Connector Assembly

Abstract

To provide a connector assembly which is hardly damaged.SOLUTION: By rotating a lock lever 8 to a lock rotational direction, a hook 76 and a lock arm 51 are adjacent in this order in a lower direction as a direction where a plug housing 7 crosses to a receptacle housing 10 when a plug connector 2 is fitted to a receptacle connector 3, and thus the plug connector 2 is fixed to the receptacle connector 3. The lock arm 51 includes: an arm inner surface 53 that is directed to a rotational shaft 8C of the lock lever 8; and an arm outer surface 54 that is directed to a direction separated from the rotational shaft 8C. The plug housing 7 contains a shaft flange 25 that is opposite to the arm outer surface 54 in a connector lock state where the plug connector 2 is fixed to the receptacle connector 3 by the lock lever 8 to suppress a bending of the lock arm 51 to a direction separated from the rotational shaft 8C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector assembly 1004 including a receptacle connector 1001 mounted on the outer wall surface of a servo motor 1000, and a plug connector 1003 attached to the end of a cable 1002, as shown in Figure 13 of the present application. The plug connector 1003 includes a plug housing 1005 that holds a plurality of plug contacts, and a lever 1006 that is rotatably supported by the plug housing 1005. The lever 1006 has a plug locking portion 1007 that protrudes in a locking rotation direction, which is the direction in which the lever 1006 is rotated when the plug connector 1003 is mated with the receptacle connector 1001.

[0003] When lever 1006 is rotated in the locking rotation direction, plug locking portion 1007 is accommodated in lock receiving recess 1009 of receptacle locking portion 1008 of receptacle connector 1001. As a result, in the mating direction in which plug connector 1003 is mated with receptacle connector 1001, receptacle locking portion 1008 and plug locking portion 1007 are adjacent to each other in this order, thereby preventing plug connector 1003 from being removed from receptacle connector 1001. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6776421 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when the cable 1002 is pulled up, an excessive load is applied to the plug locking portion 1007, which may cause the plug locking portion 1007 to break.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector assembly that is less susceptible to breakage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plug connector including a plurality of plug contacts, a plug housing that holds the plurality of plug contacts, and a lock lever rotatably attached to the plug housing; and a receptacle connector including a plurality of receptacle contacts, a receptacle housing that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts, and a receptacle locking portion, wherein the locking lever includes a locking arm that extends in a locking rotation direction that is a direction in which the locking lever is rotated to lock the plug housing to the receptacle housing, and by rotating the locking lever in the locking rotation direction, the plug connector is locked when mating with the receptacle connector. A connector assembly is provided in which the receptacle locking portion and the locking arm are adjacent to each other in this order in the mating direction, which is the direction in which the plug housing approaches the receptacle housing, thereby fixing the plug connector to the receptacle connector, wherein the locking arm has an inner arm surface facing the rotation axis of the locking lever and an outer arm surface facing away from the rotation axis, and the plug housing includes a deflection suppression portion that faces the arm outer surface in a connector locked state in which the plug connector is fixed to the receptacle connector by the locking lever, thereby preventing the locking arm from deflecting in a direction away from the rotation axis. The plug housing may include a plug housing main body that holds the plurality of plug contacts, and a hood main body that covers the plug housing main body, and the deflection suppression portion may be provided on the hood main body. The hood body and the deflection suppression portion may be integrally formed. The deflection suppression portion may protrude from the hood body in the axial direction of the rotation shaft. The deflection suppression portion may prevent the lock arm from deflecting in a direction away from the rotation axis by contacting the outer surface of the arm when the lock arm deflects in a direction away from the rotation axis in the connector locked state. The arm outer surface may have a planar arm restraint surface, and the deflection restraint portion may have a planar deflection restraint surface opposite the arm restraint surface, and when the lock arm bends in a direction away from the rotation axis in the connector locked state, the arm restraint surface and the deflection restraint portion may come into surface contact. A distance between a leading end of the deflection restraint surface in the locking rotation direction and the rotation shaft may be shorter than a distance between a trailing end of the deflection restraint surface in the locking rotation direction and the rotation shaft. In the connector locked state, the deflection suppression portion faces the receptacle connector in the mating direction, and when the plug connector rotates in the locking rotation direction relative to the receptacle connector in the connector locked state, the deflection suppression portion may come into contact with the receptacle connector, thereby preventing further rotation of the plug connector in the locking rotation direction. When viewed along the axial direction of the rotation shaft, the receptacle locking portion and the locking arm may be located between the rotation shaft and the deflection restraining portion in the connector locked state. The receptacle connector may further include a sealing member, and in the connector locked state, the plug housing of the plug connector may be elastically supported on the receptacle connector via the sealing member, thereby allowing it to swing relative to the receptacle connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides a connector assembly that is less susceptible to breakage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly in a mated state. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly in a state before mating; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly in a state before mating, as viewed from another angle. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the plug connector with the lock lever tilted to the locked position. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing only the lock lever of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a partial side view showing only the plug housing of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a side view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 10] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams of the mating operation of the connector assembly. [Figure 11] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams of the mating operation of the connector assembly. [Figure 12] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams of the mating operation of the connector assembly. [Figure 13] This is a simplified diagram of FIG. 10 of Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0011] Fig. 1 shows the connector assembly 1 in a mated state, and Figs. 2 and 3 show the connector assembly 1 in a state before mating. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the connector assembly 1 includes a plug connector 2 and a receptacle connector 3. The plug connector 2 is attached to the end of a cable 4. The receptacle connector 3 is attached to a connector mounting surface 5A of a servo motor 5, for example. Therefore, the connector assembly 1 is used to detachably connect the cable 4 to the servo motor 5.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 3, the plug connector 2 includes a plurality of plug contacts 6, a plug housing 7 that holds the plurality of plug contacts 6, and a lock lever 8 that is attached to the plug housing 7 so as to be rotatable relative to the plug housing 7.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the receptacle connector 3 includes a plurality of receptacle contacts 9, a receptacle housing 10 that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts 9, and a metal base 11 that holds the receptacle housing 10.

[0014] With the above configuration, when the plug connector 2 is mated with the receptacle connector 3, the plurality of conductors housed in the cable 4 are electrically connected to the control board of the servo motor 5.

[0015] The object to which the cable 4 is connected using the connector assembly 1 is not limited to the servo motor 5 shown as an example, but may be a motor other than a servo motor or various electronic devices including a rotation detector.

[0016] Here, with reference to Figures 1 to 3, the "up-down direction," "axial direction," "axis-orthogonal direction," "lock rotation direction," and "unlock rotation direction" are defined. The up-down direction, axial direction, and axis-orthogonal direction are perpendicular to each other. The lock rotation direction and unlock rotation direction are opposite directions.

[0017] The up-down direction is the direction in which the plug connector 2 is attached to and detached from the receptacle connector 3. The up-down direction includes downward as the mating direction and upward as the removal direction. Downward is the direction in which the plug housing 7 approaches the receptacle housing 10 when the plug connector 2 is mated with the receptacle connector 3. Upward is the direction in which the plug housing 7 moves away from the receptacle housing 10 when the plug connector 2 is removed from the receptacle connector 3. Note that downward and upward are merely terms used for convenience of explanation and do not specify the posture of the connector assembly 1 when in use.

[0018] The axial direction is the direction in which the rotation axis 8C of the lock lever 8 rotatably supported on the plug housing 7 extends. The axial direction includes the inward axial direction and the outward axial direction. The inward axial direction is the direction toward the center of the plug housing 7 in the axial direction. The outward axial direction is the direction away from the center of the plug housing 7 in the axial direction.

[0019] As described above, the orthogonal axial direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the axial direction. In this embodiment, the cable 4 is pulled out from the plug connector 2 generally along the orthogonal axial direction. However, the cable 4 may be pulled out from the plug connector 2 upward or along the axial direction. The orthogonal axial direction includes an inward orthogonal axial direction and an outward orthogonal axial direction. The inward orthogonal axial direction is a direction toward the center of the plug housing 7 in the orthogonal axial direction. The outward orthogonal axial direction is a direction away from the center of the plug housing 7 in the orthogonal axial direction.

[0020] As described above, the axial direction is defined based on the configuration of the plug connector 2, but it is also used when explaining the configuration of the receptacle connector 3. Therefore, for example, the axial direction in the receptacle connector 3 corresponds to the direction in which the rotation axis 8C of the lock lever 8 of the plug connector 2 mated with the receptacle connector 3 extends.

[0021] 2 and 3 show the locking and unlocking rotation directions. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking and unlocking rotation directions are abbreviated as "lock" and "unlock," respectively. The locking rotation direction is the direction in which the locking lever 8 is rotated when fixing the plug housing 7 to the receptacle housing 10. The unlocking rotation direction is the direction in which the locking lever 8 is rotated when releasing the fixed state of the plug housing 7 relative to the receptacle housing 10.

[0022] (Plug connector 2) Next, the plug connector 2 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7. As described above, the plug connector 2 in Figure 4 includes a plurality of plug contacts 6, a plug housing 7 that holds the plurality of plug contacts 6, and a lock lever 8 that is rotatably attached to the plug housing 7.

[0023] The plug contacts 6 are made of metal and are formed by stamping and forming a metal plate made of copper or a copper alloy.

[0024] The plug housing 7 is made of insulating resin and includes a plug housing body 12, a hood 13, and a cable holder 14.

[0025] The plug housing body 12 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and holds a plurality of plug contacts 6, typically by press-fitting.

[0026] The hood 13 includes a hood body 15 , two shafts 16 , a locking claw 17 , two lever flanges 18 , and two cable flanges 19 .

[0027] The hood body 15 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens downward and covers the plug housing body 12. The hood body 15 includes an orthogonal wall 15A and an orthogonal wall 15B that face each other in the axial direction, two axial walls 15C that face each other in the axial direction, and a top plate 15D. The thickness directions of the orthogonal walls 15A and 15B are aligned with the axial direction. The thickness directions of the two axial walls 15C are aligned with the axial direction. The thickness direction of the top plate 15D is aligned with the vertical direction. The orthogonal walls 15A and 15B, the two axial walls 15C, and the top plate 15D form a rectangular cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens downward. In other words, the internal space 20 of the hood body 15 is defined by the orthogonal walls 15A and 15B, the two axial walls 15C, and the top plate 15D. The cable holder 14 is provided on the orthogonal wall 15B. Therefore, orthogonal wall 15A is farther from cable holder 14 in the direction perpendicular to the axis than orthogonal wall 15B. Fig. 5 shows a bisecting line 21 that bisects internal space 20 of hood body 15 in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Therefore, the distance from bisecting line 21 to orthogonal wall 15A and the distance from bisecting line 21 to orthogonal wall 15B are equal to each other.

[0028] Returning to FIG. 4, two shafts 16 are provided to rotatably support the lock lever 8 relative to the plug housing 7. The two shafts 16 protrude axially outward from the two axial walls 15C, respectively. The central axis 16C of each shaft 16 coincides with the rotation axis 8C of the lock lever 8 attached to the plug housing 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the two shafts 16 are disposed away from the bisecting line 21 in the direction perpendicular to the axis. The two shafts 16 are disposed between the bisecting line 21 and the orthogonal wall 15B.

[0029] Returning to Fig. 4, the locking claw 17 is provided to hold the locking lever 8, which has been pushed downward, in the locked position shown in Fig. 5. The locking claw 17 protrudes outward from the orthogonal wall 15A in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

[0030] The two lever flanges 18 and the two cable flanges 19 are provided to stabilize the position of the plug connector 2 relative to the receptacle connector 3.

[0031] Each lever flange 18 protrudes axially and transversely from the hood body 15, forming an L-shape in plan view. Each lever flange 18 includes a shaft flange 25 (deflection suppression portion) protruding axially outward from the corresponding shaft wall 15C, a perpendicular flange 26 protruding transversely from the perpendicular wall 15A, and a connecting portion 27 connecting the shaft flange 25 and the perpendicular flange 26 to each other. As shown in FIG. 7 , when viewed along the axial direction, the shaft flange 25 is tapered inward in the transverse direction. That is, the shaft flange 25 has a flat flange inclined surface 28 (deflection suppression surface). The flange inclined surface 28 is inclined inward and downward in the transverse direction. That is, the flange inclined surface 28 extends generally along the lock rotation direction when viewed along the axial direction. The flange inclined surface 28 has a leading end 28A and a trailing end 28B. The leading end 28A of the flange inclined surface 28 is the tip of the flange inclined surface 28 inward in the transverse direction. In other words, the leading end 28A of the flange inclined surface 28 corresponds to the leading end in the locking rotation direction and the rear end in the unlocking rotation direction. The rear end 28B of the flange inclined surface 28 is the rear end of the flange inclined surface 28 inward in the direction perpendicular to the axis. In other words, the rear end 28B of the flange inclined surface 28 corresponds to the rear end in the locking rotation direction and the leading end in the unlocking rotation direction. The distance L1 between the leading end 28A of the flange inclined surface 28 and the rotation axis 8C is shorter than the distance L2 between the rear end 28B of the flange inclined surface 28 and the rotation axis 8C. Therefore, the flange inclined surface 28 is inclined while approaching the rotation axis 8C slightly from the rear end 28B toward the leading end 28A.

[0032] 4, the two cable flanges 19, like the two lever flanges 18 described above, are formed in an L-shape in plan view by protruding outward in the axial direction and in the direction perpendicular to the axis from the hood body 15. Each cable flange 19 protrudes outward in the axial direction from the corresponding axial wall 15C and protrudes outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis from the corresponding orthogonal wall 15B.

[0033] The cable holder 14 fixes the end of the cable 4 to the hood body 15 .

[0034] Continuing to refer to Fig. 4, the lock lever 8 will be described. The lock lever 8 is made of insulating resin. The lock lever 8 includes a lever body 40 and a lock spring 41.

[0035] The lever body 40 includes a lever base 42 extending in the axial direction, two support beams 43 extending from both axial ends of the lever base 42 toward the rotation axis 8C, and a knob 44. The lever body 40, including the lever base 42 and the two support beams 43, is formed into a U-shape that opens toward the rotation axis 8C. Each support beam 43 has a bearing hole 43A into which the corresponding shaft 16 is inserted. The two shafts 16 of the plug housing 7 are inserted into the bearing holes 43A of the two support beams 43, respectively, so that the lock lever 8 is rotatably supported relative to the plug housing 7. The knob 44 is provided to facilitate operation of the lock lever 8 and protrudes from the lever base 42 in a direction away from the rotation axis 8C. However, the knob 44 may be omitted. The lock spring 41 is attached to the lever base 42.

[0036] The following describes the two support beams 43. However, the two support beams 43 are formed symmetrically in the axial direction.

[0037] 5 shows the lock lever 8 when the connector assembly 1 is in the mated state (connector locked state). When the connector assembly 1 is in the mated state, the lock lever 8 is pushed down in the lock rotation direction, resulting in a posture in which the knob 44 and the bearing hole 43A are at the same height in the vertical direction. In the following, when describing each support beam 43, for convenience of explanation, the posture of the lock lever 8 when the connector assembly 1 is in the mated state will be used as the reference position.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5, each support beam 43 includes a beam main body 50 and a lock arm 51. The beam main body 50 is a portion that extends from the rotation axis 8C toward the lever base 42. That is, when the lock lever 8 is in the locked position as shown in FIG. 5, the beam main body 50 extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis. The lock arm 51 is a portion that protrudes downward from the beam main body 50. Specifically, the lock arm 51 extends so as to protrude from the beam main body 50 in the lock rotation direction. The lock arm 51 extends from the beam main body 50 at an angle inward and downward in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

[0039] The lock arm 51 is located below the rotation shaft 8C, the knob 44, and the beam body 50 in the vertical direction, and is located between the bisecting line 21 and the lever base 42 in the direction perpendicular to the axis, and is further located on the opposite side of the rotation shaft 8C across the bisecting line 21. That is, in the direction perpendicular to the axis, the rotation shaft 8C, the bisecting line 21, the lock arm 51, the lever base 42, and the knob 44 are arranged in this order.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 6, the beam main body 50 has a flat first plug interference surface 52. The first plug interference surface 52 is a surface perpendicular to the up-down direction and faces downward and in the lock rotation direction. When viewed along the axial direction as shown in Fig. 6, the first plug interference surface 52 intersects with the bisecting line 21. That is, the first plug interference surface 52 is formed so as to straddle the bisecting line 21 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0041] The lock arm 51 has an arm inner surface 53 facing upward and an arm outer surface 54 facing downward. Specifically, the arm inner surface 53 faces the rotation axis 8C of the lock lever 8. The arm outer surface 54 faces in a direction away from the rotation axis 8C of the lock lever 8.

[0042] The arm inner surface 53 has a flat second plug interference surface 55 and a curved locking surface 56. The second plug interference surface 55 and the locking surface 56 are connected to each other and both face inward in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

[0043] The second plug interference surface 55 extends downward from the first plug interference surface 52. More specifically, the second plug interference surface 55 is inclined with respect to the bisecting line 21 so as to approach the bisecting line 21 as it extends downward.

[0044] The locking surface 56 extends downward from the lower end of the second plug interference surface 55 and is curved in an arc shape so as to be convex toward the bisector 21.

[0045] The arm outer surface 54 has a flat arm inclined surface 57 (arm restraining surface). The arm inclined surface 57 is inclined so as to be parallel to the flange inclined surface 28 of the shaft flange 25 shown in Figure 7 when the connector assembly 1 is in the mated state. In other words, the arm inclined surface 57 is inclined downward as it approaches the bisecting line 21.

[0046] Returning to Figure 4, the lock spring 41 is made of metal. That is, the lock spring 41 is formed by stamping and bending a metal plate. When the lock lever 8 is pressed down in the locking rotation direction, the lock spring 41 engages with the lock pawl 17 of the plug housing 7, thereby preventing the lock lever 8 from rotating in the unlocking rotation direction. Note that if the lock spring 41 itself is operated to release the engagement between the lock spring 41 and the lock pawl 17, the lock lever 8 is permitted to rotate in the unlocking rotation direction.

[0047] (Receptacle Connector 3) Next, the receptacle connector 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0048] 8 includes a plurality of receptacle contacts 9, a receptacle housing 10 that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts 9, and a metal base 11. The receptacle connector 3 further includes a seal member 73. The seal member 73 is typically made of rubber that is easily elastically deformed and is formed in an annular shape.

[0049] The receptacle contacts 9 are made of metal and are formed by stamping and forming a metal plate made of copper or a copper alloy.

[0050] The receptacle housing 10 is made of insulating resin and holds a plurality of receptacle contacts 9, typically by press-fitting.

[0051] The base 11 is made of metal. The base 11 is made of aluminum alloy or zinc alloy. The base 11 may also be made of resin. The base 11 includes a flat receptacle base body 74, a rectangular cylindrical housing holder 75, and two hooks 76. The receptacle base body 74, the housing holder 75, and the two hooks 76 are integrally formed.

[0052] The thickness direction of the receptacle base body 74 coincides with the vertical direction. A housing insertion hole 77 is formed in the receptacle base body 74.

[0053] Housing holder 75 protrudes upward in the shape of a square tube from the periphery of housing insertion hole 77 of receptacle base body 74. Receptacle housing 10 is held by housing holder 75 while inserted into housing insertion hole 77. Receptacle housing 10 may be held in housing holder 75 by being press-fitted into housing holder 75, or may be held in housing holder 75 by insert molding. A seal groove 78 into which seal member 73 fits is formed on outer peripheral surface 75A of housing holder 75.

[0054] The two hooks 76 are arranged on opposite sides of the base 11 in the axial direction. The two hooks 76 are arranged axially apart from the housing holder 75. The two hooks 76 have the same shape.

[0055] Each hook 76 is formed to protrude upward from the upper surface 74A of the receptacle base body 74. As shown in FIG. 9, each hook 76 is formed to be line-symmetrical with respect to the bisecting line 21 described above. The base 11 is formed to be line-symmetrical with respect to the bisecting line 21 described above. Each hook 76 is formed to widen in the direction perpendicular to the axis as it extends upward. Each hook 76 has a shape roughly resembling a wine glass. For ease of explanation, the seal member 73 and housing holder 75 shown in FIG. 8 are not shown in FIG. 9.

[0056] Continuing to refer to FIG. 9, each hook 76 has a first hook interference surface 80 and two hook side surfaces 81.

[0057] The first hook contact surface 80 is a flat surface facing upward. In this embodiment, the first hook contact surface 80 is perpendicular to the up-down direction. The first hook contact surface 80 extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis, straddling the bisector 21.

[0058] The two hook side surfaces 81 extend downward from both ends of the first hook interference surface 80 in the direction perpendicular to the axis, and both face outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Each hook side surface 81 has a second hook interference surface 82 and a lock arm receiving surface 83.

[0059] The second hook interference surface 82 is flat and extends downward from the end of the first hook interference surface 80 in the direction perpendicular to the axis. The second hook interference surface 82 is inclined so as to approach the bisector 21 as it extends downward.

[0060] The lock arm receiving surface 83 is formed below the second hook interference surface 82, and is curved in an arc shape so as to be convex toward the bisecting line 21. Therefore, it can be said that each hook side surface 81 is formed with a lock arm receiving recess 84 defined by the lock arm receiving surface 83. The lock arm receiving recess 84 is formed so as to be recessed toward the bisecting line 21.

[0061] (Activated) Next, the operation of the connector assembly 1 will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. For ease of explanation, in Figures 10 to 12, as in Figure 5, one support beam 43 of the lock lever 8 is shown in a cross section bisected in the thickness direction to allow understanding of the operation of the lock arm 51.

[0062] 10 shows a state in which the plug connector 2 is opposed to the receptacle connector 3 in the vertical direction in order to mate the plug connector 2 with the receptacle connector 3. As shown in FIG. 10, in this opposed state, the lock lever 8 is held in an unlocked position in which the knob 44 is positioned above the plug housing 7.

[0063] When the plug connector 2 is moved downward from this opposing state toward the receptacle connector 3, the housing holder 75 and the seal member 73 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 are accommodated in the internal space 20 of the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2. Therefore, in this accommodated state, the housing holder 75 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 faces the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2 in the axial direction and in the direction perpendicular to the axis. Also, in this accommodated state, a small gap remains between the housing holder 75 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 and the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2.

[0064] In the above-described housed state, the seal member 73 is compressed in the axial direction and in the direction perpendicular to the axis between the housing holder 75 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 and the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2. The elastic restoring force of the seal member 73 at this time seals the gap between the housing holder 75 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 and the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2. This seal is primarily for waterproofing purposes.

[0065] A small gap is left between the housing holder 75 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 and the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2, and this gap is sealed by a sealing member 73, leaving the plug connector 2 some room to swing axially and perpendicularly to the axis relative to the receptacle connector 3.

[0066] Furthermore, due to the elastic restoring force of the sealing member 73, even if the plug connector 2 swings slightly in the axial direction and perpendicular to the axial direction relative to the receptacle connector 3, for example, due to the cable 4 being pulled up, the gap between the housing holder 75 of the base 11 of the receptacle connector 3 and the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2 remains sealed.

[0067] It should be noted that in the above-described accommodated state, the seal member 73 is not compressed in the vertical direction, but rather expands in the vertical direction.

[0068] In the above-described accommodated state, the knob 44 is pressed down with a finger to rotate the lock lever 8 in the locking rotation direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11 , the lock execution surface 56 on the arm inner surface 53 of the lock arm 51 of each support beam 43 comes into contact with the second hook interference surface 82 of the corresponding hook 76 of the receptacle connector 3.

[0069] Next, the knob 44 is pressed downward with a finger. This causes the lock execution surface 56 of the lock arm 51 to move downward while contacting the hook side surface 81 of the corresponding hook 76. Here, since the hook side surface 81 is inclined downward so as to approach the bisecting line 21, when the plug connector 2 moves downward, the lock lever 8 rotates in the lock rotation direction.

[0070] 12, the tip 51A of the lock arm 51 is accommodated in the lock arm receiving recess 84. As a result, the hook 76 and the lock arm 51 are adjacent to each other in this order facing downward, thereby preventing the plug connector 2 from being removed from the receptacle connector 3.

[0071] At this time, the lock spring 41 of the lock lever 8 shown in FIG. 4 engages with the lock pawl 17 of the plug housing 7, preventing the lock lever 8 from rotating in the unlock direction. This causes the lock lever 8 to be held in the locked position shown in FIG. 12. With the lock lever 8 held in the locked position in this way, the connector assembly 1 is in a mated state. In other words, the connector assembly 1 is in a connector-locked state in which the plug connector 2 is fixed to the receptacle connector 3 by the lock lever 8. In this specification, the mated state of the connector assembly 1 and the connector-locked state of the connector assembly 1 refer to the same state of the connector assembly 1.

[0072] 12, in this connector locked state, the first plug interference surface 52 and the first hook interference surface 80 face each other with a small gap in the vertical direction. Similarly, the second plug interference surface 55 and the second hook interference surface 82 face each other with a small gap in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

[0073] 12, the elastic restoring force of the seal member 73 does not act to press the lock execution surface 56 of the lock arm 51 against the corresponding lock arm receiving surface 83 of the hook 76. In other words, in the connector locked state, the lock execution surface 56 of the lock arm 51 may be in contact with the corresponding lock arm receiving surface 83 of the hook 76 with a slight contact pressure, or may not be in contact at all.

[0074] 12 , when the plug connector 2 tilts relative to the receptacle connector 3, the first plug interference surface 52 and the first hook interference surface 80 come into contact with each other, thereby suppressing further tilt of the plug connector 2. Similarly, when the plug connector 2 tilts relative to the receptacle connector 3, the second plug interference surface 55 and the second hook interference surface 82 come into contact with each other, thereby suppressing further tilt of the plug connector 2. Therefore, even if the contact portions of the plug connector 2 and the receptacle connector 3 wear due to vibration, for example, and the backlash between the plug connector 2 and the receptacle connector 3 increases, the above configuration suppresses excessive tilt of the plug connector 2 relative to the receptacle connector 3.

[0075] 12 , assume that the cable 4 is pulled up while the servo motor 5 is fixed to a heavy object such as a machine tool. Then, the tip 51A of the lock arm 51 contacts the lock arm receiving surface 83, and the plug connector 2 rotates very slightly in the lock rotation direction around the contact point between the tip 51A of the lock arm 51 and the lock arm receiving surface 83, and then is pulled up. Although this pulling is prevented by the rigidity of the lock arm 51, the lock arm 51 bends in a direction away from the rotation axis 8C. If the amount of bending of the lock arm 51 becomes excessive and excessive tensile stress is generated in the arm inner surface 53 of the lock arm 51, cracks may occur in the arm inner surface 53, and eventually the lock arm 51 may break. In response to this, in this embodiment, the plug housing 7 is provided with a shaft flange 25 that faces the arm outer surface 54 of the lock arm 51. As a result, when the lock arm 51 bends in a direction away from the rotary shaft 8C, the lock arm 51 comes into contact with the shaft flange 25, preventing further bending of the lock arm 51. This prevents the lock arm 51 from breaking.

[0076] 12, the planar lower surface 25A of shaft flange 25 faces up and down against the planar upper surface 74A of receptacle base body 74. Therefore, when plug connector 2 is tilted in the locking rotation direction relative to receptacle connector 3, lower surface 25A of shaft flange 25 and upper surface 74A of receptacle base body 74 come into surface contact with each other, effectively preventing further rotation of plug connector 2.

[0077] It is also possible to configure the lock arm 51 so that its arm outer surface 54 comes into contact with the upper surface 74A of the receptacle base body 74 of the receptacle connector 3 when the lock arm 51 is bent in a direction away from the rotation axis 8C. Typically, a component equivalent to the shaft flange 25 would be formed to protrude upward from the upper surface 74A of the receptacle base body 74. In this case, however, the force that the lock arm 51 receives from the upper surface 74A of the receptacle base body 74 would be converted into torque that tends to rotate the lock lever 8 in the unlocking rotation direction relative to the plug housing 7, which would impair the connection reliability of the connector assembly 1, i.e., the ability to maintain the connector locked state.

[0078] Returning to the discussion above, to remove the plug connector 2 from the receptacle connector 3, the lock spring 41 of the lock lever 8 shown in Figure 4 is operated to release the engagement between the lock spring 41 and the lock claw 17, and the lock lever 8 is rotated in the unlock rotation direction. This causes the lock arm 51 shown in Figure 12 to be pulled out of the lock arm receiving recess 84, allowing the plug connector 2 to be removed upward from the receptacle connector 3.

[0079] The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, and the above embodiment has the following features.

[0080] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, connector assembly 1 includes a plug connector 2 and a receptacle connector 3. The plug connector 2 includes a plurality of plug contacts 6, a plug housing 7 that holds the plurality of plug contacts 6, and a lock lever 8 rotatably attached to the plug housing 7. The receptacle connector 3 includes a plurality of receptacle contacts 9, a receptacle housing 10 that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts 9, and a hook 76 (receptacle locking portion). As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the lock lever 8 includes a lock arm 51 that extends in a locking rotation direction, which is the direction in which the lock lever 8 is rotated to lock the plug housing 7 to the receptacle housing 10. By rotating the lock lever 8 in the locking rotation direction, the hook 76 and the lock arm 51 are adjacent to each other in this order on the downward side (mating direction), which is the direction in which the plug housing 7 approaches the receptacle housing 10 when mating the plug connector 2 with the receptacle connector 3. As shown in FIG. 6, the lock arm 51 has an arm inner surface 53 facing the rotation axis 8C of the lock lever 8 and an arm outer surface 54 facing away from the rotation axis 8C. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the plug housing 7 includes a shaft flange 25 (deflection suppression portion). In a connector-locked state in which the plug connector 2 is fixed to the receptacle connector 3 by the lock lever 8, the shaft flange 25 faces the arm outer surface 54, thereby suppressing bending of the lock arm 51 in the direction away from the rotation axis 8C. The above configuration achieves a connector assembly 1 that is durable.

[0081] It should be noted that "locking the plug housing 7 to the receptacle housing 10" means "prohibiting the plug housing 7 from moving in a direction away from the receptacle housing 10."

[0082] 4 to 7, the plug housing 7 includes a plug housing main body 12 that holds a plurality of plug contacts 6, and a hood main body 15 that covers the plug housing main body 12. A shaft flange 25 is provided on the hood main body 15. The hood main body 15 and the shaft flange 25 are integrally formed. The shaft flange 25 protrudes from the hood main body 15 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8C. With the above configuration, the plug housing 7 can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0083] 12 comes into contact with the arm outer surface 54 when the lock arm 51 bends in a direction away from the rotation shaft 8C in the connector locked state, thereby preventing the lock arm 51 from bending in a direction away from the rotation shaft 8C. However, instead of this, the lock arm 51 may be in constant contact with the shaft flange 25 in the connector locked state, thereby preventing the lock arm 51 from bending in a direction away from the rotation shaft 8C.

[0084] 12, the arm outer surface 54 has a flat arm inclined surface 57 (arm suppression surface). The shaft flange 25 has a flat flange inclined surface 28 (deflection suppression surface) facing the arm inclined surface 57. When the lock arm 51 is in the connector locked state and bends away from the rotation shaft 8C, the arm inclined surface 57 and the flange inclined surface 28 come into surface contact with each other. With the above configuration, no local stress is generated in the shaft flange 25 due to contact between the lock arm 51 and the shaft flange 25, so breakage of the lock arm 51 can be effectively prevented.

[0085] 7, the distance L1 between the leading end 28A of the flange inclined surface 28 in the locking rotation direction and the rotation shaft 8C is shorter than the distance L2 between the rear end 28B of the flange inclined surface 28 in the locking rotation direction and the rotation shaft 8C. With the above configuration, the shaft flange 25 does not hinder the rotation of the lock arm 51, and it is possible to reduce the gap between the arm inclined surface 57 of the lock arm 51 and the flange inclined surface 28 of the shaft flange 25 in the connector locked state shown in FIG.

[0086] 12, in the connector locked state, shaft flange 25 faces receptacle connector 3 in the vertical direction, and when plug connector 2 rotates in the locking rotation direction relative to receptacle connector 3 in the connector locked state, shaft flange 25 comes into contact with receptacle connector 3, preventing further rotation of plug connector 2 in the locking rotation direction. With the above configuration, shaft flange 25 contributes to the stable posture of plug connector 2 in the connector locked state.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 12, when viewed along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 8C, the hook 76 and the lock arm 51 are positioned between the rotating shaft 8C and the shaft flange 25 in the connector locked state.

[0088] 8, the receptacle connector 3 further includes a seal member 73. In the connector locked state shown in FIG. 12, the hood body 15 of the hood 13 of the plug housing 7 of the plug connector 2 is elastically supported by the receptacle connector 3 via the seal member 73 shown in FIG. 10, and is thereby able to swing relative to the receptacle connector 3.

[0089] That is, in the connector locked state shown in FIG. 12 , the seal member 73 presses the hood body 15 outward in the axial direction and in the orthogonal direction without applying a steady load to the locking arm 51. Meanwhile, there is a slight gap in the axial direction and the orthogonal direction between the hood body 15 of the plug connector 2 shown in FIG. 10 and the housing holder 75 of the receptacle connector 3. Due to the presence of this gap and the elasticity of the seal member 73 itself, the hood body 15 is slightly pivotable relative to the receptacle connector 3 around three axes extending in the axial direction, the orthogonal direction, and the up-down direction. Only when the cable 4 is pulled up does the hood body 15 pivot around the axis extending in the axial direction relative to the receptacle connector 3, causing an excessive load to be applied to the locking arm 51. However, due to the elasticity of the seal member 73 itself and the presence of the shaft flange 25, the waterproofing between the plug connector 2 and the receptacle connector 3 is still maintained, and breakage of the locking arm 51 is effectively prevented. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1 Connector Assembly 2 plug connectors 3 Receptacle Connector 4 Cables 5 Servo motors 5A connector mounting surface 6 plug contacts 7 Plug housing 8 Lock lever 8C Rotational Axis 9 Receptacle Contacts 10 Receptacle housing 11. Base 12 Plug housing body 13. Food 14 Cable holder 15 Hood body 15A Orthogonal wall 15B Orthogonal wall 15C axis wall 15D Top Plate 16 shaft 16C center axis 17 Locking Claw 18 Lever flange 19 Cable flange 20 Interior Space 21 Bisecting Line 25 Shaft flange (deflection control part) 25A Bottom 26 Right-angle flange 27 Connecting part 28 Flange inclined surface (deflection suppression surface) 28A tip 28B rear end 40 Lever body 41 Rock Spring 42 Lever base 43 Support beam 43A Bearing hole 44 knobs 50 Beam body 51 Lock Arm 51A Tip 52 First plug interference surface 53 Arm inner surface 54 Outer surface of arm 55 Second plug interference surface 56 Lock Execution Surface 57 Arm inclined surface (arm restraint surface) 73 Sealing material 74 Receptacle base body 74A Top 75 Housing Holder 75A Outer surface 76 Hook (receptacle lock part) 77 Housing insertion hole 78 Seal groove 80 First hook interference surface 81 Hook side 82 Second hook interference surface 83 Lock arm receiving surface 84 Lock arm receiving recess L1 distance L2 distance

Claims

1. A plurality of plug contacts; a plug housing that holds the plurality of plug contacts; a lock lever rotatably attached to the plug housing; a plug connector including: a plurality of receptacle contacts; a receptacle housing that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts; A receptacle locking portion; a receptacle connector including: Equipped with the lock lever includes a lock arm extending in a lock rotation direction, which is a direction in which the lock lever is rotated to lock the plug housing to the receptacle housing; By rotating the lock lever in the locking rotation direction, the receptacle locking portion and the locking arm are adjacent to each other in this order in a mating direction, which is a direction in which the plug housing approaches the receptacle housing when mating the plug connector with the receptacle connector, thereby fixing the plug connector to the receptacle connector. A connector assembly comprising: the lock arm has an inner surface facing the rotation axis of the lock lever and an outer surface facing away from the rotation axis, the plug housing includes a deflection restraint portion; the deflection suppression portion faces the arm outer surface in a connector locked state in which the plug connector is fixed to the receptacle connector by the lock lever, thereby suppressing deflection of the lock arm in a direction away from the rotation shaft, the deflection suppression portion comes into contact with the arm outer surface when the lock arm is deflected in a direction away from the rotation shaft in the connector locked state, thereby suppressing the lock arm from deflecting in the direction away from the rotation shaft, The arm outer surface has a planar arm suppression surface, and the deflection suppression portion has a planar deflection suppression surface facing the arm suppression surface, and when the lock arm is deflected in a direction away from the rotation shaft in the connector locked state, the arm suppression surface and the deflection suppression portion come into surface contact. Connector assembly.

2. 2. The connector assembly of claim 1, the plug housing includes a plug housing body that holds the plurality of plug contacts, and a hood body that covers the plug housing body, The deflection suppression portion is provided on the hood body. Connector assembly.

3. 3. The connector assembly of claim 2, The hood body and the deflection suppression portion are integrally formed. Connector assembly.

4. 4. The connector assembly according to claim 2 or 3, The deflection suppression portion protrudes from the hood body in the axial direction of the rotation shaft. Connector assembly.

5. A connector assembly as described in claim 1, The distance between the tip of the deflection suppression surface in the lock rotation direction and the rotation axis is the distance between the rear end of the deflection suppression surface in the locking rotation direction and the rotation shaft; Connector assembly.

6. A plurality of plug contacts; a plug housing that holds the plurality of plug contacts; a lock lever rotatably attached to the plug housing; a plug connector including: a plurality of receptacle contacts; a receptacle housing that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts; A receptacle locking portion; a receptacle connector including: Equipped with the lock lever includes a lock arm extending in a lock rotation direction, which is a direction in which the lock lever is rotated to lock the plug housing to the receptacle housing; By rotating the lock lever in the locking rotation direction, the receptacle locking portion and the locking arm are adjacent to each other in this order in a mating direction, which is a direction in which the plug housing approaches the receptacle housing when mating the plug connector with the receptacle connector, thereby fixing the plug connector to the receptacle connector. A connector assembly comprising: the lock arm has an inner surface facing the rotation axis of the lock lever and an outer surface facing away from the rotation axis, the plug housing includes a deflection restraint portion; the deflection suppression portion faces the arm outer surface in a connector locked state in which the plug connector is fixed to the receptacle connector by the lock lever, thereby suppressing deflection of the lock arm in a direction away from the rotation shaft, the deflection suppression portion faces the receptacle connector in the fitting direction in the connector locked state, When the plug connector rotates in the locking rotation direction relative to the receptacle connector in the connector locked state, the deflection suppression portion comes into contact with the receptacle connector, thereby preventing further rotation of the plug connector in the locking rotation direction. Connector assembly.

7. A connector assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, When viewed along the axial direction of the rotation shaft, the receptacle locking portion and the locking arm are located between the rotation shaft and the deflection suppressing portion in the connector locked state. Connector assembly.

8. A plurality of plug contacts; a plug housing that holds the plurality of plug contacts; a lock lever rotatably attached to the plug housing; a plug connector including: a plurality of receptacle contacts; a receptacle housing that holds the plurality of receptacle contacts; A receptacle locking portion; a receptacle connector including: Equipped with the lock lever includes a lock arm extending in a lock rotation direction, which is a direction in which the lock lever is rotated to lock the plug housing to the receptacle housing; By rotating the lock lever in the locking rotation direction, the receptacle locking portion and the locking arm are adjacent to each other in this order in a mating direction, which is a direction in which the plug housing approaches the receptacle housing when mating the plug connector with the receptacle connector, thereby fixing the plug connector to the receptacle connector. A connector assembly comprising: the lock arm has an inner surface facing the rotation axis of the lock lever and an outer surface facing away from the rotation axis, the plug housing includes a deflection restraint portion; the deflection suppression portion faces the arm outer surface in a connector locked state in which the plug connector is fixed to the receptacle connector by the lock lever, thereby suppressing deflection of the lock arm in a direction away from the rotation shaft, The receptacle connector further includes a sealing member. In the connector locked state, the plug housing of the plug connector is elastically supported by the receptacle connector via the seal member, and is thereby able to swing relative to the receptacle connector. Connector assembly.

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