JP2003272749A - Connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely exert a detection function for a terminal fitting. <P>SOLUTION: In a connector housing 1, a retainer mounting hole 8 is opened from its upper surface to both its side faces. When a retainer 7 is moved from its tentative lock position to its regular lock position, the entire retainer 7 is moved to the oblique front side by the guide surfaces 22-25, so that the retainer 7 is always guided to a determined position by absorbing forward and backward dispersion of the fitting position of the retainer 7 to the mounting hole 8. Thereby, the retainer 7 and the terminal fitting 4 can always be set in a regular positional, so that dispersion of an incomplete insertion detection function of the terminal fitting 4 due to dispersion of the mounting position of the retainer 7 can be eliminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a so-called side retainer type in which a retainer mounting hole is provided on a side surface of a connector housing, and the retainer is pushed from this hole to be engaged with a terminal fitting.

[0003]

In the side retainer type, since the retainer is locked in a direction substantially orthogonal to the inserting direction of the terminal fitting, it can be said that it is an excellent method in that the terminal fitting is securely locked. However, even with this method, there is still room for improvement in the following points.

That is, a predetermined clearance is set between the retainer mounting hole and the retainer, including the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. This is unavoidable in order to smoothly push the retainer. Therefore,
Due to such clearance, the mounting position of the retainer may be varied back and forth in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting. Also,
Since the retainer has a similar clearance inside the retainer mounting hole, that is, inside the housing, the retainer is allowed to be mounted in an inclined posture.

Therefore, for example, when the retainer is mounted on the most front side with respect to the retainer mounting hole and the entire retainer is mounted with a slight inclination toward the rear, the terminal fitting is inserted to the normal depth. However, there is a concern that the retainer may interfere with the terminal fitting. In such a case, the inserted state of the terminal fitting will be erroneously detected as being half-inserted.

On the contrary, when the retainer is mounted on the rearmost side with respect to the retainer mounting hole and the entire retainer is mounted with a slight inclination toward the front, the terminal fitting is not in the normal depth position and is in a semi-inserted state. However, there is a concern that the retainer may be mounted without interfering with the terminal fitting. In such a case, there is a possibility that it may not be possible to detect the half-inserted state of the terminal fitting.

The present invention was completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of reliably exerting a detection function for a terminal fitting.

[0008]

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a connector housing which can be fitted with a mating connector housing, and along a fitting direction of the connector housings. A cavity that is formed by inserting the terminal metal fitting from the rear side and can be accommodated in the connector housing, and elastically locks the terminal metal fitting when the terminal metal fitting is flexibly formed and is inserted to the normal depth position. A lance, a retainer mounting hole that communicates with the cavity and opens in the connector housing, and a retainer that is pushed into the retainer mounting hole and is locked to the terminal metal fitting to prevent the terminal metal fitting and the lance from coming off in a double manner. A connector provided with the connector housing when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole. Formed in the contacting portion is a guiding portion that guides the retainer obliquely in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting and that can push the terminal fitting to a normal depth position due to the oblique displacement of the retainer. It is characterized in that it is configured as described above.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the retainer according to the first aspect, the retainer is provided with a pair of side plates capable of sandwiching opposite side surfaces of the connector housing, and the facing portions of the side plates and the housing side. Is characterized in that the guide portion is arranged at a plurality of positions so as to extend substantially along the pushing direction of the retainer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the retainer mounting hole is formed in the connector housing such that a pair of the retainer mounting holes are adjacent to each other at a right angle from a surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer. The notch is formed so as to open in three directions in the region extending to the side surface, and the opening of the retainer mounting hole in the direction orthogonal to the pushing direction of the retainer is closed at the side surface of the retainer. There is a feature in that.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the retainer has a temporary locking position that allows the terminal fitting to be inserted into and removed from the connector housing, and the temporary locking position. It is assembled so as to be movable between a deeper push-in position from the locking position and a main locking position that locks the terminal fitting to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off,
Further, when the retainer is held in the temporary locking position, a gap is held between the retainer and the edge of the opening edge of the retainer mounting hole that faces the front side in the pushing direction of the retainer. By doing so, it is possible to visually recognize the situation where the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the gap, while the retainer closes the gap around the retainer mounting hole when the final locking position is reached. It is characterized by

[0012]

According to the invention of claim 1, the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity from the rear. When the terminal fitting is inserted to the normal depth position, the terminal fitting is locked by the lance. After that, when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole, the retainer is guided by the guide surface and is obliquely displaced to be assembled. As a result, the retainer engages with the terminal fitting, so that the terminal fitting and the lance are doubly prevented from coming off.

In this case, the retainer is displaced from the initial fitting position which is the rear portion of the retainer mounting hole to the front portion of the retainer mounting hole along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting,
Reach the final assembly position.

If the insertion of the terminal fitting is shallow and far away from the normal depth position, the terminal fitting will immediately interfere with the retainer even if an attempt is made to move it from the initial fitting of the retainer. Although it is detected that it is in a mating state, if it is in a semi-inserted state where it does not reach the normal depth position slightly, the retainer pushes the terminal metal fitting in the process of diagonally moving from the initial fitting position. Guide to the normal depth position and lock with the terminal fittings in the normal state.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, since the retainer can be moved back and forth in the retainer mounting hole, the half insertion detection function is provided due to the variation in the fitting position of the retainer as in the conventional case. Since there is no hindrance and the half-inserted state of the terminal fitting can be automatically corrected, it is not necessary to insert the terminal fitting again.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the guide portion is set at a plurality of positions so as to extend substantially along the pushing direction of the retainer and receives support from these, the retainer falls down when pushing the retainer. It is possible to avoid wearing the body in a posture and to mount the body in a regular posture. Therefore, the function of the retainer can be reliably exerted.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the retainer mounting hole is opened on the outer surface of the connector housing on the surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer and on the three surfaces of the pair of side surfaces adjacent to each other at right angles. Then, when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole to be mounted, the side surface portion of the retainer closes both sides of the retainer mounting hole. That is, since the side surface portion of the retainer doubles as the outer wall surface of the housing, the entire connector housing can be downsized in the width direction as compared with the type in which the retainer is opened only on one surface.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the retainer is at the temporary locking position, it is possible to confirm the situation in which the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the gap between the retainer mounting hole and the opening edge. it can. Further, when the retainer moves to the main locking position, the above-mentioned gap is closed, so that foreign matter can be prevented from entering the inside of the connector housing.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Explained by. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a connector housing made of synthetic resin, on the upper surface of which a flexible cantilevered lock arm 2 is provided, which is elastically engaged with a mating connector housing (not shown) to connect both connector housings. It can be locked in the fitted state.

Further, a plurality of cavities 3 are provided inside the connector housing 1 in two upper and lower stages. Each of the cavities 3 penetrates through the connector housing 1 in the front-rear direction, and the terminal fitting 4 can be inserted from the rear side and housed inside. A lance 5 that is primarily locked to the terminal fitting 4 is arranged at the front part of the bottom surface of each cavity 3. The lance 5 extends along the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 4 and is supported in a front and rear direction in a cantilevered manner. A lock protrusion 6 is formed on the upper surface of the lance 5. The locking projection 6 is pushed as the locking projection 4B formed on the box portion 4A of the terminal fitting 4 passes, so that the entire lance 5 bends downward and returns after passing. The locking projection can be elastically locked to the 6 locking projection 4B.

A retainer 7 is provided on the opposite side of the connector housing 1 from where the lock arm 2 is provided.
A retainer mounting hole 8 for mounting is installed.
The retainer mounting hole 8 extends from the surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer 7 (the lower surface in FIG. 1, etc.) and the surface orthogonal to this (the front side and the back side of the paper in FIG. 1, etc., hereinafter referred to as the side surface of the connector housing 1). Is formed by cutting out a region up to a predetermined depth, and thus the retainer mounting hole 8 is opened in the connector housing 1 in three directions, that is, the lower side and the both sides. The retainer mounting hole 8 divides the upper and lower cavities 3 into front and rear parts to expose the cavities 3 to the outside.

Further, the rear surface side of the portion notched as the retainer mounting hole 8 inside the connector housing 1 is an inclined surface 9 which is directed forward in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 4. On the other hand, the front side is a vertical plane 10 which stands up vertically.
Are formed.

Next, the retainer 7 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The retainer 7 made of resin is fitted into the retainer mounting hole 8 and the retainer main body 11 is provided. It is composed of a pair of side plates 12 formed at both end portions of 11. Retainer body 11
Is provided with the same number of window frames 13 that can be aligned with the respective cavities 3 located on the lower side in the drawing when the retainer 7 is temporarily attached to the connector housing 1 (see FIG. 1).
The whole is formed in a lattice frame shape connected to both side plates 12. Further, the rear surface side of the retainer body 11 is an inclined surface 14 having a slope that matches the rear surface-side inclined surface 9 in the retainer mounting hole. Further, at the lower edge of each window frame 13 of the retainer body 11 and at the corresponding position on the upper surface of the retainer body 11, the locking projections 1 for the terminal fittings 4 are provided.
5 are formed to project.

The side plates 12 are arranged with a space so that they can be sandwiched between both side surfaces of the connector housing 1. Further, the both side plates 12 are formed to be larger than the side openings of the retainer mounting hole 8, so that the both side plates 12 are attached to the retainer regardless of whether the retainer is temporarily locked or fully locked. The side opening of the hole 8 is closed, and the retainer mounting hole 8 is attached in a state of protruding outward from the opening edge of the side opening. That is, the both side plates 12 also serve as outer walls of the side surface portion of the connector housing 1.

Further, a rectangular concave portion 16 is formed at a position above the retainer body 11 on the inner surfaces of the side plates 12, and the upper edge thereof is a locking edge 17. And the locking edge 17
The retainer 7 can be held in the temporary locking position and the final locking position with respect to the connector housing 1 in the following manner (see FIGS. 7 and 8). That is, in the connector housing 1, the temporary locking projections 18 and the final locking projections 1 are vertically provided above the side openings of the retainer mounting holes 8.
9 are arranged side by side. However, in this embodiment, the main locking protrusion 19 is formed wider than the temporary locking protrusion 18. When the retainer 7 is in the temporary locking position, the front edge portion of the main locking protrusion 19 abuts on the front edge of the recess 16 (see FIG. 10), and restricts the retracting operation of the retainer 7. Further, when the retainer 7 moves to the main locking position, the rear edge of the main locking projection 19 abuts on the rear edge of the recess 16 (see FIG. 12), and the forward movement of the retainer 7 can be restricted. .

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, at the temporary locking position where the locking edge 17 is locked to the temporary locking projection 18, each locking projection 15 of the retainer 7 is outside the cavity 3 and the terminal Since it is located at a position where it does not interfere with the metal fitting 4, the terminal metal fitting 4 can pass through the window frame 13 in either direction.
However, as shown in FIG.
At the main locking position where the terminal fitting 4 is locked at 9, the respective locking projections 15 advance into the cavity 3 and lock at the rear portion of the box portion 4A of the terminal fitting 4, and the terminal fitting 4 is doubled together with the lance 5. Prevent it from coming off.

Retainers 7 are provided on the front and rear edges of both side plates 12.
Guide surfaces 22 to 25 are provided at a plurality of locations for guiding the connector obliquely to the connector housing 1 in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 4. That is, the front edge sides of the both side plates 12 are formed substantially along the vertical direction, and the protrusions 20 and 21 are formed on the upper and lower portions thereof. Upper and lower protrusions 2
The lower edge sides of 0 and 21 both form a slope in the direction of projecting outward (upper front guide surface 22 / lower front guide surface 2
3) is formed. On the other hand, a lower rear guide surface 24 is formed at the lower ends of the side plates 12 on the rear edge side. Also,
A step projection 27 having an inclined surface 26 is formed continuously with the lower rear guide surface 24, and a vertical standing surface 28 is once formed from the step projection, and then the upper rear guide surface 24 is formed. 25 is formed, and the upper part from the upper rear guide surface 25 is a vertical surface.

However, the inclinations of the guide surfaces 22 to 25 and the inclined surface 26 of the step projection 27 are all retained by the retainer mounting hole 8.
Is set to be almost equal to the inclination of the inclined surface 9 of
When the retainer 7 moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position, the retainer 7 is brought into sliding contact with the receiving portion provided on the side surface of the connector housing 1 to guide the movement operation. That is, a front guide protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the connector housing 1 at a portion of the retainer 7 facing the front edge of the side plate 12. A fitting recess 30 is formed at the rear edge of the front guide protrusion 29 so as to fit and fit the outer shape of the lower protrusion of the retainer when the retainer 7 reaches the main locking position. The lower edge of the fitting recess 30 is a receiving edge 31, and when the retainer 7 is in the temporary locking position, the retainer 7 is in the range near the lower portion thereof.
The lower retainer 7 guides the retainer 7 as a whole according to the slopes of the retainer 7 and the sliding contact when the retainer 7 is pushed into the main locking position. Further, during this time, the rear upper corner portion of the front guide protrusion 29 is in sliding contact with the upper front guide surface 22 (see FIG. 10).

Further, a rear lower guide projection 32 is formed on the side surface of the connector housing 1 and behind the side opening of the retainer mounting hole 8 so that the retainer 7 is moved from the temporary locking position to the main locking position. The lower part of the front edge of the retainer 7 is brought into sliding contact with the lower rear guide surface 24 of the retainer 7 when shifting to. Further, on the side surface of the connector housing 1, the rear intermediate guide protrusion 3 is provided above the rear lower guide protrusion 32.
3 is projectingly formed, and the lower corner portion of the front edge thereof can be cut off obliquely and slidably contact the upper rear guide surface 25 of the retainer 7.

Furthermore, measures are taken between the connector housing 1 and the retainer 7 to prevent the retainer 7 from opening on both side plates 12. That is, the front and rear edges of the side plates 12 of the retainer 7 are both chamfered so as to be tapered outwardly over the entire height range, while the front guide protrusion 2 of the connector housing 1 is formed.
9, rear lower guide protrusion 32, rear intermediate guide protrusion 3
3, the upper protrusion 34, and the grooves 29A, 32A, which are provided in the portions facing the front and rear edges of the side plates 12, respectively.
33A, 34A are formed, and the chamfered portions of the side plate 12 are fitted to each other to prevent the side plate 12 from opening, and thus the guide protrusions 29, 32, 33 corresponding to the guide surfaces 22 to 25. It is ensured that the sliding contact between the and is performed.

When the retainer 7 is in the temporary locking position, a predetermined gap (P dimension shown in FIG. 1) is held between the front edge of the retainer 7 and the front edge of the retainer mounting hole 8. From the outside of the connector housing 1, it is possible to confirm the insertion state of the internal terminal fitting 4 through this gap.

Next, the function and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described. The terminal fittings 4 are inserted into the respective cavities 3 with the retainer 7 assembled in the temporary locking position as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. If the terminal fitting 4 is inserted to the normal depth, the terminal fitting 4
In the process, the locking projection 4B pushes down the locking projection 6 of the lance 5, and the locking projection 6 of the lance 5 elastically restored after passing the primary locking with the locking projection 4B. In this way, the terminal fittings 4 are inserted into all the cavities 3. In the temporarily locked state, since a predetermined gap is provided between the front edge of the retainer 7 and the front edge of the retainer mounting hole 8, the inside of the cavity 3 can be seen through this. Therefore, it is possible to avoid forgetting to insert the terminal fitting 4.

After that, the upper surface of the retainer 7 is pushed to push in the retainer mounting hole 8. Then, the locking edge 17 is brought into engagement with the temporary locking projection 18 and the main locking projection 1
The retainer 7 is held in the main locking position because it crosses over 9 and engages with it. In this way, when the retainer 7 reaches the main locking position, each locking projection 15 of the retainer 7 enters into the corresponding cavity 3 and is secondarily locked to the rear portion of the box portion 4A of the terminal fitting 4, so that the lance Together with the locking by 5, the terminal fitting 4 is doubly retained. Further, at this time, since the opening on the lower surface of the retainer mounting hole 8 is closed by the retainer 7 without a gap, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the cavity 3.

While the retainer 7 is moving from the temporary locking position to the main locking position, the lower front guide surface 23 is held by the receiving edge 31.
And the upper front guide surface 22 is the upper corner of the front guide protrusion 29, the lower rear guide surface 24 is the lower front edge of the rear lower guide protrusion 32, and the upper rear guide surface 25 and the rear side. The front edge corners of the intermediate guide protrusions 33 are slidably contacted with each other along the gradient between them, thereby guiding the retainer 7 as a whole forward in the oblique direction. Therefore, even when the terminal fitting 4 is insufficiently inserted and is not locked with respect to the lance 5, the locking projection 15 is located behind the box 4A of the terminal fitting 4 in the process of obliquely moving the retainer 7. Since the edge is pushed, the terminal fitting 4 that was in the half-inserted state can be automatically corrected to the normal position.

If the insertion position of the terminal fitting 4 is shallower than that described above, the retainer 7 will interfere with the lower surface of the box portion 4A of the terminal fitting 4 even if the retainer 7 is pushed in from the temporary locking position. As a result, the operator can detect that the terminal fitting 4 is in the half-inserted state.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the retainer 7 can move back and forth in the retainer mounting hole 8 while moving from the temporary locking position to the main locking position. Therefore, it is possible to absorb variations in the fitting position of the retainer 7 and guide the retainer 7 to a fixed position which is the front edge of the retainer mounting hole 8. In addition, since the retainer 7 is supported from the connector housing 1 side by the guide surfaces 22 to 25 arranged in the front-rear direction and the upper and lower directions while the retainer 7 moves from the temporary locking position to the main locking position, the pushing posture of the retainer 7 is also maintained. It can be stabilized in a normal posture without tilting. Therefore, the attached retainer 7 and the terminal fitting 4 are locked in a regular positional relationship, so that the fitting detection function of the terminal fitting 4 can be reliably exerted unlike the conventional case.

Further, in this embodiment, when the retainer 7 moves between the temporary locking position and the main locking position, the front and rear edges of the side plates 12 are different from the guide protrusions 29, 32, 33, 34. Since the two side plates 12 are fitted together and are prevented from opening, the movement of the retainer 7 by the guide surfaces 22 to 25 can be performed smoothly and reliably. further,
The retainer mounting hole 8 is also open on the side surface of the connector housing 1, but this side opening is attached to the retainer 7.
Both side plates 12 are closed. That is, in this embodiment, since the side wall 12 of the retainer also serves as the outer wall of the side surface portion of the connector housing 1, the side plate 1 of the retainer is left open without opening the retainer mounting hole 8.
Compared to the type in which 2 is mounted on the side surface of the connector housing, the entire connector can be thinned in the width direction.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the retainer 7 and the connector housing 1 are molded in the same mold, and the retainer is easily assembled in the temporary locking position in this mold. Is possible.

As described above, the retainer mounting hole 8 is also opened on both side surfaces of the connector housing 1. 14
As shown in (A) and (B), in the present embodiment, the entire connector housing 1 is molded by a pair of molds 35 and 36 that open and close along the length direction of the cavity 3 (vertical direction in the drawing). , The retainer mounting hole 8 advances and retreats in a direction orthogonal to the retainer mounting hole 8 (direction orthogonal to the paper surface), that is, from the side of the connector housing 1.
It is molded by the slide mold 37 that exits. Further, the retainer 7 is also a mold 35 for molding the connector housing 1,
In the same mold as 36, the retainer mounting hole forming part is formed at the left position in the drawing. When the retainer 7 is pushed toward the retainer mounting hole 8 with the push-out pin 38 after the mold is opened, the retainer 7 can be mounted in the temporarily locked state. That is, it is possible to assemble in the mold.

At this time, if the retainer mounting hole 8 does not have a lateral opening, the molding portion of the retainer 7 cannot be provided on the moving region of the mold for molding the retainer mounting hole 8. Therefore, the retainer is molded outside the moving area, and the retainer mounting hole forming mold 3 is formed.
After opening 5, 36, retainer 7 is attached to retainer mounting hole 8
The mold structure must be moved to a position facing the opening, and the pressing must be performed under that position, which makes the mold structure extremely complicated. In this respect, according to this embodiment, the retainer can be assembled with a simple mold structure.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition to the above, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

(1) In this embodiment, the retainer mounting hole 8 is also opened laterally, but it may be opened only on the upper surface.

(2) Although the guide surface for the retainer is arranged at the front and rear edges of the side plate and above and below, it may be either on the front or rear side, or on only one side of the upper and lower sides. Furthermore, the installation location of the guide surface does not have to be the side edge of the side plate, and may be another location. The point is that the place to install the retainer does not matter as long as it can be guided obliquely.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a retainer is temporarily locked and before a terminal fitting is inserted.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the connector housing.

[Figure 3] Similarly, a front view

[Figure 4] Similarly, bottom view

FIG. 5 is a front view of the retainer.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an essential part showing a retainer in a temporarily locked state.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing the final locked state of the same.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the terminal fitting is inserted when the retainer is temporarily locked.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the connector when the retainer is in a temporarily locked state.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view when the retainer is in a fully locked state.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the connector in the same state.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a fitting state of the side plate 12 and a mounting groove.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a molding state of a connector housing and a retainer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Connector housing 3 ... Cavity 4 ... Terminal fittings 7 ... Retainer 8: Retainer mounting hole 12 ... Side plate 18 ... Temporary locking protrusion 19 ... Main locking projection 22-25 ... Guiding surface

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] November 14, 2002 (2002.11.
14)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

2. The terminal retainer retains the terminal fitting at a temporary locking position that allows the terminal fitting to be inserted into and removed from the connector housing and at a push-in position deeper than the temporary locking position. When the retainer is held at the temporary locking position, it is attached to the front of the retainer mounting hole in the pushing direction of the retainer when the retainer is held at the temporary locking position. Since a gap is held between the edge facing the side and the retainer, it is possible to visually recognize the situation where the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the gap. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the gap around the retainer mounting hole is closed by the retainer when the above condition is reached.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0008]

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a connector housing which can be fitted with a mating connector housing, and along a fitting direction of the connector housings. A cavity that is formed by inserting the terminal metal fitting from the rear side and can be accommodated in the connector housing, and elastically locks the terminal metal fitting when the terminal metal fitting is flexibly formed and is inserted to the normal depth position. A lance, a retainer mounting hole that communicates with the cavity and opens in the connector housing, and a retainer that is pushed into the retainer mounting hole and is locked to the terminal metal fitting to prevent the terminal metal fitting and the lance from coming off in a double manner. A connector provided with the connector housing when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole. Formed in the contacting portion is a guiding portion that guides the retainer obliquely in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting and that can push the terminal fitting to a normal depth position due to the oblique displacement of the retainer. And the retainer faces the connector housing.
Is provided with a pair of side plates capable of sandwiching the side surfaces.
Before and after the portion where the housing and the housing face each other,
Parts so that they are almost along the direction of pushing in the retainer.
The retainer mounting hole in the connector housing.
Directly from the surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer.
Three sides in the area between a pair of adjacent side faces
Notch is formed to open to
At right angles to the pushing direction of the retainer in the tenor mounting hole
The opening of the retainer is closed at the side of the retainer.
It is characterized in that it is configured to be .

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Delete

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Delete

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0011

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the retainer is inserted into the connector housing from a temporary locking position that allows the terminal fitting to be inserted and removed, and a deeper push from the temporary locking position. When the retainer is held at the temporary locking position, it is assembled so as to be movable between a main locking position where it is locked to the terminal metal fitting and prevents the terminal metal fitting from coming off. A situation in which the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through a gap between the retainer mounting hole and an edge of the opening edge of the retainer mounting hole that faces the front side in the pushing direction of the retainer and the retainer. Is visible, while the retainer closes the gap around the retainer mounting hole when the main locking position is reached.

[Procedure correction 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0012]

According to the invention of claim 1, the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity from the rear. When the terminal fitting is inserted to the normal depth position, the terminal fitting is locked by the lance. After that, when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole, the retainer is guided by the guide portion and is obliquely displaced to be assembled. As a result, the retainer engages with the terminal fitting, so that the terminal fitting and the lance are doubly prevented from coming off.

[Procedure Amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0016

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, since the induction unit receives support from these are set back and forth so as to extend substantially along the direction pushing the retainer, when the pushing of the retainer is normal to avoid the retainer falling posture Can be mounted in this posture. Therefore, the function of the retainer can be reliably exerted.

[Procedure Amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Furthermore , the retainer mounting hole is opened on three surfaces of the outer surface of the connector housing, which is opposed to the pushing direction of the retainer and a pair of side surfaces which are adjacent to and orthogonal to this. Then, when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole to be mounted, the side surface portion of the retainer closes both sides of the retainer mounting hole. That is, since the side surface portion of the retainer doubles as the outer wall surface of the housing, the entire connector housing can be downsized in the width direction as compared with the type in which the retainer is opened only on one surface.

[Procedure Amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0018

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, it is possible to confirm the situation in which the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the gap between the retainer and the opening edge of the retainer mounting hole. it can. Further, when the retainer moves to the main locking position, the above-mentioned gap is closed, so that foreign matter can be prevented from entering the inside of the connector housing.

[Procedure Amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0026

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, a rectangular concave portion 16 is formed at a position above the retainer body 11 on the inner surfaces of the side plates 12, and the upper edge thereof is a locking edge 17. And the locking edge 17
The retainer 7 can be held in the temporary locking position and the final locking position with respect to the connector housing 1 in the following manner (see FIGS. 7 and 8). That is, in the connector housing 1, the temporary locking projections 18 and the final locking projections 1 are vertically provided above the side openings of the retainer mounting holes 8.
9 are arranged side by side. However, in this embodiment, the main locking protrusion 19 is formed wider than the temporary locking protrusion 18. When the retainer 7 is in the temporary locking position, the front edge portion of the temporary locking projection 18 abuts on the front edge of the recess 16 (see FIG. 10) to restrict the retracting operation of the retainer 7. Further, when the retainer 7 moves to the main locking position, the rear edge of the main locking projection 19 abuts on the rear edge of the recess 16 (see FIG. 12), and the forward movement of the retainer 7 can be restricted. . ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] January 31, 2003 (2003.1.3
1)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0008]

As a means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is directed to a connector housing which can be fitted with a mating connector housing, and along a fitting direction of the connector housings. A cavity that is formed by inserting the terminal metal fitting from the rear side and can be accommodated in the connector housing, and elastically locks the terminal metal fitting when the terminal metal fitting is flexibly formed and is inserted to the normal depth position. A lance, a retainer mounting hole that communicates with the cavity and opens in the connector housing, and a retainer that is pushed into the retainer mounting hole and is locked to the terminal metal fitting to prevent the terminal metal fitting and the lance from coming off in a double manner. A connector provided with the connector housing when the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole. Formed in the contacting portion is a guiding portion that guides the retainer obliquely in the insertion direction of the terminal fitting and that can push the terminal fitting to a normal depth position due to the oblique displacement of the retainer. The retainer is provided with a pair of side plates capable of sandwiching opposite side surfaces of the connector housing, and the guide portion is provided substantially in the pushing direction of the retainer before and after the facing portion between the side plates and the housing side. arranged so as to follow, the retainer mount hole is in the region of the over the pair of adjacent side surfaces perpendicular to the surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer in the connector housing, before
By traversing in the form of exposing the cavity to the outside,
The whole is notched so as to open in three directions, and the opening of the retainer mounting hole in the direction orthogonal to the pushing direction of the retainer is closed by the side surface of the retainer. There is a feature in that.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Osamu Kawase             Sumitomo Den 1-14 Nishi-Suehiro-cho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Prefecture             Sozo Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5E087 EE14 FF13 GG26 GG31 GG32                       RR26

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A connector housing that can be fitted to a mating connector housing, a cavity that is formed along the fitting direction of the connector housings, and that can be inserted into a terminal fitting from the rear side to be housed in the connector housing, and a flexure. A lance that is formed so as to elastically lock the terminal fitting when the terminal fitting is inserted to the normal depth position, a retainer mounting hole that communicates with the cavity and opens in the connector housing, and the retainer. A connector comprising: a retainer that is pushed into a mounting hole and locked to the terminal metal fitting to prevent the terminal metal fitting and the lance from coming off in a double manner, wherein the retainer housing is pushed into the retainer mounting hole. The retainer is slanted toward the insertion direction of the terminal fitting at the part where it slides against each other. Connector characterized in that the guiding part is formed to allow pushing the terminal fitting with the oblique displacement of the retainer to a proper depth position while guiding. 2. The retainer is provided with a pair of side plates capable of sandwiching opposite side surfaces of the connector housing, and the guide portion is substantially along a pushing direction of the retainer at a facing portion between the side plates and the housing side. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector is arranged at a plurality of locations in this manner. 3. The retainer mounting hole is notched so as to open in three directions in a region from a surface of the connector housing facing the pushing direction of the retainer to a pair of side surfaces adjacent to and orthogonal to the retainer mounting hole. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein an opening of the retainer mounting hole in a direction orthogonal to the pushing direction of the retainer is closed by a side surface of the retainer. 4. The retainer retains a terminal fitting for engaging and disengaging the terminal fitting with respect to the connector housing, and a deeper push-in position from the temporary fitting position for locking the terminal fitting. When the retainer is held at the temporary locking position, it is attached to the front of the retainer mounting hole in the pushing direction of the retainer when the retainer is held at the temporary locking position. Since a gap is held between the edge facing the side and the retainer, it is possible to visually recognize the situation where the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity through the gap. 4. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a gap around the retainer mounting hole is closed by the retainer when the above condition is reached.