Lever-type connector

Abstract

To provide a lever-type connector capable of preventing erroneous rotation of a lever using a single rib to achieve a reduced occupancy area.SOLUTION: A lever-type connector 10 according to the present disclosure comprises: a housing 20; a lever 40 attached to the housing 20 in a rotatable manner; and a cover 30 attached to a back face of the housing 20. The lever 40 is rotatable between a fitting start position and a fitting completion position, engages with a mating connector 50 when moving from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position, and is released from the mating connector 50 when moving the fitting completion position to the fitting start position. The cover 30 comprises: a first receiver 36A preventing the lever 40 in the fitting start position from erroneously rotating in a direction opposite to the fitting completion position; and a second receiver 36B preventing the lever 40 in the fitting completion position from erroneously rotating in a direction opposite to the fitting start position. The first receiver 36A and the second receiver 36B are composed of a single rib 36.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lever-type connector.

Background Art

[0002] As a connector that uses the doubling effect of a lever to engage and disengage with a mating connector, for example, a lever-type connector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-266383 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) is known. This lever-type connector includes a housing, a lever that can be rotated with respect to the housing, and a wire cover that is attached to the back side of the housing and houses an electric wire led out from the housing. The lever can be rotated between a fitting start position and a fitting completion position.

[0003] A first restraining portion is provided on the left side of the wire cover. A second restraining portion is provided on the right side of the wire cover. The first restraining portion suppresses the lever arranged at the fitting start position from being erroneously rotated further to the left side (opposite side to the fitting completion position). The second restraining portion suppresses the lever arranged at the fitting completion position from being erroneously rotated further to the right side (opposite side to the fitting start position).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the above lever-type connector, since the first restraining portion and the second restraining portion for suppressing erroneous rotation are provided at different positions of the wire cover, the wire cover is enlarged, which is disadvantageous for space saving of the entire lever-type connector.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The lever-type connector of this disclosure is a lever-type connector that can be mated to a mating connector, comprising a housing, a lever rotatably mounted on the housing, and a cover mounted on the rear side of the housing, wherein the lever is rotatable between a mating start position and a mating completion position, and when moved from the mating start position to the mating completion position, it mates toward the mating connector, and when moved from the mating completion position to the mating start position, it disengages from the mating connector, and the cover comprises a first receiving portion that prevents the lever in the mating start position from rotating erroneously toward the opposite side of the mating completion position, and a second receiving portion that prevents the lever in the mating completion position from rotating erroneously toward the opposite side of the mating start position, wherein the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion are composed of a single rib, making it a lever-type connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, preventing accidental rotation of the lever with a single rib makes it possible to save space in the lever-type connector. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lever-type connector in Embodiment 1, taken from the right rear. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lever-type connector from the left rear. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a right side view of a lever-type connector with the lever in the mating start position. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a right side view of a lever-type connector with the lever in the mating position. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the connector shipment state, where the lever-type connector is shipped from the connector assembly process to the harness manufacturing process. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing how the cover is attached to the back side of the housing from the right side. [Figure 7]Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the state in which the cover has been attached to the back side of the housing, compared to the state in Figure 6. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the lever in the state shown in Figure 7, but moved from the mating completion position to the mating start position. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the connector mating state in which a lever-type connector is mated into the mating recess of the mating connector during the vehicle assembly process. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a lever-type connector with the lever in the mating start position. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a lever-type connector with the lever in the mating completed position. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a perspective view of the lever-type connector from Embodiment 1, with the left-side outlet cover replaced with a right-side outlet cover, viewed from the left rear. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a plan view showing the lever-type connector of Embodiment 2 in a mating state with the other connector. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a plan view showing the lever-type connector of Embodiment 3 in the process of mating with the mating connector. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. (1) The lever-type connector of the present disclosure is a lever-type connector that can be mated to a mating connector, comprising a housing, a lever rotatably mounted on the housing, and a cover mounted on the rear side of the housing, wherein the lever is rotatable between a mating start position and a mating completion position, and when moved from the mating start position to the mating completion position, it mates toward the mating connector, and when moved from the mating completion position to the mating start position, it disengages from the mating connector, and the cover comprises a first receiving portion that prevents the lever in the mating start position from rotating erroneously toward the opposite side of the mating completion position, and a second receiving portion that prevents the lever in the mating completion position from rotating erroneously toward the opposite side of the mating start position, wherein the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion are composed of a single rib, making it a lever-type connector.

[0010] The lever-type connector described above mates with the mating connector by moving the lever from the mating start position to the mating completion position, and disengages from the mating connector by moving the lever from the mating completion position to the mating start position. If the lever in the mating start position attempts to rotate in the opposite direction to the mating completion position, the first receiving part prevents the rotation from going wrong. Similarly, if the lever in the mating completion position attempts to rotate in the opposite direction to the mating start position, the second receiving part prevents the rotation from going wrong.

[0011] Here, since the first and second receiving parts are composed of a single rib, the cover can be made more space-efficient compared to the case where the first and second receiving parts are separately provided in different locations on the cover, and the overall lever-type connector can also be made more space-efficient. Therefore, by preventing accidental rotation of the lever with a single rib, space-saving can be achieved in the lever-type connector.

[0012] (2) The housing has a shaft portion that rotatably supports the lever. The lever includes a first contact portion that contacts the first receiving portion at the fitting start position and a second contact portion that contacts the second receiving portion at the fitting completion position. In a direction intersecting the fitting direction with the mating connector, it is preferable that the first contact portion is disposed on one side of the shaft portion and the second contact portion is disposed on the other side of the shaft portion. Since the first contact portion is disposed on one side of the shaft portion and the second contact portion is disposed on the other side of the shaft portion, when the first contact portion moves in a direction away from the first receiving portion of the rib, the second contact portion moves in a direction approaching the second receiving portion of the rib. Conversely, when the second contact portion moves in a direction away from the second receiving portion of the rib, the first contact portion moves in a direction approaching the first receiving portion of the rib. Therefore, the misrotation of the lever can be suppressed by a single rib.

[0013] (3) The cover has a lead-out port for leading out an electric wire drawn from the back surface of the housing in a direction different from the drawing direction. It is preferable that the rib is provided on a wall portion of the cover on the side opposite to the lead-out port. When a lead-out port is provided in the cover, it is assumed that the strength decreases in the peripheral portion of the lead-out port. In that regard, since the rib is provided on the wall portion of the cover on the side opposite to the lead-out port, it is less likely to be affected by the strength decrease, and the misrotation of the lever can be reliably suppressed.

[0014] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] A specific example of the lever-type connector 10 of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and is intended to be indicated by the claims and to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0015] <Embodiment 1> Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. The mating connector 50 to which the lever-type connector 10 can be mated is a board connector mounted on a circuit board (not shown). In this embodiment, multiple lever-type connectors 10 can be mated to one mating connector 50. Figure 1 and others illustrate the case in which three lever-type connectors 10 can be mated to the mating connector 50.

[0016] [Other side connector] As shown in Figure 9, the mating connector 50 comprises a mating housing 51 and a plurality of mating terminals 52 held in the mating housing 51. The mating housing 51 is made of synthetic resin and has an overall elongated rectangular shape. The mating housing 51 has a plurality of mating recesses 53 into which the lever-type connector 10 can be fitted.

[0017] A pair of cam pins 54 are provided on the side walls 53A that make up the left and right sides of the fitting recess 53. The pair of cam pins 54 are provided protruding one from each side wall 53A and are arranged symmetrically. The cam pins 54 are formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0018] The mating terminal 52 is made of a metal needle-shaped terminal and is held in the back wall 53B that constitutes the mating recess 53 in a manner that it penetrates the back wall 53B in the front-to-back direction. One end of the mating terminal 52 protrudes forward from the back wall 53B, and the other end of the mating terminal 52 protrudes backward from the back wall 53B and is then bent downward. The other end of the mating terminal 52 is a press-fit terminal that is inserted into a through-hole of the circuit board and fixed to the circuit board.

[0019] [Lever-type connector] As shown in Figure 8, the lever-type connector 10 comprises a housing 20, a cover 30, and a lever 40. The lever 40 is rotatable between the mating start position shown in Figure 8 and the mating completion position shown in Figure 7. When the lever 40 moves from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the lever-type connector 10 mates with the mating connector 50, and conversely, when the lever 40 moves from the mating completion position to the mating start position, the lever-type connector 10 disengages from the mating connector 50.

[0020] The operating lever 42 of lever 40, described later, is located above the cover 30 in the initial fitting position, as shown in Figure 4. The operating lever 42 of lever 40 is located above the rear end of housing 20 in the completed fitting position, as shown in Figure 3. That is, in the completed fitting position, cover 30 is positioned so as to protrude rearward from lever 40. A bundle of wires W, consisting of multiple wires (not shown) bundled together, is pulled out to the rear of housing 20.

[0021] [housing] The housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and is formed in a roughly rectangular block shape, as shown in Figure 6. The housing 20 has a plurality of cavities 21 that penetrate in the front-to-back direction. Terminals (not shown) are housed in the cavities 21, and the ends of electric wires are connected to the terminals. Such electric wires are pulled out from each cavity 21 to the rear, forming a wire bundle W, which is a bundle of multiple electric wires. For the sake of simplicity in the drawing, the wire bundle W is depicted as a single thick line using a dashed line.

[0022] A retainer 22 is mounted on the housing 20 from below. Although not shown in the figures, the retainer 22 is formed in a grid shape with openings corresponding to each cavity 21. The retainer 22 is movable between a temporary locking position (shown in Figure 5) and a permanent locking position (shown in Figure 6). When the retainer 22 is in the temporary locking position, it allows the terminals to be inserted and removed, and when the retainer 22 is in the permanent locking position, it prevents the terminals from being removed.

[0023] A pair of shaft portions 24 are provided protruding from both sides 23 of the housing 20. One pair of shaft portions 24 is provided on each side 23, and they are arranged symmetrically. A restricting piece 25 that protrudes downward is provided at the tip of each shaft portion 24. As shown in Figure 10, a pair of frustoconical lever retaining locks 26 are provided above the shaft portions 24 on both sides 23 of the housing 20. One pair of lever retaining locks 26 is provided on each side 23, and they are arranged symmetrically.

[0024] [cover] The cover 30 is made of synthetic resin and, as shown in Figure 6, comprises an upper wall 31, a lower wall 32 positioned opposite the lower wall 31, and a right-side wall 33 connecting the right-side edge of the upper wall 31 and the right-side edge of the lower wall 32. The space between the left-side edge of the upper wall 31 and the left-side edge of the lower wall 32 is an outlet 34 for leading out the wire bundle W.

[0025] A pair of upper and lower mounting ribs 35 are provided extending in the left-right direction from the front edge of the upper wall 31 and the front edge of the lower wall 32. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 7, a pair of upper and lower mounting portions 27 are provided at the rear end of the housing 20 to receive the pair of upper and lower mounting ribs 35. When each mounting rib 35 is inserted into each mounting portion 27, the cover lock 35A formed at the end of each mounting rib 35 engages with a lock receiving portion (not shown) on the housing 20 side, thereby holding the cover 30 to the housing 20.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wire bundle W is pulled out from the housing 20 to the rear, then turns diagonally to the left and rear by interfering with the right side wall 33, and is led out to the outside of the cover 30 through the outlet 34.

[0027] [lever] The lever 40 is made of synthetic resin and comprises a pair of cam plates 41 and a gate-shaped operating lever 42 connecting the pair of cam plates 41. Each cam plate 41 has a round-hole-shaped bearing portion 47 into which the shaft portion 24 fits, and a fan-shaped regulating receiving portion 43 into which the regulating piece 25 fits. The lever 40 is rotatably supported when the shaft portion 24 is housed within the bearing portion 47. Furthermore, when the lever 40 is in the fitting start position, one end of the regulating receiving portion 43 abuts against the regulating piece 25 to prevent accidental rotation toward the opposite side of the fitting completion position, and when the lever 40 is in the fitting completion position, the other end of the regulating receiving portion 43 abuts against the regulating piece 25 to prevent accidental rotation toward the opposite side of the fitting start position.

[0028] As shown in Figure 10, the cam plate 41 has a track 44 into which the cam pin 54 enters. The track 44 has an entrance 44A on the outer edge of the cam plate 41 that opens on the opposite side of the bearing portion 47, and is formed to approach the bearing portion 47 as it moves from the entrance 44A towards the end 44B. When the lever 40 is in the mating start position and both connectors 10 and 50 are shallowly mated, the cam pin 54 enters the entrance 44A of the track 44.

[0029] When the lever 40 is moved from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the cam pin 54 engages with the inner wall of the track 44, causing the two connectors 10 and 50 to mate. Conversely, when the lever 40 is moved from the mating completion position to the mating start position, the cam pin 54 engages with the inner wall of the track 44, causing the two connectors 10 and 50 to disengage.

[0030] The operating lever 42 comprises a pair of arm portions 45 connected to the outer edge of the cam plate 41, and an operating portion 46 connecting the tip portions 45A of the pair of arm portions 45. In the fitting start position shown in Figure 10, the lever holding lock 26 semi-locks to the base end portion 45B of the arm portion 45, thereby preventing the lever 40 from moving from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position. In the fitting completion position shown in Figure 11, the lever holding lock 26 is housed in the space formed between the outer edge of the cam plate 41 and the base end portion 45B of the arm portion 45, so as not to interfere with the lever 40.

[0031] [Mechanism to prevent accidental rotation of the lever] As described above, the lever-type connector 10 is equipped with a locking structure consisting of a restricting piece 25 on the housing 20 and a restricting receiving portion 43 on the lever 40 as a mechanism to suppress erroneous rotation of the lever 40 at the mating start position and mating completion position. However, since the locking structure of the restricting piece 25 and the restricting receiving portion 43 is located close to the shaft portion 24, there is a risk that erroneous rotation may not be suppressed if a large force is applied to the lever 40.

[0032] Therefore, the lever-type connector 10 of this disclosure is provided with a rib 36 on the cover 30 as a mechanism that can suppress erroneous rotation even when a large force is applied to the lever 40. As shown in Figure 10, the rib 36 is located at the front end of the right side wall 33, which is the wall portion of the cover 30 opposite to the outlet 34. The rib 36 includes a first receiving portion 36A that abuts against the outer edge of the cam plate 41 at the fitting start position shown in Figure 10, a second receiving portion 36B that abuts against the outer edge of the cam plate 41 at the fitting completion position shown in Figure 11, and an L-shaped reinforcing portion 36C connected to the first receiving portion 36A and the second receiving portion 36B.

[0033] The first support portion 36A has a sloping surface that slopes downward as it extends forward, and the second support portion 36B has a vertical surface that extends in the vertical direction. The front end (lower end) of the first support portion 36A and the upper end of the second support portion 36B are connected. The rear end (upper end) of the first support portion 36A and the upper end of the reinforcing portion 36C are connected. The lower end of the second support portion 36B and the front end of the reinforcing portion 36C are connected. As a result, the rib 36 has a right-angled trapezoidal shape with the first support portion 36A as the hypotenuse. The vertical surface of the second support portion 36B is positioned to align with the front end of the right side wall 33.

[0034] On the other hand, the outer edge of the cam plate 41 has a first contact portion 41A that abuts against the first receiving portion 36A at the fitting start position shown in Figure 10, and a second contact portion 41B that abuts against the second receiving portion 36B at the fitting completion position shown in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 11, in the vertical direction perpendicular to the fitting direction with the mating connector 50, the first contact portion 41A is positioned above the shaft portion 24, and the second contact portion 41B is positioned below the shaft portion 24. The first contact portion 41A and the second contact portion 41B are linearly continuous. Therefore, as the first contact portion 41A moves away from the first receiving portion 36A, the second contact portion 41B moves closer to the second receiving portion 36B. Conversely, as the second contact portion 41B moves away from the second receiving portion 36B, the first contact portion 41A moves closer to the first receiving portion 36A.

[0035] As shown in Figure 10, the first receiving portion 36A is formed to be longer than the second receiving portion 36B, and the inclined surface of the first receiving portion 36A is about four times the length of the vertical surface of the second receiving portion 36B. At the initial fitting position, the first contact portion 41A of the cam plate 41 contacts the inclined surface of the first receiving portion 36A, thereby preventing the lever 40 at the initial fitting position from rotating in the opposite direction to the completed fitting position. Furthermore, at the completed fitting position shown in Figure 11, the second contact portion 41B of the cam plate 41 contacts the vertical surface of the second receiving portion 36B, thereby preventing the lever 40 at the completed fitting position from rotating in the opposite direction to the initial fitting position. In addition, at the completed fitting position, the operating lever 42 contacts the ceiling wall 53C of the fitting recess 53 of the mating housing 51 from the front, which also prevents the lever 40 from rotating in the wrong direction.

[0036] The rib 36 is a single rib located behind the shaft portion 24, and since the first receiving portion 36A and the second receiving portion 36B are integrally formed, the cover 30 can be made smaller compared to when the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion are formed separately. Although there is a concern that the cover 30 may be weakened because it has an outlet 34, the upper and lower pair of mounting ribs 35 are firmly held by the mounting portion 27, so that the cover 30 does not easily deform. For this reason, even if the rib 36 is subjected to a strong force due to the misrotation of the lever 40, the misrotation of the lever 40 can be reliably suppressed.

[0037] [Handling of lever-type connectors] Next, the handling of the lever-type connector will be described. Figure 5 shows the connector shipment state when the lever-type connector 10 is shipped from the connector assembly process to the harness manufacturing process. In the connector shipment state, the lever 40 is set to the mating completed position and the retainer 22 is set to the temporary locking position. Next, in the harness manufacturing process, terminals connected to the ends of the electric wires are inserted into the cavity 21 from the rear. At this time, since the lever 40 is in the mating completed position, the terminals can be inserted into the cavity 21 without interfering with the lever 40. After all terminals have been inserted into the cavity 21, the retainer 22 is pushed from the temporary locking position to the permanent locking position. This holds the terminals in the housing 20. Since all terminals are connected to the ends of the electric wires, the bundle of electric wires W is pulled out to the rear of the housing 20.

[0038] Figure 6 shows how the cover 30 is attached to the rear side of the housing 20 from the right side. In this state, the lever 40 remains set in the fitted position, so the cover 30 can be attached to the rear side of the housing 20 without interfering with the lever 40. At this time, since the cover 30 is provided with an outlet 34, the cover 30 does not interfere with the wire bundle W.

[0039] Figure 7 shows the state in which the cover 30 is attached to the rear side of the housing 20 from the state in Figure 6. Since the pair of mounting ribs 35 of the cover 30 fit into the pair of mounting parts 27 of the housing 20 and are firmly held, even if the right side wall 33 interferes with the wire bundle W when attaching the cover 30, the cover 30 will not come off the housing 20, and the direction of the wire bundle W will be bent from the rear to the left rearward, allowing the wire bundle W to be led out to the outside from the outlet 34.

[0040] Figure 8 shows the lever 40 in the state shown in Figure 7, moved from the mating completion position to the mating start position. In this state, as shown in Figure 10, the lever holding lock 26 interferes with the lever 40, so the lever 40 is held in the mating start position. The lever-type connector 10 is shipped from the harness manufacturing process to the vehicle assembly process in the state shown in Figure 8.

[0041] Figure 9 shows the connector mating state in which the lever-type connector 10 is mated in the mating recess 53 of the mating connector 50 during the vehicle assembly process. In the vehicle assembly process, the mating operation is performed by first shallowly mating the lever-type connector 10 into the mating recess 53, and then moving the lever 40 from the mating start position to the mating completion position. As shown in Figure 10, when both connectors 10 and 50 are shallowly mated by hand (temporary mating set state), the cam plate 41 is in contact with the ceiling wall 53C of the mating housing 51, so that the lever 40 does not rotate freely from the mating start position to the mating completion position when inserted by hand. When the hand is moved from manual insertion to lever operation, the contact with the ceiling wall 53C is released by the clearance between both connectors 10 and 50, allowing the lever 40 to rotate and the cam pin 54 to be pulled into the track 44. Subsequently, all lever-type connectors 10 are fitted into all mating recesses 53 of the mating connector 50, completing the installation of the lever-type connectors 10 in the vehicle assembly process.

[0042] [Effects of Embodiment 1] The lever-type connector 10 of this disclosure is a lever-type connector 10 that can be mated to a mating connector 50, and comprises a housing 20, a lever 40 rotatably mounted on the housing 20, and a cover 30 mounted on the rear side of the housing 20, wherein the lever 40 is rotatable between a mating start position and a mating completion position, and when it moves from the mating start position to the mating completion position it mates toward the mating connector 50, and conversely when it moves from the mating completion position to the mating start position it disengages from the mating connector 50, and the cover 30 comprises a first receiving portion 36A that prevents the lever 40 in the mating start position from rotating erroneously toward the opposite side of the mating completion position, and a second receiving portion 36B that prevents the lever 40 in the mating completion position from rotating erroneously toward the opposite side of the mating start position, wherein the first receiving portion 36A and the second receiving portion 36B are composed of a single rib 36, making it a lever-type connector 10.

[0043] The lever-type connector 10 described above is mated to the mating connector 50 by moving the lever 40 from the mating start position to the mating completion position, and disengaged from the mating connector 50 by moving the lever 40 from the mating completion position to the mating start position. Here, if the lever 40 in the mating start position attempts to rotate in the opposite direction to the mating completion position, the first receiving part 36A prevents the rotation from going wrong. Also, if the lever 40 in the mating completion position attempts to rotate in the opposite direction to the mating start position, the second receiving part 36B prevents the rotation from going wrong.

[0044] Here, since the first receiving portion 36A and the second receiving portion 36B are composed of a single rib 36, the cover 30 can be made more space-efficient compared to the case where the first receiving portion 36A and the second receiving portion 36B are separately provided at different locations on the cover 30, and the entire lever-type connector 10 can also be made more space-efficient. Therefore, by preventing the lever 40 from rotating incorrectly with a single rib 36, space-saving of the lever-type connector 10 can be achieved.

[0045] The housing 20 has a shaft portion 24 that rotatably supports the lever 40, and the lever 40 includes a first contact portion 41A that abuts against a first receiving portion 36A at the mating start position and a second contact portion 41B that abuts against a second receiving portion 36B at the mating completion position, and preferably the first contact portion 41A is located on one side of the shaft portion 24 and the second contact portion 41B is located on the other side of the shaft portion 24 in the vertical direction intersecting the mating direction with the mating connector 50. Since the first contact portion 41A is located on one side of the shaft portion 24 and the second contact portion 41B is located on the other side of the shaft portion 24, when the first contact portion 41A moves away from the first receiving portion 36A of the rib 36, the second contact portion 41B moves towards the second receiving portion 36B of the rib 36. Conversely, when the second contact portion 41B moves away from the second receiving portion 36B of the rib 36, the first contact portion 41A moves towards the first receiving portion 36A of the rib 36. Therefore, a single rib 36 can suppress the mis-rotation of the lever 40. Furthermore, since both the first contact portion 41A and the second contact portion 41B are provided on the thicker parts of the lever 40, mis-rotation can be suppressed more firmly than when mis-rotation is suppressed at thin parts, such as the regulating piece 25 of the housing 20.

[0046] The cover 30 has an outlet 34 that leads the wire bundle W drawn out from the rear of the housing 20 in a direction different from the direction in which it was drawn out, and the rib 36 is preferably provided on the right side wall 33 of the cover 30 opposite to the outlet 34. If an outlet 34 is provided in the cover 30, it is expected that the strength will decrease in the area surrounding the outlet 34. However, since the rib 36 is provided on the right side wall 33 of the cover 30, opposite to the outlet 34, it is less affected by the decrease in strength and can reliably suppress accidental rotation of the lever 40.

[0047] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figure 13. Embodiment 1 showed an example where the wire bundles W of all three lever-type connectors 10 were led out to the left rearward, but Embodiment 2 differs from Embodiment 1 in that only the wire bundle W of the leftmost lever-type connector 10R is led out to the right rearward. The second and third lever-type connectors 10L from the left are the same as the lever-type connectors 10 in Embodiment 1.

[0048] The lever-type connector 10R is equipped with a right-side exit cover 30R that leads out the wire bundle W diagonally to the right rear, and the lever-type connector 10L is equipped with a left-side exit cover 30L that leads out the wire bundle W diagonally to the left rear. The right-side exit cover 30R and the left-side exit cover 30L are symmetrical in shape, and the left-side exit cover 30L is identical to the cover 30 of Embodiment 1. In the lever-type connector 10R, the configuration other than the right-side exit cover 30R is the same as the lever-type connector 10 of Embodiment 1.

[0049] Embodiment 2 illustrates one right-side cover 30R and two left-side covers 30L, but these combinations are not limited to those in Embodiment 2. For example, two right-side covers 30R and one left-side cover 30L may be used. Also, the arrangement of each lever-type connector 10L, 10R is not limited to that in Embodiment 2. For example, a lever-type connector 10R may be placed second from the left. Regardless of the combination or arrangement, the wire bundles W do not interfere with each other, and each lever-type connector 10L, 10R can be attached to the mating connector 50. Therefore, flexibility in wiring the wire bundles W is ensured.

[0050] <Embodiment 3> Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Figure 14. Embodiment 3 illustrates that there are no restrictions on the mating order with respect to the mating connector 50. Embodiment 3 illustrates that the second lever-type connector 10 from the left is mated first, followed by the third lever-type connector 10 from the left, and finally the leftmost lever-type connector 10. The mating order is not limited to the order in Embodiment 3; for example, the third lever-type connector 10 from the left may be mated first. Therefore, a degree of freedom in the mating order is ensured.

[0051] <Other Embodiments> (1) In the embodiments 1 to 3 described above, the first contact portion 41A is positioned on the upper side of the shaft portion 24 and the second contact portion 41B is positioned on the lower side of the shaft portion 24 as an example, but it is also possible for both the first contact portion and the second contact portion to be positioned on the upper side of the shaft portion 24.

[0052] (2) In embodiments 1 to 3 described above, a rib 36 is provided on the wall opposite to the outlet 34, but the rib may also be provided on the wall where the outlet is located.

[0053] (3) In the above embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 1, three lever-type connectors 10L equipped with left-side outlet covers 30L were illustrated, but as shown in Figure 12, three lever-type connectors 10R equipped with right-side outlet covers 30R may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10, 10L, 10R: Lever-type connector 20: Housing 21: Cavity 22: Retainer 23: Side 24: Shaft 25: Restricting piece 26: Lever retention lock 27: Mounting part 30: Cover 30L: Cover for left outlet 30R: Cover for right outlet 31: Upper wall 32: Lower wall 33: Right side wall (wall section) 34: Outlet 35: Mounting rib 35A: Cover lock 36: Rib 36A: First support section 36B: Second support section 36C: Reinforcement section 40: Lever 41: Cam plate 41A: First contact part 41B: Second contact part 42: Operating lever 43: Restricting part 44: Track 44A: Inlet 44B: End 45: Arm part 45A: Tip part 45B: Base part 46: Operating part 47: Bearing part 50: Mating connector 51: Mating housing 52: Mating terminal 53: Mating recess 53A: Side wall 53B: Back wall 53C: Top wall 54: Cam pin W: Wire bundle (wire)

Claims

1. A lever-type connector that can be mated to the other connector, Housing and A lever rotatably mounted on the housing, The housing comprises a cover attached to the rear side, The lever is rotatable between a mating start position and a mating completion position. When it moves from the mating start position to the mating completion position, it mates with the mating connector, and when it moves from the mating completion position to the mating start position, it disengages from the mating connector. The cover comprises a first receiving portion that prevents the lever in the fitting start position from rotating in the opposite direction to the fitting completion position, and a second receiving portion that prevents the lever in the fitting completion position from rotating in the opposite direction to the fitting start position. A lever-type connector in which the first receiving portion and the second receiving portion are composed of a single rib.

2. The housing has a shaft portion that rotatably supports the lever, The lever comprises a first contact portion that abuts the first receiving portion at the fitting start position, and a second contact portion that abuts the second receiving portion at the fitting completion position. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein, in a direction intersecting the mating direction with the mating connector, the first contact portion is arranged on one side of the shaft portion, and the second contact portion is arranged on the other side of the shaft portion.

3. The cover has an outlet that guides the electric wires drawn out from the back of the housing in a direction different from the direction in which they were drawn out. The lever-type connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rib is provided on the wall of the cover opposite to the outlet.

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