Connector

Abstract

To suppress deformation of a releasing projection.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises: a first housing 20 and a second housing 60; a plurality of first terminals 23 disposed in the first housing 20; and at least one short-circuiting terminal 40 disposed in the first housing 20. The short-circuiting terminal 40 includes a pair of contact pieces 42 which is elastically in contact with a pair of first terminals 23 in the plurality of first terminals 23, thereby short-circuiting the pair of first terminals 23. The second housing 60 includes a releasing projection 64 which protrudes in a fitting direction with the first housing 20. The releasing projection 64 includes: a releasing part 66 which releases the short-circuiting of the pair of first terminals 23 by elastically deforming one of the pair of contact pieces 42 to one side in a first direction in a case where the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are regularly fitted; and an extending part 67 which extends from the releasing part 66 to both sides in a second direction orthogonal with the first direction. The first housing 20 includes an abutting part 28 which is abutted from the other side in the first direction to the extending part 67.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a connector described in JP 2018-006010 A (Patent Document 1 below) is known. The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together with each other, a plurality of first terminal fittings arranged in the first housing, and a shorting terminal that is arranged in the first housing and contacts a shorting terminal that is the first terminal fitting to be short-circuited. The shorting terminal includes a contact piece that contacts the shorting terminal. The contact piece is capable of bending and deforming in the vertical direction. The second housing includes a square cylindrical hood portion that protrudes forward. A release portion is protruding and arranged within the hood portion. When the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted together, the release portion interferes with the front portion of the contact piece of the shorting terminal, and the contact piece is bent and deformed downward away from the shorting terminal. This releases the short-circuit state of the shorting terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-006010 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above configuration, when the release part releases the short circuit of the shorting terminal, the contact piece of the shorting terminal constantly presses the release part toward the shorting terminal, which may cause the release part to deform toward the shorting terminal due to creep of the resin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a first housing and a second housing, a plurality of first terminals arranged in the first housing, and at least one shorting terminal arranged in the first housing, the shorting terminal having a pair of contact pieces that elastically contact a pair of first terminals of the plurality of first terminals to short-circuit the pair of first terminals, the second housing having a release protrusion that protrudes in the mating direction with the first housing, the release protrusion having a release portion that releases the short circuit of the pair of first terminals by elastically deforming one of the pair of contact pieces to one side in a first direction when the first housing and the second housing are properly mated, and an extension portion extending from the release portion to both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the first housing having an abutment portion that abuts against the extension portion from the other side in the first direction. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, deformation of the release protrusion can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a rear view of a second housing of a connector according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the release protrusion. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the release protrusion. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the release protrusion. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a view of the first housing of the connector as seen from the front. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5, showing the state before the first housing and the second housing are fitted together. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5, showing a state in which the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted together. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of the housing body and some of the shorting terminals accommodated in the housing body. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a shorting terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] A connector of the present disclosure comprises a first housing and a second housing, a plurality of first terminals arranged in the first housing, and at least one shorting terminal arranged in the first housing, the shorting terminal comprising a pair of contact pieces that elastically contact a pair of first terminals of the plurality of first terminals to short-circuit the pair of first terminals, the second housing comprising a release protrusion that protrudes in a mating direction with the first housing, the release protrusion comprising: a release portion that releases the short circuit of the pair of first terminals by elastically deforming one of the pair of contact pieces to one side in a first direction when the first housing and the second housing are properly mated, and an extension portion that extends from the release portion to both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the first housing comprises an abutment portion that abuts against the extension portion from the other side in the first direction.

[0009] According to this configuration, the abutting portion abuts against the extending portion from the other side in the first direction, so that the release protrusion can be prevented from being deformed toward the other side in the first direction due to the elastic pressing force of the contact piece.

[0010] [2] In the above item [1], it is preferable that the release projection has a rib extending from the extension portion to one side in the first direction, and the rib extends in the fitting direction.

[0011] According to this configuration, the strength of the extension portion is improved by the rib, and deformation of the release projection can be further suppressed.

[0012] [3] In the above [2], it is preferable that the rib comprises a first rib arranged between the pair of contact pieces and a second rib arranged on the opposite side of the release protrusion to the first rib, and the second rib is smaller than the first rib.

[0013] According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the space required to accommodate the second ribs disposed on the outer sides of the pair of contact pieces.

[0014] [4] In the above [3], it is preferable that the first housing has a plurality of first cavities arranged in the second direction and accommodating the first terminals, a plurality of second cavities arranged in the second direction and accommodating the shorting terminals, a partition portion arranged between adjacent second cavities, and a first wall portion arranged between adjacent first cavities and continuing from the partition portion in the first direction, the partition portion having a first surface, a second surface arranged opposite to the first surface, and a recess recessed from the second surface to one side in the second direction, the recess being capable of accommodating the second rib, and the first surface is connected to the first wall portion via a step surface and is arranged on one side of the first wall portion in the second direction.

[0015] According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure the thickness of the partition wall and to form a recess in the partition wall for accommodating the second rib.

[0016] [5] In [3] or [4] above, it is preferable that the extension portion comprises a first extension portion from which the first rib extends and a second extension portion from which the second rib extends, the first extension portion is arranged to enter the first housing prior to the release portion and the second extension portion when the first housing and the second housing are fitted together, and a sloped portion is formed on the protruding end of the first extension portion, and the sloped portion is inclined to one side in the first direction as it approaches the end of the protruding direction of the release protrusion.

[0017] According to this configuration, the first extending portion, which is less likely to deform due to the thick first rib, enters the first housing before the releasing portion and the second extending portion. Also, the inclined portion guides the first extending portion's entry into the first housing. Therefore, even if the release protrusion is partially deformed to the other side in the first direction due to stress from the contact piece, the first extending portion enters the first housing, so that the releasing portion and the second extending portion also easily enter the first housing following the first extending portion.

[0018] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, some of the configurations may be exaggerated or simplified. In addition, the dimensional ratios of each part may differ in each drawing. In this specification, "orthogonal" does not only mean strictly orthogonal, but also includes roughly orthogonal within the range in which the action and effect of this embodiment are achieved.

[0019] In addition, "facing" in this specification refers to surfaces or members facing each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. In addition, "facing" in this specification includes both cases where a member other than the two parts is interposed between the two parts, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two parts.

[0020] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 13. In the following description, the direction indicated by the arrow Z is the upward direction, the direction indicated by the arrow X is the forward direction, and the direction indicated by the arrow Y is the leftward direction. The forward-backward direction is an example of the fitting direction. The left-right direction is an example of the second direction. The up-down direction is an example of the first direction. Note that, for multiple identical components, only some of the components may be given reference numerals, and the reference numerals of the other components may be omitted.

[0021] (Connector 10) 7 and 8, the connector 10 includes a first housing 20 and a second housing 60 that are capable of being fitted to and separated from each other. In this embodiment, the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are fitted to each other in the front-rear direction, and the first housing 20 is disposed rearward relative to the second housing 60. The configuration of the connector 10 will be described below.

[0022] (First housing 20) The first housing 20 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 6, the first housing 20 includes a housing body 21 having a substantially block shape and a flat front holder 22 arranged to cover the front surface of the housing body 21. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the housing body 21 has a plurality of cavities 24 capable of accommodating the first terminals 23. Each cavity 24 is formed penetrating the housing body 21 in the front-rear direction. The plurality of cavities 24 are arranged in a row in the left-right direction, and the rows are arranged in a row in the up-down direction. The first terminals 23 are formed by bending a conductive metal plate material or the like. The first terminals 23 are female terminals and have a cylindrical connecting tube portion 23A at the front end. Note that in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, only the first terminals 23 accommodated in some of the plurality of cavities 24 are illustrated. The cavities 24 constituting the row arranged in the third row from the top among the plurality of cavities 24 are the plurality of first cavities 25.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 12, a plurality of second cavities 26 are formed below the plurality of first cavities 25 in the housing body 21. The plurality of second cavities 26 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Each second cavity 26 is arranged below a pair of first cavities 25 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction and communicates with the pair of first cavities 25. In detail, a communication recess 27 that communicates between the first cavity 25 and the second cavity 26 is formed on the lower surface of the inner wall of each of the pair of first cavities 25. The communication recess 27 is recessed rearward from the front surface of the housing body 21.

[0024] (Abutting part 28) A first abutment portion 28A is formed in the left-right center of the upper surface of the inner wall of the second cavity 26. The first abutment portion 28A is disposed between the two communicating recesses 27. The first abutment portion 28A and a second abutment portion 28B described below constitute the abutment portion 28.

[0025] The second cavities 26 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction are separated by a partition wall portion 29. The partition wall portion 29 is thin in the left-right direction and extends in the up-down and front-rear directions. The partition wall portion 29 has a first surface 29A and a second surface 29B arranged on the opposite side of the first surface 29A. The first surface 29A is the right surface of the partition wall portion 29 and is the left surface of the inner wall of the second cavity 26. The second surface 29B is the left surface of the partition wall portion 29 and is the right surface of the inner wall of the second cavity 26. The partition wall portion 29 has a recessed portion 30 recessed to the right from the second surface 29B (an example of one side in the second direction). The surface arranged on the upper side of the inner surface of the recessed portion 30 is the second abutment portion 28B.

[0026] The inner wall of the first cavity 25 includes a first wall portion 31 that is continuous with the partition portion 29 in the up-down direction. The first wall portion 31 separates the first cavities 25 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. A pair of first cavities 25 is disposed between the two first wall portions 31 that are closest to each other in the left-right direction. The first surface 29A of the partition portion 29 is connected to the first wall portion 31 via a step surface 32 and is disposed to the right of the first wall portion 31. The step surface 32 is a part of the lower surface of the inner wall of the first cavity 25. By connecting the first surface 29A and the first wall portion 31 in a step shape in this manner, the recess 30 can be formed while ensuring the thickness of the partition portion 29. In other words, the strength of the partition portion 29 can be maintained even when the recess 30 is formed.

[0027] The second cavity 26 has an entrance recess 33 recessed from both side surfaces of the inner wall of the second cavity 26. The entrance recess 33 is disposed in the lower part of both side surfaces of the inner wall of the second cavity 26. In addition, a lock receiving portion 34 is provided on the lower surface of the inner wall of the second cavity 26.

[0028] The second cavity 26 accommodates a shorting terminal 40. As shown in FIG. 13, the shorting terminal 40 is formed by bending a conductive metal plate. The shorting terminal 40 includes a flat bottom plate portion 41 and a pair of contact pieces 42 extending from the bottom plate portion 41. The pair of contact pieces 42 are curved upward from both sides in the width direction (left-right direction) of the rear end of the bottom plate portion 41, and then extend forward. Each contact piece 42 is configured to be elastically deformable. A contact portion 43 that protrudes upward in a mountain shape is formed on the front portion of each contact piece 42. As shown in FIG. 7, the contact portion 43 of the pair of contact pieces 42 enters the first cavity 25 from the communication recess 27 and contacts the lower surface of the connection tube portion 23A of the corresponding pair of first terminals 23. The pair of first terminals 23 is maintained in a short-circuited state via the pair of contact pieces 42 of the shorting terminal 40.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 13, the pair of contact pieces 42 is composed of a first contact piece 42A and a second contact piece 42B. The first contact piece 42A is disposed to the right of the second contact piece 42B. The rear half of the first contact piece 42A is formed to be wider than the front half of the first contact piece 42A. The second contact piece 42B is formed to have approximately the same width as the front half of the first contact piece 42A, and the width is constant. With this configuration, when a stress is continuously applied to the first contact piece 42A in the vertical direction, plastic deformation of the first contact piece 42A can be suppressed.

[0030] The first contact piece 42A and the second contact piece 42B have the contact portion 43 at the same position in the front-rear direction, but the front end of the second contact piece 42B is located further rearward than the front end of the first contact piece 42A. In other words, the second contact piece 42B is shorter than the first contact piece 42A.

[0031] The shorting terminal 40 includes locking pieces 44 that protrude laterally from both end edges of the bottom plate portion 41, and locking portions 45 that protrude downward from the bottom plate portion 41. The locking pieces 44 are formed with locking protrusions 44A that protrude upward relative to the bottom plate portion 41. The locking portions 45 are formed by cutting and raising the bottom plate portion 41. As shown in FIG. 10, the locking pieces 44 are press-fitted into the insertion recess 33. As shown in FIG. 11, the locking portions 45 are locked to the locking receiving portions 34 in the front-rear direction.

[0032] 13, a restricting piece 46 is provided standing upward at the front end of the bottom plate portion 41. The restricting piece 46 abuts against the contact piece 42 from below, thereby preventing the contact piece 42 from being excessively bent downward (see FIG. 9).

[0033] The front holder 22 is assembled to the housing body 21 by, for example, sliding vertically along the front surface of the housing body 21. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the front holder 22 is provided with a tab insertion hole 22A and a release hole 22B penetrating therethrough. The tab insertion hole 22A is disposed at a position facing each of the cavities 24 into which the first terminals 23 are inserted. The opening edge of the tab insertion hole 22A on the front surface of the front holder 22 is tapered and widened forward. As shown in Fig. 8, the second terminal 63 is inserted into the tab insertion hole 22A from the front when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are fitted together.

[0034] The release hole 22B is disposed at a position facing each second cavity 26. As shown in FIG. 5, the release hole 22B exposes the first contact piece 42A of the shorting terminal 40 accommodated in the second cavity 26 to the front. The second contact piece 42B of the shorting terminal 40 accommodated in the second cavity 26 is covered from the front by the front holder 22 and is not exposed from the release hole 22B. The release hole 22B also exposes the recess 30 to the front. As shown in FIG. 8, the release hole 22B is adapted to allow the release protrusion 64 of the second housing 60, which will be described later, to be inserted. The release hole 22B has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the release protrusion 64. The opening edge of the release hole 22B is tapered and widened forward, except for its upper portion.

[0035] 6, the housing body 21 includes a rotation shaft 21A that protrudes outward in the left-right direction from each side surface of the housing body 21. The rotation shaft 21A has a substantially cylindrical shape. The lever 50 is supported by the rotation shaft 21A so as to be rotatable relative to the housing body 21.

[0036] The lever 50 is made of insulating synthetic resin. The lever 50 is generally U-shaped. The lever 50 includes two plate-shaped portions 51 and an operating portion 52 that connects the ends of the two plate-shaped portions 51. The two plate-shaped portions 51 are disposed opposite each other. The plate-shaped portion 51 is formed with an axial hole 51A penetrating the plate-shaped portion 51 and a cam groove 51B recessed from the outer surface of the plate-shaped portion 51 in the thickness direction (left-right direction) of the plate-shaped portion 51. The cam groove 51B has an entrance 51B1 at the outer edge of the plate-shaped portion 51 and extends in a generally arc shape from the entrance 51B1 to approach the axial hole 51A.

[0037] (Second housing 60) The second housing 60 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 7, the second housing 60 includes a back wall 61 and a peripheral wall 62 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the back wall 61 toward the first housing 20 (rearward). The second housing 60 is open toward the rear. The second housing 60 is adapted to be fitted into the first housing 20 from the outside (see FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of wall portions arranged on both the left and right sides of the peripheral wall 62 are each formed with a cam pin 62A protruding from its inner surface toward the inside of the second housing 60. The cam pin 62A is substantially cylindrical. The cam pin 62A is adapted to enter the cam groove 51B from an entrance 51B1 provided in the lever 50. Cam pin 62A is disposed inside cam groove 51B, and by rotating lever 50 with cam pin 62A engaged with the inner wall of cam groove 51B, the fitting and disengagement of first housing 20 and second housing 60 is assisted.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 7, a second terminal 63 is disposed in the second housing 60. The second terminal 63 is made of a conductive metal. The second terminal 63 is a male terminal and has a tab shape. The second terminal 63 is held by the rear wall 61 and protrudes rearward in the second housing 60. As shown in Fig. 8, when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted together, the second terminal 63 is disposed in the connecting tube portion 23A of the first terminal 23, so that the first terminal 23 and the second terminal 63 are electrically connected to each other.

[0039] (Release protrusion 64, release part 66, extension part 67) As shown in FIG. 7, the second housing 60 has a release protrusion 64 protruding rearward from the rear wall 61. The release protrusion 64 extends from the rear wall 61 in a cantilevered manner and is formed integrally with the second housing 60. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the release protrusion 64 has a main body portion 65 having a thin plate shape in the vertical direction and a rib 68 extending downward (an example of one side in the first direction) from both left and right ends of the main body portion 65. The main body portion 65 is composed of a release portion 66 and an extension portion 67. The release portion 66 is a portion disposed at a substantially central position of the main body portion 65 in the left-right direction. The extension portion 67 extends from the release portion 66 to both the left and right sides. The extension portion 67 is composed of a first extension portion 67A extending leftward from the release portion 66 and a second extension portion 67B extending rightward from the release portion 66.

[0040] (Rib 68) The rib 68 is composed of a first rib 68A extending downward from the first extending portion 67A and a second rib 68B extending downward from the second extending portion 67B. As shown in FIG. 4, the first rib 68A and the second rib 68B extend in the front-rear direction and are directly connected to the rear wall 61. The portion of the first rib 68A closer to the rear wall 61 (front half) has a larger extension dimension from the first extending portion 67A than the portion of the first rib 68A arranged on the opposite side of the rear wall 61 (rear half). The second rib 68B is formed smaller than the first rib 68A. In detail, the left-right dimension of the second rib 68B is smaller than the left-right dimension of the first rib 68A. Also, the up-down dimension of the second rib 68B is smaller than the up-down dimension of the first rib 68A.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 2, the first extending portion 67A is longer in the front-rear direction than the releasing portion 66 and the second extending portion 67B. That is, the protruding end (rear end) of the first extending portion 67A is disposed further forward (rearward) in the protruding direction of the releasing projection 64 than the protruding end of the releasing portion 66 and the protruding end of the second extending portion 67B. Also, an inclined portion 69 is formed on the upper surface of the protruding end of the first extending portion 67A. As shown in Fig. 11, the inclined portion 69 is inclined downward as it goes rearward.

[0042] (Function of release protrusion 64) The connector 10 of this embodiment is used, for example, in an airbag circuit of an automobile. As shown in Fig. 7, when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are separated (not engaged), the pair of contact pieces 42 elastically contact the lower surfaces of the connection tube portions 23A of the pair of first terminals 23, and the pair of first terminals 23 are kept in a short-circuited state by the short terminal 40. This prevents the airbag from accidentally exploding. As shown in Fig. 8, when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are properly engaged, the short circuit of the pair of first terminals 23 is released, and the airbag is in a state in which it can operate normally.

[0043] When the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are fitted together, the release protrusion 64 enters the second cavity 26 through the release hole 22B. The release portion 66 enters the depth of the second cavity 26 while being in sliding contact with the first contact piece 42A. This causes the first contact piece 42A to elastically deform downward, and the contact between the first contact piece 42A and the first terminal 23 is released (see Figs. 9 and 10). As a result, the short circuit between the pair of first terminals 23 is released. In a state in which the short circuit between the pair of first terminals 23 is released, the release portion 66 is interposed between the first contact piece 42A and the first terminal 23. An upward elastic pressing force (biasing force) caused by the elastic restoring force of the first contact piece 42A is constantly applied to the release portion 66 from below. Therefore, if the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are kept in a fitted state for a long period of time, the release projection 64 made of synthetic resin may be deformed and warped upward due to the creep phenomenon of the resin.

[0044] In this embodiment, in order to suppress the deformation of the release protrusion 64, the extensions 67 are provided on both the left and right sides of the release portion 66, and the abutment portion 28 is provided in the second cavity 26 of the first housing 20. In a state in which the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted together, as shown in FIG. 10, the abutment portion 28 is arranged so as to be able to abut against the extension portion 67 from above (an example of the other side in the first direction). The abutment portion 28 and the extension portion 67 face each other in the up-down direction and are arranged close to each other. In detail, the first extension portion 67A and the first rib 68A are arranged between the pair of contact pieces 42. The first abutment portion 28A is arranged so as to be able to abut against the first extension portion 67A. The second extension portion 67B and the second rib 68B are housed in the recess 30. The second abutment portion 28B is arranged so as to be able to abut against the second extension portion 67B. According to this embodiment, the abutment portion 28 abuts from above against the extension portions 67 arranged on both the left and right sides of the release portion 66 that receives the elastic pressing force of the first contact piece 42A, thereby preventing the release protrusion 64 from deforming upward due to the elastic pressing force of the contact piece 42.

[0045] In addition, the first extending portion 67A is reinforced by the first rib 68A, and the second extending portion 67B is reinforced by the second rib 68B. That is, the strength of the extending portion 67 is improved by providing the rib 68. This makes it possible to further suppress deformation of the release protrusion 64.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted together, the first rib 68A is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the pair of contact pieces 42 at a position near the center of the second cavity 36. The first rib 68A is formed to a size that fits into the space between the pair of contact pieces 42. The second rib 68B is disposed to the right of the first contact piece 42A and is housed in a recess 30 provided on the right side surface of the inner wall of the second cavity 26. Since the second rib 68B is formed smaller than the first rib 68A, the depth of the recess 30 can be reduced. This makes it easier to ensure the thickness of the inner wall (partition portion 29) of the second cavity 26.

[0047] Since the protruding end of the first extending portion 67A is disposed at the tip of the protruding direction of the release projection 64 (see FIG. 2), in the process of fitting the second housing 60 to the first housing 20, the first extending portion 67A of the release projection 64 first enters the second cavity 26 from the release hole 22B. Since the first extending portion 67A is reinforced by the first rib 68A, it is less likely to deform than the release portion 66. Furthermore, since the first rib 68A is thicker than the second rib 68B, the first extending portion 67A is less likely to deform than the second extending portion 67B. For this reason, even if the release projection 64 is deformed upward, it is considered that the upward deformation of the first extending portion 67A is relatively small in the release projection 64. In this way, the first extension portion 67A, which is particularly resistant to deformation in the release protrusion 64, enters the second cavity 26 first, so that the release portion 66 and the second extension portion 67B also easily enter the second cavity 26 following the first extension portion 67A.

[0048] Furthermore, since an inclined portion 69 is provided on the upper surface of the first extension portion 67A, even if the first extension portion 67A is deformed slightly upward, the inclined portion 69 slides against the upper surface of the inner wall of the release hole 22B and the upper surface of the inner wall of the second cavity 26, thereby guiding the entry of the release protrusion 64 into the second cavity 26 (see Figure 11).

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, deformation of the release protrusion 64 is suppressed, and the release protrusion 64 is guided to enter the second cavity 26. Therefore, when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 that have been properly fitted together for a long period of time are temporarily separated and then refitted, for example, during automobile maintenance, the release protrusion 64 is suppressed from being unable to enter the second cavity 26.

[0050] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) A connector 10 according to an embodiment includes a first housing 20 and a second housing 60, a plurality of first terminals 23 arranged in the first housing 20, and at least one shorting terminal 40 arranged in the first housing 20. The shorting terminal 40 includes a pair of contact pieces 42 that elastically contact a pair of the first terminals 23 among the plurality of first terminals 23 to short the pair of first terminals 23. The second housing 60 includes a release protrusion 64 that protrudes in a direction of fitting with the first housing 20. The release protrusion 64 comprises a release portion 66 that releases the short circuit between the pair of first terminals 23 by elastically deforming one of the pair of contact pieces 42 (first contact piece 42A) toward one side (downward) in the first direction when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are properly fitted, and an extension portion 67 that extends from the release portion 66 to both sides in a second direction (left-right direction) perpendicular to the first direction, and the first housing 20 comprises an abutment portion 28 that abuts against the extension portion 67 from the other side (upward) in the first direction.

[0051] With this configuration, the abutment portion 28 abuts against the extension portion 67 from the other side in the first direction, thereby preventing the release protrusion 64 from deforming toward the other side in the first direction due to the elastic pressing force of the contact piece 42.

[0052] (2) In the embodiment, the release projection 64 includes a rib 68 extending from the extension portion 67 to one side in the first direction, and the rib 68 extends in the fitting direction.

[0053] With this configuration, the strength of the extension 67 is improved by the rib 68, and deformation of the release projection 64 can be further suppressed.

[0054] (3) In the embodiment, the rib 68 includes a first rib 68A arranged between a pair of contact pieces 42 and a second rib 68B arranged on the opposite side of the release protrusion 64 from the first rib 68A, and the second rib 68B is smaller than the first rib 68A.

[0055] With this configuration, the space required to accommodate the second ribs 68B disposed on the outer sides of the pair of contact pieces 42 can be made small.

[0056] (4) In the embodiment, the first housing 20 has a plurality of first cavities 25 arranged in a row in the second direction and accommodating the first terminals 23, a plurality of second cavities 26 arranged in a row in the second direction and accommodating the shorting terminals 40, a partition portion 29 arranged between adjacent second cavities 26, and a first wall portion 31 arranged between adjacent first cavities 25 and continuing from the partition portion 29 in the first direction, the partition portion 29 having a first surface 29A, a second surface 29B arranged opposite the first surface 29A, and a recess 30 recessed from the second surface 29B to one side (rightward) in the second direction, the recess 30 being capable of accommodating the second rib 68B, and the first surface 29A is connected to the first wall portion 31 via a step surface 32 and is arranged on one side of the first wall portion 31 in the second direction.

[0057] With this configuration, the thickness of the partition wall 29 can be ensured while the recess 30 for accommodating the second rib 68B can be formed in the partition wall 29.

[0058] (5) In the embodiment, the extension portion 67 comprises a first extension portion 67A from which the first rib 68A extends and a second extension portion 67B from which the second rib 68B extends. The first extension portion 67A is arranged to enter the first housing 20 prior to the release portion 66 and the second extension portion 67B when the first housing 20 and the second housing 60 are fitted together. An inclined portion 69 is formed at the protruding end of the first extension portion 67A. The inclined portion 69 is inclined to one side in the first direction as it approaches the end of the protruding direction of the release protrusion 64.

[0059] According to this configuration, the first extending portion 67A, which is less likely to deform due to the presence of the thick first rib 68A, enters the first housing 20 prior to the releasing portion 66 and the second extending portion 67B. In addition, the inclined portion 69 guides the first extending portion 67A from entering the first housing 20. Therefore, even if the releasing protrusion 64 is partially deformed to the other side in the first direction due to the stress from the contact piece 42, the first extending portion 67A enters the first housing 20, so that the releasing portion 66 and the second extending portion 67B also easily enter the first housing 20 following the first extending portion 67A.

[0060] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the release projection 64 is provided with the rib 68, but the rib may be omitted.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the lever 50 is attached to the first housing 20, but a lever does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the first housing 20 includes the front holder 22, but the front holder may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 10: Connector 20: 1st Housing 21: Housing body 21A: Rotating shaft 22: Front holder 22A: Tab insertion hole 22B: Release hole 23: 1st terminal 23A: Connection tube 24: Cavity 25: First cavity 26: 2nd cavity 27: Connecting recess 28: Contact part 28A: 1st contact part 28B: Second contact part 29: Bulkhead part 29A: Side 1 29B: 2nd side 30: Recess 31: 1st wall part 32: Step surface 33: Entry recess 34: Locking part 40: Short terminal 41: Bottom plate part 42: Contact piece 42A: 1st contact piece 42B: 2nd contact piece 43: Contact part 44: Locking piece 44A: Locking protrusion 45: Locking part 46: Regulation piece 50: Lever 51: Plate-shaped part 51A: Shaft hole 51B: Cam groove 51B1: Entrance 52: Operation section 60: Second Housing 61: Back wall 62: Surrounding wall 62A: Cam pin 63: 2nd terminal 64: Release protrusion 65: Main body 66: Release section 67: Extension part 67A: 1st extension part 67B: Second extension part 68: Ribs 68A: First rib 68B: Second rib 69: Inclined part

Claims

1. A first housing and a second housing; a plurality of first terminals disposed within the first housing; at least one shorting terminal disposed within the first housing; the shorting terminal includes a pair of contact pieces that elastically contact a pair of first terminals among the plurality of first terminals to short-circuit the pair of first terminals, the second housing includes a release protrusion protruding in a fitting direction with the first housing, the release protrusion includes a release portion that releases the short circuit between the pair of first terminals by elastically deforming one of the pair of contact pieces to one side in a first direction when the first housing and the second housing are properly fitted together, and an extension portion that extends from the release portion to both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, A connector, wherein the first housing has an abutment portion that abuts against the extension portion from the other side in the first direction.

2. The release projection includes a rib extending from the extension portion to one side in the first direction, The connector of claim 1 , wherein the ribs extend in the mating direction.

3. the rib includes a first rib disposed between the pair of contact pieces and a second rib disposed on an opposite side of the release projection to the first rib, The connector of claim 2 , wherein said second rib is smaller than said first rib.

4. the first housing has a plurality of first cavities arranged in the second direction and accommodating the first terminals, a plurality of second cavities arranged in the second direction and accommodating the shorting terminals, a partition wall portion arranged between adjacent second cavities, and a first wall portion arranged between adjacent first cavities and continuing from the partition wall portion in the first direction, the partition portion has a first surface, a second surface disposed on an opposite side to the first surface, and a recessed portion recessed from the second surface to one side in the second direction, The recess is capable of receiving the second rib, The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the first surface is connected to the first wall portion via a step surface and is disposed on one side of the first wall portion in the second direction.

5. The extension portion includes a first extension portion from which the first rib extends and a second extension portion from which the second rib extends, the first extension portion is disposed so as to enter the first housing prior to the release portion and the second extension portion when the first housing and the second housing are fitted together, A sloped portion is formed on a protruding end of the first extension portion, 5. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the inclined portion is inclined toward one side in the first direction toward a distal end in a protruding direction of the release projection.

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