Abstract:
A lever-type connector ( 10 ) has a housing ( 60 ) for engaging a mating connector ( 80 ). A lever ( 20 ) is supported rotatably by the housing ( 60 ) and is configured for assisting connection of the connectors ( 10, 80 ). The lever ( 20 ) has a lever-locking part ( 31 ) with a deformable elastic piece ( 33 ). A lock ( 35 ) on the elastic piece ( 33 ) engages a receiving portion ( 72 ) on the housing ( 60 ) for holding the lever ( 20 ) in a rotation-prevented state. A release portion ( 41 ) formed separately from the lever-locking part ( 31 ) can be pressed to displace the elastic piece ( 33 ) in a direction for separating the lock ( 35 ) from the receiving portion ( 72 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a lever-type connector. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,442 discloses a lever-type connector that has a housing configured for fitting to a mating connector and a lever supported rotatably on the housing. The lever has an operation part and arms that project from opposite ends of the operation part. Thus the lever is U-shaped and is mounted to straddle the housing. Each arm has a cam groove for engaging a cam pin on the mating connector. The lever is rotated while the cam pin engages the cam groove to produce a cam action for moving the connector and the mating connector towards one another. 
   The arm of the lever has a lever-locking part for holding the lever in a rotation-prevented state when the lever has finished a rotation. The lever-locking part has an elastic piece with a fixed end and a free end that is elastically deformable around the fixed end. A lock is formed on the elastic piece and can be locked to a receiving portion on the housing by flexing the elastic piece. A release portion is disposed at the free-end and can be pressed to unlock the lock from the receiving portion. 
   The components of the lever-locking part are arranged in a row from the fixed end to the release portion in the rotational direction of the lever. Thus, the lever-locking part is large. The distance from the fixed end to the lock can be shortened to make the entire lever-locking part compact. However, it then is impossible for the lock to obtain a necessary flexure for locking the lock to the lever-locking part-receiving portion. Further it is difficult for an operator to put fingers on the release portion. 
   The invention has been completed in view of the above-described situation. Therefore it is an object of the invention to provide a lever-type connector with a compact lever-locking part that can be operated smoothly. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a lever-type connector with a housing for engaging a mating connector. A lever is supported rotatably by the housing and has a cam groove for engaging a cam pin on a mating connector. The cam groove and the cam pin display a cam action when the lever is rotated, and the cam action causes the housing to approach the mating connector. The lever has a lever locking part for holding the lever in a rotation-prevented state when the lever finishes its rotation. The lever-locking part has a fixed end and an elastic piece that is elastically deformable around the fixed end. A lock is formed on the elastic piece and is spaced from the fixed end. The lock can lock to a receiving portion on the housing or on the mating connector. A release portion is disposed between the fixed end and the lock and is configured to cover the lock. The release portion can be pressed towards the lock to flex the elastic piece and to disengage the lock from the receiving portion. 
   The release portion of the lever-locking part is interposed between the fixed end and the lock. Thus, it is possible to shorten the entire length of the lever-locking part, as compared with the case where the fixed end, the lock and the release portion are arranged in a row. The distance between the fixed end and the lock is long. Therefore, a sufficient flexure amount of the elastic piece can be achieved when the lock is locked to the receiving portion. 
   The lever preferably has an arm and an operation part at the end of the arm. The cam groove is formed in the arm and the operation part is configured to be held by the operator&#39;s fingers for operating the lever. The lever-locking part preferably is on the operation part. The fixed end preferably is at one end of the operation part in a rotational direction thereof, and the lock preferably is at other end of the operation part in the rotational direction thereof. As a result, it is possible to obtain sufficient flexure of the elastic piece and a favorable feeling in the locking operation without making the lever large. 
   The release portion preferably is not connected to the elastic piece. However, an interlocking portion is between the elastic piece and the release portion and flexes the elastic piece in an unlocking direction when the release portion is pressed. Thus, the elastic piece is flexed smoothly and the release portion and the elastic piece are designed with a high degree of freedom. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side view, partly in section, showing a lever held at an initial rotational position, and a connector housing fit in a mating connector. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view, partly in section, showing the lever at a rotation-finish position, and a lock of a lever-locking part locked to a lever-lock receiving portion. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view, partly in section, showing the lock that has been separated from the lever-lock receiving portion by pressing a release portion. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view, partly in section, of the housings that have been separated by rotating the lever in a return direction. 
       FIG. 5  is a rear view of the housing. 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the housing. 
       FIG. 7  is a front view of the lever. 
       FIG. 8  is a plan view of the lever. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the mating housing. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A lever-type connector in accordance with the invention is identified by the numeral  10  in  FIGS. 1 through 4 . The connector  10  has a lever  20 , a housing  60 , and terminal fittings (not shown). The lever  20  can be rotated to fit the housing  60  in a mating connector  80  or to separate the housing  60  therefrom. In the following description, the end at which the housing  60  is fit in the mating connector  80  is referred to as the front. 
   The mating connector  80  is constructed as a male connector and has a mating housing  90  made of synthetic resin. The mating housing  90  has a terminal accommodation part  91 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . A wide rectangular hood  92  projects forward from the terminal accommodation part  91  and is open at the front end. Male terminal fittings (not shown) of different sizes are mounted in the terminal accommodation part  91  and front ends of the terminal fittings project into the hood  92 . 
   Upper and lower cam pins  93  project at a widthwise center of both upper and lower surfaces (longer-side surfaces) of the hood  92 . A flange  94  projects from the leading end of each cam pin  93  and extends around a front half of the circumference of the cam pin  93 . Left and right release ribs  95  project from the upper and lower surfaces of the hood  92  at both sides of the cam pin  93  for releasing a temporary holding state of the lever  20  at an initial rotational position of the lever  20 . Left and right guide ribs  96  extend longitudinally at left and right side surfaces (shorter-side surfaces) of the hood  92 . 
   The housing  60  is constructed as a female housing and is made of synthetic resin. As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the housing  60  has a block-shaped main body  61 . Upper and lower covering walls  62  are spaced at an interval from the respective upper and lower surfaces (longer-side surfaces) of the main body  61 . Connection walls  63  connect both side edges of the covering wall  62  to both respective side edges of the main body  61 . The main body  61  has cavities  64  for accommodating female terminal fittings therein. The cavities  64  are formed in different sizes in correspondence to different sizes of the terminal fittings. More specifically, small cavities  64  for small terminal fittings are disposed at the right part of  FIG. 5 , whereas large cavities  64  for large terminal fittings are disposed at the left part of  FIG. 5 . A lance  65  is formed on an inner wall of each cavity  64  for preventing the removal of the terminal fitting therefrom. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , a receiving groove  66  is formed by cutting out central portions of front ends of the upper and lower surfaces of the main body  61  for receiving the cam pin  93 . A step  67  is defined in the receiving groove  66  and locks to part of the lever  20  when the lever  20  is at the initial rotational position. Concavities  68  are formed at both sides of a rear end of the upper and lower surfaces of the main body  61  and receive a part of the lever  20  when the lever  20  is at a rotation-finish position. 
   Lever accommodation spaces  70  are disposed between the main body  61  and the covering wall  62  to accommodate parts of the lever  20 . Each lever accommodation space  70  penetrates the housing  60  longitudinally and is capable of receiving a cam pin  93  of the mating connector  80  from the front. Left and right walls  69  are connected with connection walls  63  for closing an open front portion of the lever accommodation space  70  except a move-in passage for the cam pin  93 . Upper and lower shafts  71  project at a widthwise center of an inner surface of the covering wall  62  and rotatably support the lever  20 . Each shaft  71  is approximately columnar and is disposed rearward from a rear end of the connection wall  63 . 
   Left and right receiving portions  72  are provided on left and right side surfaces (shorter-side surfaces) of the main body  61  for holding the lever  20  in a rotation-prevented state when the lever  20  has reached the rotation-finish position. Each receiving portion  72  defines a rearwardly open box that defines a trapezoid in side view with a sloped front end  73 . Upper and lower slits  74  (see  FIG. 6 ) are formed at a rear end of each receiving portion  72  and a rearwardly cantilevered receiving piece  75  is defined between the slits  74  of each receiving portion  72 . A receiving projection  76  projects from the free rear end of the receiving piece  75 . The provision of the left and right receiving portions  72  at left and right sides of the housing  60  enables the lever  20  to be mounted for rotation either clockwise or counterclockwise in accordance with space and other considerations. 
   The lever  20  also is made of synthetic resin. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the lever  20  has an operation part  21  and parallel arms  22  that project from opposite ends of the operation part  21 . Thus, the lever is substantially U-shaped. The lever  20  is rotatable between an initial rotational position shown in  FIG. 1  and a rotation-finish position shown in  FIG. 2 . A straight edge  23  is formed at the rear of the lever  20  in a direction in which the lever  20  rotates from the initial position to the finish position (see  FIG. 1 ). The straight edge  23  is approximately horizontal and parallel to the front end of the housing  60  when the lever  20  is at the rotation-finish position (see  FIG. 2 ). 
   Each arm  22  is plate-shaped and has a bearing  24  (see  FIGS. 2 through 4 ) spaced from the operation part  21 . The shafts  71  of the housing  60  can be inserted into the respective bearings  24  to support the lever  20  rotationally. Each arm  22  further includes a cam groove  25  spaced out from the bearing  24 . Each cam groove  25  extends in a predetermined direction and opens on the periphery of the respective arm  22 . The cam pins  93  move into the respective cam grooves  25  and engage the cam grooves  25 . A bridge  26  ( FIG. 1 ) is formed at an entrance of the cam groove  25 . Each arm  22  further includes a holding piece  27  spaced from the bearing  24  and the cam groove  25 . Each holding piece  27  is cantilevered in the rotational direction of the lever  20  and is capable of flexing resiliently in and out. A holding projection  28  (see  FIG. 7 ) projects in from the leading end of the holding piece  27  and is capable of engaging the corresponding release rib  95 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 8 , the operation part  21  is substantially square in a plan view and has a lever-locking part  31  spaced from the arms  22 . A rear beam  32  is formed at the rear end of the operation part  21  in the rotational direction of the lever  20 . The lever-locking part  31  includes an elastic piece  33  that is cantilevered forward from the rear beam  32  so that the elastic piece  33  can deform elastically in and out about the rear beam  32 . The elastic piece  33  has parallel left and right legs  34  that extend forward from the rear beam  32  and a lock  35  that connects front ends of the legs  34  to each other near the front end of the operation part  21 . A lever-locking hole  36  penetrates through the elastic piece  33  at a position between the legs  34  and rearward of the lock  35 . The lever-locking hole  36  can receive the receiving projection  76  of the receiving portion  72  from the outside. 
   Left and right elastic piece interlocking portions  37  project out from the outer surfaces of the legs  34 . A rib-shaped front beam  38  extends along the front end of the operation part  21  in the rotational direction thereof. The free front end of the elastic piece  33  is below the front beam  38  and is covered by the front beam  38 . More particularly, a part of the lock  35  overlaps the front beam  38  in the thickness direction of the operation part  21 . 
   A release portion  41  is formed on the operation part  31  between the rear beam  32  and the lock  35 . Left and right parallel supports  43  extend down from the release portion  41  and are provided at opposite sides of the elastic piece  33  so that slight gaps exist between the legs  34  and the supports  43 . The release portion  41  covers and straddles an intermediate portion of the lever-locking hole  36  and both legs  34 . An upper surface of the release portion  41  is stepped ascendingly in a return direction of the lever  20  to facilitate operability when an operator puts a finger on the upper surface of the release portion  41 . 
   The supports  43  are cantilevered from the rear beam  32  and have free ends that can be flexed in and out. A front end of each support  43  is at almost the same position as the front end of the elastic piece  33  and is almost on the same level as the front end of the elastic piece  33 . Trapezoidal vertical plates  45  extend from the front ends of the respective supports  43  to the rear end of the release portion  41 . Each vertical plate  45  has an upgrading slope  44  that extends from the front end of the respective support  43  to the front end of the release portion  41 . Left and right release portion interlocking projections  46  project inwardly from the inner surfaces of the vertical plates  45  at an upper position so that the release portion interlocking projections  46  overlap the respective elastic piece interlocking projections  37  in a direction in which the elastic piece  33  flexes. The release portion interlocking projections  46  interfere with the elastic piece interlocking projections  37  when the release portion  41  is pressed towards the elastic piece  33  to press the elastic piece interlocking projections  37  down and to guide a flexing operation of the elastic piece  33 . 
   Left and right excessive flexure prevention pieces  47  project out from the outer surfaces of the vertical plates  45  at positions higher than the release portion interlocking projections  46 . Receiving pieces  49  project in from the inner surfaces of grooves  48  ( FIG. 8 ) that partition the lever-locking part  31 . Each receiving piece  49  is at a lower position, and the receiving pieces  49  and the excessive flexure prevention pieces  47  overlap each other in a direction in which the support  43  flexes. The excessive flexure prevention pieces  47  interfere with the receiving pieces  49  when the release portion  41  is pressed excessively towards the elastic piece  33  to prevent further pressing of the release portion  41 . 
   The arms  22  of the lever  20  are inserted into the lever accommodation spaces  70  of the housing  60  from the rear. Each covering wall  62  is flexed so that the shaft  71  of the respective covering wall  62  enters the bearing portion  24  of the corresponding arm  22 . The holding piece  27  is locked to the locking step  67  of the receiving groove  66  of the main body  61  to hold the lever  20  at the initial rotational position. As a result, the straight edge  23  of the lever  20  inclines towards the rotation-finish position and the entrance of the cam groove  25  faces the fit-in surface of the housing  60 . In this state, the main body  61  of the housing  60  is fit in the hood  92  of the mating housing  90  sufficiently for the cam pin  93  to enter the cam groove  25 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Further one of the release ribs  95  contacts the holding piece  27  and elastically deforms the holding piece  27  out of engagement with the locking step  67 , thereby permitting rotation of the lever  20 . The operator holds the operating part  21  of the lever  20  and rotates the lever  20  clockwise in the direction shown by the arrow of  FIG. 1 . As a result, the cam pin  93  moves relatively towards the inward side of the cam groove  25  and produces a cam action for moving the housing  60  and the mating housing  90  towards one another. 
   The lever-locking part  31  arrives at the lever-lock receiving portion  72  before the lever  20  reaches the rotation-finish position. As a result, the lock  35  of the elastic piece  33  interferes with the receiving projection  76  of the receiving piece  75 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , and the elastic piece  33  is deformed elastically down so that the elastic piece  33  separates from the release portion  41 . The release portion  41  is not connected with the elastic piece  33 . Thus, the release portion  41  does not follow the elastic deformation of the elastic piece  33 . When the lever  20  has reached the rotation-finish position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the holding piece  27  is fit in the concavity  68 , the lock  35  rides across the receiving projection  76 , the elastic piece  33  elastically returns to its original state, the receiving projection  76  fits in the lever-locking hole  36  of the elastic piece  33 , and the lock  35  and the receiving projection  76  are locked together. Thus, rotation of the lever  20  in a return direction is prevented. The cam pin  93  reaches the inward end of the cam groove  25  when the lever  20  has reached the rotation-finish position, and the main body  61  is fit in the hood  92  to a normal depth. Thus, female and male terminal fittings are connected electrically to each other. 
   A pressing force is imparted to the release portion  41  in a direction shown with an arrow of  FIG. 3  to separate the connectors  10  and  80  for maintenance or the like. Thereafter with the support  43  being flexed, the release portion  41  is displaced toward the elastic piece  33 . The release portion interlocking projection  46  contacts the elastic piece interlocking projection  37  as the release portion  41  is displaced. The release portion interlocking projection  46  presses the elastic piece interlocking projection  37  down as the release portion is pressed further. As a result, the elastic piece  33  deforms elastically down. The lock  35  separates from the receiving projection  76  when the elastic piece  33  is deformed a predetermined amount. Thus the lever-lock receiving projection  76  is unlocked from the lock  35  to permit the lever  20  to rotate in the return direction. A front-end slope  88  of the lock  35  and that of the receiving projection  76  slide with each other, as shown in  FIG. 4 , as the lever  20  is rotated in the return direction to separate the housings  60  and  90  from each other. 
   The release portion  41  of the lever-locking part  31  is between the rear beam  32  and the lock  35 . Thus, the entire length of the lever-locking part  31  is shortened, as compared with the case in which the rear beam  32 , the lock  35 , and the release portion  41  are arranged in a row. 
   The distance between the rear beam  32  and the lock  35  is long. Thus the flexure amount of the elastic piece  33  is obtained when the lock  35  locks the lever-lock receiving portion  72  thereto. 
   The lever-locking part  31  is within the range of the operation part  21 . More particularly, the rear beam  32  is disposed at the rear end of the operation part  21  and the lock  35  is disposed at the front end of the operation part  21 . Therefore, it is possible to obtain a sufficient flexure of the elastic piece  33  and a favorable feeling in the locking operation without making the lever  20  large. 
   The release portion  41  is not connected to the elastic piece  33 . The release portion  41  deforms the elastic piece  33  in the unlocking direction through the release portion interlocking projection  46  and the elastic piece interlocking projection  37  between the elastic piece  33  and the release portion  41 . Therefore it is possible to flex the elastic piece  33  smoothly and to design the release portion  41  and the elastic piece  33  with a high degree of freedom. 
   The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are included in the technical scope of the invention. 
   The release portion may be at a position where the release portion covers the lock so that the release portion overlaps the lock in the direction in which the elastic piece flexes. 
   The elastic piece may be supported at opposite ends. 
   The lock may be provided at the intermediate portion of the elastic piece. 
   The receiving portion may be at the hood of the mating connector or the terminal accommodation part thereof. 
   The lever-locking part may be provided at the arm. 
   The lever may be rotatably provided on the male housing.