Connector locking mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9583876-B2
Application number	US-201514953465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

With leverage of a second arm, in a connector locking mechanism that releases a lock of a first arm that corresponds to a locking arm body, a working face of a supporting portion of the second arm is arranged on an upper surface of an upper wall portion of a fitting hood portion of a second connector housing. The fitting hood portion fits with respect to a first connector housing. The working face of the supporting portion of each of a pair of the second arms is arranged so as to be a plane perpendicular to a pressing-down direction of an operating end of each of the second arms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector locking mechanism in which an operating end of a second arm is pressed down so as to swing the second arm by utilizing a contact point as a fulcrum where the contact point being arranged on a supporting portion to be in contact with a working face on a second connector housing and to be opposed to the working face, and so as to lift a free end of a first arm utilizing leverage of the second arm where the free end of the first arm is coupled to a loading end on an opposite side of the operating end interposing the fulcrum, and release engagement of a locking protrusion with respect to an engaging recess portion, comprising:
in a case where a fitting direction and a fitting releasing direction of a first connector housing and the second connector housing that fit into each other are defined as longitudinal direction and directions that are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and are perpendicular to each other are defined as vertical direction and lateral direction,
a locking arm arranged on an upper side of an upper wall of the first connector housing so as to be flexible in the vertical direction; and
the locking protrusion arranged so as to protrude on an upper side of an upper wall of the second connector housing, configured so as to engage with the locking arm using flexure of the locking arm when the first connector housing and the second connector housing fit into each other, and configured so as to generate locking force for preventing the first connector housing and the second connector housing from moving in the fitting releasing direction in the engaging state,
wherein the locking arm integrally includes:
a first arm formed in a cantilever shape and extending the free end forward from a fixing end fixed on the upper wall of the first connector housing so that the free end is displaceable in the vertical direction due to flexibility of the first arm; and
the second arm in which:
the loading end to be a point of load of a lever at the free end of the first arm is coupled to the second arm;
the operating end extends backward from the loading end, and is arranged so as to be a point of effort of the lever at a rear end; and
the supporting portion is arranged so as to be the fulcrum of the lever on a lower surface between the operating end and the loading end,

the free end of the first arm includes:
the engaging recess portion configured to engage with the locking protrusion; and
an engaging wall portion positioned on a front side of the engaging recess portion, configured to slide with respect to the locking protrusion in accordance with a fitting between the first connector housing and the second connector housing so that the first arm bends upward and the free end of the first arm is displaced upward, configured to get over the locking protrusion in accordance with progress of the fitting between the first connector housing and the second connector housing, and configured to engage the locking protrusion with the engaging recess portion due to return operation of the flexure of the first arm after the engaging wall portion gets over the locking protrusion so as to generate the locking force between the locking protrusion and the engaging wall portion, and

the working face opposed to the supporting portion of the second arm is arranged on an upper surface of the upper wall of the second connector housing, the upper wall of the second connector housing to be fitted to the first connector housing.

2. The connector locking mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the working face opposed to the supporting portion of the second arm is arranged on an upper surface of an upper wall of a fitting hood portion formed on the second connector housing, the fitting hood portion fitting the second connector housing into an external circumference of a housing body of the first connector housing.

3. The connector locking mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein a pair of the second arms are arranged on both outsides of the first arm in the lateral direction,
operating ends of the pair of the second arms are integrally coupled to each other, and
the working face opposed to the supporting portion of each of the pair of the second arms is arranged so as to be a plane perpendicular to a pressing-down direction of the operating end of each of the second arms.

Assignees

• Yazaki Corp

Inventors

• Sekino Tetsuya

Classifications

• H01R13/62933 Primary

  Comprising exclusively pivoting lever · CPC title

• H01R13/6272

  comprising a single latching arm · CPC title

• H01R13/633

  for disengagement only {(in combination with safety switch H01R13/7132)} · CPC title