Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-09
2001-04-10
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
C439S160000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213794
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever fitting-type connector in which a connector is fitted into a mating connector by pivotally moving a lever mounted on the connector.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5
shows a conventional lever fitting-type connector. This lever fitting-type connector comprises a male connector
1
, a lever
2
pivotally mounted on the male connector
1
, and a female connector
3
into which the male connector
1
is fitted. The male connector
1
has a plurality of terminal receiving chambers
4
for respectively receiving terminals therein, which terminal receiving chambers
4
extend through the male connector
1
in an upward-downward direction. Disengagement prevention ribs
6
are respectively formed on and project laterally from opposite side surfaces
5
of the male connector
1
at one end thereof, and extend in a connector-fitting direction. A slot
7
is formed between each of the disengagement prevention ribs
6
and the corresponding side surface
5
, the slots
7
extending in the connector-fitting direction. Bosses
8
are also formed on and project from the opposite side surfaces
5
of the male connector
1
, respectively. Each boss
8
is disposed generally centrally of the length of the male connector
1
. The lever
2
is pivotally supported by these bosses
8
.
The lever
2
includes a pair of right and left side walls
9
, and an operating portion
10
interconnecting the right and left side walls
9
. The right and left side walls
9
have rotation holes
11
, respectively, in which the bosses
8
are inserted so that the lever
2
can be pivotally moved about the bosses
8
. The operating portion
10
of the lever
2
interconnects the rear end portions of the right and left side walls
9
, and this operating portion
10
is operated or pressed when fitting the connector. Front end portions of the right and left side walls
9
remote from the operating portion
10
serve as projected engagement portions
12
, respectively. These projected engagement portions
12
are inserted respectively in the slots
7
in the male connector
1
, and therefore will not be disengaged respectively from the disengagement prevention ribs
6
, so that the lever
2
is prevented from being disengaged from the male connector
1
.
The female connector
3
includes a hood portion
13
with an open top into which the male connector
1
is fitted. Engagement holes
15
, in which the projected engagement portions
12
can be engaged, respectively, are formed in that surface
14
of the hood portion
13
which is to be opposed to the projected engagement portions
12
. Elongate grooves
16
for respectively receiving the disengagement prevention ribs
6
of the connector
1
are formed respectively in opposite side surfaces of the hood portion
13
.
In this lever fitting-type connector, the lever
2
is mounted on the male connector
1
, as shown in
FIG. 5
, and the male connector and the lever in this assembled condition are inserted into the hood portion
13
, and a fitting operation is effected. At this time, the disengagement prevention ribs
6
are inserted respectively into the elongate grooves
16
, and by doing so, a gouging engagement between the connectors
1
and
3
can be prevented.
For fitting the connectors together, the projected engagement portions
12
of the lever
2
, are passed respectively through the slots
7
in the male connector
1
, and are engaged respectively in the engagement holes
15
in the hood portion
13
, and in this engaged condition, the operating portion
10
is pressed. In this pressing operation, the lever
2
is pivotally moved through the leverage in which the operating portion
10
serves as a force-applying point, and the bosses
8
serve as an application point, and the projected engagement portions
12
, engaged respectively in the engagement holes
15
, serve as a supporting point. Therefore, the lever
2
and the male connector
1
is fitted in unison into the female connector
3
.
In the lever fitting-type connector of the above construction, if it is desired to reduce the operating force required for the fitting operation, this can be effected by providing the projected engagement portions
12
(serving as the supporting point for the pivotal movement of the lever
2
) at a point closer to the bosses
8
. In this case, the projected engagement portions
12
serve as the supporting point for the pivotal movement, and also are inserted and engaged in the respective disengagement prevention ribs
6
, thereby preventing the lever
2
from being disengaged from the male connector
1
. Therefore, if the projected engagement projections
12
are disposed closer to the bosses
8
, the disengagement prevention ribs
6
of the male connector
1
also need to be disposed closer to the bosses
8
.
In this case, however, the disengagement prevention ribs
6
interfere with spacer openings
17
formed in the male connector
1
, and therefore the disengagement prevention ribs
6
can not be disposed closer to the bosses
8
. In the conventional lever fitting-type connector, the projected engagement portions
12
, thus, need to be engaged respectively with the disengagement prevention ribs
6
, and therefore this connector can not be designed so as to reduce the operating force, and hence has a disadvantage that it can not meet with the requirement of a multi-pole design requiring a large operating force.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lever fitting-type connector in which although projected engagement portions need to be engaged respectively with disengagement prevention ribs, an operating force, required for fitting two connectors together, is reduced so as to meet with the requirement of a multi-pole design.
The above object has been achieved by a lever fitting-type connector, wherein a lever is pivotally mounted on bosses formed on a connector, and the connector is fitted into a mating connector by pivotally moving the lever with the bosses serving as an application point; wherein an operating portion, serving as a force-applying point for the pivotal movement of the lever, is formed at a rear end portion of the lever; and engagement projections are formed respectively on opposite side walls of the lever, and are disposed rather close to the bosses, respectively; and retaining holes are formed in the mating connector, and the engagement projections are retainingly engaged respectively in the retaining holes, so that the engagement projections serve as a supporting point for the pivotal movement of the lever.
In this invention, the engagement projections, formed respectively on the opposite side walls of the lever, are disposed rather close to the bosses of the connector, respectively, and the engagement projections are retainingly engaged respectively in the retaining holes in the mating connector, so that the engagement projections serve as the supporting point for the pivotal movement of the lever.
Namely, the supporting point (the engagement projections) for the pivotal movement of the lever are disposed rather close respectively to the bosses serving as the application point, so that the distance between the supporting point and the application point is reduced. Therefore, the operating force, required for pivotally moving the lever with the operating portion serving as the force-applying point, can be reduced.
The engagement projections, serving as the supporting point for the pivotal movement of the lever, are thus, formed respectively on the opposite side walls of the lever so as to reduce the operating force. Therefore, projected engagement portions and disengagement prevention ribs, which cooperate with each other to prevent the lever from being disengaged from the connector, do not need to be changed in design, and the requirement for a multi-pole design can be met although the projected engagement portions and the disengagement prevention ribs are provided.
Further, gouging prevention ribs are formed respe
Okabe Toshiaki
Yamashita Tetsuya
Nguyen Son V.
Sircus Brian
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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