Connector Assembly

Abstract

To provide a connector assembly in which a first connector and a second connector easily fit together and furthermore the contact reliability of the first and second contacts can be improved.SOLUTION: The rotation of a lever member 22 from an initial rotational position to a first rotational position while a second insulator 23 is located in a mating start position with respect to a first insulator 13, moves a second insulator 23 to a mating position along a mating direction by a cam mechanism, further rotation of the lever member from the first rotational position to a second rotational position brings a first contact 14 and a second contact 24 into contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure while holding the second insulator at the mating position, by an outer circumferential surface 25D of a rotary shaft member 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector assembly in which a first connector and a second connector are mated by rotating a lever member. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, connector assemblies that utilize the rotation of a lever member to facilitate the mating operation of a pair of connectors have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector assembly including a first connector 1 and a second connector 2 that is mated with the first connector 1 along a mating direction D, as shown in Fig. 55. A first housing 1A of the first connector 1 is formed with a protrusion 1B that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction D, and a lever member 3 is attached to the outside of a second housing 2A of the second connector 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum portion 2B.

[0003] The lever member 3 has a guide groove (not shown) formed opposite the outer surface of the second housing 2A, and the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are mated with each other by bringing the second connector 2 close to the first connector 1 along the mating direction D and rotating the lever member 3 with the protrusion 1B of the first connector 1 inserted into the guide groove of the lever member 3.

[0004] By mating the first connector 1 and the second connector 2, as shown in Figure 56, the first contact 1C arranged in the first housing 1A is electrically connected to the second contact 2D inserted into the contact insertion port 2C of the second connector 2. The second contact 2D is connected to the tip of the electric wire 4, and by mounting the first connector 1 on an electric device (not shown), for example, it is possible to pass a current through the electric wire 4 to the electric device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-152265 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When such a connector assembly is used to pass current through an electrical device, the larger the current, the thicker the electric wire 4 connected to the second contact 2D needs to be. However, when the electrical equipment is installed in an environment where it is subjected to external forces such as vibrations, for example, when mounted on a vehicle, the external force is transmitted to the contact point between the first contact 1C and the second contact 2D through the thick electric wire 4, causing poor contact.

[0007] Therefore, contact reliability can be improved by increasing the contact force between the first contact 1C and the second contact 2D, but as a result, the insertion force required to mate the second connector 2 with the first connector 1 increases, which may make it difficult to easily mate the first connector 1 with the second connector 2 even when using the rotation of the lever member 3. Furthermore, increasing the contact force may damage the surfaces of the first contact 1C and the second contact 2D, which may reduce contact reliability.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve these conventional problems, and aims to provide a connector assembly that can easily mate the first connector and the second connector while improving the contact reliability of the first contact and the second contact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The connector assembly according to the present invention comprises: a first connector having a first insulator and a first contact held by the first insulator; a second connector having a second insulator and second contacts held by the second insulator, the second connector mating with the first connector along a mating direction; a lever member held by one of the first insulator and the second insulator so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis; a rotating shaft member extending along the rotating shaft, rotating in accordance with the rotation of the lever member, and having a cam surface for pressing the first contact and the second contact against each other; a cam mechanism that moves the first insulator and the second insulator relatively along the fitting direction in conjunction with rotation of the lever member; Equipped with When the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position while the second insulator is positioned at the mating start position relative to the first insulator, the cam mechanism moves the second insulator to the mating position along the mating direction, and when the lever member is further rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the cam surface of the rotating shaft member brings the first contact and the second contact into contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure while maintaining the second insulator in the mating position.

[0010] The first contact and the second contact each extend along a mating direction; one of the first contact and the second contact is a spring contact, and the other is a fixed contact; The cam surface of the rotary shaft member can be configured to press the spring contact toward the fixed contact in a direction intersecting the mating direction, thereby bringing the first contact and the second contact into contact with each other.

[0011] The spring contact has a force point portion that comes into contact with the cam surface of the rotary shaft member and receives a pressing force from the cam surface, a fulcrum portion that serves as a fulcrum for elastic deformation of the spring contact when the spring contact receives the pressing force from the force point portion, and a contact portion that is disposed between the force point portion and the fulcrum portion and comes into contact with the fixed contact, The distance from the fulcrum to the force point is preferably longer than the distance from the fulcrum to the contact point.

[0012] In a first aspect, the rolling shaft member has a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion that are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction based on a difference in diameter from the rotation shaft in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation shaft, the small diameter portion does not come into contact with the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, and the large diameter portion comes into contact with the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact; the cam surface comprises an outer peripheral cam surface disposed on the surface of the large diameter portion; While the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position, the surface of the small diameter portion faces the force point of the spring contact, and when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the surface of the large diameter portion faces the force point of the spring contact, and the outer peripheral cam surface presses the first contact and the second contact against each other.

[0013] In a second aspect, the rotating shaft member is held by the second insulator so as to be slidable along the rotation axis direction of the lever member, The rotary shaft member has a protrusion formed on an outer periphery thereof, the second insulator has a recessed projection accommodating portion for accommodating the projection; The rotation of the lever member relative to the second insulator may be locked by sliding the rotary shaft member relative to the second insulator and accommodating the protrusion in the protrusion accommodating portion.

[0014] In a third aspect, the rotating shaft member has an insertion groove that extends in the circumferential direction along a plane perpendicular to the rotating shaft and into which the force point portion of the spring contact is inserted, The insertion groove has a first side surface portion and a second side surface portion that face in an axial direction along the rotation axis and are arranged adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction, the first side surface portion does not come into contact with the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, and the second side surface portion forms a cam surface that comes into contact with the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact; While the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position, the first side portion faces the force point of the spring contact, and when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the second side portion faces the force point of the spring contact, and the cam surface presses the first contact and the second contact against each other.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, the rotating shaft member has a protruding plate that extends in a circumferential direction along a plane perpendicular to the rotating shaft and faces the force point portion of the spring contact in the axial direction along the rotating shaft, The protruding plate has a first outer surface portion and a second outer surface portion, each of which faces an axial direction along the rotation axis and is arranged adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction; the first outer surface portion does not come into contact with the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, and the second outer surface portion forms a cam surface that comes into contact with the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact; While the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position, the first outer surface portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact, and when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the second outer surface portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact, and the cam surface presses the first contact and the second contact against each other.

[0016] The second contact is a spring contact, When the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the outer circumferential cam surface can be configured to come into contact with the second contact and press the second contact toward the first contact. The lever member is rotatably held by the second insulator, The cam mechanism preferably has a cam groove formed in the lever member, and a pin formed to protrude from the first insulator and inserted into the cam groove.

[0017] the second insulator has a pair of rotating shaft member accommodating portions that rotatably accommodate both end portions of the rotating shaft member; the first insulator has an abutment surface that abuts against a front end surface of the second insulator when the second insulator is located at the mating position; It is preferable to provide a mating portion waterproof gasket that is arranged on one of the abutment surface of the first insulator and the front end surface of the second insulator, and that seals between the abutment surface of the first insulator and the front end surface of the second insulator when the second insulator is in the mating position, and a pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets that are arranged to surround both end portions of the rotating shaft member, respectively, and that seal between the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions of the rotating shaft member and the inner surfaces of the pair of rotating shaft member accommodating portions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to this invention, when the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position while the second insulator is positioned in the mating start position relative to the first insulator, the cam mechanism moves the second insulator to the mating position along the mating direction, and when the lever member is further rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the cam surface of the rotating shaft member brings the first contact and the second contact into contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure while maintaining the second insulator in the mating position, making it possible to easily mate the first connector and the second connector while improving the contact reliability of the first contact and the second contact. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state before mating of a connector assembly according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first connector used in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a second connector used in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rotating shaft member used in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a rotating shaft member used in the first embodiment. [Figure 6]10 is a side view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during a mating operation. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the rotation angle of the lever member is 0 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a side view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during a mating operation. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a side view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated by 90 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated 90 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the first embodiment when the lever member is rotated 90 degrees during the mating operation. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a connector assembly according to a second embodiment in a mated state. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a rotating shaft member used in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view showing a connector assembly according to a second embodiment, with the lever member omitted. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a connector assembly according to a second embodiment in a mated state. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly according to the second embodiment in a state where the rotation of the lever member is locked. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly according to the second embodiment in a state where the rotation of the lever member is locked. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state before fitting of a connector assembly according to a third embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a first connector used in a third embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a second connector used in a third embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a rotating shaft member used in a third embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 11 is a partial plan view showing a rotating shaft member used in a third embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 27] FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 28] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation shaft member used in the third embodiment when the rotation angle of the lever member in the fitting operation is 0 degrees. [Figure 30] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 31] FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 32] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a 45-degree angle during the mating operation. [Figure 33] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotating shaft member used in the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated at an angle of 45 degrees during the fitting operation. [Figure 34]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated by 90 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 35] FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated 90 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 36] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated by 90 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 37] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotating shaft member used in the third embodiment when the lever member is rotated by 90 degrees during the fitting operation. [Figure 38] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state before fitting of a connector assembly according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 39] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a first connector used in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 40] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a second connector used in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 41] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a rotating shaft member used in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 42] FIG. 11 is a partial plan view showing a rotating shaft member used in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 43] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 44] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 45] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 0 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 46] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation shaft member used in the fourth embodiment when the rotation angle of the lever member in the fitting operation is 0 degrees. [Figure 47] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 48]FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 49] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated at a rotation angle of 45 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 50] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotating shaft member used in the fourth embodiment when the rotation angle of the lever member in the fitting operation is 45 degrees. [Figure 51] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated by 90 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 52] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated 90 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 53] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the connector assembly of the fourth embodiment when the lever member is rotated by 90 degrees during the mating operation. [Figure 54] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation shaft member used in the fourth embodiment when the rotation angle of the lever member in the fitting operation is 90 degrees. [Figure 55] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional connector assembly before mating. [Figure 56] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional connector assembly in a mated state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiment 1 1 shows a connector assembly according to embodiment 1 in a state before mating. The connector assembly includes a first connector 11 and a second connector 21 that mates with the first connector 11 along a mating direction. For example, the first connector 11 is mounted on an electrical device (not shown), and the second connector 21 is attached to ends of two electric wires C, thereby enabling the connector assembly to detachably connect the two electric wires C to the electrical device. The first connector 11 and the second connector 21 are mated and separated by operating a lever member 22 that is attached to the second connector 21 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis AX.

[0021] For convenience, the mating direction of the first connector 11 and the second connector 21 will be referred to as the Z direction, the direction in which the rotation axis AX of the lever member 22 extends will be referred to as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the Y direction will be referred to as the X direction. The second connector 21 moves from the +Z direction to the −Z direction and is mated with the first connector 11.

[0022] 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the first connector 11. The first connector 11 has a first insulator 13 and a pair of first contacts 14 that are each held by the first insulator 13 and extend along the Z direction. The first insulator 13 has a flat base 13A extending along the XY plane, a pair of protrusions 13B each protruding in the +Z direction from the +Z direction surface of the base 13A and adjacent to each other in the X direction, and a pair of flat support portions 13C connected to the +Y direction end and -Y direction end of the base 13A, respectively, and extending in the +Z direction while facing each other in the Y direction.

[0023] Each of the pair of protrusions 13B has a concave second contact accommodating portion 13D that opens toward the +Z direction and extends in the Z direction. The surface of the base 13A on the +Z direction side around the pair of protrusions 13B forms an abutment surface 13E that comes into contact with the second connector 21 when the first connector 11 and the second connector 21 are mated. A pair of pins 13F protruding in the Y direction are formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of support portions 13C. Although only the pin 13F formed on the support portion 13C on the -Y direction side is shown in Fig. 2, a similar pin 13F is also formed on the support portion 13C on the +Y direction side. These two pins 13F are arranged on the same straight line along the Y direction.

[0024] Furthermore, the first connector 11 has a pair of shells 15 fixed onto the inner surfaces of a pair of second contact accommodating portions 13D of the first insulator 13, and a waterproof gasket 16 arranged on the -Z direction side surface of the base 13A of the first insulator 13.

[0025] 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the second connector 21. The second connector 21 has a cylindrical second insulator 23, a rotating shaft member 25 that penetrates the second insulator 23 in the Y direction and is rotatably attached to the second insulator 23, a lever member 22 that is fixed to the rotating shaft member 25, and a pair of second contacts 24 that are connected to ends of two electric wires C. Furthermore, the second connector 21 has a pair of inner insulators 26 that respectively house the pair of second contacts 24, and two sets of shells 27 that respectively surround the pair of inner insulators 26.

[0026] The pair of second contacts 24 are housed in inner insulators 26, respectively, and are further held inside the second insulator 23 while being surrounded by a shell 27. Further, a pair of through holes 23A are formed in the side portion of the second insulator 23 as rotating shaft member accommodating portions that allow the rotating shaft member 25 to pass through and accommodate both ends of the rotating shaft member 25. Although Fig. 3 only shows the through hole 23A formed in the side portion on the +Y direction side of the second insulator 23, a similar through hole 23A is also formed in the side portion on the -Y direction side of the second insulator 23. These two through holes 23A are arranged on the same straight line along the Y direction.

[0027] The lever member 22 has a handle portion 22A bent into a U-shape, and a pair of disk portions 22B connected to both ends of the handle portion 22A, facing each other in the Y direction, and extending along the XZ plane. A center hole 22C is formed in each of the pair of disk portions 22B. Both ends of a rotating shaft member 25 passing through a pair of through holes 23A in the second insulator 23 are connected to these center holes 22C, whereby the lever member 22 is held rotatably relative to the second insulator 23.

[0028] Cam grooves 22D are formed on the outer surfaces of the pair of disk portions 22B facing in opposite directions. Although only the cam groove 22D formed on the disk portion 22B on the +Y direction side is shown in Fig. 3, a similar cam groove 22D is also formed on the disk portion 22B on the -Y direction side. A pair of pins 13F of the first insulator 13 are inserted into the cam grooves 22D of the pair of disc portions 22B, and these cam grooves 22D and pins 13F form a cam mechanism that moves the first insulator 13 and the second insulator 23 relatively along the Z direction in conjunction with the rotation of the lever member 22.

[0029] Furthermore, the second connector 21 has a pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 28 that surround both end portions of the rotating shaft member 25 along the XZ plane and seal between the inner surfaces of the pair of through holes 23A of the second insulator 23 and the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions of the rotating shaft member 25, and a mating portion waterproof gasket 29 that is arranged on the front end surface of the second insulator 23 in the -Z direction and seals between the abutment surface 13E of the first insulator 13 and the front end surface of the second insulator 23 facing in the -Z direction when the first connector 11 and the second connector 21 are mated.

[0030] 4, the rotating shaft member 25 extends in the Y direction along the rotation axis AX, with a cam portion 25A formed in the center of the rotating shaft member 25 in the Y direction, and a pair of fitting portions 25B extending in the Y direction formed on both ends of the rotating shaft member 25 in the Y direction. In addition, a pair of annular packing retaining grooves 25C formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft member 25 along the XZ plane are formed between the cam portion 25A and the pair of fitting portions 25B. The pair of fitting portions 25B are connected to the lever member 22 by being inserted into the center holes 22C of the corresponding disc portions 22B of the lever member 22. Furthermore, the pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 28 are fitted into the pair of annular gasket retaining grooves 25C, whereby the pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 28 are held on the rotating shaft member 25.

[0031] 5, cam portion 25A has a cross-sectional shape similar to an ellipse with a minor axis and a major axis, and two small diameter portions P1 having a relatively small diameter dimension R1 from rotation axis AX and two large diameter portions P2 having a relatively large diameter dimension R2 from rotation axis AX are alternately arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction at 90-degree intervals along the circumference of cam portion 25A. The surfaces of large diameter portions P2 form outer peripheral cam surface 25D.

[0032] Next, the operation of fitting first connector 11 and second connector 21 together will be described. 1, the rotation angle of lever member 22 when handle portion 22A extends along the Y direction is referred to as "0 degrees," and the rotation position of lever member 22 is referred to as "initial rotation position." Lever member 22 is attached to second connector 21 so that it can rotate from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to 90 degrees.

[0033] First, with the rotation angle of the lever member 22 set to 0 degrees, the second connector 21 is moved from the +Z direction toward the first connector 11 in the -Z direction, whereby the +Z direction portion of the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11 is inserted into the inside of the second insulator 23 of the second connector 21, as shown in Figure 6.

[0034] As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the pin 13F of the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11 is inserted into the entrance of the cam groove 22D of the lever member 22 attached to the second connector 21, and the second insulator 23 is positioned at the mating start position relative to the first insulator 13. In addition, in the second connector 21, the second contact 24 held inside the second insulator 23 is located at the same Y-direction position as the cam portion 25A formed in the central portion of the rotating shaft member 25 that penetrates the second insulator 23 in the Y-direction.

[0035] As shown in Figure 8, the second contact 24 consists of a spring contact bent into a U-shape, and has a fulcrum portion 24A formed at the U-shaped bent portion, a contact portion 24B located on the +Z side of the fulcrum portion 24A, and a force point portion 24C located on the +Z side of the contact portion 24B and forming a free end.

[0036] The force point portion 24C of the second contact 24 is located at the same position in the Z direction as the rotation axis AX of the rotating shaft member 25 and faces the cam portion 25A of the rotating shaft member 25, but when the rotation angle of the lever member 22 is 0 degrees, the rotating shaft member 25 is connected to the lever member 22 so that the small diameter portion P1 of the cam portion 25A of the rotating shaft member 25 faces the X direction and the large diameter portion P2 faces the Y direction. For this reason, in Figure 8, the force point portion 24C of the second contact 24 faces the small diameter portion P1 of the rotating shaft member 25, and because the small diameter portion P1 has a relatively small diameter dimension R1, the force point portion 24C is not in contact with the rotating shaft member 25.

[0037] Also, at this time, the second contact 24 held inside the second insulator 23 is inserted up to the middle position in the Z direction within the second contact accommodating portion 13D of the first connector 11, but the contact portion 24B of the second contact 24 has not yet reached the position opposite the first contact 14 of the first connector 11.

[0038] Next, as shown in Figure 9, when the lever member 22 is rotated until the handle portion 22A is at 45 degrees relative to the Y direction, as shown in Figure 10, the pin 13F of the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11 moves relatively along the cam groove 22D of the lever member 22, and the second insulator 23 of the second connector 21 moves in the -Z direction relative to the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11.

[0039] 11, the contact portion 24B of the second contact 24 faces the side surface of the first contact 14 of the first connector 11. The Z-direction position of the second insulator 23 relative to the first insulator 13 at this time is called the "mating position," and the rotational position of the lever member 22 is called the "first rotational position." At this time, as the lever member 22 rotates, the rotating shaft member 25 also rotates 45 degrees around the rotation axis AX, but the outer cam surface 25D formed on the surface of the large diameter portion P2 does not yet face the X direction, and the force point portion 24C of the second contact 24 remains out of contact with the rotating shaft member 25.

[0040] From this state, when the lever member 22 is rotated until the handle portion 22A is at 90 degrees relative to the Y direction, as shown in Figure 12, the pin 13F of the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11 is inserted to the deepest part of the cam groove 22D of the lever member 22, as shown in Figure 13, but due to the shape of the cam groove 22D, the Z-direction position of the second insulator 23 relative to the first insulator 13 does not change.

[0041] As a result, as shown in Figure 14, the second insulator 23 of the second connector 21 remains held in the mating position relative to the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11, and the contact portion 24B of the second contact 24 continues to face the side of the first contact 14 of the first connector 11. Meanwhile, as lever member 22 rotates, rotating shaft member 25 also rotates about rotation axis AX, and outer peripheral cam surface 25D formed on the surface of large diameter portion P2 faces the X direction. Because large diameter portion P2 has a relatively large diameter dimension R2, outer peripheral cam surface 25D comes into contact with force point portion 24C of second contact 24 and presses it in the X direction.

[0042] Here, the distance L2 from the fulcrum portion 24A to the force point portion 24C of the second contact 24 is set to be longer than the distance L1 from the fulcrum portion 24A to the contact point portion 24B. Therefore, due to the so-called principle of leverage, a force greater than the pressing force that the force point portion 24C receives from the outer peripheral cam surface 25D of the rotating shaft member 25 acts on the contact point portion 24B, and the contact point 24B of the second contact 24 comes into contact with the first contact 14 with a high contact pressure. The rotational position of the lever member 22 at this time is referred to as the "second rotational position."

[0043] In this way, when the lever member 22 is rotated from the initial rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 22A relative to the Y direction is 0 degrees to the first rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 22A relative to the Y direction is 45 degrees, the second insulator 23 of the second connector 21 can be moved from the mating start position to the mating position relative to the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11 without the force point portion 24C of the second contact 24 coming into contact with the rotating shaft member 25, making it possible to easily mate the first connector 11 and the second connector 21 with a small insertion force.

[0044] Furthermore, when the lever member 22 is rotated from the first rotation position to a second rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 22A with respect to the Y direction is 90 degrees, the second insulator 23 of the second connector 21 is held in the mating position with respect to the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11, and the outer cam surface 25D of the rotating shaft member 25 presses the force point portion 24C of the second contact 24 in the X direction, so that the contact portion 24B of the second contact 24 can be brought into contact with the first contact 14 with a high contact pressure. At this time, the first contact 14 and the second contact 24 are pressed against each other in the X direction without rubbing against each other in the Z direction, so that the first contact 14 and the second contact 24 are electrically connected while preventing damage to their surfaces.

[0045] Therefore, even if the first connector 11 is mounted on an electrical device that is installed in an environment where it is subjected to external forces such as vibrations, the first connector 11 and the second connector 21 can be easily mated, and the first contact 14 and the second contact 24 can be brought into contact with high contact pressure, thereby achieving a reliable electrical connection.

[0046] Also, as shown in Figure 13, when the second insulator 23 of the second connector 21 is positioned in the mating position relative to the first insulator 13 of the first connector 11, the mating portion waterproof gasket 29 arranged on the front end surface of the second insulator 23 facing the -Z direction is pressed against the abutment surface 13E of the base 13A of the first insulator 13, and the space between the front end surface of the second insulator 23 and the abutment surface 13E is sealed. Furthermore, the space between the inner surface of the through hole 23A of the second insulator 23 and the outer surface of the rotating shaft member 25 is sealed by the presence of the rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 28 attached to both ends of the rotating shaft member 25 in the Y direction. This makes it possible to prevent water from entering the connection portion between the first contact 14 and the second contact 24 from the outside.

[0047] Embodiment 2 15 shows the connector assembly according to embodiment 2 in a mated state. This connector assembly is the same as the connector assembly according to embodiment 1, except that second connector 31 is mated with first connector 11 instead of second connector 21. The second connector 31 has a second insulator 33, a rotating shaft member 35, and a lever member 32, and the rotating shaft member 35 is held so as to be slidable in the Y direction relative to the second insulator 33. Also, similar to the first embodiment, a pair of second contacts connected to the ends of two electric wires C are held inside the second insulator 33.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 16, the rotating shaft member 35 is the rotating shaft member 25 in embodiment 1, except that an inlay portion 35A is formed at the +Y direction end instead of the inlay portion 25B, and the other configurations are the same as those of the rotating shaft member 25 in embodiment 1. The fitting portion 35A of the rotating shaft member 35 has a cylindrical portion 35B that protrudes in the +Y direction along the rotating axis AX, and a protrusion 35C that is integrally connected to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 35B and protrudes radially in a fan shape when viewed from the Y direction.

[0049] As shown in Figure 17, the second insulator 33 has the same configuration as the second insulator 23 in embodiment 1, except that a protrusion accommodating portion 33A that is connected to the through hole 23A and is open toward the +Y direction is formed on the side portion on the +Y direction side. The protrusion accommodating portion 33A has a shape corresponding to the protrusion 35C of the fitting portion 35A of the rotary shaft member 35 when viewed from the Y direction.

[0050] As shown in Figure 15, lever member 32 is lever member 22 in embodiment 1, with central hole 32A formed in place of central hole 22C in disc portion 22B on the +Y direction side, and the other configuration is the same as lever member 22 in embodiment 1. When viewed from the Y direction, the central hole 32A of the lever member 32 has a shape corresponding to the fitting portion 35A of the rotary shaft member 35, that is, a shape in which a protrusion is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion.

[0051] 18 , the rotating shaft member 35 passes through a pair of through holes 23A in the second insulator 33, and is held by the second insulator 33 with a fitting portion 35A formed at the end of the rotating shaft member 35 in the +Y direction inserted into the center hole 32A of the lever member 32. The center hole 32A of the lever member 32 has a shape corresponding to the fitting portion 35A of the rotating shaft member 35, so when the fitting portion 35A is inserted into the center hole 32A, the lever member 32 cannot rotate with respect to the rotating shaft member 35.

[0052] When the first connector 11 and the second connector 21 are mated, the rotating shaft member 35 slides in the +Y direction inside the pair of through holes 23A of the second insulator 33 and the central hole 32A of the lever member 32, and the protrusion 35C of the fitting portion 35A is positioned on the +Y direction side of the protrusion accommodating portion 33A of the second insulator 33. This allows the lever member 32 and the rotating shaft member 35 to rotate relative to the second insulator 33 without the protrusion 35C of the fitting portion 35A interfering with the protrusion accommodating portion 33A of the second insulator 33.

[0053] In this way, as in embodiment 1, the first connector 11 and the second connector 31 can be easily mated, while the first contact and the second contact can be brought into contact with high contact pressure, thereby achieving a reliable electrical connection.

[0054] Then, when the first connector 11 and the second connector 31 are mated with each other and an electrical connection is established between the first contact and the second contact, as shown in Figure 19, the rotating shaft member 35 is slid in the -Y direction relative to the lever member 32 and the second insulator 33 until the +Y direction end of the fitting portion 35A of the rotating shaft member 35 forms the same plane as the surface of the lever member 32 on the +Y direction side.

[0055] 20, the protrusion 35C of the fitting portion 35A of the rotating shaft member 35 is inserted into the protrusion accommodating portion 33A of the second insulator 33. As shown in FIG. 17, the protrusion accommodating portion 33A of the second insulator 33 has a shape corresponding to the protrusion 35C. Therefore, when the protrusion 35C is inserted into the protrusion accommodating portion 33A, the rotating shaft member 35 cannot rotate with respect to the second insulator 33.

[0056] At this time, since the fitting portion 35A of the rotary shaft member 35 is inserted into the center hole 32A of the lever member 32, the lever member 32 cannot rotate relative to the rotary shaft member 35. As a result, the lever member 32 is locked from rotating relative to the second insulator 33. This prevents the lever member 32 from rotating for some reason, which would otherwise damage the electrical connection between the first connector 11 and the second connector 31, and further improves the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0057] The projection 35C of the fitting portion 35A of the rotary shaft member 35 does not necessarily have to be fan-shaped, and projections of various shapes can be formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 35B.

[0058] Embodiment 3 21 shows a state before mating of the connector assembly according to embodiment 3. The connector assembly includes a first connector 51 and a second connector 61 that mates with the first connector 51 along the mating direction. The second connector 61 is attached to the ends of two electric wires C. The first connector 51 and the second connector 61 are mated and separated by operating a lever member 62 that is attached to the second connector 61 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis AX.

[0059] For convenience, the mating direction of the first connector 51 and the second connector 61 will be referred to as the Z direction, the direction in which the rotation axis AX of the lever member 62 extends will be referred to as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the Y direction will be referred to as the X direction. The second connector 61 moves from the +Z direction to the −Z direction and is mated with the first connector 51.

[0060] 22 shows an exploded perspective view of the first connector 51. The first connector 51 has a first insulator 53 and a pair of first contacts 54 that are each held by the first insulator 53 and extend along the Z direction. The first insulator 53 has a flat base 53A extending along the XY plane, a pair of protrusions 53B each protruding in the +Z direction from the +Z direction surface of the base 53A and adjacent to each other in the Y direction, and a pair of flat support portions 53C connected to the +Y direction end and -Y direction end of the base 53A, respectively, and extending in the +Z direction while facing each other in the Y direction.

[0061] Each of the pair of protrusions 53B has a concave second contact accommodating portion 53D that is open in the +Z direction and extends in the Z direction. The surface of the base 53A on the +Z direction side around the pair of protrusions 53B forms an abutment surface 53E that comes into contact with the second connector 61 when the first connector 51 and the second connector 61 are mated. A pair of pins 53F protruding in the Y direction are formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of support portions 53C. Although only the pin 53F formed on the support portion 53C on the -Y direction side is shown in Fig. 22, a similar pin 53F is also formed on the support portion 53C on the +Y direction side. These two pins 53F are arranged on the same straight line along the Y direction.

[0062] Furthermore, the first connector 51 has a pair of shells 55 fixed onto the outer surfaces of a pair of protrusions 53B of the first insulator 53, and a waterproof gasket 56 arranged on the -Z direction side surface of the base 53A of the first insulator 53.

[0063] 23 shows an exploded perspective view of the second connector 61. The second connector 61 has a second insulator 63, a rotating shaft member 65 that penetrates the second insulator 63 in the Y direction and is rotatably attached to the second insulator 63, a lever member 62 that is fixed to the rotating shaft member 65, and a pair of second contacts 64 that are connected to ends of two electric wires C that extend along the X direction, respectively. Furthermore, the second connector 61 has a lid portion 66 that covers the end portion of the second insulator 63 in the +Z direction.

[0064] The pair of second contacts 64 are each held inside the second insulator 63 . Further, a pair of through holes 63A are formed on both sides of the second insulator 63 in the Y direction as rotating shaft member accommodating portions that accommodate both ends of the rotating shaft member 65 by passing the rotating shaft member 65 therethrough.

[0065] The lever member 62 has a handle portion 62A bent into a U-shape, and a pair of flat plate portions 62B connected to both ends of the handle portion 62A, facing each other in the Y direction, and each extending along the XZ plane. Each of the pair of flat plate portions 62B is formed with a mounting hole 62C. Both ends of a rotating shaft member 65 passing through a pair of through holes 63A in the second insulator 63 are connected to these mounting holes 62C, thereby holding the lever member 62 rotatably relative to the second insulator 63.

[0066] Furthermore, a cam groove 62D is formed on each of the outer surfaces facing opposite directions of the pair of flat plate portions 62B. Although Fig. 23 shows only the cam groove 62D formed on the flat plate portion 62B on the +Y direction side, a similar cam groove 62D is also formed on the flat plate portion 62B on the -Y direction side. A pair of pins 53F of the first insulator 53 are inserted into the cam grooves 62D of the pair of flat plate portions 62B, and these cam grooves 62D and pins 53F form a cam mechanism that moves the first insulator 53 and the second insulator 63 relatively along the Z direction in conjunction with the rotation of the lever member 62.

[0067] Furthermore, the second connector 61 has a waterproof gasket 67 that seals between the +Z direction end of the second insulator 63 and the cover portion 66, a pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 68 that surround both end portions of the rotating shaft member 65 along the XZ plane and seal between the inner surfaces of the pair of through holes 63A of the second insulator 63 and the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions of the rotating shaft member 65, and a mating portion waterproof gasket 69 that is arranged on the -Z direction front end surface of the second insulator 63 and seals between the abutment surface 53E of the first insulator 53 and the front end surface of the second insulator 63 facing in the -Z direction when the first connector 51 and the second connector 61 are mated.

[0068] 24, the rotating shaft member 65 extends in the Y direction along the rotation axis AX, and a pair of insertion grooves 65A are formed near the center of the rotating shaft member 65 in the Y direction, each extending circumferentially along an XZ plane perpendicular to the rotation axis AX and spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, and a pair of fitting portions 65B extending in the Y direction are formed at both ends of the rotating shaft member 65 in the Y direction. In addition, a pair of annular packing retaining grooves 65C are formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft member 65 along the XZ plane between the pair of insertion grooves 65A and the pair of fitting portions 65B. The pair of fitting portions 65B are connected to the lever member 62 by being inserted into the mounting holes 62C of the corresponding flat plate portion 62B of the lever member 62. Furthermore, the pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 68 are held on the rotating shaft member 65 by being fitted into the pair of annular gasket holding grooves 65C.

[0069] Each of the pair of insertion grooves 65A does not extend around the entire circumference of the rotating shaft member 65, but is formed only within a predetermined angular range, for example, a range of 180 degrees, in the circumferential direction along the XZ plane. As shown in FIG. 25 , the interior of each of the pair of insertion grooves 65A has a step portion S1 formed on the side surface, and a first side surface portion F11 and a second side surface portion F12 are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft member 65, with the step portion S1 sandwiched between them. The first side surface portion F11 and the second side surface portion F12 each face in the Y direction, which is the axial direction, along the rotation axis AX. Due to the presence of the step portion S1, the second side surface portion F12 protrudes in the Y direction beyond the first side surface portion F11 toward the end of the rotating shaft member 65 by a distance T1, thereby forming a cam surface. It should be noted that, without being limited to the above configuration, a plurality of cam surfaces may be arranged at regular angular intervals in the circumferential direction along the XZ plane.

[0070] Next, the mating operation of the first connector 51 and the second connector 61 will be described. 21, the rotation angle of the lever member 62 when the handle portion 62A extends along the Z direction is referred to as "0 degrees," and the rotation position of the lever member 62 is referred to as the "initial rotation position." The lever member 62 is attached to the second connector 61 so that it can rotate from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to 90 degrees.

[0071] First, with the rotation angle of the lever member 62 set to 0 degrees, the second connector 61 is moved from the +Z direction to the -Z direction toward the first connector 51, so that the +Z direction portion of the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51 is inserted into the inside of the second insulator 63 of the second connector 61, as shown in Figure 26.

[0072] As a result, as shown in Figure 27, the pin 53F of the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51 is inserted into the entrance of the cam groove 62D of the lever member 62 attached to the second connector 61, and the second insulator 63 is positioned at the mating start position relative to the first insulator 53. Further, the second contacts 64 held inside the second insulator 63 are inserted into the second contact accommodating portions 53D of the first connector 51 up to a central position in the Z direction.

[0073] As shown in Figure 28, the second contact 64 consists of a spring contact bent into a U-shape, and has a fulcrum portion 64A formed at the U-shaped bent portion, a contact portion 64B located on the +Z side of the fulcrum portion 64A, and a force point portion 64C located on the +Z side of the contact portion 64B and forming a free end. At this time, the contact portion 64B of the second contact 64 has not yet reached the position where it faces the first contact 54 of the first connector 51.

[0074] The force point portion 64C formed at the +Z direction end of the second contact 64 is inserted into the insertion groove 65A formed in the rotating shaft member 65, and when the rotation angle of the lever member 62 is 0 degrees, as shown in FIG. 29, the first side surface portion F11 of the insertion groove 65A faces the force point portion 64C. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 28, the force application portion 64C of the second contact 64 is located at a position away from the first side surface portion F11 of the insertion groove 65A in the Y direction and is not in contact with the rotating shaft member 65.

[0075] Next, as shown in Figure 30, when the lever member 62 is rotated until the handle portion 62A is at 45 degrees relative to the Z direction, as shown in Figure 31, the pin 53F of the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51 moves relatively along the cam groove 62D of the lever member 62, and the second insulator 63 of the second connector 61 moves in the -Z direction relative to the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51.

[0076] 32, the contact portion 64B of the second contact 64 faces the side surface of the first contact 54 of the first connector 51. The Z-direction position of the second insulator 63 relative to the first insulator 53 at this time is called the "mating position," and the rotational position of the lever member 62 is called the "first rotational position." At this time, as the lever member 62 rotates, the rotating shaft member 65 also rotates 45 degrees around the rotation axis AX. However, as shown in FIG. 33, the first side surface portion F11 of the insertion groove 65A still faces the force point portion 64C, and the force point portion 64C of the second contact 64 remains out of contact with the rotating shaft member 65.

[0077] From this state, when the lever member 62 is rotated until the handle portion 62A is at 90 degrees in the Z direction, as shown in Figure 34, the pin 53F of the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51 is inserted to the deepest part of the cam groove 62D of the lever member 62, as shown in Figure 35, but due to the shape of the cam groove 62D, the Z direction position of the second insulator 63 relative to the first insulator 53 does not change.

[0078] As a result, as shown in Figure 36, the second insulator 63 of the second connector 61 remains held in the mating position relative to the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51, and the contact portion 64B of the second contact 64 continues to face the side of the first contact 54 of the first connector 51. Meanwhile, as the lever member 62 rotates, the rotating shaft member 65 also rotates about the rotation axis AX, and the second side surface portion F12 of the insertion groove 65A, which forms the cam surface, faces the force point portion 64C, as shown in Fig. 37. The second side surface portion F12 protrudes in the Y direction further than the first side surface portion F11 toward the end of the rotating shaft member 65 by a distance T1, and therefore the second side surface portion F12 comes into contact with the force point portion 64C of the second contact 64 and presses it in the Y direction.

[0079] Here, the distance L4 from the fulcrum portion 64A to the force point portion 64C of the second contact 64 is set to be longer than the distance L3 from the fulcrum portion 64A to the contact point portion 64B. Therefore, due to the so-called principle of leverage, a force greater than the pressing force that the force point portion 64C receives from the second side surface portion F12 of the insertion groove 65A of the rotating shaft member 65 acts on the contact point portion 64B, and the contact point 64B of the second contact 64 comes into contact with the first contact 54 with a high contact pressure. The rotational position of the lever member 62 at this time is referred to as the "second rotational position."

[0080] In this way, when the lever member 62 is rotated from the initial rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 62A relative to the Z direction is 0 degrees to the first rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 62A relative to the Z direction is 45 degrees, the second insulator 63 of the second connector 61 can be moved from the mating start position to the mating position relative to the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51 without the force point portion 64C of the second contact 64 coming into contact with the rotating shaft member 65, making it possible to easily mate the first connector 51 and the second connector 61 with a small insertion force.

[0081] Furthermore, when the lever member 62 is rotated from the first rotation position to a second rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 62A with respect to the Z direction is 90 degrees, the second insulator 63 of the second connector 61 is held in the mating position with respect to the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51, and the force point portion 64C of the second contact 64 is pressed in the Y direction by the second side portion F12 of the insertion groove 65A of the rotating shaft member 65, so that the contact portion 64B of the second contact 64 can be brought into contact with the first contact 54 with a high contact pressure. At this time, the first contact 54 and the second contact 64 are pressed against each other in the Y direction without rubbing against each other in the Z direction, and therefore are electrically connected while preventing damage to the surfaces of the first contact 54 and the second contact 64.

[0082] Also, as shown in Figure 35, when the second insulator 63 of the second connector 61 is positioned in the mating position relative to the first insulator 53 of the first connector 51, the mating portion waterproof gasket 69 arranged on the front end surface facing the -Z direction of the second insulator 63 is pressed against the abutment surface 53E of the base 53A of the first insulator 53, sealing the gap between the front end surface of the second insulator 63 and the abutment surface 53E.

[0083] Furthermore, the space between the inner surface of the through hole 63A of the second insulator 63 and the outer surface of the rotating shaft member 65 is sealed by the presence of the rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 68 attached to both ends of the rotating shaft member 65 in the Y direction. Furthermore, a waterproof packing 67 seals the gap between the +Z direction end of the second insulator 63 and the lid portion 66 . This makes it possible to prevent water from entering the connection portion between the first contact 54 and the second contact 64 from the outside.

[0084] Embodiment 4 38 shows a state before mating of the connector assembly according to embodiment 4. The connector assembly includes a first connector 71 and a second connector 81 that mates with the first connector 71 along the mating direction. The second connector 81 is attached to the ends of two electric wires C. The first connector 71 and the second connector 81 are mated and separated by operating a lever member 82 that is attached to the second connector 81 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis AX.

[0085] For convenience, the mating direction of the first connector 71 and the second connector 81 will be referred to as the Z direction, the direction in which the rotation axis AX of the lever member 82 extends will be referred to as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the Y direction will be referred to as the X direction. The second connector 81 moves from the +Z direction to the −Z direction and is mated with the first connector 71.

[0086] 39 shows an exploded perspective view of the first connector 71. The first connector 71 has a first insulator 73 and a pair of first contacts 74 that are each held by the first insulator 73 and extend along the Z direction. The first insulator 73 has a flat base 73A extending along the XY plane, a pair of protrusions 73B each protruding in the +Z direction from the +Z direction surface of the base 73A and adjacent to each other in the Y direction, and a pair of flat support portions 73C connected to the +Y direction end and -Y direction end of the base 73A, respectively, and extending in the +Z direction while facing each other in the Y direction.

[0087] Each of the pair of protrusions 73B has a concave second contact accommodating portion 73D that is open in the +Z direction and extends in the Z direction. The surface of the base 73A on the +Z direction side around the pair of protrusions 73B forms an abutment surface 73E that comes into contact with the second connector 81 when the first connector 71 and the second connector 81 are mated. A pair of pins 73F protruding in the Y direction are formed on the opposing surfaces of a pair of support portions 73C. Although only the pin 73F formed on the support portion 73C on the -Y direction side is shown in Figure 39, a similar pin 73F is also formed on the support portion 73C on the +Y direction side. These two pins 73F are arranged on the same straight line along the Y direction.

[0088] Furthermore, the first connector 71 has a pair of shells 75 fixed onto the outer surfaces of a pair of protrusions 73B of the first insulator 73, and a waterproof gasket 76 arranged on the -Z direction side surface of the base 73A of the first insulator 73.

[0089] 40 shows an exploded perspective view of the second connector 81. The second connector 81 has a second insulator 83, a rotating shaft member 85 that penetrates the second insulator 83 in the Y direction and is rotatably attached to the second insulator 83, a lever member 82 that is fixed to the rotating shaft member 85, and a pair of second contacts 84 that are connected to ends of two electric wires C that extend along the X direction, respectively. Furthermore, the second connector 81 has a lid portion 86 that covers the end portion of the second insulator 83 in the +Z direction.

[0090] The pair of second contacts 84 are each held inside the second insulator 83 . Further, a pair of through holes 83A are formed on both sides of the second insulator 83 in the Y direction as rotating shaft member accommodating portions that accommodate both ends of the rotating shaft member 85 by passing the rotating shaft member 85 therethrough.

[0091] The lever member 82 has a handle portion 82A bent into a U-shape, and a pair of flat plate portions 82B connected to both ends of the handle portion 82A, facing each other in the Y direction, and each extending along the XZ plane. Each of the pair of flat plate portions 82B is formed with a mounting hole 82C. Both ends of a rotating shaft member 85 passing through a pair of through holes 83A in the second insulator 83 are connected to these mounting holes 82C, whereby the lever member 82 is held rotatably relative to the second insulator 83.

[0092] Furthermore, a cam groove 82D is formed on each of the outer surfaces facing opposite directions of the pair of flat plate portions 82B. Although Fig. 40 only shows the cam groove 82D formed on the flat plate portion 82B on the +Y direction side, a similar cam groove 82D is also formed on the flat plate portion 82B on the -Y direction side. A pair of pins 73F of the first insulator 73 are inserted into the cam grooves 82D of the pair of flat plate portions 82B, and these cam grooves 82D and pins 73F form a cam mechanism that moves the first insulator 73 and the second insulator 83 relatively along the Z direction in conjunction with the rotation of the lever member 82.

[0093] Furthermore, the second connector 81 has a waterproof gasket 87 that seals between the +Z direction end of the second insulator 83 and the cover portion 86, a pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 88 that surround both end portions of the rotating shaft member 85 along the XZ plane and seal between the inner surfaces of the pair of through holes 83A of the second insulator 83 and the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions of the rotating shaft member 85, and a mating portion waterproof gasket 89 that is arranged on the -Z direction front end surface of the second insulator 83 and seals between the abutment surface 73E of the first insulator 73 and the front end surface of the second insulator 83 facing in the -Z direction when the first connector 71 and the second connector 81 are mated.

[0094] 41, the rotating shaft member 85 extends in the Y direction along the rotation axis AX, and a pair of protruding plates 85A are formed near the center of the rotating shaft member 85 in the Y direction, each extending circumferentially along an XZ plane perpendicular to the rotation axis AX and arranged at a distance from each other in the Y direction, and a pair of fitting portions 85B extending in the Y direction are formed on both ends of the rotating shaft member 85 in the Y direction. In addition, a pair of annular packing retaining grooves 85C are formed on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft member 85 along the XZ plane between the pair of protruding plates 85A and the pair of fitting portions 85B. The pair of fitting portions 85B are connected to the lever member 82 by being inserted into the mounting holes 82C of the corresponding flat plate portion 82B of the lever member 82. Furthermore, the pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 88 are held on the rotating shaft member 85 by being fitted into the pair of annular gasket holding grooves 85C.

[0095] Each of the pair of protruding plates 85A does not extend around the entire circumference of the rotating shaft member 85, but is formed only within a predetermined angular range in the circumferential direction, for example, a range of 180 degrees, along the XZ plane. As shown in FIG. 42 , each of the pair of protruding plates 85A has a step portion S2 formed on a surface facing the Y direction, and the first outer surface portion F21 and the second outer surface portion F22 are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft member 85, with the step portion S2 sandwiched between them. The first outer surface portion F21 and the second outer surface portion F22 each face in the Y direction, which is the axial direction along the rotation axis AX. Due to the presence of the step portion S2, the second outer surface portion F22 protrudes in the Y direction beyond the first outer surface portion F21 toward the end of the rotating shaft member 85 by a distance T2, thereby forming a cam surface. It should be noted that, without being limited to the above configuration, a plurality of cam surfaces may be arranged at regular angular intervals in the circumferential direction along the XZ plane.

[0096] Next, the mating operation of the first connector 71 and the second connector 81 will be described. 38, the rotation angle of lever member 82 when handle portion 82A extends along the Z direction is referred to as "0 degrees," and the rotation position of lever member 82 is referred to as "initial rotation position." Lever member 82 is attached to second connector 81 so that it can rotate from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to 90 degrees.

[0097] First, with the rotation angle of the lever member 82 set to 0 degrees, the second connector 81 is moved from the +Z direction to the -Z direction toward the first connector 71, so that the +Z direction portion of the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71 is inserted into the inside of the second insulator 83 of the second connector 81, as shown in Figure 43.

[0098] As a result, as shown in Figure 44, the pin 73F of the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71 is inserted into the entrance of the cam groove 82D of the lever member 82 attached to the second connector 81, and the second insulator 83 is positioned at the mating start position relative to the first insulator 73. Further, the second contacts 84 held inside the second insulator 83 are inserted into the second contact accommodating portions 73D of the first connector 71 up to a central position in the Z direction.

[0099] As shown in Figure 45, the second contact 84 consists of a spring contact bent into a U-shape, and has a fulcrum portion 84A formed at the U-shaped bent portion, a contact portion 84B located on the +Z side of the fulcrum portion 84A, and a force point portion 84C located on the +Z side of the contact portion 84B and forming a free end. At this time, the contact portion 84B of the second contact 84 has not yet reached the position where it faces the first contact 74 of the first connector 71.

[0100] The force point portion 84C formed at the +Z direction end of the second contact 84 is located at the same Z direction position as the protruding plate 85A formed on the rotating shaft member 85, but when the rotation angle of the lever member 82 is 0 degrees, as shown in Figure 46, the first outer surface portion F21 of the protruding plate 85A faces the force point portion 84C. Therefore, as shown in Figure 45, the force point portion 84C of the second contact 84 is located at a position away from the first outer surface portion F21 of the protruding plate 85A in the Y direction and is not in contact with the rotating shaft member 85.

[0101] Next, as shown in Figure 47, when the lever member 82 is rotated until the handle portion 82A is at 45 degrees relative to the Z direction, as shown in Figure 48, the pin 73F of the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71 moves relatively along the cam groove 82D of the lever member 82, and the second insulator 83 of the second connector 81 moves in the -Z direction relative to the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71.

[0102] 49, the contact portion 84B of the second contact 84 faces the side surface of the first contact 74 of the first connector 71. The Z-direction position of the second insulator 83 relative to the first insulator 73 at this time is called the "mating position," and the rotational position of the lever member 82 is called the "first rotational position." At this time, as the lever member 82 rotates, the rotating shaft member 85 also rotates 45 degrees around the rotation axis AX, but as shown in FIG. 50, the first outer surface portion F21 of the protruding plate 85A still faces the force point portion 84C, and the force point portion 84C of the second contact 84 remains out of contact with the rotating shaft member 85.

[0103] From this state, when the lever member 82 is rotated until the handle portion 82A is at 90 degrees in the Z direction, as shown in Figure 51, the pin 73F of the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71 is inserted to the deepest part of the cam groove 82D of the lever member 82, as shown in Figure 52, but due to the shape of the cam groove 82D, the Z direction position of the second insulator 83 relative to the first insulator 73 does not change.

[0104] As a result, as shown in Figure 53, the second insulator 83 of the second connector 81 remains held in the mating position relative to the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71, and the contact portion 84B of the second contact 84 continues to face the side of the first contact 74 of the first connector 71. Meanwhile, as the lever member 82 rotates, the rotating shaft member 85 also rotates about the rotation axis AX, and as shown in Fig. 54, the second outer surface portion F22 of the protruding plate 85A forming the cam surface faces the force point portion 84C. Because the second outer surface portion F22 protrudes in the Y direction further than the first outer surface portion F21 toward the end of the rotating shaft member 85 by a distance T2, the second outer surface portion F22 comes into contact with the force point portion 84C of the second contact 84 and presses it in the Y direction.

[0105] Here, the distance L6 from the fulcrum portion 84A to the force point portion 84C of the second contact 84 is set to be longer than the distance L5 from the fulcrum portion 84A to the contact point portion 84B. Therefore, due to the so-called principle of leverage, a force greater than the pressing force that the force point portion 84C receives from the second outer surface portion F22 of the protruding plate 85A of the rotating shaft member 85 acts on the contact point portion 84B, and the contact point 84B of the second contact 84 comes into contact with the first contact 74 with a high contact pressure. The rotational position of the lever member 82 at this time is referred to as the "second rotational position."

[0106] In this way, when the lever member 82 is rotated from the initial rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 82A relative to the Z direction is 0 degrees to the first rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 82A relative to the Z direction is 45 degrees, the second insulator 83 of the second connector 81 can be moved from the mating start position to the mating position relative to the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71 without the force point portion 84C of the second contact 84 coming into contact with the rotating shaft member 85, making it possible to easily mate the first connector 71 and the second connector 81 with a small insertion force.

[0107] Furthermore, when the lever member 82 is rotated from the first rotation position to a second rotation position where the angle of the handle portion 82A with respect to the Z direction is 90 degrees, the second insulator 83 of the second connector 81 is held in the mating position with respect to the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71, and the force point portion 84C of the second contact 84 is pressed in the Y direction by the second outer surface portion F22 of the protruding plate 85A of the rotating shaft member 85, so that the contact portion 84B of the second contact 84 can be brought into contact with the first contact 74 with a high contact pressure. At this time, the first contact 74 and the second contact 84 are pressed against each other in the Y direction without rubbing against each other in the Z direction, so that the first contact 74 and the second contact 84 are electrically connected while preventing damage to their surfaces.

[0108] Also, as shown in Figure 52, when the second insulator 83 of the second connector 81 is positioned in the mating position relative to the first insulator 73 of the first connector 71, the mating portion waterproof gasket 89 arranged on the front end surface facing the -Z direction of the second insulator 83 is pressed against the abutment surface 73E of the base 73A of the first insulator 73, sealing the gap between the front end surface of the second insulator 83 and the abutment surface 83E.

[0109] Furthermore, the space between the inner surface of the through hole 83A of the second insulator 83 and the outer surface of the rotating shaft member 85 is sealed by the presence of the rotating shaft waterproof gaskets 88 attached to both ends of the rotating shaft member 85 in the Y direction. Furthermore, a waterproof packing 87 seals the gap between the +Z direction end of the second insulator 83 and the lid portion 86 . This makes it possible to prevent water from entering the connection points between the first contacts 74 and the second contacts 84 from the outside.

[0110] In the above embodiments 1 to 4, the initial rotation position, first rotation position and second rotation position of the lever members 22, 32, 62 and 82 are set to positions where the rotation angles of the lever members 22, 32, 62 and 82 are 0 degrees, 45 degrees and 90 degrees, respectively, but this is not limited to this and they can also be set to positions with other rotation angles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1 first connector, 1A first housing, 1B protrusion, 1C first contact, 2 second connector, 2A second housing, 2B pivot point portion, 2C contact insertion port, 2D second contact, 3 lever member, 4 electric wire, 11, 51, 71 first connector, 13, 53, 73 first insulator, 13A, 53A, 73A base portion, 13B, 53B, 73B protrusion portion, 13C, 53C, 73C support portion, 13D, 53D, 73D second contact accommodating portion, 13E, 53E, 73E end surface, 13F, 53F, 73F pin, 14, 54, 74 first contact, 15, 27, 55, 75 shell, 16, 56, 76 waterproof packing, 21, 31, 61, 81 Second connector, 22, 32, 62, 82 Lever member, 22A, 62A, 82A Handle portion, 22B Disc portion, 22C, 32A Center hole, 22D, 62D, 82D Cam groove, 23, 33, 63, 83 Second insulator, 23A, 63A, 83A Through hole, 24, 64, 84 Second contact, 24A, 64A, 84A Fulcrum portion, 24B, 64B, 84B Contact portion, 24C, 64C, 84C Force point portion, 25, 35, 65, 85 Rotating shaft member, 25A Cam portion, 25B, 35A, 65B, 85B Fitting portion, 25C, 65C, 85C Packing retaining groove, 25D Outer cam surface, 26 Inner insulator, 28, 68, 88 Rotating shaft waterproof packing, 29, 69, 89 mating portion waterproof packing, 33A protrusion accommodating portion, 35B cylindrical portion, 35C protrusion, 62B, 82B flat portion, 62C, 82C mounting hole, 65A insertion groove, 85A protruding plate, C electric wire, AX rotating shaft, R1, R2 diameter dimension, P1 small diameter portion, P2 large diameter portion, L1 to L6, T1, T2 distance, S1, S2 step portion, F11 first side portion, F12 second side portion, F21 first outer surface portion, F22 second outer surface portion, D mating direction.

Claims

1. a first connector having a first insulator and a first contact held by the first insulator; a second connector having a second insulator and second contacts held by the second insulator, the second connector mating with the first connector along a mating direction; a lever member held by one of the first insulator and the second insulator so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis; a rotating shaft member extending along the rotating shaft, rotating in accordance with the rotation of the lever member, and having a cam surface for pressing the first contact and the second contact against each other; a cam mechanism that moves the first insulator and the second insulator relatively along the fitting direction in conjunction with rotation of the lever member; Equipped with a first rotation position of the second insulator relative to the first insulator, the second insulator being moved to the mating position by the cam mechanism; and a second rotation position of the lever member, the second insulator being moved to the mating position by the cam mechanism; and a second rotation position of the lever member, the second insulator being held in the mating position by the cam surface of the rotating shaft member, the first contact and the second contact being brought into contact with each other at a predetermined contact pressure.

2. the first contact and the second contact each extend along the mating direction; one of the first contact and the second contact is a spring contact, and the other is a fixed contact; 2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cam surface of the rotating shaft member presses the spring contact toward the fixed contact in a direction intersecting the mating direction, thereby bringing the first contact and the second contact into contact with each other.

3. the spring contact has a force point portion that comes into contact with the cam surface of the rotating shaft member and receives a pressing force from the cam surface, a fulcrum portion that serves as a fulcrum for elastic deformation of the spring contact when the pressing force is received by the force point portion, and a contact portion that is disposed between the force point portion and the fulcrum portion and comes into contact with the fixed contact, 3. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein the distance from the fulcrum portion to the force point portion is longer than the distance from the fulcrum portion to the contact portion.

4. the rotating shaft member has a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction based on a difference in diameter from the rotating shaft in a cross section perpendicular to the rotating shaft, the small diameter portion does not contact the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, and the large diameter portion contacts the force point portion when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, the cam surface is an outer circumferential cam surface disposed on the surface of the large diameter portion, 4. The connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein a surface of the small diameter portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact while the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position, and when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, a surface of the large diameter portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact, and the outer peripheral cam surface presses the first contact and the second contact against each other.

5. the rotating shaft member is held by the second insulator so as to be slidable along the rotation axis direction of the lever member, The rotary shaft member has a protrusion formed on an outer periphery thereof, the second insulator has a recessed projection accommodating portion for accommodating the projection, 5. The connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein the rotation of the lever member relative to the second insulator is locked by sliding the rotary shaft member relative to the second insulator to accommodate the protrusion in the protrusion accommodating portion.

6. the rotating shaft member has an insertion groove extending in a circumferential direction along a plane perpendicular to the rotating shaft and into which the force point portion of the spring contact is inserted, the insertion groove has a first side surface portion and a second side surface portion that face in an axial direction along the rotation axis and are arranged adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction, the first side surface portion does not contact the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, and the second side surface portion forms the cam surface that contacts the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, 4. The connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the first side surface portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact while the lever member is being rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position, and when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the second side surface portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact, and the cam surface presses the first contact and the second contact against each other.

7. the rotary shaft member has a protruding plate that extends in a circumferential direction along a plane perpendicular to the rotary shaft and faces the force point portion of the spring contact in an axial direction along the rotary shaft, The protruding plate has a first outer surface portion and a second outer surface portion, each of which faces an axial direction along the rotation axis and is arranged adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction, the first outer surface portion does not contact the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, and the second outer surface portion forms the cam surface that contacts the force point portion of the spring contact when facing the force point portion of the spring contact, 4. The connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the first outer surface portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact while the lever member is rotated from the initial rotation position to the first rotation position, and when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the second outer surface portion faces the force point portion of the spring contact, and the cam surface presses the first contact and the second contact against each other.

8. the second contact is the spring contact, A connector assembly according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein when the lever member is rotated from the first rotation position to the second rotation position, the cam surface contacts the second contact and presses the second contact toward the first contact.

9. the lever member is rotatably held by the second insulator, A connector assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cam mechanism has a cam groove formed in the lever member and a pin formed to protrude from the first insulator and inserted into the cam groove.

10. the second insulator has a pair of rotating shaft member accommodating portions that rotatably accommodate both end portions of the rotating shaft member, the first insulator has an abutment surface that abuts against a front end surface of the second insulator when the second insulator is positioned at the mating position; 10. The connector assembly according to claim 9, further comprising: a mating portion waterproof gasket that is disposed on one of the abutting surface of the first insulator and the front end surface of the second insulator and that seals between the abutting surface of the first insulator and the front end surface of the second insulator when the second insulator is positioned at the mating position; and a pair of rotating shaft waterproof gaskets that are disposed so as to surround both end portions of the rotating shaft member, respectively, and that seal between the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions of the rotating shaft member and the inner surfaces of the pair of rotating shaft member accommodating portions.

Images