Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of sufficiently obtaining a holding force of a terminal by a terminal insertion hole.SOLUTION: A connector 1 comprises: a housing 2 having a pair of terminal insertion holes 21H and 21H; and a terminal 3 having a pair of branch parts 31 and 31 that is held by being inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H and 21H. A housing wall surface for defining the terminal insertion hole 21H comprises: a guide part A constructed so that the pair of branch parts 31 and 31 is elastically deformed in a direction where the branch parts 31 and 31 in a pair approach each other or a direction where they are separated from each other when the pair of branch parts 31 and 31 is inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H and 21H; and a pressured part B to which the branch part 31 that is elastically deformed by the guide part A is depressed. An angle of the pair of branch parts 31 and 31 at an attachment position where the pair of branch parts 31 and 31 is inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H and 21H is changed with respect to an angel of the pair of branch parts 31 and 31 in a state before the pair of branch parts 31 and 31 is inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H and 21H, and is held in such a state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Connectors are generally used with terminals attached to a housing. When attaching a terminal to a housing, for example, the terminal is attached to the housing by pressing the terminal into a terminal insertion hole provided in the housing. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector in which a terminal having a base and a pair of branches branching from the base is used, and the pair of branches of the terminal are pressed into a pair of terminal insertion holes of the housing. The pair of branches of the terminal are each provided with a press-in protrusion, and when the pair of branches of the terminal are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes of the housing, the press-in protrusions bite into the inner walls of the terminal insertion holes, thereby pressing the terminal into the terminal insertion holes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-273390 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the connector described in Patent Document 1, the press-in protrusion slides against the inner surface of the terminal insertion hole, cutting the inner wall of the terminal insertion hole while the branch of the terminal is press-fitted into the terminal insertion hole, so that the cutting of the inner wall enlarges the terminal insertion hole. When the terminal insertion hole becomes larger, the amount of press-in of the press-in protrusion into the inner wall decreases, so that the terminal may not be held by the terminal insertion hole with sufficient force. Also, if the amount of protrusion of the press-in protrusion is increased, cracks may occur in the housing.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can obtain a sufficient retention force for the terminals through the terminal insertion holes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A connector according to one embodiment of the present invention is a connector comprising a housing having a pair of terminal insertion holes and terminals having a pair of branches which are respectively inserted and held in the pair of terminal insertion holes, wherein the housing wall surface defining the terminal insertion holes comprises a guide portion configured to elastically deform the pair of branches in a direction in which the spacing between the pair of branches approaches each other or in a direction in which the spacing between the pair of branches approaches each other or moves away from each other when the pair of branches are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes, and a pressed portion against which the branch elastically deformed by the guide portion is pressed, and wherein the angle of the pair of branches in the mounting position where the pair of branches are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes is held in a changed state relative to the angle of the pair of branches in the state before the pair of branches are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the connector of one embodiment of the present invention, the terminals can be held by the terminal insertion holes with sufficient force. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a first embodiment, a board to be connected to the connector, and a mating connector. [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a connector according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3A] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the peripheral area of ​​region M1 in FIG. 2, illustrating a state in which a pair of branch portions of the terminal of the connector according to the first embodiment is deformed at an attachment position. [Figure 3B] 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3A, illustrating a state immediately before a pair of branch portions of a terminal of the connector according to the first embodiment is deformed. FIG. [Figure 4A] 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic projection of a branch portion of a terminal in the connector according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4B]10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic projection of a branch portion of a terminal in a connector according to a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5A] 3C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the pressed portion of the housing and the pressing portion of the branch portion of the terminal in FIG. 3B. [Figure 5B] 3B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of a pressed portion of the housing and a pressing portion of a branch portion of the terminal in FIG. 3A. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a connector according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7A] 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the peripheral area of ​​region M2 in FIG. 6, illustrating a state in which a pair of branch portions of a terminal of a connector according to a second embodiment are deformed at an attachment position. [Figure 7B] 7B is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 7A, illustrating a state immediately before a pair of branch portions of a terminal of a connector according to a second embodiment are deformed. [Figure 8] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic projection of a branch portion of a terminal in a connector according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9A] 7C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the pressed portion of the housing and the pressing portion of the branch portion of the terminal in FIG. 7B. [Figure 9B] 7B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the pressed portion of the housing and the pressing portion of the branch portion of the terminal, in an intermediate stage from FIG. 7B to FIG. 7A. [Figure 9C] 7B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the pressed portion of the housing and the pressing portion of the branch portion of the terminal in FIG. 7A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is merely an example, and the connector of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Note that in this specification, "perpendicular to A" and similar expressions do not only refer to a direction completely perpendicular to A, but also refer to a direction that is approximately perpendicular to A. Also, in this specification, "parallel to B" and similar expressions do not only refer to a direction completely parallel to B, but also refer to a direction that is approximately parallel to B. Also, in this specification, "C-shape" and similar expressions do not only refer to a perfect C-shape, but also refer to a shape (approximately C-shape) that visually resembles a C-shape, such as a shape with chamfered corners of a C-shape.

[0010] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a connector 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 2 and a terminal 3 held by the housing 2. For example, the connector 1 is configured such that, on the one hand, it is mounted on a substrate P, and the terminal 3 is electrically connected to the wiring (not shown) of the substrate P, and, on the other hand, the housing 2 is fitted with a counterpart housing C2 of a counterpart connector C1 in a predetermined direction (in the example of FIG. 1, a first direction D1 described later), and the terminal 3 is electrically connected to a counterpart terminal C3 of the counterpart connector C1. In the example of FIG. 1, the connector 1 is an insertion mount type connector in which the terminal 3 is inserted into a through hole Ph of the substrate P and electrically connected to the substrate P. However, the connector 1 may be a surface mount type connector in which the terminal 3 is attached to the surface Pa of the substrate P and electrically connected to the substrate P. Also, in the example of FIG. 1, the terminal 3 is a male terminal, and the counterpart terminal C3 is a female terminal. However, the terminal 3 may be a female terminal, and the counterpart terminal C3 may be a male terminal.

[0011] In this specification, the direction in which the terminal 3 is inserted into the housing 2 to hold the terminal 3 in the housing 2 is called the insertion direction D11, and the direction opposite to the insertion direction D11 in which the terminal 3 is removed from the housing 2 is called the removal direction D12, and both the insertion direction D11 and the removal direction D12 are collectively called the first direction D1. In this embodiment, the first direction D1 coincides with the direction in which the connector 1 and the mating connector C1 are fitted and removed from each other to be electrically connected and disconnected from each other. In this embodiment, the first direction D1 is also the direction in which the terminal 3 having an elongated shape extends (hereinafter, also referred to as the "extension direction D1"). In this specification, a direction intersecting the first direction D1 is called the second direction D2. In this embodiment, the second direction D2 is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1. In this embodiment, the second direction D2 is also the width direction of the terminal 3 having an elongated shape (hereinafter, also referred to as the "width direction D2"). In this specification, the direction intersecting the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is referred to as the third direction D3. In this embodiment, the third direction D3 is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. In this embodiment, the third direction D3 is also the thickness direction of the terminal 3 having a plate-like shape (hereinafter, also referred to as the "thickness direction D3").

[0012] 2, the housing 2 protects the terminal 3, and insulates the terminals 3 when the connector 1 has a plurality of terminals 3. The housing 2 has a pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H into which a pair of branch portions 31, 31 of the terminal 3 are inserted and held. In this embodiment, the housing 2 has an interposition portion 24 provided between the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H, and as described below, the interposition portion 24 is sandwiched between the pair of branch portions 31, 31, thereby holding the terminal 3 in the terminal insertion hole 21H.

[0013] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 2 further includes a fitting hole 23H (see FIG. 1) that is provided to fit with (specifically, to fit the mating housing C2) of the mating connector C1. In addition, in this embodiment, the housing 2 includes a connection hole 22H that connects the fitting hole 23H and a pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H and into which a portion of the terminal base 32 of the terminal 3 on the insertion direction D11 side is inserted. In this embodiment, the housing 2 includes a through hole 2H in which the fitting hole 23H, the connection hole 22H, and the terminal insertion hole 21H are connected in the first direction D1. The through hole 2H penetrates in the first direction D1 between an end face 2b of the housing 2 on the insertion direction D11 side and an end face 2a on the removal direction D12 side. In this embodiment, in the through hole 2H, the fitting hole 23H, the connection hole 22H, and the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H are arranged in this order from the removal direction D12 side toward the insertion direction D11 side of the housing 2. However, it is sufficient for the housing 2 to have the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H, and the shape of the internal space of the housing 2 is not limited.

[0014] The number of a pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H (and connection holes 22H) can be appropriately changed according to the number of terminals 3 inserted and held in the housing 2. In this embodiment, the housing 2 has a plurality of pairs of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H and a plurality of connection holes 22H because the connector 1 has a plurality of terminals 3 (in the example of FIG. 2, the terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H are two pairs (four in total), and the connection holes 22H are two). However, when the connector 1 has one terminal 3, the housing 2 may have only a pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H and one connection hole 22H. The fitting holes 23H can be appropriately changed according to the number of counterpart connectors C1 electrically connected to the connector 1. In this embodiment, the housing 2 has one fitting hole 23H because the connector 1 is electrically connected to one counterpart connector C1. However, when the connector 1 is electrically connected to multiple counterpart connectors C1, the housing 2 may have a plurality of fitting holes 23H.

[0015] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the housing 2 has a pair of side walls 2S, 2S arranged to face each other in the second direction D2, a pair of side walls (only one side is shown in Fig. 2) facing each other in the third direction D3, and a bottom wall 2B connecting the side walls 2S, 2S (and the side walls facing each other in the third direction D3) to each other on the insertion direction D11 side. In this embodiment, the fitting hole 23H is defined by the inner wall surfaces 2Sa, 2Sa of the pair of side walls 2S, 2S, the inner wall surfaces of the side walls facing each other in the third direction D3, and the bottom wall surface 2Ba of the bottom wall 2B facing the removal direction D12. The pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H and the connection hole 22H are provided in the bottom wall 2B. The shapes of the inner wall surface 2Sa of the side wall 2S and the bottom wall surface 2Ba of the bottom wall 2B are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the inner wall surface 2Sa is a plane perpendicular to the second direction D2, and the bottom wall surface 2Ba is a plane perpendicular to the first direction D1.

[0016] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the bottom wall 2B is a wall portion having a predetermined thickness between the bottom wall surface 2Ba and the end surface 2b in the first direction D1. In this embodiment, the housing 2 (bottom wall 2B) has a pair of first inner side surfaces 21a, 21a that face the intermediate portion 24 in the second direction D2 in a portion where the terminal insertion hole 21H is provided. The first inner side surface 21a is a surface that defines both ends of the terminal insertion hole 21H in the second direction D2, extending a predetermined length from the end of the terminal insertion hole 21H on the insertion direction D11 side toward the removal direction D12 side. In this embodiment, the first inner side surface 21a is a portion that faces the branch portion 31 of the terminal 3 inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H in the second direction D2 when the terminal 3 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H. The pair of first inner side surfaces 21a, 21a face a pair of side surfaces (specifically, flat surfaces) 24a, 24a of the interposed portion 24 facing one side and the other side in the second direction D2, respectively. In this embodiment, the terminal insertion hole 21H is defined by the side surface 24a and the first inner side surface 21a of the interposed portion 24, and a pair of inner surfaces (only one of the inner surfaces is shown in FIG. 2) facing each other in the third direction D3. In this embodiment, the housing 2 has a pair of second inner side surfaces 22a, 22a connected to the first inner side surfaces 21a, 21a, respectively, on the removal direction D12 side of the pair of first inner side surfaces 21a. In this embodiment, the connection hole 22H is defined by a pair of second inner surfaces 22a, 22a, a surface (specifically, a plane) 24b (hereinafter referred to as the "top surface 24b") facing the removal direction D12 of the intervening portion 24, and a pair of opposing inner surfaces in the third direction D3 (only one of the inner surfaces is shown in Figure 2).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3A, the wall surface of the housing 2 includes a guide portion A configured to elastically deform the pair of branch portions 31, 31 in a direction in which the distance between the pair of branch portions 31, 31 approaches each other when the pair of branch portions 31, 31 are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H. The guide portion A guides the branch portion 31 so that the branch portion 31 is elastically deformed at the attachment position of the terminal 3 to the housing 2, as described later, and the branch portion 31 can be maintained in an elastically deformed state. The position at which the guide portion A is provided is not particularly limited as long as the branch portions 31, 31 can be elastically deformed in a direction in which they approach each other. In this embodiment, the guide portion A is located at a portion facing the branch portion 31 in the second direction D2, specifically, at an end portion of the first inner surface 21a on the insertion direction D11 side. However, the guide portion may be provided, for example, in the center of the first inner surface 21a in the first direction D1, as long as the guide portion can elastically deform the branch portions 31, 31 in the direction approaching each other.

[0018] In this embodiment, the guide portion A (first inner surface 21a) is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11. In this embodiment, the guide portion A is inclined so as to approach the intermediate portion 24 as it progresses in the insertion direction D11. The inclination angle θA (see FIG. 3B) of the guide portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 can be appropriately changed depending on the shape of the branch portion 31 to be elastically deformed, but is preferably 5° to 15°, and more preferably 6° to 12°.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3A, the wall surface of the housing 2 includes a pressed portion B against which the branch portion 31 elastically deformed by the guide portion A is pressed. When the branch portion 31 is pressed against the pressed portion B, the branch portion 31 can be held in the terminal insertion hole 21H by the pressing force from the branch portion 31 to the pressed portion B, and the terminal 3 can be held in the housing 2. In this embodiment, the pressed portion B is provided at a position facing the guide portion A across the branch portion 31 when the branch portion 31 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H. Specifically, the pressed portion B is formed by the side surface 24a (the portion on the insertion direction D11 side) of the interposition portion 24. The shape of the pressed portion B can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the pressing portion 312 of the branch portion 31 that presses the pressed portion B. In this embodiment, the pressed portion B is shown as a plane perpendicular to the second direction D2. That is, in this embodiment, the interposed portion 24 has a rectangular shape in a cross section perpendicular to the third direction D3. By making the pressed portion B a plane perpendicular to the second direction D2, the pressing force of the pressing portion 312 of the branch portion 31 is less likely to act in the first direction D1 intersecting (specifically, perpendicular to) the second direction D2. Therefore, the pressing force from the branch portion 31 acts in the insertion direction D11 or the removal direction D12, and the entire terminal 3 is prevented from moving in the insertion direction D11 or the removal direction D12 so as to come off from the mounting position. However, as long as the pressing force from the branch portion 31 to the pressed portion B is sufficient to prevent the terminal 3 from coming off from the mounting position, the pressed portion B may be an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11.

[0020] 3A, in this embodiment, the wall surfaces (specifically, the first inner surface 21a and the second inner surface 22a) of the housing 2 further include a guide portion C that guides the branch portion 31 to the guide portion A, an auxiliary holding portion D that auxiliary holds the terminal 3, and a storage portion E that stores the stopper portion 322 of the terminal 3. The arrangement of the guide portion A, the guide portion C, the auxiliary holding portion D, and the storage portion E can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the branch portion 31. In this embodiment, in the bottom wall 2B of the housing 2, the guide portion A, the guide portion C, the auxiliary holding portion D, and the storage portion E are arranged in this order from the end portion on the insertion direction D11 side toward the end portion on the removal direction D12 side.

[0021] When the terminal 3 is inserted into the housing 2 deviating from the normal insertion direction D11, the guiding portion C abuts against the branch portion 31 to guide the branch portion 31 into the terminal insertion hole 21H. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the guiding portion C is located in the central region in the first direction D1 of the first inner side surface 21a of the housing 2, and is connected to the end portion of the guide portion A on the removal direction D12 side. Specifically, the guiding portion C is an inclined surface having a larger inclination angle with respect to the insertion direction D11 than the guide portion A. By making the guiding portion C an inclined surface, the guiding portion C can be formed with a simple structure. More specifically, the guiding portion C is an inclined surface formed by chamfering a corner of a step 21s between a portion of the first inner side surface 21a on the insertion direction D11 side and a portion of the first inner side surface 21a on the removal direction D12 side that is located outside (in the direction away from the interposed portion 24) in the second direction D2 from the portion of the first inner side surface 21a on the insertion direction D11 side. The inclination angle θC (see FIG. 3B) of the guiding portion C with respect to the insertion direction D11 can be changed as appropriate depending on the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A, and is, for example, 30° to 60°. Note that the inclined surface constituting the guiding portion C may be configured to connect the first inner side surface 21a on the insertion direction D11 side and the first inner side surface 21a on the removal direction D12 side without the step 21s.

[0022] The auxiliary holding portion D auxiliary holds the terminal 3. In this embodiment, the holding force of the auxiliary holding portion D by pressing is smaller than the holding force by pressing the pressed portion B. By providing the auxiliary holding portion D at a position different from the pressed portion B, the number of places where the housing 2 holds the terminal 3 increases, so that the holding of the terminal 3 by the housing 2 can be stabilized. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the auxiliary holding portion D auxiliary holds the terminal 3 by the auxiliary protrusion 323 of the auxiliary held portion 321 of the terminal 3 biting into the auxiliary holding portion D. In this embodiment, the auxiliary holding portion D is formed by the second inner side surface 22a of the housing 2. Specifically, the auxiliary holding portion D is located on the insertion direction D11 side in a portion facing the branch portion 31 in the second direction D2, specifically, on the second inner side surface 22a.

[0023] The accommodation portion E fits with the stopper portion 322 of the terminal 3 at the mounting position of the terminal 3 to restrict the movement of the terminal 3 in the insertion direction D11 beyond the allowable range. By providing the accommodation portion E, damage to the housing 2 caused by the movement of the terminal 3 in the insertion direction D11 beyond the allowable range is suppressed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the accommodation portion E has a restriction surface Ea that restricts the movement of the terminal 3 in the insertion direction D11 by abutting against the stopper portion 322 when the terminal 3 tries to move in the insertion direction D11 beyond the allowable range. In this embodiment, the accommodation portion E is provided at the end of the second inner surface 22a of the housing 2 on the removal direction D12 side. Specifically, the accommodation portion E is a notch provided at the end of the second inner surface 22a on the removal direction D12 side. In the illustrated example, the accommodation portion E is shown as a rectangular notch in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the third direction D3, but may be a notch of another shape such as a quarter circle shape. In addition, when the terminal 3 attempts to move in the insertion direction D11 beyond the allowable range, the top surface 24b of the intervening portion 24 may abut against a surface 32a (a surface that separates the pair of branch portions 31, 31; hereinafter referred to as the "separation surface 32a") facing the insertion direction D11 of the terminal base 32 between the pair of branch portions 31, 31, thereby restricting the movement of the terminal 3 in the insertion direction D11.

[0024] The terminal 3 electrically connects the substrate P and the mating connector C1 (see FIG. 1). The shape of the terminal 3 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 3 has a plate-like shape that extends a predetermined length in the extension direction (first direction) D1, has a predetermined width in the width direction (second direction) D2, and has a predetermined thickness in the thickness direction (third direction) D3 (the extension direction D1 is the longest and the thickness direction D3 is the shortest). Specifically, the terminal 3 is made of a metal plate material. However, the terminal 3 may have other shapes, such as a rod shape that extends a predetermined length in the extension direction (first direction) D1.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 3 includes a pair of branch portions 31, 31 that are inserted and held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H, respectively. In this embodiment, the terminal 3 further includes a terminal base portion 32. The pair of branch portions 31, 31 extend from the terminal base portion 32 in one direction (insertion direction D11) of the extension direction D1. The branch portions 31, 31 are configured to be elastically deformed in the width direction (second direction) D2 when inserted into the terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H. In the illustrated example, a constricted portion 3N recessed from both sides of the terminal 3 in the width direction (second direction) D2 is provided at the boundary between the branch portion 31 and the terminal base portion 32 in the extension direction (first direction) D1 of the terminal 3. By providing the narrowed portion 3N in the terminal 3, when an external force acting inward in the width direction D2 is applied, the pair of branches 31, 31 are easily elastically deformed inward in the width direction D2 starting from the narrowed portion 3N. In the illustrated example, the pair of branches 31, 31 are provided with an expanding space portion 315 that expands the space between the pair of branches 31, 31 (specifically, expands from the tip side to the base side of the branch 31). The expanding space portion 315 expands the space between the pair of branches 31, 31, and thus the length of the branch 31 in the extension direction (first direction) D1 becomes longer, and the elasticity of the branch 31 becomes higher. Therefore, the pair of branches 31, 31 are easily deformed inward in the width direction D2.

[0026] The pair of branches 31, 31 are portions electrically connected to a connection target. In this embodiment, the pair of branches 31, 31 are electrically connected to wiring of the substrate P (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the pair of branches 31, 31 extend in one direction (insertion direction D11) of the extension direction D1 of the terminal base 32 from both ends of the width direction (second direction) D2 at the end on one direction (insertion direction D11) side of the extension direction D1 of the terminal base 32. In this embodiment, the pair of branches 31, 31 each have a tapered shape toward the direction extending from the terminal base 32 (insertion direction D11). The tapered shape of the branch 31 makes it easier to insert the branch 31 into the terminal insertion hole 21H from its tapered tip.

[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the pair of branches 31, 31 are held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H in a state in which the angle at the mounting position inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H (see the solid lines of the pair of branches 31, 31 on the left side of the paper in Fig. 2) has changed from the angle before the pair of branches 31, 31 are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H (see the dashed lines of the pair of branches 31, 31 on the left side of the paper in Fig. 2). Specifically, the pair of branches 31, 31 are held in the housing 2 in a state in which they are elastically deformed by the guide portion A of the housing 2 in a direction in which the distance between the pair of branches 31, 31 approaches each other (inside in the width direction (second direction) D2). That is, in this embodiment, at the mounting position of the terminal 3, a pair of pressed portions B, B (specifically, a pair of side surfaces 24a, 24a of the intermediate portion 24) interposed between the pair of branch portions 31, 31 are pressed and clamped by elastic deformation due to contact with the pair of guiding portions A, A. As a result, the pair of branch portions 31, 31 are held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H, respectively, and the terminal 3 is held in the housing 2. Hereinafter, the holding by the pair of branch portions 31, 31 to the pair of pressed portions B, B will be described in detail together with the structure of the pair of branch portions 31, 31.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the branch 31 has a guided portion 311 that abuts against the guiding portion A of the housing 2 so as to be elastically deformed when inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H. In this embodiment, the guided portion 311 is located outside the width direction (second direction) D2 with respect to the central axis (center line of the width direction (second direction) D2 of the branch 31) CL of the branch 31 so as to face the guiding portion A. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3B which shows the terminal 3 immediately before elastic deformation, the guided portion 311 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ1 different from the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 in a non-elastically deformed state. The guided portion 311 is inclined in the same direction as the guiding portion A. By making the inclination angle θ1 of the guided portion 311 different from the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A, when the terminal 3 is moved in the insertion direction D11 and inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H, the guided portion 311 is encouraged to deform along the guiding portion A while abutting against the guiding portion A, making it easier to elastically deform the branch portion 31.

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3B, the guided portion 311 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ1 smaller than the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 when not elastically deformed. In this case, the guided portion 311 first comes into contact with the end of the guiding portion A on the insertion direction D11 side, and the distance between the base portion (particularly, the constricted portion 3N) that may be the starting point of elastic deformation of the branch portion 31 and the contact point of the guided portion 311 with the guiding portion A becomes long. Therefore, a bending moment that elastically deforms the branch portion 31 inward in the width direction (second direction) D2 is easily applied, and therefore, even if the insertion force of the terminal 3 in the insertion direction D11 is relatively small, the branch portion 31 is easily elastically deformed inward in the width direction (second direction) D2. For example, the inclination angle θ1 of the guided portion 311 is smaller than the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A, and is preferably 2° to 12°, and more preferably 3° to 8°.

[0030] The guided portion 311 may be an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ1 larger than the inclination angle θA with respect to the insertion direction D11 of the guiding portion A in a non-elastically deformed state. In this case, the guided portion 311 first comes into contact with the end of the guiding portion A on the removal direction D12 side, and the distance between the base portion (particularly, the constricted portion 3N) that may be the starting point of the elastic deformation of the branch portion 31 and the abutting point becomes short. Therefore, since the bending moment that elastically deforms the branch portion 31 inward in the width direction (second direction) D2 is less likely to act, for example, when the worker manually inserts the terminal 3, it becomes easier to get a sense of inserting the terminal 3 and elastically deforming it. This makes it easier for the worker to attach the terminal 3 to the housing 2 at a predetermined attachment position by relying on the feeling of the insertion operation.

[0031] 3A, in this embodiment, the guided portion 311 has a shape that conforms to the guiding portion A by elastic deformation at the attachment position of the terminal 3. In other words, the guided portion 311 is in surface contact with the guiding portion A at the attachment position of the terminal 3 over the entire length along the first direction D1. The surface contact of the guided portion 311 with the guiding portion A makes it easier to maintain the branch portion 31 in an elastically deformed state. However, the branch portion 31 may be in line contact or point contact with the guiding portion A at the attachment position of the terminal 3.

[0032] In this embodiment, the branch 31 has a pressing portion 312 that is pressed against the pressed portion B of the housing 2 at the attachment position of the terminal 3. The pressing force of the pressing portion 312 against the pressed portion B provides a holding force (clamping force) of the pair of branches 31, 31 against the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H. In this embodiment, the pressing portion 312 is located inside the central axis CL of the branch 31 in the width direction (second direction) D2 so as to face the pressed portion B. The pressing portion 312 is provided so as to be spaced apart from the terminal base 32 (the separation surface 32a of the terminal base 32) in the extension direction (first direction) D1 of the branch 31. Specifically, the pressing portion 312 is provided adjacent to the tip side of the branch 31 with respect to the spacing enlargement portion 315.

[0033] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3B, the pressing portion 312 includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ2 different from the inclination angle of the pressed portion B with respect to the insertion direction D11 (which is 0° in this embodiment and is not shown in Fig. 3B) when not elastically deformed. Specifically, for example, the pressing portion 312 includes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ2 larger than the inclination angle of the pressed portion B with respect to the insertion direction D11 when not elastically deformed. Also, in this embodiment, the pressing portion 312 includes a shape that conforms to the pressed portion B by elastic deformation at the attachment position of the terminal 3. In other words, the pressing portion 312 includes a contact surface 313 that engages with the pressed portion B by surface contact along the extension direction (first direction) D1 of the branch portion 31 at the attachment position of the terminal 3. Since the pressing portion 312 includes the contact surface 313, the contact area with the pressed portion B becomes large, and therefore the holding force (engagement force) caused by the pressing of the pressing portion 312 against the pressed portion B also becomes large. However, the branch portion 31 may come into line contact or point contact with the pressed portion B at the attachment position of the terminal 3 due to elastic deformation.

[0034] 3A, the pressing portion 312 may have a protrusion 314 that protrudes so as to bite into the pressed portion B. In this case, in addition to the pressing force of the pressing portion 312 on the pressed portion B, the branch portion 31 is held in the terminal insertion hole 21H by the engagement force of the protrusion 314 biting into the pressed portion B and the pressed portion B engaging with the pressing portion 312. Therefore, the holding force of the branch portion 31 by the terminal insertion hole 21H is further improved. In this embodiment, the protrusion 314 is provided adjacent to the spacing enlarged portion 315 in the extension direction (first direction) D1 of the branch portion 31.

[0035] The shape of the protrusion 314 is not particularly limited as long as an engagement force with the pressed portion B is obtained. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3A, the protrusion 314 has a wedge shape protruding from a side of the base of the branch portion 31 in the width direction (second direction) D2. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4A, the protrusion 314 has a triangular shape having a first inclined portion S1 on the side in the direction from the root side to the tip side of the branch portion 31 (insertion direction D11) and a second inclined portion S2 on the side in the direction from the tip side to the root side of the branch portion 31 (detachment direction D12). The inclination angle α2 of the second inclined portion S2 with respect to the direction from the root side to the tip side of the branch portion 31 (insertion direction D11) is larger than the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1 with respect to the direction from the tip side to the root side of the branch portion 31 (detachment direction D12). By doing so, when the branch portion 31 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H while the protrusion 314 slides against the pressed portion B (see FIG. 3B), the insertion resistance due to the sliding between the first inclined portion S1 and the pressed portion B is reduced, and when the terminal 3 reaches the mounting position (see FIG. 3A), the engagement force between the second inclined portion S2 and the pressed portion B is increased. However, as shown in FIG. 4B, the inclination angle α2 of the second inclined portion S2 may be the same as the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1. Furthermore, the protrusion 314 may have a shape other than a triangle, such as a semicircular shape.

[0036] The number of protrusions 314 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3A, a plurality of protrusions 314 (two in the illustrated example) are provided along the extending direction (first direction) D1 of the branch portion 31. In this case, when the terminal 3 reaches the mounting position, the inner wall of the housing 2 (specifically, the outer wall of the interposed portion 24) constituting the pressed portion B is sandwiched between adjacent protrusions 314, thereby further improving the holding force of the branch portion 31 by the terminal insertion hole 21H. However, only one protrusion 314 may be provided on the branch portion 31.

[0037] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the plurality of protrusions 314 are configured so that the protrusion amount W1 from the base of the branch 31 (the portion around the protrusions 314) decreases toward the tip of the branch 31 (insertion direction D11). In this case, by reducing the protrusion amount W1 of the tip side protrusion 314 (see the protrusion 314 on the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4A) of the branch 31 that is inserted first into the terminal insertion hole 21H and can slide against the pressed part B, the sliding distance between the tip side protrusion 314 and the pressed part B becomes small, and it becomes difficult to cut the pressed part B (specifically, the outer wall of the interposed part 24). In addition, since it becomes difficult for the tip side protrusion 314 of the branch 31 to cut the pressed part B, an engagement allowance for the base side protrusion 314 of the branch 31 (see the protrusion 314 on the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4A) that is inserted later into the terminal insertion hole 21H and can slide against the pressed part B remains with respect to the pressed part B. Therefore, the holding force of the terminal insertion hole 21H is less likely to decrease due to the cutting of the pressed portion B. In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions 314 are configured so that the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1 becomes smaller toward the tip (insertion direction D11) of the branch portion 31. In this case, by reducing the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1 of the tip side protrusion 314 (see the protrusion 314 on the lower side of the paper in FIG. 4A) of the branch portion 31 which is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H first and may have a longer sliding distance with the pressed portion B than the base side protrusion 314 (see the protrusion 314 on the upper side of the paper in FIG. 4A) of the branch portion 31, the insertion resistance due to the sliding between the tip side protrusion 314 and the pressed portion B can be reduced. However, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4B, the multiple protrusions 314 may have the same protrusion amount W1 from the base of the branch portion 31, the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1 may be the same, and the inclination angle α2 of the second inclined portion S2 may be the same.

[0038] In this embodiment, as described above, the terminal 3 includes the terminal base 32 supporting the pair of branch portions 31, 31 (see FIG. 2). Specifically, the terminal base 32 is a portion electrically connected to the mating terminal C3 (see FIG. 1) of the mating connector C1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal base 32 has an elongated shape extending in the extension direction (first direction) D1. In the illustrated example, the terminal base 32 includes an auxiliary held portion 321 that is auxiliary held by the housing 2 when the terminal 3 is inserted into the housing 2, and a stopper portion 322 that restricts the movement of the terminal 3 in the insertion direction D11 beyond an allowable range.

[0039] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3A, the auxiliary held portions 321 are provided on both sides in the second direction D2 at the end of the terminal base 32 on the insertion direction D11 side. Specifically, the auxiliary held portions 321 include auxiliary protrusions 323 protruding from both sides of the terminal base 32 in the width direction (second direction) D2. The auxiliary protrusions 323 bite into the auxiliary holding portions D in the width direction (second direction) D2, so that the terminals 3 are held in the housing 2 in an auxiliary manner. Note that the auxiliary protrusions 323 are used for auxiliary holding of the terminals 3, and therefore, for example, the amount of bite of the auxiliary protrusions 323 into the auxiliary holding portions D is smaller than the amount of bite W2 (see Fig. 4A) of the protrusions 314 provided on the pressing portion 312 into the pressed portion B. Specifically, the amount of protrusion of auxiliary protrusion 323 from the base of auxiliary held portion 321 in second direction D2 is smaller than the amount of protrusion W1 (see FIG. 4A ) of protrusion 314 provided on pressing portion 312 from the base of pressing portion 312 in second direction D2. In the illustrated example, auxiliary held portion 321 includes a plurality of auxiliary protrusions 323 (two in the illustrated example), but may include only one auxiliary protrusion 323. Note that both side portions of terminal base 32 in the second direction D2 may themselves be pressed into auxiliary held portion D as auxiliary held portions 321 to auxiliary hold terminal 3.

[0040] 3A, in this embodiment, the stopper portion 322 is provided on the side farther away from the branch portion 31 (the side toward the removal direction D12) than the auxiliary held portion 321. The stopper portion 322 has a stopper surface 322a that comes into contact with the restricting surface Ea of the accommodating portion E when the terminal 3 is about to move beyond the allowable range in the insertion direction D11. The shape of the stopper portion 322 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the accommodating portion E to be fitted thereto, but in this embodiment, the stopper portion 322 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that protrudes from both side portions of the terminal base portion 32 in the width direction (second direction) D2, and the stopper surface 322a is a flat surface facing the insertion direction D11 of the stopper portion 322 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0041] The effects achieved by connector 1 according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3B and 5A to 5B, along with a method of attaching terminals 3 to housing 2.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3B, when the pair of branches 31, 31 of the terminal 3 are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H of the housing 2, first, the guided portion 311 of the branch 31 abuts against the guiding portion A of the housing 2 (specifically, the end portion of the guiding portion A on the insertion direction D11 side), so that the pair of branches 31, 31 begin to elastically deform inward in the second direction D2. At that time, as shown in Fig. 5A, the branch 31 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H in a state in which the pressing portion 312 (specifically, the protrusion 314) hardly presses the pressed portion B (specifically, the side surface 24a of the intermediate portion 24), so that the pressing portion 312 (protrusion 314) hardly cuts the pressed portion B (specifically, the side wall of the intermediate portion 24).

[0043] When the pair of branch portions 31, 31 of the terminal 3 are further inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H of the housing 2, the terminal 3 reaches the mounting position (see FIG. 3A). At the mounting position of the terminal 3, the pair of branch portions 31, 31 (specifically, the pair of pressing portions 312, 312) elastically deform and clamp the wall surfaces of the housing 2 (specifically, the pair of pressed portions B, B, more specifically, the pair of side surfaces 24a, 24a of the interposition portion 24), thereby being held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5B, at the attachment position of the terminal 3, the pair of branches 31, 31 are further elastically deformed inward in the second direction D2, and the pressing portion 312 (protrusion 314) presses the pressed portion B. Here, in this embodiment, due to the elastic deformation of the pair of branches 31, 31 inward in the second direction D2, the bite amount W2 of the protrusion 314 into the pressed portion B at the attachment position of the terminal 3 (see FIG. 5B) becomes larger than the bite amount of the protrusion 314 into the pressed portion B at the initial stage of insertion of the terminal 3 into the terminal insertion hole 21H (see FIG. 5A) (not shown in the example of FIG. 5A because the bite amount is zero). In other words, the branch 31 is elastically deformed so that the bite amount of the protrusion 314 is small at the initial stage of insertion (the bite amount is zero in the example of FIG. 5A), and the bite amount of the protrusion 314 increases as the insertion of the branch 31 into the terminal insertion hole 21H progresses. Therefore, like holding by crimping, from the initial stage of insertion, the protrusion 314 is inserted while sliding against the pressed portion B in a state where it is deeply embedded in the pressed portion B, thereby suppressing cutting of the pressed portion B. As a result, the connector 1 of this embodiment can obtain a sufficient holding force of the terminal 3 by the terminal insertion hole 21H.

[0045] 5B, in the present embodiment, the pressing portion 312 is engaged with the pressed portion B at the attachment position of the terminal 3 by the contact (specifically, surface contact) of the contact surface 313 with the pressed portion B in addition to the engagement of the protrusion 314 with the pressed portion B. This further improves the holding force of the pair of branch portions 31, 31 by the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H.

[0046] As described above, pressing portion 312 does not necessarily have to include protrusion 314, and in this case, pressing portion 312 is composed of contact surface 313. If pressing portion 312 does not include protrusion 314, no biting into pressed portion B as occurs with protrusion 314, and pressing portion 312 can be designed to abut pressed portion B at the attachment position of terminal 3 or a position immediately before the attachment position during the insertion stage of terminal 3. In this case, cutting of pressed portion B by pressing portion 312 is further suppressed, and therefore the holding force of terminal 3 by terminal insertion hole 21H is improved compared to holding by crimping.

[0047] Second embodiment Next, a connector 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 9C. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the pair of branches 31, 31 are held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H by deforming outward in the width direction (second direction) D2, not inward in the width direction (second direction) D2. In the following description, the description of the matters common to the above-mentioned embodiment will be omitted, and the differences will be mainly described. In the connector 1 according to the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the parts having the same functions as those in the connector 1 according to the first embodiment. The configuration of this embodiment and the contents described in the first embodiment can be used in appropriate combination.

[0048] In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the housing 2 includes a pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H into which a pair of branch portions 31, 31 of the terminal 3 are inserted and held, as shown in Fig. 6. As in the first embodiment, the housing 2 further includes a connection hole 22H and a fitting hole 23H, and a through hole 2H, which is configured by arranging the fitting hole 23H, the connection hole 22H, and the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H in this order from the removal direction D12 side toward the insertion direction D11 side in the bottom wall 2B of the housing 2, penetrates the outer surface of the housing 2 between an end face 2b facing the insertion direction D11 and an end face 2a facing the removal direction D12 in the first direction D1. However, the housing 2 may not include the fitting hole 23H and the connection hole 22H as long as it includes the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H.

[0049] In this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the terminal insertion holes 21H are defined by the side surface 24a of the intermediate portion 24 and the first inner surface 21a of the bottom wall 2B. Also, in this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the connection hole 22H is defined by a pair of second inner surfaces 22a, 22a of the bottom wall 2B and the top surface 24b of the intermediate portion 24, and the fitting hole 23H is defined by a pair of inner wall surfaces 2Sa, 2Sa of the pair of side walls 2S, 2S, respectively, and a bottom wall surface 2Ba of the bottom wall 2B.

[0050] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide portion A is configured to elastically deform the pair of branches 31, 31 in a direction (inside the width direction (second direction) D2) in which the pair of branches 31, 31 move apart from each other when the pair of branches 31, 31 are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H (see the solid lines showing the pair of branches 31, 31 before elastic deformation and the solid lines showing the pair of branches 31, 31 after elastic deformation in the terminal 3 on the left side of the paper in FIG. 6). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the guide portion A is provided on a pair of side surfaces 24a, 24a of the intermediate portion 24. In this embodiment, too, the guide portion A is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11. That is, in this embodiment, the intermediate portion 24 has a trapezoidal shape in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the third direction D3. The inclination angle θA (see FIG. 7B) of the guide portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2° to 12°, and more preferably 3° to 8°.

[0051] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the branch parts 31, 31 elastically deformed outward in the width direction (second direction) D2 are pressed against the pressed part B by the guide part A. Specifically, the pressed part B is provided at a position facing the guide part A across the branch part 31 in a state where the branch part 31 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H. More specifically, the pressed part B is provided on the first inner side surface 21a. In this embodiment, the pressed part B is an inclined surface that is slightly inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11. The inclination angle θB (see FIG. 7B) of the pressed part B with respect to the insertion direction D11 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1° to 5°, and more preferably 1° to 3°. Note that the pressed part B may be a plane perpendicular to the second direction D2, as in the first embodiment.

[0052] 7A, in this embodiment, the guide portion C is located in the central region in the first direction D1 on the first inner side surface 21a of the housing 2, as in the first embodiment, but since the guide portion A is provided on the side surface 24a of the interposition portion 24, it is not connected to the end portion of the guide portion A on the removal direction D12 side, as in the first embodiment. Note that in this embodiment, the configurations of the auxiliary holding portion D and the storage portion E are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0053] 6, in this embodiment, the pair of branches 31, 31 are held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H in a state in which the angle at the mounting position inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H (see the solid line of the terminal 3 on the left side of the paper in FIG. 6) has changed from the angle before the pair of branches 31, 31 were inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H (see the dashed line of the terminal 3 on the left side of the paper in FIG. 6). Specifically, the pair of branches 31, 31 are held in the housing 2 in a state in which the pair of branches 31, 31 are elastically deformed by the guide portion A in a direction in which the distance between the pair of branches 31, 31 moves away from each other (outside in the width direction D2). That is, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7A, at the mounting position of the terminal 3, elastic deformation due to contact with the guide portion A presses the pressed portion B (specifically, the first inner surface 21a) located outside the second direction D2, whereby the pair of branch portions 31, 31 are held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H, and ultimately the terminal 3 is held in the housing 2.

[0054] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7A, the guided portion 311 is located inside in the width direction (second direction) D2 with respect to the central axis CL of the branch portion 31 so as to face the guiding portion A. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7B which shows the terminal 3 immediately before elastic deformation, the guided portion 311 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ1 different from the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 when not elastically deformed. In this embodiment, the guided portion 311 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ1 larger than the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 when not elastically deformed. The guided portion 311 is formed at the boundary (the end portion of the guided portion 311 on the terminal base 32 side) with the spacing expansion portion 315, which has a different inclination angle with respect to the insertion direction D11 from that of the guided portion 311, and in the branch portion 31, the corner portion 311a protruding inward in the width direction (second direction) D2 first abuts against the guiding portion A, and the branch portion 31 deforms outward in the second direction D2.

[0055] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the guided portion 311 is in contact with the guiding portion A at the corner 311a even at the mounting position of the terminal 3, similarly to the initial contact with the guiding portion A. That is, the guided portion 311 is in line contact with the guiding portion A, not surface contact. In this case, the pressing force of the guiding portion A on the guided portion 311 is concentrated on the corner 311a, so that an engagement force between the guided portion 311 and the guiding portion A is obtained, and therefore, when an external force is applied in the insertion direction D11 or the removal direction D12, the terminal 3 is prevented from being removed from the housing 2. However, as in the first embodiment, the guided portion 311 may be an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ1 smaller than the inclination angle θA of the guiding portion A with respect to the insertion direction D11 when the branch portion 31 is not elastically deformed. In this case, the guided portion 311 may be in surface contact with the guiding portion A at the mounting position of the terminal 3 over the entire length along the first direction D1.

[0056] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7A, the pressing portion 312 is located outside the central axis CL of the branch portion 31 in the width direction (second direction) D2 so as to face the pressed portion B. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7B, unlike the first embodiment, the pressing portion 312 is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction D11 at an inclination angle θ2 that is substantially the same as the inclination angle θB of the pressed portion B with respect to the insertion direction D11 when not elastically deformed. Then, the pressing portion 312 is pressed against the end of the pressed portion B on the insertion direction D11 side at the attachment position of the terminal 3. That is, the pressing portion 312 is in line contact with the pressed portion B rather than surface contact. In this manner, in this embodiment, a holding force for the pair of branches 31, 31 against the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H is obtained by the pressing force from the guiding portion A to the corner portion 311a of the guided portion 311 and the pressing force from the pressing portion 312 to the end portion of the pressed portion B on the insertion direction D11 side.

[0057] In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the pressing portion 312 may have a protrusion 314. In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the protrusion 314 has a wedge shape protruding from a side portion of the base of the branch portion 31 in the width direction (second direction) D2, and the inclination angle α2 of the second inclined portion S2 is formed to be larger than the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1. Also, in this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 314 (two in the illustrated example) are provided along the extension direction (first direction) D1 of the branch portion 31.

[0058] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, similarly to the first embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 314 are configured so that the protrusion amount W1 from the base of the branch 31 decreases toward the tip of the branch 31 (insertion direction D11). In this case, by reducing the protrusion amount W1 of the tip side protrusion 314 (see the protrusion 314 on the lower side of the paper in Fig. 8) of the branch 31 that is inserted first into the terminal insertion hole 21H and can slide with the pressed part B, the sliding distance between the tip side protrusion 314 and the pressed part B becomes small, and it becomes difficult to cut the pressed part B (specifically, the first inner surface 21a). In addition, since it becomes difficult for the tip side protrusion 314 of the branch 31 to cut the pressed part B, an engagement allowance for the base side protrusion 314 of the branch 31 (see the protrusion 314 on the upper side of the paper in Fig. 8) that is inserted later into the terminal insertion hole 21H and can slide with the pressed part B remains with respect to the pressed part B. Therefore, the holding force of the terminal insertion hole 21H is less likely to decrease due to the cutting of the pressed portion B. In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions 314 are configured such that the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1 becomes smaller toward the tip of the branch portion 31 (insertion direction D11). In this case, by reducing the inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1 of the protrusion 314 on the tip side of the branch portion 31, which is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H first and may have a longer sliding distance with the pressed portion B than the protrusion 314 on the base side of the branch portion 31, it is possible to reduce the insertion resistance due to the sliding between the protrusion 314 on the tip side and the pressed portion B. However, the multiple protrusions 314 may have the same protrusion amount W1 from the base of the branch portion 31, the same inclination angle α1 of the first inclined portion S1, and the same inclination angle α2 of the second inclined portion S2.

[0059] In this embodiment, the configurations of the terminal base 32, the auxiliary held portion 321, and the stopper portion 322 are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0060] The effects achieved by connector 1 according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7B and 9A to 9C, along with a method of attaching terminals 3 to housing 2.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 7B, when the pair of branches 31, 31 of the terminal 3 are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H of the housing 2, first, the guided portion 311 (specifically, the corner portion 311a of the guided portion 311) of the branch portion 31 abuts against the guiding portion A of the housing 2 (specifically, the end portion of the guiding portion A on the removing direction D12 side), so that the pair of branches 31, 31 begin to elastically deform outward in the second direction D2. At that time, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9A, the pressing portion 312 (specifically, the protrusion 314) is not in contact with the pressed portion B due to the gap G (the gap G generated by the step 21s of the first inner surface 21a) generated in the removing direction D12 with respect to the pressed portion B, so that the branch portion 31 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H without pressing the pressed portion B. Therefore, at this stage, the pressing portion 312 does not cut the inner wall of the housing 2.

[0062] When the terminal 3 is further inserted into the terminal insertion hole 21H of the housing 2, the terminal 3 reaches the mounting position (see FIG. 7A). As shown in FIG. 7A, at the mounting position, the pair of branch portions 31, 31 are further elastically deformed outward in the second direction D2, and the pressing portion 312 (protrusion 314) presses the pressed portion B, so that the pair of branch portions 31, 31 are held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H. Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, in the initial stage of insertion of the terminal 3 into the terminal insertion hole 21H, the protrusion 314 does not face the pressed portion B due to the gap G, and as shown in FIG. 9B, in the middle of the insertion, the elastic deformation outward in the second direction D2 increases, and the protrusion 314 faces the pressed portion B and starts to come into contact with and bite into the pressed portion B. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9C, the branch portion 31 continues to elastically deform outward in the second direction D2 so that the biting amount W2 of the protrusion 314 increases, and at the mounting position, the protrusion 314 bites into the pressed portion B by a predetermined biting amount W2.

[0063] In this way, the pair of branches 31, 31 can be inserted and held in the pair of terminal insertion holes 21H, 21H, respectively, by deforming the pair of branches 31, 31 in a direction away from each other, rather than deforming the pair of branches 31, 31 in a direction toward each other as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, too, as in holding by crimping, the protrusion 314 is inserted into the pressed portion B from the initial stage of insertion while sliding against the pressed portion B, thereby preventing the pressed portion B from being cut. As a result, the connector 1 of this embodiment can obtain a sufficient holding force of the terminal 3 by the terminal insertion hole 21H.

[0064] In this embodiment, pressing portion 312 does not necessarily have to include protrusion 314. In this case, pressing portion 312 is formed, for example, as an inclined surface constituting a side portion of branch portion 31. When pressing portion 312 does not include protrusion 314, no biting into pressed portion B occurs, and pressing portion 312 can be designed to abut pressed portion B at the attachment position of terminal 3 or a position immediately before the attachment position during the insertion stage of terminal 3. In this case, cutting of pressed portion B by pressing portion 312 is further suppressed, and the holding force of terminal 3 by terminal insertion hole 21H is further improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Connector 2. Housing 21a 1st inner surface 21H Terminal insertion hole 21s Step 22a 2nd inner surface 22H Connection hole 23H fitting hole 24 Interposition part 24a side 24b Top surface 2a End face 2b End face 2B Bottom wall 2Ba bottom wall 2H through hole 2S side wall 2Sa Inner wall surface 3 Terminal 31 Branch 311 Guided part 311a Corner 312 Pressing part 313 Contact surface 314 Protrusion 315 Spacing expansion section 32 Terminal base 321 Auxiliary held part 322 Stopper part 322a Stopper surface 323 Auxiliary projection 32a Separation plane 3N Neck A Information section B Pressed part C induction section C1 Mating Connector C2 Opponent housing C3 Counterpart terminal CL center axis D Auxiliary holding part D1 1st direction (extending direction) D11 Insertion direction D12 Departure direction D2 2nd direction (width direction) D3 Third direction (thickness direction) E Storage section Ea Regulatory aspects G void P board Pa surface Ph through hole S1 1st slope S2 2nd slope W1 protrusion amount W2 Biting amount α1, α2, θ1, θ2, θA~θC Inclination angle

Claims

1. a housing having a pair of terminal insertion holes; a terminal having a pair of branch portions which are inserted and held in the pair of terminal insertion holes, respectively; A connector comprising: The housing wall defining the terminal insertion hole is a guide portion configured to elastically deform the pair of branch portions in a direction in which the distance between the pair of branch portions approaches each other or in a direction in which the distance between the pair of branch portions moves away from each other when the pair of branch portions are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes; a pressed portion against which the elastically deformed branch portion is pressed by the guide portion; Equipped with A connector in which the angle of the pair of branches in an installation position where the pair of branches are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes is maintained in a changed state relative to the angle of the pair of branches in a state before the pair of branches are inserted into the pair of terminal insertion holes.

2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the pressed portion is provided at a position facing the guide portion across the branch portion when the branch portion is inserted into the terminal insertion hole.

3. the branch portion has a pressing portion that is pressed against the pressed portion at the attachment position, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing portion has a protrusion that protrudes so as to bite into the pressed portion.

4. The protrusions are provided in a plurality of directions along which the branch portions extend, The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are configured so that the protrusion amounts decrease toward the tips of the branch portions.

5. the branch portion has a guided portion that abuts against the guiding portion so as to be elastically deformed when inserted into the terminal insertion hole, the guide portion is an inclined surface inclined with respect to an insertion direction of the terminal into the terminal insertion hole, 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the guided portion is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the insertion direction at an inclination angle different from an inclination angle of the guiding portion with respect to the insertion direction.

6. The pair of branch portions are configured to be elastically deformed by the guide portion in a direction in which the distance between the pair of branch portions approaches each other, the housing includes an intermediate portion provided between the pair of terminal insertion holes, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the intermediate portion is clamped by the pressing portions of the pair of branches.

7. 4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein an amount of penetration of the projection into the pressed portion at the terminal mounting position is greater than an amount of penetration of the projection into the pressed portion at an initial stage of insertion of the terminal into the terminal insertion hole.

Images