Housing with a lever, and method for manufacturing a housing with a lever

Abstract

To provide a lever-equipped housing that offers excellent workability in the process of attaching mating guarantee parts to the lever. [Solution] The lever-equipped housing 7 comprises a housing 3, a lever 4 mounted on the housing 3, and a fitting guarantee part 6 mounted on the lever 4. The lever 4 has a locking portion 42 that engages with the mating housing 2 when fitted, a base portion 41 to which the fixed end of the locking portion 42 is connected, a release operation portion 45 that applies a force to the locking portion 42 in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing 2 and the locking portion 42 when displaced toward the base portion 41 in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion 32 that is positioned to sandwich the release operation portion 45 between itself and the base portion 41 in the predetermined direction and protects the release operation portion 45. The fitting guarantee part 6 has a detection portion 52 that extends toward the locking portion 42 from the gap between the release operation portion 45 and the protective portion 32.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing with a lever that can accommodate terminals, a lever that is operated to assist the fitting of the housing and a mating housing, and a fitting assurance component that can detect whether the fitting is completed, and a method for manufacturing the housing with a lever.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a connector having a function of detecting whether a housing and a mating housing are in a properly 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-described 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 based on whether the fitting assurance component can be moved to such a fitting assurance position.

[0005] In the conventional connectors described above, when assembling the mating guarantee component into the housing, it is thought that the mating guarantee component is installed while being approached to the housing at an angle relative to the final mounting position in order to avoid contact between the mating guarantee component and various parts of the housing (for example, the release operation part provided on the lock arm) and deformation of those parts or the mating guarantee component. In particular, when assembling the mating guarantee component into the housing using manufacturing equipment rather than manual work by an operator, it is thought that the mating guarantee component will be installed to the housing at the angle described above. However, since the work of installing the mating guarantee component to the housing at an angle is complicated, it is difficult to improve work efficiency.

[0006] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a lever-equipped housing that offers excellent workability in the process of attaching fitting guarantee parts to the lever, and a method for manufacturing a lever-equipped housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the lever-equipped housing and the method for manufacturing the lever-equipped housing according to the present invention are 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 The housing comprises a cantilevered locking portion that engages with the mating housing during fitting, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when the locking portion is displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned between the release operation portion and the base portion in the predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion. The aforementioned mating guarantee component is, The device has a detection unit that extends from the gap between the release operation unit and the protective unit toward the locking unit, and when the fitting is not completed, the detection unit interferes with the locking unit and does not go over the locking unit, and when the fitting is completed, the detection unit goes over the locking unit, thereby enabling detection of whether the fitting is complete or not. It must have a lever-type housing.

[0009] A method for manufacturing a lever-equipped housing 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 The housing comprises a cantilevered locking portion that engages with the mating housing during fitting, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when the locking portion is displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned between the release operation portion and the base portion in the predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion. The aforementioned mating guarantee component is, The device has a detection unit that extends from the gap between the release operation unit and the protective unit toward the locking unit, and when the fitting is not completed, the detection unit interferes with the locking unit and does not go over the locking unit, and when the fitting is completed, the detection unit goes over the locking unit, thereby enabling detection of whether the fitting is complete or not. The manufacturing method is The process of inserting the detection unit into the gap and attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever, The process includes the step of attaching the lever to the housing, The method must be a method for manufacturing a housing with a lever. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the lever-equipped housing and the method for manufacturing the lever-equipped housing of the present invention, the lever comprises a cantilevered locking portion, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned to sandwich the release operation portion between itself and the base portion in a predetermined direction and protects the release operation portion. The fitting guarantee component has a detection portion that extends toward the locking portion from the gap between the release operation portion and the protective portion. Therefore, when attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever, if the fitting guarantee component is attached to the lever so that the detection portion of the fitting guarantee component passes through the gap between the release operation portion and the protective portion, even if the detection portion comes into contact with the release operation portion, the release operation portion will be displaced toward the base portion, and the attachment of the fitting guarantee component will not be hindered. As a result, it is not necessary to assemble the fitting guarantee component to the lever in an inclined position as in the conventional method, and the fitting guarantee component can be attached to the lever in its final attachment position. Therefore, the lever-equipped housing and the method for manufacturing the lever-equipped housing of the present invention offer excellent workability in the process of attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever.

[0011] 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]

[0012] [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]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the fitting of the female housing and the male housing shown in FIG. 1 is completed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the fitting guarantee part is separated from the lever constituting the lever-equipped housing shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the A-A cross-section of FIG. 3, showing a state where the fitting guarantee part is arranged on the rear side of the lever in order to attach the fitting guarantee part to the lever. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state where the detection arm of the fitting guarantee part is inserted into the gap between the operation part of the lock part and the connecting part of the lever by advancing the fitting guarantee part from the state shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state where the fitting guarantee part is further advanced from the state shown in FIG. 8 and the attachment of the fitting guarantee part to the lever is completed. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a C-C cross-sectional view of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the A-A cross-section of FIG. 3, showing the periphery of the lock part of the lever in a state where the fitting guarantee part is in the temporary locking position, the lever is just before reaching the main fitting position, and the female housing and the male housing are just before reaching the complete fitting state during the fitting operation of the female housing and the male housing. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 11, showing a state where the female housing and the male housing reach the complete fitting state when the lever reaches the main fitting position from the state shown in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 11, showing a state where the fitting guarantee part has moved to the fitting guarantee position from the state shown in FIG. 12.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0013] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a housing unit 1 including a lever-equipped housing 7 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0014] The housing unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 4 comprises, as shown in Figure 1 and other figures, a male housing 2 and a female housing 3 that can be mated with each other, a lever 4 attached to the female housing 3 to assist in mating the male housing 2 and the female housing 3, and a mating guarantee component (so-called CPA, Connector Position Assurance) 6 attached to the lever 4. When the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are mated, a plurality of male terminals (not shown) housed in the male housing 2 and a plurality of female terminals (not shown) housed in the female housing 3 are electrically connected, and the wires (not shown) extending from the male terminals and the wires (not shown) extending from the female terminals are electrically connected. The male housing 2 and the female housing 3 correspond to the "mating housing" and "housing" of the present invention, respectively. The female housing 3, the lever 4, and the mating guarantee component 6 constitute the lever-equipped housing 7 (see Figures 1 to 5). The pair of projections 26 (see Figure 1), described later, on the female housing 3 are inserted into the pair of insertion holes 37 (see Figure 1), described later, on the lever 4. As a result, the lever 4 is mounted on the female housing 3 so that it can rotate between the "permanent fitting position" shown in Figures 3 and 4 and the "temporary fitting position" shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the pair of projections 26 as the pivot point.

[0015] For the sake of explanation, the following definitions are given as shown in Figures 1 to 13: "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," "up-down direction," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down." The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. For the male housing 2 and female housing 3, the advancing and reversing sides of the mating are designated as "front" and "rear," respectively. Therefore, the "front" and "rear" directions are reversed between the male housing 2 and the female housing 3. Note that the "front" and "rear" shown in Figures 1 to 13 refer to the "front" and "rear" of the female housing 3. Furthermore, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction do not necessarily have to coincide with the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle or other object when the housing unit 1 is mounted on such an object. The configuration of each component constituting the housing unit 1 will be explained in order below.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] Next, the lever 4 will be described. The lever 4 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, has a roughly U-shaped form composed of a pair of flat plate-like parts 31 that are spaced apart vertically and facing each other, and a connecting part 32 that connects the base ends of the pair of plate-like parts 31 and extends vertically. When the lever 4 is in the fully fitted position (see Figures 3 and 4), the plate-like parts 31 have a shape that extends horizontally, and the connecting part 32 connects the rear ends of the base ends located at the left end of the pair of plate-like parts 31 and has a long, slender, flat plate shape that is elongated vertically.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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).

[0030] For the sake of explanation, the following description of lever 4 will continue assuming that lever 4 is in the orientation corresponding to the main fitting position (see Figure 5). A locking portion 40 is formed in the area enclosed 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 comprises 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 inner surfaces of a pair of plate-shaped portions 31 (surfaces facing each other in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped portion 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, spaced apart and facing each other 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 portion 31. The locking mechanism includes a locking portion 43 extending in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped portion 31 so as to connect in the thickness direction (vertical direction), a pair of cantilever-shaped release arms 44 extending backward from the extended ends of a 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 extending in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped portion 31 so as 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 protruding 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, when the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are fitted together, the locking portion 43 of the locking mechanism 40 engages with the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 (see Figures 12 and 13). The operation of the locking portion 40 when the male housing 2 and the female housing 3 are mated will be described later. The operating portion 45 of the locking portion 40 can be pushed down (displaced) toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31 so as to move closer to the base plate portion 41. As will be described later, by pushing down the operating portion 45 of the locking portion 40 toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31, the engagement between the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40 and the locked portion 13 of the male housing 2 can be released.

[0031] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the connecting portion 32 of the locking portion 40 and the operating portion 45 and lever 4 are arranged such that the operating surface 45a of the operating portion 45 (see Figure 7; the base end side (left side) of the plate-shaped portion 31) and the inner surface 32a of the connecting portion 32 (see Figure 7; the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped portion 31) are spaced apart and facing each other in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31. In other words, the connecting portion 32 is positioned to sandwich the operating portion 45 between itself and the base portion 41 in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 31. Therefore, the connecting portion 32 serves to protect the operating portion 45 so that components around the lever 4 do not unintentionally come into contact with the operating portion 45.

[0032] As shown in Figure 7, the corner where the rear end surface of the operating section 45 intersects with the operating surface 45a is composed of a tapered surface 45b that is inclined with respect to the operating surface 45a and extends in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the plate-like section 31. Similarly, the corner where the rear end surface of the connecting section 32 intersects with the inner surface 32a is composed of a tapered surface 32b that is inclined with respect to the inner surface 32a and extends in the thickness direction (vertical direction) of the plate-like section 31. The functions and effects of providing the tapered surface 45b of the operating section 45 and the tapered surface 32b of the connecting section 32 will be described later.

[0033] The fitting guarantee component 6 is housed in a space enclosed by the base ends of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31, the connecting portion 32, and the locking portion 40, so as to be movable between a temporary locking position (see Figures 1-3 and 11-12) and a fitted guarantee position (see Figures 4 and 13). As shown in Figure 10, each of the inner surfaces of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31 facing the space in which the fitting guarantee component 6 is housed is provided with a locking portion 34. The pair of locking portions 34 engage with a pair of locking projections 54 of the fitting guarantee component 6, described later, in the temporary locking position, and perform the function of holding the fitting guarantee component 6 in the temporary locking position.

[0034] 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).

[0035] 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. The distance between the operating part 45 of the locking part 40 and the connecting part 32 of the lever 4, which are opposite each other (in the inelastically deformed state of the locking part 40), is narrower than the height of the extended end of the detection arm 52 (length in the extending direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped part 31). By positioning the connecting portion 32 in this manner near the operating portion 45, the connecting portion 32 can effectively prevent components around the lever 4 from unintentionally coming into contact with the operating portion 45.

[0036] Next, the procedure for attaching the fitting guarantee component 6 to the lever 4 will be described. The fitting 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. For this reason, first, as shown in Figure 6, the fitting guarantee component 6 is positioned at the rear of the space. Then, as shown in Figure 8, the fitting guarantee component 6 is advanced while inserting the detection arm 52 of the fitting guarantee component 6 into the gap between the operating portion 45 of the locking portion 40 and the connecting portion 32 of the lever 4, thereby moving the fitting guarantee component 6 into the space. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, the fitting guarantee component 6 is housed in a temporary locking position with the detection arm 52 extending from the gap between the operating portion 45 and the connecting portion 32 toward the extended end (locking portion 43) of the locking arm 42.

[0037] When inserting the detection arm 52 into the gap between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32, the distance between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32 is narrower than the height of the extended end of the detection arm 52. As a result, the extended end (locking projection 54) of the detection arm 52 comes into contact with at least one of the tapered surface 45b of the operating section 45 and the tapered surface 32b of the connecting section 32 (see Figure 7). This allows the extended end of the detection arm 52 to be naturally guided toward the gap between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32 by at least one of the tapered surfaces 45b and 32b, improving the workability when inserting the detection arm 52 into the gap between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32. In addition, because the distance between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32 is narrower than the height of the extended end of the detection arm 52, the detection arm 52 is inserted into the gap between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32 while pushing (displacing) the operating section 45 toward the extended end side (right side) of the plate-shaped section 31, as shown by the black arrow in Figure 8. Therefore, the fact that the distance between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32 is narrower than the height of the extended end of the detection arm 52 does not hinder the insertion of the detection arm 52 into the gap between the operating section 45 and the connecting section 32.

[0038] In this way, when attaching the fitting guarantee component 6 to the lever 4, if the fitting guarantee component 6 is attached to the lever 4 so that the detection arm 52 of the fitting guarantee component 6 passes through the gap between the operating part 45 and the connecting part 32, when the detection arm 52 contacts at least one of the operating part 45 and the connecting part 32, the operating part 45 is displaced to move closer to the base plate 41, and the attachment of the fitting guarantee component 6 is not hindered. As a result, it is not necessary to assemble the fitting guarantee component 6 to the lever 4 in a tilted position as in the conventional method, and the fitting guarantee component 6 can be attached to the lever 4 while maintaining its final attachment position (see Figure 9; specifically, the position where it is housed in the temporary locking position) at all times.

[0039] 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 forward. Furthermore, the pair of locking projections 54 provided on the main body portion 51 engage with the pair of locking portions 34 formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of plate-shaped portions 31 of the lever 4 (see Figure 10), thereby restricting further movement of the mating guarantee component 6 backward and holding the mating guarantee component 6 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 configuration of each component constituting the housing unit 1 has been described above.

[0040] 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).

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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).

[0044] 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).

[0045] 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.

[0046] As the lever 4 reaches the position just before it reaches the final engagement 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 11. From this state, as the lever 4 moves toward the final engagement position as shown by the white arrow in Figure 11, 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.

[0047] 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 12, 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.

[0048] As shown in Figure 12, 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 mated), the locked portion 13 is positioned adjacent to the rear of the locking portion 43. As a result, the locking portion 53 of the detection arm 52 of the mating guarantee component 6, which was positioned adjacent to the rear 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 mating guarantee component 6 and the locking portion 43 of the locking portion 40, allowing the mating guarantee component 6 to move from the temporary locking position to the mating 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 11), thereby restricting the movement of the fitting guarantee component 6 from the temporary locking position to the fitting guarantee position.

[0049] 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 mating position to the mating guarantee position, as shown by the white arrows in Figures 3 and 12 (see Figure 13). Here, the fact that the mating guarantee component 6 can move from the temporary mating 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).

[0050] 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 13, 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).

[0051] 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.

[0052] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the lever-equipped housing 7 of this embodiment, the lever 4 includes a cantilevered locking portion (lock arm 42), a base portion (base plate portion 41) to which the fixed end of the locking portion 42 is connected, a release operation portion (operation portion 45) that applies a force to the locking portion 42 in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing (male housing 2) and the locking portion 42 when displaced toward the base portion 41 in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion (connecting portion 32) that is positioned to sandwich the release operation portion 45 between itself and the base portion 41 in a predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion 45. The fitting guarantee component 6 has a detection portion (detection arm 52) that extends toward the locking portion 42 from the gap between the release operation portion 45 and the protective portion 32. Therefore, when attaching the fitting guarantee component 6 to the lever 4, if the fitting guarantee component 6 is attached to the lever 4 such that the detection portion 52 of the fitting guarantee component 6 passes through the gap between the release operation portion 45 and the protective portion 32, even if the detection portion 52 comes into contact with the release operation portion 45, the release operation portion 45 will be displaced to move closer to the base portion 41, and the attachment of the fitting guarantee component 6 will not be hindered. As a result, it is not necessary to assemble the fitting guarantee component to the lever in an inclined position as in the conventional method, and the fitting guarantee component 6 can be attached to the lever 4 in its final attachment position. Therefore, the lever-equipped housing 7 according to this embodiment offers excellent workability in the process of attaching the fitting guarantee component 6 to the lever 4.

[0053] Furthermore, according to the lever-equipped housing 7 of this embodiment, the distance between the release operation unit 45 and the protective unit 32 is narrower than the width of the detection unit 52. By positioning the protective unit 32 in such proximity to the release operation unit 45, the protective unit 32 can properly prevent members or other objects around the lever-equipped housing 7 from unintentionally coming into contact with the release operation unit 45. Moreover, even with the release operation unit 45 and the protective unit 32 positioned in this manner, the detection unit 52 can enter the gap while displacing the release operation unit 45, so the installation of the fitting guarantee component 6 is not hindered.

[0054] Furthermore, according to the lever-equipped housing 7 of this embodiment, at least one of the release operation section 45 and the protective section 32 has a face-to-face section (operating surface 45a and inner surface 32a) facing the gap, and a corner section (tapered surface 45b, 32b) adjacent to the face-to-face sections 45a, 32a and having a surface shape inclined with respect to the surface of the face-to-face sections 45a, 32a. As a result, when passing the detection section 52 of the fitting guarantee component 6 through the gap between the release operation section 45 and the protective section 32, the inclined surfaces of the corner sections 45b, 32b can guide the detection section 52, thereby improving the workability of the work of attaching the fitting guarantee component 6 to the lever 4.

[0055] <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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] Herein, the features of the embodiments of the lever-equipped housing 7 and the method for manufacturing the lever-equipped housing 7 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized below.

[0058] [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 The housing (42) has a cantilevered locking portion (42) that engages with the mating housing (2) when fitted, a base portion (41) to which the fixed end of the locking portion (42) is connected, a release operation portion (45) that applies a force to the locking portion (42) in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing (2) and the locking portion (42) when the locking portion (42) is displaced in a predetermined direction toward the base portion (41), and a protective portion (32) that is positioned between the release operation portion (45) and the base portion (41) in the predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion (45). The aforementioned mating guarantee component (6) is, The device has a detection unit (52) that extends from the gap between the release operation unit (45) and the protective unit (32) toward the locking unit (42), and when the fitting is not completed, the detection unit (52) interferes with the locking unit (42) and does not go over the locking unit (42), and when the fitting is completed, the detection unit (52) goes over the locking unit (42), thereby enabling detection of whether or not the fitting is complete. Housing with lever (7).

[0059] According to the lever-equipped housing configuration described in [1] above, the lever comprises a cantilevered locking portion, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned to sandwich the release operation portion between itself and the base portion in a predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion. The fitting guarantee component has a detection portion that extends toward the locking portion from the gap between the release operation portion and the protective portion. Therefore, when attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever, if the fitting guarantee component is attached to the lever so that the detection portion of the fitting guarantee component passes through the gap between the release operation portion and the protective portion, even if the detection portion comes into contact with the release operation portion, the release operation portion will be displaced toward the base portion, and the attachment of the fitting guarantee component will not be hindered. As a result, it is not necessary to assemble the fitting guarantee component to the lever in an inclined position as in the conventional method, and the fitting guarantee component can be attached to the lever in its final attachment position. Therefore, this configuration of a lever-equipped housing offers excellent workability in the process of attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever.

[0060] [2] In the lever housing (7) described in [1] above, The distance between the release operation unit (45) and the protection unit (32) in the predetermined direction is narrower than the width of the detection unit (52) in the predetermined direction. Housing with lever (7).

[0061] In the lever-equipped housing configuration described in [2] above, the distance between the release operation unit and the protective unit is narrower than the width of the detection unit. By positioning the protective unit in such proximity to the release operation unit, the protective unit can properly prevent components around the lever-equipped housing from unintentionally coming into contact with the release operation unit. Furthermore, even with the release operation unit and the protective unit positioned in this manner, the detection unit can enter the gap while displacing the release operation unit, so the installation of the fitting guarantee component is not hindered.

[0062] [3] In the lever housing (7) described in [1] above, At least one of the release operation unit (45) and the protection unit (32) is It has a face-to-face portion (45a, 32a) facing the gap, and a corner portion (45b, 32b) adjacent to the face-to-face portion (45a, 32a) and having a surface shape that is inclined with respect to the surface of the face-to-face portion (45a, 32a), Housing with lever (7).

[0063] According to the lever-equipped housing configuration of [3] above, at least one of the release operation part and the protective part has a face-facing part that faces the gap and a corner part adjacent to the face-facing part that has a surface shape inclined with respect to the surface of the face-facing part. As a result, when passing the detection part of the fitting guarantee part through the gap between the release operation part and the protective part, the inclined surface of the corner part can guide the detection part, thereby improving the workability of attaching the fitting guarantee part to the lever.

[0064] [4] A method for manufacturing a lever-equipped housing (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 a 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 The housing (42) has a cantilevered locking portion (42) that engages with the mating housing (2) when fitted, a base portion (41) to which the fixed end of the locking portion (42) is connected, a release operation portion (45) that applies a force to the locking portion (42) in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing (2) and the locking portion (42) when the locking portion (42) is displaced in a predetermined direction toward the base portion (41), and a protective portion (32) that is positioned between the release operation portion (45) and the base portion (41) in the predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion (45). The aforementioned mating guarantee component (6) is, The device has a detection unit (52) that extends from the gap between the release operation unit (45) and the protective unit (32) toward the locking unit (42), and when the fitting is not completed, the detection unit (52) interferes with the locking unit (42) and does not go over the locking unit (42), and when the fitting is completed, the detection unit (52) goes over the locking unit (42), thereby enabling detection of whether or not the fitting is complete. The manufacturing method is The process involves inserting the detection unit (52) into the gap while attaching the fitting guarantee component (6) to the lever (4), The process includes the step of attaching the lever (4) to the housing (3), A method for manufacturing a housing with a lever (7).

[0065] According to the manufacturing method for a lever-equipped housing with the configuration described in [4] above, the lever comprises a cantilevered locking portion, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when the release operation portion is displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned to sandwich the release operation portion between itself and the base portion in a predetermined direction and protects the release operation portion. The fitting guarantee component has a detection portion that extends toward the locking portion from the gap between the release operation portion and the protective portion. Therefore, when attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever, by attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever so that the detection portion of the fitting guarantee component passes through the gap between the release operation portion and the protective portion, even if the detection portion comes into contact with the release operation portion, the release operation portion will be displaced toward the base portion, and the attachment of the fitting guarantee component will not be hindered. As a result, it is not necessary to assemble the fitting guarantee component to the lever in an inclined position as in the conventional method, and the fitting guarantee component can be attached to the lever in its final attachment position. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the lever-equipped housing in this configuration offers excellent workability in the process of attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 2 Male housing (receiving housing) 3 Female Housing (Housing) 4 Lever 6. Fitting Guarantee Parts 7. Housing with lever 32 Connection part (protection part) 32a Inner surface (facing side) 32b Tapered surface (corner) 41 Circuit board (base) 42 Lock arm (locking part) 45 Operation section (release operation section) 45a Operating surface (facing side) 45b Tapered surface (corner) 52 Detection arm (detection unit)

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 The housing comprises a cantilevered locking portion that engages with the mating housing during fitting, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when the locking portion is displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned between the release operation portion and the base portion in the predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion. The aforementioned mating guarantee component is, The device has a detection unit that extends from the gap between the release operation unit and the protective unit toward the locking unit, and when the fitting is not completed, the detection unit interferes with the locking unit and does not go over the locking unit, and when the fitting is completed, the detection unit goes over the locking unit, thereby enabling detection of whether the fitting is complete or not. Housing with lever.

2. In the lever-equipped housing according to claim 1, The distance between the release operation unit and the protection unit in the predetermined direction is narrower than the width of the detection unit in the predetermined direction. Housing with lever.

3. In the lever-equipped housing according to claim 1, At least one of the release operation unit and the protective unit is It has a face-to-face portion that faces the gap, and a corner portion adjacent to the face-to-face portion that has a surface shape inclined with respect to the surface of the face-to-face portion, Housing with lever.

4. A method for manufacturing a lever-equipped housing 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 The housing comprises a cantilevered locking portion that engages with the mating housing during fitting, a base portion to which the fixed end of the locking portion is connected, a release operation portion that applies a force to the locking portion in a direction that releases the engagement between the mating housing and the locking portion when the locking portion is displaced toward the base portion in a predetermined direction, and a protective portion that is positioned between the release operation portion and the base portion in the predetermined direction to protect the release operation portion. The aforementioned mating guarantee component is, The device has a detection unit that extends from the gap between the release operation unit and the protective unit toward the locking unit, and when the fitting is not completed, the detection unit interferes with the locking unit and does not go over the locking unit, and when the fitting is completed, the detection unit goes over the locking unit, thereby enabling detection of whether the fitting is complete or not. The manufacturing method is The process of inserting the detection unit into the gap and attaching the fitting guarantee component to the lever, The process includes the step of attaching the lever to the housing, A method for manufacturing a housing with a lever.

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