Lever structure of electric connection box

A lever structure of an electric connection box comprising:

• a lever support portion, having a pair of support side plates, formed on an upper casing on which a connector is mounted;
• a lever member pivotally supported on support shafts formed respectively on said support side plates, and said lever member being pivotally moved about said support shafts, so that guide pins, provided at a lower casing, are guided and moved upward and downward respectively by guide grooves, formed in said lever member, thereby connecting and disconnecting a connector, which is provided at said lower casing, and is movable upward and downward together with said guide pins, relative to said first-mentioned connector, said operating portion of said lever member has a hollow configuration;
• and
• retaining projections, formed on an operating portion of said lever member, retainingly engaged respectively with retaining projections, formed respectively on said support side plates, in a connector-connecting position.

An electric connection box comprising:

• a connection box body having a lever member pivotally supported on an upper surface thereof through support shafts of lever support portions, and having a connector portion provided at a lower side thereof;
• a lower cover removably receiving said connection box body in a manner to cover the lower side of said connection box body, and having a mating connector movably provided within said lower cover;
• each of guide pins, formed on said mating connector, introduced and engaged in a cam groove, formed in an associated cam side plate of said lever member, through a guide pin-introducing port of said cam groove, and said lever member being pivotally moved from a provisionally-retaining position to a completely-retaining position so as to guide each guide pin along said cam groove, thereby moving said mating connector in such a direction as to fit it into said connector portion;
• retaining means for locking said connection box body and said lower cover to each other in a mutually-fitted condition only when said lever member is in said provisionally-retaining position where each guide pin can be introduced into said introducing port of said cam groove, and said retaining means is provided on those portions of said connection box body and said lower cover to be opposed to each other;
• and
• a projected portion formed on that portion of an outer peripheral surface of said cam side plate, disposed in opposite relation to said introducing port, and said projected portion projecting outwardly beyond an obverse surface of an operating portion of said lever member.

A structure of fitting a connector into an electric connection box comprising:

• a connection box body having a lever support portion formed at an upper surface thereof and a connector portion formed at a lower side thereof for fitting on the mating connector;
• a lower cover covering the lower side of said connection box body, and having a connector retaining portion formed on a bottom surface thereof, said mating connector to be fitted into said connector portion being adapted to be retained on said connector retaining portion;
• a lever member pivotally supported on support shafts of said lever support portion, and pivotally moved to bring said mating connector into and out of fitting engagement with said connector portion;
• and
• guide means for guiding said mating connector, which is to be retained on said connector retaining portion, into a proper fitting position relative to said connector portion, said guide means being provided on a side wall of said lower cover.

A structure of fitting a connector into an electric connection box comprising:

• a connection box body having electric part-mounting portions and a side wall formed on and projecting from an upper surface thereof, and having a connector portion formed at a lower side thereof;
• and
• a lever member pivotally supported on a lever support portion on said connection box body, and pivotally moved to bring the mating connector into and out of fitting engagement with said connector portion, when said mating connector is completely fitted in said connector portion, a distal end of said mating connector projects beyond said upper surface,
• wherein said lever member is supported on said lever support portion in such a manner that when said mating connector is completely fitted in said connector portion, a height of said lever member from said upper surface is equal to at least one of a height of said side wall from said upper surface, a height of said distal end of said mating connector from said upper surface and a height of said electric part-mounting portions from said upper surface.