WO2024111427A1

WO2024111427A1 - Connector unit

Info

Publication number: WO2024111427A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/040429
Authority: WO
Inventors: 宝伊藤
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-11-25
Filing date: 2023-11-09
Publication date: 2024-05-30

Abstract

A connector unit (U1) comprises a connector (1) and a connected member (1A). The connector (1) comprises a terminal (13), a housing (10), and a lock part (12). Further, the connected member (1A) comprises a base body (13A) and a conductor (14A). The lock part (12) has an operating part (121a) that can unlock a mating connector (2) and the connector (1) by moving from a first side to a second side of a second axis. The housing (10) has formed therein a movement space (S6) that allows movement of the operating part (121a) toward the second side of the second axis. Additionally, the base body (13A) is formed with a recessed section (13aA) that passes through the first axis, as well as opens to the first side on the second axis, and interconnects with the movement space (S6) through the first axis in the state where the connected member (1A) is connected to the connector (1).

Description

Connector Unit

This disclosure relates to a connector unit.

Conventionally, a connector unit is known that includes a plug connector and a cable connected to the plug connector, as disclosed in the following Patent Document 1.

In Patent Document 1, the plug connector and the receptacle connector are fitted together by moving the plug connector forward relative to the receptacle connector. The cable is then connected to the rear end of the plug connector in a state where it extends downward.

The plug connector also includes a plug terminal and a plug housing having an internal space capable of accommodating the plug terminal. The plug connector also includes a locking portion that, when mated with the receptacle connector, can restrict the relative movement of the plug connector with respect to the receptacle connector along the front-to-rear axis. The locking portion also has an operating portion that can be moved downward to unlock the receptacle connector and the plug connector. Below the operating portion in the plug housing, a movement space is formed that allows the operating portion to move downward.

JP 2016-110994 A

In such a connector unit, it is preferable to be able to more effectively utilize the movement space that allows the operation part to move.

The present disclosure therefore aims to obtain a connector unit that can more effectively utilize the movement space that allows movement of the operating part.

The connector unit disclosed herein comprises a connector and a connected member connected to the connector, and is capable of mating the connector with the mating connector by moving the connector relative to the mating connector along a first axis, the connector comprises a terminal capable of electrically connecting with a mating terminal of the mating connector, a housing having an internal space capable of accommodating the terminal, and a locking portion capable of restricting the relative movement of the connector with respect to the mating connector along the first axis when the mating connector and the connector are mated, and the connected member comprises a base and a conductor formed on the base. The terminal has a contact portion that can be electrically connected to the mating contact portion of the mating terminal and a terminal connection portion that can be electrically connected to the conductor of the connected member, the locking portion has an operating portion that can be moved from the first side to the second side of a second axis that intersects with the first axis to unlock the mating connector and the connector, the housing is formed with a movement space that allows the operation portion to move to the second side of the second axis, and the base is formed with a recess that penetrates the first axis and opens to the first side of the second axis when the connected member is connected to the connector, and communicates with the movement space via the first axis.

This disclosure makes it possible to obtain a connector unit that can more effectively utilize the movement space that allows the operation unit to move.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connector set and a connector unit, and is an exploded perspective view showing a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a connector set and a connector unit, and is a perspective view showing a state in which a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board are mated with each other. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the plug terminal and receptacle terminal of a connector set, where (a) is an oblique view showing the state before the plug terminal and the upper receptacle terminal come into contact, and (b) is a plan view showing the contact state between the plug terminal and the upper receptacle terminal. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the plug terminal and receptacle terminal of a connector set, where (a) is an oblique view showing the state before the plug terminal and the lower receptacle terminal come into contact, and (b) is a rear view showing the contact state between the plug terminal and the lower receptacle terminal. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating how to mount a plug connector on a cable, where FIG. 5A is an oblique view of the cable before mounting as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 5B is an oblique view of the cable after mounting as viewed from the front side. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating how to mount a plug connector on a cable, where FIG. 6A is an oblique view of the cable before mounting as viewed from the back side, and FIG. 6B is an oblique view of the cable after mounting as viewed from the back side. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the connector unit. FIG. 8 is a rear view showing the connector unit. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the plug connectors included in the connector set and the connector unit. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a plug housing provided in a plug connector, where FIG. 10A is a plan view and FIG. 10B is a rear view. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a plug housing provided in a plug connector, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a side view, and (d) is a cross-sectional side view. 12A to 12F are diagrams showing a plug terminal provided in a plug connector, where (a) is an oblique view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a rear view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a rear view. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state before the receptacle connector included in the connector set is mounted on a circuit board. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector set and the receptacle connector included in the mating connector unit. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a receptacle housing provided in a receptacle connector, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a rear view. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a receptacle housing provided in a receptacle connector, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a side view, and (d) is a cross-sectional side view. Figure 17 is a diagram showing an upper receptacle terminal provided in a receptacle connector, where (a) is an oblique view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a rear view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a back view. Figure 18 is a diagram showing a lower receptacle terminal provided in a receptacle connector, where (a) is an oblique view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a rear view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a back view. 19A and 19B are diagrams showing a plug connector provided in a connector set and a connector unit, where FIG. 19A is a perspective view of the plug connector as viewed from the rear, and FIG. 19B is a rear view of the plug connector. 20A and 20B are diagrams showing a plug connector provided in a connector set and a connector unit, where FIG. 20A is a front view of the plug connector, and FIG. 20B is a front view showing a part of the plug connector in an enlarged manner. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a cable included in the connector unit as viewed from the front side. 22A and 22B are diagrams showing a connector unit, in which FIG. 22A is a perspective view showing the connector unit with a part cut away, and FIG. 22B is a side cross-sectional view of the connector unit. Figure 23 is a diagram explaining the positional relationship between the locking portion of the plug connector and the cable, where (a) is a rear view showing the locking portion of the plug connector alone, and (b) is a rear view showing the locking portion with the cable mounted on the plug connector. Figure 24 is a diagram showing another example of a connector set, and is an exploded perspective view showing a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board mated together, and a slide member. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a sliding member, where (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a rear view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a back view. FIG. 26 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a state in which the slide member is temporarily held in the plug connector. FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining how the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked by the slide member, and is a side cross-sectional view showing the state before the plug connector, with the slide member temporarily held, is mated with the receptacle connector. FIG. 28 is a diagram for explaining how the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked by the slide member, and is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which the plug connector, temporarily held by the slide member, is fitted into the receptacle connector. FIG. 29 is a diagram for explaining how the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked with a slide member, and is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the plug connector is mated with the receptacle connector and locked with the slide member. Figure 30 is a diagram explaining the positional relationship between the plug housing and the retaining fittings provided in the plug connector, where (a) is an oblique view of the periphery of the retaining fittings viewed from the front side, and (b) is an oblique view of the periphery of the retaining fittings viewed from the rear side. Figure 31 is a diagram explaining the positional relationship between a plug housing and a retaining metal fitting provided in a plug connector, where (a) is a front view showing the periphery of the retaining metal fitting, and (b) is a rear view showing the periphery of the retaining metal fitting. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing another example of use of the connector set, and is an exploded perspective view showing a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a plug connector 1 that is mounted (connected) to a flexible sheet-like cable (connected member) 1A is shown as an example connector. In addition, a receptacle connector 2 that is mounted (connected) to a rigid sheet-like circuit board (connected member) 2A is shown as an example mating connector with which the plug connector 1 fits.

Furthermore, below, the up-down axis, front-back axis, and width axis of the plug connector 1 are defined with the plug housing 10 positioned above the sheet-like cable (connected member) 1A. The up-down axis, front-back axis, and width axis are defined merely for the sake of convenience in explaining each configuration, and do not define the actual arrangement state of the plug connector 1. Furthermore, the up-down axis, front-back axis, and width axis are imaginary configurations, and do not mean that the plug connector 1, etc., actually has an axial portion such as the up-down axis.

In this embodiment, the direction in which the terminals are inserted into the housing of each connector coincides with the front-to-rear axis, and the longitudinal direction of the housing of each connector when viewed along the front-to-rear axis coincides with the width axis of the connector. And, the transverse direction of the housing of each connector when viewed along the front-to-rear axis coincides with the up-down axis of the connector.

In addition, in this embodiment, the axis extending along the X-axis in the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system is the front-rear axis (first axis), the axis extending along the Z-axis is the up-down axis (second axis), and the axis extending along the Y-axis is the width axis (third axis). In other words, the axis perpendicular to the front-rear axis (first axis: direction extending along the X-axis) is the up-down axis (second axis: direction extending along the Z-axis). And the axis perpendicular to the front-rear axis (first axis: direction extending along the X-axis) and the up-down axis (second axis: direction extending along the Z-axis) is the width axis (third axis: direction extending along the Y-axis).

Furthermore, in this description, the side that faces the mating connector when the connectors are mated is defined as the front on the front-to-back axis (second side of the first axis), and the side opposite the side that faces the mating connector on the front-to-back axis is defined as the rear on the front-to-back axis (first side of the first axis). Additionally, in this description, the upper side on the vertical axis is defined as the first side of the second axis, and the lower side on the vertical axis is defined as the second side of the second axis.

[Examples of connector set and connector unit configurations]
A plug connector (connector) 1 according to this embodiment is used in a connector set C1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the like.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connector set C1 includes the plug connector 1 described above and a receptacle connector 2 into which the plug connector 1 can be mated.

In this embodiment, the plug connector 1 is formed so that it can be mounted (connected) to a cable (connected member) 1A such as an FPC or FFC. Specifically, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal (terminal) 13 provided on the plug connector 1 is mounted to the conductor exposed portion 14aA of the cable 1A, electrically connecting the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A, so that the plug connector 1 can be mounted (connected) to the cable 1A.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the connector unit U1 is formed by mounting (connecting) the cable 1A to the plug connector 1.

On the other hand, the receptacle connector 2 is formed so that it can be mounted (connected) to a circuit board (mating connected member) 2A. Specifically, the mounting pieces (mating terminal connection parts) 232, 242 of the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 provided on the receptacle connector 2 are electrically connected (mounted) to the conductor part (mating conductor) 2bA of the circuit board 2A, so that the receptacle connector 2 is mounted (connected) to the circuit board 2A.

In this way, in this embodiment, the mating connector unit U2 is formed by mounting (connecting) the circuit board 2A to the receptacle connector 2.

The plug connector 1 (connector unit U1), in which the plug terminal 13 is held in the plug housing 10 and the mounting piece 132 is mounted on the cable 1A, is fitted into the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. In this way, the plug terminal 13 is electrically connected to the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 of the receptacle connector 2.

In this way, the connector set C1 is configured to fit the plug connector 1 into the receptacle connector 2 to electrically connect the plug terminal 13 to the

receptacle terminals

23, 24. By electrically connecting the plug terminal 13 to the

receptacle terminals

23, 24, the cable 1A of the connector unit U1 is electrically connected to the circuit board 2A of the mating connector unit U2 (see Figures 2 to 4).

As described above, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is configured so that it can be mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving it relative to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 along the front-rear axis (first axis). Furthermore, the plug connector (connector) 1 is configured so that it can connect a cable (connected member) 1A. This plug connector (connector) 1 is capable of electrically connecting the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 of the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[Configuration example of cable 1A]
Next, an example of the configuration of a cable 1A on which the plug connector 1 is mounted will be described with reference to FIGS.

The cable 1A is in the form of a sheet (flat plate) with a front surface (one side: first sheet surface) 1aA and a back surface (other side: second sheet surface) 1bA, and the plug connector 1 is mounted on the front surface 1aA.

Furthermore, the cable 1A is flexible, so that the cable 1A can be bent (curved) in the cable thickness direction. The plug connector 1 is mounted on a partial area of the surface 1aA of the flexible cable 1A, and the area of the cable 1A where the plug connector 1 is mounted is the connection area 11A used for connecting with the plug connector 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the surface 1aA of the connection area 11A of the cable 1A is the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA where the plug connector 1 is mounted. Thus, in this embodiment, the cable 1A has the connection area 11A used for connecting with the plug connector 1. Furthermore, the cable 1A has an extension area 12A where the conductor portion 14A extends for wiring with another circuit.

In this embodiment, the cable 1A is formed so that the connection region 11A is located at one end side of the extension region 12A (above on the vertical axis: first side of the second axis). Then, when the plug connector 1 to which the connection region 11A is connected is fitted into the receptacle connector 2, the cable 1A is located on the opposite side of the receptacle connector 2, i.e., rearward of the receptacle connector 2 on the front-rear axis (first side of the first axis). At this time, the cable 1A is connected to the plug connector 1 with the extension region 12A pulled out downward on the vertical axis (second side of the second axis).

In this manner, in this embodiment, a vertical type connector unit U1 (a type in which the connection surface 11aA of the connected member 1A is approximately perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector set C1) is exemplified as the connector unit. That is, when the plug connector 1 is mounted on the cable 1A, the direction perpendicular to the plane including the mounting surface 11aA (the normal direction to the plane including the mounting surface 11aA) coincides with the front-rear axis (X-axis) of the plug connector 1. At this time, in this embodiment, the direction in which the plug terminals (terminals) 13 housed in the plug housing (housing) 10 of the plug connector 1 are arranged side by side is the width axis (Y-axis).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cable 1A has a multi-layer structure and includes a base material 1311A, a conductor portion 14A laminated on the base material 1311A, and a coating portion 1312A laminated on the base material 1311A so as to cover the conductor portion 14A. The base material 1311A and the coating portion 1312A are made of an insulating film and cover the conductor portion 14A. On the other hand, the conductor portion 14A is a conductor film printed on the insulating film constituting the coating portion 1312A, and has a plurality of wiring patterns corresponding to a plurality of plug terminals 13 (terminals: first terminal 14 and second terminal 15) described later. Thus, in this embodiment, the cable 1A includes a flexible sheet 131A having the base material 1311A and the coating portion 1312A, and a conductor portion 14A formed on the flexible sheet 131A. The flexible sheet 131A constitutes at least a part of the base body 13A.

Furthermore, a plurality of conductor exposed portions 14aA, which are conductor portions 14A exposed from the covering portion 1312A, are formed on the surface of the connecting region 11A. The plurality of conductor exposed portions 14aA are formed in two rows on the vertical axis (Z axis), and the conductor exposed portions 14aA in each row are formed so as to be aligned at a predetermined pitch on the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the plurality of conductor exposed portions 14aA are formed so as to be staggered in a front view (when the mounting surface 11aA is viewed along the normal direction of the mounting surface 11aA).

This type of structure can be formed, for example, by printing multiple conductive films on the base material 1311A to form the conductor portion 14A, and then covering the conductor portion 14A with the covering portion 1312A. At this time, if a through hole is provided in the covering portion 1312A so that the tip of the conductor portion 14A is not covered, a cable 1A is formed in which the tip of the conductor portion 14A is exposed on one side (forward on the front-to-rear axis: second side of the first axis).

The method for forming cable 1A is not limited to the above method, and it can be formed in various ways.

Furthermore, on the surface 1aA of the connecting region 11A, a fixing portion 15A is formed to which a retaining metal fitting 16 of the plug connector 1, which will be described later, is fixed. In this embodiment, a pair of fixing portions 15A are formed on the outer side on the width axis (on both sides of the third axis) of the conductor exposed portion 14aA. The fixing portions 15A can be formed in the same manner as the conductor portion 14A, for example, during the printing process of the conductor portion 14A.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cable 1A is provided with a reinforcing plate (base) 132A. This reinforcing plate 132A is made of glass epoxy resin, stainless steel, or the like, and is used to reinforce the connection region 11A of the cable 1A by sandwiching the connection region 11A of the cable 1A between the plug connector 1 and the reinforcing plate 132A.

In this embodiment, the reinforcing plate 132A has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the connection region 11A of the cable 1A. That is, the outline shape of the reinforcing plate 132A when viewed from the front (when viewed along the normal direction of the mounting surface 11aA) is substantially the same as the outline shape of the connection region 11A. The reinforcing plate 132A is attached (fixed) to the back surface 1bA side of the connection region 11A with an adhesive or the like.

In this case, it is preferable that the entire conductor exposed portion 14aA overlaps with the reinforcing plate 132A when viewed from the front (viewed along the normal direction of the mounting surface 11aA). In this way, the entire conductor exposed portion 14aA is supported by the reinforcing plate 132A, which prevents the conductor exposed portion 14aA from bending along the front-to-rear axis (forward or backward: extension direction of the X-axis) or warping along the width axis (rightward or leftward: extension direction of the Y-axis).

In this embodiment, not only the flexible sheet 131A but also the reinforcing plate 132A constitutes part of the base 13A. That is, in this embodiment, the cable 1A includes the base 13A and a conductor portion (conductor) 14A formed on the base 13A. The base 13A includes the flexible sheet 131A on which the conductor portion (conductor) 14A is formed and which is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and the reinforcing plate (base) 132A which is fixed to the flexible sheet 131A and which suppresses deformation of the flexible sheet 131A.

[Configuration example of plug connector 1]
Next, an example of the configuration of the plug connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 9, the plug connector (connector) 1 includes a plug housing (housing) 10 and a plug terminal (terminal) 13 held by the plug housing 10. The plug connector (connector) 1 also includes a retaining metal fitting 16 held by the plug housing 10.

The plug terminals 13 held in the plug housing 10 are mounted (electrically connected) to the exposed conductor portion 14aA of the cable 1A arranged on the outside of the plug housing 10. In this way, the plug connector 1 is mounted to the cable 1A as the connected member. The plug terminals 13 are mounted (electrically connected) to the exposed conductor portion 14aA by soldering or the like. The retaining metal fittings 16 are fixed to the fixed portion 15A of the cable 1A by soldering or the like while held in the plug housing 10, thereby fixing the plug housing 10 to the cable 1A.

The plug housing 10 can be formed, for example, using an insulating resin material, and includes a housing body 11 that has rigidity.

The housing body 11 also has a locking portion 12 that holds the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 in a mated state or releases the mated state.

In this embodiment, the plug housing 10 includes a housing body 11 and a locking portion 12 formed on the housing body 11.

The housing body 11 includes a top wall 111, a bottom wall 112, and a pair of side walls 113 that connect both ends of the width axis (extension direction of the Y-axis) of the top wall 111 and the bottom wall 112. The housing body 11 also includes a front wall 114 that connects to the front ends of the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the

side walls

113, 113, and a rear wall 115 that connects to the rear ends of the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the

side walls

113, 113.

The housing body 11 also includes a partition wall 116 that is connected to the pair of side walls 113, the front wall 114, and the rear wall 115 and divides the space defined by the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, the

side walls

113, 113, the front wall 114, and the rear wall 115 into upper and lower sections.

Furthermore, the housing body 11 has a plurality of upper partitions 117 connected to the top wall 111, the partition wall 116, the front wall 114, and the rear wall 115, and the upper space separated by the partition wall 116 is divided into a plurality of spaces by the upper partitions 117. The housing body 11 also has a plurality of lower partitions 118 connected to the bottom wall 112, the partition wall 116, the front wall 114, and the rear wall 115, and the lower space separated by the partition wall 116 is divided into a plurality of spaces by the lower partitions 118.

The locking portion 12 is formed in the center of the width axis of the upper part of the housing main body 11. Specifically, the top walls 111 are formed on both sides of the width axis, and intermediate walls 119 are connected to the inside of each top wall 111 in the width axis. Thus, in this embodiment, the housing main body 11 has a recessed shape in the center of the width axis when viewed along the insertion direction (front-rear axis; extension direction of the X-axis). The locking portion 12 is formed in the recess 11a formed in the center of the width axis of the housing main body 11. Note that in this embodiment, the pair of intermediate walls 119 also function as upper partitions 117 that divide the upper space into multiple spaces.

The locking portion 12 is provided with a lever portion 121 that is connected to the front end of the partition wall 116 and extends rearward. The rear side of this lever portion 121 is designed to be able to move relative to the partition wall 116 (housing main body 11) along the vertical axis. An operating portion 121a that operates the lever portion 121 is formed at the rear end of the lever portion 121, and an engaging protrusion 121b that engages with an engaging hole (engaging portion) 221a formed in the receptacle connector 2 is formed at the center of the front-rear axis of the lever portion 121.

In this embodiment, when the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 are mated, the engagement protrusion 121b engages with the engagement hole 221a, allowing the housings of the connectors to be locked together (maintained in a mated state). By pressing down the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121 and moving the lever portion 121 downward, the engagement protrusion 121b also moves downward, disengaging from the engagement hole 221a, allowing the housings of the connectors to be released from their mated state.

Furthermore, below the lever portion 121 (between the lever portion 121 and the partition wall 116), a movement space S6 is formed that allows the lever portion 121 to move downward (movement relative to the housing body 11).

In this manner, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is provided with a locking portion 12 that can restrict the relative movement of the plug connector (connector) 1 with respect to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 along the front-rear axis (first axis) when the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1 are engaged with each other.

The locking portion 12 also has an operating portion 121a that can unlock the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1 by moving it from the upper side of the vertical axis (the first side of the second axis that intersects with the front-rear axis) to the lower side of the vertical axis (the second side of the second axis that intersects with the front-rear axis).

The plug housing (housing) 10 has a movement space S6 that allows movement of the operating part 121a downward (to the second side of the second axis).

In addition, in this embodiment, the front wall 114 is formed with through holes 114a so as to communicate with the multiple spaces partitioned by the partition wall 116, the upper partition wall 117, and the lower partition wall 118. Similarly, the rear wall 115 is formed with through holes 115a so as to communicate with the multiple spaces partitioned by the partition wall 116, the upper partition wall 117, and the lower partition wall 118.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the housing body 11 is formed with a plurality of spaces that penetrate along the front-rear axis. The plug terminals 13 are press-fitted (inserted) into each of the spaces that penetrate along the front-rear axis. That is, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 includes a plug housing (housing) 10 having a housing body 11 with an internal space capable of accommodating the plug terminals (terminals) 13.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the housing body 11 is configured so that two levels of spaces are formed on the up-down axis (extension direction of the Z axis) in which multiple spaces are arranged side by side on the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). Furthermore, when the housing body 11 is viewed from the rear of the front-to-rear axis, multiple spaces are formed in a staggered pattern. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the width axis of the plug connector 1.

Specifically, a plurality of spaces defined by the top wall 111, the partition wall 116, and the upper bulkhead 117 are arranged side by side on the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) on the upper side of the housing body 11. The space formed on the upper side of the housing body 11 is the upper space (first space: internal space) S1 into which the plug terminal 13 is press-fitted (inserted).

On the other hand, on the lower side of the housing body 11, a plurality of spaces defined by the bottom wall 112, the partition wall 116, and the lower bulkhead 118 are arranged side by side along the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). The space formed on the lower side of the housing body 11 is the lower space (second space: internal space) S2 into which the plug terminal 13 is press-fitted (inserted).

In this embodiment, 14 lower spaces (second spaces) S2 are arranged side by side on the width axis on the lower side of the housing body 11. Meanwhile, on the upper side of the housing body 11, five upper spaces (first spaces) S1 are arranged side by side on one side of the width axis of the locking portion 12 (right side in the left-right direction), and five upper spaces (first spaces) S1 are arranged side by side on the other side of the width axis of the locking portion 12 (left side in the left-right direction). In other words, on the upper side of the housing body 11, ten spaces (upper spaces S1) are arranged side by side on the width axis, sandwiching the locking portion 12. This makes it possible to reduce the height of the housing body 11.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper partition 117 and the lower partition 118 are formed at positions offset on the width axis. That is, the first space S1 and the second space S2 are formed so as to overlap partially in a plan view. In other words, when the plug housing 10 is viewed along the up-down axis (second axis) with the plug terminal 13 held in the plug housing 10, the first space S1 and the second space S2 overlap.

The plug terminal 13 is pressed (inserted) forward from the opening at the rear end of the first space S1, and this opening at the rear end of the first space S1 serves as the insertion port S1a. The opening at the front end of the first space S1 is smaller than the insertion port S1a so that the plug terminal 13 does not fall out. In other words, the front wall 114 restricts the forward movement of the plug terminal 13 pressed (inserted) from the insertion port S1a. The opening at the front end of the first space S1 serves as an introduction port S1b for introducing the contact portion 230a of the upper receptacle terminal 23 of the receptacle connector 2 described later into the first space S1. The periphery of this introduction port S1b is tapered so that the contact portion 230a of the upper receptacle terminal 23 can be easily introduced.

Similarly, the plug terminal 13 is pressed (inserted) forward from the opening at the rear end of the second space S2, and this opening at the rear end of the second space S2 serves as the insertion port S2a. The opening at the front end of the second space S2 is smaller than the insertion port S2a so that the plug terminal 13 does not fall out. In other words, the front wall 114 restricts the forward movement of the plug terminal 13 pressed (inserted) from the insertion port S2a. The opening at the front end of the second space S2 also serves as an introduction port S2b for introducing the contact portion 240a of the lower receptacle terminal 24 of the receptacle connector 2 described later into the second space S2. The periphery of this introduction port S2b is also tapered so that the contact portion 240a of the lower receptacle terminal 24 can be easily introduced.

In this embodiment, plug terminals 13 of the same shape are inserted into the first space S1 and the second space S2, respectively. At this time, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the plug terminal 13 inserted into the first space S1 is inserted into the first space S1 in a state in which it is upside down relative to the plug terminal 13 inserted into the second space S2. In other words, the plug terminal 13 inserted into the second space S2 is rotated 180 degrees around the front-to-rear axis, and in this state is moved relatively along the front-to-rear axis so that the plug terminal 13 is inserted into the first space S1.

In addition, a groove 116a that opens rearward and upward is formed at the upper part of the rear end of the partition wall 116 so as to communicate with the first space S1. In this embodiment, the groove 116a is formed on both sides of the width axis of the first space S1, and the tip of the side wall 134 of the plug terminal 13 described below is inserted into this groove 116a. In this embodiment, the groove 116a is formed so that the groove width (length of the width axis) is slightly wider than the plate thickness of the side wall 134.

Similarly, a groove 116b that opens rearward and downward is formed in the lower part of the rear end of the partition wall 116 so as to communicate with the second space S2. In this embodiment, the groove 116b is also formed on both sides of the width axis of the second space S2, and the tip of the side wall 134 of the plug terminal 13 is also inserted into the groove 116b. In this embodiment, the groove width (length of the width axis) of this groove 116b is also formed to be slightly wider than the plate thickness of the side wall 134.

Furthermore, a pair of

side walls

113, 113 are each formed with a retaining

bracket mounting portion

1131, 1131 on which the retaining bracket 16 is held.

In this embodiment, the retaining bracket mounting portion 1131 has a recess 1131a that opens forward on the front-to-rear axis and outward on the width axis. The retaining bracket mounting portion 1131 also has a pair of

slits

1131b, 1131b that are connected to both sides of the vertical axis of the recess 1131a and into which the side portions (ends of the vertical axis) of the main body portion (base portion) 161 of the retaining bracket 16 are inserted.

Then, with the retaining metal fitting 16 held in place by the plug housing 10, the fixing piece (connection fixing part) 162 connected to the lower end (rear end of the front-to-rear axis) of the main body part 161 is fixed to the fixing part 15A formed on the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable 1A, thereby fixing the plug housing 10 to the cable 1A.

Specifically, the fixing piece 162 is formed at the lower end of the body portion 161, which is substantially flat, so as to protrude to one side along the plate thickness of the body portion 161. The retaining metal fitting 16 is then inserted into the retaining metal fitting attachment portion 1131 from the front of the front-rear axis (the sides of the body portion 161 are inserted into the pair of

slits

1131b, 1131b, respectively), so that the retaining metal fitting 16 is held by the plug housing 10. At this time, with the fixing piece 162 protruding outward from the width axis on the rear side of the front-rear axis, the body portion 161 is moved relatively rearward along the front-rear axis while aligning with the side surface 113a of the housing body 11. In this way, the body portion 161 of the retaining metal fitting 16 is arranged along the side surface 113a of the housing body 11, and the fixing piece 162 protrudes in a direction away from the side surface 113a of the housing body 11.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is provided with a retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 that can be held by the housing body 11 and fixed to the cable (connected member) 1A. The retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 has a main body portion (base) 161 that is arranged along the side surface 113a of the housing body 11 while held by the housing body 11. Furthermore, the retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 has a fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 that is connected to the main body portion (base) 161 so as to protrude in a direction away from the side surface 113a of the housing body 11 (outside the width axis) and can be mounted (connected) to the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A.

Next, the specific configuration of the plug terminal (terminal) will be explained with reference to Figure 12.

In this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 includes a main body 130 that is press-fitted (inserted) into the internal space (first space S1 or second space S2) formed in the plug housing 10, and a mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 that extends from the main body 130 toward the mounting surface 1aA of the cable 1A when the plug terminal 13 is mounted on the cable (connected member) 1A, and can be mounted on the cable 1A. In this embodiment, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 is formed so as to protrude outward on the vertical axis beyond the rear wall 115 when held in the plug housing (housing) 10.

The plug terminals 13 are conductive and are arranged in a row along the width axis (extension direction of the Y-axis) of the plug housing 10. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the plug terminals 13 are formed by bending a strip-shaped metal member in the thickness direction, and are generally U-shaped when viewed along the insertion direction (front-rear axis; extension direction of the X-axis) (see FIG. 12(e) and FIG. 12(f)). Such plug terminals 13 can be formed, for example, by bending a strip-shaped metal member that has been punched out to have a predetermined shape.

The main body 130 has a bottom wall 133 and side walls 134 connected to both ends of the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) of the bottom wall 133.

The bottom wall 133 comprises a bottom wall main body 135 to which the lower end of the side wall 134 is connected, and a contact protection part 136 that is connected to the front end of the bottom wall main body 135 and protrudes forward. This contact protection part 136 prevents the contact part 130a of the plug terminal 13 from coming into contact with the housing main body 11 when the main body part 130 is pressed (inserted) into the internal space (first space S1 or second space S2).

The bottom wall body 135 and the contact protection portion 136 are each formed with restricting

pieces

135a, 136a that protrude outward from both ends of the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). These restricting

pieces

135a, 136a prevent the body portion 130 from being pressed (inserted) at an angle when the body portion 130 is pressed (inserted) into the internal space (first space S1 or second space S2).

The side wall 134 has a side wall body 137 whose lower end is connected to the bottom wall body 135, and a contact piece 138 that is connected to the front end of the side wall body 137 in an elastically deformable manner and comes into contact with the contact portion of the receptacle connector.

A restricting protrusion 137a is formed on the upper end of the sidewall main body 137, and this restricting protrusion 137a prevents the main body portion 130 from floating up when the main body portion 130 is pressed (inserted) into the internal space (first space S1 or second space S2).

The contact piece 138 also includes an inner bent piece 138a connected to the front end of the sidewall body 137 so as to bend inward along the width axis, and an outer bent piece 138b connected to the front end of the inner bent piece 138a so as to bend outward along the width axis.

In this embodiment, the contact pieces 138 are connected to each of the pair of

side wall bodies

137, 137, and are formed to be approximately linearly symmetrical in a plan view. That is, the pair of

contact pieces

138, 138 have inner

bent pieces

138a, 138a that are bent in a direction that approaches each other as they move forward, and outer

bent pieces

138b, 138b that are bent in a direction that moves away from each other as they move forward.

The pair of

contact pieces

138, 138 are arranged to clamp the

contact portions

230a, 240a of the receptacle connector 2 at the location where they are closest to each other (the joint between the inner bent piece 138a and the outer bent piece 138b) (see Figures 3(b) and 4(b)). In this manner, in this embodiment, the pair of

contact pieces

138, 138 function as the contact portion 130a of the plug terminal 13. The pair of outer bent pieces 138b function as guide portions for more smoothly introducing the

contact portions

230a, 240a of the receptacle connector 2.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a press-fit protrusion 137b is formed at the upper end of the rear portion of one of the pair of

side wall bodies

137, 137. Then, by making this press-fit protrusion 137b bite into the housing body 11, the main body portion 130 is press-fit into the internal space (the first space S1 or the second space S2).

In this embodiment, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 extends downward from the rear end of the bottom wall body 135 (the side opposite to the side to which the side wall 134 extends).

In this manner, in this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a contact portion 130a that can be electrically connected to the contact portions (mating contact portions) 230a, 240a of the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24. The plug terminal (terminal) 13 also has a mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 that can be electrically connected to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

In this embodiment, as described above, the plug terminal 13 inserted into the first space S1 is inserted into the first space S1 in a state in which it is upside down relative to the plug terminal 13 inserted into the second space S2.

Specifically, the plug terminal 13 located on the upper side is press-fitted (inserted) into the upper space S1 through the insertion opening S1a with the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 positioned on the rear side of the front-to-rear axis (first side of the first axis) and the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 facing the upper side of the up-down axis (first side of the second axis).

On the other hand, the plug terminal 13 located on the lower side is press-fitted (inserted) into the lower space S2 through the insertion opening S2a with the mounting piece (terminal connection part) 132 positioned on the rear side of the front-to-rear axis (first side of the first axis) and the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection part) 132 facing downward on the up-down axis (second side of the second axis).

At this time, the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is made to protrude above the top surface (surface on the first end side of the second shaft) 111a of the top wall 111 of the housing main body 11.

Similarly, the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the lower side is made to protrude downward from the bottom surface (surface on the second end side of the second shaft) 112a of the bottom wall 112 of the housing body 11.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is a first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 that protrudes upward from the upper end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protrudes outward from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis). And, the plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is a first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 having a first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142.

The mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 located on the lower side is a second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 that protrudes downward from the lower end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protruding outward from a second end located on the opposite side of the second axis from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis). The plug terminal 13 located on the lower side is a second plug terminal (second terminal) 15 that has a second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 having a first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 that protrudes above the upper end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protrudes outward from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis).

The plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a second plug terminal (second terminal) 15 having a second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 that protrudes downward from the lower end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protruding outward from a second end located on the opposite side of the second axis from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis).

[Configuration example of receptacle connector 2]
Next, an example of the configuration of the receptacle connector 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the receptacle connector 2 has a receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. Furthermore, the receptacle connector 2 has receptacle terminals (mating terminals: upper receptacle terminal 23 and lower receptacle terminal 24) held in the receptacle housing 20. The receptacle connector 2 also has retaining fittings (mating retaining fittings) 25 held in the receptacle housing 20.

The

receptacle terminals

23, 24 held in the receptacle housing 20 are mounted on the conductor portion 2bA of the circuit board 2A arranged on the outside of the receptacle housing 20. This allows the receptacle connector 2 to be mounted on the circuit board 2A as the mating connected member. The

receptacle terminals

23, 24 are also mounted on the conductor portion 2bA by soldering or the like. The retaining metal fittings 25 are fixed to the fixing portion 2cA of the circuit board 2A by soldering or the like while held in the receptacle housing 20, thereby fixing the receptacle housing 20 to the circuit board 2A.

The circuit board 2A has a generally rectangular plate shape and includes a board body 2aA formed of a resin material or the like having rigidity and insulating properties. The conductor portion 2bA and the fixing portion 2cA are formed so as to be exposed on the surface 21aA of the board body 2aA. Thus, in this embodiment, the surface 21aA of the board body 2aA serves as the mounting surface.

The receptacle housing 20 has a rigid housing body 21, and the receptacle housing 20 can be formed, for example, using an insulating resin material.

In addition, the upper part of the housing body 21 is formed with a locking part insertion part 22 into which the locking part 12 is inserted, which holds the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 in the mated state and releases the mated state.

In this embodiment, the receptacle housing 20 includes a housing body 21 and a locking portion insertion portion 22 formed in the housing body 21.

The housing body 21 includes a top wall 211, a bottom wall 212, a pair of side walls 213 that connect both ends of the width axis (extension direction of the Y-axis) of the top wall 211 and the bottom wall 212, and a rear wall 214 that connects to the rear ends of the top wall 211, the bottom wall 212, and the

side walls

213, 213.

The locking portion insertion portion 22 is formed in the center of the width axis of the top wall 211. Specifically, the locking portion insertion portion 22 is formed below the center of the width axis of the top wall 211, and has a storage portion 221 that stores the lever portion 121. An engagement hole (engagement portion) 221a that engages with the engagement protrusion 121b of the locking portion 12 is formed in the center of the front-rear axis of this storage portion 221.

The rear wall 214 is also formed with multiple spaces that penetrate along the front-to-rear axis. In this embodiment, multiple spaces arranged side by side along the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) are formed in two stages along the up-down axis (extension direction of the Z axis). Furthermore, when the housing main body 21 is viewed from behind the front-to-rear axis, the multiple spaces are formed in a staggered pattern. This allows the receptacle connector 2 to be smaller along the width axis.

The upper receptacle terminal 23 and the lower receptacle terminal 24 are each press-fit (inserted) into the space that passes through the front-rear axis.

Specifically, the space formed on the upper side of the housing body 21 (at a position away from the mounting surface 21aA) is the first space S3 into which the upper receptacle terminal 23 is press-fitted (inserted).

On the other hand, the space formed on the lower side of the housing body 21 (closer to the mounting surface 21aA side than the first space S3) is the second space S4 into which the lower receptacle terminal 24 is press-fitted (inserted).

The upper receptacle terminal 23 is press-fitted (inserted) forward from the opening at the rear end of the first space S3, which opening at the rear end of the first space S3 serves as the insertion port S3a. Similarly, the lower receptacle terminal 24 is press-fitted (inserted) forward from the opening at the rear end of the second space S4, which opening at the rear end of the second space S4 serves as the insertion port S4a.

The housing body 21 also has a mating space S5 that opens forward (towards the plug connector 1). This mating space S5 is the space into which the housing body 11 of the plug housing 10 is inserted and mated, and is defined by a top wall 211, a bottom wall 212, a pair of

side walls

213, 213, and a rear wall 214. Therefore, the first space S3 and the second space S4 are each formed to communicate with the mating space S5. In this embodiment, a portion of the mating space S5 is used as the accommodation portion 221 for the locking portion insertion portion 22.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a protrusion 214a that protrudes rearward is provided at the rear end of the rear wall 214.

Furthermore, the pair of

side walls

213, 213 are each formed with a retaining

bracket mounting portion

213a, 213a on which the retaining bracket 25 is held.

In this embodiment, the retaining bracket attachment portion 213a has a recess 213b that opens outward on the up-down axis and width axis, and slits 213c, 213c that are connected to the inside of the width axis of the recess 213b and into which both ends of the front-rear axis of the main body portion 251 of the retaining bracket 25 are inserted. Then, with the retaining bracket 25 held in the receptacle housing 20, the fixing piece 252 connected to the lower end of the main body portion 251 is fixed to the fixing portion 2cA of the circuit board 2A, thereby fixing the receptacle housing 20 to the circuit board 2A.

In addition, in this embodiment, the receptacle terminal has a main body portion that is inserted into a space formed in the receptacle housing 20, a leg portion that extends from the main body portion toward the mounting surface 21aA of the circuit board (connected member) 2A when the receptacle terminal is mounted on the circuit board 2A, and a connection portion that is connected to the leg portion and can be mounted on the circuit board 2A.

Specifically, the receptacle terminal has an upper receptacle terminal 23 that is pressed (inserted) into a first space S3 formed on the upper side of the housing body 21 (at a position farther from the mounting surface 21aA). Furthermore, the receptacle terminal has a lower receptacle terminal 24 that is pressed (inserted) into a second space S4 formed on the lower side of the housing body 21 (closer to the mounting surface 21aA than the first space S3).

In this embodiment, the upper receptacle terminals 23 are conductive and are arranged in multiple rows along the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) of the receptacle housing 20. As shown in FIG. 17, the upper receptacle terminals 23 are formed in a thin plate shape and are pressed (inserted) from the rear into the first space S3 formed in the housing body 21 with the plate thickness roughly coinciding with the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). Such upper receptacle terminals 23 can be formed, for example, by punching a thin metal plate.

The upper receptacle terminal 23 also has a first body portion (mating body portion) 230 that is press-fitted (inserted) into the first space S3. Furthermore, the upper receptacle terminal 23 also has a first leg portion (mating leg portion) 231 that extends from the first body portion 230 toward the mounting surface 21aA when the upper receptacle terminal 23 is mounted on the circuit board (connected member) 2A. The upper receptacle terminal 23 also has a first mounting piece (mating connection portion) 232 that is connected to the first leg portion 231 and can be mounted on the circuit board 2A.

Then, at the front end of the first main body portion 230, a generally rod-shaped contact portion (mating contact portion) 230a is formed so as to protrude forward. Also, at the upper and lower ends of the first main body portion 230, press-fit protrusions 230b are formed, and the first main body portion 230 is press-fitted into the first space S3 by forcing the press-fit protrusions 230b into the housing main body 21. Then, with the first main body portion 230 pressed (inserted) into the first space S3, the contact portion 230a is arranged within the mating space S5.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first leg 231 extends downward (to the circuit board 2A: the connected member) from the rear end of the first body 230. Specifically, the first leg 231 extends in a substantially straight line from the rear end of the first body 230 downward (to the circuit board 2A: the connected member). Thus, in this embodiment, the first leg 231 extends in the housing thickness direction (vertical axis) from the first body 230 in a state in which it is pressed (inserted) into the first space S3. The length dimension of the vertical axis of this first leg 231 is longer than that of the second leg 241. The first mounting piece 232 is connected to the lower end of this first leg 231.

On the other hand, the lower receptacle terminals 24 are also conductive and are arranged in multiple rows along the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) of the receptacle housing 20. As shown in FIG. 18, these lower receptacle terminals 24 are formed in a thin plate shape and are pressed (inserted) from behind into the second space S4 formed in the housing body 21 with the plate thickness roughly coinciding with the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). Such lower receptacle terminals 24 can also be formed, for example, by punching a thin metal plate.

The lower receptacle terminal 24 also has a second body portion (mating body portion) 240 that is press-fitted (inserted) into the second space S4. The lower receptacle terminal 24 also has a second leg portion (mating leg portion) 241 that extends from the second body portion 240 toward the mounting surface 21aA when the lower receptacle terminal 24 is mounted on the circuit board (connected member) 2A, and a second mounting piece (mating connection portion) 242 that is connected to the second leg portion 241 and can be mounted on the circuit board 2A.

A generally rod-shaped contact portion (mating contact portion) 240a is formed at the front end of the second main body portion 240 so as to protrude forward. Press-fit protrusions 240b are formed at the upper and lower ends of the second main body portion 240, and the second main body portion 240 is pressed into the second space S4 by forcing the press-fit protrusions 240b into the housing main body 21. When the second main body portion 240 is pressed (inserted) into the second space S4, the contact portion 240a is arranged within the mating space S5.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second leg 241 is bent like a crank, and its lower end is located rearward of the second main body 240. The first mounting piece 232 is connected to the lower end of the first leg 231.

Then, when multiple receptacle terminals are held in the receptacle housing 20, the connection portions (first mounting piece 232 and second mounting piece 242) are arranged in a staggered pattern.

When the plug connector 1 described above is mated with the receptacle connector 2 configured in this way, the locking portion 12 of the plug housing 10 is inserted into the locking portion insertion portion 22 of the receptacle housing 20, and the housing body 11 is inserted into the mating space S5.

At this time, the engaging protrusion 121b of the lever portion 121 is pressed downward by the top wall 211 of the receptacle housing 20. When the engaging protrusion 121b is pressed downward by the top wall 211 in this manner, the rear end portion (operating portion 121a) of the lever portion 121 elastically deforms so as to move downward, and the engaging protrusion 121b can move to the rear side of the locking portion insertion portion 22.

When the engaging protrusion 121b is moved to the rear of the locking portion insertion portion 22, the downward pressure on the engaging protrusion 121b by the top wall 211 is released, and the engaging protrusion 121b moves upward due to the elastic restoring force of the lever portion 121. As the engaging protrusion 121b moves upward, it engages with the engaging hole 221a formed in the receptacle connector 2, and the plug connector 1 and the receptacle connector 2 are locked in the mated state.

In addition, during the process of mating the plug connector 1 with the receptacle connector 2, the tip of the contact portion 230a of the upper receptacle terminal 23 is introduced from the introduction port S1b into the first space S1 formed in the plug housing 10 and comes into contact with the contact portion 130a of the plug terminal 13 (first plug terminal 14: first terminal) arranged above. In this embodiment, the approximately rod-shaped contact portion 230a is inserted between the pair of

contact pieces

138, 138 and is clamped by the pair of

contact pieces

138, 138, thereby electrically connecting the plug terminal 13 (first plug terminal 14: first terminal) arranged above to the upper receptacle terminal 23.

Similarly, the tip of the contact portion 240a of the lower receptacle terminal 24 is introduced from the inlet S2b into the second space S2 formed in the plug housing 10 and comes into contact with the contact portion 130a of the plug terminal 13 (second plug terminal 15: second terminal) arranged below. In this embodiment, the approximately rod-shaped contact portion 240a is inserted between the pair of

contact pieces

138, 138 and is clamped by the pair of

contact pieces

138, 138, thereby electrically connecting the plug terminal 13 (second plug terminal 15: second terminal) arranged below to the lower receptacle terminal 24.

In this way, by mating the plug connector 1 with the receptacle connector 2 and electrically connecting the

plug terminals

13, 13 and the

receptacle terminals

23, 24, respectively, a connector set C1 is formed that electrically connects the cable 1A and the circuit board 2A.

On the other hand, when removing the plug connector 1 from the receptacle connector 2, first, the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121 is pressed down to move the lever portion 121 downward. This also moves the engaging protrusion 121b downward, and the engagement between the engaging protrusion 121b and the engaging hole 221a is released. Then, when the plug connector 1 is pulled in the removal direction relative to the receptacle connector 2 with the engagement between the engaging protrusion 121b and the engaging hole 221a released, the plug connector 1 moves relative to the receptacle connector 2 in the removal direction. In this way, when the plug connector 1 is moved relative to the receptacle connector 2 in the removal direction, first, the conductive connection between the terminals is released, and then the engagement between the housings is released. In this way, the plug connector 1 is removed from the receptacle connector 2.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 is configured to be removably inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 of the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the plug terminal 13 has a first plug terminal 14 having a first mounting piece 142 that protrudes upward beyond the upper end of the vertical axis of the plug housing 10 (protrudes outward from the first end of the second axis). And, the plug terminal 13 has a second plug terminal 15 having a second mounting piece 152 that protrudes downward beyond the lower end of the vertical axis of the plug housing 10 (protrudes outward from the second end of the second axis).

In this manner, in this embodiment, the tips (at least a portion) of the first mounting piece 142 and the second mounting piece 152, which are the portions of the plug terminal 13 that are mounted (connected) to the cable 1A, are protruded outward from the plug housing 10. This allows the mounting pieces 132 (first mounting piece 142, second mounting piece 152) of the plug terminal 13 to be visible even when the cable 1A is mounted (connected) to the plug connector 1. This makes it possible to check the connection state (e.g., the formation state of the solder fillet, etc.) between the mounting pieces 132 (first mounting piece 142, second mounting piece 152) and the conductor portion 14A of the cable 1A when the cable 1A is mounted (connected) to the plug connector 1, thereby making it possible to further improve the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

However, in recent years, efforts have been made to miniaturize the connector set C1 (plug connector 1 and receptacle connector 2) in order to make it more versatile in terms of installation locations. When connector set C1 is made smaller, the amount by which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes from the plug housing (housing) 10 becomes smaller, making it difficult to check the connection status between the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 and the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

Therefore, it is conceivable that by reducing the thickness of the plug housing (housing) 10, a sufficient amount of protrusion of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be ensured, making it possible to more reliably visually check the connection status between the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 and the conductor portion (conductor) 14A.

However, reducing the thickness of the plug housing (housing) 10 creates the problem that the strength of the plug housing (housing) 10 decreases.

In this embodiment, therefore, when attempting to miniaturize the plug connector (connector) 1, it is possible to further improve the visibility of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 while preventing a decrease in the strength of the plug housing (housing) 10.

Specifically, when the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) is viewed from the second end side of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) closer to the first end of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10), an opening is formed in the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) through which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be seen.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the rear end 11b of the front-rear axis (first axis) of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) is the first end of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10). And the front end 11c of the front-rear axis (first axis) of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) is the second end of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10).

Thus, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a rear end (first end) 11b of the front-rear axis (first axis) from which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes when the plug terminal (terminal) 13 is accommodated in the internal space (first space S1 and second space S2), and a front end (second end) 11c located on the opposite side of the front-rear axis (first axis) from the rear end (first end) 11b.

By providing an opening as described above in the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), a wider range of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be seen through the opening. This makes it easier to check the connection state between the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 and the conductor portion (conductor) 14A, even when the plug connector (connector) 1 is made smaller. By providing an opening in the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), a wider range of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be seen without thinning the entire plug housing (housing) 10. This also makes it possible to prevent the strength of the plug housing (housing) 10 from decreasing.

In this way, this embodiment ensures the enclosure strength of the plug housing (housing) 10 while making it easier to check the connection state between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 19 and 20, this opening is formed in at least one of the top surface (surface on the first end side of the second shaft) 111a and the bottom surface (surface on the second end side of the second shaft) 112a of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), that is, the bottom surface 112a.

By doing this, even if it is necessary to reduce the amount of protrusion of the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 from the plug housing (housing) on at least one of the upper side (first end side) and lower side (second end side) of the vertical axis (second axis), it is possible to more reliably view both the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 and the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 over a wider area, thereby improving the freedom of design.

In this embodiment, the downward protrusion of the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 is smaller than the upward protrusion of the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142. Therefore, an opening is formed only on the bottom surface 112a of the top surface 111a and bottom surface 112a of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing). However, even if the protrusion of either the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 or the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 is smaller than the other mounting piece, it is also possible to provide openings on both the top surface 111a and bottom surface 112a of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a groove 1121 extending along the front-rear axis (first axis) is formed in the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), and this groove 1121 functions as an opening through which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be viewed.

This makes it easier and more reliable to visually identify the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132).

In addition, in this embodiment, a groove 1121 is formed so as to penetrate the front-rear axis (first axis) from the rear end (first end) 11b to the front end (second end) 11c of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

This makes it possible to view the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) by viewing the connector unit U1 from the front (looking into the plug housing 10 from the front end 11c side along the front-to-rear axis).

And this groove 1121 is also open downward (outside the up-down axis (second axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis)).

This allows the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) to be seen even by looking diagonally into the groove 1121 from the front and outside of the connector unit U1, making it easier and more reliable to see the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132). Furthermore, it allows the thickness dimension of the vertical axis (second axis) of the wall of the plug housing (housing) 10 to be reduced, allowing for even greater miniaturization of the plug housing (housing) 10 on the vertical axis (second axis).

In this manner, in this embodiment, the groove 1121 is formed in the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) with three openings, front, back, and bottom. Specifically, the groove 1121 is defined by the back surface 1121a, which is a plane located inside the vertical axis and perpendicular to the vertical axis, and a pair of inner surfaces 1121b, which are planes connected to both ends of the width axis of the back surface 1121a and perpendicular to the width axis (see FIG. 20(b)). The plug terminal (terminal) 13 is accommodated in the internal space (first space S1 and second space S2) of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) with the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) facing the lower opening of the groove 1121.

This allows a wider area of the second mounting piece 152 to be exposed from the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), making it possible to view the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) by viewing the connector unit U1 from the front or by viewing the connector unit U1 diagonally from the front and outside.

If the groove 1121 is, for example, open downward but not forward, when visually checking the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132), it is necessary to look diagonally into the groove 1121 from the front and outside of the connector unit U1.

In addition, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 is configured to be inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 of the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

The groove (opening) 1121 is formed to penetrate the front-rear axis (first axis) from the rear end (first end) 11b to the front end (second end) 11c of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, at least a portion of the groove (opening) 1121 is accommodated in the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20.

And, as described above, the groove (opening) 1121 is formed to penetrate along the front-rear axis (first axis) which is the axis along which the plug housing (housing) 10 moves relative to the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. Furthermore, the groove (opening) 1121 is formed to open downward, so that when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, the back surface 1121a faces the inner surface of the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 (the upper surface of the bottom wall 212).

In other words, the groove (opening) 1121 is formed so that it is open on the side facing the innermost surface (the front surface of the rear wall 214) that defines the mating space S5 of the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, and on the side facing the inner surface (the upper surface of the bottom wall 212) that defines the mating space S5 of the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20.

Therefore, it is possible to form a protrusion in the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 that is inserted into the groove (opening) 1121 when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. In this way, the groove (opening) 1121 for visually checking the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can also be used as a guide portion for guiding the insertion and fitting of the plug housing (housing) 10 into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, making it possible to suppress rattling when the plug housing (housing) 10 and the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 are fitted together.

In addition, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a convex wall 19 that extends rearward (outward) of the front-rear axis (first axis) beyond the rear end (first end) 11b from which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes.

In this embodiment, a pair of convex walls 19 are formed on both sides of the width axis of the plug housing (housing) 10, and the pair of convex walls 19 are formed so as to be positioned outside the housing body 11 on the width axis. Specifically, the pair of convex walls 19 are connected to the housing body 11 via a protective wall 17 and a connecting wall 18 described below, so that the pair of convex walls 19 are positioned outside the housing body 11 on the width axis. In this way, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the entire housing body 11 is positioned between the pair of convex walls 19.

In addition, in this embodiment, the housing body 11 has a groove wall 1122 that forms a groove (opening) 1121, and the pair of convex walls 19 are formed to protrude downward on the vertical axis further than the groove wall 1122. In other words, the pair of convex walls 19 are formed to protrude downward further than the entire bottom surface 112a of the housing body 11. And, the pair of convex walls 19 are formed to protrude upward further than the entire top surface 111a of the housing body 11.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the pair of convex walls 19 are formed so as to protrude downward on the up-down axis beyond the tip of the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132), and are formed so as to protrude upward beyond the first mounting piece 142 (mounting piece 132).

In this manner, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the multiple grooves (openings) 1121, the multiple mounting pieces 132 (the multiple first mounting pieces 142 and the multiple second mounting pieces 152), and the multiple internal spaces (the first space S1 and the second space S2) are positioned between a pair of convex walls 19.

By forming the plug housing (housing) 10 in this shape, a housing section 191 is formed at the rear of the plug housing (housing) 10, the housing section 191 being defined by the inner surface of the width axis of the pair of protruding walls 19 and the rear surface 115b of the housing body 11. By doing so, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the portion where the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A is formed is accommodated in this housing section 191. In this embodiment, the rear surface 115b of the housing body 11 serves as the mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1.

In this way, in this embodiment, by forming an accommodation portion 191 for accommodating the cable (connected member) 1A in the plug housing (housing) 10, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the periphery of the cable (connected member) 1A can be protected by the convex wall 19.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, a pair of protruding walls 19 are exposed from the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20.

The pair of protruding walls 19 can be used as handles to be gripped by hand. This makes it easier to perform operations such as fitting the plug connector (connector) 1 into the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

In this embodiment, when the plug connector (connector) 1 is fitted to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and viewed along the front-rear axis, the outer ends of the pair of protruding walls 19 are positioned outside the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 on the width axis. That is, when the plug connector (connector) 1 is fitted to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, both sides of the width axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 are positioned outside the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 on the width axis. This prevents the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 from interfering with the gripping of the pair of protruding walls 19 when removing the plug connector (connector) 1 from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. Furthermore, when removing the plug connector (connector) 1 from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 using a jig, the jig can be more reliably hooked onto the protruding walls 19, protective wall 17, etc.

As described above, in this embodiment, the connector unit is exemplified as a vertical type connector unit U1 (a type in which the connection surface 11aA of the connected member 1A is approximately perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector set C1).

Then, a recess 11a is formed in the center of the width axis of the housing main body 11, and a locking portion 12 is formed in this recess 11a, thereby making the plug connector (connector) 1 lower in height. The locking portion 12 also has an operating portion 121a that can be moved from the upper side (first side) to the lower side (second side) of a vertical axis (second axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis) to release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1. Furthermore, a movement space S6 is formed in the plug housing (housing) 10, which allows the operating portion 121a to move downward (second side) of the vertical axis (second axis).

In this type of plug connector (connector) 1, if the locking portion 12 is covered from behind by the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, it becomes difficult to operate the lever portion 121 with fingers or the like when removing the plug connector (connector) 1 from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is made possible to more easily release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is also made possible to more effectively utilize the movement space S6.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 21, a recess 13aA is formed in the base 13A of the cable (connected member) 1A, which penetrates the front-rear axis (first axis) and opens to the upper side (first side) of the up-down axis (second axis) when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. Then, as shown in Figure 22, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the recess 13aA is connected to the movement space S6 via the front-rear axis (first axis).

This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the operator's fingers from hitting the cable (connected member) 1A when operating the operating portion 121a, even when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. This makes it easier to release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1.

In addition, by making the recess 13aA that penetrates the front-rear axis (first axis) communicate with the movement space S6 via the front-rear axis (first axis), the movement space S6 is prevented from being blocked by the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. This also makes it possible to more effectively use the movement space S6 that allows the operation unit 121a to move downward (to the second side) on the up-down axis (second axis).

In this embodiment, the base 13A has a flexible sheet 131A on which a conductor portion (conductor) 14A is formed and which is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and a reinforcing plate (base) 132A which is fixed to the flexible sheet 131A and suppresses deformation of the flexible sheet 131A. Therefore, in this embodiment, the recess 13aA is composed of a sheet-side recess 131aA formed in the flexible sheet 131A and a base-side recess 132aA formed in the reinforcing plate (base) 132A (see FIG. 21).

In this way, the reinforcing plate (base) 132A can further improve the reliability of the connection of the cable (connected member) 1A to the plug connector (connector) 1, while making it easier to release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connecting surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and a pair of convex walls 19 that protrude from the mounting surface 10a and, together with the mounting surface 10a, define a storage section 191 in which the cable (connected member) 1A is stored.

When the plug housing (housing) 10 to which the cable (connected member) 1A is connected is viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the recess 13aA is positioned between a pair of protruding walls 19.

This allows the height position of the operating portion 121a to be lowered, thereby enabling the plug connector (connector) 1 to be made even lower in height.

In addition, in this embodiment, the plug terminals (terminals) 13 arranged on the upper side of the housing body 11 are arranged to be aligned with the movement space S6 along the width axis (third axis). Specifically, five plug terminals (terminals) 13 are arranged to be aligned along the width axis (third axis) on one side (right side in the left-right direction) of the width axis of the movement space S6. In addition, five plug terminals (terminals) 13 are arranged to be aligned along the width axis (third axis) on the other side (left side in the left-right direction) of the width axis of the movement space S6.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 is provided with a first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 that is arranged in line with the movement space S6 along the width axis (third axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis) and the up-down axis (second axis).

This allows the height position of the operating portion 121a to be lowered, thereby enabling the plug connector (connector) 1 to have a lower profile.

In this embodiment, the first plug terminals (first terminals) 14 are arranged on both sides of the width axis of the moving space S6, but the first plug terminals (first terminals) 14 may be arranged on only one side of the width axis of the moving space S6. Furthermore, when the first plug terminals (first terminals) 14 are arranged on both sides of the width axis of the moving space S6, it is also possible to arrange the number of terminals arranged on one side and the other side of the width axis to be different.

In addition, in this embodiment, the connector unit U1 can be made versatile. Specifically, the connector unit U1 can be made to be capable of confirming completion of mating between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 without replacing parts.

In other words, the plug connector (connector) 1 is configured to be able to slidably hold the slide member 3 (see Figure 24).

This slide member 3 is slidably attached to the plug connector 1 so that the sliding movement from the initial position as the first position to the sliding completed position as the second position is restricted when the plug connector 1 is not completely mated with the receptacle connector 2. The first position and the second position can be set as appropriate. The specific positions in this embodiment will be described later.

The connector unit U1 is configured so that the sliding member 3 is allowed to slide from the initial position to the complete sliding position when the plug connector 1 has been completely mated with the receptacle connector 2. With this configuration, the completion of mating between the plug connector 1 and the receptacle connector 2 can be confirmed by the sliding of the sliding member 3 from the initial position to the complete sliding position.

In this way, in this embodiment, the connector set C1 can also have a Connector Position Assurance (CPA) function. In this case, the slide member 3 functions as a CPA member.

Next, we will explain the configuration for providing connector set C1 with the Connector Position Assurance (CPA) function.

First, in this embodiment, the movement space S6 formed in the plug housing (housing) 10 is formed directly below the operating portion 121a, and has a deflection allowance space S61 that allows the lever portion 121 to deflect downward. In addition, the movement space S6 is formed on both outsides of the width axis of the recess 11a (parts in the recess 11a that are located outside the width axis of the lever portion 121), and has an insertion space S62 into which the slide member 3 is inserted. This insertion space S62 is formed so as to communicate with the deflection allowance space S61 via the width axis (third axis).

The rear of the top wall 111 is formed with a restricting protrusion (slide restricting portion) 111b that is roughly L-shaped in a plan view. This restricting protrusion 111b restricts the sliding member 3 from sliding from the initial position to the complete sliding position when the mating of the plug housing 10 with the receptacle housing 20 is not complete.

In this embodiment, when the plug housing 10 is viewed along the width axis, the insertion space S62 and the second space S2 overlap. This makes it possible to keep the height of the plug housing 10, in which the slide member 3 is held, low.

When the plug housing (housing) 10 to which the cable (connected member) 1A is connected is viewed from behind along the front-rear axis, the entire or at least a part of the movement space S6 (flexibility space S61 and insertion space S62) is connected to the recess 13aA along the front-rear axis (first axis). In other words, when the plug housing (housing) 10 to which the cable (connected member) 1A is connected is viewed from behind along the front-rear axis, the entire or at least a part of the movement space S6 (flexibility space S61 and insertion space S62) is exposed from the cable (connected member) 1A (see FIG. 23). In this embodiment, the pair of restricting protrusions 111b are also exposed from the cable (connected member) 1A when the plug housing (housing) 10 to which the cable (connected member) 1A is connected is viewed from behind along the front-rear axis.

This allows the plug housing (housing) 10 to selectively hold the slide member 3 even when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, making it possible to make the connector unit U1 capable of confirming completion of mating between the plug connector (connector) and the receptacle connector (mating connector). In other words, this allows the connector unit U1 to be versatile.

[Configuration example of slide member 3]
Next, an example of the configuration of the slide member 3 slidably held in the plug connector 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the slide member 3 has a body portion 31 that is substantially rectangular and has a handle 31a formed on the upper portion of the body portion 31.

A pair of lower arm portions 32 are connected to both sides of the width axis at the bottom of the main body portion 31 so as to extend forward of the front-rear axis. The pair of lower arm portions 32 are connected to the main body portion 31 in a cantilevered state and are formed so as to be elastically deformable along the width axis. A locking protrusion (anti-slip portion) 32a is formed at the tip (front end) of the lower arm portion 32 so as to protrude outward from the width axis.

Meanwhile, a pair of upper arm portions 33 are connected to both sides of the width axis at the top of the main body portion 31 so as to extend forward on the front-to-rear axis. The pair of upper arm portions 33 are connected to the main body portion 31 in a cantilevered state, and are formed so as to be elastically deformable on the up-down axis (the axis that intersects with the insertion direction of the terminal). In addition, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the pair of upper arm portions 33 are formed so that the base side (the side connected to the main body portion 31) is wider. And, an engagement protrusion (engagement portion) 33b is formed at the tip (front end) of the upper arm portion 33 so as to protrude upward.

In addition, a protrusion 33a that protrudes upward is formed at approximately the center of the front-rear axis of the upper arm portion 33.

The lower part of the main body 31 is formed with a restricting protrusion (restricting portion) 31b that extends forward and upward. In the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, each end of the width axis of the restricting protrusion (restricting portion) 31b is connected to the inner surface of the lower arm 32.

In this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is held in the plug housing 10, the main body 31 of the slide member 3 is arranged in the vicinity of the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121.

As a result, when operating the operating portion 121a to elastically deform the lever portion 121 downward, the operator's fingers may come into contact with the main body portion 31, making it difficult to easily release the engagement between the lever portion 121 and the engagement hole (engagement portion) 221a.

In this embodiment, therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operation of the lever portion 121 from being hindered by the slide member 3.

Specifically, the main body 31 is formed with a recess 31c that is recessed in the operating direction of the operating unit 121a (downward on the vertical axis), thereby preventing the operator's fingers from hitting the main body 31.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is held in one of the housings (plug housing 10) and viewed along the front-to-rear axis (X-axis: sliding direction of the slide member 3), a portion of the main body 31 overlaps with the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121. In other words, the slide member 3 is held in one of the housings (plug housing 10) so that a portion of the main body 31 overlaps with the operating portion 121a when viewed along the front-to-rear axis.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is held in one of the housings (plug housing 10) and viewed along the front-rear axis (X-axis: sliding direction of slide member 3), the main body 31 is positioned so that the handle 31a extends beyond the operating portion 121a.

In this manner, in this embodiment, a recess 31c is formed in the center of the width axis of the upper part of the main body 31. It is preferable that the recess 31c is formed to be large enough to allow the operator's finger to be inserted from above.

Specifically, the main body 31 is held in the plug housing 10 with both ends of the width axis protruding outward beyond the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121. A recess 31c is formed in the center of the width axis of the upper part of the main body 31, and handles 31a are formed on the upper part of both sides of the width axis of the recess 31c. At this time, each of the pair of handles 31a protrudes outward from the width axis beyond the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121. This makes it possible to more reliably hold the handle 31a located near the operating portion 121a with the fingers or to hook the fingers thereon.

In addition, it is preferable that the depth of the recess 31c (the amount of recession of the vertical axis) is deep enough that the operator's finger does not come into contact with it when the operating portion 121a is pressed down and the engagement between the engagement protrusion 121b and the engagement hole 221a is released. This makes it possible to more reliably release the engagement between the engagement protrusion 121b and the engagement hole 221a without being hindered by the main body portion 31.

In addition, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the protrusion 32b protruding upward is formed on the lower arm portion 32 along the direction in which the lower arm portion 32 extends. Specifically, the protrusion 32b is formed so as to extend from the root side to the tip side of the lower arm portion 32, and is formed so as to be elongated in the direction in which the lower arm portion 32 extends. By forming such a protrusion 32b on the lower arm portion 32, the gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 is made small. In addition, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the protrusion 32b is not formed directly below the portion where the engagement protrusion (engagement portion) 33b of the upper arm portion 33 is formed. In other words, the protrusion 32b is formed so that the tip is located closer to the front side (root side) than the engagement protrusion (engagement portion) 33b of the upper arm portion 33. This makes it possible to suppress the protrusion 32b from interfering with the elastic deformation of the upper arm portion 33 to the vertical axis.

Furthermore, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the gap (shortest distance of the vertical axis) between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 at the location where the protrusion 32b is formed is made smaller than the thickness of the vertical axis of the lower arm portion 32 and the thickness of the vertical axis of the upper arm portion 33.

In this way, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the lower arm portion 32, which is at least one of the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33, is formed with a protrusion 32b extending from the base side to the tip side, which reduces the gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33. The gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 at the location where the protrusion 33b is formed is made smaller than the thickness of the lower arm portion 32 and the thickness of the upper arm portion 33.

Furthermore, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the width of the tip end of the lower arm portion 32 and the width of the tip end of the upper arm portion 33 are also made larger than the gap (shortest distance between the vertical axis) between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 at the location where the protrusion 32b is formed.

By doing this, the lower arm portion 32 or upper arm portion 33 of another slide member 3 can be inserted into the gap between the lower arm portion 32 and upper arm portion 33 of a slide member 3, preventing the arm portions from becoming entangled. In this way, the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment is configured to prevent the arm portions from becoming entangled without interfering with the elastic deformation of the upper arm portion 33 about the vertical axis.

In addition, in this embodiment, the insertion space S62 is divided into a space into which the lower arm portion 32 of the sliding member 3 is inserted and a space into which the upper arm portion 33 is inserted by a protruding wall 119a formed to protrude along the width axis from the intermediate wall 119 that defines the recess 11a.

In addition, a step 119b is formed in the center of the front-rear axis below the protruding wall 119a of the intermediate wall 119 that defines the recess 11a, so that the space into which the lower arm portion 32 is inserted is wider at the front in plan view (see FIG. 26). Then, by engaging the locking protrusion 32a formed at the tip (front end) of the lower arm portion 32 so as to protrude outward from the width axis, with the step 119b, the sliding member 3 is prevented from coming off the housing main body 11.

Next, an example of the operation of the slide member 3 will be described with reference to Figures 26 to 29.

As described above, in this embodiment, the slide member 3 functions as a CPA member. That is, the slide member 3 is slidably attached to the plug housing 10 so that sliding movement from the initial position (first position) to the sliding completion position (second position) is restricted when the plug housing 10 is not fully mated with the receptacle housing 20. Then, when the plug housing 10 is fully mated with the receptacle housing 20, sliding movement from the initial position to the sliding completion position is permitted.

Specifically, the slide member 3 is inserted into the insertion space S62 with the tip of the lower arm portion 32 bent inwardly along the width axis. At this time, the tip of the upper arm portion 33 is also inserted into the insertion space S62.

When the slide member 3 is moved (inserted) forward a predetermined amount with the tips of the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 inserted into the insertion space S62, the tip of the lower arm portion 32 moves forward of the step 119b formed in the intermediate wall 119 that defines the recess 11a. When the tip of the lower arm portion 32 moves forward of the step 119b in this way, the lower arm portion 32 moves in a direction that opens away from each other (outside the width axis) due to the elastic restoring force, and the locking protrusion 32a of the lower arm portion 32 locks into the step 119b. In this way, the slide member 3 is slidably held (temporarily held) in the plug housing 10 while being prevented from coming off the housing main body 11 (see FIG. 26).

When the locking protrusion 32a of the lower arm portion 32 is locked to the step portion 119b, the upper arm portion 33 is positioned so that the protrusion 33a faces the restricting protrusion (slide restricting portion) 111b, rearward of the restricting protrusion (slide restricting portion) 111b (see FIG. 27).

Therefore, when an attempt is made to slide the slide member 3 forward while the slide member 3 is temporarily held in the plug housing 10 that is not engaged with the receptacle housing 20, the protrusion 33a of the upper arm portion 33 abuts against the restricting protrusion 111b, restricting further forward movement of the slide member 3.

In this embodiment, this configuration prevents the slide member 3 from sliding from the initial position to the complete sliding position when the plug housing 10 has not been completely mated with the receptacle housing 20. In this embodiment, the initial position of the slide member 3 is when the locking protrusion 32a of the lower arm portion 32 is locked with the step portion 119b.

When the plug housing 10 with the slide member 3 temporarily held is fitted into the receptacle housing 20, the engaging protrusion 33b of the upper arm portion 33 comes into contact with the protrusion 211c of the top wall 211 and is pushed downward between the start and completion of fitting. When the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 are fitted together, the tip of the engaging protrusion 33b comes into contact with the underside of the protrusion 211c, causing the upper arm portion 33 to bend downward. At this time, the protrusion 33a of the upper arm portion 33 also moves downward and is positioned below the restricting protrusion (slide restricting portion) 111b (see FIG. 28).

Therefore, when the plug housing 10 is fitted into the receptacle housing 20, the restriction on the forward movement of the protrusion 33a by the restricting protrusion 111b is released, allowing the slide member 3 to slide forward. In this manner, in this embodiment, the upper arm portion 33, which is elastically deformable up and down, and the protrusion 33a formed on this upper arm portion 33 so as to be able to abut against the restricting protrusion 111b function as a slide lock mechanism.

Then, the slide member 3 is slid forward so that the engaging protrusion 33b of the upper arm portion 33 engages with the engaging hole 211d formed in the rear end (rear end) of the protrusion 211c of the top wall 211. In this way, the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 are locked in the mated state by the slide member 3 as well (see FIG. 29). In this embodiment, the state in which the engaging protrusion 33b of the upper arm portion 33 engages with the engaging hole 211d formed in the rear end of the protrusion 211c of the top wall 211 is the sliding completion position of the slide member 3 (completion position: second position).

In this way, the connector set C1 is doubly locked by the lever portion 121 and the slide member 3.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is slid to the sliding completion position (completion position), the restricting protrusion (restricting portion) 31b is inserted into the deflection allowable space S61. The downward movement of the lever portion 121 is restricted by the restricting protrusion 31b inserted into the deflection allowable space S61.

At this time, it is preferable to set the amount of upward projection of the restricting protrusion 31b so that the engaging protrusion 121b and the engaging hole 221a are engaged even when the lever portion 121 is in contact with the restricting protrusion 31b. In this way, the lock by the lever portion 121 cannot be released unless the lock by the slide member 3 is released, and the locked state can be maintained more reliably.

When releasing the engagement of the connector set C1 that is doubly locked by the lever portion 121 and the slide member 3, the slide member 3, which is in the complete sliding position, is first slid to the initial position. In this embodiment, the engagement between the engagement protrusion 33b and the protrusion 211c is released by strongly pulling the slide member 3 backward (towards the initial position). Therefore, for example, if an operator grasps the handle 31a and strongly pulls the slide member 3 backward, the slide member 3 will slide to the initial position.

In this way, by sliding the slide member 3 to the initial position, the restriction on the downward movement of the lever portion 121 is released, and the lock by the lever portion 121 can be released.

In this embodiment, a recess 31c is formed at the upper end of the main body 31 of the slide member 3. This prevents the operator's fingers from hitting the main body 31 (slide member 3) when the lever 121 moves downward, and allows the lock by the lever 121 to be released more reliably.

Then, by carrying out the above-mentioned removal operation of the plug connector 1 from the receptacle connector 2, the plug connector 1 is removed from the receptacle connector 2.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to further improve the connection reliability with the cable (connected member) 1A.

Specifically, the entire exposed conductor portion 14aA of the cable 1A to which the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 is connected is supported by the reinforcing plate 132A.

This prevents the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 from being deformed or the connection between the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 and the exposed conductor portion 14aA from being deteriorated when the cable 1A is blown away and moves away from the reinforcing plate 132A. In other words, it protects the mounting portion of the plug terminal 13 and the cable 1A from being blown away by the cable 1A.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 30 and 31, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the width axis (the direction in which the connection fixing portion 162 protrudes), the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) has a protective wall 17 formed to cover at least a portion of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162.

In this way, when the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A is mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 or removed from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, the protective wall 17 prevents fingers or the like from touching the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 or the connection portion between the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

In this way, in this embodiment, the protective wall 17 prevents fingers and the like from touching the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 or the connection portion between the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A. This prevents the connection state between the cable (connected member) 1A and the plug connector (connector) 1 from deteriorating, thereby further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protective wall 17 has an outer end 171 in the direction in which the fixed piece (connection fixed part) 162 protrudes (outside the width axis). Also, the cable (connected member) 1A has an outer end 1cA on the width axis in the direction in which the fixed piece (connection fixed part) 162 protrudes at the part where the fixed piece (connection fixed part) 162 is connected. And, the outer end 171 of the protective wall 17 is positioned outside the outer end 1cA of the cable (connected member) 1A (see FIG. 31).

This makes it possible to more reliably prevent fingers or the like from touching the cable (connected member) 1A when engaging or removing the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A with or from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. In other words, it makes it possible to engage the plug connector (connector) 1 with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 without touching the cable (connected member) 1A.

In this way, in this embodiment, fingers etc. are prevented from touching the cable (connected member) 1A when performing operations such as fitting the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in connection strength and deterioration of the electrical connection caused by contact with the cable (connected member) 1A by fingers etc. It is also possible to suppress connection errors caused by disconnection between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

In this embodiment, the fixed piece (connection and fixing part) 162 protrudes outward from the width axis while the retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is held by the housing body 11. In other words, the retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is held by the housing body 11 with the plate thickness of the fixed piece (connection and fixing part) 162 approximately coinciding with the front-rear axis. The lower surface 162a of the fixed piece (connection and fixing part) 162 (the rear surface when the fixed terminal 16 is held by the housing body 11) is mounted (connected) to the fixing part 15A, thereby fixing the housing body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) to the cable (connected member) 1A.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the bottom surface 162a of the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 is the first surface that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A. And the top surface (front surface when the fixed terminal 16 is held in the housing body 11) 162b of the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 is the second surface that faces the bottom surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side to the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA.

Thus, in this embodiment, the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 has a bottom surface (first surface) 162a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A, and a top surface (second surface) 162b that faces the bottom surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side to the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA.

In this embodiment, the portion of the tip of the fixing piece (connecting and fixing part) 162 that extends from one end to the other end of the vertical axis faces the protective wall 17 on the width axis. Specifically, when viewed along the front-rear axis, the entire tip of the fixing piece (connecting and fixing part) 162 is positioned between one end and the other end of the vertical axis of the protective wall 17, separated from the protective wall 17 on the width axis.

In this embodiment, the protective wall 17 has a rod-like shape that is elongated along the up-down axis when viewed along the front-to-rear axis, and is arranged so that its inner surface along the width axis faces the side surface of the tip of the fixing piece (connection fixing part) 162 along the width axis. The protective wall 17 is connected to the side surface 113a of the housing body 11 by the connecting wall 18.

In this way, in this embodiment, the protective wall 17 and the housing body 11 are integrated. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the plug connector (connector) 1 while further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

Specifically, one end of the vertical axis of the protective wall 17 is connected to one end of the vertical axis on the side surface 113a of the housing body 11 by a connecting wall 18 extending in the width axis. The other end of the vertical axis of the protective wall 17 is connected to the other end of the vertical axis on the side surface 113a of the housing body 11 by another connecting wall 18 extending in the width axis. At this time, one end of the vertical axis of the fixed piece (connection fixing part) 162 faces the connecting wall 18 in the vertical axis while being spaced apart from the vertical axis, and the other end of the vertical axis of the fixed piece (connection fixing part) 162 faces the other connecting wall 18 in the vertical axis while being spaced apart from the vertical axis. In this way, a substantially rectangular through hole 10b is formed in the plug housing (housing) 10, which is defined by the side surface 113a of the housing body 11, the inner surface of the width axis of the protective wall 17, and the inner surfaces of the vertical axes of the pair of connecting walls 18 and penetrates in the front-to-rear axis. Then, with the retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 held in the housing body 11, the fixing piece (connection fixing part) 162 is positioned within the through hole 10b.

In this way, in this embodiment, when the cable (connected member) 1A is not connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the bottom surface (first surface) 162a of the fixed piece (connection fixing portion) 162 can be seen from the rear of the front-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a in the direction in which the first surface 162a and the second surface 162b of the connection fixing portion 162 face each other).

This makes it possible to more reliably check whether the retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is securely held in the housing body 11.

The retaining fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is held in the housing body 11 in a state where at least a portion of the periphery 1621 of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 is visible when viewed from the front of the front-rear axis (the second surface side of the connection fixing portion 162).

By doing this, even if the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1 from the rear of the front-to-rear axis (the first surface side of the connection fixing portion 162), it is possible to check the connection state (for example, the state of formation of the solder fillet) between the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A. In this way, it is easy to check whether the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A are securely connected, which makes it possible to further improve the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

In this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is provided with a pair of retaining fittings (fixed terminals) 16 that are respectively held by side surfaces 113a of the housing body 11 that face each other along the width axis. The plug connector (connector) 1 is also provided with a pair of protective walls 17 that are respectively positioned outside the width axis of the fixing pieces (connection fixing parts) 162 of the pair of retaining fittings (fixed terminals) 16.

When the plug connector (connector) 1 is viewed from the rear of the front-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a of the connection fixing portion 162), the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 is located between the pair of protective walls 17.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the plug terminals (terminals) 13 are configured to be accommodated in the internal spaces (first space S1 and second space S2) by being inserted through insertion ports (terminal openings) S1a, S2a formed in the internal spaces (first space S1 and second space S2). When the plug connector (connector) 1 is viewed from the rear of the front-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a of the connection fixing portion 162), the insertion ports (terminal openings) S1a, S2a are located between the pair of protective walls 17.

This allows the plug connector (connector) to have a lower profile while also improving the connection strength between the plug connector (connector) and the cable (connected member).

In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a convex wall 19 that extends rearward (outward) on the front-rear axis (first axis) beyond the rear end (first end) 11b from which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes. This convex wall 19 is connected to the rear end of the protective wall 17. In this way, the convex wall 19 is connected to the housing main body 11 via the protective wall 17 and the connecting wall 18, and the convex wall 19 is formed outside the housing main body 11 on the width axis.

In other words, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a shape in which the rear end of the protective wall 17 protrudes further rearward when viewed along the up-down axis, and the portion that protrudes further rearward than the protective wall 17 forms the convex wall 19.

In this embodiment, a convex wall 19 is provided adjacent to each of the pair of protective walls 17. When the cable (member to be connected) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the placement surface 10a facing the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (member to be connected) 1A and the pair of convex walls 19 protruding rearward from the placement surface 10a define a storage section 191 in which the cable (member to be connected) 1A is stored. When the cable (member to be connected) 1A is stored in the storage section 191, the pair of convex walls 19 protruding outward on the width axis and rearward on the front-rear axis can be pinched by hand to grip the connector unit U1 without touching the cable (member to be connected) 1A.

In this way, in this embodiment, the convex wall 19 that defines the accommodating portion 191 is integrated with the protective wall 17, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the plug connector (connector) 1 while increasing the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

The plug connector (connector) 1 and connector unit U1 of this embodiment can also be used as part of the connector set C1 shown in FIG. 32. In other words, the plug connector (connector) 1 and connector unit U1 can also be fitted into the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 shown in FIG. 32.

In FIG. 32, the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 is mounted (connected) to the circuit board (mating connected member) 2A with the mating space S5 opening in the normal direction of the surface (mounting surface) 21aA of the board main body 2aA. The plug connector (connector) 1 and the connector unit U1 are then moved relatively along the normal direction of the surface (mounting surface) 21aA of the board main body 2aA, so that the plug connector (connector) 1 and the connector unit U1 are mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

As described above, in the above embodiment, the connector unit is exemplified as a vertical type connector unit U1 (a type in which the connection surface 11aA of the connected member 1A is approximately perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector set C1). That is, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, and is configured to be mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving the plug housing (housing) 10 along the normal to the mounting surface 10a.

[Action and Effects]
(Technology 1) A connector unit U1 according to this embodiment includes a plug connector (connector) 1 and a cable (connected member) 1A connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. This connector unit U1 is configured such that the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 are fitted together by moving the plug connector (connector) 1 relative to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 along a front-rear axis (first axis).

Here, the plug connector (connector) 1 comprises a plug terminal (terminal) 13 capable of electrically connecting to receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 provided on the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, a plug housing (housing) 10 having an internal space (first space S1 and second space S2) capable of accommodating the plug terminal (terminal) 13, and a locking portion 12 capable of restricting the relative movement of the plug connector (connector) 1 with respect to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 along the front-rear axis (first axis) when the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1 are engaged.

The cable (connected member) 1A has a base 13A and a conductor portion (conductor) 14A formed on the base 13A, and the plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a contact portion 130a that can be electrically connected to the contact portions (mating contact portions) 230a, 240a of the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24, and a mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 that can be electrically connected to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

Here, the locking portion 12 has an operating portion 121a that can unlock the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1 by moving the operating portion 121a from the upper side (first side) to the lower side (second side) of a vertical axis (second axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis), and the plug housing (housing) 10 is formed with a movement space S6 that allows the operating portion 121a to move downward (second side) of the vertical axis (second axis).

Then, in the base 13A, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, a recess 13aA is formed which penetrates the front-rear axis (first axis) and opens to the upper side (first side) of the up-down axis (second axis), and which communicates with the movement space S6 via the front-rear axis (first axis).

This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the operator's fingers from hitting the cable (connected member) 1A when operating the operating portion 121a, even when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. As a result, it becomes easier to release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1.

In addition, in this embodiment, the recess 13aA that penetrates the front-rear axis (first axis) is designed to communicate with the movement space S6 via the front-rear axis (first axis). Therefore, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the movement space S6 is not blocked by the cable (connected member) 1A, and the movement space S6 can be used more effectively.

(Technology 2) In the above (Technology 1), the plug housing (housing) 10 may have a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connecting surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and a pair of convex walls 19 that protrude from the mounting surface 10a and, together with the mounting surface 10a, define a housing section 191 in which the cable (connected member) 1A is housed. Then, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, a recess 13aA may be disposed between the pair of convex walls 19.

This makes it possible to lower the height position of the operating portion 121a, thereby enabling the plug connector (connector) 1 to have a lower height.

(Technology 3) In the above (Technology 1) or (Technology 2), the plug terminal (terminal) 13 may include a first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 arranged to be aligned with the movement space S6 along a width axis (third axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis) and the up-down axis (second axis).

(Technology 4) In any of the above (Technology 1) to (Technology 3), the base 13A may have a flexible sheet 131A on which a conductor portion (conductor) 14A is formed and connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and a reinforcing plate (base) 132A fixed to the flexible sheet 131A and suppressing deformation of the flexible sheet 131A. The recess 13aA may be composed of a sheet-side recess 131aA formed in the flexible sheet 131A and a base-side recess 132aA formed in the reinforcing plate (base) 132A.

This makes it possible to further improve the connection reliability of the cable (connected member) 1A to the plug connector (connector) 1.

(Technology 5) In addition, in any of the above (Technology 1) to (Technology 4), the movement space S6 may have an insertion space S62 into which a slide member 3 is inserted, the slide member 3 being held in the plug connector (connector) 1 so as to be able to slide along the front-rear axis (first axis) and enabling completion of mating between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 to be confirmed.

This makes it possible to create a connector unit U1 that can confirm completion of mating between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 without replacing any parts. In other words, it becomes possible to make the connector unit U1 versatile.

[others]
Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and their modifications, and various modifications are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment and its modified examples, multiple terminals are arranged in two tiers, one above the other, but it is also possible to have a connector in which multiple terminals are arranged in only one tier, or in which terminals are arranged in three or more tiers.

In addition, while a connector in which the terminals arranged in multiple tiers have the same shape has been exemplified, it is also possible to have a connector in which multiple types of terminals are arranged in each tier. Also, it is not necessary for the terminals arranged in the same tier to have the same shape, and it is also possible to have a connector in which multiple types of terminals are arranged in the same tier.

The present disclosure may also be applied to connectors (plug connectors and receptacle connectors) that electrically connect boards to boards or cables to boards. Furthermore, the present disclosure may also be applied to connectors (plug connectors and receptacle connectors) that electrically connect electric wires to boards, or connectors (plug connectors and receptacle connectors) that electrically connect electric wires to cables.

In addition, the housing, terminals, and other detailed specifications (shape, size, layout, etc.) can be changed as appropriate.

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-188707, filed on November 25, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure makes it possible to obtain a connector unit that can more effectively utilize the movement space that allows the operation unit to move.

1. Plug connector (connector)
10 Plug housing (housing)
10a: Placement surface 12: Lock section 121a: Operation section 13: Plug terminal (terminal)
130a Contact portion 132 Mounting piece (terminal connection portion)
14 First plug terminal (first terminal)
19 Convex wall 191 Storage section 1A Cable (connected member)
11aA Mounting surface (connection surface)
13A Base 13aA Recess 131A Flexible sheet 131aA Sheet side recess 132A Reinforcing plate (base)
132aA: Base side recess 14A: Conductor portion (conductor)
2 Receptacle connector (mating connector)
20 Receptacle housing (mating housing)
23 Upper receptacle terminal (mating terminal)
230a Contact portion (counterpart)
24 Lower receptacle terminal (mating terminal)
240a Contact portion (counterpart)
3 Slide member U1 Connector unit S1 Upper space (internal space)
S2 Lower space (internal space)
S6 Movement space S62 Insertion space

Claims

A connector unit including a connector and a connected member connected to the connector, the connector being capable of mating with a mating connector by moving the connector relative to the mating connector along a first axis,
The connector includes:
a terminal capable of being electrically connected to a mating terminal of the mating connector;
a housing having an internal space capable of accommodating the terminal;
a lock portion that is capable of restricting relative movement of the connector with respect to the mating connector along the first axis when the mating connector and the connector are fitted together;
Equipped with
The connected member is
A substrate;
A conductor formed on the substrate;
Equipped with
The terminal is
a contact portion capable of being electrically connected to a mating contact portion of the mating terminal;
a terminal connection portion capable of electrically connecting to the conductor of the connected member;
It has
the locking portion has an operating portion that can release the lock between the mating connector and the connector by moving the operating portion from a first side to a second side of a second axis that intersects with the first axis,
a movement space that allows movement of the second shaft of the operation unit toward the second side is formed in the housing,
a recess formed in the base body, the recess passing through the first shaft and opening to a first side of the second shaft when the connected member is connected to the connector, the recess communicating with the movement space via the first shaft;
Connector unit.
The housing includes:
a mounting surface that faces a connection surface of the connected member when the connected member is connected to the connector;
a pair of protruding walls protruding from the mounting surface and defining, together with the mounting surface, an accommodation portion in which the connected member is accommodated;
It has
The recess is disposed between the pair of protruding walls in a state in which the connected member is connected to the connector.
The connector unit according to claim 1 .
The terminal includes a first terminal arranged to be aligned with the movement space along a third axis intersecting the first axis and the second axis.
The connector unit according to claim 1 or 2.
The substrate is
a flexible sheet on which the conductor is formed and which is connected to the connector;
a base fixed to the flexible sheet and suppressing deformation of the flexible sheet;
having
the recess is constituted by a sheet-side recess formed in the flexible sheet and a base-side recess formed in the base.
The connector unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The movement space has an insertion space into which a slide member is inserted, the slide member being held by the connector so as to be slidable along the first axis and capable of confirming completion of mating between the connector and the mating connector.
The connector unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.