Connector assembly

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a connector assembly that comprises a lever-equipped first connector component and a second connector component that can be fitted to the first connector component. The first connector component comprises an outer housing, a first metal component–equipped fuse assembly and a male terminal–equipped interlock housing that are both accommodated inside the outer housing, and a lever that is attached to an outer surface of the outer housing so as to be capable of axial rotation and then sliding movement after the axial rotation. The second connector component comprises an inner housing that can be fitted to the outer housing, a second metal member that is accommodated inside the inner housing and can contact the first metal member of the fuse assembly, and a female terminal–equipped interlock that can be fitted to the interlock housing by the axial rotation of the lever and can contact the male terminal after the lever has completed the sliding movement. At least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing has a lever local opposition surface that is positioned further to the outside than an outside side surface of the lever and is locally opposite the outside side surface of the lever.

Description

Connector Assembly

[0001] The present disclosure is a connector assembly.

[0002] A connector assembly for connecting to a battery for electrically driving a device body has been known. The connector assembly includes a first connector part with a lever and a second connector part matable with the first connector part. The first connector part includes an outer housing, a fuse assembly with a first metal member and an interlock housing with a male terminal, both housed within the outer housing, and a lever attached to the outer surface of the outer housing so as to be axially rotatable and slidable after the axial rotation.

[0003] The second connector part also includes an inner housing that can be mated with the outer housing, a second metal member accommodated within the inner housing that can come into contact with the first metal member of the fuse assembly, and an interlock with a female terminal that can be mated with the interlock housing by axial rotation of the lever and can come into contact with the male terminal after the sliding movement of the lever is completed.

[0004] In this configuration, by checking the completed sliding state after the lever has rotated axially, the worker can determine that the male terminal of the interlock housing on the first connector part side and the female terminal of the interlock on the second connector part side are in good contact with each other, allowing a large current to flow from the battery.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-033933

[0006] The inventors of the present application have found that there are some issues that need to be improved in the conventional connector assemblies. Specifically, even when there is misalignment between the first connector part and the second connector part due to the axial rotation of the lever, there are cases where the lever can still slide after the axial rotation.

[0007] In this case, even though the male terminals of the interlock housing on the first connector part and the female terminals of the interlock on the second connector part are not in a state where they can properly contact each other, the operator cannot properly determine whether a large current can flow to the specified device main body by simply checking the completed state of the sliding movement of the lever after axial rotation, which may result in a decrease in the operator's work efficiency.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that can make it difficult for the lever to slide after axial rotation when there is a misalignment between the first connector part and the second connector part due to axial rotation of the lever.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides a connector assembly comprising: a first connector part with a lever; and a second connector part that can be mated with the first connector part; the first connector part comprising: an outer housing; a fuse assembly with a first metal member and an interlock housing with male terminals, each housed within the outer housing; and a lever attached to the outer surface of the outer housing so as to be capable of axial rotation and sliding movement after axial rotation; the second connector part comprising: an inner housing that can be mated with the outer housing; a second metal member housed within the inner housing and capable of contacting the first metal member of the fuse assembly; and an interlock with female terminals that can be mated with the interlock housing by axial rotation of the lever and can come into contact with the male terminals after the lever has completed sliding movement; and at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing is positioned outward from the outer side surface of the lever and has a lever local opposing surface that locally faces the outer side surface of the lever.

[0010] According to the connector assembly of the present disclosure, when there is a misalignment between the first connector part and the second connector part due to axial rotation of the lever, it is possible to make it difficult for the lever to slide after the axial rotation.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a connector assembly of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a first connector part of the connector assembly of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a second connector part of the connector assembly of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an interlock housing of a first connector part in the connector assembly of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in a work step 1. FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in a work step 2. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in the thickness direction in the work step 2. FIG. 8 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in a work step 3. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in the thickness direction in the work step 3. FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure as seen from one side in the work step 4. Fig. 11 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure as seen from the other side in work process 4. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in the thickness direction in work process 4. Fig. 13 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure as seen from one side in work process 5. Fig. 14 is a side view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure as seen from the other side in work process 5. Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the connector assembly of the present disclosure in the thickness direction in work process 5.

[0012] Hereinafter, the configuration of the connector assembly of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a connector assembly of the present disclosure, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating a first connector part of the connector assembly of the present disclosure, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically illustrating a second connector part of the connector assembly of the present disclosure.

[0014] 1-3, a connector assembly 500 of the present disclosure includes a first connector part 100 with a lever and a second connector part 200 matable with the first connector part 100. In the present disclosure, the first connector part 100 can be placed on the second connector part, and the first connector part 100 can be mated with the second connector part 200 by axial rotation of the lever 140.

[0015] The first connector part 100 comprises an outer housing 110, a fuse assembly 120 with a first metal member 121 and an interlock housing 130 with a male terminal 131 each housed within the outer housing 110, and a lever 140 attached to the outer surface 111 of the outer housing 110 so as to be capable of axial rotation and sliding movement after axial rotation.

[0016] The second connector part 200 is configured to be electrically connectable to a battery or the like. It includes an inner housing 210 that can be mated with the outer housing 110, a second metal member 220, an interlock 230 with a female terminal, and a fuse spring 240 for attaching the fuse assembly 120, all of which are housed within the inner housing 210. The second metal member 220 is a member that can come into contact with the first metal member 121 of the fuse assembly 120. The interlock 230 with the female terminal is a member that can be mated with the interlock housing 130 by the axial rotation of the lever 140, and that can come into contact with the male terminal 131 after the lever 140 has completed sliding.

[0017] In the present disclosure, the outer housing 110 is positioned outward of the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 and has a lever local opposing surface 112 that locally faces the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140. The "lever local opposing surface" here refers to a surface in an area that locally or partially faces the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140. The lever local opposing surface 112 of the outer housing 110 is formed in a protrusion 113 with a groove that is provided on the outer surface 111 of the outer housing 110. In this case, the lever 140 is partially positioned in the groove of the protrusion 113 of the outer housing 110.

[0018] Here, when mating the first connector part 100 with the second connector part 200 by axial rotation of the lever 140, i.e., when mating the interlock housing 130 with the interlock 230, it may be difficult to position the interlock 230 in the internal space of the interlock housing 130. In this case, misalignment may occur between the first connector part 100 and the second connector part 200.

[0019] Even in such a state of misalignment, depending on the pushing force applied by the operator, lever 140 may be able to slide in a predetermined direction after axial rotation. In this case, due to the misalignment, a force may act on lever 140 that causes lever 140 to open outward, away from the outer surface of outer housing 110.

[0020] In this regard, in the present disclosure, as described above, the lever local opposing surface 112 of the outer housing 110 is positioned outward of the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140, and locally opposes the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140. With this configuration, even if a force acts on the lever 140 to open it outward, away from the outer surface 111 of the outer housing 110, the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 abuts against or presses against the lever local opposing surface 112 of the outer housing 110, and the lever local opposing surface 112 of the outer housing 110 can contribute to preventing the lever 140 from opening.

[0021] This makes it difficult for the lever 140 to slide after the axial rotation when there is a misalignment between the first connector part 100 and the second connector part 200 due to the axial rotation of the lever 140. The fact that the lever 140 is difficult to slide can be judged to mean that there is a misalignment between the interlock housing 130 of the first connector part 100 and the interlock 230 of the second connector part 200, and that the male terminals 131 of the interlock housing 130 on the first connector part 100 side and the female terminals of the interlock 230 on the second connector part 200 side cannot make suitable contact with each other.

[0022] When the operator makes this determination, the first connector part 100 is disengaged from the second connector part 200. After disengagement, the first connector part 100 is re-engaged with the second connector part 200 by rotating the lever 140 about its axis. If the lever 140 can then be smoothly slid without the aforementioned difficulty, it can be determined that a large current can be passed from the battery to a predetermined device body through the connector assembly 500 of the present disclosure.

[0023] Furthermore, although it has been described above that the outer housing 110 has a lever local opposing surface 112 that locally faces the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140, the present invention is not limited to this. In another example, the interlock housing 130 may be positioned outward of the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 and may have a lever local opposing surface 132 that locally faces the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140. The lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130 is formed in a protrusion 134 with a groove 133 provided on the outer surface of the interlock housing 130. In this case, the lever 140 is partially positioned in the groove 133 of the protrusion 134 of the interlock housing 130 (see FIG. 4 ).

[0024] In this alternative example, the lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130 is positioned outward of the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 and locally opposes the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140. With this configuration, even if a force acts on the lever 140 to open it outward, away from the outer surface 111 of the outer housing 110, the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 abuts against or presses against the lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130, and the lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130 can contribute to preventing the lever 140 from opening.

[0025] Hereinafter, the method of operating the connector assembly of the present disclosure will be described using the above-described alternative example as an example.

[0026] First, the outer housing 110 of the first connector part 100 begins to be mated with the inner housing 210 of the second connector part 200 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). In this case, the interlock housing 130 of the first connector part 100 is not mated with the interlock 230 of the second connector part 200, which is coaxially arranged therewith (see FIG. 7).

[0027] Next, the lever 140 of the outer housing 110, which is pivotally supported by the protrusion 113b on the outer surface 111 of the first connector part 100, is rotated about its axis. This continues the engagement of the outer housing 110 of the first connector part 100 with the inner housing 210 of the second connector part 200 (see FIG. 8). In this case, the interlock housing 130 of the first connector part 100 begins to engage with the interlock 230 of the second connector part 200, which is coaxially arranged (see FIG. 9).

[0028] Next, the lever 140 of the outer housing 110, which is pivotally supported by the protrusion 113b on the outer surface 111 of the first connector part 100, is further pivotally rotated, thereby completing the engagement of the outer housing 110 of the first connector part 100 with the inner housing 210 of the second connector part 200 (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0029] Furthermore, the protrusion 134 of the interlock housing 130 is arranged to be slidable relative to the spatial region 142 of the lever 140. The protrusion 113b on the outer surface 111 of the first connector part 100 is arranged to be slidable relative to the spatial region 143 of the lever 140.

[0030] In this case, the interlock housing 130 of the first connector part 100 is further mated with the interlock 230 of the second connector part 200, which is arranged coaxially (see FIG. 12 ). At this time, the male terminals 131 provided on the interlock housing 130 and the female terminals provided on the interlock 230 are configured not to come into contact with each other. Specifically, in the present disclosure, the male terminals 131 provided on the interlock housing 130 and the female terminals provided on the interlock 230 are configured not to come into contact with each other when the rotation of the lever 140 is completed. As a result, there is no electrical continuity between the first connector part 100 and the second connector part 200 when the rotation of the lever 140 is completed.

[0031] Finally, after the outer housing 110 has been completely mated with the inner housing 210, the lever 140 is slid in the direction of the arrow shown in Figures 13 and 14. During this process, as the lever 140 slides, the protrusion 134 of the interlock housing 130 slides relative to the spatial region 142 of the lever 140. Furthermore, the protrusion 113b on the outer surface 111 of the first connector part 100 slides relative to the spatial region 143 of the lever 140.

[0032] When the sliding movement of the lever 140 is completed, the male terminal 131 provided on the interlock housing 130 comes into contact with the female terminal provided on the interlock 230. As a result, a large current can be passed from the battery to a predetermined device main body through the connector assembly 500 of the present disclosure.

[0033] As described above, in another example, the lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130 is positioned outward of the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 and locally opposes the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 (see FIGS. 4 to 15). With this configuration, even if a force acts on the lever 140 to open it outward, away from the outer surface 111 of the outer housing 110, the outer side surface 141 of the lever 140 abuts or presses against the lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130, and the lever local opposing surface 132 of the interlock housing 130 can contribute to preventing the lever 140 from opening.

[0034] This makes it possible to make it difficult for the lever 140 to slide after the axial rotation when there is misalignment between the first connector part 100 and the second connector part 200 due to the axial rotation of the lever 140. As a result, the operator can determine that there is misalignment between the interlock housing 130 of the first connector part 100 and the interlock 230 of the second connector part 200, and that the male terminals 131 of the interlock housing 130 on the first connector part 100 side and the female terminals of the interlock 230 on the second connector part 200 side cannot make suitable contact with each other.

[0035] When the operator makes this determination, the first connector part 100 is disengaged from the second connector part 200. After disengagement, the first connector part 100 is re-engaged with the second connector part 200 by rotating the lever 140 about its axis. If the lever 140 can then be smoothly slid without the aforementioned difficulty, it can be determined that a large current can be passed from the battery to a predetermined device body through the connector assembly 500 of the present disclosure.

[0036] The above describes embodiments of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited to these, and various modifications based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art are possible, such as combining the above configurations, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the claims.

[0037] The connector assembly of the present disclosure may take the following forms: <1> A connector assembly comprising: a first connector part with a lever; and a second connector part matable with the first connector part, wherein the first connector part comprises an outer housing, a fuse assembly with a first metal member and an interlock housing with male terminals housed within the outer housing, respectively; and a lever attached to the outer surface of the outer housing so as to be axially rotatable and slidable after the axial rotation, wherein the second connector part comprises an inner housing matable with the outer housing, a second metal member housed within the inner housing and capable of contacting the first metal member of the fuse assembly, and an interlock with female terminals matable with the interlock housing by axial rotation of the lever and capable of contacting the male terminals after the lever has completed sliding movement, wherein at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing has a lever local opposing surface positioned outward of an outer side surface of the lever and locally opposing the outer side surface of the lever. <2> The connector assembly according to <1>, wherein when there is misalignment between the interlock housing of the first connector component and the interlock of the second connector component, at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing abuts against or presses against the lever local opposing surface. <3> The connector assembly according to <1> or <2>, wherein the lever local opposing surface of at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing is a surface that prevents the lever from opening in an outward direction away from the outer surface of the outer housing. <4> The connector assembly according to any of <1> to <3>, wherein the lever local opposing surface of the interlock housing is formed on a protrusion with a groove provided on the outer surface of the interlock housing. <5> The connector assembly according to <4>, wherein the lever is partially positioned in the groove of the protrusion of the interlock housing.<6> The connector assembly according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the lever local opposing surface of the outer housing is formed in a protrusion with a groove provided on the outer surface of the outer housing. <7> The connector assembly according to <6>, wherein the lever is partially positioned in the groove of the protrusion of the outer housing.

[0038] 500 Connector assembly 200 Second connector part 210 Inner housing 211 Protrusion provided on outer surface of inner housing 220 Second metal member capable of contacting first metal member of fuse assembly 230 Interlock 240 Fuse spring 100 First connector part 110 Outer housing 111 Outer surface of outer housing 112 Locally opposing surface of outer housing that faces lever 113 Protrusion with groove provided on outer surface of outer housing 113b Protrusion (protrusion with different shape from reference numeral 113) 120 Fuse assembly 121 First metal member of fuse assembly 130 Interlock housing 131 Male terminal of interlock housing 132 Locally opposing surface of interlock housing that faces outer side surface of lever 133 Groove provided on outer surface of interlock housing 134 Protrusion of interlock housing 140 Lever 141 Outer side surface of lever 142 Lever space area 143 Lever space area 150 Cover

Claims

1. A connector assembly comprising a first connector part with a lever and a second connector part that can be mated with the first connector part, wherein the first connector part comprises an outer housing, a fuse assembly with a first metal member and an interlock housing with male terminals that are respectively housed within the outer housing, and a lever that is attached to the outer surface of the outer housing so as to be able to rotate on an axis and to slide after the axis rotation, wherein the second connector part comprises an inner housing that can be mated with the outer housing, a second metal member that is housed within the inner housing and can come into contact with the first metal member of the fuse assembly, and an interlock with female terminals that can be mated with the interlock housing by the axis rotation of the lever and can come into contact with the male terminals after the lever has completed its sliding movement, and at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing is positioned outward from the outer side surface of the lever and has a lever local opposing surface that locally faces the outer side surface of the lever.

2. A connector assembly as described in claim 1, wherein when there is misalignment between the interlock housing on the first connector part side and the interlock on the second connector part side, at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing abuts or presses against the lever local opposing surface.

3. A connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lever local opposing surface of at least one of the interlock housing and the outer housing is a surface that prevents the lever from opening outward away from the outer surface of the outer housing.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lever local opposing surface of the interlock housing is formed on a protrusion with a groove provided on the outer surface of the interlock housing.

5. The connector assembly of claim 4, wherein said lever is partially positioned in a groove in said protrusion of said interlock housing.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lever local opposing surface of the outer housing is formed on a protrusion with a groove provided on the outer surface of the outer housing.

7. The connector assembly of claim 6, wherein said lever is partially positioned in a groove in said protrusion of said outer housing.

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