Lever-type connector

Abstract

This lever-type connector 10 according to the present disclosure is a lever-type connector 10 in which fitting and separation are performed in a first direction by a lever operation, the lever-type connector 10 comprising: a first housing having a lever attachment part 32 that opens in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a second housing having a cam pin 25; and a lever 40 that is attached to the first housing, fits the first housing and the second housing by moving in a second direction from a fitting start position toward a fitting completion position, and separates the first housing and the second housing by moving in the second direction from the fitting completion position to the fitting start position. The lever 40 has a cam groove 43B through which the cam pin 25 passes when the lever 40 moves between the fitting start position and the fitting completion position, and a falling groove 43C for separating the first housing and the second housing by the falling of the cam pin 25 in the first direction in a state in which the lever 40 is at the fitting completion position. The bottom surface 43C2 of the falling groove 43C is positioned within the range of the cam pin 25 in the axial direction of the cam pin 25.

Description

Lever-type connector

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

[0002] As a lever-type connector for fitting connectors to each other by operating a lever, for example, a connector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-213413 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) is known. This connector includes a female housing having a cam pin, a male housing having a hood portion that can be fitted inside the female housing, and a fitting lever having a cam groove for receiving and guiding the cam pin. The fitting lever is rotatably attached to the male housing. When the fitting lever is rotated in a state where the male and female housings are shallowly fitted and the cam pin enters the entrance of the cam groove, the cam pin is guided into the cam groove, and the fitting of the male and female housings progresses following the rotation of the fitting lever. Further, when the fitting lever is rotated in the reverse direction, the separation of the male and female housings progresses following the rotation of the fitting lever.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-213413

[0004] When scrapping an automobile, it is preferable to remove the harness from the perspective of recycling. At that time, considering work efficiency, the harness is often pulled with a heavy machine, but only the fitting of the connector needs to be manually removed by a person operating a lever or the like.

[0005] The present disclosure has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to easily remove the fitting of the lever-type connector.

[0006] The lever-type connector of this disclosure is a lever-type connector that is mated and unmatted in a first direction by operating a lever, and comprises: a first housing having a lever mounting portion that opens in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a second housing having a cam pin; and a lever attached to the first housing that moves in the second direction from a mating start position toward a mating completion position to mate the first housing and the second housing, and moves in the second direction from the mating completion position toward the mating start position to unmatte the first housing and the second housing, wherein the lever has a cam groove through which the cam pin passes when the lever moves between the mating start position and the mating completion position, and a release groove that causes the cam pin to fall out in the first direction when the lever is in the mating completion position to unmatte the first housing and the second housing, and the bottom surface of the release groove is located within the range of the cam pin in the axial direction of the cam pin.

[0007] According to this disclosure, the mating of a lever-type connector can be easily undone.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lever-type connector in an embodiment where the lever is in the mating completion position and both housings are fully mated. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lever-type connector. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a lever-type connector where the lever is in the mating start position and both housings are shallowly mated. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a lever-type connector where the lever is in the mating completion position and both housings are detached. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the male connector. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating how the cam pin detaches through the detachment groove. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the cam pin positioned at the beginning of the cam groove. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the cam pin moving along the cam groove. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the cam pin positioned at the end of the cam groove. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where both housings are detached at the position of the A-A cross-section in Figure 9.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by listing them. [1] The lever-type connector of the present disclosure is a lever-type connector that is engaged and disengaged in a first direction by lever operation, comprising: a first housing having a lever mounting portion that opens in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a second housing having a cam pin; and a lever attached to the first housing, which engages the first housing and the second housing by moving in the second direction from a engagement start position toward a engagement completion position, and disengages the first housing and the second housing by moving in the second direction from the engagement completion position toward the engagement start position, wherein the lever has a cam groove through which the cam pin passes when the lever moves between the engagement start position and the engagement completion position, and a release groove that disengages the first housing and the second housing by the cam pin falling out in the first direction when the lever is in the engagement completion position, wherein the bottom surface of the release groove is located within the range of the cam pin in the axial direction of the cam pin.

[0010] To engage the first and second housings, move the lever from the engagement start position to the engagement completion position. This causes the cam pin to move along the cam groove, thus advancing the engagement process. When the lever reaches the engagement completion position, the first and second housings are engaged. Next, to disengage the first and second housings, move the lever from the engagement completion position to the engagement start position. This causes the cam pin to move along the cam groove, thus advancing the disengagement process. When the lever reaches the engagement start position, the first and second housings are disengaged.

[0011] Incidentally, when scrapping a vehicle, it is preferable to recover the harness. When recovering the harness, pulling it with heavy machinery pulls the wires drawn out from each housing, and both housings are pulled in the direction of separation. At that time, with the lever in the mating completed position, the cam pin engages with the inner wall of the cam groove, resisting separation. However, if the wires are pulled strongly, for example, the second housing opens and deforms, causing the cam pin to ride up into the release groove and then to fall out in the first direction through the release groove, allowing both housings to separate. Therefore, the mating of the lever-type connector can be easily undone simply by pulling the harness without operating the lever.

[0012] [2] Preferably, the depth of the detachment groove is shallower than the height of the cam pin. With this configuration, the bottom surface of the detachment groove can be easily positioned within the range of the cam pin in the axial direction of the cam pin. [3] Preferably, a tapered surface is formed at the tip of the cam pin. With this configuration, when the wire is pulled strongly to retrieve the harness, the cam pin is more likely to ride up into the detachment groove.

[0013] [Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure] Embodiments of the Disclosure are described below. The Disclosure is not limited to these examples, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the Claims as indicated by the Claims. In the drawings, some parts of the configuration may be exaggerated or simplified for illustrative purposes. Also, the dimensional ratios of the parts may differ in the drawings. In this specification, “orthogonal” includes not only strictly orthogonal but also approximately orthogonal to the extent that the function and effect of the Embodiment is achieved.

[0014] Furthermore, in this specification, "facing" means that two surfaces or members are in a position where they face each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. Furthermore, in this specification, "facing" includes both cases where a member other than the two parts is interposed between the two parts, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two parts.

[0015] <Embodiments> Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. In the following description, the front-rear direction (an example of the first direction) is based on the fitting direction, and the side of the fitting surfaces is considered the front. In the drawings, the front-rear direction is denoted as the X direction, the left-right direction (an example of the second direction) is denoted as the Y direction, and the up-down direction is denoted as the Z direction. Note that in the case of multiple identical members, only some members may be given reference numerals, and the reference numerals of other members may be omitted.

[0016] (Lever-type connector 10) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lever-type connector 10 of this embodiment is configured to include a male connector 20, a female connector 30, and a lever 40. The lever 40 is a sliding lever and is attached to the male connector 20. Electrical wires W are pulled out to the rear from each of the connectors 20 and 30. The lever-type connector 10 and the electrical wires W constitute a part of the harness. Therefore, when the harness is pulled during vehicle scrapping, the electrical wires W are also pulled.

[0017] (Male connector 20) As shown in Figure 5, the male connector 20 has a male terminal 21 and a male housing 22 that houses the male terminal 21 inside. The male housing 22 is made of synthetic resin and has a terminal housing portion 23 that houses the male terminal 21 and a hood portion 24 that is cylindrical and protrudes forward from the front edge of the terminal housing portion 23.

[0018] The male terminal 21 is made of a conductive metal and has a needle-shaped terminal that protrudes forward within the hood portion 24 and a barrel portion to which the electric wire W is crimped. The male terminal 21 is held within the male housing 22 by a lance or the like (not shown).

[0019] As shown in Figure 5, a pair of left and right cam pins 25 are formed on the upper and lower inner walls of the hood portion 24. The cam pins 25 are round pins. The cam pins 25 are, for example, columnar in shape that protrudes upward. The axial direction of the cam pins 25 is, for example, the vertical direction (Z direction). The cam pins 25 are located near the center of the hood portion 24 in the front-rear direction. In addition, a tapered surface 25A is formed at the protruding end of the cam pin 25, which approaches the inner wall of the hood portion 24 as it moves towards the rear.

[0020] Notches 26 are formed in the left and right side walls of the hood portion 24. The notches 26 open forward. When the connectors 20 and 30 are fitted and unfitted, the notches 26 prevent interference between the lever 40 and the hood portion 24.

[0021] (Female connector 30) As shown in Figure 2, the female connector 30 has female terminals (not shown) and a female housing 31 that houses the female terminals inside. The female housing 31 is made of synthetic resin and has a roughly rectangular block shape.

[0022] The female terminal is made of a conductive metal and has a female terminal body to which the male terminal 21 is connected, and a barrel portion attached to the rear of the female terminal body. The electric wire W is crimped to the barrel portion. The female terminal is held inside the female housing 31 by a lance or the like (not shown). When the male connector 20 and the female connector 30 are mated, the male terminal fits inside the female terminal body, and the male terminal 21 and the female terminal are electrically connected.

[0023] A pair of lever mounting portions 32 are formed on the upper and lower walls of the female housing 31. The lever mounting portions 32 are shaped to open in the left-right direction.

[0024] (Lever 40) The lever 40 is made of synthetic resin and, as shown in Figure 2, has a pair of upper and lower cam plates 41 and an operating part 42 that connects each cam plate 41. Each cam plate 41 is housed in each lever mounting part 32. The pair of cam plates 41 housed in the pair of lever mounting parts 32 allows the lever 40 to be mounted on the female housing 31 so as to be movable in the left and right directions. The lever 40 is slidable between the fitting start position shown in Figure 3 and the fitting completion position shown in Figure 1.

[0025] A pair of cam plates 41 are arranged facing each other. On the opposite side of the opposing walls of the cam plates 41, a groove 43 is formed for the cam pin 25 to pass through. This groove 43 has an introduction groove 43A for introducing the cam pin 25, a cam groove 43B that engages with the cam pin 25 as the lever 40 moves, and a release groove 43C that causes the cam pin 25 to fall out, for example, when the hood portion 24 opens and deforms. The introduction groove 43A is connected to the starting end of the cam groove 43B, and the release groove 43C is connected to the end of the cam groove 43B. The cam groove 43B is formed in a straight line so that the cam pin 25 passes through when the lever 40 moves between the fitting start position and the fitting completion position. The release groove 43C is formed in a straight line so that the cam pin 25 falls out forward when the lever 40 is in the fitting completion position. In the axial direction of the cam pin 25, the bottom surface 43C2 of the release groove 43C is located within the range of the cam pin 25. In other words, the bottom surface 43C2 of the detachment groove 43C is located between the base end and the tip of the cam pin 25 in the axial direction of the cam pin 25. The depth of the detachment groove 43C is shallower than the height of the cam pin 25. A tapered surface 43C1 is formed at the entrance of the detachment groove 43C, i.e., at the connection point between the detachment groove 43C and the end of the cam groove 43B, as shown in Figure 6. The tapered surface 43C1 is inclined to make the detachment groove 43C deeper as it approaches the end of the cam groove 44B.

[0026] (Explanation of operation of lever-type connector 10) When the lever 40 is in the mating start position, the introduction groove 43A is positioned to face forward. As shown in Figure 7, when the female housing 31 is manually fitted into the hood portion 24 of the male housing 22, the pair of cam pins 25 enter the pair of introduction grooves 43A and are positioned at the starting end of the pair of cam grooves 43B. Subsequently, when the lever 40 is pushed and slid from the mating start position to the mating completion position, as shown in Figure 8, the pair of cam pins 25 engage with the inner walls of the pair of cam grooves 43B, and the mating of the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 progresses. When the lever 40 reaches the mating completion position, as shown in Figure 9, the pair of cam pins 25 reach the end of the pair of cam grooves 43B, and the mating of the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 is completed.

[0027] Furthermore, when the lever 40 is pulled and slid from the mating completion position to the mating start position, the pair of cam pins 25 engage with the inner walls of the pair of cam grooves 43B, causing the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 to separate. When the lever 40 reaches the mating start position, the pair of cam pins 25 reach the starting end of the pair of cam grooves 43B. From this state, when the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 are manually separated, the pair of cam pins 25 disengage from the cam plate 41 through the pair of introduction grooves 43A, resulting in the separation of the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 being completed.

[0028] When the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 are fitted together, as shown in Figure 10, the cam pin 25 is locked to the inner wall of the cam groove 43B, so even if the electric wire W is pulled by hand, the cam pin 25 will not ride up onto the detachment groove 43C. However, if the harness is pulled by heavy machinery and the electric wire W is pulled strongly, for example, the hood portion 24 will deform by opening laterally (up and down), and the cam pin 25 will ride up onto the tapered surface 43C1 of the detachment groove 43C. When the cam pin 25 rides up onto the tapered surface 43C1 of the detachment groove 43C, as shown in Figure 11, the cam pin 25 will pass through the detachment groove 43C and detach from the cam plate 41, resulting in the fitting of the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 being easily undone.

[0029] (Operational Effects of Embodiment) The lever-type connector 10 according to the embodiment is a lever-type connector 10 that is fitted and detached in the front-rear direction by operating a lever. It includes a female housing 31 having a lever mounting portion 32 that opens in the left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, a male housing 22 having a cam pin 25, and a lever 40 attached to the male housing 22. By moving the lever 40 in the left-right direction from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position, the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 are fitted together, and by moving the lever 40 in the left-right direction from the fitting completion position to the fitting start position, the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 are detached. The lever 40 has a cam groove 43B through which the cam pin 25 passes when the lever 40 moves between the fitting start position and the fitting completion position, and a dropout groove 43C that detaches the male housing 22 and the female housing 31 when the cam pin 25 drops in the front-rear direction in a state where the lever 40 is in the fitting completion position. In the axial direction of the cam pin 25, the bottom surface 43C2 of the dropout groove 43C is located within the range of the cam pin 25.

[0030] To fit the female housing 31 and the male housing 22 together, move the lever 40 from the fitting start position to the fitting completion position. Then, the fitting operation proceeds as the cam pin 25 moves along the cam groove 43B. When the lever 40 reaches the fitting completion position, the female housing 31 and the male housing 22 are in a fitted state. Next, to detach the female housing 31 and the male housing 22, move the lever 40 from the fitting completion position to the fitting start position. Then, the detachment operation proceeds as the cam pin 25 moves along the cam groove 43B. When the lever 40 reaches the fitting start position, the female housing 31 and the male housing 22 are in a detached state.

[0031] Incidentally, when scrapping a vehicle, it is necessary to recover the harness. When the harness is pulled by heavy machinery, the wires W pulled out from each housing 22 and 31 are pulled, and both housings 22 and 31 are pulled in the direction of separation. At that time, with the lever 40 in the mating completed position, the cam pin 25 engages with the inner wall of the cam groove 43B, acting to resist separation. However, if the wires W are pulled strongly, for example, the male housing 22 opens and deforms, causing the cam pin 25 to ride up onto the release groove 43C and then to fall out in the front-rear direction through the release groove 43C, causing both housings 22 and 31 to separate. Therefore, the mating of the lever-type connector 10 can be easily undone simply by pulling the harness without operating the lever.

[0032] The depth of the detachment groove 43C is shallower than the height of the cam pin 25. With this configuration, the bottom surface 43C2 of the detachment groove 43C can be easily positioned within the range of the cam pin 25 in the axial direction of the cam pin 25.

[0033] A tapered surface 25A is formed at the tip of the cam pin 25. With this configuration, when the wires are pulled strongly to retrieve the harness, the cam pin 25 is more likely to ride up onto the detachment groove 43C.

[0034] (Other Embodiments) The above embodiments can be implemented with the following modifications.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the male housing 22 is exemplified as the first housing and the female housing 31 as the second housing, but the first housing may be a female housing and the second housing may be a male housing.

[0036] In the above embodiment, tapered surfaces 25A and 43C1 are formed on both the tip of the cam pin 25 and the entrance of the detachment groove 43C. However, the tapered surface 25A may be formed only on the tip of the cam pin 25, or the tapered surface 43C1 may be formed only on the entrance of the detachment groove 43C. Furthermore, the lever-type connector does not need to have a tapered surface 25A.

[0037] 10: Lever-type connector 20: Male connector 21: Male terminal 22: Male housing (second housing) 23: Terminal housing section 24: Hood section 25: Cam pin 25A: Tapered surface 26: Notch 30: Female connector 31: Female housing (first housing) 32: Lever mounting section 40: Lever 41: Cam plate 42: Operating section 43: Groove 43A: Introduction groove 43B: Cam groove 43C: Detachment groove 43C1: Tapered surface 42C2: Bottom surface W: Electric wire

Claims

1. A lever-type connector that is engaged and disengaged in a first direction by lever operation, comprising: a first housing having a lever mounting portion that opens in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a second housing having a cam pin; and a lever attached to the first housing, which engages the first housing and the second housing by moving in the second direction from a engagement start position to a engagement completion position, and disengages the first housing and the second housing by moving in the second direction from the engagement completion position to the engagement start position, wherein the lever has a cam groove through which the cam pin passes when the lever moves between the engagement start position and the engagement completion position, and a release groove that disengages the first housing and the second housing by the cam pin falling out in the first direction when the lever is in the engagement completion position, and the bottom surface of the release groove is located within the range of the cam pin in the axial direction of the cam pin.

2. The lever-type connector according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the detachment groove is shallower than the height of the cam pin.

3. The lever-type connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a tapered surface is formed at the tip of the cam pin.

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