Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of appropriately achieving a condition where a male terminal is connectable to a female terminal.SOLUTION: A moving plate 44 has: a peripheral wall part 73 which is disposed along an inner surface of a hood part 56 of a male housing 42; a plate body 72 which positions a tab 45 inside the hood part 56; and a relief part 82 which penetrates the peripheral wall part 73 in the thickness direction. A female housing 12 is disposed inside the peripheral wall part 73. One of the female housing 12 and the hood part 56 has a protrusion 28, and the other one of them has a recess 63. When a female connector 10 and a male connector 40 are fitted together, a base end side of the protrusion 28 is disposed inside the relief part 82 while a tip end side of the protrusion 28 is positioned at and fitted into the recess 63.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] The connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a male connector having a hood portion, a female connector that fits into the inside of the hood portion, and a moving plate that positions the male terminals. The male terminals are protected by the moving plate inside the hood portion. When the female connector is fitted, it is surrounded by the peripheral wall of the moving plate inside the hood portion. The female terminals housed inside the female connector are electrically connected to the male terminals. A connector with a moving plate is also disclosed in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-146930 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-43485 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When mating, the male terminal is guided into the female connector by a guide portion formed on the mating surface of the female connector and connected to the female terminal. In the case of Patent Document 1, the female connector is disposed inside the moving plate, and the moving plate is disposed inside the hood portion. With such a configuration, there is a concern that the assembly error (including assembly tolerance) between the female connector and the moving plate and the assembly error between the moving plate and the hood portion may accumulate, causing the guide portion of the female connector to shift from a position where it can guide the male terminal, causing the male terminal to interfere with the housing portion of the female connector. In Patent Document 1, the receiving groove of the hood portion merely receives the guide rib of the female connector.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that can properly realize a state in which a male terminal can be connected to a female terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a female connector and a male connector that can be mated with each other, the female connector having a female terminal and a female housing that accommodates the female terminal, the male connector having a male terminal, a male housing that accommodates the male terminal, and a moving plate arranged to be movable in a mating direction relative to the male housing, the male terminal having a tab, the male housing having a hood portion from which the tab is arranged to protrude, the moving plate having a peripheral wall portion arranged along the inner surface of the hood portion, a plate main body that positions the tab inside the hood portion, and an escape portion that penetrates the peripheral wall portion in the thickness direction, the female housing is arranged inside the peripheral wall portion, one of the female housing and the hood portion has a convex portion and the other has a concave portion, and when the female connector and the male connector are mated, the base end side of the convex portion is arranged inside the escape portion, and the tip side of the convex portion is fitted into the concave portion in a positioned state. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector that can properly realize a state in which a male terminal can be connected to a female terminal. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a female connector in the connector according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a female connector in the connector according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a female holder in the connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a male connector in the connector according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a male connector in the connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a male holder in the connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a moving plate in the connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector in the connector according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the lever is placed in a standby position relative to the male housing and the moving plate is placed in a protecting position relative to the male housing. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the female connector is disposed inside the peripheral wall portion of the moving plate in the connector according to the first embodiment from the state shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lever has been rotated from the state shown in FIG. 9 to a rotation completion position and the moving plate is disposed at a mating position with respect to the male housing. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an enlarged, partially cutaway front view of the connector according to the first embodiment, showing a state in which the base end side of the convex portion is disposed inside the relief portion and the tip side of the convex portion is positioned in the recess. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A connector having a female connector and a male connector which can be mated with each other, the female connector having a female terminal and a female housing which accommodates the female terminal, the male connector having a male terminal, a male housing which accommodates the male terminal, and a moving plate arranged to be movable in a mating direction relative to the male housing, the male terminal having a tab, the male housing having a hood portion from which the tab is arranged to protrude, the moving plate having a peripheral wall portion arranged along the inner surface of the hood portion, a plate body which positions the tab inside the hood portion, and a relief portion which penetrates the peripheral wall portion in a thickness direction, the female housing being arranged inside the peripheral wall portion, one of the female housing and the hood portion having a convex portion and the other having a concave portion, and when the female connector and the male connector are mated, a base end side of the convex portion is arranged inside the relief portion, and a tip side of the convex portion is fitted into the concave portion in a positioned state.

[0010] The tip of the protrusion is fitted into the recess in a positioned state, thereby preventing the relative positions of the female housing and the hood from shifting, and as a result, the male terminal protruding into the hood can be properly guided into the female housing and connected to the female terminal.

[0011] (2) In the connector described in (1) above, with respect to a width direction perpendicular to the height direction, which is the protruding direction of the convex portion and the recessed direction of the recess, it is preferable that the widthwise gap that may be formed between the outer surface of the base end side of the convex portion and the inner surface of the relief portion is set to be larger than the widthwise gap that may be formed between the inner surface of the tip end side of the convex portion and the inner surface of the recess.

[0012] Since a gap in the width direction can be formed between the outer surface of the base end side of the protrusion and the inner surface of the relief portion, it is possible to prevent the protrusion from interfering with the inner surface of the relief portion, and as a result, it is possible to more appropriately realize a state in which the tip side of the protrusion is positioned in the recess in the width direction.

[0013] (3) In the connector described in (1) or (2) above, with respect to a width direction perpendicular to the height direction, which is the protruding direction of the convex portion and the recessed direction of the recessed portion, the female housing, the male housing and the moving plate have a shape that is longer in the width direction than in the height direction, and it is preferable that the convex portion is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portion of the one of the long sides, the relief portion is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portion of the peripheral wall portion, and the recess is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portion of the other of the long sides.

[0014] Since the mating portion between the recess and the protrusion is formed at the center of the width of the long side of the female housing and the hood portion, the female housing and the hood portion can be effectively prevented from being misaligned in the width direction with a simple structure.

[0015] (4) In the connector described in (3) above, it is preferable that the male connector has a lever rotatably supported relative to the male housing, the lever having a cam groove, the male housing having a pin escape portion at the center of the height direction of the short side portion, the peripheral wall portion having a male cam pin disposed inside the cam groove through the pin escape portion at the center of the height direction of the short side portion, and the female housing has a female cam pin at the center of the height direction of the short side portion that combines with the male cam pin.

[0016] Since the female cam pin, pin escape portion and male cam pin are positioned at the center in the height direction of the short side portion, and the recess, escape portion and protrusion portion are positioned at the center in the width direction of the long side portion, the female cam pin, pin escape portion and male cam pin, and the recess, escape portion and protrusion portion can be arranged with fewer structural constraints on each other.

[0017] (5) In the connector described in any one of (1) to (4) above, it is preferable that the female housing has a female housing body that holds the female terminals and a female holder that surrounds the female housing body, the male housing has a male housing body that holds the male terminals and a male holder that surrounds the male housing body, and that one of the female holder and the male holder has the convex portion formed and the other has the concave portion formed.

[0018] In the above configuration (5), the tip side of the convex portion is fitted into the concave portion in a positioned state, thereby realizing the fitted state of the connector and realizing the connected state of the female terminal and the male terminal. There is no need to form a concave or convex portion on the female housing body and the male housing body.

[0019] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0020] <Embodiment 1> The connector according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a female connector 10 and a male connector 40 that can be fitted together. As shown in FIG. 2, the female connector 10 has a female terminal 11 and a female housing 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the male connector 40 has a male terminal 41, a male housing 42, a lever 43, and a moving plate 44. In the following description, the front-rear direction refers to the surface side where the female connector 10 and the male connector 40 are fitted together. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in each drawing. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction when the female connector 10 or the male connector 40 is viewed from the front. In the case of the first embodiment, the up-down direction is synonymous with the height direction, and the left-right direction is synonymous with the width direction. Hereinafter, the up-down direction may be referred to as the height direction, and the left-right direction may be referred to as the width direction. The references for these directions do not necessarily coincide with the references for directions when the connector is mounted on a vehicle or the like (not shown). 2 and 5, the front side is indicated by arrow X, the right side is indicated by arrow Y, and the upper side is indicated by arrow Z.

[0021] (Female connector 10) The female terminal 11 is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate, etc. As shown in Fig. 2, the female terminal 11 is connected to an end portion of the electric wire 100. The female terminal 11 has a cylindrical connecting portion 13.

[0022] The female housing 12 is made of synthetic resin and has a female housing body 14 that houses the female terminals 11, and a female holder 15 that surrounds the outer periphery of the female housing body 14. The female housing body 14 is composed of upper and lower female sub-housings 16.

[0023] Each female sub-housing 16 is in the shape of a rectangular block. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, each female sub-housing 16 has a plurality of female cavities 17. The female terminals 11 are inserted into the female cavities 17 from the rear and held therein. As shown in Fig. 1, each female sub-housing 16 has an guiding portion 18 that expands from the front end of each female cavity 17 to the front. Of the female sub-housings 16, the lower female sub-housing 16 has a larger vertical dimension than the upper female sub-housing 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the lower female sub-housing 16 has a pair of female ribs 19 that extend in the front-rear direction protruding from the upper end sides of both the left and right sides. Also, as shown in Fig. 10, each female sub-housing 16 has a female locking portion 21 that can be engaged with the female holder 15. Each female locking portion 21 protrudes from the lower surface of the lower female sub-housing 16 and the upper surface of the upper female sub-housing 16.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, female holder 15 has a rectangular cylindrical shape. Female holder 15 is longer in the width direction than in the height direction. That is, in female holder 15, the width dimension of each of the upper and lower walls facing each other in the height direction is larger than the height dimension of each of the left and right side walls facing each other in the width direction. In other words, the upper and lower walls of female holder 15 form a pair of long sides 22, and the left and right side walls of female holder 15 form a pair of short sides 23.

[0025] The female holder 15 has a pair of female rib receiving portions 24 that extend in the front-rear direction and are open forward on the inner surface of each short side portion 23. The female holder 15 has a pair of elastically deformable female lock arms 25 protruding from the inner surface of each long side portion 22.

[0026] During assembly, the lower female sub-housing 16 is inserted from the rear into the lower interior of the female holder 15. The female ribs 19 are fitted into the female rib receiving portions 24, and the female locking portion 21 is engaged with the lower female locking arm 25, thereby holding the lower female sub-housing 16 in the female holder 15. Next, the upper female sub-housing 16 is inserted into the upper interior of the female holder 15. The upper female sub-housing 16 is stacked on the lower female sub-housing 16, and is held in the female holder 15 by the female locking portion 21 being engaged with the upper female locking arm 25 (see FIG. 1).

[0027] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the female holder 15 has a pair of female cam pins 26 protruding from the center in the height direction of the outer surface of each short side portion 23. Each female cam pin 26 has a plate shape that is flat in the front-rear direction. The female holder 15 has a pair of release portions 27 protruding from the upper end side of the outer surface of each short side portion 23. Each release portion 27 has a plate shape that extends in the front-rear direction. Each release portion 27 releases the provisionally locked state of the lever 43, as described below.

[0028] Further, the female holder 15 has one protrusion 28 protruding from the widthwise center side of the outer surface of the lower long side portion 22. The protrusion 28 has a rib shape with a rectangular cross section extending in the front-rear direction. The front end of the protrusion 28 is located slightly rearward of the front end edge of the lower long side portion 22. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the rear end of the protrusion 28 is integrally connected to a protrusion 29 formed on the rear end edge of the lower long side portion 22. The protrusion 29 has a rib shape extending in the width direction at the rear end edge of the lower long side portion 22. The protrusion 29 is exposed and disposed at the rear end side of the female connector 10 (the rear end side as viewed from the female connector 10) when the female connector 10 and the male connector 40 are engaged with each other.

[0029] (Male connector 40) Male terminal 41 is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate or the like. As shown in Fig. 5, male terminal 41 is connected to an end portion of electric wire 200. Male terminal 41 has tab 45 protruding forward. When female connector 10 and male connector 40 are mated, tab 45 is inserted into connecting portion 13 while being guided by guiding portion 18, and male terminal 41 and female terminal 11 are electrically connected (see Figs. 9 and 10).

[0030] Male housing 42 is made of synthetic resin and has male housing main body 46 that houses male terminals 41, and male holder 47 that surrounds the outer periphery of male housing main body 46. Male housing main body 46 is composed of multiple stages of male sub-housings 48 that are stacked in the vertical direction.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, each male sub-housing 48 is in the shape of a flat block having a rectangular shape in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, each male sub-housing 48 has a plurality of male cavities 49 arranged in the width direction. The male terminals 41 are inserted into the male cavities 49 from the rear and held therein. Each male sub-housing 48 has a pair of male ribs 51 extending in the front-rear direction protruding from both the left and right side surfaces. Among each male sub-housing 48, the male sub-housings 48 arranged in the uppermost and lowermost stages each have a male locking portion 52 that can be engaged with the male holder 47. Each male locking portion 52 protrudes from the upper surface of the uppermost male sub-housing 48 and the lower surface of the lowermost male sub-housing 48.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 6, male holder 47 is in the shape of a square tube. Male holder 47 is longer in the width direction than in the height direction. That is, in male holder 47, the width dimension of each of the upper and lower walls facing each other in the height direction is larger than the height dimension of each of the left and right side walls facing each other in the width direction. In other words, the upper and lower walls of male holder 47 form a pair of long sides 53, and the left and right side walls of male holder 47 form a pair of short sides 54.

[0033] Male holder 47 has a sub-housing holding portion 55 that holds each male sub-housing 48, and a hood portion 56 that protrudes forward from the outer periphery of the front surface of sub-housing holding portion 55. As shown in Fig. 8, tabs 45 of each male terminal 41 held in each male sub-housing 48 are disposed so as to protrude into hood portion 56.

[0034] 6, male holder 47 has a plurality of male rib receiving portions 57 that extend in the front-rear direction and are open forward, on the inner surface of each short side portion 54 of sub-housing holding portion 55. Each male rib receiving portion 57 is formed aligned in the up-down direction at a position corresponding to each male sub-housing 48. Furthermore, male holder 47 has a pair of elastically deformable male locking arms 58 protruding from the inner surface of each long side portion 53 of sub-housing holding portion 55.

[0035] When assembling male connector 40, each male sub-housing 48, with the upper and lower parts integrated, is inserted from the rear into sub-housing retaining portion 55 of male holder 47. Each male rib 51 fits into each male rib receiving portion 57, and the uppermost and lowermost male locking portions 52 are engaged with each male locking arm 58, whereby the entire male sub-housing 48 is retained in sub-housing retaining portion 55 of male holder 47 (see FIG. 8).

[0036] 4 to 6, male holder 47 has a lever lock receiving portion 59 protruding from upper long side portion 53 of sub-housing holding portion 55. Lever lock receiving portion 59 protrudes rearward from upper long side portion 53 and also protrudes upward from the rear end side.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 6, male holder 47 has a pair of support shafts 61 protruding from the center in the height direction of the outer surface of each short side portion 54. Lever 43 is rotatably supported by each support shaft 61. Male holder 47 has a pair of pin escape portions 62 that extend in the front-rear direction and are open forward, at the center in the height direction of each short side portion 54 of hood portion 56. Each pin escape portion 62 is disposed forward of each support shaft 61. Male holder 47 also has a pair of temporary lock receiving portions 84 that extend in the front-rear direction and are open forward, on the inner surface on the upper end side of each short side portion 54.

[0038] Further, male holder 47 has one recess 63 recessed into the inner surface of the widthwise center of lower long side 53 of hood portion 56. Recess 63 is recessed into the inner surface of the widthwise center of long side 53. Specifically, recess 63 extends in the front-rear direction on the inner surface of the widthwise center of long side 53 and is open forward. The rear end of recess 63 is closed near the front surface of sub-housing holding portion 55. As shown in FIG. 11, recess 63 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape that fits the tip side of protrusion 28, except for chamfered portion 64 formed on the opening edge. The tip side of protrusion 28 is fitted into recess 63 while being positioned therein.

[0039] The lever 43 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 4, is attached to the male holder 47 so as to straddle it from above. As shown in FIG. 5, the lever 43 has a gate-shaped plate shape, a connecting portion 65 extending in the width direction, and a pair of arm portions 66 protruding from both ends of the connecting portion 65 in the width direction. Each arm portion 66 has a shaft hole 67 for receiving the support shaft 61. A cam groove 68 is recessed in the inner surface of each arm portion 66. The entrance of the cam groove 68 opens to the outer periphery of the arm portion 66. The lever 43 also has an elastically deformable lever lock portion 69 in the center of the connecting portion 65 in the width direction. A pair of elastically deformable temporary locking portions 71 (only one is shown in FIG. 5) are formed on the inner surface of each arm portion 66.

[0040] Lever 43 is rotatable between a temporary locking position and a full locking position around a support shaft 61 fitted in a shaft hole 67 relative to male holder 47. At the temporary locking position, temporary locking portion 71 is locked with temporary lock receiving portion 84 of male holder 47, and rotation of lever 43 to the full locking position is restricted. At the temporary locking position, connecting portion 65 is located above the front end portion of male housing 42, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. At the full locking position, connecting portion 65 is located rearward and above the rear end portion of male housing 42, and lever lock portion 69 is locked with lever lock receiving portion 59, as shown in Fig. 10. This holds lever 43 in a state where rotation is restricted at the full locking position.

[0041] The moving plate 44 is made of synthetic resin and has a plate-like and box-like shape as a whole. As shown in Fig. 7, the moving plate 44 has a plate body 72 arranged with its plate surface facing in the front-rear direction, and a peripheral wall portion 73 arranged with its plate surface facing in the radial direction (up-down and left-right directions). When the moving plate 44 is arranged inside the hood portion 56, it is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the male housing 42 between a protection position (see Figs. 8 and 9) and a mating position (see Fig. 10).

[0042] The plate body 72 has a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and is disposed so as to cover the inside of the hood portion 56. As shown in Fig. 7, the plate body 72 has a plurality of positioning holes 74 that penetrate in the front-rear direction (thickness direction). The tabs 45 of each male terminal 41 that protrude into the inside of the hood portion 56 are inserted into each positioning hole 74 in a positioned state.

[0043] The peripheral wall portion 73 has a rectangular cylindrical shape and is disposed along the inner surface of the hood portion 56. As shown in Fig. 7, the peripheral wall portion 73 is longer in the width direction than in the height direction. That is, in the peripheral wall portion 73, the width dimension of each of the upper and lower walls opposing each other in the height direction is greater than the height dimension of each of the left and right side walls opposing each other in the width direction. In other words, the upper and lower walls of the peripheral wall portion 73 form a pair of long side portions 75, and the left and right side walls of the peripheral wall portion 73 form a pair of short side portions 76.

[0044] The peripheral wall portion 73 has a pair of male cam pins 77 protruding from the height direction center of the outer surface of each short side portion 76. Each male cam pin 77 has a cylindrical outer shape and has an internal space 78 that is open forward. The peripheral wall portion 73 has a pair of pin introduction portions 79 that extend in the front-rear direction and are open forward, at the height direction center of each short side portion 76. Each pin introduction portion 79 communicates with the internal space 78 of each male cam pin 77. The peripheral wall portion 73 also has a pair of release introduction portions 81 that extend in the front-rear direction and are open forward, at the upper end side of each short side portion 76.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 7, the peripheral wall portion 73 has, in the widthwise center of the lower long side portion 75, a relief portion 82 that extends in the front-rear direction and is open forward. The relief portion 82 penetrates the lower long side portion 75 in the up-down direction (thickness direction of the lower long side portion 75). The rear end of the relief portion 82 is closed near the front surface of the plate main body 72. As shown in Figs. 4 and 11, when the moving plate 44 is disposed inside the hood portion 56, the relief portion 82 communicates with the recessed portion 63 in the up-down direction. The width dimension of the relief portion 82 is larger than the width dimension of the protruding portion 28 and larger than the width dimension of the recessed portion 63 excluding the chamfered portion 64.

[0046] (Connector assembly and mating) Next, an example of the assembly and fitting operation of the connector will be described. When assembling the female connector 10 and the male connector 40, first, for the female connector 10, each female terminal 11 and each male terminal 41 are connected to the end portions of the corresponding electric wires 100, 200. In this state, each female terminal 11 is inserted into each female cavity 17, and further each female sub-housing 16 is accommodated in the female holder 15. This completes the assembly of the female connector 10 (see FIG. 1).

[0047] With regard to the male connector 40, first, the lever 43 is supported in the temporary-locking position relative to the male housing 42. In the temporary-locking position, each temporary-locking portion 71 is locked to each temporary-locking receiving portion 84, and the entrances of each cam groove 68 are opened forward while communicating with each pin relief portion 62.

[0048] Then, the moving plate 44 is inserted into the inside of the hood portion 56. Here, each male cam pin 77 enters each pin relief portion 62 and fits into the entrance of each cam groove 68. This places the moving plate 44 in the protective position with respect to the male housing 42. In the protective position, the plate body 72 is placed away from the sub-housing holding portion 55 toward the open end side of the hood portion 56, and the peripheral wall portion 73 and each open end of the hood portion 56 are aligned in the same position in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 8). Also, the relief portion 82 communicates with the recess 63 along the front-rear direction, and each release introduction portion 81 communicates with each provisional lock receiving portion 84 (see FIG. 4).

[0049] Additionally, each male terminal 41 is inserted into each male cavity 49, and each male sub-housing 48 is housed in the sub-housing holding portion 55 of the male holder 47. The tip side of the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 reaches the plate body 72 inside the hood portion 56 and is fitted into each positioning hole 74, and is protected by the moving plate 44 (see FIG. 8). This completes the assembly of the male connector 40.

[0050] When mating the female connector 10 and the male connector 40, the female housing 12 is inserted into the inside of the hood portion 56. The female housing 12 is disposed inside the peripheral wall portion 73, and the outer periphery is surrounded by the moving plate 44 (see FIG. 9). The front surface of each female sub-housing 16 (the front surface as viewed from the female connector 10) faces the plate body 72 so as to be able to come into contact with it. Each guide portion 18 communicates with each positioning hole 74. When the moving plate 44 is in this protective position, each female terminal 11 is disposed away from the tabs 45 of each male terminal 41, and maintains a state of not coming into contact with each male terminal 41.

[0051] Each release portion 27 enters each temporary locking receiving portion 84 through each release introduction portion 81 and interferes with each temporary locking portion 71 locked to each temporary locking receiving portion 84. Each temporary locking portion 71 is elastically deformed outwardly by being pressed by each release portion 27, and the locking with each temporary locking receiving portion 84 is released. As a result, the lever 43 becomes rotatable toward the main locking position.

[0052] Further, when the female housing 12 is disposed inside the peripheral wall portion 73, each female cam pin 26 enters the internal space 78 of each male cam pin 77 through each pin introduction portion 79. As a result, each female cam pin 26 and each male cam pin 77 are joined and integrated with each other. Further, when the female housing 12 is disposed inside the peripheral wall portion 73, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the convex portion 28 is fitted into the concave portion 63 through the escape portion 82. Specifically, the portion on the base end side of the convex portion 28, in the case of the first embodiment, the upper half portion of the convex portion 28, is disposed inside the escape portion 82, and the portion on the tip end side of the convex portion 28, in the case of the first embodiment, the lower half portion of the convex portion 28, is fitted into the concave portion 63 in a positioned state.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 11, a gap (W1) in the width direction is formed or no gap is formed (W1 = 0 (zero)) between the left and right surfaces (surfaces facing each other in the width direction) of the lower half portion of the convex portion 28 and the left and right surfaces (surfaces facing each other in the width direction) of the concave portion 63. A gap (W2) in the width direction larger than the gap (W1) in the width direction is formed (W1 <W2) between the left and right surfaces of the upper half portion of the convex portion 28 and the left and right surfaces (surfaces facing each other in the width direction) of the escape portion 82. Therefore, the left and right surfaces of the upper half portion of the convex portion 28 and the left and right surfaces of the escape portion 82 can be maintained in a non-contact state with each other. Further, the front end of the convex portion 28 (the front end when viewed from the female connector 10) faces the rear end of the escape portion 82 (the rear end when viewed from the male connector 40) so as to be contactable.

[0054] In this way, by fitting the lower half portion of the convex portion 28 into the concave portion 63 in a positioned state, regardless of the assembly error (including the assembly tolerance) that may be formed between each of the female holder 15 and the male holder 47 and the moving plate 44, the relative positional displacement between the female holder 15 and the male holder 47 is regulated.

[0055] With the female housing 12 placed inside the peripheral wall portion 73, the lever 43 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 9 while pinching the connecting portion 65. During the rotation of the lever 43, the male cam pins 77 combined with the female cam pins 26 slide along the groove surfaces of the cam grooves 68, and the moving plate 44 moves together with the female housing 12 toward the mating position.

[0056] When the moving plate 44 starts moving to the mating position, the tip side of the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 protrudes from each positioning hole 74. The tip side of the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 protruding from each positioning hole 74 enters each female cavity 17 through each guide portion 18. Since each female cavity 17 accommodates each female terminal 11, the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 is inserted into the inside of the connection portion 13 of each female terminal 11. As the movement to the mating position progresses, the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 is inserted deeply into the inside of the connection portion 13 of each female terminal 11. As shown in FIG. 10, when the moving plate 44 reaches the mating position, the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 is inserted into the inside of the connection portion 13 to the normal depth, and each female terminal 11 and each male terminal 41 are electrically connected. The lever 43 also reaches the main locking position, and the lever lock portion 69 is locked to the lever lock receiving portion 59. This restricts the rotation of lever 43, and maintains female connector 10 and male connector 40 in a mated state.

[0057] As described above, in the case of the first embodiment, the tip side of the convex portion 28 is fitted into the concave portion 63 in a positioned state, thereby restricting relative positional deviation between the female holder 15 and the male holder 47, and thus restricting relative positional deviation between the female housing 12 and the male housing 42. Each male terminal 41 is accommodated in the male housing 42, and each guide portion 18 is formed in the female housing 12. Therefore, the tab 45 of each male terminal 41 is properly guided into each guide portion 18, and a state in which each female terminal 11 and each male terminal 41 are electrically connected with high reliability is realized.

[0058] In particular, in the case of the first embodiment, in the width direction, the widthwise gap (W2) that can be formed between the outer surface on the base end side of the convex portion 28 and the inner surface of the relief portion 82 is set to be larger than the widthwise gap (W1) that can be formed between the inner surface on the tip end side of the convex portion 28 and the inner surface of the concave portion 63 (W1 < W2). For this reason, it is possible to avoid the convex portion 28 interfering with the inner surface of the relief portion 82, and it is possible to more appropriately realize the state in which the tip end side of the convex portion 28 is positioned in the width direction in the concave portion 63. Further, in the case of the first embodiment, the female housing 12, the male housing 42, and the moving plate 44 have a shape that is longer in the width direction than in the height direction. The convex portion 28 is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portion 22 in the female housing 12, the relief portion 82 is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portion 75 in the peripheral wall portion 73, and the concave portion 63 is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portion 53 in the hood portion 56 of the male housing 42. That is, since the fitting portion between the concave portion 63 and the convex portion 28 is formed on the center side in the width direction of the long side portions 22 and 53 in the female housing 12 and the hood portion 56, it is possible to effectively prevent the female housing 12 and the hood portion 56 from being displaced in the width direction with a simple structure.

[0059] Further, the male connector 40 has a lever 43 that is rotatably supported with respect to the male housing 42, and the lever 43 has a pair of cam grooves 68. The male housing 42 has a pair of pin relief portions 62 on the center side in the height direction of the short side portion 54. The peripheral wall portion 73 has a pair of male cam pins 77 that are disposed inside the cam grooves 68 through the respective pin relief portions 62 on the center side in the height direction of the short side portion 76. The female housing 12 has a pair of female cam pins 26 that mate with the respective male cam pins 77 on the center side in the height direction of the short side portion 23.

[0060] That is, in the case of the first embodiment, the female cam pins 26, the pin relief portions 62 and the male cam pins 77 are disposed at the center in the height direction of the short sides 23, 54, 76, and the recessed portions 63, the relief portions 82 and the protruding portions 28 are disposed at the center in the width direction of the long sides 53, 75, 22. For this reason, the female cam pins 26, the pin relief portions 62 and the male cam pins 77, and the recessed portions 63, the relief portions 82 and the protruding portions 28 can be provided with fewer structural constraints on each other.

[0061] Furthermore, the female housing 12 has a female housing body 14 that holds the female terminals 11, and a female holder 15 that surrounds the female housing body 14. The male housing 42 has a male housing body 46 that holds the male terminals 41, and a male holder 47 that surrounds the male housing body 46. A convex portion 28 is formed on the female holder 15, and a concave portion 63 is formed on the male holder 47. In the above configuration, the tip side of the convex portion 28 is fitted into the concave portion 63 in a positioned state, thereby realizing a fitted state of the connectors, and a connected state of the female terminals 11 and the male terminals 41. There is no need to form the concave portion 63 or the convex portion 28 on the female housing body 14 and the male housing body 46.

[0062] [Another embodiment of the present disclosure] The above-described first embodiment disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the recess is formed on the hood portion and the protrusion is formed on the female housing. In contrast to this, according to another embodiment, the protrusion may be formed on the hood portion and the recess may be formed on the female housing. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the recess is formed in the male holder, and the protrusion is formed in the female holder. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the recess may be formed in the male housing main body or the female housing main body, and the protrusion may be formed in the female housing main body or the male housing main body. In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the female housing is composed of the female housing main body and the female holder, and the male housing is composed of the male housing main body and the male holder. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the female housing may be molded integrally with the female housing main body and the female holder without distinction, and the male housing may be molded integrally with the male housing main body and the male holder without distinction. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the female housing main body is composed of multiple female sub-housings, and the male housing main body is composed of multiple male sub-housings. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the female housing main body may be formed as a single unit as a whole, and the male housing main body may also be formed as a single unit as a whole. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the male connector has a lever, and the moving plate is configured to move inside the hood portion by rotating the lever. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the male connector may not have a lever, and the moving plate may be configured to move inside the hood portion by being pressed by the female housing, etc. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the recess has a bottom that opens to the inner surface of the long side of the hood part and is closed by the outer surface of the long side of the hood part. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the recess may have a bottomless shape that penetrates the corresponding wall of the female housing or the hood part in the thickness direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10…Female connector 11...Female terminal 12…Female housing 13…Connection 14…Female housing body 15…Female holder 16…Female sub-housing 17…Female cavity 18... Temptation Department 19…Female rib 21…Female lock section 22...Long side of female holder of female housing 23...Short side of female holder of female housing 24…Female side rib receiving part 25…Female lock arm 26...Female Campin 27…Release section 28…Convex part 29...Protrusion part 40...Male connector 41…Male terminal 42…Male housing 43…Lever 44...Moving plate 45…Tab 46…Male housing body 47…Male holder 48…Male sub-housing 49…Male cavity 51…Male rib 52…Male lock section 53...Long side of male holder (including hood portion) of male housing 54... Short side of male holder (including hood) on male housing 55...Sub-housing retainer 56…Hood section 57…Male side rib receiving part 58…Male lock arm 59…Lever lock receiver 61...Spindle 62...Pin relief 63…Recess 64…Beveled part 65...Connection part 66…Arm section 67…Shaft hole 68…Cam groove 69…Lever lock section 71...Temporary locking part 72…Plate body 73...Peripheral wall part 74…Positioning hole 75...Long side of peripheral wall of moving plate 76...Short side of peripheral wall of moving plate 77...Male Campin 78…Interior space 79…Pin entry section 81...Release introduction 82…Relief section 84...Temporary locking receiving part 100…Wire connected to female terminal 200...Wire connected to male terminal W1: Widthwise gap that can be formed between the inner surface of the tip of the protrusion and the inner surface of the recess W2: Gap in the width direction that can be formed between the outer surface of the base end side of the protrusion and the inner surface of the relief portion

Claims

1. A female connector and a male connector that are matable with each other, The female connector includes a female terminal and a female housing that accommodates the female terminal, the male connector has male terminals, a male housing that receives the male terminals, and a moving plate that is arranged to be movable in a mating direction relative to the male housing, The male terminal has a tab, The male housing has a hood portion from which the tab protrudes, the moving plate has a peripheral wall portion disposed along an inner surface of the hood portion, a plate body that positions the tab inside the hood portion, and a relief portion that penetrates the peripheral wall portion in a thickness direction, The female housing is disposed inside the peripheral wall portion, One of the female housing and the hood portion has a convex portion and the other has a concave portion, When the female connector and the male connector are mated, the base end side of the convex portion is positioned inside the escape portion, and the tip side of the convex portion is mated in a positioned state with the recessed portion.

2. 2. The connector of claim 1, wherein, in a width direction perpendicular to a height direction which is the protruding direction of the convex portion and the recessed direction of the recess, the widthwise gap which may be formed between the outer surface of the base end side of the convex portion and the inner surface of the relief portion is set to be larger than the widthwise gap which may be formed between the inner surface of the tip end side of the convex portion and the inner surface of the recess.

3. With respect to a width direction perpendicular to a height direction, which is a protruding direction of the convex portion and a recessed direction of the recessed portion, the female housing, the male housing and the moving plate are longer in the width direction than in the height direction, The protrusion is formed on a center side of the one long side portion in the width direction, The relief portion is formed on a central side of a long side portion of the peripheral wall portion in the width direction, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is formed on a center side in the width direction of the other long side portion.

4. The male connector has a lever rotatably supported on the male housing, The lever has a cam groove. the male housing has a pin relief portion at a center of a short side portion in the height direction, the peripheral wall portion has a male cam pin disposed inside the cam groove through the pin relief portion at a center side of the short side portion in the height direction, 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein said female housing has a female cam pin mated with said male cam pin at a center side in said height direction of said short side portion.

5. The female housing includes a female housing body that holds the female terminal, and a female holder that surrounds the female housing body. The male housing has a male housing main body that holds the male terminal and a male holder that surrounds the male housing main body, 5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein one of the female holder and the male holder is formed with the convex portion, and the other of the female holder and the male holder is formed with the concave portion.

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