Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-01
2001-06-19
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247945
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a lever fitting connector in which the connector is fitted into a mating connector by pivotally moving a lever mounted on the connector.
FIGS. 8 and 9
a related lever fitting connector. This lever fitting connector comprises a male connector
1
, a lever
2
pivotally mounted on the male connector
1
, and a female connector into which the male connector
1
is fitted.
The male connector
1
includes a plurality of terminal chambers
4
extending therethrough in the vertical direction, and terminals are received respectively in these terminal chambers, and are connected respectively to connection terminals in the female connector
2
when these connection terminals are inserted into the male connector from the lower side. Ribs
6
for preventing disengagement are formed respectively at one end of both side faces
5
of the male connector
1
, and project laterally therefrom, the ribs
6
extending in a connector-fitting direction. Bosses
7
, serving as rotation shafts, are formed respectively on the both side faces
5
of the male connector
1
, and the lever
2
is pivotally supported on these bosses
7
. Guide projections
5
A are formed on and project laterally respectively from lower portions of the both side faces
5
of the male connector
1
, and are disposed adjacent to the ribs
6
, respectively. These guide projections
5
A serve to hold the lever
2
in its initial condition, and are guided into the female connector
3
in the fitting direction. Blocks
5
B for limiting the operating movement of the lever
2
are formed respectively on the lower portions of the both side faces
5
of the male connector
1
, and are disposed adjacent to the rear end thereof, and each of the blocks
5
B laterally projects an amount generally equal to the thickness of a side wall
8
of the lever
2
.
The lever
2
includes the pair of right and left side walls
8
, and an operating portion
9
interconnecting upper portions of the right and left side walls
8
at a rear end portion of the lever
2
. The right and left side walls
8
have holes, respectively, in which the bosses
7
are fitted, respectively, and therefore the lever
2
can be pivotally moved about the bosses
7
. Projected portions
8
A are formed respectively at front ends of the side walls
8
remote from the operating portion
9
, and these projected portions
8
A are slidably received respectively in slots
6
A which are formed respectively in the ribs
6
of the male connector
1
, and extend in the fitting direction. An engagement projection
10
is formed on and projects laterally from each of the both side walls
8
, and is disposed between the projected portion
8
A and the boss
7
, and these engagement projections
10
serve as a fulcrum for the pivotal movement of the lever.
The female connector
8
includes an upwardly-opened hood portion
12
into which the male connector
1
is fitted. Elongate grooves
13
for respectively receiving the ribs
6
of the male connector
1
are formed in an inner face
12
A of the hood portion
12
in adjacent relation to a front end thereof, and extend in the fitting direction (in the vertical direction). Guide grooves
14
for respectively receiving the guide projections
5
A, formed respectively on the both side faces
5
of the male connector
1
, are formed in the inner face
12
A of the hood portion
12
, these guide grooves
14
extending in the fitting direction. An engagement groove
15
is continuously provided at an intermediate portion of each guide groove
14
, and this engagement groove
15
is engageable with the associated engagement projection
10
of the lever
2
so as to serve as a fulcrum. A projection
16
is formed on and projects from a rear side of a lower portion of the guide groove
14
, and when the lever
2
is pivotally moved in a disengagement direction, the engagement projection
10
abuts against this projection
16
so that this projection
16
can serve as a fulcrum for the disengagement operation. The plurality of connection terminals
17
project upwardly from an inner bottom face of the hood portion
12
.
In this related lever fitting connector, when the male connector
1
is fitted into the hood portion
12
of the female connector
3
as shown in
FIG. 9
, the engagement projections
10
of the lever
2
abut respectively against the projections
16
serving as the fulcrum for when the male connector
1
is disengaged. Therefore, the male connector
1
can be inserted into the hood portion
12
of the female connector
3
without a resistance, and then the female terminals contact the male terminals, respectively. However, at this time, the operator is pivotally moving the lever
2
. Therefore, there is the possibility that the operator may tend to incorrectly assume that the connectors are property fitted together when, in fact, they are not. Thus, the lever fitting connector is of such a construction that a half-fitted condition of the connector is liable to occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a lever fitting connector in which an erroneous operation is prevented so that connectors can be completely fitted together.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a lever fitting connector comprising:
a first connector housing to be fitted with a second connector housing having an engagement member;
a lever supported by the first connector housing so as to be pivotable between a first position for disengaging the first connector housing from the second connector housing and a second position for fitting the first connector housing with the second connector housing;
a first projection formed on the lever which is to be engaged with the engagement member when the lever is moved toward the second position to act as a fulcrum of the fitting operation while a pivot center of the lever acts as a point of action of the fitting operation;
a second projection formed on the lever so as to situate beneath a pivot center of the lever when the lever is in the first position; and
a guide step member formed on the second connector housing on which the second projection is provisionally disposed before the lever is moved toward the second position.
Accordingly, a reaction force produced when the second projection abuts against the guide step member will not act on the lever as a moment for rotating the lever since the second projection situates beneath the pivot center of the lever. In this provisional engagement condition, moving the lever toward the second direction, the first projection engages with the engagement member to establish the fulcrum. Therefore, when the lever is pivotally moved in the operating direction, the lever will not idle, and a half-fitted condition of the connector, which may occur due to misunderstanding of the operator, is prevented.
In the connector, the second projection is separated from the guide step member while the lever is moved toward the second position.
Accordingly, the second projection is not engaged with the guide step member while the lever is operated. Therefore, smooth operation for fitting or disengaging the connector housings can be attained.
Preferably, a guide groove is formed on the second connector housing for guiding the first projection when the first connector housing is engaged with the second connector housing. Here, the engagement member is continuously provided with the guide groove.
Accordingly, the first and the second connector housing are easily engaged, and thereby a stable fulcrum can be established.
Preferably, the guide groove includes a step portion with which the first projection engages to act as the fulcrum of the disengaging operation when the lever is moved toward the first position.
Accordingly, when the lever is moved toward the first direction, the pivot center of the lever becomes a point of action of the disengaging operation. Thereby the first connector housing is smoothly disengaged from the second connector housing.
Preferably, the lever includes a pair of side walls
Okabe Toshiaki
Takeuchi Shunsaku
Wakui Masanori
Yamashita Tetsuya
Sircus Brian
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
Zarroli Michael C.
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