JP2007012451A - Joint connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint connector of which insertion to a normal position of a joint terminal can be detected surely. <P>SOLUTION: A detective piece 23 is installed at the joint terminal 20, and in a housing 30, a window hole 44 for detection is formed which is opened so that the detective piece 23 can be recognized visually from the outside when the joint terminal 20 has reached a normal position. According to such a constitution, by recognizing the detective piece 23 visually recognized from the window hole 44 for detection, it can be detected surely and easily that the joint terminal 20 is inserted at the normal final locking position. Moreover, at a retainer 50 mounted on the housing 30, a cap plate part 59 for closing the window hole 44 for detection is installed in which this window hole 44 is opened by evacuating it from the window hole 44 for detection when this retainer 50 is at a temporary locking position, and in which the window hole 44 for detection is closed when the retainer 50 is at the final locking position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a joint connector.

There is a joint connector described in Patent Document 1. This is because when a plurality of terminal fittings are attached in the housing, a joint terminal having a plurality of contact portions is attached to the holder, the holder is assembled to the housing, and each contact portion is brought into contact with the corresponding terminal fitting, a plurality of terminals The metal fitting is designed to be short-circuited via the joint terminal.
JP 2004-179032 A

  As a means for reducing the number of parts in this type of joint connector, it can be considered that a holder is unnecessary by attaching the joint terminal to the housing. However, in such a structure, when the terminal fitting is inserted into the housing, a fitting resistance is generated between the joint terminal and the terminal fitting, and this fitting resistance is a reaction force against the insertion. Therefore, when an electric wire connected to the terminal fitting is picked and inserted into the housing, there is a concern that the electric wire buckles due to the fitting resistance and the insertion into the terminal fitting becomes impossible.

  In order to solve such a problem, for example, when inserting the terminal fitting, the joint terminal is not fitted with the terminal fitting, or is retracted to a retracted position with a small fitting amount, and the terminal fitting is inserted. It is conceivable to push the joint terminal to a normal position.

  However, at this time, if the joint connector is left without being properly inserted into the proper position, the connection with the terminal fitting becomes unstable, and there is a possibility that a short circuit between the terminal fittings is not ensured.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a joint connector that can reliably detect insertion of a joint terminal into a regular position.

  The invention according to claim 1 includes a housing, a cavity provided in the housing and into which a terminal fitting can be inserted, and a plurality of terminal pieces which can be electrically connected to each other and mounted on the housing to correspond to the terminal fitting. A joint terminal that short-circuits the terminal fittings when the terminal piece is connected to the joint piece, wherein the joint terminal is provided with a detection piece, and the housing has the A detection window hole opened so that the detection piece can be visually recognized from the outside when the joint terminal reaches a normal position is formed.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the joint connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with a temporary locking position allowing insertion of the terminal fitting into the cavity and the terminal inserted into the cavity. A retainer is provided that is displaceable between a main locking position for locking to the metal fitting and preventing the terminal metal from being removed, and the retainer is configured to detect the detection when the retainer is in the temporary locking position. The detection window hole is opened by retreating from the window hole, and a closing portion is provided to close the detection window hole when the retainer is in the final locking position.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the joint connector according to the first or second aspect, wherein the detection piece extends in a direction in which the joint terminal is inserted into the housing, and a front end portion of the detection piece. Is projected in the insertion direction from the tip of the terminal piece.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the joint terminal is provided with the detection piece, and the housing is provided with a detection window opened so that the detection piece can be visually recognized from the outside when the joint terminal reaches the normal position. A hole is formed. According to such a structure, it can detect reliably and easily that the joint terminal is inserted in the regular position by confirming the detection piece visually observed from the detection window hole.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the retainer attached to the housing is retracted from the detection window hole to open the detection window hole when the retainer is in the temporary engagement position, and the retainer is in the final engagement position. In this case, a closing portion for closing the detection window hole is provided. According to such a configuration, since the joint connector is used in a state in which the detection window hole is closed, dust and foreign matter do not enter from the detection window hole during use.

  According to invention of Claim 3, the front-end | tip part of a detection piece protrudes in the insertion direction rather than the front-end | tip part of a terminal piece. According to such a configuration, when the joint terminal is attached to the housing, the leading end portion of the detection piece first enters the housing and fulfills a guide function for guiding the insertion of the joint terminal. By adopting a configuration in which the detection piece also serves as a guide in this way, the insertion operation can be smoothly performed without complicating the configuration of the joint terminal.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The joint connector 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 30 that can accommodate a plurality of terminal fittings 10 and joint terminals 20.

  First, the terminal fitting 10 and the joint terminal 20 accommodated in the housing 30 will be described.

  The terminal fitting 10 accommodated in the housing 30 is a female terminal fitting, which is formed by punching a conductive metal plate material into a predetermined shape and then bending it (see FIG. 10). A cylindrical rectangular tube portion 11 capable of accommodating a terminal piece 22 of a joint terminal 20 to be described later is provided on the front end side of the terminal fitting 10, and a barrel capable of caulking and holding the end of the electric wire W on the rear end side. A portion 12 is provided, and both are connected via a connecting portion 13. An elastic contact piece 14 connected to the terminal piece 22 is provided inside the rectangular tube portion 11. The elastic contact piece 14 is formed by folding the front end of the rectangular tube portion 11 inwardly and in a mountain shape after protruding forward. The top of the mountain (contact portion 14A) of the elastic contact piece 14 is opposed to the lower wall portion 15 of the rectangular tube portion 11 to a distance smaller than the plate thickness of the terminal piece 22, and this elastic contact. The terminal piece 22 can be inserted into the gap between the piece 14 and the lower wall portion 15.

  The lower wall portion 15 of the rectangular tube portion 11 is partially overlapped with each other, and a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the lower wall plate 15A is cut out, and the cut portion is cut in the upper wall plate 15B. The lance entry recess 16 is formed by denting the area corresponding to the upper side. A lance 32 described later can enter the lance entry recess 16. The front portion of the lance entry recess 16 is formed so that a lance locking projection 17 protrudes downward by punching the center portion in the width direction of the lower wall plate 15A.

  Further, the lower half of the side wall of the connecting portion 13 is thinned, and a locking projection 53 provided on a retainer 50 described later enters the lower side of the connecting portion 13 and the rear end of the rectangular tube portion 11. It can be engaged with the edge.

  The joint terminal 20 is obtained by punching a flat metal plate into a predetermined shape, and includes a main body portion 21 that is substantially rectangular in the left-right direction (see FIG. 7). From the rear edge of the main body 21, three elongate terminal pieces 22 extending in a cantilevered manner rearward are arranged in parallel at equal intervals at the center position in the left-right direction and on both sides thereof. Further, at the rear edge of the main body 21, a pair of detection pieces 23 are provided that extend in a cantilevered manner from the left and right end positions and are wider and longer than the terminal pieces 22. .

  In addition, a locking piece 24 is formed at the front edge of the main body 21 at a central position in the left-right direction so as to be raised and raised toward the front. In addition, a pair of left and right temporary locking recesses 25 are formed on the left and right side edges of the main body 21 by cutting out the corners at both ends of the front edge.

Next, the housing 30 will be described.
The housing 30 is formed in a block shape from a synthetic resin, and in this housing 30, in the region from the rear end position to the rear end position slightly from the front end, the longitudinally elongated cavity 31 has two upper and lower tiers and three in the width direction. The chambers are formed in alignment (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The rear end of each cavity 31 is opened as a terminal insertion port 31 </ b> A on the rear end surface of the housing 30.

  A lance 32 is formed on the bottom surface of the cavity 31. The lance 32 is formed in a cantilevered form so as to protrude into the cavity 31 and can be elastically bent in the vertical direction. Below the lance 32, a bending space 33 is provided to allow the lance 32 to be elastically bent downward. When the terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 31, the tip of the lance 32 enters the lance entry recess 16 provided on the lower surface of the terminal fitting 10 and engages with the front edge of the lance entry recess 16. By doing so, the terminal fitting 10 is primarily locked in the retaining state.

  In front of the bending space 33, a release hole 34 that opens to the front surface of the housing 30 and communicates with the bending space 33 is provided. When the terminal fitting 10 is removed from the housing 30, a release jig (not shown) can be inserted through the release hole 34 to bend and deform the lance 32 to release the lock on the terminal fitting 10.

  In the housing 30, a terminal mounting hole 35 that can accommodate the joint terminal 20 is formed in front of the position where the cavity 31 is formed. The terminal mounting hole 35 is formed in a horizontally long slit opened in the front end surface of the housing 30 and is formed over the entire width at a position slightly lower than the upper end of the cavity 31 of each step, leaving both end portions of the housing 30. . The opening width in the vertical direction of the terminal mounting hole 35 is substantially equal to the thickness of the joint terminal 20, and the opening length in the left-right direction is substantially equal to the lateral width of the main body 21.

  The partition wall 36 that is located at the rear end position of the terminal mounting hole 35 and defines the rear cavity 31 penetrates the terminal mounting hole 35 and the cavity 31 in the front-rear direction at positions corresponding to the cavities 31. Are inserted in parallel, and the terminal piece 22 of the joint terminal 20 can enter here. Guide holes 38 extending in the front-rear direction are formed on both sides of the insertion hole 37, that is, on the left side of the cavity 31 located on the left side and the right side wall portion of the cavity 31 located on the right side. The detection piece 23 of the terminal 20 can enter. The rear end of the guide hole 38 opens to a front wall surface 39A of a retainer mounting hole 39 described later.

  A temporary locking inclined surface 35 </ b> A having an upward slope toward the front is formed at the front end portion (opening edge portion on the front surface of the housing 30) on the upper surface of the terminal mounting hole 35. An engaging recess 35B is provided on the upper surface of the terminal mounting hole 35 at a position behind the temporary locking inclined surface 35A. Further, provisional locking projections 35 </ b> C projecting inward are formed at positions slightly rearward of the front end portions on the left and right inner side surfaces of the terminal mounting hole 35.

  The joint terminal 20 is between a temporary locking position where the main body 21 is located on the front end side (opening end side) in the terminal mounting hole 35 and a final locking position located on the rear end side (partition wall 36 side). Displaceable (see also FIG. 8). When the joint terminal 20 is in the temporary locking position, the movement of the joint terminal 20 to the final locking position is restricted by the locking piece 24 abutting against the temporary locking inclined surface 35A, and the temporary locking protrusion 35C is temporarily engaged. The forward recess is restricted by the stop recess 25 being abutted. Further, when the joint terminal 20 is in the final locking position, the rear end edge of the main body portion 21 abuts against the front end surface of the partition wall 36 so that rearward movement is restricted and the front end surface of the locking piece 24 is Returning to the temporary locking position is restricted by locking in the engaging recess 35B.

  In the housing 30, slightly behind the position where the lance 32 is formed, retainer mounting holes 39 are provided across the cavities 31 so as to open in a total of three directions on the lower and left and right sides. The retainer mounting hole 39 is formed to have a depth that cuts from the bottom surface of the housing 30 to the substantially lower half of the side wall (the wall that separates the left and right cavities 31) in the upper cavity 31. It is supposed to be open to. Note that, on the side surface of the housing 30, both side walls are left without being cut out to a position aligned with the upper end position of the lower cavity 31, and only the side of the lower cavity 31 is opened.

  On the side surface of the housing 30, the region above and behind the side opening of the retainer mounting hole 39, and the region behind the bottom opening of the retainer mounting hole 39 on the bottom surface of the housing 30 are recessed by one step from the other regions. One step portion 40 is provided. The first step 40 on the side surface is provided with a main locking projection 41 and a temporary locking projection 42 for locking the retainer 50. The main locking projection 41 is formed in a rib shape extending slightly below the upper end of the first step portion 40 from a position corresponding to the front end of the retainer mounting hole 39 to the vicinity of the rear end position of the housing 30. On the other hand, the temporary locking protrusion 42 is disposed below the main locking protrusion 41 and behind the retainer mounting hole 39. The main locking projection 41 and the temporary locking projection 42 have locking surfaces 41A and 42A whose upper end surfaces are horizontal and tapered surfaces 41B and 42B whose lower end surfaces rise outward.

  A second stepped portion 43 that is recessed slightly shallower than the first stepped portion 40 is provided in a region from the front end of the side opening portion of the retainer mounting hole 39 to a slightly forward position. A detection window hole 44 communicating with the guide hole 38 is opened at the upper end position of the second step portion 43. The detection window hole 44 is located on the side of the rear end portion of the guide hole 38, and the tip end portion of the detection piece 23 of the joint terminal 20 entering the guide hole 38 can be viewed from the side. It has become.

  A retainer 50 can be inserted into the retainer mounting hole 39 from below. The retainer 50 includes a retainer main body 51 that is formed in a substantially block shape from a synthetic resin and can be fitted into the retainer mounting hole 39 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The retainer body 51 is provided with a communication hole 52 penetrating in the front-rear direction at a position aligned with the lower cavity 31 in the housing 30 in parallel in the width direction. In a state where the retainer 50 is mounted in the retainer mounting hole 39, the communication hole 52 communicates with the lower cavity 31 and the upper wall portion of the communication hole 52 forms the lower wall portion of the upper cavity 31. At the front end positions of the lower wall portion and the upper wall portion of each communication hole 52, a locking projection 53 projects upward. When the retainer 50 is in the temporary locking position, the locking projections 53 are retracted from the cavity 31 to allow insertion / extraction of the terminal fitting 10, but when the retainer 50 is in the main locking position, It advances into the cavity 31 and engages with the terminal fitting 10.

  On both side edges of the retainer main body 51, cantilevered bending walls 54 are raised upward. Further, a side plate portion 55 and a bottom plate portion 56 extending rearward along the side surface and the bottom surface are provided on the rear surface side of the retainer main body portion 51. The flexible wall 54, the side plate portion 55, and the bottom plate portion 56 are formed with a thickness substantially the same as the depth of the first stepped portion 40, and can be fitted into the first stepped portion 40 with the retainer 50 attached to the housing 30. Yes.

  In the bending wall 54 and the side plate portion 55, an escape recess 57 is formed slightly below the upper edge portion. When the retainer 50 is attached to the housing 30, the main locking projection 41 and the temporary engagement of the housing 30 are formed. The stop protrusion 42 can be released. In addition, a portion that remains without being recessed at the upper edge portion of the bending wall 54 and the side plate portion 55 is a held projection 58. The retained protrusion 58 is locked to the temporary locking protrusion 42 and the main locking protrusion 41 of the housing 30 so that the retainer 50 is held at the temporary locking position or the final locking position. It has become. The upper surface of the held projection 58 is a tapered surface 58A that descends inward.

  Further, a lid plate portion 59 (corresponding to the closing portion of the present invention) is provided on the front surface side of the retainer main body 51 so as to extend forward along the side surface. The lid plate portion 59 is formed with a thickness substantially the same as the depth of the second step portion 43, and is fitted to the second step portion 43 in a state where the retainer 50 is attached to the housing 30.

  Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  When attaching the terminal fitting 10 to the housing 30, first, the joint terminal 20 is attached to the housing 30 from the front and held in the temporary locking position (see FIGS. 8A, 9, and 10). At the time of attachment, the joint terminal 20 is shallowly inserted into the terminal mounting hole 35 from the front, and is pushed to the temporary locking position where the locking piece 24 abuts the temporary locking inclined surface 35A. At this time, the tip end of the detection piece 23 provided at both ends of the main body 21 and formed longer than the terminal piece 22 first enters the terminal mounting hole 35, and the outer side surface thereof is connected to the terminal mounting hole 35. Proceed while making sliding contact with the inner wall. Thereby, rattling of the joint terminal 20 is suppressed, and the moving operation is smoothly guided.

  In a state where the joint terminal 20 is in the temporary locking position, the rear end portion of each terminal piece 22 passes through the insertion hole 37 and slightly protrudes into the cavity 31. Further, the tip of the detection piece 23 is retracted forward from the detection window hole 44 and is not visible from the detection window hole 44.

  Next, the retainer 50 is inserted into the retainer mounting hole 39 provided in the housing 30 from below (see FIG. 11). Then, the held projection 58 of the retainer 50 is elastically deformed and gets over the temporary locking projection 42 of the housing 30 and is locked to the upper surface (locking surface 42A), and the upper surface (tapered) of the held projection 58. The surface 58A) contacts the lower surface (tapered surface 41B) of the main locking projection 41 (see also FIG. 13). Thereby, the retainer 50 is held at the temporary locking position. At this time, the locking projection 53 of the retainer 50 is retracted to a position where the upper surface thereof is flush with the bottom surface of the cavity 31, so that the terminal fitting 10 can be inserted into and removed from the cavity 31. Further, since the retainer 50 is in the temporary locking position, that is, the position retracted below the final locking position, there is a gap between the upper end of the cover plate portion 59 and the upper end of the second stepped portion 43. The detection window hole 44 is open without being covered with the cover plate portion 59.

  In this state, the terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity 31 from the rear. At this time, the lower wall portion 15 of the rectangular tube portion 11 of the terminal fitting 10 advances in the cavity 31 while slidingly contacting the lance 32 and elastically deflecting the lance 32 downward. Here, since the joint terminal 20 has been retracted to the temporary locking position, the tip of the terminal piece 22 only makes slight contact with the elastic contact piece 14 to such an extent that almost no elastic bending occurs. Since the insertion resistance due to the contact between the joint terminal 20 and the terminal fitting 10 is hardly generated in this way, the insertion operation of the terminal fitting 10 is performed smoothly.

  In a state where the terminal fitting 10 is inserted to the normal position, the lance 32 returns to the free state, and the tip portion thereof enters the lance entry recess 16 of the rectangular tube portion 11 and is hooked on the lance locking projection 17. As a result, the terminal fitting 10 is primarily locked in the retaining state.

  When all the terminal fittings 10 have been inserted, a jig (not shown) or the like is inserted into the terminal mounting hole 35 and the joint terminal 20 is pushed into the final locking position (see FIGS. 8B and 12). Then, the terminal piece 22 advances into the cavity 31 larger than the state of the temporary locking position, and the elastic contact piece 14 is elastically contacted with the elastic contact piece 14 by the elastic restoring force of the elastic contact piece 14. The terminal piece 22 is connected to be conductive. Thereby, the terminal fittings 10 in each row are short-circuited via the joint terminals 20. At this time, it is possible to confirm that the joint terminal 20 has reached the regular main locking position by the tip of the detection piece 23 reaching the rear end position of the guide hole 38 and being visually recognized from the detection window hole 44. Yes (see FIG. 13).

  When the movement of the joint terminal 20 to the final locking position is completed, the retainer 50 is pushed into the final locking position (see FIGS. 14 and 15). Then, the held projection 58 of the retainer 50 gets over the main locking projection 41 of the housing 30 while being elastically deformed, and is locked to the upper surface (locking surface 41A). Thereby, the retainer 50 is hold | maintained in this locking position. At this time, the locking projection 53 of the retainer 50 enters the cavity 31 and engages with the rear end edge of the rectangular tube portion 11 of the terminal fitting 10, so that the terminal fitting 10 is held in a double-locked state. Stopped. Further, the upper end of the retainer 50 reaches the upper end of the second stepped portion 43, and the detection window hole 44 is closed by the cover plate portion 59 covering the detection window hole 44. As described above, since the joint connector 1 is used in a state where the detection window hole 44 is closed, dust and foreign matter do not enter from the detection window hole 44 during use.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the detection piece 23 is provided in the joint terminal 20, and the detection piece 23 can be visually recognized from the outside in the housing 30 when the joint terminal 20 reaches the normal position. A detection window hole 44 is formed in the opening. According to such a configuration, it is possible to reliably and easily detect that the joint terminal 20 is inserted into the regular main locking position by checking the detection piece 23 that is viewed from the detection window hole 44. Can do.

  Further, the retainer 50 attached to the housing 30 is retracted from the detection window hole 44 when the retainer 50 is in the temporary locking position to open the detection window hole 44, and the retainer 50 is moved to the final locking position. In some cases, a cover plate portion 59 that closes the detection window hole 44 is provided. According to such a configuration, since the joint connector 1 is used in a state where the detection window hole 44 is closed, dust and foreign matter do not enter from the detection window hole 44 during use.

  Further, the detection piece 23 is formed to be longer than the terminal piece 22, and the distal end portion of the detection piece 23 protrudes in the insertion direction from the distal end portion of the terminal piece 22. According to such a configuration, when the joint terminal 20 is attached to the housing 30, first, the distal end portion of the detection piece 23 enters the housing 30 and performs a guide function for guiding the insertion of the joint terminal 20. Thus, by making the detection piece 23 serve as a guide, the insertion operation can be smoothly performed without complicating the structure of the joint terminal 20.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments, and, for example, those described below are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the technical scope of the present invention extends to an equivalent range.

(1) In the present embodiment, the joint terminal 20 is prevented from moving backward from the normal position when the main body portion 21 abuts against the partition wall 36, but depending on the configuration of the joint terminal and the terminal mounting hole, May be inserted beyond the normal position. Even in such a case, the front end of the guide hole 38 into which the detection piece 23 is inserted communicates with the retainer mounting hole 39, and the tip of the detection piece 23 is inserted when the joint terminal is inserted beyond the normal position for some reason. May be protruded into the retainer mounting hole 39. By doing so, it is possible to detect the joint terminal mounting abnormality by the fact that the retainer 50 does not contact the protruding detection piece 23 and cannot be inserted.

(2) In the above embodiment, the three cavities 31 are arranged in two stages, upper and lower, and left and right. It ’s fine.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the detection pieces 23 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the main body 21 in the joint terminal 20. However, the position and number of detection pieces are not limited to those in the above-described embodiment. It may be provided only at one end. Further, the length of the detection piece does not necessarily have to be longer than that of the terminal piece, and may be equal to or shorter than that of the terminal piece.

(4) In the above embodiment, the detection window hole 44 is covered by the cover plate portion 59 as the retainer 50 moves to the full locking position. However, the closing portion for closing the detection window hole is different from the retainer. It may be provided on the body. Moreover, the detection window hole may remain open.

Side view of housing in joint connector of embodiment Front view of housing Side sectional view of housing Bottom view of housing Side sectional view of retainer Retainer top view (A) Top view of joint terminal (B) Side view of joint terminal (A) Partial enlarged side sectional view showing a state where the joint terminal is temporarily locked to the housing (B) Partial enlarged side sectional view showing a state where the joint terminal is permanently locked to the housing Partial enlarged sectional view showing a state where the joint terminal is temporarily locked to the housing. Side sectional view showing the joint terminal temporarily locked to the housing Side sectional view showing a state where the retainer is temporarily locked to the housing and the terminal fitting is attached. Partial enlarged sectional view showing a state where the joint terminal is permanently locked to the housing Side view showing how the joint terminal is visually confirmed from the detection window hole that the joint terminal has reached the normal position. Side view showing the retainer fully locked Side sectional view showing a state where the retainer is fully locked

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Housing 10 ... Terminal metal fitting 31 ... Cavity 22 ... Terminal piece 20 ... Joint terminal 1 ... Joint connector 23 ... Detection piece 44 ... Detection window hole 50 ... Retainer 59 ... Cover plate part (closed part)

Claims (3)

A housing;
A cavity provided in the housing and capable of inserting a terminal fitting;
A joint terminal provided with a plurality of terminal pieces that can be electrically connected to each other and short-circuited between the terminal fittings when the terminal fitting and the corresponding terminal piece are connected to the housing. A joint connector comprising:
The joint terminal is provided with a detection piece, and the housing is formed with a detection window hole opened so that the detection piece can be visually recognized from the outside when the joint terminal reaches a normal position. A joint connector characterized by The housing includes a temporary locking position that allows the terminal fitting to be inserted into the cavity, and a final locking position that locks the terminal fitting inserted into the cavity and prevents the terminal fitting from being removed. There is a retainer that can be displaced between
The retainer is retracted from the detection window hole to open the detection window hole when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, and closes the detection window hole when the retainer is in the final locking position. The joint connector according to claim 1, further comprising a closing portion.   The detection piece extends in a direction in which the joint terminal is inserted into the housing, and a front end portion of the detection piece protrudes in the insertion direction from a front end portion of the terminal piece. The joint connector according to claim 1 or 2.

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