Housing with lever

Abstract

To provide a housing with a lever that allows mating guarantee parts to function properly. [Solution] The lever-equipped housing 7 comprises a housing 3 capable of housing terminals, a lever 4 mounted on the housing 3 and operated to assist in the mating of the housing 3 and the mating housing 2, and a mating guarantee component 6 mounted on the lever 4 that can detect whether mating is complete or not. The lever 4 has a locking portion 40 that engages with the mating housing 2 during mating, and a restricting portion 34 that contacts the locking portion 40 to restrict the amount of displacement of the locking portion 40 in a predetermined direction. One of the locking portion 40 and the restricting portion 34 has a flat contact surface 35 that extends in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and a corner portion 36 adjacent to the contact surface 35 that has a curved surface shape. The other of the locking portion 40 and the restricting portion 34 restricts the amount of displacement of the locking portion 40 by making surface contact with the contact surface 35 when the locking portion 40 is displaced in the predetermined direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing with a lever, which includes a housing capable of accommodating terminals, a lever operated to assist the fitting of the housing and a mating housing, and a fitting assurance component capable of detecting whether the fitting is completed or not.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a connector having a function of detecting whether a housing and a mating housing are in an appropriately fitted state (hereinafter also referred to as a "fully fitted state") by using a fitting assurance component (so-called CPA: Connector Position Assurance) has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The fitting assurance component is generally used in a housing having a lock arm that can switch between maintaining and releasing the above-mentioned fully fitted state. Specifically, interference between the fitting assurance component and the lock arm is avoided only in the fully fitted state, and the lock arm and the fitting assurance component are configured so that the fitting assurance component moves from a predetermined temporary locking position to a fitting assurance position. In other words, when the housing and the mating housing are not in the fully fitted state, the fitting assurance component interferes with the lock arm and does not move to the fitting assurance position. That is, it is possible to detect whether the housing and the mating housing are in the fully fitted state by whether the fitting assurance component can be moved to such a fitting assurance position.

[0005] However, when transporting the aforementioned connector with the mating guarantee component attached to the housing's temporary locking position, if an unintended large external force is applied to the mating guarantee component, it may not only interfere with the lock arm, but also displace the lock arm (for example, by pushing it down), potentially causing the mating guarantee component to advance to the mating guarantee position. In this case, the mating guarantee component will advance to the mating guarantee position even though it is not fully mated. To prevent such malfunction of the mating guarantee component, the conventional housing described above is provided with a projection to restrict the amount of displacement of the lock arm. However, because this projection is thin-walled, when the housing is formed using an injection molding method with a mold, there is a possibility of molding defects (so-called short shots) where the projection is not formed to the shape as designed. If such molding defects occur, it is thought that it will be difficult to properly restrict the amount of displacement of the lock arm because the size of the projection is insufficient. It should be noted that the malfunction of the mating guarantee component described above can occur not only during transport, but also when an operator pushes the mating guarantee component too hard when mating the housing with the mating housing.

[0006] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a housing with a lever that enables proper operation of a mating guarantee component. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the lever-equipped housing according to the present invention is characterized by the following:

[0008] A housing with a lever, comprising: a housing capable of accommodating terminals; a lever mounted on the housing and operated to assist in mating the housing with a mating housing; and a mating guarantee component mounted on the lever and capable of detecting whether or not the mating is complete, The aforementioned lever is It has a locking portion that engages with the mating housing during fitting, and a restricting portion that contacts the locking portion to restrict the amount of displacement of the locking portion in a predetermined direction, The aforementioned mating guarantee component is, If the fitting is not completed, it will interfere with the locking portion and not overcome the locking portion, and if the fitting is completed, it will overcome the locking portion while being displaced in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, thereby making it possible to detect whether or not the fitting is completed. One of the locking portion and the restricting portion is, It has a flat contact surface that extends in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and a corner portion adjacent to the contact surface that has a curved surface shape, The locking portion and the other of the restricting portion are, The amount of displacement of the locking portion is restricted by surface contact with the contact surface when the locking portion is displaced in the predetermined direction. It must have a lever-type housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the lever-equipped housing of the present invention, one of the locking portion and regulating portion of the lever (for example, the regulating portion) has a flat contact surface that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the displacement of the locking portion is to be restricted (i.e., a predetermined direction), and a corner portion adjacent to the contact surface that has a curved surface shape. When the locking portion is displaced in the predetermined direction, the amount of displacement of the locking portion is restricted by surface contact between the contact surface and the other of the locking portion and regulating portion (for example, the locking portion). In this way, by avoiding contact at the corner portion where the aforementioned short shot may occur and ensuring surface contact at the contact surface, malfunction of the mating guarantee component (i.e., the mating guarantee component overcoming the locking portion even though mating is not complete) is properly suppressed. Therefore, the lever-equipped housing of the present invention makes it possible to properly operate the mating guarantee component.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further details of the present invention will be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first procedure for fitting together a female housing and a male housing, which is the mating housing, that constitute a lever-equipped housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the second procedure for mating the female housing and male housing shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a third step in mating the female housing and male housing shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the female housing and male housing as shown in Figure 1, after the mating process is complete. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the state in which the fitting guarantee component has been separated from the lever that constitutes the lever-equipped housing shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a front view showing only the lever shown in Figure 5, illustrating the area around the lever's locking mechanism. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is an enlarged view of section B in Figure 6. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the CC shown in Figure 6. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to section AA in Figure 3, showing the area around the locking portion of the lever during the mating operation between the female and male housings, when the mating guarantee component is in a temporary locking position, the lever is just before reaching the final mating position, and the female and male housings are just before reaching a fully mated state. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 9, showing the state in which the female housing and male housing are fully engaged as the lever reaches the final engagement position from the state shown in Figure 9. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 9, showing the state in which the mating guarantee component has moved to the mating guarantee position from the state shown in Figure 10. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 9 for explaining a state in which, when the fitting guarantee component in the temporarily locked position is unintentionally and overly strongly pushed toward the fitting guarantee position in the single state of the housing with a lever, the locking portion of the detection arm of the fitting guarantee component pushes down the locking arm of the lock portion of the lever. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 6 for explaining a state in which the displacement amount of the locking arm when the locking arm is pushed down as shown in FIG. 12 is regulated by the step portion.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, the housing unit 1 including the housing 7 with a lever according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a male housing 2 and a female housing 3 that can be fitted to each other, a lever 4 attached to the female housing 3 to assist the fitting of the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, and a fitting assurance component (so-called CPA. Connector Position Assurance) 6 attached to the lever 4. When the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are fitted together, a plurality of male terminals (not shown) accommodated in the male housing 2 and a plurality of female terminals (not shown) accommodated in the female housing 3 are electrically connected, and an electric wire (not shown) extending from the male terminal and an electric wire (not shown) extending from the female terminal are electrically connected. The male housing 2 and the female housing 3 respectively correspond to the "opposite housing" and the "housing" of the present invention. The female housing 3, the lever 4, and the fitting assurance component 6 constitute a housing with a lever 7 (see FIGS. 1 to 5). When a pair of protrusions 26 (see FIG. 1) of the female housing 3 described later is inserted into a pair of insertion holes 37 (see FIG. 1) of the lever 4 described later, the lever 4 is rotatable between the "main fitting position" shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the "temporary fitting position" shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the pair of protrusions 26 as the rotation center, and is attached to the female housing 3.

[0014] Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 13, the "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", "up-down direction", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up", and "down" are defined. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. For each of the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, the advancing side and the retreating side of the fitting are defined as "front" and "rear", respectively. Therefore, in the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, the directions of "front" and "rear" are opposite. Note that the "front" and "rear" shown in FIGS. 1 to 13 indicate the "front" and "rear" of the female housing 3. Further, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction do not necessarily coincide with the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of a vehicle or the like when the housing unit 1 is mounted on a vehicle or the like. Hereinafter, the configurations of the respective components constituting the housing unit 1 will be described in order.

[0015] First, let's describe the male housing 2. The male housing 2 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figure 1, has a roughly rectangular box-shaped main body 11 that opens forward and is long in the left-right direction. Multiple male terminals (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction are housed in the internal space of the main body 11, arranged along the vertical and left-right directions. When the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are mated, the main body 21 of the female housing 3 (see Figure 1, etc.), which will be described later, is inserted into the internal space of the main body 11.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, a roughly rectangular, flat moving plate 5, which is long in the left-right direction, is housed in the internal space of the main body 11 so as to be movable between an initial position (see Figure 1) and a mating position (not shown) located behind the initial position (towards the rear of the main body 11). Multiple through holes (not shown) are formed in the moving plate 5 to correspond to multiple male terminals. Each of the tips (tab portions) of the multiple male terminals is positioned and protected within the corresponding through hole of the moving plate 5 in the initial position. Thus, the moving plate 5 serves the function of regulating the position of the tips of the male terminals to facilitate connection with the female terminals, and also prevents the male terminals from being deformed by external forces. A detailed explanation of the configuration of the moving plate 5 is omitted.

[0017] On the inner wall surfaces (inner surfaces in the vertical direction) of the upper and lower walls of the main body 11, approximately in the left-right direction, a pair of cylindrical bosses 12 are provided so as to protrude inward in the vertical direction, engaging with a pair of guide grooves 33 (see Figure 1) of the lever 4, which will be described later (see Figure 1). When the lever 4 is rotated from the temporary fitting position (see Figures 1 and 2) to the permanent fitting position (see Figures 3 and 4), the pair of bosses 12 enter the pair of guide grooves 33, and as the lever 4 rotates, the bosses 12 move within the guide grooves 33, thereby assisting in the fitting of the male housing 2 and the female housing 3.

[0018] The front end of the left wall of the main body 11 is provided with a locking portion 13 that engages with the locking portion 43 (see Figure 9, etc.) of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4, which will be described later (see Figure 1, etc.). The locking portion 13 is a locking projection that protrudes to the left. When the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are fitted together, the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 engages with the locking portion 13, thereby maintaining the fitted state between the male housing 2 and the female housing 3.

[0019] A pair of grooves 14 opening forward are provided at the front end of the inner wall surface of the upper and lower walls of the main body 11, in front of the pair of bosses 12 and aligned with the pair of bosses 12 in the front-rear direction (see Figure 1). A pair of projections 26 (more specifically, the tips of the projections 26) of the female housing 3 (see Figure 1), which will be described later, will engage with the pair of grooves 14. Specifically, the grooves 14 consist of a first groove that is recessed outward in the vertical direction, opens forward, and extends in the front-rear direction, and a second groove that is recessed outward on both the left and right sides of the bottom edge of the first groove, opens forward, and extends in the front-rear direction. The function and effect of providing such grooves 14 in the main body 11 will be described later.

[0020] Next, the female housing 3 will be described. The female housing 3 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figure 1, has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped body portion 21 that is long in the left-right direction. The body portion 21 has a shape that corresponds to the internal space of the body portion 11 of the male housing 2. The lever 4 will be mounted on the body portion 21.

[0021] Inside the main body 21, multiple terminal housing chambers 22 (see Figure 1) extending in the front-to-back direction are provided, corresponding to the arrangement of multiple male terminals provided on the male housing 2, and are arranged along the vertical and left-to-right directions. A female terminal (not shown) to which an electric wire is connected at its rear end is inserted from the rear and housed in each terminal housing chamber 22.

[0022] At approximately the center in the left-right direction of the rear edge of the upper and lower surfaces (outer wall surfaces) of the main body 21, a pair of projections 26 are provided that protrude outward in the vertical direction, corresponding to a pair of grooves 14 of the male housing 2 and a pair of insertion holes 37 of the lever 4, which will be described later. When the pair of projections 26 are inserted into the pair of insertion holes 37 of the lever 4, the pair of projections 26 function as the pivot point of the lever 4.

[0023] The projection 26 is composed of a base end that extends outward in the vertical direction from the outer wall surface of the main body 21, and a tip end that extends further outward in the vertical direction from the base end. The base end of the projection 26 is the part that will be positioned inside the insertion hole 37 of the lever 4, and the tip end of the projection 26 is the part that will protrude outward in the vertical direction from the insertion hole 37 of the lever 4 and engage with the groove 14 provided in the main body 11 of the male housing 2.

[0024] The base end of the projection 26 is specifically composed of a substantially cylindrical base portion extending outward in the vertical direction from the outer wall surface of the main body portion 21, and extension portions extending outward in the left and right directions from the extension end of the base portion. The tip of the projection 26 is specifically composed of a first portion that protrudes outward in the vertical direction from the base end (base portion) of the projection 26 and extends in the front-rear direction, and a second portion that extends outward in the left and right directions from the protruding end of the first portion. The first and second portions of the tip of the projection 26 are insertable into the first groove and the second groove of the groove portion 14 of the male housing 2, respectively. In this way, the projection 26 not only functions as the pivot point of the lever 4, but also functions to engage with the groove portion 14 of the male housing 2.

[0025] On the outer surface of the rear region of the tip portion (= first portion + second portion) of the projection 26, an inclined surface 29 is formed that is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction and parallel to the left-right direction, so as it moves inward in the vertical direction as it moves to the rear (see Figure 1). The effect of providing such an inclined surface 29 will be described later.

[0026] Next, the lever 4 will be described. The lever 4 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figure 1, has a roughly U-shaped form, consisting of a pair of flat plate-like portions 31 that are spaced apart vertically and facing each other, and a connecting portion 32 that connects the base ends of the pair of plate-like portions 31 and extends vertically. When the lever 4 is in the fully fitted position (see Figures 3 and 4), the plate-like portions 31 have a shape that extends horizontally, and the connecting portion 32 connects the base ends located at the left ends of the pair of plate-like portions 31.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, a pair of guide grooves 33 are formed at the extended ends of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31, corresponding to a pair of bosses 12 of the male housing 2 (see Figure 1). The guide grooves 33 are notches that penetrate the plate-shaped portion 31 in the thickness direction (vertical direction), with an opening 33a at the front end that faces forward and extending backward and to the left towards the innermost part 33b at the rear end, when the lever 4 is in the temporary fitting position (see Figures 1 and 2). The guide grooves 33 have a shape that can accommodate the bosses 12 of the male housing 2.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, a pair of insertion holes 37 are formed near the innermost part 33b of the guide groove 33 of the pair of plate-shaped parts 31, penetrating the plate-shaped part 31 in the thickness direction (vertical direction). The insertion holes 37 have a shape through which the projection 26 of the male housing 2 can be inserted. Locking projections protruding inward into the hole are provided at predetermined locations on the inner wall of the insertion hole 37 in the circumferential direction. The locking projections of the insertion holes 37 are configured such that when the lever 4 is in the fully fitted position (see Figures 3 and 4), they do not engage with the extension at the base end of the projection 26, and when the lever 4 is in the temporary fitted position (see Figures 1 and 2), they are positioned vertically inward of the extension at the base end of the projection 26 and engage with the extension in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the plate-shaped part 31. In other words, when the lever 4 is maintained in the orientation corresponding to the permanent fitting position, the projection 26 can be inserted into the insertion hole 37 (i.e., the lever 4 can be attached to the female housing 3), and after the projection 26 is inserted into the insertion hole 37, moving the lever 4 from the permanent fitting position (see Figures 3 and 4) to the temporary fitting position (see Figures 1 and 2) makes it impossible for the projection 26 to be removed from the insertion hole 37 (separation of the lever 4 from the female housing 3).

[0029] For the sake of explanation, the following description of lever 4 will continue assuming that it is in the orientation corresponding to the main fitting position (see Figure 5). As shown in Figure 6, a stepped portion 34 is formed on the inner surface of the base end of each of the pair of plate-like portions 31 (the surfaces facing each other in the thickness direction of the plate-like portion 31). Each stepped portion 34 is formed because the inner surface 31a of the plate-like portion 31 located on the base end side (left side) of the stepped portion 34 is located further outward in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the plate-like portion 31 than the inner surface 31b of the plate-like portion 31 located on the extended end side (right side) of the stepped portion 34. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, each stepped portion 34 has a plane 35 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-like portion 31 (up-down direction and front-back direction), and a corner portion 36 that is located where the plane 35 and the inner surface 31b intersect and has a curved surface shape (R-chamfered shape) adjacent to the plane 35. The plane 35 of the stepped portion 34 is the part that will come into surface contact with the extended portion 47 of the locking portion 40, which will be described later (see Figure 13). Here, the stepped portion 34 corresponds to the "restricting portion" of the present invention, and the plane 35 corresponds to the "contact surface" of the present invention.

[0030] A locking portion 40 is formed in the area surrounded by the base ends of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31 and the connecting portion 32, corresponding to the locking portion 13 of the male housing 2 (see Figures 1 and 2) (see Figures 5 to 9, etc.). The locking portion 40 consists of a flat plate-shaped base portion 41 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31 (up-down and front-back directions) so as to connect the stepped portions 34 of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31 in the thickness direction (up-down direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31, a pair of cantilever-shaped locking arms 42 that extend forward from the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 on the base portion 41, facing each other and spaced apart in the thickness direction (up-down direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31, and the extended ends of the pair of locking arms 42 that connect the plate-shaped portions 31 in the thickness direction (up-down direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31. The locking portion 40 includes a locking portion 43 that extends in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped portion 31 to connect to the locking portion 41, a pair of cantilever-shaped release arms 44 that extend backward from the extended ends of the pair of lock arms 42 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31, spaced apart and facing each other, an operating portion 45 that extends in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped portion 31 to connect the extended ends of the pair of release arms 44 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31, and a pivot portion 46 that protrudes from the center of the extending direction of the pair of release arms 44 toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31. Each of the lock arms 42 and release arms 44 is elastically deformable in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31. As described above, the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 engages with the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 (see Figures 10 and 11). The operation of the locking mechanism 40 when the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are mated together will be described later.

[0031] Furthermore, the locking portion 40 is provided with a pair of extension portions 47 that extend outwards on both sides in the thickness direction (up and down direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31 from the base ends of the pair of release arms 44 (extended ends of the pair of locking arms 42) (see Figure 8 in particular). As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in the extension direction (left and right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31, each of the pair of extension portions 47 is positioned opposite the plane 35 of the pair of stepped portions 34 (see the area indicated by the symbol H in Figure 7). The operation and effect of providing such extension portions 47 and stepped portions 34 on the lever 4 will be described later.

[0032] Furthermore, a fitting guarantee component 6 is housed in the space enclosed by the base ends of the pair of plate-shaped parts 31, the connecting part 32, and the locking part 40, so as to be movable between a temporary locking position (see Figures 1-3 and 9-10) and a fitting guarantee position (see Figures 4 and 11).

[0033] Next, the mating guarantee component 6 will be described. The mating guarantee component 6 has the function of detecting whether or not the engagement between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 is complete (i.e., whether or not the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are in a fully mated state), and also has the function of maintaining the engaged state between the locking portion 43 and the locked portion 13 (a so-called double locking function). For the sake of explanation, the description of the mating guarantee component 6 will continue assuming that the mating guarantee component 6 is oriented to be housed in the lever 4 which is in the orientation corresponding to the mating position (see Figure 5).

[0034] The fitting guarantee part 6 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figure 5, comprises a roughly rectangular box-shaped main body 51 and a detection arm 52 extending forward from the center of the plate-shaped part 31 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) at the front edge of the ceiling wall (left wall) of the main body 51. The detection arm 52 is elastically deformable in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped part 31. A locking part 53 is provided at the extended end of the detection arm 52, protruding from the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped part 31. A pair of locking protrusions 54 are provided on the outer surfaces of both side walls (upper and lower walls) of the main body 51.

[0035] Next, the procedure for attaching the mating guarantee component 6 to the lever 4 will be described. The mating guarantee component 6 is inserted from the rear into the space enclosed by the base ends of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31 on the lever 4, the connecting portion 32, and the locking portion 40, and is housed in a temporary locking position (see Figures 1-3 and 9-10). When the mating guarantee component 6 is in the temporary locking position, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 engages with the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 adjacent to the rear side (see Figure 9), thereby restricting further movement of the mating guarantee component 6 toward the front. Furthermore, the pair of locking projections 54 provided on the main body portion 51 engage with a pair of engaging portions (not shown) formed on the inner surface 31a of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31 of the lever 4, thereby restricting further movement of the mating guarantee component 6 toward the rear, and thus the mating guarantee component 6 is held in the temporary locking position. The operation of the mating guarantee component 6 when the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are mated will be described later. The above describes the configuration of each component that makes up housing unit 1.

[0036] Next, the procedure for attaching the lever 4 to the female housing 3 will be described. First, with the lever 4 maintained in the orientation corresponding to the final fitting position, the lever 4 is positioned behind the main body 21 of the female housing 3 such that the insertion hole 37 of the lever 4 is aligned with the projection 26 in the front-to-back direction behind the projection 26 of the female housing 3. Next, the lever 4 is pressed against the main body 21 from the rear. As a result, the pair of plate-like parts 31 of the lever 4 elastically deform in a direction away from each other (outward in the vertical direction), and the pair of plate-like parts 31 temporarily ride up onto the pair of projections 26. When the pair of insertion holes 37 reach the position of the pair of projections 26, the pair of plate-like parts 31 elastically return inward in the vertical direction. As a result, with the lever 4 in the final fitting position, the pair of projections 26 are inserted into the pair of insertion holes 37. Here, when the lever 4 is pressed against the main body 21 from the rear, the pair of plate-like portions 31 come into contact with the inclined surfaces 29 formed on the pair of projections 26 and receive an external force that moves them away from each other from the inclined surfaces 29, so that the pair of plate-like portions 31 can easily elastically deform in a direction that moves them away from each other without difficulty. As a result, the operation of inserting the pair of projections 26 into the pair of insertion holes 37 (i.e., the operation of attaching the lever 4 to the female housing 3) can be easily performed. In this state, with the pair of projections 26 inserted into the pair of insertion holes 37, the base ends of the projections 26 are positioned inside the holes 37 of the lever 4 and support the lever 4 so that it can rotate, and the tips of the projections 26 protrude outward in the vertical direction from the insertion holes 37 of the lever 4 (see Figure 1).

[0037] As described above, after the pair of projections 26 are inserted into the pair of insertion holes 37, the lever 4 is moved (rotated) from the fully fitted position to the temporary fitted position. As a result, the lever 4 is in the temporary fitted position. When the lever 4 is in the temporary fitted position, the engagement between the locking projections of the insertion holes 37 and the extensions at the base ends of the projections 26 prevents the projections 26 from coming out of the insertion holes 37 (separation of the lever 4 from the female housing 3). With this, the mounting of the lever 4 to the female housing 3 is completed.

[0038] Next, the mating procedure between the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, to which the lever 4 is attached, will be described. First, the male housing 2, which houses multiple male terminals and has the moving plate 5 in its initial position, and the female housing 3, which houses multiple female terminals, has the mating guarantee component 6 held in a temporary locking position and the lever 4 in a temporary mating position, are positioned with their front faces facing each other (see Figure 1), and the female housing 3 (main body 21) is inserted into the internal space of the male housing 2 to the mating start position (see the white arrow in Figure 1). Once the female housing 3 is inserted to the mating start position, the pair of bosses 12 of the male housing 2 enter the entrance portions 33a of the pair of guide grooves 33 of the lever 4, which is in the temporary mating position.

[0039] Next, the lever 4 is rotated from the temporary fitting position to the permanent fitting position (see the white arrow in Figure 2). As a result, the boss 12 moves relatively from the entrance 33a to the innermost part 33b of the guide groove 33, and the boss 12 presses against the groove side wall of the guide groove 33, exerting a reaction force. As the lever 4 rotates, the main body 21 of the female housing 3 is pulled forward (i.e., towards the back of the main body 11 of the male housing 2). In this way, rotating the lever 4 from the temporary fitting position to the permanent fitting position assists in fitting the male housing 2 and the female housing 3. As the main body 21 of the female housing 3 is pulled towards the back of the main body 11 of the male housing 2, the moving plate 5, which was initially housed in the internal space of the main body 11, is pushed forward by the main body 21, moving from the initial position (see Figure 1) to the fitting position (not shown).

[0040] Furthermore, during this fitting, the first and second portions of the tips of the pair of projections 26 are inserted into the first and second grooves of the pair of grooves 14 of the male housing 2, respectively, thereby engaging the pair of grooves 14 of the male housing 2 with the pair of projections 26 of the female housing 3. This restricts the displacement of the inner wall surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the main body 11 of the male housing 2 away from the main body 21 of the female housing 3 (outward in the vertical direction). As a result, even if one of the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 is fitted together in a slightly inclined position relative to the other, the displacement of the inner wall surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the main body 11 away from the main body 21 of the female housing 3 is restricted, thus properly maintaining the state in which the boss 12 provided on the main body 11 and the guide groove 33 provided on the lever 4 are engaged (the state in which the female housing 3 is pulled towards the back of the main body 11 of the male housing 2 as the lever 4 rotates).

[0041] Furthermore, during mating, the boss 12 of the male housing 2 and the projection 26 of the female housing 3 are positioned to align in the mating direction (front-to-back direction) between the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 (see Figure 1). As a result, as the female housing 3 moves into the internal space of the main body 11 of the male housing 2 during mating, the boss 12 and the projection 26 move closer to each other. Here, considering the elasticity of the main body 11, the restricting force exerted by the projection 26 on the vertical outward displacement of the upper and lower walls of the main body 11 is considered to decrease as the projection 26 moves away from the projection 26. Therefore, as the boss 12 and the projection 26 move closer to each other during mating, the effect of the projection 26 restricting the displacement of the upper and lower walls of the main body 11 and maintaining the engagement between the boss 12 and the guide groove 33 of the lever 4 is maintained more appropriately throughout the entire mating process compared to when they are separated.

[0042] As the lever 4 reaches the position just before it reaches the fully engaged position, the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 comes into contact with the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2, as shown in Figure 9. From this state, as the lever 4 moves toward the fully engaged position as shown by the white arrow in Figure 9, the locking portion 43 moves over (slides over) the base end (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 of the locked portion 13, accompanied by a temporary elastic deformation of the base end (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 of the lock arm 42 due to the pressure from the locked portion 13.

[0043] When the lever 4 reaches the fully engaged position, the locking portion 43 moves over the locked portion 13. As a result, as shown in Figure 10, the lock arm 42 elastically returns to the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31, and the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 is positioned adjacent to the front side of the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2, thereby engaging with the locked portion 13 in the front-rear direction. In this way, once the engagement between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 is complete, the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are maintained in a fully engaged state.

[0044] As shown in Figure 10, when the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 are fully engaged (the male housing 2 and female housing 3 are fully fitted together), the locked portion 13 is positioned adjacent to the rear side of the locking portion 43. As a result, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 of the fitting guarantee component 6, which was positioned adjacent to the rear side of the locking portion 43, is pushed back toward the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31, accompanied by elastic deformation of the detection arm 52. This releases the engagement in the front-rear direction between the locking portion 53 of the fitting guarantee component 6 and the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40, allowing the fitting guarantee component 6 to move from the temporary locking position to the fitting guarantee position. Conversely, when the engagement between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 is not complete, the engagement in the front-rear direction between the locking portion 53 of the fitting guarantee component 6 and the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 continues (see Figure 9), thereby restricting the movement of the fitting guarantee component 6 from the temporary locking position to the fitting guarantee position.

[0045] Then, after the lever 4 reaches the final mating position (after the engagement between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 is completed), the mating guarantee component 6 moves from the temporary locking position to the mating guarantee position, as shown by the white arrows in Figures 3 and 10 (see Figure 11). Here, the fact that the mating guarantee component 6 can move from the temporary locking position to the mating guarantee position allows for the detection that the engagement between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 is complete (i.e., that the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are in a fully mated state).

[0046] As the fitting guarantee component 6 moves from the temporary locking position to the fitting guarantee position, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 slides over the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 of the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40. As shown in Figure 11, when the fitting guarantee component 6 reaches the fitting guarantee position, the detection arm 52 elastically returns to the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 is positioned adjacent to the front side of the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40, and the detection arm 52 covers the lock arm 42 (locking portion 43) of the locking portion 40 from the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31. This prevents unintended elastic deformation of the plate-shaped portion 31 of the lock arm 42 toward the base end (left side) (i.e., unintended disengagement of the locking portion 43 and the locked portion 13), thereby achieving the function of maintaining the engaged state between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 (a so-called double locking function). With the above, the fitting of the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 is completed, and the housing unit 1 according to this embodiment is completed (see Figure 4).

[0047] To release the mating between the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, which are in a fully mated state (to separate the male housing 2 and the female housing 3), first, the mating guarantee part 6 is moved from the mating guarantee position to the temporary locking position. Next, the operating part 45 of the locking part 40 is pushed down toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped part 31. As a result, the release arm 44 elastically deforms toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped part 31, and the pivot part 46 comes into contact with the base part 41. With the pivot part 46 in contact with the base part 41, if the operating part 45 is pushed down further, the release arm 44 swings around the pivot part 46, and the extended end (i.e., locking part 43) of the lock arm 42, which is located opposite the operating part 45 to the pivot part 46 in the front-rear direction, lifts toward the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped part 31. This releases the engagement between the locking portion 13 of the male housing 2 and the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 in the front-rear direction, making the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 separable. In this state, the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 can be separated by pulling the female housing 3 out of the male housing 2.

[0048] Incidentally, when the female housing 3 (levered housing 7) with the lever 4 attached is transported in its standalone state (without the male housing 2 fitted), the fitting guarantee component 6, which is in the temporary locking position, may be unintentionally pushed too hard toward the fitting guarantee position, as shown by the white arrow in Figure 12. As described above, when the fitting guarantee component 6 is in the temporary locking position, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 engages with the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 of the lever 4 adjacent to the rear side in the front-rear direction (see Figure 9), thereby restricting further movement of the fitting guarantee component 6 toward the fitting guarantee position. However, even in this state, if the mating guarantee component 6 is pushed too hard toward the mating guarantee position, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 may strongly press against the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40, causing the lock arm 42 of the locking portion 40 to be pushed downward toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 (see the black arrows shown in Figures 12 and 13). As a result, the locking portion 53 may overcome the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 of the locking portion 43, causing the mating guarantee component 6 to advance to the mating guarantee position, which can lead to a malfunction of the mating guarantee component 6. Such a malfunction of the mating guarantee component 6 can also occur if, during mating between the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, the mating guarantee component 6 is pushed too hard even though it is not yet fully mated.

[0049] To prevent malfunction of such fitting guarantee component 6, in this embodiment, a pair of stepped portions 34 are provided on the inner surfaces of a pair of plate-shaped portions 31 of the lever 4, and the pair of extension portions 47 of the locking portion 40 and the planes 35 of the pair of stepped portions 34 are positioned opposite each other in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31 (see Figures 6 and 7). As a result, when the lock arm 42 of the locking portion 40 is pushed down toward the extension end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31, the pair of extension portions 47 make surface contact with the planes 35 of the pair of stepped portions 34, thereby restricting the amount of displacement of the lock arm 42 toward the extension end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31. Here, this amount of displacement is designed to be small enough that the locking portion 53 cannot overcome the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 of the locking portion 43 (to the extent that the engagement between the locking portion 53 and the locking portion 43 is not released). As a result, the occurrence of the aforementioned malfunction of fitting guarantee component 6 can be properly prevented.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, the extension portion 47 of the locking portion 40 is configured to make surface contact with the flat surface 35 of the stepped portion 34, which is a location where molding defects are less likely to occur and the shape is more stable, rather than with the corner portion 36 (see Figure 7) of the stepped portion 34, which is a location where the shape is prone to instability due to molding defects (so-called short shots) during molding of the lever 4 by injection molding, etc. If the extension portion 47 of the locking portion 40 were configured to restrict the amount of displacement of the lock arm 42 by contacting the corner portion 36 of the stepped portion 34, the occurrence of such molding defects could prevent the extension portion 47 of the locking portion 40 from properly contacting the corner portion 36 of the stepped portion 34 (i.e., the amount of displacement of the lock arm 42 would not be properly restricted), potentially causing the aforementioned fitting guarantee component 6 to malfunction. In contrast, in this embodiment, by configuring the extension portion 47 of the locking portion 40 to make surface contact with the flat surface 35 of the stepped portion 34, the occurrence of such molding defects can be properly prevented from causing the aforementioned fitting guarantee component 6 to malfunction.

[0051] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the lever-equipped housing 7 of this embodiment, one of the locking portion 40 and the restricting portion (stepped portion 34) of the lever 4 (for example, the restricting portion 34) has a flat contact surface 35 that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the displacement of the locking portion 40 is to be restricted (i.e., a predetermined direction), and a corner portion 36 adjacent to the contact surface 35 that has a curved surface shape. When the locking portion 40 is displaced in the predetermined direction, the amount of displacement of the locking portion 40 is restricted by surface contact between the contact surface 35 and the other of the locking portion 40 and the restricting portion 34 (for example, the locking portion 40). By avoiding contact at the corner portion 36, which may cause the aforementioned short shot, and ensuring surface contact at the contact surface 35, the fitting guarantee component 6 is prevented from overriding the locking portion 40 even though the fitting is not complete. Therefore, the lever-equipped housing 7 of this embodiment makes it possible to properly operate the fitting guarantee component 6.

[0052] Furthermore, according to the lever-equipped housing 7 of this embodiment, the lever 4 has a pair of plate-like portions 31 arranged to sandwich the housing (female housing 3), and the restricting portion 34 is provided at the ends of the pair of plate-like portions 31. By providing the restricting portion 34 in a portion that is about the same thickness as the plate-like portion 31, the possibility of the above-mentioned short shot occurring can be sufficiently reduced.

[0053] <Other embodiments> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0054] For example, in the above embodiment, the projection 26 for supporting the lever 4 is also used as a "restricting part" that restricts the displacement of the main body 11 of the male housing 2. In contrast, the projection 26 for supporting the lever 4 and the "restricting part" that restricts the displacement of the main body 11 of the male housing 2 may be provided on the female housing 3 as independent components.

[0055] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the restricting portion 34, which is one of the locking portion 40 and the restricting portion (stepped portion 34) of the lever 4, has a flat contact surface 35 that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the displacement of the locking portion 40 is to be restricted (i.e., a predetermined direction), and a corner portion 36 adjacent to the contact surface 35 that has a curved surface shape. In contrast, the other locking portion 40 of the lever 4 (specifically, the extension portion 47 of the locking portion 40) may have a flat contact surface that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the displacement of the locking portion 40 is to be restricted (i.e., a predetermined direction), and a corner portion adjacent to the contact surface that has a curved surface shape. In addition, both the locking portion 40 and the restricting portion (stepped portion 34) of the lever 4 may have a flat contact surface that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the displacement of the locking portion 40 is to be restricted (i.e., a predetermined direction), and a corner portion adjacent to the contact surface that has a curved surface shape.

[0056] Herein, the features of the embodiment of the lever-equipped housing 7 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized below.

[0057] [1] A housing with a lever (7) comprising a housing (3) capable of accommodating terminals, a lever (4) mounted on the housing (3) and operated to assist in mating the housing (3) with the mating housing (2), and a mating guarantee component (6) mounted on the lever (4) capable of detecting whether or not the mating is complete, The lever (4) is It has a locking portion (40) that engages with the mating housing (2) when the fitting is performed, and a restricting portion (34) that contacts the locking portion (40) to restrict the amount of displacement of the locking portion (40) in a predetermined direction, The aforementioned mating guarantee component (6) is, If the fitting is not completed, it interferes with the locking portion (40) and does not overcome the locking portion (40), and if the fitting is completed, it overcomes the locking portion (40) while being displaced in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, thereby making it possible to detect whether or not the fitting is completed. One of the locking portion (40) and the restricting portion (34) is It has a flat contact surface (35) that extends in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and a corner portion (36) adjacent to the contact surface (35) that has a curved surface shape, The other of the locking portion (40) and the restricting portion (34) is When the locking portion (40) is displaced in the predetermined direction, it makes surface contact with the contact surface (35) to restrict the amount of displacement of the locking portion (40). Housing with lever (7).

[0058] In the lever-equipped housing configuration described in [1] above, one of the lever's locking and restricting portions (for example, the restricting portion) has a flat contact surface that extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the displacement of the locking portion is to be restricted (i.e., a predetermined direction), and a corner portion adjacent to the contact surface that has a curved surface shape. When the locking portion is displaced in the predetermined direction, the amount of displacement of the locking portion is restricted by surface contact between the contact surface and the other of the locking and restricting portions (for example, the locking portion). In this way, by avoiding contact at the corner portion where the aforementioned short shot may occur and ensuring surface contact at the contact surface, malfunction of the mating guarantee component (i.e., the mating guarantee component overcoming the locking portion even though mating is not complete) is properly suppressed. Therefore, the lever-equipped housing configuration in this configuration makes it possible to properly operate the mating guarantee component.

[0059] [2] In the lever housing (7) described in [1] above, The lever (4) is It has a pair of plate-shaped parts (31) arranged to sandwich the housing (3), and a connecting part (32) that connects the pair of plate-shaped parts (31), The aforementioned regulatory section (34) is The ends of the pair of plate-shaped parts (31) are provided, Housing with lever (7).

[0060] According to the lever-equipped housing configuration of [2] above, the lever has a pair of plate-like portions arranged to sandwich the housing, and the restricting portion is provided at the ends of the pair of plate-like portions. By providing the restricting portion in a portion that is about as thick as the thickness of the plate-like portions, the possibility of the aforementioned short shots occurring can be sufficiently reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 2 Male housing (receiving housing) 3 Female Housing (Housing) 4 Lever 6. Fitting Guarantee Parts 7. Housing with lever 31 Plate-like part 32 Connecting part 34 Stepped section (restricted section) 35 Plane (contact surface) 36 corners 40 Lock section

Claims

1. A housing with a lever, comprising: a housing capable of accommodating terminals; a lever mounted on the housing and operated to assist in mating the housing with a mating housing; and a mating guarantee component mounted on the lever and capable of detecting whether or not the mating is complete, The aforementioned lever is It has a locking portion that engages with the mating housing during fitting, and a restricting portion that contacts the locking portion to restrict the amount of displacement of the locking portion in a predetermined direction, The aforementioned mating guarantee component is, If the fitting is not completed, it will interfere with the locking portion and not overcome the locking portion, and if the fitting is completed, it will overcome the locking portion while being displaced in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, thereby making it possible to detect whether or not the fitting is completed. One of the locking portion and the restricting portion is, It has a flat contact surface that extends in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and a corner portion adjacent to the contact surface that has a curved surface shape, The locking portion and the other of the restricting portion are, The amount of displacement of the locking portion is restricted by surface contact with the contact surface when the locking portion is displaced in the predetermined direction. Housing with lever.

2. In the lever-equipped housing according to claim 1, The aforementioned lever is It has a pair of plate-shaped parts arranged to sandwich the housing, and a connecting part that connects the pair of plate-shaped parts, The aforementioned regulatory body, Provided at the ends of the pair of plate-shaped portions, Housing with lever.

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