 is rotated, a pair of driven gears (first gear 13 and second gear 14 in this example) that are driven by the lever 4 rotate, causing a first engaging piece 24 of the first gear 13 to engage with a first engaged portion 26 of the mating connector 2, and a second engaging piece 25 of the second gear 14 to engage with a second engaged portion 27 of the mating connector 2. For this reason, for example, there is no need to have a structure in which one driven gear is meshed with the lever 4 and to provide engaging pieces on these.

[0046] In this way, the gear mechanism 12 of this example is provided with engaging pieces (first engaging piece 24, second engaging piece 25) on a pair of driven gears (first gear 13, second gear 14) that are driven by the lever 4, and these engaging pieces are engaged with engaged portions (first engaged portion 26, second engaged portion 27) of the mating connector 2, thereby completely fitting the connector housing 3 to the mating connector 2. Therefore, because both engaging pieces in the connector housing 3 are provided on the driven gears, unevenness in the fitting load is unlikely to occur.

[0047] Furthermore, one of the pair of driven gears (first gear 13, second gear 14) in this example must rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the lever 4, and the other must rotate in the opposite direction. In this example, an internal gear 20 is provided on the lever 4, and the first gear 13 is meshed with this internal gear 20. As a result, a portion of the lever 4 is used as a space for arranging the first gear 13, making it possible to reduce the size of the lever-equipped connector 1.

[0048] In this example, the gear of the lever 4, the first gear 13, and the second gear 14 are arranged side by side in a direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 2, etc.) perpendicular to the lever axial direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 2, etc.). Therefore, the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 are arranged at a predetermined interval. As a result, even if the dimension of the connector housing 3 (mating connector 2) increases in the direction perpendicular to the lever axial direction, the pair of the first engaging piece 24 and the first engaged portion 26 and the pair of the second engaging piece 25 and the second engaged portion 27 can be positioned near the ends in the direction perpendicular to the lever axial direction. Therefore, the connector housing 3 can be sandwiched between the mating connector 2 from both ends in the direction perpendicular to the lever axial direction, making it possible to reduce the likelihood of misalignment during mating, regardless of the dimension in that direction.

[0049] Furthermore, in a structure in which the engaging piece and the engaged part are engaged by rotating the gear through the rotation of the lever 4, the gear can increase the amount of rotation of the engaging piece. Therefore, even if the amount of operation of the lever 4 is small, the amount of rotation of the gear can be increased. Therefore, compared to connectors that do not use a gear structure, it is possible to keep the amount of rotation of the lever 4 small, which further contributes to the miniaturization of the lever-equipped connector 1.

[0050] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Lever-equipped connector 1 is connected to mating connector 2 when lever 4, which is rotatably provided on connector housing 3 to be mated with mating connector 2, is rotated from the initial mating position to the mating position. Gear mechanism 12 has an internal gear 20 formed on lever 4 so that its teeth are arranged in the lever rotation direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 ), and an external gear 21 formed on lever 4 so as to rotate integrally with internal gear 20. In gear mechanism 12, internal gear 20 meshes with first gear 13 rotatably provided on connector housing 3, and external gear 21 meshes with second gear 14 rotatably provided on connector housing 3. First gear 13 has a first engagement piece 24 that meshes with and engages the inside of first engaged portion 26 of mating connector 2 when lever 4 is rotated to the mating position. Second gear 14 has a second engagement piece 25 that meshes with and engages the inside of second engaged portion 27 of mating connector 2 when lever 4 is rotated to the mating position.

[0051] According to this configuration, both the first engaging piece 24 that engages with the first engaged portion 26 of the mating connector 2 and the second engaging piece 25 that engages with the second engaged portion 27 of the mating connector 2 are formed on driven gears (first gear 13, second gear 14) that rotate together with the lever 4. Therefore, when the lever 4 is rotated to the mating position, a difference in rotational load is unlikely to occur between the first engaging piece 24 that rotates together with the first gear 13 and engages with the first engaged portion 26, and the second engaging piece 25 that rotates together with the second gear 14 and engages with the second engaged portion 27. As a result, the first engaging piece 24 and the second engaging piece 25 engage with their mating counterparts with equal loads, making it difficult for the lever-equipped connector 1 to be mated with the mating connector 2 in a tilted state.

[0052] However, to engage the first engaging piece 24 with the inside of the first engaged portion 26 and the second engaging piece 25 with the inside of the second engaged portion 27, the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 must be rotated in opposite directions. In this case, for example, if both the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 are configured to mesh with the external teeth of the lever 4, one of the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 must be meshed with the external teeth via another gear, which raises concerns about an increase in size. On the other hand, with this configuration, the first gear 13 meshes with the internal gear 20 of the lever 4. This does not increase the number of gears, making it possible to miniaturize the lever-equipped connector 1. As a result, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of misaligned mating with the mating connector 2 and to miniaturize the connector size.

[0053] (2) The first engaging piece 24 is disposed inside the first gear 13. The second engaging piece 25 is disposed inside the second gear 14. With this configuration, the engagement portion between the first engaging piece 24 and the first engaged portion 26 can be covered by the meshing portion between the internal gear 20 of the lever 4 and the first gear 13, in other words, by the side wall 7 of the lever 4. Similarly, the engagement portion between the second engaging piece 25 and the second engaged portion 27 can be covered by the meshing portion between the external gear 21 of the lever 4 and the second gear 14, in other words, by the side wall 7 of the lever 4. Therefore, the mating portion between the mating connector 2 and the connector housing 3 can be covered by the side wall 7 of the lever 4, making it less likely for foreign matter or water to enter the connector.

[0054] (3) The first gear 13 is housed in a first recess 17 formed on the inner surface of the lever 4. The second gear 14 is housed in a second recess 18 formed on the inner surface of the lever 4. This configuration makes it possible to reduce the size in the lever axial direction (Y-axis direction in Figure 1, etc.), which contributes to miniaturizing the lever-equipped connector 1 in the same direction.

[0055] (4) The lever 4 has a reinforcing portion 22 formed to connect the internal gear 20 to the lever body 6 on the side of the first gear 13 in order to improve the strength of the internal gear 20. With this configuration, the strength of the internal gear 20 can be increased by the reinforcing portion 22, making it less likely that abnormalities will occur in the internal gear 20.

[0056] (5) The lever-equipped connector 1 is provided with a locking mechanism 47 that locks the rotation of the lever 4 when the lever 4 is operated to the mating position by engaging the locking portion 48 of the lever 4 with the locking stopper portion 52 of the connector housing 3. When the connector housing 3 is not mated with the mating connector 2, the locking portion 48 engages with the position maintaining portion 49 of the connector housing 3 to maintain the lever 4 in the initial mating position. During the process of mating the connector housing 3 with the mating connector 2, the position maintaining state by the position maintaining portion 49 is released by the release portion 51 of the mating connector 2, allowing the lever 4 to be rotated to the mating position.

[0057] According to this configuration, the locking mechanism 47 can hold the lever 4 in the initial mating position before the lever connector 1 is mated with the mating connector 2. This makes it less likely that the lever 4 will unintentionally rotate in the mating direction before the lever connector 1 is attached to the mating connector 2. This contributes to improving the workability when mating the lever connector 1 with the mating connector 2.

[0058] [Other embodiments] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0059] The gear mechanism 12 may be provided on only one side in the lever axial direction. The first gear 13 and the second gear 14 do not necessarily have teeth on the entire circumference, but may have teeth only on part of the circumference.

[0060] The tooth pitches of the first gear 13 and the second gear 14 may be formed to have different shapes. The first gear 13 and the second gear 14 may be disposed between the side wall 7 of the lever 4 and the side portion 9 of the connector housing 3 .

[0061] The internal gear 20 and the external gear 21 may be arranged on different lines rather than on the same rotation locus La. The releasing portion 51 is not limited to being the first engaged portion 26. For example, the releasing portion 51 may be formed of a different member from the first engaged portion 26.

[0062] The lever-equipped connector 1 may have a connector position assurance (CPA) member that assures the mating state of the mating connector 2 and the connector housing 3. The locking mechanism 47 may be omitted.

[0063] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 Lever connector 2 Mating connector 2a Mating part 3 Connector housing 4 Lever 6 Lever body 7 side wall 7a Shaft hole 8 Connecting wall 9 Side 9a Housing recess 10 Shaft 12 Gear mechanism 13 1st Gear 13a hole 14 2nd Gear 14a Hole 15 1st gear shaft 16 Second gear shaft 17 First recess 18 Second recess 20 Internal gear 21 External gear 22 Reinforcement 24 First engagement piece 25 Second engagement piece 26 First engaged part 27 Second engaged part 28 1st protrusion 29 Second protrusion 30 Protrusion 31 Concave part 32 recess 34 Third protrusion 35 4th protrusion 36 Protrusion 37 Concave part 38 Recess 40 First Opening 41 First groove 42 2nd groove 43 Second Opening 44 Third groove 45 4th groove 47 Locking mechanism 48 Rock Club 48a protrusion 49 Position holding part 51 Release section 52 Lock stopper La rotation locus

Claims

1. A lever-equipped connector that is connected to a mating connector when a lever rotatably provided on a connector housing that is to be mated with the mating connector is rotated from an initial mating position to a mating position, a gear mechanism including an internal gear formed on the lever such that teeth are arranged in the lever rotation direction, and an external gear formed on the lever so as to rotate integrally with the internal gear, wherein the internal gear meshes with a first gear rotatably provided on the connector housing, and the external gear meshes with a second gear rotatably provided on the connector housing; the first gear has a first engaging piece that, when rotated by the internal gear in an operation to position the lever at the mating position, bites into and engages with the inside of a first engaged portion of the mating connector, A lever-equipped connector, wherein the second gear has a second engaging piece that bites into and engages with the inside of the second engaged portion of the mating connector when rotated by the external gear during the operation of positioning the lever to the mating position.

2. the first engagement piece is disposed inside the first gear, The lever-equipped connector according to claim 1 , wherein the second engagement piece is disposed inside the second gear.

3. The first gear is accommodated in a first recess formed on the inner surface of the lever, 2. The lever connector according to claim 1, wherein the second gear is accommodated in a second recess formed on an inner surface of the lever.

4. 2. The lever connector according to claim 1, wherein the lever has a reinforcing portion formed to connect the internal gear to the lever body on the side of the first gear in order to improve the strength of the internal gear.

5. a lock mechanism that, when the lever is operated to the mating position, a lock portion of the lever engages with a lock stop portion of the connector housing to lock the rotation of the lever; 2. A lever-equipped connector as described in claim 1, wherein when the connector housing is not mated with the mating connector, the locking portion engages with a position maintaining portion of the connector housing to maintain the lever in the initial mating position, and during the process of mating the connector housing with the mating connector, the position maintaining state by the position maintaining portion is released by a release portion of the mating connector, thereby enabling the lever to be rotated to the mating position.

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