JP3415136B1 - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to surely exhibit a detection function for a terminal fitting. SOLUTION: A retainer mounting hole 10 is opened from the lower surface to both side surfaces of a connector housing 1. A rib-shaped locking projection 14 is formed on the side surface of the connector housing 1, and a guide groove 42 for fitting the locking projection 14 is formed on the side plate 40 of the retainer 35, and the locking is performed from the temporary locking position of the retainer 35. The movement to the position is guided obliquely through the fitting of the guide groove 42 and the locking projection 14. Thereby, even if the terminal fitting 25 is in the half-inserted state,
The terminal fitting 25 is automatically corrected to a normal position by the retainer 35 entering from an oblique direction.

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 means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is a connector housing which can be fitted to a mating connector housing, and is orthogonal to the fitting direction of the connector housings. And a cavity for accommodating the terminal fittings inserted from the rear, and the terminal fittings elastically when the terminal fittings are inserted to the normal depth position in the cavity. The connector housing is sandwiched from the width direction by including a locking lance, a retainer mounting hole formed with a depth that communicates from the outer surface of the connector housing to the cavities of each step, and a pair of side plates in the width direction. While it is pushed into the retainer mounting hole from diagonally rearward and is pushed to the normal depth, it is locked to the terminal fitting. A connector provided with the lance together with the retainer for preventing the terminal fitting from coming off in a double-sided manner, wherein one of the facing surfaces of the both side plates and the connector housing has an insertion direction of the terminal fitting. A guide groove that extends obliquely with respect to the guide groove is provided on the other side, and a locking projection that is fitted into the guide groove and that is fitted so as to be relatively movable only along the extending direction of the guide groove is provided on the other side. By displacing the locking projection in the guide groove, it is possible to guide the pushing operation of the retainer in an oblique direction, and when the terminal metal fitting is in the half-inserted state, the terminal metal fitting is pushed along with the pushing operation. The retainer mounting hole can be pushed to a normal depth position, and the retainer mounting hole is provided on a surface of the connector housing facing the pushing direction of the retainer from a pair of adjacent retainer mounting holes. The depth to expose the interior of the opening vital said cavity into three directions toward the surface
The retainer mounting hole is formed with a notch, and the opening regions on both side surfaces of the retainer mounting hole are closed by both side plates of the retainer.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the invention, in what according to claim 1 wherein, prior Symbol locking projection sliding contact rib shape over a predetermined length range to the opposite groove edges of the guide groove On the other hand, when the retainer is mounted at a position where the terminal fitting can be locked, lock means for locking each other is provided on the facing surface of the side plate and the connector housing. It is a feature.

The invention of claim 3 is claim 1 or claim
2 , the retainer is in a temporarily locked state in which the terminal fitting can be inserted into and removed from the cavity with respect to the connector housing, and in a final locked state in which the terminal fitting is locked to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off. Is a connector that is movable between the locking projection and a push-down restriction projection provided behind the retainer in the pushing direction of the retainer, and when the retainer is in the temporary locking state, the locking projection is The guide groove is locked to one end side of the guide groove, the push-in regulation projection is locked to the other end side, and the lock projection is locked to the other end side of the guide groove when the retainer is in the fully locked state. The push-in restricting protrusion is located outside the retainer outside the guide groove.

[0011]

<Invention of Claim 1> According to the invention of Claim 1, when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity from the rear side, the terminal fitting is locked by the lance. After that, the retainer is pushed into the retainer mounting hole so that both side plates sandwich the side surface of the connector housing.At this time, the locking protrusion is fitted into the guide groove and extends along the extending direction of the guide groove. Since the retainer is displaced only, the retainer is pushed in while maintaining a normal posture without causing rotation or the like. Thus, if the retainer is attached to the housing in a stable posture, the retainer engages with the terminal fitting, and the terminal fitting is doubly prevented from coming off together with the locking by the lance described above. In addition, when the retainer is attached, even if the terminal metal fitting is in the half-inserted state, the retainer will enter the cavity from diagonally behind, so the terminal metal fitting should be automatically pushed to the normal depth position during the mounting process. You can

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the retainer moves back and forth within the retainer mounting hole, even if the fitting position of the retainer varies, the conventional half-insertion detection function is hindered. Moreover, since the semi-inserted state can be automatically corrected, it is not necessary to insert the terminal fitting again.

Further, when attaching the retainer to the connector housing to close the side surfaces of both side plates of the retainer is opposed retainer mount hole. That is, since both side plates of the retainer also serve as the outer wall surface of the housing, the connector housing can be reduced by the thickness of the outer wall as compared with the type in which the retainer is mounted while leaving the outer wall surface. .

<Invention of Claim 2 > According to the invention of Claim 2 , when the retainer is pushed in, the locking projections are formed in a rib shape and slidably contact the opposite groove edges of the guide groove within a predetermined length range. Since they fit together, the retainer is pushed in while being prevented from rotating, so that the pushing posture of the retainer becomes stable. Then, when the retainer reaches the position where the terminal fitting can be locked, the locking means locks each other and the retainer is locked at the position.

<Invention of Claim 3 > According to the invention of Claim 3 , when the retainer is in the temporary locking state, the locking projection and the push-in restricting projection are respectively locked at both ends of the guide groove, so that the retainer is Together with the detent by the locking projection, it is possible to avoid the situation where the pushing restriction projection accidentally reaches the main locking position.

[0016]

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

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a connector housing integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, and a cantilever-shaped lock arm 2 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the connector housing so as to be flexible. The lock arm 2 can be elastically engaged with a mating connector housing (not shown) to lock both connector housings in a fitted state.

Further, inside the connector housing 1, a plurality of cavities 3 are arranged in parallel in the width direction, and these cavities 3 are provided in two stages, upper and lower. Each of the cavities 3 penetrates the connector housing 1 in the front-rear direction, and the terminal fitting 25 can be inserted from the rear to be housed inside. A lance 5 that is primarily locked to the terminal fitting 25 is arranged at the front of the bottom surface of each cavity 3. The lance 5 extends in a cantilever shape forward of the insertion direction of the terminal fitting 25 and is formed to be vertically bendable. Further, the lance 5 is bent and deformed downward as the terminal fitting 25 passes over the lance 5, and returns after passing through the locking projection 27 formed on the terminal fitting 25 so that the locking projection 27 is formed on the front end surface of the lance 5. To prevent the terminal fitting 25 from coming off. Further, a protrusion insertion groove 6 is formed in the central portion of the upper surface of the lance 5 so as to be recessed in the front-rear direction, and the lance 5 when the terminal fitting 25 passes through
The amount of downward bending is reduced. That is, the height of the gap between the lance 5 and the bottom surface of the cavity 3 is reduced to reduce the height of the entire connector.

The terminal fitting 25 will now be described. The terminal fitting 25 is formed by bending a metal plate punched into a predetermined expanded shape, and has a mating terminal fitting (a male terminal (not shown)) on the front side. A main body portion 26 that can be connected to a metal fitting) is arranged, and a barrel portion 30 for connecting with an electric wire 31 is arranged on the rear side. The main body 26 has a substantially box shape, and the tab portion of the male terminal fitting can be inserted into the main body 26. Further, the above-described locking projection 27 is formed by hitting at a central position on the lower surface of the main body portion 26 (a surface facing the lance 5) near the front end portion, and can be locked with the lance 5. A protrusion 28 that can be retained by a retainer 35, which will be described later, is formed by tapping at the center of the rear end portion of the same surface as the surface of the main body portion 26 on which the engagement protrusion 27 is arranged. Further, a stabilizer 29 is formed upright in parallel with the side of the protrusion 28. The stabilizer 29 can move forward through the escape groove 4 formed in the lower surface of each cavity 3 along one corner, and when the terminal fitting 25 is inserted in the opposite direction, the stabilizer 29 and the escape groove 4 are incompatible. Therefore, the situation of reverse insertion is prevented.

A retainer mounting hole 10 for mounting the retainer 35 is formed on the surface of the connector housing 1 opposite to the side where the lock arm 2 is provided. The retainer mounting hole 10 includes a surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer 35 (a lower surface in FIG. 1 and the like) and a surface orthogonal to the surface (a front surface and a back surface in FIG. 1 and the like, hereinafter,
It is formed over a three-sided area up to the side surface of the connector housing 1, and thus the retainer mounting hole 10
Has an opening in three directions. Further, the retainer mounting hole 10 is formed with a depth that exposes the inside of each cavity 3 located in the upper stage of the drawing, whereby the upper and lower cavities 3 are divided into front and rear. further,
Retainer mounting hole 1 inside the connector housing 1
In the portion cut out by 0, the opening edges of the cavities 3 are formed so that all the opening edges of the cavities 3 stand upright on the front side, but the opening edges of the cavities 3 are formed on the rear side by the terminal fittings 25.
Is formed so as to have a downward slope from the front to the rear.

Further, on both side surfaces of the connector housing 1, the area above and behind the side surface opening of the retainer mounting hole 10 becomes a step surface 13 and is recessed one step from the front area. On this step surface 13, a rib-shaped locking projection 14 is formed on the inclined side of the side surface opening of the retainer mounting hole 10 so as to follow the inclination. The main role of the locking projections 14 is to push the retainer 35 into the connector housing 1 to mount it.
It is to stabilize the pushing posture. Further, the outer surface of the locking projection 14 is chamfered 15 on the entire surface on one side (the side closer to the retainer mounting hole 10) with the center line in the longitudinal direction as a boundary, and the retainer 35 is fitted into the guide groove 42. The insertion operation is performed smoothly. Further, the upper and lower end surfaces of the locking projection 14 are each formed with a horizontal surface 16, and the upper end surface is also formed with a vertical surface 17 continuous with the horizontal surface 16.

A push-in restriction protrusion 18 is formed on the extension line below the locking protrusion 14. When the retainer 35 is in the temporarily locked state (the state shown in FIGS. 7 and 8), the push-in restricting projection 18 is locked to the lower end of the guide groove 42 of the retainer 35, so that the retainer 35 is erroneously permanently locked. Pushing is restricted so that it is not pushed into the position.

The above-mentioned locking projection 14 on the step surface 13
A rattling restricting portion 19 is provided above the above to prevent rattling when the retainer 35 is in the final locking state. The rattling restricting portion 19 is formed to extend substantially horizontally along the front-rear direction, and the upper edge thereof is formed in a stepped shape so that the rear side is slightly narrowed, but this notch is formed. The open portion is a notch 20 for inserting a jig or the like for expanding the side plates 40 when the retainer 35 is moved between the temporarily locked state and the fully locked state. On the other hand, the lower edge of the rattling restricting portion 19 has a tapered surface 23 over the entire edge.
Has been applied. Further, a hooking piece 21 forming a part of the locking means of the present invention is formed in front of the rattling restriction portion 19. The hooking piece 21 is formed such that the upper edge thereof is continuous with the upper edge of the rattling restricting portion 19, and is engaged with the engaging claw 45 of the retainer 35 when the retainer 35 is in the fully engaged state. The retainer 35 can be held in the main locking position. However, the front surface of the hooking piece 21 is formed with a taper surface 22 which has an upward climbing slope so that the engaging claw 45 can smoothly run up.

Next, the retainer 35 will be described.
Similar to the connector housing 1, the retainer 35 is made of a synthetic resin material, and is formed so as to extend over both ends of the retainer main body 36 that fits and fits in the retainer mounting hole 10 and the widthwise both ends of the retainer main body 36. It is composed of a pair of side plates 40.

The retainer main body 36 is formed with the same number of window frames 37 as the cavities 3 in each stage of the connector housing 1. Each window frame 37 is formed so that it can be aligned with the lower cavity 3 of each connector housing 1, and the opening edge on the front side of each window frame 37 has a retainer mounting hole 10.
The opening edge on the rear surface side of each window frame 37 is formed so as to stand upright so as to fit with the opening edge on the front surface side of each cavity 3 which is divided by the front and back. It is formed with an inclination that matches the inclination of the opening edge on the side. Further, the rear side of the lower surface of each window frame 37 is formed by lowering it by one step, but the front side and the upper surface of the retainer main body 36 are the bottom surfaces of the corresponding cavities 3 when the retainer 35 is in the temporarily locked state. The height of the terminal fitting 25 is almost the same as that of FIG. However, when the retainer 35 is moved to the final locking position, the lower surface front end surface 46A of each window frame 37 and the upper surface front end surface 46B of the retainer body 36 can be locked with the protrusion 28 of the terminal fitting 25. , The terminal metal fitting 25 and the lance 5 are doubly prevented from coming off.

However, a stabilizer passage groove 39 for allowing passage of the stabilizer 29 of the terminal fitting 25 is formed in the lower surface of each window frame 37 and the upper surface portion of the retainer body 36, but the retainer 35 is permanently locked. When shifting to the position, the respective stabilizers 29 and the stabilizer passage grooves 39 are displaced in the vertical direction, so that the stabilizer passage grooves 3
The front end surface of the bottom surface of 9 enables engagement with the rear end surface of the stabilizer 29.

Both side plates 40 of the retainer 35 are arranged with a space so that they can be sandwiched between both side faces of the connector housing 1 and can be expanded and deformed. Also, both side plates 4
When the retainer 35 is in the fully locked state, 0 is formed so as to close the side surface opening of the retainer mounting hole 10 and face the predetermined range of the step surface 13. Further, the both side plates 40 are formed with a thickness substantially equal to the depth of the step surface 13, and when the retainer 35 is in the final locked state, the both side plates 40 are substantially flush with the outer surface of the connector housing 1.
Thus, both side plates 40 of the retainer 35 also serve as outer walls of the side surface portion of the connector housing 1.

A thickened operation portion 41 is vertically formed on the outer surface of the rear portion of both side plates 40, and the lower end portion thereof is formed so as to protrude from the lower surface of the retainer 35. Further, a guide groove 42 is formed through the side plate 40 at the rear of the retainer body 36. Guide groove 4
2 is formed with a gradient along the inclination of the rear surface side of each window frame 37 in the retainer 35, that is, with the same inclination as the inclination of the opening edge of the rear surface side of each cavity 3 of the connector housing 1, and the lower end portion is the operation portion 41 described above. It is formed up to. The guide groove 42 is formed with a groove width that is substantially the same as the width dimension of the locking projection 14 on the short side, and both ends thereof are formed so as to conform to the shapes of both ends of the locking projection 14. Furthermore, the guide groove 42 can lock both the locking projection 14 and the push-in restricting projection 18 at both ends thereof, and by doing so, the retainer 35 is held in the temporarily locked state. In addition, when the retainer 35 is moved from the temporarily locked state to the fully locked state, the push-in restricting protrusion 18 is inserted into the guide groove 42.
I will be riding here to get out of
During this time, both side plates 40 are expanded and deformed, but the protrusion amount of the locking projection 14 is larger than that of the push-in restricting projection 18, so that the locking state with the guide groove 42 is continued even when the side plate 40 is expanded and deformed. The locking allowance is set to a height high enough for. Thus, the retainer 35 is brought into the final engagement state by the engagement projection 14 moving to the lower end side of the guide groove 42.

The guide grooves 4 are formed on the inner surfaces of the side plates 40.
A regulating recess 43 into which the rattling regulating portion 19 can be fitted is formed in the upper part of 2 and a tapered surface 44 is formed on both upper and lower edges thereof. The restriction recess 43 extends in the lengthwise direction from the substantially central portion of the side plates 40 to the rear end thereof, and in the height direction, the guide groove 4 is formed.
2 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape over the range from the upper end portion of 2 to the upper edge of the side plate 40. Then, when the retainer 35 is in the temporarily locked state, the upper edge of the rattling regulation portion 19 is held at a height position substantially aligned with the upper edge of the regulation concave portion 43, and a predetermined gap is formed between the lower edge of the regulation concave portion 43. Are being held. Further, when the retainer 35 is in the final locked state, the taper surface 23 at the lower edge of the rattling restriction portion 19 fits and abuts the taper surface 44 at the lower edge of the restriction recess 43, and rattles upward. Can be regulated.

Further, the restriction recess 43 is further extended forward and the recessed region is enlarged, but a locking claw 45 (which constitutes a locking means together with the hooking piece 21) is formed at the upper edge. I am trying. This locking claw 45
When the retainer 35 is in the temporarily locked state, it faces the hook piece 21 on the connector housing 1 side at substantially the same height position. However, when the retainer 35 shifts to the fully locked state, the hook piece The taper surface 22 of 21 is crossed over and locked to the upper edge of the hooking piece 21, so that the retainer 35 can be held in a fully locked state.

When the retainer 35 is in the temporarily locked state, a predetermined gap 47 is held between the front edge of the retainer 35 and the front edge of the retainer mounting hole 10, and this gap is provided from the outside of the connector housing 1. Through 47 the terminal fitting 25
It is possible to check the insertion status (presence or absence of insertion).

Next, the function and effect of the present embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described. First, the retainer 35 is brought into the connection site between the connectors while being integrated with the connector housing 1 at the temporary locking position. When mounting the retainer 35 in the temporarily locked state, the retainer 3
Both side plates 40 of 5 are appropriately expanded to sandwich both step surfaces 13 of the connector housing 1, and the locking projection 14 and the push-in restriction projection 18 are fitted into the guide groove 42. Since the locking projections 14 and the push-in restriction projections 18 are respectively locked at both ends of the guide groove 42, the retainer 35 is thereby positioned at the temporary locking position,
It is also possible to prevent the careless transition to the fully locked state.
Further, in the temporarily locked state, the rattling restricting portion 19 is positioned so as to face the restricting recess 43 of the retainer 35, but at this time, the lower edge of the rattling restricting portion 19 and the lower edge of the restricting recess 43 are separated from each other. A predetermined gap is held between them.

Further, in this temporarily locked state, the retainer 3
5, the lower surface of each window frame 37 and the upper surface of the retainer body 36 are substantially flush with the bottom surfaces of the cavities 3 in the upper and lower steps of the connector housing 1, so that the terminal fitting 25 is inserted into each cavity 3 from the rear. Then, the terminal fitting 25
Passes through the retainer 35, and further passes through the lance 5. When passing through the lance 5, the locking projection 27 is released by the projection insertion groove 6, but also bends the lance 5 to a necessary minimum, and after passing through the lance 5, elastically returns to the locking projection. The part 27 is locked to the front end surface. In this way, the terminal fittings 25 are inserted into all the cavities 3. In this temporary locking state, since the predetermined gap 47 is held between the front edge of the retainer 35 and the retainer mounting hole 10, the inside of the cavity 3 can be seen through this. Therefore, forgetting to insert the terminal fitting 25 can be prevented.

After that, the operation portion 41 of the retainer 35 is pinched and strongly pushed. Then, the periphery of the lower end portion of the guide groove 42 is deformed to ride on the push-in restricting protrusion 18 and withdraws from the guide groove 42, and the retainer 35 is guided by the fitting between the locking protrusion 14 and the guide groove 42, and is inclined. It is pushed upwards. At this time,
Since the locking projection 14 slidably contacts with the guide groove 42 with a predetermined length, the pushing posture of the retainer 35 becomes stable, and the retainer 35 does not lose its posture in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 and the like.

When the retainer 35 reaches the main locking position, inside the connector housing 1, the lower end front end surface 46A of each window frame 37 and the upper end front end surface 46B of the retainer body 36 are connected to corresponding terminals. It becomes possible to engage with the protrusion 28 of the metal fitting 25, and the terminal metal fitting 25 and the lance 5 are doubly prevented from coming off. On the other hand, in the fully locked state, the locking projection 14 is locked to the lower end of the guide groove 42, but the push-in restriction projection 18 is located laterally of the operation portion 41. Further, at this time, the locking claw 45 rides over the tapered surface 22 of the hooking piece 21 and locks on the upper edge of the hooking piece 21, so that the retainer 35 is locked in the fully locked state. Furthermore, the rattling regulation section 19
Since the lower edge engages with the lower edge of the restriction recess 43, the upward rattling of the retainer 35 is also restricted.

When the retainer 35 is in the final locked state, the front surface of the retainer mounting hole 10 and the front surface of the retainer main body 36 substantially come into contact with each other, and the retainer 35 and the retainer main body 36 are closed with almost no gap between them, so that dust or the like is left in the cavity 3 It is possible to prevent the entry into the inside.

By the way, even if the insertion depth of the terminal fitting 25 is insufficient and the terminal fitting 25 is not locked with respect to the lance 5, the retainer 35 enters the terminal fitting 25 in a slanting process.
Since the retainer 35 pushes the protruding portion 28, the terminal fitting 25 that was in the half-inserted state can be automatically corrected to the regular position. When the insertion position of the terminal fitting 25 is shallower than the half-inserted state described above, the retainer 35
Even if an attempt is made to push in, the retainer 35 interferes with the lower surface of the main body portion 26 of the terminal fitting 25, and further pushing cannot be performed. This allows the operator to know that the terminal fitting 25 is located far from the normal insertion depth.

Further, when it is necessary to remove the terminal fitting 25 at the time of maintenance or the like, the retainer 35 must first be returned to the temporarily locked state at that time. In this case, the rear surface of the side plate 40 of the retainer 35, that is, the operation portion 41
The releasing jig is inserted into the gap between the above-described portion and the portion corresponding to the cutout portion 20, the both side plates 40 are forcibly expanded, and the retainer 35 is retracted obliquely downward in this state. In this way, the retainer 35 can be returned to the temporarily locked state by locking the push-in regulation projection 18 in the guide groove 42 again. In that state, if the lance 5 is released from the front of the connector housing 1 using another releasing jig, the terminal fitting 25 can be pulled out.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the retainer 35 moves during the transition from the temporary locking position to the main locking position.
It is possible to move back and forth within the retainer mounting hole 10.
Therefore, it is possible to absorb variations in the fitting position of the retainer 35 and guide the retainer 35 to a fixed position which is the front edge of the retainer mounting hole 10. In addition, while the retainer 35 moves from the temporary locking position to the main locking position, the retainer 35 is guided by the fitting of the guide groove 42 and the locking projection 14, so that the pushing direction becomes stable. The retainer 35 can be operated smoothly. Therefore, at the main locking position, the retainer 35 and the terminal fitting 25 are locked in a regular positional relationship, so that the detection function of the terminal fitting 25 can be reliably exerted and a reliable engagement is achieved, unlike the conventional case. You can get a stop situation.

Further, in this embodiment, the retainer mounting hole 10
The connector housing 1 is also opened toward both side surfaces of the connector housing 1, but the opening portions of these side surfaces are closed by the side plates 40 when the retainer 35 reaches the main locking position. That is, in the present embodiment, since both side plates 40 of the retainer 35 also serve as the outer wall of the side surface portion of the connector housing 1, the side plate 40 of the retainer 35 is attached to the side surface of the connector housing 1 without opening the retainer mounting hole 10 to the side. Also, the entire connector can be made smaller in the width direction than in the case of being mounted in a stacked manner to contribute to miniaturization.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cavity 3 is provided in the upper and lower two-stage connectors, and the retainers 35 are not set individually for each stage, but are locked together by one connector. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and work man-hours.

<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 the present embodiment, the guide groove 42 is arranged on the retainer 35 side and the locking projection 14 is arranged on the connector housing 1 side, but the arrangement may be reversed. (2) In the present embodiment, the retainer 35 is set to the temporary locking state, but the retainer 35 may be of a type that directly shifts to the permanent locking state without setting this state. (3) In the present embodiment, the hooking piece 21 and the locking claw 45 constitute a locking means, and thus the retainer 35.
Is held in the main locking state, it may be replaced with the following. That is, when the retainer is in the final locking state, the push-in restricting projection is brought into contact with the outer surface of the retainer, and the retainer is locked by sandwiching the retainer between the locking projection and the press-in restricting projection. Is also possible. (4) The guide groove 42 does not necessarily have to be a penetrating shape, but may have a bottom surface in the groove. Further, contrary to the present embodiment, it is possible to dispose the guide groove on the connector housing side and dispose the locking protrusion on the retainer side.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a connector housing.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same.

[Figure 3] Rear view of the same

[Figure 4] Bottom view of the same

FIG. 5 is a side view of the retainer.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of a retainer.

FIG. 7 is a front view when the retainer is in a temporarily locked state.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 9 is a front view when the retainer is in a fully locked state.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the same

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing peripheral portions of the locking projection and the guide groove.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 ... Connector housing 3 ... Cavity 5 ... Lance 10 Retainer mounting hole 18 ... Push-in restriction protrusion 21 ... Hooking piece (locking means) 25 ... Terminal fittings 35 ... Retainer 40 ... Side plate 42 ... Guide groove 45 ... Locking claw (locking means)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --- Continued from the front page (56) References JP-A-8-138783 (JP, A) JP-A-2001-6789 (JP, A) JP-A-6-151002 (JP, A) JP-A-10-189114 (JP, A) JP 8-45596 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/42

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A connector housing capable of fitting with a mating connector housing, and a cavity for housing terminal fittings which are arranged in a plurality of stages in a direction orthogonal to a fitting direction of the connector housings and which are inserted from the rear side. A lance that elastically locks the terminal fitting when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity to a normal depth position, and a lance that communicates from the outer surface of the connector housing to the cavities of each step. A retainer mounting hole opened with a depth and a pair of side plates in the width direction are inserted into the retainer mounting hole diagonally from the rear while sandwiching the connector housing from the width direction, and when the connector housing is pressed to a regular depth, the A retainer that locks the terminal fittings together to prevent the terminal fittings from coming off with the lance. A guide groove that extends obliquely with respect to the insertion direction of the terminal fitting is provided in one of the facing surfaces of the both side plates and the connector housing, and the other of the guide grooves is formed in the other. A locking projection that fits into the groove and is fitted so as to be relatively movable only along the extending direction of the guide groove is provided, and the locking projection displaces in the guide groove to allow an oblique direction of the retainer. It is possible to guide the pushing operation into the terminal fitting, and when the terminal fitting is in the half-inserted state, the terminal fitting can be pushed to the regular depth position with the pushing operation, and the retainer mounting hole is In the connector housing, the retainer is opened in three directions from a surface facing the pushing direction of the retainer to a pair of side surfaces adjacent to the retainer, and
A notch is formed with a depth that exposes the inside of the bitty.
The connector is characterized in that the opening areas of the retainer mounting holes on both side surfaces are closed by both side plates of the retainer. 2. The locking projection is formed in a rib shape capable of sliding contact with a facing groove edge of the guide groove over a predetermined length range, and on the facing surface of the side plate and the connector housing. 2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising locking means for locking each other when the retainer is mounted at a position where the terminal fitting can be locked. 3. The retainer has a temporary locking state in which the terminal fitting can be inserted into and removed from the cavity with respect to the connector housing, and a final locking status in which the terminal fitting is locked to prevent the terminal fitting from coming off. A connector that can move between the locking projections is provided with a push-in restricting projection behind the retainer in the pushing direction of the retainer, and when the retainer is in the temporary locking state, the locking projection is the guide groove. To the other end side of the guide groove, and when the retainer is in the main locking state, the locking projection locks to the other end side of the guide groove. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the push-in restraining protrusion is located outside the retainer, apart from the guide groove.