Connector Housing

Abstract

To provide a connector housing that can emit a sufficient impact sound (engagement completion sound) while meeting the demand for miniaturization of connectors. [Solution] A connector housing that can engage and disengage with a mating housing, the housing having a main body, a housing lever supported by the main body, and a slide lever, the housing lever having a support portion supported by the main body and an arm that extends from the support portion in the engagement direction and is capable of bending and displacing, the operating portion and the arm being supported by the support portion and being able to swing in a seesaw-like manner, the arm having an engagement portion at the tip, when the slide lever is attached in the engagement position, the arm undergoes elastic deformation bending in the direction of separation as the engagement portion comes into contact with the interfered portion of the mating housing, and when engaging with the mating housing, the arm strikes the mating housing, emitting an engagement completion sound.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing for a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-318844 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] This conventional connector includes a first housing provided with a locking arm and a second housing that can be mated with the first housing. During the mating process of the two housings, a locking portion provided on the locking arm interferes with a locking portion provided on the second housing, causing the locking arm to elastically bend. When the two housings reach a properly mated state, the locking arm elastically returns and the locking portions engage with each other, locking the two housings in a disengagement-prevented state. In this connector, the locking arm has an elastically flexible portion provided behind the leg that is elastically bent when it abuts against the first housing when the locking portions interfere with each other. When the two housings are properly mated and the locking arm elastically returns, the locking arm stores an elastic restoring force resulting from the elastic bending of the elastically flexible portion in addition to the elastic restoring force resulting from the elastic bending of the locking arm itself, and this amplifies the impact sound (engagement completion sound) between the housing and the locking arm.

[0005] However, in order to amplify the impact noise caused by the elastically flexible portion, the elastically flexible portion must also have a certain thickness and size, which hinders the demand for miniaturization of the connector.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a connector housing that can generate a sufficient impact sound by elastically bending only the locking arm. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The connector housing of the present invention comprises: A connector housing that can be engaged and disengaged with a mating housing, The housing has a main body, a housing lever supported by the main body, and a slide lever, The housing lever is a support portion supported by the main body; an operating portion extending from the support portion in a direction opposite to the engagement direction; an arm extending from the support portion in an engagement direction and capable of deflection; the operation unit and the arm are supported by the support unit and can swing in a seesaw manner, The arm has an engaging portion at its tip, The slide lever is a restricting portion disposed on a support portion forming direction side of the operation portion and restricting displacement of the operation portion in the support portion forming direction; a main body contact portion disposed on the support portion forming direction side of the operation portion, the body abutment portion is attached to the body so as to be movable in an engagement direction and a release direction between an engagement position where the body abutment portion abuts against the surface of the body facing the body and a release position where the body abutment portion does not abut against the surface, When the slide lever is attached to the engagement position and the displacement of the operating portion in the support portion forming direction is restricted, the engaging portion comes into contact with the interfered portion of the mating housing, causing the engaging portion to attempt to displace in a direction away from the interfered portion, which is the opposite direction to the support portion forming direction, thereby restricting the swinging displacement of the arm, and the arm undergoes elastic deformation to bend in the separating direction, The mating housing being When the engaging portion engages with the other engaging portion, the impact portion at the tip of the arm strikes the mating housing due to the restoring force of the elastic deformation, emitting an engagement completion sound. and the slide lever has a slide lever operation part, when the slide lever is mounted at the releasable position and the displacement of the operation part in the direction of forming the support part is not restricted, by pressing the slide lever operation part in the direction of forming the support part, the operation part is displaced in the direction of forming the support part, the arm is displaced (swing-displaced) in the direction opposite to the direction of forming the support part, and the engagement of the both housings is released, when the slide lever is mounted at the releasable position, the distance L1 between the support part and the operation part and the distance L2 between the support part and the slide lever operation part satisfy L1 < L2, A connector housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the connector housing of the present invention, when the slide lever is attached to the engagement position during the engagement operation with the mating housing and the displacement of the operating part in the direction of forming the support part is restricted, the displacement of the operating part in the direction of forming the support part is restricted, so that the swinging displacement of the arm is restricted and only the arm undergoes elastic deformation in the direction of flexing away from the mating housing, and when the engagement is completed, an engagement completion sound can be emitted based on the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the arm. also, when the slide lever is mounted at the releasable position, the distance L2 from the support part to the slide lever operation part is farther than the distance L1 between the support part and the operation part (L1 < L2), so in the disengagement operation of the engagement, it has an effect of providing a lighter operation feeling than simply pressing the operation part. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [[ID= 1 is a perspective view of a connector and a mating connector housing of the present invention; ​ FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main body and housing lever of the connector of the present invention. ​ FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector body and housing lever of the present invention. ​ FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slide lever of the present invention. ​ FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slide lever of the present invention. ​FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector housing of the present invention. ​ 1 is a view of a connector housing according to the present invention as viewed from the engagement direction side; ​ 1 is a view of the connector housing of the present invention as seen from the releasable side; ​ 1 is a view of a connector housing according to the present invention as viewed from above; ​ 1 is a cross-sectional view of a connector housing according to the present invention, viewed from above. ​ 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the connector housing of the present invention and the mating housing are engaged with each other. ​ 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the connector housing of the present invention is in the middle of being engaged with the mating housing. ​ 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an engaged state of a connector housing and a mating housing according to the present invention. ​ 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the connector housing of the present invention and the mating housing are engaged with each other and the slide lever is moved from the engagement position to the releasable position. ​ 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the connector housing of the present invention and the mating housing are disengaged from each other. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The housing 2 of a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. This embodiment is a preferred specific example of the present invention, and the content of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. Note that in the following description, the engagement direction will be referred to as the forward direction, the releasable direction will be referred to as the rearward direction, the support portion formation direction will be referred to as the downward direction, the direction opposite to the support portion formation direction will be referred to as the upward direction, and the front and rear directions in FIG. 1 will be collectively referred to as the left-right direction.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector 1 of this embodiment facing a mating housing 91, which is the housing of a mating connector 9. The housing 2 of this embodiment is the housing 2 of the connector 1 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the mating housing 91. An electric wire 7 can be inserted into the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The position of the electric wire 7 is fixed by a retainer 8. Note that the mating housing 91 in this embodiment is the rear housing of an in-vehicle camera module, and the mating housing 91 and the mating connector 9 are integrally formed.

[0012] The housing 2 has a main body 3, a housing lever 4 supported by the main body 3, and a slide lever 5. The main body 3 of the housing 2, the housing lever 4, and the slide lever 5 are each made of synthetic resin. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main body 3 and the housing lever 4 of this embodiment.

[0013] The main body 3 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a step 324 on the downward side. The mating direction side of the main body 3 has a generally circular mating housing insertion opening 31 into which the hood portion 92 of the mating housing 91 is inserted, and a notch 311 through which the engaged portion 921 of the mating housing 91 passes. The shape of the mating housing insertion opening 31 corresponds to the shape of the hood portion 92 of the mating housing 91, which will be described later.

[0014] The releasable direction side of the main body 3 has a substantially circular wire insertion opening 32 that communicates with the mating housing insertion opening 31, a retainer insertion opening 322 that communicates with each insertion opening and for a retainer 8 that secures the wire 7, and retainer windows 323, 323 for securing the retainer. The shape of the wire insertion opening 32 corresponds to the shape of the wire 7. The inside of the wire insertion opening 32 may have a wire abutment 321 that is used to position the wire 7. The retainer insertion opening 322 is provided in a step 324 of the main body 3.

[0015] Furthermore, in the upward engagement direction of the main body 3, there is a surface 331 on which slide surfaces 553, 553 of the slide lever 5, which will be described later, can slide, and in the upward release direction there is a surface 332 on which main body abutment portions 558, 558 of the slide lever 5, which will be described later, abut. Between the surfaces 331 and 332 there is a surface 333 that is disposed below the surfaces 331 and 332.

[0016] The main body 3 has, on the upper side thereof, a support portion 34 for supporting a housing lever 4 (described later) and two opposing wall portions 35, 35 on both the left and right sides of the housing lever 4.

[0017] Each wall portion 35, 35 has an inner wall 352, 352 facing inward of the housing 2, an outer wall 351, 351 facing outward, a top surface 353, 353 facing upward, a front surface 355, 355 facing forward, and a rear surface 354, 354 facing rearward.

[0018] The inner walls 352, 352 are provided on the engagement direction side with slide restriction portions 36, 36 each having a shape in which a part of the top surface 353, 353 and a part of the rear surface 354, 354 are cut out, which restricts the sliding of a slide lever 5 described later.

[0019] Each inner wall 352, 352 has a groove 371, 371 through which the guided portion 555, 555 described later passes, and a protruding wall 372, 372 over which the guided portion 555, 555 overcomes, and also has a guide portion 38, 38 which has a guide protrusion 381, 381, a guide wall 382, 382, and a guide regulating portion 383, 383 and is connected to the outer wall 351, 351.

[0020] 3 is a side view of the main body 3 and the housing lever 4. The guide portions 38, 38 are arranged near the support portion 34, and the support portion 34 is arranged between the guide walls 382, 382 and the guide protrusions 381, 381.

[0021] The releasable direction side of each inner wall 352 has a lift-up restricting portion 39 that restricts the lift-up of a slide arm 55, which will be described later. The lift-up restricting portion 39 is disposed on the releasable direction side of the support portion 34 on each inner wall 352.

[0022] The housing lever 4 has a support portion 41 supported by the main body 3, an operating portion 42 extending from the support portion 41 in the direction opposite to the engagement direction, and an arm 43 extending from the support portion 41 in the engagement direction and capable of bending and displacing.

[0023] In this embodiment, the support portion 34 and the support portion 41 are the same. The support portion 34 protrudes upward from the main body 3. Above the support portion 41 is a regulated portion 411 that can come into contact with a flexure regulating portion 53, which will be described later. The regulated portion 411 is located between the arm 43 and the operating portion 42, facing the slide lever 5. The flexure regulating portion 53, which will be described later, and the regulated portion 411 can always come into contact with each other regardless of whether the slide lever 5 is in the engaged position or the releasable position.

[0024] The operating portion 42 has a slide recess 421 on its upper surface, and downwardly protruding ribs 423, 423 on both the left and right sides on its lower surface.

[0025] The operating portion 42 and the arm 43 are supported by the support portion 34 and can swing like a seesaw, and the arm 43 has an engaging portion 432 at the tip thereof.

[0026] The arm 43 has an opening 431 that opens in the vertical direction. The engaging portion 432 is disposed on the engaging direction side of the opening 431. The engaging portion 432 has an interference portion 433 on the engaging direction side that corresponds to the interfered portion 922 of the mating housing 91, and a collision portion 434 on the downward side of the engaging portion 432 that can strike the mating housing 91 and emit an engagement completion sound. The arm 43 has side walls 435 on both the left and right sides. The arm 43 has a lower surface 436 on its lower side.

[0027] In this embodiment, the main body 3 and the housing lever 4 of the connector 1 are integrated (a single component), but the main body 3 and the housing lever 4 may also be separate bodies. Hereinafter, the main body 3 and the housing lever 4 may be collectively referred to as the main body portion.

[0028] 4 and 5 are perspective views of the slide lever 5. The slide lever 5 is an inverted U-shaped component when viewed from the engagement side. The slide lever 5 has two opposing slide arms 55, 55 that protrude downward and in the engagement direction from a substantially flat plate-like portion 51 on both the left and right sides. Each of the slide arms 55, 55 has inner walls 551, 551, outer walls 552, 552, upper surfaces 559, 559 facing upward, and slide surfaces 553, 553 facing downward. Each of the outer walls 552, 552 faces the inner walls 352, 352 of each wall portion 35, 35 of the main body 3, respectively.

[0029] The inner walls 551, 551 have lifting portions 554, 554 on the engagement direction side, respectively, which protrude in a plate shape toward the opposing inner walls 551, 551. When assembled to the main body, the lifting portions 554, 554 are arranged on the support portion forming side of the arm 43.

[0030] The outer walls 552 have guided portions 555 that protrude in a generally rectangular shape, respectively. The plate-like portion 51 has slide lever operating portions 52 that protrude upward and to both the left and right sides on the releasable side.

[0031] Each slide arm 55 has a restricting portion 557 arranged on the support portion forming direction side of the operating portion 42 to restrict displacement of the operating portion 42 in the support portion forming direction, and a main body abutting portion 558 arranged on the support portion forming direction side of the operating portion 42. The restricting portions 557 protrude inward from each slide arm 55 on both the left and right sides downward of the slide lever operating portion 52. The main body abutting portions 558 protrude downward from the slide arms 55. Each slide arm 55 has a stopper 556 on the downward side that inclines from the guided portion 555 toward the slide lever operating portion 52.

[0032] The plate-shaped portion 51 has abutment stops 523, 523 on the left and right sides from the end of the plate-shaped portion 51 in the releasable direction toward the engagement direction. The plate-shaped portion 51 has holes 524, 524 above the restricting portions 557, 557 on the releasable direction side. The plate-shaped portion 51 has a deflection restricting portion 53 that can come into contact with the restricted portion 411, and a slide protruding portion 54 that can slide in the slide recess 421 on the downward side.

[0033] The mating housing 91 is a housing of the mating connector 9 that can engage and disengage with the connector 1 of this embodiment. The mating housing 91 has a hood portion 92 that protrudes in a substantially circular shape, an engaged portion 921 that protrudes upward from the hood portion 92, and a collision portion 923 that corresponds to the collision portion 434. The shape of the hood portion 92 corresponds to the mating housing insertion opening 31. The engaged portion 921 has an interfered portion 922 that corresponds to the interference portion 433.

[0034] The mating housing 91 is a rear housing of an in-vehicle camera module, and has an opening 93 for accommodating a circuit board (not shown) inside the mating housing 91. The mating connector 9 is electrically connected to a connector (not shown) mounted on the circuit board when the circuit board is accommodated inside the mating housing 91 and assembled into a camera module. In other words, when the connector 1 and the mating connector 9 are connected, the electric wire 7 and the circuit board inside the mating housing 91 are electrically connected.

[0035] The operation of this embodiment will now be described. First, the slide lever 5 is attached to the main body. Figures 6 to 10 are diagrams of the connector housing of the present invention, showing the state in which the slide lever 5 is attached to the main body.

[0036] The slide lever 5 is inserted from the rear side (releasable direction side) to the front side (locking direction side) of the main body part so that the slide surfaces 553, 553 of the slide lever 5 slide opposite the surface 332 and the slide arms 55, 55 are inserted between the inner walls 352, 352 of the wall portions 35, 35 of the main body part and the side walls 435, 435 of the housing lever 4.

[0037] When the guided portions 555, 555 pass through the left and right grooves 371, 371 and the respective projecting walls 372, 372, the slide lever 5 is attached to the releasable position. When the guided portions 555, 555 pass through the projecting walls 372, 372, a sound or an operational feeling may be produced. Furthermore, when the slide surfaces 553, 553 of the slide lever 5 and the surface 331 slide opposite each other and the guided portions 555, 555 pass through the respective guide protrusions 381, 381, the slide lever 5 is attached to the engaged position. When the guided portions 555, 555 pass through the guide protrusions 381, 381, a sound or an operational feeling may be produced. In the engaged position, the guided portions 555, 555 are disposed between the guide restricting portions 383, 383 and the guide protrusions 381, 381. The guide restricting portions 383, 383 restrict the movement of the guided portions 555, 555 in the engagement direction.

[0038] 6, when the slide lever 5 is attached to the engaged position, the slide lever 5 and the surface 333 do not abut. When the slide lever 5 is slid to the releasable position described below, the guided portions 555, 555 move over the guide protrusions 381, 381, so that the slide lever 5 can move downward. Alternatively, when sliding to the releasable position, the slide arms 55, 55 may be bent toward the inside of the connector 1, so that the guided portions 555, 555 move over the guide protrusions 381, 381.

[0039] 7 to 10, the slide lever 5 is movable in the engaging direction and the disengaging direction by arranging the inner walls 352, 352 and the outer walls 552, 552 of the opposing wall portions 35, 35 in parallel. Alternatively, the side walls 435, 435 of the housing lever 4 and the inner walls 551, 551 may be arranged in parallel, by which the slide lever 5 is movable in the engaging direction and the disengaging direction.

[0040] The guided portions 555, 555 are movably mounted within the guide portions 38, 38, thereby restricting movement of the slide lever 5 in the engaging direction and the disengaging direction, thereby preventing the slide lever 5 from falling off from the main body. In addition, the slide convex portion 54 and the wall 422 of the slide concave portion 421 may be able to come into contact with each other, thereby preventing the slide lever 5 from falling off from the main body.

[0041] When the slide lever 5 is attached to the engagement position, the slide restricting portions 36, 36 face the abutment stops 523, 523 of the slide lever 5, so that the slide lever 5 can be prevented from being pushed further in the engagement direction.

[0042] When the slide lever 5 is attached, the slide lever 5 is attached to the main body 3 so as to be movable in the engagement direction and release direction between an engagement position where the main body abutment portions 558, 558 abut against the opposing surface 332 of the main body 3, and a release position where the main body abutment portions 558, 558 do not abut against the surface 332.

[0043] Specifically, when the slide lever 5 is attached to the engagement position, the guided portions 555, 555 are located closer to the engagement direction than the guide protrusions 381, 381 of the guide portions 38, 38, as viewed from the side of the connector 1. The restricting portions 557, 557 can come into contact with the ribs 423, 423. The end of the operating portion 42 and the end of the slide lever operating portion 52 are located at approximately the same position on the releasable direction side. In other words, the distance L1 between the support portion 34 and the operating portion 42 and the distance L2 between the support portion 34 and the slide lever operating portion 52 are approximately the same. The restricted portion 411 can come into contact with the releasable direction side of the flexure restricting portion 53, and a space 6 (gap) is provided between the upper surface of the arm 43 and the flexure restricting portion 53. The restricted portion 411 can come into contact with the flat surface 541 of the slide protrusion 54. Furthermore, the surface 332 of the main body 3 can come into contact with the main body contact portions 558, 558. Since the surface 332 of the main body 3 comes into contact with the main body contact portions 558, 558, when the slide lever 5 is attached to the engagement position, the displacement of the operating portion 42 in the support portion formation direction is restricted.

[0044] Further, the electric wire 7 is inserted through the electric wire insertion port 32. The electric wire insertion port 32 has an electric wire abutment portion 321 inside, which determines the position of the inserted electric wire 7. Further, a retainer 8 (not shown) is inserted through the retainer insertion port 322 to fix the electric wire 7 to the connector 1. Note that if fixing the electric wire 7 by the retainer 8 is not necessary, the retainer insertion port 322 and the retainer windows 323, 323 may be omitted. In the following description, the electric wire 7 and the retainer 8 will be omitted.

[0045] 11 to 13 are diagrams illustrating the mating operation of the housing 2 (connector 1) and the mating housing 91 (mating connector 9). As shown in Fig. 11, the housing 2 and the mating housing 91 are positioned so that the engaging portion 432 and the engaged portion 921 face each other, and the process of engaging the two housings with each other from that state will be described below.

[0046] At the start of engagement, the slide lever 5 is attached to the engagement position, and displacement of the operating portion 42 in the support portion formation direction is restricted. When the mating housing 91 and the housing 2 are held in the hands, for example, so that the two housings face each other and are brought closer to each other, the hood portion 92 is inserted into the mating housing insertion opening 31. When the two housings are brought even closer, the interfering portion 433 of the engaging portion 432 comes into contact with the interfered portion 922 of the engaged portion 921 of the mating housing 91, and the engaging portion 432 attempts to displace in a direction away from the interfered portion 922, which is the opposite direction to the support portion formation direction.

[0047] In this case, the ribs 423, 423 on the lower side of the operating portion 42 abut against the restricting portions 557, 557, and the main body abutting portions 558, 558 abut against the surface 332 of the main body 3, so that the operating portion 42 cannot be displaced downward as a swinging displacement corresponding to the upward displacement of the arm 43. In other words, because the swinging displacement of the arm 43 is restricted, the arm 43 elastically deforms so as to bend upward, which is the direction in which it moves away from the arm 43.

[0048] As the arm 43 elastically deforms, the bending restricting portion 53 abuts against the restricted portion 411, thereby restricting deformation of the support portion 34. In this embodiment, the bending restricting portion 53 abuts against the flat surface 541 of the restricted portion 411, thereby more reliably restricting deformation of the support portion 34. This prevents the load on the support portion 34 due to the elastic deformation of the arm 43 from being concentrated. Therefore, even if the support portion 34 is formed thin, the support portion 34 will not bend or deform, and the arm 43 can be elastically deformed. The abutment of the restricting portions 557 and the ribs 423, 423 on the lower side of the operating portion 42 can also prevent deformation of the support portion 34. Note that the lower surface of the operating portion 42 may directly abut against the restricting portions 557, 557, instead of the ribs 423, 423. By erecting the ribs 423, 423, the strength of the operating part 42 can be further increased even if the operating part 42 is thin.

[0049] Even if the operation unit 42 is pressed down by pressing the slide lever operation unit 52 downward, the displacement of the operation unit 42 is restricted, and the operation unit 42 cannot be displaced downward. Furthermore, because the lift restriction units 39, 39 arranged on the upper surfaces 559, 559 of both slide arms 55, 55 abut against the upper surfaces 559, 559, the arm 43 cannot be lifted by the lifting units 554, 554.

[0050] 12 shows the state in which the housing 2 and the mating housing 91 are in the middle of engaging with each other, with the arm 43 elastically deforming. Because there is a space 6 between the deflection restricting portion 53 and the arm 43, even if the arm 43 elastically deforms during the engagement process, the elastic deformation is not hindered. In this state, a large restoring force is accumulated in the arm 43 to return the engaging portion 432 to its original state.

[0051] As the engagement process progresses and engaging portion 432 completely clears engaged portion 921, engaging portion 432 of housing 2 and engaged portion 921 of mating housing 91 are engaged with each other, i.e., at least a portion of engaged portion 921 is disposed in the internal space of opening 431, as shown in Fig. 13. When the state shown in Fig. 12 changes to the state shown in Fig. 13, i.e., at the moment when engagement between engaged portion 921 of mating housing 91 and engaging portion 432 is completed, the restoring force of the elastic deformation causes collision portion 434 at the tip of arm 43 to strike collision portion 923 of mating housing 91, emitting an engagement completion sound. At this time, because a large restoring force has accumulated in arm 43 as described above, collision portion 434 strikes collision portion 923 strongly, emitting a loud engagement completion sound.

[0052] Thus, in the engagement process, a large engagement completion sound can be emitted when the engagement is completed. Conventionally, in order to obtain a larger engagement completion sound, a configuration for obtaining a large impact sound by ensuring the thickness and size of the support portion 34 that supports the arm 43 and the operation portion 42 and increasing the strength has been common. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by configuring the elastic deformation to concentrate on the arm 43, it is not necessary to increase the strength of the support portion 34 and the operation portion 42 more than necessary. Therefore, the support portion 34 and the operation portion 42 can be made thinner or smaller, contributing to the miniaturization of the connector 1.

[0053] The slide lever 5 can be slid from the engaged position in the releasable direction and arranged at the releasable position as shown in FIG. 14. The slide operation of the slide lever 5 can be performed by pulling the slide lever operation portion 52 in the releasable direction with a finger or a jig. By the slide operation, the slide surfaces 553, 553 and the surface 331 slide while facing each other. The guided portions 555, 555 move the guide portions 38, 38 in the releasable direction and pass below the guide convex portions 381, 381. When the guided portions 555, 555 pass the guide convex portions 381, 381, a sound and an operation feeling may be produced. The state where the guided portions 555, 555 are arranged between the guide convex portions 381, 381 and the guide walls 382, 382 is the state where the slide lever 5 is mounted at the releasable position.

[0054] When the slide lever 5 is mounted at the releasable position, when viewed from the side of the connector 1, the end of the operation portion 42 and the end of the slide lever operation portion 52 are at different positions on the releasable direction side. In other words, the distance L1 between the support portion 34 and the operation portion 42 and the distance L2 between the support portion 34 and the slide lever operation portion 52 are such that L1 < L2. The regulating portions 557, 557 and the ribs 423, 423 can be in contact. Also, the regulated portion 411 can be in contact with the engagement direction side of the deflection regulating portion 53. The lower surface of the plate-like portion 51 and the surface 424 of the operation portion 42 can be in contact. The slide convex portion 54 and the wall 422 of the slide concave portion 421 can be in contact. Also, the surface 332 of the main body 3 and the main body contact portions 558, 558 are not in contact.

[0055] When the slide lever 5 is attached to the releasable position, the displacement of the operating portion 42 in the support portion forming direction is not restricted. The guided portions 555, 555 are arranged between the guide walls 382, 382 and the guide protrusions 381, 381.

[0056] From this state, by pressing the slide lever operating part 52 in the support portion formation direction, the slide lever 5 rotates around the line (not shown) connecting the left and right guided parts 555, 555 as the axis of rotation, causing the slide lever operating part 52 to move downward and the slide arms 55, 55 to move upward. As a result, the operating part 42 pressed down by the slide lever operating part 52 moves downward, in the support portion formation direction, with the support part 34, which is located approximately on the axis of rotation, as a fulcrum, and the arm 43 moves upward (swinging displacement), in the opposite direction to the support portion formation direction, thereby disengaging the two housings (FIG. 15). In this state, the two housings can be pulled out and removed. Because the engaging part 432 and the engaged part 921 can be removed without damage, both housings can be reused.

[0057] By pressing the slide lever operating part 52 downward, the lifting parts 554, 554 protruding from the tips of the slide arms 55, 55 and arranged below the arm 43 are displaced upward, and by lifting the lower surface 436 of the arm 43, the arm 43 is reliably displaced upward when the engagement is released.

[0058] Furthermore, because the distance L2 from the support portion 34 to the slide lever operating portion 52 is greater than the distance L1 between the support portion 34 and the operating portion 42, the disengagement operation feels lighter than simply pressing down the operating portion 42. Because the distance L2 between the support portion 34 and the slide lever operating portion 52 is greater than the distance L1 between the support portion 34 and the operating portion 42, even if, for example, the length of the operating portion 42 in the releasable direction is short and the disengagement operation cannot be performed by the operating portion 42 alone, the engagement can be released by pressing down the slide lever operating portion 52.

[0059] By pressing the slide lever operating part 52 in the support part formation direction by more than a certain amount, the stoppers 556, 556 come into contact with the surface 332 of the main body 3 that the stoppers 556, 556 face, restricting the displacement of the operating part 42 in the pressing direction, thereby preventing damage to the connector 1 due to excessive pressing down of the slide lever operating part 52 when disengaging.

[0060] When the operating portion 42 is displaced downward with the slide lever 5 attached to the releasable position, the deflection restricting portion 53 and the restricted portion 411 come into contact, restricting the displacement of the support portion 34. This allows the arm 43 to swing and displace without breaking or deforming, even if the support portion 34 is thin. Furthermore, the restricting portions 557, 557 and the slide lever operating portion 52 sandwich the operating portion 42 from above and below, thereby preventing deformation of the support portion 34. Because the release operation can be performed without relying on the strength of the support portion 34 or the operating portion 42, the operating portion 42 can be made thinner and smaller, contributing to the miniaturization of the connector 1.

[0061] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications based on the technical concept of the present invention are possible.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which each part is made of synthetic resin, but parts may be made of materials other than synthetic resin, for example, alloys. If the main body 3 and the housing lever 4 are separate, another part may be added to connect the support part 34 and the support part 41. The guided part may be on the main body side, and the groove or guide part may be on the slide lever side. Although an example was described in which the shapes and structures of the connector 1 and the housing 2, the main body 3, the housing lever 4, and the slide lever 5 are generally symmetrical, there may be parts that are not symmetrical.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example was shown in which the mating housing 91 is the rear housing of an in-vehicle camera module, but the mating housing 91 is not limited to this, and can be suitably applied to various connectors, such as connectors provided in housings other than camera modules, cable relay connectors, and receptacle connectors mounted on circuit boards.

[0064] The present invention is not limited to the configurations, methods, steps, shapes, materials, etc. of the embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can combine or replace them without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It is also possible to divide one thing into two or more things, or to combine two or more things into one thing. It is also possible to omit some things. The content of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the effects described in this specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 connector 2. Housing 3 Main unit 4 Housing Lever 5 Slide lever 6 Space 7 Electric wire 8 Retainer 9 Mating connector

Claims

1. A connector housing that can be engaged and disengaged with a mating housing, The housing has a main body, a housing lever supported by the main body, and a slide lever, The housing lever is a support portion supported by the main body; an operating portion extending from the support portion in a direction opposite to the engagement direction; an arm extending from the support portion in an engagement direction and capable of deflection; the operation unit and the arm are supported by the support unit and can swing in a seesaw manner, The arm has an engaging portion at its tip, The slide lever is a restricting portion disposed on a support portion forming direction side of the operation portion and restricting displacement of the operation portion in the support portion forming direction; a main body contact portion disposed on the support portion forming direction side of the operation portion, the body abutment portion is attached to the body so as to be movable in an engagement direction and a release direction between an engagement position where the body abutment portion abuts against the surface of the body facing the body and a release position where the body abutment portion does not abut against the surface, When the slide lever is attached to the engagement position and the displacement of the operating portion in the support portion forming direction is restricted, the engaging portion comes into contact with the interfered portion of the mating housing, causing the engaging portion to attempt to displace in a direction away from the interfered portion, which is the opposite direction to the support portion forming direction, thereby restricting the swinging displacement of the arm, and the arm undergoes elastic deformation to bend in the separating direction, When the engaged portion of the mating housing engages with the engaging portion, the impact portion at the tip of the arm strikes the mating housing due to the restoring force of the elastic deformation, thereby emitting an engagement completion sound; The slide lever has a slide lever operating portion, When the slide lever is attached to the releasable position and thus the displacement of the operation part in the support part forming direction is not restricted, by pressing the slide lever operation part in the support part forming direction, the operation part is displaced in the support part forming direction, and the arm is displaced (swinging displacement) in the direction opposite to the support part forming direction, thereby disengaging the two housings. When the slide lever is attached to the releasable position, a distance L1 between the support portion and the operation portion and a distance L2 between the support portion and the slide lever operation portion satisfy L1<L2. Connector housing.

2. The slide lever has a deflection restricting portion, the housing lever has a restricted portion at a position facing the slide lever between the arm and the operating portion, the deflection restricting portion and the restricted portion can always come into contact with each other regardless of whether the slide lever is in the engaged position or the releasable position, When the slide lever is attached to the engagement position, the deflection restricting portion and the restricted portion come into contact with each other in accordance with elastic deformation of the arm. The connector housing according to claim 1 .

3. A space is provided between the deflection restricting portion and the arm. The connector housing according to claim 2 .

4. The slide lever has a stopper, By pressing the slide lever operating portion in the support portion forming direction, the stopper comes into contact with the surface of the main body that the stopper faces, thereby restricting displacement of the operating portion in the pressing direction. The connector housing according to claim 1 .

5. The slide lever has a lifting portion disposed on a support portion forming side of the arm, By pressing (displacing) the slide lever operating portion in the support portion forming direction, the lifting portion is displaced in the direction opposite to the support portion forming direction, thereby lifting and displacing the arm. The connector housing according to claim 1 .

6. The housing has two opposing wall portions on both the left and right sides of the housing lever, The slide lever has two outer walls facing the respective wall portions, 2. The connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the slide lever is movable in the engaging direction and the disengaging direction by arranging the opposing wall portions and the outer wall in parallel.

7. The slide lever has a guided portion, The housing has a guide portion, 2. The connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the guided portion and the guide portion are movably attached to each other, thereby preventing the slide lever from falling off.

8. The connector housing according to claim 1 , wherein the main body and the housing lever are integral.

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