JP2002175851A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably ensure a locking margin with respect to a terminal locking lance by precisely positioning a terminal to be within a connector housing. SOLUTION: This connector 1 has the terminal positioned at least with respect to the terminal locking lance 18 of the connector housing, by installing hole 20 for terminal positioning at the front end part of the connector housing 2, to form a protruded 11 in the front end of the terminal 5 and by locking the protruded part to the hole part. The hole 20 comprises being surrounded by an extended insulation wall 7 of the right and left sides, to constitute a terminal housing room 10 and by top/bottom coupling walls 8, 9 to tie the front end parts of the right/left extending insulation walls. A front holder 3, having a counterpart terminal insertion hole 22, is mounted on the front end part of the connector housing 2, and the counterpart terminal insertion hole and the hole part 20 are made to communicate. A pair of the protruded parts 11 is made to counterpoise opposed. The protruded part 28, for locking for the locking lance 18, is formed in the front end side of the terminal 5. The protruded part 28 is protruded higher than the extending insulation wall 7, and the locking lance is positioned higher than the extending insulation wall.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector capable of accurately positioning a terminal within a connector housing and stably securing an allowance for a terminal locking lance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
000-58180). The connector 51 includes a connector housing 52 made of synthetic resin,
A synthetic resin front holder 54 fitted into the front opening 53 of the connector housing 52;
2, a female terminal 56 with an electric wire inserted into the terminal housing 55, and an opening 5 in a lower wall 57 of the connector housing 52.
8 and a synthetic resin spacer 59 inserted in the terminal insertion orthogonal direction.

The terminal accommodating chambers 55 are arranged in a plurality of stages (three in this embodiment) and in parallel in the width direction. Each terminal accommodating chamber 55 includes left and right (widthwise) partitions (outer walls at left and right ends) and upper and lower partitions 61 (upper and lower walls 62 at upper and lower ends.
57). The upper and lower partitions 61 extend to a longitudinally intermediate portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 55.

A flexible terminal locking lance 63 is integrally formed in front of the upper and lower partitions 61. The locking lance 63 is formed obliquely upward, and has, at its tip, a locking surface 65 perpendicular to the front step 64 (FIG. 7) of the terminal 56. A bending space is provided below the locking lance 63. Note that the definition of “up and down” in the specification is for convenience of description, and does not always coincide with the direction of the connector 51 when actually used. "Before and after" is defined as connector 51
Is defined as the front and the lead-out side is defined as the rear.

In front of the locking lance 63, upper and lower partitions 61 are provided.
The front portion of the terminal accommodating chamber 55 communicates vertically and continues to a rectangular front opening 53. At the periphery of the front opening 53, a portion for inserting the front holder 54 is formed.
Locking means (not shown) for the front holder 54 is provided.

The front holder 54 is a short horizontal partition 6 that forms part of the upper and lower partitions 61 of the connector housing 52.
6. The partition 66 is provided at a right angle from the vertical wall of the front holder 54, and the tip of the terminal 56 can be arranged between the upper and lower partitions 66. In the wall 67 between the upper and lower partitions 66, an insertion hole 68 for a contact tab of a mating male terminal (not shown) and a jig rod insertion for releasing the engagement of the terminal 56 are provided. A hole 69 is provided.

By providing a front opening 53 in the connector housing 52 and closing the front opening 53 with the front holder 54, the front opening 53 also serves as a die-cutting hole, and the resin of the locking lance 63 having a fine shape is formed. The molding can be easily performed, and the molding accuracy of the locking lance 63 is improved.

The spacer 59 is composed of upper and lower partitions 76, an operation wall 79 at the lower end, and a vertical side wall (not shown) connecting each partition 76 and the operation wall 79. The pitch of the upper and lower partitions 76 matches the pitch of the upper and lower partitions 61 of the terminal accommodating chamber 55, and in a state where the operation wall 79 is drawn downward,
The terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 55. The connector housing 52 is provided with a vertical spacer insertion hole (opening) 58. The spacer insertion hole 58 communicates with each terminal accommodating chamber 55.

The terminal 56 has a female electrical contact 70 on the front side.
(FIG. 7), each has a wire connection portion 71 (FIG. 6) on the rear side, and the electric contact portion 70 is constituted by a box-shaped peripheral wall and an elastic contact piece in the peripheral wall. The electric wire connection portion 71 includes a crimping piece on the front side for crimping the core portion of the insulated wire 72 and a crimping piece on the rear side for crimping and fixing the insulating coating.
A step 64 (FIG. 7) for locking to the locking lance 63 is formed on the distal end side of the electric contact portion 70, and a rear end of the electric contact portion 70 is formed to a step 73 for locking to the spacer 59 (FIG. 7). 7).

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 74 denotes a flexible lock arm for a mating female connector (not shown). The connector 51 in FIG. 6 is a male connector, and the female connector (not shown) has a connector fitting chamber for the male connector 51 and the male terminal. The contact tab of the male terminal is projected.

The front holder 54 is mounted on the front opening 53 of the connector housing 52 and the spacer 59 is inserted into the insertion hole 5.
The terminal 56 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 55 from the rear opening in a state where the terminal 56 is temporarily locked (temporarily pushed). In FIG. 6, the terminal 56 at the bottom is completely inserted, and the terminals 56 at the second and third stages are completely inserted.
Indicates a state during insertion. With the insertion of the terminal 56, the locking lance 63 bends downward, and at the same time as the terminal 56 is completely inserted, the locking lance 63 is restored and engages with the step 64 on the distal end side of the terminal 56. Thereby, the terminal 56 is primarily locked.

In order to ensure the locking of the terminal 56, the spacer 59 is pushed upward and fully locked, so that the partition wall 76 and the operation wall 79 of the spacer 59 are connected to the step 73 (the rear side of the terminal 56). 7), and the terminal 56 is secondarily locked. Depending on the type of the connector 51, the spacer 59 may not be used. In that case, the terminal 56 is locked only by the locking lance 63.

[0013]

However, in the above-described conventional connector 51, a connector housing 52 is provided.
Of the front holder 53 in the front opening 53 depending on the variation in the fitting dimension between the front opening 53 and the front holder 54.
4 causes backlash, in which case, as shown in FIG.
There is a concern that the locking margin (jagging margin) L between the step 64 on the front side of 6 and the locking lance 63 decreases, and the locking force of the terminal 56 decreases. Further, there is a concern that the locking margin L may be reduced due to the accumulated error between the front holder 54 and the connector housing 52. These are particularly important problems when the spacer 59 for secondary locking is not used.
Even when the spacer 59 is used, if the terminal 56 is inserted into the connector housing 52 and then a strong tensile force acts on the electric wire 72 before the spacer 59 is pushed in, the terminal 56 may easily come off. was there. In this case, there is a concern that re-insertion of the terminal 56 may require extra time, which is not preferable in terms of quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a connector which can stably lock a terminal with little or no variation in locking force of the terminal due to a locking lance. The purpose is to:

[0015]

In order to achieve the above object, a connector according to the present invention is provided with a hole for positioning a terminal at a front end of a connector housing, and a terminal to be inserted into the connector housing. A protrusion is formed at the front end to enter and engage the hole, and the terminal engages the hole to position the terminal with respect to at least a terminal locking lance of the connector housing. (Claim 1). It is also effective that the hole is configured to be surrounded by left and right extension partitions constituting the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing, and upper and lower connection walls connecting front ends of the left and right extension partitions. Item 2). It is also effective that a front holder having a mating terminal insertion hole is attached to a front end of the connector housing, and the mating terminal insertion hole communicates with the hole. It is also effective that a pair of the protrusions of the terminal are formed so as to face each other. It is also effective that a protrusion for locking to the terminal locking lance is formed on the front end side of the terminal (claim 5). It is also effective that the locking projection projects higher than the extension partition wall, and the terminal locking lance is positioned higher than the extension partition wall.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of a connector housing, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are a plan view, a side view, and a front view showing the terminal.

The connector 1 is composed of a male connector housing 2 made of synthetic resin, a front holder 3, a spacer 4, and a female terminal 5 made of metal.
Left and right vertical partitions 7 (FIGS. 2 and 3) extend in the terminal insertion direction toward the front opening 6, and upper and lower partitions for connecting the front ends of the left and right partitions (extended partitions) 7 horizontally. The connecting walls (connecting portions) 8 and 9 (FIGS. 2 and 4) are formed, and the hole 20 for terminal positioning is formed between the left and right partition walls 7 and the upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9. A front side of the terminal accommodating chamber 10 is formed, and furthermore, upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9
, That is, a pair of left and right positioning projections 11 that engage with the holes 20 are formed.

The front holder 3 does not have upper and lower partitions (FIG. 6) as in the prior art, but only has a mating terminal insertion hole 13 in a vertical wall portion 12. Front holder 3
6 instead of the upper and lower partitions (FIG. 6).
Upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9 facing the front opening 6 of FIG.
Is provided.

The right and left vertical partition walls 7 extend from the rear opening 14 of the connector housing 2 to the front opening 6 (more precisely, the rear end 6a of the housing opening 6 for the front holder 3). The left and right partition walls 7 are provided corresponding to the plurality of vertical and horizontal terminal receiving chambers 10, and the partition walls outside the right and left terminal receiving chambers 10 also serve as left and right outer walls (not shown) of the connector housing 2. . “Left and right” means the width direction of the connector 1 arranged horizontally, and “up and down” means the height direction of the connector 1 similarly.

The upper and lower partitions 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 10 (FIG. 1)
Is formed from the rear half of the connector housing 2 to a position slightly extended forward from the rear half of the connector housing 2.
The front side of 0 communicates up and down as before. However,
The connecting walls 8 and 9 as upper and lower partitions are formed only at the front end of the terminal accommodating chamber 10. The length of the connecting walls 8 and 9 in the front-rear direction is substantially equal to or slightly longer than the length of the protrusion 11 at the tip of the terminal 5. The upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9 are positioned horizontally facing each other vertically, and the connecting walls 8 and 9 are formed to be thinner than the right and left vertical partition walls 7 (FIG. 2). Connecting walls 8, 9
On the inner side of the tip of the terminal 5, there are formed tapered guide surfaces 8a and 9a for the protrusion 11 of the terminal 5.

Between the upper connecting wall 8 of the lower terminal receiving chamber 10 and the lower connecting wall 9 of the upper terminal receiving chamber 10, a space 17 communicating with the terminal receiving chamber 10 is provided. A flexible locking lance 18 of the connector housing 2 is located behind the space 17. The front of the space 17 is sealed by the vertical wall 12 of the front holder 3, and the front ends of the connecting walls 8 and 9 are also in contact with the rear end surface of the wall 12. The lower connecting wall 9 ′ of the lowermost terminal accommodating chamber 10 is integrally and thickly projected from the lower wall 19 of the connector housing 2, and also serves as a stop wall for abutting the front holder 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a rectangular hole 20 penetrating in the terminal insertion direction is formed by being surrounded by the right and left partition walls 7 and the upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9. The height (vertical width) of the hole 20 is formed to be smaller than the height of the terminal accommodating chamber 10. The protrusion 11 at the tip of the terminal 5 enters and engages with the hole 20,
The upper and lower portions of the distal end of the box-shaped electrical contact portion 21 of the terminal 5 abut on the rear edge of the hole 20, that is, the rear end surfaces of the upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9. The tip of the electrical contact portion 21 of the terminal 5 is accurately positioned by the hole 20. From the front of the hole 20, a plate-shaped electric contact portion of a mating male terminal (not shown) is inserted into the electric contact portion 21 of the terminal 5 in the terminal accommodating chamber 10.

Since the electrical contact portion 21 of the terminal 5 is accurately positioned in the hole 20, the insertion accuracy of the mating male terminal (not shown) is enhanced, and the electrical contact portion 21 is accurately inserted into the electrical contact portion 21 without twisting or the like. And the reliability of the electrical connection is increased. Further, the insertion position of the terminal 5 is accurately defined by the hole 20 and the terminal 5
Are held in the terminal accommodating chamber 10 without play, so that the locking allowance with the locking lance 18 is accurately defined without variation, and the terminal 5 is always accurately locked with a strong locking force.

The hole 20 is concentric with the rectangular counter terminal insertion hole 22 of the front holder 3 at the front. The mating terminal insertion hole 22 has a tapered terminal guide surface 22a on the entrance side. The front holder 3 is locked to the inner peripheral edge of the front opening 6 of the connector housing 2 by locking means (not shown) such as locking projections and engaging holes.

Left and right partitions 7 perpendicular to the left and right of the space 17
The left and right partitions 7 are located above and below the space 17. The space 17 communicates with the inner surface of the outer wall (not shown) in the width direction of the connector, and the right and left partitions 7 are arranged in the latter half of the terminal accommodating chamber 10 in the upper and lower horizontal partitions 16 (FIG. 2) or the upper and lower walls 24 and 19.
It is orthogonal to (FIG. 1). The locking lance 1 is directed obliquely downward from the upper and lower partitions 16 (FIG. 2) or the upper wall 24 (FIG. 1).
8 are protruded. A lance bending space 17a is located above the locking lance 18 and between the upper surface of the locking lance 18 and the lower surface of the upper terminal 5. The bending space 17a communicates with the space 17. A spacer insertion hole 25 is located behind the locking lance 18.

As shown in FIG. 2, the locking lance 18 is formed to be wide and has a vertical locking surface 26 at the left half of the tip and an inclined unlocking surface 27 at the right half. The locking surface 26 is in contact with the rear end surface of the locking projection 28 on the upper end of the terminal 5, that is, the step 28 a (FIG. 5). The tip of a jig bar (not shown) is brought into contact with the unlocking surface 27 (FIG. 2), whereby the locking lance 18 is bent upward, and the step portion 28a
The engagement with (FIG. 5) is released. A jig rod insertion hole (not shown) is provided in the front holder 3 (FIG. 1).

The locking surface 26 and the locking release surface 27 of the locking lance 18 (FIG. 2) are formed at the tip of a horizontal straight portion 29 on the tip side, and the straight portion 29 continues to the middle inclined portion 30. The inclined portion 30 continues to a horizontal straight portion 31 on the rear end side, and the straight portion 31 continues to the horizontal partition 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 10. The locking lance 18 in FIG. 2 shows only one form,
There may be no straight portion 29 on the distal end side, and a locking surface 26 and a locking release surface 27 may be formed at the distal end of the inclined portion 30, or no locking release surface 27 may be provided. The shape of the locking lance 18 is arbitrary. “Lance” means “spear”, but the locking lance 18 is not limited to a spear shape, and may be in various forms such as an arm shape.

Further, a step 28 for locking on the distal end side of the terminal 5 is provided.
a also depends on the shape of the locking lance 18.
A hole (not shown) for engaging a locking projection (not shown) provided on the terminal 5 may be provided, or a pair of left and right elastic curl pieces as another form of the female electrical contact portion 21 of the terminal 5. When a not-shown (not shown) is used, the distal end surfaces of the locking lances 18 may be abutted and locked to the rear ends of the pair of elastic curl pieces. Regardless of the terminal 5, the tip projection 11 that engages with the hole 20 at the tip of the connector housing 2 is essential.

The terminal 5 in the present embodiment is shown in FIGS.
As shown in (c), the first half has a box-shaped electric contact portion 21 and the second half has an electric wire crimping portion 32 (FIG. 1) as an electric wire connection portion. Vertical side wall 33
A rectangular projection 11 is integrally extended at the tip of the.

The protrusion 11 is located on the same plane as the side wall 33 at the center of the side wall 33 in the height direction. The vertical length of the protrusion 11 is shorter than the height of the side wall 33, for example, the side wall 33.
Is about half the height of the A hole 20 on the front end side of the connector housing 2 (FIG. 2)
Guide surface 11a for both sides of the taper guide, and tapered guide chamfer 11b for the upper and lower connecting walls 8, 9 (FIG. 2).
And has been given.

At the same time as inserting the terminal 5 into the connector housing 2, the pair of left and right protrusions 11
To the terminal receiving chamber 10 (FIG. 1) and the locking lance 1.
8 is accurately positioned. Since the tip of the terminal 5 is positioned, a step 28a (FIG. 5) is provided on the tip of the terminal 5 and the step 28a is locked by the locking lance 18. It is extremely effective for securing.

In particular, since the protrusion 11 at the tip of the terminal 5 is held between the upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9 without any play in the vertical direction, the protrusion protrudes further above the upper connecting wall 8. Stopping projection 28 and locking surface 26 at the tip of locking lance 18
Positioning with respect to (FIG. 2) is performed accurately, and the locking margin L ₁ (FIG. 1) of the terminal 5 is always stably secured. The engagement margin L ₁ is the length of the lap height direction between the projection 28 and the locking surface 26.

Further, if the pair of projections 11 at the tips can be elastically bent inward in the plate thickness direction, the pair of projections 11 bend elastically even if the width of the hole 20 is narrow. Since the terminal 5 is inserted into the hole 20 and closely adheres to the inner surface of the hole 20, that is, the inner surfaces of the left and right extension partitions 7, the positioning of the terminal 5 can be performed more accurately. The pair of protrusions 11 also elastically bend in the height direction with respect to the upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9, so that the inner surface of the similar hole 20, that is, the upper and lower connecting walls 8 and 9.
And the terminal 5 is positioned more accurately.

The projecting portion 28 for locking the terminal 5 is
1 is constructed by extending the left side wall 33 upward and bending it into a substantially inverted concave shape. A step 28a on the front end side is formed by the rear end surface of the projection 28, and the projection 28 is
In accordance with the position of the locking surface 26 of FIG.
1 is located on the left half side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the height of the rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall constituting the electrical contact portion 21, that is, the height of the side wall 33 is the height (vertical length) of the left and right extension partitions 7 on the front side of the connector housing 2. It is set equal to or slightly higher than that. When the terminal 5 is completely inserted as shown in FIG.
8 protrudes above the upper connecting wall 8. Then, the upper protrusion 28 is locked by the locking lance 18 as shown in FIG.

By projecting the upper wall 34 of the electrical contact portion 21 slightly higher than the right and left partitions 7 as shown in FIGS. The right half locking release surface 27 can be positioned above the left and right partition walls 7. Enlarging the width of the locking lance 18 increases the locking force. Actually, the width of the terminal 5 is extremely small, for example, about 3 mm.
Similarly, the width of 8 is small, and there is no concern that the sliding resistance with the locking lance 18 at the time of terminal insertion increases.

As shown in FIG. 5, the length of the upper protrusion 28 in the front-rear direction is as short as, for example, about 1/5 of the length of the electric contact portion 21. Behind the upper protrusion 28, a protrusion 35 for secondary locking to the spacer 4 (FIG. 1) is formed with the same width as the width of the electric contact portion. The rear protrusion 35 is located lower than the front primary locking protrusion 28. Similarly to the front protrusion 28, the rear protrusion 35 is formed by extending the side wall 33 of the electrical contact portion 21 upward and bending it into a substantially inverted concave shape. The rear end of the rear projection 35 is a locking step 35a.
Becomes The step portion 35a coincides with the rear end of the electric contact portion 21,
The rear end of the electric contact portion 21 is connected to the rear electric wire connection portion 32 (FIG. 1) via an intermediate connecting portion 36.

In the electric contact portion 21, an elastic contact piece 37 is formed on the lower side and a contact projection 38 is formed on the upper side, and a mating male terminal (not shown) is provided between the two. The tab-like electric contact portions are inserted and connected simultaneously with the fitting of the male and female connectors.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the spacer 4 is inserted downward from an opening 25 in the upper wall 24 of the connector housing 2 into an insertion hole (substituted by reference numeral 25) in a direction perpendicular to the terminal insertion. Each wall 39 is a step 3 on the rear side of the terminal 5.
5a. Each wall portion 39 is integrally connected to the upper operation wall 40 via a lateral vertical connecting wall (not shown). The terminal 5 is inserted in a state where the spacer 4 is pulled out one step upward from the state of FIG. 1 (temporary locking state). Spacer 4
Are temporarily and permanently locked to the connector housing 2 by a not-shown temporary locking means and a full locking means.

A so-called side spacer (not shown) is used as the spacer 4, and the spacer is inserted horizontally through an opening (not shown) provided in the side wall of the connector housing 2 so that the terminal 5 is formed on the plate-like wall. It is also possible to lock the rear step 35a.

The protruding portion 11 at the tip of the terminal 5 can be formed not only in the box-shaped electric contact portion 21 but also in an electric contact portion (not shown) having a pair of left and right elastic curl pieces.
Further, the shape of the protruding portion 11 at the tip is not limited to a plate shape, and may be, for example, a substantially U-shaped bend. Further, the protrusion 11 is formed to extend horizontally on the upper and lower walls 34 and 41 of the box-shaped electric contact portion 21, and the inner surfaces of the protrusion 11 are engaged with the outer surfaces of the upper and lower connection walls 8 and 9. You may do so.

Further, if possible on the resin molding, a front end wall (not shown) having the same shape as the front holder 3 is formed integrally with the connector housing 2 without using the front holder 3, and the front end wall (not shown) is formed. (Not shown), the left and right extended partition walls 7 and the upper and lower connecting walls 8, 9 may be integrally formed. In this case, the rectangular hole 20 surrounded by the left and right extension partition walls 7 and the upper and lower connecting walls communicates with the mating terminal insertion hole 22 in the front end wall (not shown), and the front end of the terminal 5 is inserted into the hole 20. Projecting portion 11 is engaged.

[0043]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the terminal protruding portion of the terminal engages with the front end hole of the connector housing without play, so that the terminal is connected to the connector housing. Accurately positioned, the terminal locking lance and terminal of the connector housing are accurately positioned,
The locking margin between the terminal locking lance and the terminal is always ensured stably. Thereby, regardless of, for example, variations in dimensions of the front holder mounted on the front end portion of the connector housing and play, the terminal locking force is always stably secured, and the terminal is reliably prevented from coming off. And, without using a spacer for terminal secondary locking, the quality is sufficiently guaranteed,
The cost can be reduced by eliminating the spacer.

Further, since the position of the front end of the terminal is accurately defined in the connector housing, the mating terminal can be smoothly inserted into the terminal without twisting or interference, thereby preventing the terminal from being deformed or damaged. And the reliability of the electrical connection is improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, for example, the protrusion at the front end of the terminal is engaged between the upper and lower connecting walls without any play in the vertical direction, so that the terminal is obliquely above the upper connecting wall. The terminal is accurately locked to the terminal locking lance which is positioned and can be flexed in the vertical direction without vertical displacement.
As a result, the locking margin between the terminal locking lance and the terminal, that is, the locking force of the terminal is always stably secured, and the terminal is reliably prevented from coming off. In addition, since the front ends of the left and right extension partitions are connected by the upper and lower connecting walls, resin molding of the connector housing is facilitated, and a molding die is simplified.
Cost is reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the front holder can be mounted irrespective of the terminal positioning operation, so that the fitting dimension of the front holder to the front end of the connector housing can be set roughly. , Thereby reducing component costs. Also, when the mating terminal is inserted from the mating terminal insertion hole of the front holder through the hole at the front end of the connector housing, the front end of the terminal is engaged with the hole and is positioned. Regardless of the positional accuracy, the mating terminal is accurately inserted and connected to the terminal in the connector housing without twisting or interference. Also in this case, the position accuracy of the mating terminal insertion hole may be rough, and the component cost of the front holder is reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pair of projections at the front end of the terminal are inserted into the hole without play, for example, along the right and left partition walls, and the pair of projections are connected to the upper and lower connecting walls. The front end of the terminal is positioned accurately in the two-dimensional directions (up, down, left, and right) without backlash by contacting the inner surface of the terminal without any backlash. Is more stable.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the protrusion at the front end of the terminal engages with the hole at the front end of the connector housing, particularly the front end of the terminal is accurately positioned. Provision of a locking protrusion on the front end side of the lock allows the positioning of the locking protrusion and the locking lance to be performed more accurately, and a locking margin with the locking lance to be more accurately secured. Thus, the locking force of the terminal is further stabilized.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the locking projection protrudes higher than the extension partition, the terminal locking lance can be securely locked without interfering with the left and right partitions. Of the terminal can be caught and the locking property of the terminal is improved. In addition, since the terminal locking lance is positioned higher than the extension partition and does not interfere with the extension partition, the width of the terminal locking lance can be set wider to increase the terminal locking force.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a connector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the connector housing.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

5A and 5B show one mode of a terminal, wherein FIG. 5A is a plan view, FIG. 5B is a side view, and FIG. 5C is a front view.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one form of a conventional connector.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a terminal locking structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector 2 Connector housing 3 Front holder 5 Terminal 7 Extension partition (partition) 8, 9 Connecting wall 10 Terminal accommodating chamber 11 Projection (positioning projection) 18 Terminal locking lance 20 Hole 22 Mating terminal insertion hole 28 Projection Part (projection for locking)

Claims (6)

[Claims] A terminal for positioning a terminal is provided at a front end of the connector housing, and a protrusion is formed at a front end of a terminal inserted into the connector housing so as to enter and engage with the hole. The connector is characterized in that the terminal is positioned with respect to at least the terminal locking lance of the connector housing by engaging the portion with the hole. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hole is surrounded by left and right extension partitions forming a terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing, and upper and lower connection walls connecting front ends of the left and right extension partitions. The connector according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The connector holder according to claim 1, wherein a front holder having a mating terminal insertion hole is attached to a front end of the connector housing, and the mating terminal insertion hole communicates with the hole. connector. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the protrusions of the terminal are formed so as to face each other. 5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion for locking the terminal locking lance is formed on a front end side of the terminal. 6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the locking projection projects higher than the extension partition wall, and the terminal locking lance is positioned higher than the extension partition wall.