Lever-type connector

Abstract

The present invention provides a lever-type connector that can suppress wear and deformation of the detection terminal when mating with the mating connector. [Solution] The housing 30 of the lever-type connector 10 is equipped with a lock arm 50 that extends in a cantilever shape and is capable of bending and deforming toward the detection terminal 20. The lever 40 is equipped with a lever-side pressing portion 43 that causes the lock arm 50 to bend and deform toward the detection terminal 20 during the process of rotating from the mating start position to the mating completion position. The lock arm 50 is equipped with a pressing portion 51 having a projection 54 that presses the detection terminal 20 by bending and deforming, causing the detection terminal 20 to be separated from the mating detection terminal 83, and a low-rigidity portion 52 located on the base end side of the lock arm 50 than the pressing portion 51 and having lower rigidity than the pressing portion 51.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , ,

[0005] , , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lever-type connector.

Background Art

[0002] As a lever-type connector, a lever-type connector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-173164 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) has been conventionally known. The lever-type connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a housing, a lever rotatably attached to the housing, and a detection terminal held in the housing. In the process of rotating the lever from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position, the lever presses the deflection piece provided in the housing to deflect it, and the deflection piece presses the detection terminal to a position where it does not contact the mating detection terminal provided in the mating connector. When the lever reaches the fitting completion position, the lever releases the pressure on the deflection piece, bringing the detection terminal into contact with the mating detection terminal. As a result, the lever-type connector can maintain the detection terminal in a state separated from the mating detection terminal until the connectors are completely fitted together.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Depending on the rotation of the lever, the deflection piece may not be able to press the detection terminal by the intended amount. In such a case, if the connectors are fitted together while the detection terminal and the mating detection terminal are in contact, the detection terminal may wear or deform, and there is a risk that the detection terminal and the mating detection terminal cannot form a detection circuit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The lever-type connector of this disclosure is a lever-type connector that can be mated with a mating connector having a mating detection terminal, and comprises a housing, a lever rotatably mounted on the housing between a mating start position and a mating completion position, and a detection terminal held within the housing and forming a detection circuit by contacting the mating detection terminal, wherein the housing has a flexible piece extending in a cantilever shape and capable of bending and deforming toward the detection terminal, the lever has a lever-side pressing portion that applies a pressing force to cause the flexible piece to bend and deform toward the detection terminal in the process of rotating from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the flexible piece has a pressing portion provided with a projection that presses the detection terminal and separates the detection terminal from the mating detection terminal, and a low-rigidity portion located on the base end side of the flexible piece than the pressing portion and having lower rigidity than the pressing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this disclosure, a lever-type connector can be provided that can suppress wear and deformation of the detection terminal when mating with the mating connector. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lever-type connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a plan view of a lever-type connector. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lever. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the lever in the AA section of Figure 2, in the position where it is initially engaged. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the state in cross-section AA of Figure 2 where the lever has begun to press against the lock arm. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the BB cross-section in Figure 2, with the lever pressing against the lock arm. [Figure 8] Figure 8 illustrates the deflection deformation of the lock arm. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows the lever in the fully engaged position in cross-section AA of Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] (Description of the embodiments of this disclosure) First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The lever-type connector of the present disclosure is a lever-type connector that can be mated with a mating connector having a mating detection terminal, comprising: a housing; a lever rotatably mounted to the housing between a mating start position and a mating completion position; and a detection terminal held within the housing and forming a detection circuit by contacting the mating detection terminal, wherein the housing comprises a flexible piece extending in a cantilever shape and capable of bending deformable toward the detection terminal, the lever comprises a lever-side pressing portion that applies a pressing force to cause the flexible piece to bend toward the detection terminal during rotation from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the flexible piece comprises a pressing portion provided with a projection that presses the detection terminal and separates the detection terminal from the mating detection terminal, and a low-rigidity portion located on the base end side of the flexible piece than the pressing portion and having lower rigidity than the pressing portion.

[0009] With this configuration, rotating the lever from the mating start position to the mating completion position causes the flexible piece of the housing to bend and deform toward the detection terminal due to the pressing force from the lever-side pressing portion. Since the flexible piece has a low-rigidity portion with lower rigidity on the base end side than the pressing portion, the starting point of the bending of the flexible piece moves closer to the base end, ensuring sufficient displacement of the pressing portion in the pressing direction. As a result, when mating the lever-type connector to the mating connector, the flexible piece ensures that the separation between the detection terminal and the mating detection terminal is properly adjusted, suppressing wear and deformation of the detection terminal.

[0010] [2] In the above [1], it is preferable that the flexible piece is made of resin, and the pressing portion is provided with ribs that extend in the direction in which the flexible piece extends.

[0011] With such a configuration, the pressing portion has higher rigidity than the low-rigidity portion due to the rib extending along the direction in which the bending piece extends. Further, by causing the rib to create a rigidity difference in each portion of the bending piece, it is possible to suppress appearance defects such as sink marks as compared with the case of causing the difference by the difference in the thickness dimension.

[0012] [3] In the above [1], the housing includes a cover member provided at the front end that fits with the mating connector, the bending piece extends rearward from the front end side in the housing, and it is preferable that the low-rigidity portion is covered by the cover member.

[0013] With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the low-rigidity portion from being damaged by receiving an impact from the outside because it is covered by the cover member.

[0014] [4] In the above [3], the bending piece is made of resin, the pressing portion includes a rib extending along the direction in which the bending piece extends, and it is preferable that the end on the low-rigidity portion side of the rib is chamfered.

[0015] With such a configuration, since the end on the low-rigidity portion side of the rib is chamfered, when the bending piece bends in response to the pressing of the lever, it is difficult for the rib to interfere with the cover member or the housing of the mating connector, and it is possible to suppress the bending piece from being difficult to bend and deform starting from the low-rigidity portion side.

[0016] [5] In the above [2] or [4], the bending piece includes a pressed portion that receives the pressing force from the lever-side pressing portion on the tip side rather than the pressing portion, and it is preferable that the rib connects the pressing portion and the pressed portion.

[0017] With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the bending piece from bending on the pressed portion side due to the pressing force applied from the lever, and it is possible to easily transmit the pressing force from the lever to the low-rigidity portion side. Thereby, it is possible to easily bend and deform the bending piece starting from the low-rigidity portion side.

[0018] (Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure) Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, a part of the configuration may be shown in an exaggerated or simplified manner. Also, the dimensional ratios of each part may be different in each drawing. In this specification, "orthogonal" includes not only the case of strict orthogonality but also the case of approximate orthogonality within the range where the actions and effects in the present embodiment are achieved.

[0019] Also, in this specification, "opposite" means that surfaces or members are in a front-to-front position with respect to each other, and includes not only the case where they are completely in a front-to-front position but also the case where they are partially in a front-to-front position. Also, in this specification, "opposite" includes both the case where a member different from the two parts is interposed between the two parts and the case where nothing is interposed between the two parts.

[0020] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is taken as the upward direction, the direction indicated by arrow X is taken as the front direction, and the direction indicated by arrow Y is taken as the left direction. Note that for a plurality of identical members, only some members may be labeled, and the labels of other members may be omitted.

[0021] [[ID=十三]] The lever-type connector 10 is a connector that can be fitted to the mating connector 80. As shown in FIG. 1, the lever-type connector 10 mainly includes a housing 30, a lever 40, and a detection member 60. The lever 40 is attached to the housing 30 so as to be rotatable between a fitting start position shown in FIG. 5 and a fitting completion position shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 5, the mating connector 80 includes a mating housing 81 that can be fitted to the housing 30. Although not shown, the mating housing 81 has cam pins protruding from the left and right inner surfaces inside.

[0022] (Housing) The housing 30 is made of insulating synthetic resin and, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a housing body 31 and a cover member 32. The housing body 31 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the left and right sides of the housing body 31, pivot shafts 37 are provided to rotatably support the lever 40.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the housing body 31 is provided with a first terminal housing section 33 that houses the terminal 24 and a second terminal housing section 34 that houses the detection terminal 20, which will be described later. Each housing section 33 and 34 is a space that penetrates the housing body 31 in the front-to-back direction. The second terminal housing section 34 is located inside the housing body 31 above the first terminal housing section 33 and is positioned in the center in the left-to-right direction. The terminal 24 housed in the first terminal housing section 33 is made of conductive metal and is connected to the mating terminal of the mating connector 80. An electric wire (not shown) is connected to the terminal 24, and the electric wire is led out to the rear of the housing 30.

[0024] The detection terminal 20 housed in the second terminal housing 34 is made of conductive metal and comprises a flat portion 21 arranged along the lower surface of the second terminal housing 34, a spring portion 22 that bends from the flat portion 21, and a contact portion 23 extending from the spring portion 22. The detection terminal 20 is bent so that the contact portion 23 side protrudes upward in a convex shape. The spring portion 22 is bifurcated at its tip, and a pair of left and right contact portions 23 are provided.

[0025] As shown in Figure 9, when the lever-type connector 10 and the mating connector 80 are mated, each contact portion 23 of the detection terminal 20 comes into contact with the contact portion of the mating detection terminal 83. This electrically connects the detection terminal 20 and the mating detection terminal 83, forming a detection circuit.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the cover member 32 is a member provided at the front end of the housing 30 and comprises a front cover portion 32A, an upper cover portion 32B, and a side cover portion 32C. The front cover portion 32A is the part of the cover member 32 that covers the front side of the housing body 31. The front cover portion 32A has multiple openings formed in it corresponding to the positions of the housing portions 33 and 34 of the housing body 31. The upper cover portion 32B is the part of the cover member 32 that extends from the upper edge of the front cover portion 32A and covers the front end side of the upper wall of the housing body 31. The side cover portion 32C is the part of the cover member 32 that extends from the left and right edges of the front cover portion 32A and covers the front side of the side wall of the housing body 31. With the cover member 32 attached to the front end of the housing body 31, the housing 30 is designed so that the terminals 20 and 24 housed in the housing portions 33 and 34 can be exposed through the openings.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the housing body 31 is equipped with a lock arm 50 that extends rearward from the front end 35 of the upper wall, which is the front end of the upper wall. The lock arm 50 extends rearward in a cantilevered manner from the front end 35 of the upper wall and is provided so as to be able to flex and deform in the vertical direction relative to the housing body 31. In this embodiment, the lock arm 50 is an example of a flexible piece. The detailed configuration of the lock arm 50 will be described later.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, an insertion groove 36 is formed on the front side of the upper wall of the housing body 31 into which the upper cover portion 32B of the cover member 32 is inserted. The bottom surface of the insertion groove 36 is composed of the front end portion 35 of the upper wall and a part of the base end side of the lock arm 50 (the low-rigidity portion 52, which will be described later). In other words, the front end portion 35 of the upper wall and the low-rigidity portion 52 included in the bottom surface of the insertion groove 36 are also the portions that are covered by the upper cover portion 32B of the cover member 32.

[0029] (lever) The lever 40 is made of an insulating synthetic resin. As shown in Figure 4, the lever 40 is generally U-shaped and includes an operating part 42 that receives rotational operation by an operator, a pair of plate-shaped parts 41 extending in the same direction from both ends of the operating part 42, and a lever-side pressing part 43 provided on the operating part 42. The plate-shaped part 41 has an axial hole 41A through which a pivot shaft 37 provided in the side wall of the housing body 31 passes, and a cam groove 41B recessed from the outer surface of the plate-shaped part 41 in the left-right direction, which is the thickness direction of the plate-shaped part 41. The cam groove 41B has an entry point 41B1 at the outer edge of the plate-shaped part 41 and extends in a generally arc shape from the entry point 41B1 toward the axial hole 41A. The entry point 41B1 is an opening for receiving a cam pin into the cam groove 41B.

[0030] The lever-side pressing portion 43 has a shape that protrudes inward from the operating portion 42 in the radial direction of rotation of the lever 40. Here, the radial direction of rotation of the lever 40 is the direction in which the axis extends perpendicular to the direction in which the pivot axis 37 extends (left-right direction) and passes through the center of rotation, with the direction approaching the pivot axis 37 being inward and the direction away from the pivot axis 37 being outward. The lever-side pressing portion 43 includes a first pressing portion 44 and a second pressing portion 45 that protrude inward from the operating portion 42 in the radial direction of rotation. The first pressing portion 44 is located approximately in the center in the left-right direction of the operating portion 42. The second pressing portion 45 is located to the left and right of the first pressing portion 44 in the operating portion 42.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, a detection member 60 is attached to the rear side of the housing 30, which can detect the mating state of the lever-type connector 10 and the mating connector 80 by receiving a pressing operation. The detection member 60 comprises a main body 61 and arm portions 62 extending forward from both the left and right ends of the main body 61. The detection member 60 is held in a state in which the arm portions 62 can slide in the front-rear direction relative to the housing body 31. If the mating of the lever-type connector 10 and the mating connector 80 is completed, the detection member 60 can be set to a detection position by pressing the main body 61, causing the arm portions 62 to slide between the lock arm 50 and the detection terminal 20. On the other hand, if the mating of the lever-type connector 10 and the mating connector 80 is not completed, the detection member 60 cannot slide the arm portions 62 and cannot be set to a detection position.

[0032] (Lock arm) Next, the detailed configuration of the lock arm 50 will be described. As shown in Figure 5, the lock arm 50 includes a pressing portion 51 on which a projection 54 that presses against the detection terminal 20 is provided, a low-rigidity portion 52 located closer to the base end of the lock arm 50 than the pressing portion 51, and a pressed portion 53 provided at the tip of the lock arm.

[0033] The pressed portion 53 is the portion of the lock arm that receives the pressing force from the lever-side pressing portion 43 of the lever 40. The pressed portion 53 is equipped with a fitting lock portion 55 that protrudes upward. In this embodiment, the pressed portion 53 is provided with two fitting lock portions 55 spaced apart in the left-right direction.

[0034] The pressing portion 51 has a projection 54 on its lower surface facing the detection terminal 20, which protrudes downward from this lower surface. As the lock arm 50 bends and deforms downward, the projection 54 presses against the detection terminal 20, causing the detection terminal 20 to elastically deform.

[0035] The pressing portion 51 is provided with ribs 56 on its upper surface that extend in the direction in which the lock arm 50 extends (front-to-back direction). In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, three ribs 56 are arranged at equal intervals in the left-to-right direction on the upper surface of the pressing portion 51. By providing the ribs 56 on the pressing portion 51, the rigidity of the pressing portion 51 can be increased.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the front end 56A of each rib 56 extends to just before the low-rigidity portion 52, so as not to interfere with the upper cover portion 32B of the cover member 32. In addition, a chamfered portion 57, which is a surface inclined at a predetermined angle, is formed at the front end (i.e., the low-rigidity portion 52 side) of each rib 56. This prevents the end of the rib 56 on the low-rigidity portion 52 side from interfering with the upper cover portion 32B or the mating housing 81 even if the lock arm 50 is deformed by bending. On the other hand, the rear end of each rib 56 is connected to the pressed portion 53. This prevents the pressed portion 53 from bending downward when it is pressed by the lever-side pressing portion 43 of the lever 40, as will be described later.

[0037] The low-rigidity portion 52 is a portion of the lock arm 50 that is thinner than the pressing portion 51. Here, "thinner than the pressing portion 51" means that the thickness dimension is thinner than the maximum thickness dimension of the pressing portion 51, including the thickness of the rib 56. However, the thickness dimension of the low-rigidity portion 52 may be thicker than the thickness dimension of the pressing portion 51 excluding the rib 56. Because the low-rigidity portion 52 is thinner than the pressing portion 51, the low-rigidity portion 52 has lower rigidity than the pressing portion 51.

[0038] (Regarding the mating of a lever-type connector and a mating connector) When mating the lever-type connector 10 with the mating connector 80, first, as shown in Figure 5, the lever-type connector 10 and the mating connector 80 are loosely mated with the lever 40 in the mating start position. Then, the cam pin of the mating connector 80 enters the cam groove 41B provided in the lever 40, and the cam pin and the cam groove 41B engage.

[0039] When the lever 40 is in the engagement start position, the lever-side pressing portion 43 of the lever 40 is away from the lock arm 50, so the lock arm 50 and the detection terminal 20 are not deformed and are in their natural state. Also, the detection terminal 20 and the mating detection terminal 83 are not in contact.

[0040] With the cam pin of the mating connector 80 engaged in the cam groove 41B of the lever 40, the operating part 42 of the lever 40 is operated, causing the lever 40 to rotate from the mating start position to the mating completion position. As the lever 40 rotates, as shown in Figure 6, the first pressing part 44 of the lever-side pressing part 43 comes into contact with the tip of the pressed part 53. As a result, the lock arm 50 begins to bend and deform under the pressure from the lever 40. Then, the projection 54 of the lock arm 50 is displaced downward, pressing the detection terminal 20 and displacing the contact part 23 of the detection terminal 20 downward.

[0041] Furthermore, as the lever 40 rotates toward the fully engaged position, the first pressing portion 44 enters the gap between the two engagement lock portions 55 while pressing against the area to be pressed 53. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 7, in response to the rotation of the lever 40, the second pressing portion 45 of the lever 40 comes into contact with the upper surface of the engagement lock portion 55 and begins to press against the area to be pressed 53.

[0042] As the lever 40 rotates further, the first pressing portion 44 separates from the lock arm 50 while the second pressing portion 45 contacts the upper surface of the fitting lock portion 55. At this time, the contact portion of the mating detection terminal 83 has reached a position where it overlaps with the detection terminal 20 in the front-rear direction. However, the protrusion 54 of the deformed lock arm 50 presses against the detection terminal 20, separating the contact portion 23 from the mating detection terminal 83.

[0043] In this case, if the downward displacement of the projection 54 on the lock arm 50 is small, the projection 54 may not be able to sufficiently press the detection terminal 20 during the process of mating the lever-type connector 10 with the mating connector 80. In such a case, the mating of the connectors proceeds with the detection terminal 20 and the mating detection terminal 83 in contact, which can cause wear or deformation of the surface of the detection terminal 20.

[0044] For example, if the rigidity of the lock arm 50 is uniform in the front-rear direction, the lock arm 50 may bend and deform in a way that hinders the pressing force applied to the detection terminal 20 due to changes in the direction of pressure applied to the lock arm 50 by the lever 40 or the reaction force from the detection terminal 20. In particular, in this embodiment, there is a period during which the lock arm 50 is pressed by the first pressing part 44 and a period during which the lock arm 50 is pressed by the second pressing part 45, so the direction of pressure applied to the lock arm 50 by the lever 40 is likely to change. For example, if the lock arm 50 deforms by bending starting from the tip side of the projection 54, the amount of downward displacement of the projection 54 will be small. The amount of downward displacement of the projection 54 is the amount of vertical displacement from the tip of the projection 54 in the natural state to the tip of the projection 54 after bending deformation. The tip of the projection 54 is the lower end of the projection 54 that faces the detection terminal 20.

[0045] In this embodiment, the lock arm 50 has a low-rigidity portion 52 on the base end side of the pressing portion 51, and a rib 56 is provided on the pressing portion 51. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the lock arm 50 deforms by bending from the base end side, which is the low-rigidity portion 52 side, as the starting point P due to the pressing force from the lever 40. Furthermore, since the rib 56 connects the pressing portion 51 and the pressed portion 53, the lock arm 50 is less likely to bend on the pressed portion 53 side, making it easier to transmit the pressing force from the lever 40 to the low-rigidity portion 52 side. In other words, the lock arm 50 is less likely to bend in an upward convex shape from the pressed portion 53 that receives the pressing force from the lever 40 to the starting point P, and the amount of downward displacement of the protrusion 54 can be increased.

[0046] As the lever 40 rotates further, the mating of the lever-type connector 10 and the mating connector 80 progresses, and the lever 40 reaches the mating completion position. When the lever 40 reaches the mating completion position, as shown in Figure 9, the second pressing portion 45 no longer contacts the upper surface of the mating lock portion 55, and the contact between the lever 40 and the lock arm 50 is released. As a result, the lock arm 50 returns to its natural state. Furthermore, as the second pressing portion 45 moves over the mating lock portion 55, the second pressing portion 45 and the mating lock portion 55 are arranged to be locked together. As a result, the mating lock portion 55 prevents the lever 40 from rotating from the mating completion position to the mating start position. Also, as the bending deformation of the lock arm 50 is released, the contact portion 23 of the detection terminal 20 elastically returns to its original position and contacts the mating detection terminal 83. In this way, a detection circuit is formed by the detection terminal 20 and the mating detection terminal 83, and through the electrical conductivity between the two, it is possible to recognize that the mating between the mating connector 80 and the lever-type connector 10 has been completed.

[0047] Furthermore, the lever-type connector 10 can also detect the mating state by pressing the detection member 60 located at the rear of the housing 30. If the lock arm 50 returns to its natural position within the housing 30, the main body 61 of the detection member 60 is pressed, causing the arm 62 to be inserted between the lock arm 50 and the detection terminal 20. This allows the detection member 60 to move from the standby position to the detection position. On the other hand, if the bending deformation of the lock arm 50 is maintained within the housing 30, the arm 62 interferes with the pressed portion 53. Therefore, the detection member 60 does not move from the standby position to the detection position.

[0048] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) In the lever-type connector 10 according to the embodiment described above, by rotating the lever 40 from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the low-rigidity portion 52 provided on the lock arm 50 brings the starting point of the deflection of the lock arm 50 closer to the base end, and the amount of downward displacement of the protrusion 54 can be secured. As a result, when the lever-type connector 10 is mated to the mating connector 80, the lock arm 50 properly separates the detection terminal 20 and the mating detection terminal 83, thereby suppressing wear and deformation of the detection terminal 20.

[0049] (2) The pressing portion 51 has a rib 56 that extends in the direction in which the lock arm 50 extends, resulting in higher rigidity than the low-rigidity portion 52. This makes it possible to suppress surface defects such as shrinkage compared to the case where the thickness dimension of the pressing portion 51 is thicker than the low-rigidity portion 52 in all left-right directions.

[0050] (3) Since the low-rigidity portion 52 of the lock arm 50 is covered by the upper cover portion 32B of the cover member 32, damage to the low-rigidity portion 52 due to external impact can be suppressed.

[0051] (4) Since a chamfered portion 57 is formed on the end of the rib 56 on the side of the low-rigidity portion 52, when the lock arm 50 bends in response to the pressure of the lever 40, interference between the rib 56 and the cover member 32 or the mating housing 81 can be suppressed. This suppresses the lock arm 50 from becoming less flexible on the side of the low-rigidity portion 52.

[0052] (5) The pressing portion 51 and the pressed portion 53 are connected by the rib 56, which makes it less likely for the lock arm 50 to bend on the pressed portion 53 side, and makes it easier to transmit the pressing force from the lever 40 to the low-rigidity portion 52 side. This makes it easier to cause the lock arm 50 to bend and deform starting from the low-rigidity portion 52 side.

[0053] (Other embodiments) This embodiment may be implemented with the following modifications. The above embodiment and the following modifications can also be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically. In the above embodiment, the lock arm 50 had a rib 56 extending in the front-rear direction on the pressing portion 51. Alternatively, the pressing portion 51 may have ribs that intersect in a mesh-like pattern.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the rib 56 of the lock arm 50 connected the pressing portion 51 and the pressed portion 53. Alternatively, the rib 56 on the pressing portion 51 does not need to connect to the pressed portion 53.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the lock arm 50 had a rib 56 on the pressing portion 51, which created a difference in rigidity between the pressing portion 51 and the low-rigidity portion 52. Alternatively, the lock arm 50 may have lower rigidity than the pressing portion 51 by forming a thin-walled portion of the low-rigidity portion 52. In this case, the pressing portion 51 does not need to have a rib 56.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the housing 30 was provided with a cover member 32. Alternatively, the housing 30 may be provided without a cover member 32. In this case, the low-rigidity portion 52 of the lock arm 50 may be covered with a member different from the cover member 32, or it may not be covered with any member at all. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 10: Lever-type connector 20: Detection terminal 21: Flat part 22: Spring section 23: Contact point 30: Housing 31: Housing body 32: Cover component 33: First terminal housing 34: Second terminal housing 35: Upper wall front end 36: Insertion groove 37: Rotary shaft 40: Lever 41: Plate-like part 42: Operation section 43: Lever-side pressing part 44: First pressing section 45: Second pressing section 50: Lock Arm 51: Pressure point 52: Low rigidity area 53: Area under pressure 54: Protrusion 55: Mating locking mechanism 56: Rib 57: Chamfered section 60: Detection element 80: Mating connector 83: Opponent detection terminal

Claims

1. A lever-type connector that can be mated with a mating connector equipped with a mating detection terminal, Housing and A lever is rotatably mounted on the housing between a fitting start position and a fitting completion position, The housing includes a detection terminal that is held within the housing and forms a detection circuit by contacting the mating detection terminal, The housing is provided with a flexible piece that extends in a cantilever shape and is capable of bending and deforming toward the detection terminal, The lever is equipped with a lever-side pressing portion that applies a pressing force to the flexible piece to deform towards the detection terminal during the process of rotating from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position, The aforementioned flexible piece is, A pressing portion is provided with a projection that presses the detection terminal, causing the detection terminal to separate from the opposing detection terminal, A lever-type connector comprising a low-rigidity portion located on the base end side of the flexible piece than the pressing portion, and having lower rigidity than the pressing portion.

2. The aforementioned flexible piece is made of resin, The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is provided with a rib extending in the direction in which the flexible piece extends.

3. The aforementioned housing is It includes a cover member provided at the front end that mates with the mating connector, The aforementioned flexible piece extends from the front end to the rear in the housing, The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the low-rigidity portion is covered by the cover member.

4. The aforementioned flexible piece is made of resin, The pressing portion is provided with ribs extending in the direction in which the flexible piece extends, The lever-type connector according to claim 3, wherein the end of the rib on the side of the low-rigidity portion is chamfered.

5. The aforementioned flexible piece is, The part to be pressed, which receives the pressing force from the lever-side pressing part, is located on the tip side of the pressing part. The lever-type connector according to claim 2 or claim 4, wherein the rib connects the pressing portion and the portion being pressed.

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