connector
The connector design addresses the challenge of stable retention between the housing and rear holder by incorporating a lever with a restriction portion, enhancing assembly efficiency and structural stability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022019446
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-02-10
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-09
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-02-10
AI Technical Summary
During the assembly of connectors, the interference between lock portions and lock holes increases the workload, and reducing the number of lock parts compromises the stability of the housing and rear holder retention.
The connector design includes a lever with a restriction portion that faces the rear holder, allowing for stable retention between the housing and the rear holder while reducing the complexity of the structure and assembly resistance.
This configuration ensures a stable retention between the housing and the rear holder, reducing assembly resistance and maintaining structural integrity without increasing the overall complexity of the connector.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]
[0002] The connectors disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 include a terminal fitting, a housing, a rubber plug, a rear holder, and a lever. The terminal fitting is connected to a front end of an electric wire and accommodated in the housing. The rubber plug is attached to a rear part of the housing. The rubber plug liquid-tightly surrounds the outer periphery of the electric wire. The rear holder is disposed behind the rubber plug. The rubber plug is sandwiched between the housing and the rear holder. The lever is supported rotatably relative to the housing. The fitting of the housing and the mating housing progresses as the lever rotates.
[0003] In general, the rear holder has many locking portions that can be locked to the housing. In the case of Patent Document 1, a pair of claw-shaped locking portions (referred to as locking protrusions in Patent Document 1) is formed on each of the four side surfaces of the outer periphery of the rear holder. A plurality of locking holes (referred to as locking portions in Patent Document 1) are formed in the housing at positions corresponding to each of the locking portions. Each locking portion fits into each locking hole, thereby holding the rear holder in the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-123102 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-78141 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2018-18583 A [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2014 / 115363 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] During the process of assembling the rear holder, each locking part interferes with the opening edge of each locking hole in the housing. This increases the interference resistance of each locking part, which increases the workload. It is possible to improve the workability by reducing the number of locking parts. However, reducing the number of locking parts makes it difficult to securely hold the housing and rear holder in the areas where the locking parts are eliminated.
[0006] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector capable of obtaining stable retention between a housing and a rear holder. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a terminal fitting connected to the front end of an electric wire, a housing in which the terminal fitting is accommodated, a rubber stopper arranged at the rear of the housing and liquid-tightly surrounding the outer periphery of the electric wire, a rear holder arranged behind the rubber stopper and sandwiching the rubber stopper between the housing and a lever supported by the housing and rotated to fit the housing into a mating housing, the lever having a restricting portion that faces the rear holder from behind in the mating position. Effect of the Invention
[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector capable of obtaining stable retention between a housing and a rear holder. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a rear view of the connector according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, showing the connector properly mated with the mating connector. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the connector properly mated with the mating connector. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the housing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear holder. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the rear holder. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lever. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of the connector with the lever placed at the temporary locking position relative to the housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0010] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A connector comprising: a terminal fitting connected to a front end of an electric wire; a housing in which the terminal fitting is accommodated; a rubber stopper disposed at the rear of the housing and liquid-tightly surrounding the outer periphery of the electric wire; a rear holder disposed behind the rubber stopper and sandwiching the rubber stopper between the housing and a lever supported by the housing and rotated to fit the housing into a mating housing, the lever having a restricting portion facing the rear holder from behind in the mating position. Since the restricting portion faces the rear holder from behind, the rear holder is restricted from moving backward relative to the housing, and the housing and the rear holder can be stably held. In particular, since the restricting portion is formed on the lever, it is possible to avoid the overall configuration becoming complicated.
[0011] (2) The lever has a pair of cam portions facing each other and a connecting portion connecting the pair of cam portions, and is rotatable relative to the housing between an initial position in which the connecting portion is located away from the rear holder and the mating position in which the connecting portion is close enough to contact the rear holder, and it is preferable that the regulating portion is formed at least on the end portion of the pair of cam portions on the connecting portion side. Even if the rear holder is disposed in a state where it is floating backward from the normal position relative to the housing, the restricting portion can push the rear holder into the normal position when the lever reaches the mating position. In particular, since the restricting portion is formed on the end portion of the pair of cam portions on the connecting portion side, the distance (moment length) from the rotation shaft to the restricting portion can be made large. As a result, a large pushing force can be applied to the rear holder.
[0012] (3) The restricting portion may be formed continuously over a range extending from the ends of the pair of cam portions on the connecting portion side to the connecting portion. According to the above configuration, the connecting portion between the pair of cam portions and the connecting portion can be reinforced by the restricting portion, and the rigidity of the lever can be increased.
[0013] (4) The rear holder may have a recess for receiving the restricting portion at the mating position. According to the above configuration, when the lever is in the mating position, the restricting portion can be prevented from protruding significantly rearward from the rear holder, thereby making it possible to reduce the front-rear dimension of the connector.
[0014] (5) The rear holder may have four side portions on its outer periphery, and a locking portion that engages with the housing may be formed in a pair of the side portions that face opposite each other, and the recesses may be formed in another pair of the side portions that face opposite each other. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the locking portions are not required on the other pair of side surfaces, and the total number of locking portions can be reduced, so that the assembly resistance of the rear holder can be kept small. Also, since the locking portions are formed on the pair of side surfaces facing opposite each other and the recesses are formed on the other pair of side surfaces facing opposite each other, a well-balanced holding form between the housing and the rear holder can be obtained.
[0015] (6) The lever may have a flexible lever lock portion that holds the housing and the mating housing in a fitted state, and the restricting portion may be disposed in a position facing the lever lock portion in a bending direction of the lever lock portion. According to the above configuration, the restricting portion is less likely to become misaligned with respect to the rear holder due to the locking action of the lever lock portion.
[0016] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.
[0017] <Embodiment 1> As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 11, a front holder 12, a retainer 13, a rear holder 14, a lever 15, a terminal fitting 16, a rubber plug 17, and a seal ring 18. The housing 11, the rear holder 14, the lever 15, the retainer 13, and the front holder 12 are made of synthetic resin. The terminal fitting 16 is made of conductive metal. The rubber plug 17 and the seal ring 18 are made of rubber such as silicone rubber. The connector 10 can be fitted to a mating connector 90. In the following description, the front-rear direction refers to the side of the connector 10 and the mating connector 90 that face each other when the connector 10 and the mating connector 90 start to be fitted to each other. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in each figure except for FIG. 8. The up-down direction is synonymous with the height direction. The up-down direction is not limited to the direction of gravity when the connector 10 is mounted on a vehicle or the like (not shown). The left-right direction is the left-right direction in FIG. 1 and is synonymous with the width direction.
[0018] (Mating connector) 2, the mating connector 90 includes a mating housing 91 made of synthetic resin and a mating terminal fitting 92 made of conductive metal. The mating terminal fitting 92 is a pin-shaped or tab-shaped male terminal. Although not shown in detail, the mating housing 91 has a square cylindrical hood portion 93 that protrudes forward. A plurality of mating terminal fittings 92 protrude from the inside of the hood portion 93.
[0019] The upper and lower walls of the hood portion 93 form a double-wall structure, and define an accommodation space 94 on the inside for accommodating a cam portion 48 of the lever 15, which will be described later.
[0020] The upper and lower walls of the hood portion 93 have cam pins 96 (only the lower side is shown in FIG. 3) that protrude from the inner wall portions into the accommodation space 94. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper wall of the hood portion 93 has, in its outer wall portion, a hole-shaped lever lock receiving portion 95 that penetrates in the vertical direction.
[0021] (Terminal fittings) As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal fitting 16 is exemplified as a female terminal elongated in the front-rear direction. The terminal fitting 16 has a cylindrical box portion 21 and a barrel portion 22 connected to the rear of the box portion 21. A mating terminal fitting 92 is inserted into the box portion 21 when the connector 10 is mated. A resilient contact piece (not shown) is formed in the box portion 21 and electrically connected to the mating terminal fitting 92. The barrel portion 22 is electrically and mechanically connected to the front end of the electric wire 80.
[0022] (Housing, retainer, front holder, seal ring, rubber plug) As shown in Fig. 2, the housing 11 has a housing body 23 at the front. The housing body 23 has a plurality of cavities 24 penetrating in the front-rear direction. A terminal fitting 16 is inserted from the rear into each cavity 24 of the housing body 23. A lance 25 is formed to protrude from the inner wall of each cavity 24. The terminal fitting 16 is engaged with the lance 25 and is temporarily prevented from coming out of the housing body 23.
[0023] The front holder 12 is attached to the housing main body 23 from the front. The front holder 12 is cap-shaped. The front holder 12 has a plurality of insertion holes 26. Each mating terminal fitting 92 is inserted into each insertion hole 26 of the front holder 12. A seal ring 18 is attached to the outer periphery of the housing main body 23. The seal ring 18 is liquid-tightly sandwiched between the housing main body 23 and the hood portion 93. The front holder 12 prevents the seal ring 18 from slipping out forward.
[0024] A retainer mounting hole 27 is formed in the housing body 23. The retainer mounting hole 27 opens to the upper surface of the housing body 23 and communicates with each of the cavities 24. The retainer 13 is inserted from above into the retainer mounting hole 27 of the housing body 23. The retainer 13 locks the terminal fitting 16. The terminal fitting 16 is secondarily prevented from coming off the housing body 23 by the retainer 13.
[0025] The housing 11 has a fitting tubular portion 28 that surrounds the outer periphery of the rear portion of the housing body 23. As shown in FIG. 2, the tips of the inner wall portions of the upper and lower walls of the hood portion 93 are fitted between the fitting tubular portion 28 and the housing body 23.
[0026] 4, the housing 11 has a square cylindrical mounting portion 29 that protrudes rearward from the housing body 23. The mounting portion 29 is connected to a base portion of the rear end of the fitting cylindrical portion 28.
[0027] 1 and 4, the upper and lower walls of the mounting portion 29 have, on one widthwise side (the left side in FIG. 1), shafts 31 that protrude upward and downward, respectively. Each shaft 31 is a portion that rotatably supports the lever 15.
[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the left and right side walls of the mounting part 29 have a plurality of lock holes 32 penetrating in the left-right direction. The lock holes 32 are arranged in pairs at intervals in the up-down direction on the side walls of the mounting part 29. As shown in FIG. 3, a lock protrusion 42 of a lock part 41 of the rear holder 14, which will be described later, fits into each lock hole 32. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of lock guide parts 33 are recessed on the inner surface of each side wall of the mounting part 29. Each lock guide part 33 extends in the front-rear direction, communicates with each lock hole 32, and is open to the rear of the mounting part 29. As shown in FIG. 1, a lock part 41 of the rear holder 14, which will be described later, fits into each lock guide part 33.
[0029] As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, a plurality of guide grooves 34 are formed on the inner surface of the mounting portion 29 at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each guide groove 34 extends long in the front-rear direction and is open to the rear of the mounting portion 29. A portion of each guide groove 34 is arranged on each of the upper and lower walls of the mounting portion 29 at intervals in the left-right direction, and a plurality of guide grooves, specifically three guide grooves, are arranged. The remaining portion of each guide groove 34 is arranged on the left side wall of the mounting portion 29 in Fig. 1. No guide groove 34 is formed on the right side wall of the mounting portion 29 in Fig. 1. A guide portion 43 of the rear holder 14, which will be described later, fits into each guide groove 34.
[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the rear end of the mounting portion 29 has a retracted portion 35 on the other widthwise side, which is recessed forward from the one widthwise side. As shown in Fig. 1, a connecting portion 47 of the lever 15, which will be described later, can be inserted and positioned in the retracted portion 35.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the rubber stopper 17 is inserted into the assembly portion 29 from the rear. The rubber stopper 17 is a mat-shaped one-piece rubber stopper having a thickness in the front-rear direction. The rubber stopper 17 has a plurality of seal holes 36 penetrating in the front-rear direction. When the rubber stopper 17 is housed in the assembly portion 29, each seal hole 36 communicates with each cavity 24 in the front-rear direction. An electric wire 80 connected to each terminal fitting 16 is inserted liquid-tightly into each seal hole 36. The rubber stopper 17 has an outer peripheral lip 37 on its outer periphery that is in close contact with the inner periphery of the assembly portion 29.
[0032] (rear holder) The rear holder 14 is inserted into the assembly portion 29 from the rear, following the rubber plug 17 (see FIG. 2). The rear holder 14 has a thickness greater than that of the rubber plug 17, and has four side portions 38, 39 facing up, down, left and right on its outer periphery, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The rear holder 14 also has a plurality of through holes 61 penetrating in the front-rear direction. When the rear holder 14 is housed in the assembly portion 29, as shown in FIG. 2, each through hole 61 communicates with each cavity 24 and each seal hole 36 in the front-rear direction. Each through hole 61 has a rectangular cross section, and opens to a size that allows the box portion 21 of each terminal fitting 16 to be inserted therethrough.
[0033] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a plurality of locking portions 41 are formed to protrude from the left and right side surface portions 38 (side surface portions facing opposite sides in the left-right direction) of the side surface portions 38, 39. Each locking portion 41 has a rectangular flat shape in a side view. The locking portions 41 are arranged in pairs on each side surface portion 38 with a gap between them vertically. A rib-shaped locking protrusion 42 extending in the vertical direction is formed to protrude from the front end of each locking portion 41.
[0034] A plurality of guide portions 43 are formed to protrude from each of the side portions 38, 39. Each guide portion 43 is shaped like a rib extending long in the front-rear direction. A portion of each guide portion 43 is arranged on the upper and lower side portions 39 (side portions facing opposite sides in the up-down direction) at intervals in the left-right direction, with a plurality of guide portions, specifically three guide portions 43. The remaining portion of each guide portion 43 is arranged in one position at the middle portion in the up-down direction of the side portion 38 on the left side of FIG. 6. No guide portion 43 is formed on the side portion 38 on the right side of FIG. 6.
[0035] Of the side surface portions 38, 39, the upper and lower side surface portions 39 each have a recess 44 formed therein. Of the recesses 44, the upper recess 44 is recessed into the other widthwise side of the upper side surface portion 39 (the right side in FIG. 6 ) and is open to the rear and right of the rear holder 14 in addition to above the rear holder 14. The lower recess 44 is recessed into the other widthwise side of the lower side surface portion 39 and is open to the rear and right of the rear holder 14 in addition to below the rear holder 14. The end of each recess 44 on the other widthwise side opens into a curved corner portion 45 disposed between the side surface portions 38, 39.
[0036] Each recess 44 has an opposing surface 46 on the end surface at the rear side in the forward recession direction. The opposing surface 46 is a vertical surface along the up-down direction and is arranged facing rearward. The opposing surface 46 is arranged along the left-right direction except for an end portion on one side in the width direction. The end portion on one side in the width direction of the opposing surface 46 is arranged diagonally with respect to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The opposing surface 46 of each recess 44 is arranged to face a regulating surface of the lever 15, which will be described later. Each guide portion 43 in the center and right side of the upper and lower side portions 39 in FIG. 6 has a shape in which a part is cut out by each recess 44, and the cut-out rear surface is connected to the opposing surface 46 without any step.
[0037] (lever) 7, the lever 15 has a gate-like shape and a connecting portion 47 extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of cam portions 48 protruding parallel to each other from upper and lower ends of the connecting portion 47. Each cam portion 48 is plate-shaped and has a shaft hole 49 penetrating in the vertical direction (plate thickness direction). A cam groove 51 is formed in each cam portion 48. Each cam groove 51 opens at an end of the outer periphery of each cam portion 48 on one widthwise side away from the connecting portion 47.
[0038] The lever 15 is supported on the housing 11 so as to be rotatable around the support shafts 31 fitted in the shaft holes 49 between an initial position (see FIG. 8) and an engagement position (see FIGS. 1 to 3). In the initial position, as shown in FIG. 8, the connecting portion 47 is disposed away from the rear of the rear holder 14. In the engagement position, the connecting portion 47 is disposed close to the rear holder 14 so as to be able to come into contact with the rear holder 14. The lever 15 can be rotated by pinching the connecting portion 47 with the fingers.
[0039] As shown in Fig. 7, each cam portion 48 has a temporary locking portion 52 at one end in the width direction. The temporary locking portion 52 extends in a cantilever shape along the outer periphery of the cam portion 48. As shown in Fig. 8, the tip side of the temporary locking portion 52 is locked to the front end of the fitting tube portion 28, so that the lever 15 is held in the initial position relative to the housing 11.
[0040] Of the cam portions 48, the upper cam portion 48 has a lever lock portion 53. The lever lock portion 53 is disposed between a pair of slits 54 formed in the upper cam portion 48 so as to be capable of being flexibly deformed. The lever lock portion 53 has a protrusion 55 that protrudes upward. When the lever 15 is in the mating position, as shown in FIG. 2, the lever lock portion 53 is engaged with a lever lock receiving portion 95 of the mating housing 91. The lever lock portion 53 has a release operation portion 56 disposed one step higher at the rear end portion. When the release operation portion 56 is pressed from above, the engagement between the lever lock portion 53 and the lever lock receiving portion 95 is released. The upper cam portion 48 has a protection portion 57 at the rear end portion that surrounds the outer periphery of the release operation portion 56. When the release operation portion 56 is Upward When the lever lock portion 53 comes into contact with the protective portion 57, excessive bending deformation of the lever lock portion 53 is restricted.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 7, the lever 15 has a plurality of regulating portions 58 at its rear end. Other side in width direction Each of the restricting portions 58 is formed in a rectangular plate shape that is long in the width direction. EdgeThe upper restricting portion 58 is integrally connected to the connecting portion 47. The upper restricting portion 58 is integrally connected to the protection portion 57. In other words, the upper restricting portion 58 is disposed at a position facing the lever lock portion 53 in the bending direction of the lever lock portion 53. As shown in FIG 1, the connecting portion 47 has an arch surface 59 curved to one side in the width direction on the inner surface portion between the restricting portions 58.
[0042] (Connector assembly and mating structure) When assembling the connector 10, the rubber plug 17 is inserted from behind into the mounting portion 29 of the housing 11. Then, the rear holder 14 is inserted from behind into the mounting portion 29 of the housing 11. During the process of inserting the rear holder 14, the guide portions 43 are fitted into the guide grooves 34, thereby guiding the insertion operation of the rear holder 14. This makes it possible to prevent the rear holder 14 from being tilted relative to the housing 11.
[0043] During the insertion process of the rear holder 14, the locking protrusions 42 of the locking parts 41 slide along the locking guide parts 33, causing the left and right side walls of the assembly part 29 to bulge outward. When the insertion of the rear holder 14 is complete, the left and right side walls of the assembly part 29 return to their original shapes, and the locking protrusions 42 of the locking parts 41 fit into the locking holes 32. This holds the rear holder 14 in the assembly part 29. When the rear holder 14 is properly assembled to the housing 11, the front surface of the rear holder 14 is positioned along the rear surface of the rubber plug 17 (see FIG. 2). The opposing surfaces 46 of the recesses 44 of the rear holder 14 are positioned in the same position as the retracted parts 35 of the assembly part 29 in the front-rear direction.
[0044] Furthermore, when the lever 15 is in the mating position, the entirety of each of the restricting portions 58 of the lever 15 is inserted into each of the recesses 44 of the rear holder 14. Here, the front surface of each of the restricting portions 58 is arranged to be in contact with the opposing surface 46 of each of the recesses 44 and the retracted portion 35 (see FIG. 2). In this state, the rear end surface of the lever 15 is arranged at the same position as the rear surface of the rear holder 14 (excluding the recesses 44) in the front-rear direction. Next, each of the terminal fittings 16 connected to the front ends of each of the electric wires 80 is inserted into each of the cavities 24 of the housing 11. The assembly of each of the terminal fittings 16 can be performed by an automated machine from the rear of the connector 10, since the rear end positions of the rear holder 14 and the lever 15 are aligned.
[0045] When performing the mating operation of the connector 10 and the mating connector 90, the lever 15 is first placed in the initial position (see FIG. 8). In this state, the housing 11 is shallowly fitted into the hood portion 93 of the mating housing 91. Then, the tip of the upper wall of the hood portion 93 interferes with the temporary locking portion 52, and the temporary locking portion 52 is flexibly deformed in a direction to release the lock with the mating tubular portion 28. This allows the lever 15 to rotate to the mating position.
[0046] Also, in the initial position, the upper cam portion 48 is inserted into the accommodation space 94, and the cam pin 96 enters the entrance of the cam groove 51. Then, the lever 15 is rotated toward the mating position. In the process of the lever 15 moving toward the mating position, the cam pin 96 slides on the groove surface of the cam groove 51, and the mating operation of the connector 10 and the mating connector 90 progresses. When the lever 15 reaches the mating position, as shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 55 of the lever lock portion 53 fits into the lever lock receiving portion 95, and the connector 10 and the mating connector 90 are properly mated. At this time, each terminal metal fitting 16 and each mating terminal metal fitting 92 are properly connected. As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 47 of the lever 15 is arranged in the mating position so as to face the side wall of the assembly portion 29 on the right side in FIG. 1 so as to be contactable from the rear. The arch surface 59 of the connecting portion 47 can be prevented from strongly interfering with each electric wire 80 drawn out from each through hole 61 of the rear holder 14.
[0047] The rear holder 14 has both locking portions 41 at both left and right ends thereof engaged with the locking holes 32 of the housing 11, and also has both vertical ends thereof arranged with the restricting portions 58 facing the opposing surfaces 46 of the recesses 44. This reliably restricts the rear holder 14 from slipping out of the mounting portion 29. In particular, the upper and lower walls of the mounting portion 29 do not have the lock guide portions 33 and the locking holes 32, and therefore do not need to be thick in the vertical direction. In addition, in the first embodiment, no wire cover or the like is attached to the rear of the housing 11, and the lever 15 does not protrude behind the rear holder 14. As a result, the connector 10 can be prevented from becoming large in size.
[0048] If the rear end of the rear holder 14 protrudes rearward from within the assembly portion 29, when the lever 15 reaches the mating position, each regulating portion 58 presses the opposing surface 46 of each recess 44, thereby allowing the rear holder 14 to reach the correct assembly position within the assembly portion 29.
[0049] As described above, according to the first embodiment, each of the restricting portions 58 faces the opposing surface 46 of each of the recesses 44 from behind, thereby restricting the rear holder 14 from moving backward relative to the housing 11. As a result, the housing 11 and the rear holder 14 can be stably held. In particular, since the restricting portion 58 is formed on the lever 15, it is possible to avoid the overall configuration becoming complicated.
[0050] In addition, since each of the restricting portions 58 is formed on the end of each of the cam portions 48 on the connecting portion 47 side, the distance (moment length) from the support shaft 31 to the restricting portion 58 can be made large. As a result, a large pushing force can be applied from the lever 15 to the rear holder 14.
[0051] Moreover, each of the restricting portions 58 is formed continuously over a range from the end of each of the cam portions 48 on the connecting portion 47 side to the connecting portion 47. Therefore, the connecting portion (corner portion) between each of the cam portions 48 and the connecting portion 47 can be reinforced by each of the restricting portions 58, and the rigidity of the lever 15 can be increased.
[0052] Furthermore, each of the restricting portions 58 is inserted into each of the recesses 44 of the rear holder 14 at the mating position. In the case of the first embodiment, each of the restricting portions 58 is entirely inserted into each of the recesses 44. Therefore, each of the restricting portions 58 does not protrude rearward from the rear holder 14, and the front-to-rear dimension of the connector 10 can be reduced.
[0053] The rear holder 14 has four side surfaces 38, 39 on its outer periphery, and of the four side surfaces 38, 39, the left and right side surfaces 38 are each formed with a locking portion 41 that is engaged with the housing 11, and the top and bottom side surfaces 39 are each formed with a recess 44 into which the restricting portion 58 is inserted. Upper and lower side parts 39 Therefore, the locking portion 41 is not necessary, the total number of the locking portions 41 can be reduced, and the assembly resistance of the rear holder 14 can be reduced. Moreover, the holding form of the housing 11 and the rear holder 14 can be well balanced in the vertical and horizontal directions.
[0054] Furthermore, since the upper restricting portion 58 is disposed at a position facing the lever lock portion 53 in the bending direction of the lever lock portion 53, it is difficult for the position to shift relative to the rear holder 14.
[0055] [Another embodiment of the present disclosure] The above-described first embodiment disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the pair of cam portions each have a restricting portion formed thereon. However, in another embodiment, the restricting portion may be formed on only one of the pair of cam portions. Also, the restricting portion may be formed on the connecting portion of the lever. Furthermore, only one restricting portion may be formed on the lever. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the restricting portion is configured to be inserted into the recess at the mating position. However, in another embodiment, the rear holder may not be formed with a recess, and the restricting portion may simply be disposed facing the rear surface (opposing surface) of the rear holder from behind at the mating position. In the first embodiment, the restricting portion is configured to contact the opposing surface of the rear holder at the mating position. However, in another embodiment, the restricting portion may be disposed rearward and away from the opposing surface of the rear holder at the mating position. [Explanation of symbols]
[0056] 10 Connector 11. Housing 12…Front holder 13…Retainer 14…Rear holder 15…Lever 16...Terminal metal fitting 17…Rubber stopper 18…Seal ring 21…Hakobe 22…Barrel section 23…Housing body 24…Cavity 25…Lance 26...Through hole 27…Retainer mounting hole 28…Mating cylinder part 29…Assembly section 31...Spindle 32...Lock hole 33…Lock guide part 34...Guide groove 35…Retreat area 36…Seal hole 37...Outer lip 38…Left and right side sections 39…Upper and lower side sections 41…Rock section 42…Lock protrusion 43…Guide section 44…Recess 45…Corner 46…Opposite surface 47...Connection part 48…Cam section 49…Shaft hole 51...Cam groove 52...Temporary locking portion 53…Lever lock section 54...Slit 55...Protrusion 56...Release operation section 57...Protection Department 58…Regulation Department 59...Arch surface 61...Through hole 80...Electric wire 90…Mating connector 91…Matching housing 92…Mating terminal fitting 93…Food section 94…Containment space 95...Lever lock receiver 96…Campin
Claims
1. A terminal fitting connected to a front end of the electric wire; a housing in which the terminal fittings are accommodated; a rubber plug disposed at a rear portion of the housing and liquid-tightly surrounding an outer periphery of the electric wire; a rear holder disposed behind the rubber plug and configured to sandwich the rubber plug between the rear holder and the housing; a lever supported by the housing and adapted to rotate to fit the housing into a mating housing, the lever has a restriction portion that faces the rear holder from behind when in a mating position, Further, the lever has a pair of cam portions facing each other and a connecting portion connecting the pair of cam portions, and is rotatable with respect to the housing between an initial position where the connecting portion is located rearwardly of the rear holder and the mating position where the connecting portion approaches the rear holder so as to be able to come into contact with the rear holder, The restricting portion is formed at least on an end portion of the pair of cam portions on the connecting portion side.
2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the restricting portion is formed continuously over a range extending from the ends of the pair of cam portions on the connecting portion side to the connecting portion.
3. A terminal fitting connected to a front end of the electric wire; a housing in which the terminal fittings are accommodated; a rubber plug disposed at a rear portion of the housing and liquid-tightly surrounding an outer periphery of the electric wire; a rear holder disposed behind the rubber plug and configured to sandwich the rubber plug between the rear holder and the housing; a lever supported by the housing and adapted to rotate to fit the housing into a mating housing, the lever has a restriction portion that faces the rear holder from behind when in a mating position, The rear holder has a recess that receives the restriction portion at the mating position.
4. The rear holder has four side surfaces on an outer periphery, A pair of side surfaces facing opposite each other among the four side surfaces are formed with locking portions that are engaged with the housing, The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the recesses are formed in a pair of other side portions of the four side portions that face in opposite directions.
5. A terminal fitting connected to a front end of the electric wire; a housing in which the terminal fittings are accommodated; a rubber plug disposed at a rear portion of the housing and liquid-tightly surrounding an outer periphery of the electric wire; a rear holder disposed behind the rubber plug and configured to sandwich the rubber plug between the rear holder and the housing; a lever supported by the housing and adapted to rotate to fit the housing into a mating housing, the lever has a restriction portion that faces the rear holder from behind when in a mating position, the lever has a flexible lever lock portion that holds the housing and the mating housing in a fitted state, The restricting portion is disposed at a position facing the lever lock portion in a bending direction of the lever lock portion.
Citation Information
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