JP7469175B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector that includes a housing, a terminal that is accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber of the housing, and a front holder that is assembled to the housing.

Conventionally, connectors have been proposed in which terminals are accommodated in terminal accommodating chambers of a housing. For example, one conventional connector is provided with a locking piece (a so-called lance) on the housing that locks a terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber in the correct insertion position, and the terminal is fixed in the terminal accommodating chamber by locking the terminal with this locking piece. Furthermore, this conventional connector is designed to prevent the locking piece that locks the terminal from unintentionally coming off the terminal by a front holder that is assembled to the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 6164433

In the conventional connector described above, when the terminal is at an intermediate insertion position before the terminal is fully assembled to the housing (the so-called fully engaged state), the front holder is in a temporary assembly state (a so-called temporary engagement state) before the terminal is fully assembled to the housing. In this temporary engagement state, there is a slight gap between the housing and the front holder, and the terminal that is at an intermediate insertion position while being inserted into the terminal receiving chamber may get into this gap. If the terminal gets into this gap, it becomes difficult to advance the terminal to the normal insertion position, and it may be necessary to remove the terminal from the terminal receiving chamber and then reinsert it. From the viewpoint of improving the operability of inserting the terminal into the terminal receiving chamber, it is desirable to prevent the terminal from getting into this gap as much as possible.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a connector with excellent terminal insertion properties into the terminal receiving chamber of the housing.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector according to the present invention is characterized by the following [1] to [3].
[1]
A connector comprising: a housing having a terminal accommodating chamber extending in a front-rear direction ; a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber from a rear side ; and a front holder attached to the housing from a front side ,
The housing includes:
a locking piece for locking the terminal in a normal insertion position;
The front holder includes:
the housing has an internal space that is arranged to communicate with the terminal accommodating chamber and receives the terminal, and when the terminal is in the normal insertion position, the terminal can be assembled into the housing without interfering with the locking piece, and when the terminal is in an intermediate insertion position up to the normal insertion position, the terminal interferes with the locking piece and assembly into the housing is prevented,
The inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber and the inner wall surface of the internal space are
The terminal has a convex-concave fitting structure in which one side has a convex portion that protrudes toward the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal and the other side has a concave portion that is recessed into the one side, and is configured so that when the terminal is in the half-insertion position, the protruding end of the convex portion and the opening end of the concave portion are arranged close to each other , and when the terminal is in the normal insertion position, the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted together,
one of the protrusion and the recess is provided at a position rearward of the locking piece in the front-rear direction on the inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber, and the other of the protrusion and the recess is provided on the inner wall surface of the internal space,
It is a connector.
[2]
In the connector according to the above [1],
The inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber and the inner wall surface of the internal space are
When the terminal is at the half-insertion position, the protruding end of the convex portion and the opening end of the concave portion are arranged at the same position in the insertion direction, or the protruding end of the convex portion is arranged to enter a groove of the concave portion.
It is a connector.
[3]
In the connector according to the above [1] or [2],
For a pair of upper and lower terminal accommodating chambers adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, the cantilever-shaped locking piece for locking the terminal accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber is provided so as to extend forward from a front end surface of a partition wall that divides the pair of upper and lower terminal accommodating chambers, and one of the convex portion and the concave portion provided on the inner wall surface of the upper terminal accommodating chamber is provided on an upper end surface of the partition wall within the front-to-rear direction range from a position rearward of the front end of the partition wall to the front end.
It is a connector.

According to the connector of the configuration [1] above, the terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing moves through the terminal accommodating chamber and into the internal space of the front holder that communicates with the terminal accommodating chamber. Here, when the terminal is in the half-insertion position, the convex and concave portions of the inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber and the inner wall surface of the internal space have a convex-concave fitting structure (so-called spigot structure), and the protruding end of the convex portion and the opening end of the concave portion are arranged in close proximity to each other. As a result, the gap between the housing and the front holder is substantially smaller than in the conventional connector described above, and the terminal is prevented from entering the gap. Furthermore, after the terminal reaches the regular insertion position, the housing and the front holder are assembled while the convex portion and the concave portion are engaged with each other, so that the convex portion and the concave portion do not interfere with the assembly of the housing and the front holder. Therefore, the connector of this configuration has excellent insertability of the terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing.

According to the connector having the configuration of [2] above, when the terminal is in the middle stage of being accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber (i.e., when the terminal is in the half-insertion position), the gap between the protruding end of the convex portion and the opening end of the concave portion can be substantially eliminated. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the terminal from entering the gap. Therefore, the connector having this configuration has even better insertability of the terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing.

According to the connector of the configuration [3] above, the above-mentioned projection and recess fitting structure is configured at a position facing the locking piece (e.g., a so-called lance) of the housing. As a result, even if a force in a direction away from the locking piece is applied to the terminal from the locking piece when the terminal and the locking piece are engaged, the terminal is prevented from entering the gap between the housing and the front holder. Therefore, the connector of this configuration can further improve the insertability of the terminal into the terminal receiving chamber of the housing.

The present invention provides a connector that is easy to insert terminals into the terminal receiving chambers of the housing.

The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following description of the embodiment of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in the middle of being mated with a mating connector. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view (partly in cross section) showing a state in which the housing and the front holder shown in FIG. 3 are separated. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing a state in which the front holder is locked in the main locking position relative to the housing. FIG. 6(a) is an enlarged perspective view showing the surroundings of the concave-convex fitting structure when the front holder is in the temporary locking position, and FIG. 6(b) is a view corresponding to FIG. 6(a) when the front holder is in the full locking position. 7(a) is a main vertical cross-sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the front holder is in a temporary locking position and the terminal is in the middle of being inserted, FIG. 7(b) is a view corresponding to FIG. 7(a) in a state where the terminal has been inserted from the state shown in FIG. 7(a) to the normal insertion position, and FIG. 7(c) is a view corresponding to FIG. 7(b) in a state where the front holder has been moved from the state shown in FIG. 7(b) to the full locking position.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the following will define the "front-rear direction", "width direction", "up-down direction", "front", "rear", "up" and "down" as shown in Fig. 1. The "front-rear direction", "width direction" and "up-down direction" are mutually perpendicular. The front-rear direction coincides with the mating direction of the connector 1 and the mating connector 5 (see Fig. 1), and the front side (left side in Fig. 1) in the mating direction in which the mating connector 5 is mated is the front side, and the rear side (right side in Fig. 1) in the opposite mating direction is the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connector 1 includes a housing 2, terminals 3 accommodated in the housing 2 from the rear side, and a front holder 4 attached to the housing 2 from the front side. The configuration of each part that constitutes the connector 1 will be described below in order.

First, the terminal 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal 3 is a metal terminal (female terminal) that has a shape that extends in the front-rear direction, and integrally includes a rectangular box-shaped box portion 21 that extends in the front-rear direction, and a crimping portion 22 located at the rear of the box portion 21. A mating terminal (male terminal) 43 (see FIG. 1) that extends in the front-rear direction of the mating connector 5 is inserted into the box portion 21. An end of an electric wire (not shown) is crimped and fixed to the crimping portion 22.

Next, the housing 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the resin housing 2 has a housing body 11 that is substantially rectangular and tubular. The housing body 11 is inserted into a rectangular tubular hood portion 42 (see FIG. 1) of the mating housing 41 of the mating connector 5, so that the housing 2 and the mating housing 41 (i.e., the connector 1 and the mating connector 5) fit together.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, multiple terminal accommodating chambers 12 for accommodating terminals 3 are formed inside the housing body 11 and extend in the front-rear direction. In this example, multiple terminal accommodating chambers 12 are arranged in two upper and lower stages in the width direction. Each terminal accommodating chamber 12 is a space that extends in the front-rear direction and has a generally rectangular cross section.

The terminal 3 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 12 from the rear side (see FIG. 7(a)). When the connector 1 and the mating connector 5 are mated, the mating terminal 43 of the mating connector 5 is inserted into the box portion 21 of the terminal 3 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 12, so that the terminal 3 and the mating terminal 43 are electrically connected.

In this example, for each terminal accommodating chamber 12, the position of the front end of the upper inner wall that defines the terminal accommodating chamber 12 and the position of the front end of the lower inner wall that defines the terminal accommodating chamber 12 are approximately aligned in the front-rear direction (see Figures 4, 5, and 7). The lower inner wall that defines the upper terminal accommodating chamber 12 also serves as the upper inner wall that defines the lower terminal accommodating chamber 12.

As shown in Figures 4, 5 and 7, each terminal accommodating chamber 12 is provided with a lance 14, which is a cantilever-shaped locking piece, extending forward from the front end of the upper inner wall that defines the terminal accommodating chamber 12. The lance 14 extends obliquely from the upper inner wall surface 13 (a plane extending in the front-to-rear direction) of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 downward (to the inside of the terminal accommodating chamber 12).

A gap 15 is provided above the lance 14. Therefore, the lance 14 can be elastically deformed upward from the normal position (the position shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7) in which it is not elastically deformed, so as to narrow the gap 15. The lance 14 performs functions such as preventing the terminal 3 accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 12 from slipping out rearward (details will be described later).

As shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the front end surface of the lower inner wall that defines each terminal accommodating chamber 12 has a rectangular parallelepiped protrusion 17 that protrudes forward at the widthwise center of the front end surface. As a result, the front end edge of the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 has a rectangular protrusion 16a that protrudes forward at the widthwise center of the front end edge (see Fig. 6). The protrusion 16a forms a recessed/convex fitting structure (a so-called spigot structure) with a recess 38a (described later) of the front holder 4. This will be described in more detail later.

As shown in FIG. 3, a cantilever-shaped lock arm 18 is provided at the center of the width direction of the upper end surface of the housing body 11 so as to extend rearward. The lock arm 18 is provided with a lock protrusion 19. When the connector 1 and the mating connector 5 are mated, the lock protrusion 19 engages with a lock portion (not shown) provided on the hood portion 42 of the mating housing 41, thereby maintaining the mated state between the connector 1 and the mating connector 5.

Next, the front holder 4 will be described. The front holder 4 is a member that is inserted into the housing body 11 from the front side and performs functions such as detecting partial insertion of the terminal 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the resin front holder 4 is integrally provided with a substantially rectangular flat front wall portion 31 that extends in the vertical and width directions, and a pair of substantially rectangular flat side wall portions 32 that extend rearward from both ends of the front wall portion 31 in the width direction and face each other in the width direction.

The front holder 4 further includes three substantially rectangular, flat partitions 33 extending rearward from the front wall 31 so as to be aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction between the pair of side walls 32, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 7. Hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish between the three partitions 33, they will be referred to as partition 33a, partition 33b, and partition 33c, from the top.

As shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7, two holding chambers 36 are formed between the three partitions 33, extending in the width direction and the front-rear direction in two upper and lower stages, corresponding to the multiple terminal accommodating chambers 12 arranged in a line in the width direction in two upper and lower stages. Each holding chamber 36 is a space that serves the function of receiving and holding a terminal 3. The vertical distance between the upper inner wall surface 37 and the lower inner wall surface 38 that define each holding chamber 36 (i.e., the height of the holding chamber 36) is approximately the same as the height of the box portion 21 of the terminal 3.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, a rectangular recess 39 recessed forward is formed in the rear end surface of the lower inner wall that defines each holding chamber 36 at the center of the width of the rear end surface. As a result, a rectangular recess 38a recessed forward is formed in the rear end edge of the lower inner wall surface 38 of the holding chamber 36 at the center of the width of the rear end edge (see Figure 6).

As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 7, the front wall 31 has a number of insertion holes 34 formed in two vertical rows aligned in the width direction, penetrating the front-rear direction, corresponding to the terminal accommodating chambers 12 arranged in two vertical rows aligned in the width direction. When the connector 1 and the mating connector 5 are mated, the mating terminals 43 (see Figure 1) of the mating connector 5 are inserted into the insertion holes 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, a locking projection 35 is formed on each of the pair of side wall portions 32. The pair of locking projections 35 cooperate with a locking portion (not shown) of the housing body 11 to selectively lock the front holder 4 attached to the housing body 11 at a temporary locking position (see FIG. 7(a) and FIG. 7(b)) and a full locking position (see FIG. 7(c), FIG. 2, and FIG. 5) rearward of the temporary locking position. The configuration of each component that constitutes the connector 1 has been described above.

Next, the procedure for assembling the connector 1 will be described. First, the front holder 4 is inserted from the front side into the housing body 11 of the housing 2 through the front end opening of the housing body 11, and is locked in the provisional locking position as shown in FIG. 7(a).

When the front holder 4 is in the provisionally locked position, the rear end of the partition 33a faces the front end of the upper inner wall that divides the upper terminal accommodating chamber 12 in the front-rear direction, the rear end of the partition 33b is adjacent to the front end of the lower inner wall that divides the upper terminal accommodating chamber 12 (= the upper inner wall that divides the lower terminal accommodating chamber 12) in the front-rear direction, and the rear end of the partition 33c is adjacent to the front end of the lower inner wall that divides the lower terminal accommodating chamber 12 in the front-rear direction.

As a result, the upper and lower two-tiered terminal accommodating chambers 12 and the upper and lower two-tiered retaining chambers 36 are connected in the front-rear direction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the opening end of the recess 38a on the lower inner wall surface 38 of each retaining chamber 36 and the protruding end of the protruding portion 16a on the lower inner wall surface 16 of the corresponding terminal accommodating chamber 12 are arranged close to each other. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the opening end of the recess 38a and the protruding end of the protruding portion 16a are arranged with a small gap between them in the insertion direction of the terminal 3, which makes it difficult for the tip of the terminal 3 to enter. Therefore, compared to a case without such a recess-protruding fitting structure consisting of the protruding portion 16a and the recess 38a, the gap formed at the boundary between the lower inner wall surface 38 of the retaining chamber 36 and the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 is substantially smaller.

Furthermore, when the front holder 4 is in the provisional locking position, it is possible to position the front holder 4 even closer to the housing 2 than the position shown in FIG. 6(a) without interference between the lance 14 and the rear end of the partitions 33a and 33b. Specifically, the front holder 4 can be positioned so close to the housing 2 that the protruding end of the convex portion 16a and the opening end of the concave portion 38a are positioned at the same position in the insertion direction of the terminal 3, or so close to the housing 2 that the protruding end of the convex portion 16a is positioned within the groove (recess portion 39) of the concave portion 38a. This makes it possible to further reduce the gap formed at the boundary between the lower inner wall surface 38 of the holding chamber 36 and the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12.

Next, the terminal 3 with the electric wire (not shown) connected to the crimping portion 22 is inserted from the rear into the terminal accommodating chamber 12 (see FIG. 7(a)). The box portion 21 of the inserted terminal 3 moves forward while rubbing on the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 and reaches the boundary (see FIG. 7(a)). At this time, as described above, the gap formed at the boundary is small, so that the box portion 21 of the terminal 3 is prevented from entering this gap. After reaching the boundary, the box portion 21 of the terminal 3 moves forward while rubbing on the boundary and enters the holding chamber 36.

When the terminal 3 that has entered the holding chamber 36 is at an intermediate insertion position before reaching the correct insertion position (when the box portion 21 is below the lance 14), the box portion 21 pushes the lance 14 upward, so that the lance 14 is maintained in a position elastically deformed upward (with the gap 15 narrowed).

When the terminal 3 moving forward inside the holding chamber 36 reaches the correct insertion position (when the box portion 21 passes under the lance 14) as shown in FIG. 7(b), the lance 14 enters a corner of the terminal 3 (specifically, the upper rear corner of the box portion 21), causing the lance 14 to elastically return downward and maintain the correct position (the position shown in FIG. 7(b)). As a result, the lance 14 engages the corner of the terminal 3, thereby preventing the terminal 3 from slipping out toward the rear.

In this way, the box portion 21 of the terminal 3 in the correct insertion position is held in the holding chamber 36 in a state where it is sandwiched vertically between the upper inner wall surface 37 and the lower inner wall surface 38 of the holding chamber 36. As a result, positional deviation (so-called rattling) of the terminal 3 in the terminal accommodating chamber 12 can be suppressed.

The desired number of terminals 3 are inserted in sequence into the corresponding terminal receiving chambers 12 of the housing 2 and accommodated in the correct insertion position. When the desired number of terminals 3 have been accommodated in the correct insertion position, the front holder 4, which is in the provisional locking position, is pushed backward against the housing 2 toward the final locking position.

Here, when all the terminals 3 inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 12 are normally in the correct insertion position, all the lances 14 of the multiple terminal accommodating chambers 12 are maintained in the correct position (the position shown in FIG. 7(b)). Therefore, the rear ends of the two upper and lower partitions 33a, 33b of the front holder 4 can enter the upper and lower two-stage gaps 15 without interfering with the upper and lower two-stage lances 14. Therefore, in this case, the rear ends of the two upper and lower partitions 33a, 33b enter the upper and lower two-stage gaps 15, respectively, and the front holder 4 moves from the provisional locking position to the full locking position and is locked at the full locking position (see FIG. 7(c)). This completes the assembly of the connector 1 (see FIG. 2).

When the front holder 4 is in the full locking position, the partition 33 enters the gap 15, restricting the movement of the lance 14 upward (away from the terminal 3). This achieves a so-called double locking between the lance 14 and the terminal 3, and more reliably prevents the terminal 3 from slipping out rearward. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the protrusion 16a of the lower inner wall surface 16 of the corresponding terminal accommodating chamber 12 enters the recess 38a of the lower inner wall surface 38 of each retaining chamber 36, so that the protrusion 16a and the recess 38a fit together. Therefore, the protrusion 16a and the recess 38a do not prevent the movement of the front holder 4 from the provisional locking position to the full locking position.

On the other hand, when some of the terminals 3 inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 12 are in the half-insertion position, the lance 14 of the terminal accommodating chambers 12 (hereinafter referred to as the half-insertion terminal accommodating chambers 12) that accommodate the terminals 3 in the half-insertion position is maintained in an upwardly elastically deformed position (with the gap 15 narrowed). As a result, the tip end of the lance 14 of the half-insertion terminal accommodating chambers 12 interferes with the rear end of the corresponding partition wall portion 33, and the corresponding partition wall portion 33 cannot enter the gap 15 corresponding to the lance 14 of the half-insertion terminal accommodating chambers 12. As a result, the front holder 4 cannot move from the provisional locking position to the full locking position. In this way, the half-insertion of the terminal 3 can be detected because the front holder 4 cannot move from the provisional locking position to the full locking position.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1, once assembled, is mated with the mating connector 5. When the mating between the connector 1 and the mating connector 5 is complete, the mating terminal 43 of the mating connector 5 is inserted into the box portion 21 of the terminal 3 housed in the terminal housing chamber 12, electrically connecting the terminal 3 and the mating terminal 43. In addition, the locking protrusion 19 of the housing 2 engages with the locking portion (not shown) of the mating housing 41, thereby maintaining the mated state between the connector 1 and the mating connector 5.

<Action and Effects>
As described above, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, the terminal 3 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 12 of the housing 2 moves through the terminal accommodating chamber 12 and into the retaining chamber 36 of the front holder 4 that communicates with the terminal accommodating chamber 12. Here, when the terminal 3 is in the half-insertion position, the convex portion 16a and the concave portion 38a of the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 and the lower inner wall surface 38 of the retaining chamber 36 have a concave-convex fitting structure (so-called spigot structure), and the protruding end of the convex portion 16a and the opening end of the concave portion 38a are arranged close to each other. As a result, compared to the above-mentioned conventional connector, the gap at the boundary between the lower inner wall surface 38 of the retaining chamber 36 and the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 is substantially smaller, and the terminal 3 is prevented from entering the gap. Furthermore, after the terminals 3 reach the correct insertion position, the housing 2 and the front holder 4 are assembled while the convex portions 16a and the concave portions 38a are fitted together, so that the convex portions 16a and the concave portions 38a do not interfere with the assembly of the housing 2 and the front holder 4. Therefore, the connector 1 according to this embodiment has excellent insertability of the terminals 3 into the terminal accommodating chambers 12 of the housing 2.

Furthermore, according to the connector 1 of this embodiment, a recessed/protruding fitting structure is formed between the protrusion 16a and the recess 38a at a position facing the lance 14 of the housing 2. This prevents the terminal 3 from entering the gap at the boundary even if a force (downward force) in a direction away from the lance 14 is applied from the lance 14 to the terminal 3 when the terminal 3 and the lance 14 are engaged. Therefore, the connector 1 of this embodiment can further improve the insertability of the terminal 3 into the terminal receiving chamber 12 of the housing 2.

<Other forms>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

In the above embodiment, a convex/concave fitting structure is formed by the convex portion 16a of the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 and the concave portion 38a of the lower inner wall surface 38 of the retaining chamber 36. Alternatively, a convex/concave fitting structure may be formed by the concave portion of the lower inner wall surface 16 of the terminal accommodating chamber 12 and the convex portion of the lower inner wall surface 38 of the retaining chamber 36.

Here, the features of the embodiment of the connector 1 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3].
[1]
A connector (1) comprising a housing (2) having a terminal accommodating chamber (12), a terminal (3) accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber (12), and a front holder (4) assembled to the housing (2),
The housing (2) comprises:
The terminal (3) has a locking piece (14) for locking the terminal (3) in a normal insertion position,
The front holder (4) is
the housing (2) includes an internal space (36) that is arranged to communicate with the terminal accommodating chamber (12) and receives the terminal (3); when the terminal (3) is in the normal insertion position, the terminal (3) can be assembled into the housing (2) without interfering with the locking piece (14); and when the terminal (3) is in an intermediate insertion position up to the normal insertion position, the terminal (3) interferes with the locking piece (14) and assembly into the housing (2) is prevented;
The inner wall surface (16) of the terminal receiving chamber (12) and the inner wall surface (38) of the internal space (36) are
The terminal (3) has a convex-concave fitting structure having a convex portion (16a) that protrudes toward the other in the insertion direction of the terminal (3) and a concave portion (38a) that is recessed toward the other, and is configured such that when the terminal (3) is in the half-insertion position, the protruding end of the convex portion (16a) and the opening end of the concave portion (38a) are disposed adjacent to each other, and when the terminal (3) is in the normal insertion position, the convex portion (16a) and the concave portion (38a) are fitted together.
Connector (1).
[2]
In the connector according to the above [1],
The inner wall surface of the terminal receiving chamber (12) and the inner wall surface of the internal space (36) are
When the terminal (3) is in the half-insertion position, the protruding end of the convex portion (16a) and the opening end of the concave portion (38a) are arranged at the same position in the insertion direction, or the protruding end of the convex portion (16a) is arranged to enter a groove of the concave portion (38a).
Connector (1).
[3]
In the connector (1) according to the above [1] or [2],
The housing (2) comprises:
The terminal accommodating chamber (12) has an inner wall surface (16) facing the locking piece (14) and has one of the protrusion and the recess (16a),
The front holder (4) is
The inner wall surface (38) of the internal space (36) facing the locking piece (14) has the other of the convex portion and the concave portion (38a).
Connector (1).

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 connector 2 housing 3 terminal 4 front holder 12 terminal accommodating chamber 14 lance (locking piece)
16 Lower inner wall surface (inner wall surface)
16a: protrusion 36: holding chamber 38: lower inner wall surface (inner wall surface)
38a Recess

Claims (3)

A connector comprising: a housing having a terminal accommodating chamber extending in a front-rear direction ; a terminal accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber from a rear side ; and a front holder attached to the housing from a front side ,
The housing includes:
a locking piece for locking the terminal in a normal insertion position;
The front holder includes:
the housing has an internal space that is arranged to communicate with the terminal accommodating chamber and receives the terminal, and when the terminal is in the normal insertion position, the terminal can be assembled into the housing without interfering with the locking piece, and when the terminal is in an intermediate insertion position up to the normal insertion position, the terminal interferes with the locking piece and assembly into the housing is prevented,
The inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber and the inner wall surface of the internal space are
The terminal has a convex-concave fitting structure in which one side has a convex portion that protrudes toward the other side in the insertion direction of the terminal and the other side has a concave portion that is recessed into the one side, and is configured so that when the terminal is in the half-insertion position, the protruding end of the convex portion and the opening end of the concave portion are arranged close to each other , and when the terminal is in the normal insertion position, the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted together,
one of the protrusion and the recess is provided at a position rearward of the locking piece in the front-rear direction on the inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber, and the other of the protrusion and the recess is provided on the inner wall surface of the internal space,
connector. 2. The connector according to claim 1,
The inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating chamber and the inner wall surface of the internal space are
When the terminal is at the half-insertion position, the protruding end of the convex portion and the opening end of the concave portion are arranged at the same position in the insertion direction, or the protruding end of the convex portion is arranged to enter a groove of the concave portion.
connector. The connector according to claim 1 or 2,
For a pair of upper and lower terminal accommodating chambers adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, the cantilever-shaped locking piece for locking the terminal accommodated in the lower terminal accommodating chamber is provided so as to extend forward from a front end surface of a partition wall that divides the pair of upper and lower terminal accommodating chambers, and one of the convex portion and the concave portion provided on the inner wall surface of the upper terminal accommodating chamber is provided on an upper end surface of the partition wall within the front-to-rear direction range from a position rearward of the front end of the partition wall to the front end.
connector.

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