Connectors

Abstract

A connector is provided, comprising: a protrusion which is provided on the second shell at a position close to and facing a distal end portion of the locking portion when the locking portion is in a locked state locked to the locked portion, so that the protrusion suppresses an external force acting on the distal end portion of the locking portion in the locked state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector. Background Art

[0002] As a prior art, JP2018-195401A describes a connector.

[0003] like Figure 6 A and Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1B , the connector 100 is a resin connector formed of male and female fittings and includes a first shell 101 formed in a concave shape and configured as a female connector, and a second shell 102 provided to be able to fit into the first shell 101 and configured as a male connector.

[0004] The outer side of the first shell 101 is provided with a hook-shaped locking portion 101 a cantilevered toward the second shell 102 , while the outer side of the second shell 102 is provided with a recessed locked portion 102 a that locks with the locking portion 101 a of the first shell 101 .

[0005] That is, by locking the locking portion 101 a to the locked portion 102 a , the first shell 101 and the second shell 102 are fixed (locked) in the fitted state, and the fitted state of the first shell 101 and the second shell 102 is maintained.

[0006] However, in the case of the related art connector, the locking portion 101 a of the first shell 101 and the locked portion of the second shell 102 in the locked state are exposed to the outside without being protected.

[0007] Therefore, for example, the locking portion 101a may be lifted by an external factor acting on the outside of the first shell 101 and the second shell 102 (for example, the distal end of the locking portion 101a is caught on something), and thus, the locked state of the locking portion 101a relative to the locked portion 102a may be released, so there is still room for improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present disclosure provides a connector capable of preventing a locked state of a first shell and a second shell from being accidentally released due to external factors.

[0009] According to an illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, a connector includes: a first shell that accommodates a terminal fitting; a second shell that is inserted into the first shell to fit into the first shell; a locked portion that is provided on one side surface of the second shell; a locking portion that is flexibly and deformably provided on a side surface of the first shell facing the one side surface of the second shell and is locked to the locked portion to move beyond the locked portion by becoming deformed and bent as the first shell and the second shell fit into each other; and a protrusion that is provided on the second shell at a position that is close to and faces a distal end portion of the locking portion in a locked state in which the locking portion is locked to the locked portion, the protrusion being configured to suppress external force acting on the distal end portion of the locking portion in the locked state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A longitudinal sectional view of the assembled state of the second shell and busbar is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of the connector shown in its assembled state.

[0013] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The illustrated view is of a provisionally assembled state of the first shell and the second shell, and is a longitudinal sectional view of the connector cut along the insertion direction of the second shell so as to pass through the completely locking portion and the completely locking projection.

[0014] Figure 5 It is along Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of line AA.

[0015] Figure 6 A is an exploded perspective view of a connector in the prior art.

[0016] Figure 6 B is a cross-sectional view of a connector in the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of a connector according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] (Connector Structure)

[0019] The specific configuration of the connector CN according to this embodiment will be referred to Figures 1 to 5In the description of the drawings, for convenience, the side of the first shell 1 facing the second shell 2 is defined as the "front", and the side opposite to the front is defined as the "rear". At the same time, the side of the second shell 2 facing the first shell 1 is defined as the "front", and the side opposite to the front is defined as the "rear". In addition, corresponding to Figures 4 and 5 The direction corresponding to the upper side of the paper surface is defined as "up", and the direction corresponding to the lower side of the paper surface is defined as "down".

[0020] For example, Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the connector CN includes a first housing 1 having a plurality (four in this embodiment) of female terminal accommodating portions 11 serving as terminal fittings for accommodating female terminals 4 connected to (clamped and fixed to) the electric wires 3, and a second housing 2 that accommodates a bus bar 5 having a plurality (four in this embodiment) of male terminals 52 that can be respectively fitted to the female terminals 4 and is arranged to be fitted to the first housing 1. In other words, the connector CN illustrated in this embodiment is a so-called "joint connector" in which the plurality of female terminals 4 are electrically connected to each other via the bus bar 5.

[0021] The first housing 1 is formed into a generally rectangular tubular shape from a synthetic resin material having insulating properties, and is provided with a female terminal accommodating portion 11 for accommodating the female terminal 4 on the rear end side, and a second housing receiving portion 12 for receiving the fitted second housing 2 on the front end side. More specifically, the first housing 1 is provided with a vertically extending partition wall 10 at an intermediate portion in the front-to-back direction, the female terminal accommodating portion 11 being defined behind the partition wall 10, and the second housing receiving portion 12 being defined in front of the partition wall 10.

[0022] The female terminal accommodating portion 11 is defined as having a generally rectangular shape in cross section and capable of accommodating the female terminal 4 having a rectangular tubular shape described later, and in this embodiment, four female terminal accommodating portions 11 are arranged in parallel along the width direction of the first shell 1. At the same time, the second shell receiving portion 12 has a concave shape corresponding to the second shell 2 to be received and is integrally formed on the entire first shell 1 in the width direction.

[0023] like Figures 4 and 5 As shown, a lance portion 13 for preventing the female terminal 4 from falling out by being locked to the female terminal 4 is provided at the upper portion of the first shell 1 constituting each female terminal accommodating portion 11. The lance portion 13 is formed in a cantilever shape extending from rear to front, and is configured to be flexible and deformable in the up-down direction with a base end portion 13a as a fulcrum, and a distal end portion 13b can be locked to the rear end edge of a terminal connecting portion 42 (described later) of the female terminal 4.

[0024] More specifically, if Figure 4As shown, when the female terminal 4 is inserted, the lance portion 13 is elastically deformed to be pushed upward, and then elastically retreats to be locked to the rear end edge of the terminal connecting portion 42 (described later) of the female terminal 4, thereby suppressing the rearward movement of the female terminal 4. Figure 5 As shown, when the second housing 2 is completely fitted to the first housing 1 , upward movement (bending deformation) of the lance 13 is suppressed by a locking lance suppressing portion 23 (described later) of the second housing 2 , and the female terminal 4 is prevented from falling off.

[0025] Furthermore, the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 are used to construct a fully assembled state (see Figure 5 ) is formed on one side in the width direction of the upper portion of the first shell 1 configuring the second shell receiving portion 12. In the fully assembled state, the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 are deeply fitted into each other, and the second shell 2 (the lance suppressing portion 23 described later) suppresses the bending deformation of the lance portion 13, thereby preventing the female terminal 4 from falling off. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the full locking portion 14 has a generally rectangular frame shape defining a full locking opening 14a, and includes a pair of cantilevered full locking arm portions 14b and 14b that are parallel to each other and extend linearly forward, and a full locking piece 14c that is configured to connect the distal ends of the pair of full locking arm portions 14b and 14b to each other and capable of being locked to a full locking protrusion 24 (described later) of the second shell 2.

[0026] That is, Figure 5 As shown, when the second shell 2 is to be fitted into the first shell 1, the pair of fully locking arm portions 14b and 14b of the fully locking portion 14 bend and deform upward, causing the fully locking piece 14c to move over the fully locking protrusion 24 (described later) of the second shell 2 to lock to the rear end portion of the fully locking protrusion 24, thereby maintaining the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 deeply fitted with each other and preventing the female terminal 4 from falling off by the lance rod inhibitor 23 (described later).

[0027] For constructing the temporary assembly state of the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 (see Figure 4 ) is formed on the other side in the width direction of the upper portion of the first shell 1 configuring the second shell receiving portion 12. In the temporary assembled state, the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 are fitted into each other more shallowly than in the fully assembled state, and the second shell 2 (the lance suppressing portion 23 described later) does not suppress the bending deformation of the lance portion 13, thereby not preventing the female terminal 4 from falling off. Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the temporary locking portion 15 has a roughly rectangular frame shape that defines a long hole-shaped temporary locking opening 15a extending in the front-to-rear direction, and includes a pair of cantilevered temporary locking arm portions 15b and 15b that are parallel to each other and extend linearly forward, and a temporary locking piece 15c that is configured to connect the distal ends of the pair of temporary locking arm portions 15b and 15b to each other and be capable of being locked to a temporary locking protrusion 25 (described later) of the second shell 2.

[0028] That is, Figure 4 As shown, when the second shell 2 is to be fitted into the first shell 1, the pair of temporary locking arm portions 15b and 15b of the temporary locking portion 15 bend and deform upward, causing the temporary locking piece 15c to move over the temporary locking protrusion 25 (described later) of the second shell 2 to lock to the rear end portion of the temporary locking protrusion 25, thereby maintaining the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 in a temporary assembled state in which they are fitted into each other more shallowly than in a fully assembled state and the female terminal 4 is not prevented from falling off by the lance inhibitor 23 (described later).

[0029] In this temporary assembly state, Figure 4 As shown, the temporary locking piece 15c moves over the temporary locking protrusion 25 (described later) of the second shell 2 and is immediately locked to the rear end of the temporary locking protrusion 25, thereby preventing the second shell 2 from falling off from the first shell 1. Figure 5 As shown, the complete locking piece 14c contacts the front end of the complete locking projection 24 (described later) of the second housing 2 just before moving over the complete locking projection 24, thereby not preventing the female terminal 4 from falling off by the lance suppressing portion 23 described later.

[0030] The second shell 2 is formed integrally of a synthetic resin material having insulating properties and includes Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, there are a busbar holding portion 21 for accommodating and holding the base 51 of the busbar 5, a rectangular plate-like top plate portion 22 connected to the upper portion of the busbar holding portion 21 and extending forward in parallel with the male terminal 52 of the busbar 5, a lance suppressing portion 23 that is tapered at the distal end portion (front end portion) of the top plate portion 22 and suppresses bending deformation of the lance portion 13 of the first shell 1, and a completely locking protrusion (corresponding to the locked portion according to the present disclosure) 24 and a temporarily locking protrusion (corresponding to the temporarily locked portion according to the present disclosure) 25 that are arranged in parallel along the width direction on the upper surface of the top plate portion 22.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the busbar holding portion 21 has a recess 21a having a substantially rectangular cross-section and opening forward, and the base 51 of the busbar 5 is press-fitted into the recess 21a, so that the busbar 5 is accommodated and held in a state where the distal end side of the male terminal 52 faces outward (forward).

[0032] like Figures 4 and 5As shown, the top plate portion 22 extends linearly forward to the vicinity of the distal end of the male terminal 52, thereby covering the upper side of the busbar 5. Figure 1 As shown, a pair of guide grooves 26 for guiding the second shell 2 to fit into the first shell 1 are formed on both sides of the second shell 2 between the top plate portion 22 and the busbar holding portion 21. The pair of guide grooves 26 engage with a pair of linear guide rails 16 formed on both sides of the second shell receiving portion 12 to guide the second shell 2 to fit into the first shell 1.

[0033] In the fully assembled state, with the fully locking projection 24 locked to the fully locking portion 14, the lance suppressing portion 23 is inserted into the lance deformation space SP, which is intended to receive the upward deformation of the lance portion 13 of the first housing 1. Specifically, in this fully assembled state, the lance suppressing portion 23, inserted into the lance suppression space SP, contacts the upper portion of the lance portion 13, suppressing bending deformation of the lance portion 13. Thus, the state in which the lance portion 13 is locked to the rear end edge of the terminal connecting portion 42 of the female terminal 4 is maintained, and the female terminal 4 is prevented from falling out.

[0034] The lance suppressing portion 23 is allowed to enter the lance deformation space SP only when the lance portion 13 is locked to the rear end edge of the terminal connecting portion 42 of the female terminal 4, that is, when the lance portion 13 is not deformed upward. In other words, when the female terminal 4 is not fully inserted into the first housing 1, the lance portion 13 moves onto the terminal connecting portion 42 of the female terminal 4, and the lance suppressing portion 23 interferes with the lance portion 13, thereby suppressing its entry into the lance deformation space SP. With this configuration, the lance suppressing portion 23 has the function of detecting insufficient insertion of the female terminal 4 and, in the fully assembled state, ensuring that the female terminal 4 is properly inserted into the first housing 1, in which the lance suppressing portion 23 enters the lance deformation space SP and can suppress bending deformation of the lance portion 13.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the complete locking projection 24 has a substantially rectangular block shape and is formed integrally with the top plate portion 22. The complete locking projection 24 is configured to have a width dimension relatively smaller than the width dimension of the complete locking portion opening 14a, and a predetermined gap Y is formed between one of the pair of locking arm portions 14b and 14b and one side surface of the complete locking projection 24 (see FIG. Figure 3 ).like Figure 5 As shown, the front end portion of the complete locking projection 24 is formed with a complete locking tapered portion 24a configured as an inclined surface (tapered surface) in which the height dimension T1 of the complete locking projection 24 gradually decreases forward. Due to the complete locking tapered portion 24a, the complete locking portion 14 (complete locking piece 14c) can be relatively easily lifted along the complete locking tapered portion 24a, and the complete locking portion 14 can be easily locked to the complete locking projection 24 with relatively little pressure.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the temporary locking protrusion 25 has a substantially rectangular sheet shape and is formed integrally with the top plate portion 22. Figure 4 As shown, the front end portion of the temporary locking protrusion 25 is formed with a temporary locking tapered portion 25a configured as an inclined surface (tapered surface) in which the height dimension T2 of the temporary locking protrusion 25 gradually decreases forward. Through the temporary locking tapered portion 25a, the temporary locking portion 15 (temporary locking piece 15c) is relatively easily lifted along the temporary locking tapered portion 25a, and the temporary locking portion 15 can be easily locked to the temporary locking protrusion 25 with relatively small pressure.

[0037] Specific as Figure 3 As shown, at the rear end edge of the top plate portion 22 on the front side in the insertion direction of the second shell 2 relative to the complete locking protrusion 24, a pair of first protrusions 27a and second protrusions 27b as a plurality of protrusions are provided at positions facing the inner corner 14d and the outer corner 14e, which are corners on both sides in the width direction of the complete locking portion 14, in the insertion direction of the second shell 2, so as to overlap with the distal end edge of the complete locking portion 14 (complete locking piece 14c) facing the top plate portion 22 in the locked state of the complete locking portion 14 and the complete locking protrusion 24. The first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b are provided outside the complete locking protrusion 24 in the width direction of the second shell 2 and are spaced apart from each other so as to have a relatively small gap X therebetween in the fully assembled state (see Figure 5 ) is close to the complete locking portion 14 and is set to have approximately the same height as the complete locking portion 14 (complete locking piece 14c). Specifically, the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b are provided at positions overlapping with the distal edge of the complete locking portion 14 (complete locking piece 14c) facing the top plate portion 22 in the insertion direction of the second shell 2, so as to be close to and face both side portions (inner corner 14d and outer corner 14e) of the distal end of the complete locking portion 14, thereby preventing external forces acting on the outside of the second shell 2 from directly acting on the inner corner 14d and outer corner 14e of the complete locking portion 14 (particularly, the lower end edges of the inner corner 14d and outer corner 14e that may cause the lifting action of the complete locking portion 14).

[0038] Here, in the present embodiment, the second protrusion 27b of the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b is formed to be relatively wider than the first protrusion 27a, and is formed so as to be able to face not only the outer corner 14e of the completely locking portion 14 but also the gap Y. According to this configuration, although not specifically shown, the relatively wider second protrusion 27b is provided to abut against a jig (not shown) inserted so as to pass through the completely locking piece 14c from the outside through the gap Y, and in this abutting state, the completely locking piece 14c is lifted up to pry out the jig, thereby releasing the locked state of the completely locking portion 14 and the completely locking protrusion 24, and the first shell 1 and the second shell 2 can be detached (separated).

[0039] In this embodiment, the second protrusion 27b is set to be larger in the width direction than the first protrusion 27a, and the sizes of the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b can be freely set. In other words, the sizes of the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b in the width direction can be set to the same size, or the size of the first protrusion 27a in the width direction can be set to be larger than the second protrusion 27b.

[0040] The female terminal 4 is integrally formed of a predetermined conductive metal material and includes a wire connecting portion 41 that is clamped onto the exposed core wire portion 32 obtained by removing a portion of the covering portion 31 at the distal end of the wire 3, and a terminal connecting portion 42 having a generally rectangular tubular shape that is integrally provided on the distal end side of the wire connecting portion 41 and is engaged with the male terminal 52 to be connected to the male terminal 52.

[0041] The busbar 5 is integrally formed by punching a conductive metal plate, and in particular, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it includes a base portion 51 formed in a strip shape in the width direction and press-fitted and held in the busbar holding portion 21 of the second housing 2 , and a plurality (four in this embodiment) of male terminals 52 extending parallel to each other from the front end portion of the base portion 51 .

[0042] (Functions and Effects of This Embodiment)

[0043] Hereinafter, the functions and effects of the connector CN of this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0044] like Figure 6 A and Figure 6As shown in FIG. 2B , in the case of a conventional connector, the locking portion 101a of the first shell 101 and the locked portion 102a of the second shell 102 are exposed to the outside and unprotected in the locked state. Therefore, for example, the locking portion 101a may be lifted by an external factor acting on the outside of the first shell 101 and the second shell 102 (e.g., the distal end of the locking portion 101a is caught by something), and the locked state of the locking portion 101a relative to the locked portion 102a may be released, thus leaving room for improvement.

[0045] In contrast, according to the connector CN of the present embodiment, in the locked state where the complete locking portion 14 is locked to the complete locking protrusion 24, the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b as a pair of protrusions for suppressing external force from acting on the distal end portion of the complete locking portion 14 are arranged at a position close to and facing the complete locking portion 14 (complete locking piece 14c).

[0046] Therefore, the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b can block the external force acting on the complete locking portion 14 and prevent the external force from directly acting on the complete locking portion 14. Therefore, the problem that the complete locking portion 14 is lifted up by the external force acting on the distal end of the complete locking portion 14 and separated from the complete locking protrusion 24 can be prevented.

[0047] In particular, in this embodiment, the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b are formed on the front side of the fully locking protrusion 24 in the insertion direction of the second shell 2 so as to overlap with the distal edge of the fully locking portion 14 facing the top plate portion 22 when the fully locking portion 14 and the fully locking protrusion 24 are locked. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the distal end portion (fully locking piece 14c) of the fully locking portion 14 from being lifted by an external force acting on the fully locking portion 14. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the distal end portion of the fully locking portion 14 from being lifted by an external force acting on the fully locking portion 14 and separating the fully locking portion 14 from the fully locking protrusion 24.

[0048] Furthermore, when the full lock portion 14 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape as in this embodiment, there is a high possibility that the full lock portion 14 and the full lock projection 24 are separated due to external force acting on the corner of the distal end portion of the full lock portion 14 .

[0049] In view of such concerns, in the present embodiment, the first protrusion 27 a and the second protrusion 27 b as a pair of protrusions are provided at positions of corners on both sides facing the distal end portion of the complete lock portion 14 .

[0050] In this way, since the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b are provided at positions facing the corners on both sides of the distal end portion of the fully locking portion 14, external forces acting on the corners on both sides of the distal end portion of the fully locking portion 14 can be effectively blocked by the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the corners of the distal end portion of the fully locking portion 14 from being lifted by the external force acting on the fully locking portion 14 and the fully locking portion 14 from being separated from the fully locking protrusion 24.

[0051] In the present embodiment, the first protrusion 27 a and the second protrusion 27 b as a pair of protrusions are provided at positions outside the complete locking protrusion 24 in the width direction of the second shell 2 and not facing the complete locking protrusion 24 .

[0052] In this manner, since the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b are provided outside the completely locking protrusion 24 in the width direction of the second shell 2 and are spaced apart from each other at positions not facing the completely locking protrusion 24, when the second shell 2 is molded, the molding die of the second shell 2 can be simply divided into two in the depth direction of the second shell 2. Therefore, the productivity of the connector CN can be improved and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0053] In the present embodiment, the first protrusion 27 a and the second protrusion 27 b are provided to have substantially the same height as the complete locking portion 14 .

[0054] In this manner, since the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b are provided at a position having substantially the same height as the completely locked portion 14, the entire completely locked portion 14 can be protected by the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b in the height direction of the completely locked portion 14. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent external forces from directly acting on the completely locked portion 14.

[0055] The present disclosure is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments and can be freely changed according to the specifications of an application object and the like without departing from the essence of the present disclosure.

[0056] In particular, as a protrusion that prevents external force from directly acting on the fully locked portion 14, the present embodiment describes a configuration in which the protrusion is divided into a pair of protrusions including a first protrusion 27a and a second protrusion 27b that are separated from each other, and the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. In other words, although not specifically shown, the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b can be configured as a series of protrusions that are close to and face the distal end portion (fully locked piece 14c) of the fully locked portion 14. In this case, the protrusion can protect the distal end portion of the fully locked portion 14 in the entire width direction of the second shell 2. Therefore, the problem that the distal end portion of the fully locked portion 14 is lifted up by the external force acting on the distal end portion of the fully locked portion 14 and separated from the fully locked protrusion 24 can be prevented.

[0057] The above embodiment describes that: the locked portion according to the present disclosure is configured as a protruding fully locking protrusion 24, and the locking portion according to the present disclosure is configured as a fully locking portion 14 having a rectangular frame shape, and the locking form of the locked portion and the locking portion according to the present disclosure is not limited to the form shown. In other words, the locked portion according to the present disclosure can be configured as a recessed locked portion like the connector of the prior art, and the locking portion according to the present disclosure can be configured as a protruding locking portion like the connector of the prior art. Even in such a locking form, for example, the protrusion according to the present disclosure such as the first protrusion 27a and the second protrusion 27b can prevent the fully locking portion from being lifted up and separated from the locked portion by an external force acting on the distal end of the fully locking portion.

[0058] In addition, for example, each of the above embodiments describes a mode in which the complete locking portion 14 and the temporary locking portion 15 are arranged in the first shell 1 and the complete locking protrusion 24 and the temporary locking protrusion 25 are arranged on the second shell 2e, while the complete locking protrusion 24 and the temporary locking protrusion 25 can be arranged on the first shell 1 and the complete locking portion 14 and the temporary locking portion 15 can be arranged in the second shell 2.

[0059] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a connector (CN) comprises: a first shell (1) which accommodates a terminal fitting (4); a second shell (2) which is inserted into the first shell (1) so as to be fitted into the first shell (1); a locked portion (24) which is provided on a side surface of the second shell (2); and a locking portion (14) which is flexibly and deformably provided on a side surface of the first shell (1) facing the side surface of the second shell (2) and is formed by the first shell (1) and the second shell (2) being fitted to each other. The locking portion (14) is engaged with the locking portion (24) and becomes deformed and bent, thereby locking to the locked portion (24) to move over the locked portion (24); and a protrusion (27a, 27b) is provided on the second shell (2) at a position close to and facing the distal end of the locking portion (14) in the locked state in which the locking portion (14) is locked to the locked portion (24), and the protrusion (27a, 27b) is constructed to suppress external force from acting on the distal end of the locking portion (14) in the locked state.

[0060] According to the first aspect, a protrusion is provided at a position close to and facing the locking portion when the locking portion is locked to the locked portion. This protrusion blocks external forces from acting on the distal end of the locking portion. This prevents external forces from directly acting on the locking portion. This prevents the locking portion from being lifted and separated from the locked portion by external forces acting on the distal end of the locking portion.

[0061] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the locked portion (24) may have a protruding shape. The locking portion (14) may have a substantially rectangular frame shape surrounding the locked portion (24) in the locked state. The protruding portion (14) is provided on the front side of the locked portion (24) along the insertion direction of the second shell (2), and is formed to overlap with the distal edge of the one side surface of the locking portion (14) facing the second shell (2) in the locked state.

[0062] According to the second aspect, since the protrusion is formed on the front side of the locked portion in the insertion direction of the second shell, it overlaps with the distal edge of the surface of the locking portion facing the second shell in the locked state, thereby effectively preventing the distal end of the locking portion from being lifted by an external force. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the distal end of the locking portion from being lifted by an external force acting on the locking portion and separating the locking portion from the locked portion.

[0063] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the protrusions (27a, 27b) may be formed at positions of corners on both sides of the distal end portion facing the locking portion (14) in the locked state.

[0064] According to the third aspect, when the locking portion is formed into a rectangular frame surrounding the locked portion, the locking portion can be easily separated from the locked portion when an external force acts on the corners on either side of the distal end of the locking portion. Therefore, by providing the protrusions at positions facing the corners on either side of the distal end of the locking portion, the external forces acting on the corners on either side of the distal end of the locking portion can be effectively blocked by the protrusions. This effectively prevents the corners of the distal end of the locking portion from being lifted by the external force acting on the locking portion, thereby preventing the locking portion from separating from the locked portion.

[0065] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the protrusions (27a, 27b) can be arranged at positions outside the locked portion (24) in the width direction of the second shell (2) and not facing the locked portion (24) in the insertion direction.

[0066] According to the fourth aspect, since the protrusions are provided at positions in the width direction of the second shell that do not face the locked portion and are spaced apart from each other, the mold for molding the second shell can be simply divided into two along the depth direction of the second shell when molding the second shell. Consequently, the productivity of the connector can be improved, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0067] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the protrusions (27a, 27b) and the locking portion (14) have the same height.

[0068] According to the fifth aspect, since the protrusion is provided at substantially the same height as the locking portion, the entire fully locked portion can be protected in the height direction of the fully locked portion by the protrusion. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent external forces from directly acting on the fully locked portion.

[0069] According to the present disclosure, a protrusion that suppresses external forces from acting on the distal end of the locking portion is located near and facing the locking portion when the locking portion is locked to the locked portion. Therefore, external forces acting on the locking portion can be blocked by the protrusion, and external forces are prevented from directly acting on the locking portion. This prevents the locking portion from being lifted and separated from the locked portion by external forces acting on the distal end of the locking portion.

Claims

1. A connector, comprising: a first housing accommodating a terminal fitting; a second shell inserted into the first shell to be fitted into the first shell; a locked portion, which is provided on a side surface of the second shell; a locking portion that is flexibly and deformably provided on one side surface of the first shell facing the one side surface of the second shell, and is locked to the locked portion by becoming deformably bent as the first shell and the second shell are fitted into each other to move over the locked portion; as well as The protrusion is arranged on the second shell at the following position, that is, when the locking part is locked to the locked part, the position is close to and faces the distal end of the locking part and there is a gap between the protrusion and the distal end of the locking part, and the protrusion is constructed to suppress external force from acting on the distal end of the locking part in the locked state.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein The locked portion has a protrusion shape, The locking portion has a substantially rectangular frame shape surrounding the locked portion in the locked state, and The protrusion is provided on the front side of the locked portion in the insertion direction of the second shell and is formed to overlap with a distal edge of the one side surface of the locking portion facing the second shell in the locked state.

3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein The protrusions are formed at positions facing corners on both sides of the distal end portion of the locking portion in the locked state.

4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein The protrusion is provided at a position which is outside the locked portion in the width direction of the second case and does not face the locked portion in the insertion direction.

5. The connector according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein The protrusion portion and the locking portion have the same height.

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