Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of detecting a semi-inserted state of a terminal fitting on the basis of the protrusion amount of a retainer without interfering with the assembly of the retainer and terminal fitting to a housing.SOLUTION: A retainer 50 has insertion parts 56, 57 that allow a main body 81 of a terminal fitting 80 to pass through at a temporary locking position and a detection unit 61 that protrudes from a wall part 58 partitioning the insertion parts 56, 57 and is capable of interfering with a first wall 88 of the terminal fitting 80, which is in a semi-inserted state with respect to a housing 20, from the side opposite to a second wall 85. The retainer 50 is configured to reduce the protrusion amount from the outer surface of the housing 20 as it moves from the temporary locking position to the final locking position. The detection unit 61 has a recess 62 shaped to escape from protrusions 91, 92 at the temporary locking position and is arranged corresponding to an intermediate part of the wall part 58, excluding the end parts on both widthwise sides.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes terminal fittings, a housing that houses the terminal fittings, and a retainer that is arranged to be movable relative to the housing between a temporary locking position and a full locking position. The lower surface of the retainer protrudes from the lower surface of the housing in the temporary locking position, and is arranged so as not to protrude from the lower surface of the housing in the full locking position. The terminal fittings have a cylindrical connecting portion. The connecting portion has a protrusion that protrudes downward from the lower wall (see FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1). The terminal fittings also have connecting side walls that are continuous with the rear ends of the left and right side walls of the connecting portion (portions indicated by reference numeral 24 in FIG. 3).

[0003] The retainer has a terminal insertion hole that allows the connection part to pass through at the temporary locking position, and a terminal locking part that is protruding from the bottom surface of the terminal insertion hole and is arranged so as to be able to lock with the rear end of the connection part at the full locking position. The terminal locking part is protruding from one end of the bottom surface of the terminal insertion hole in the width direction so as to avoid interference with the protrusion at the temporary locking position. If the terminal fitting is not inserted to a correct position (normal insertion depth) in the housing, the terminal locking part abuts against the bottom surface of the connection part, and the movement of the retainer from the temporary locking position to the full locking position is restricted. At this time, the bottom surface of the retainer is in a position that protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the housing, so that it is possible to detect that the terminal fitting is not inserted to a correct position in the housing (half-inserted state) by visually checking the amount of protrusion of the retainer from the bottom surface of the housing. Patent Document 2 also describes a connector equipped with a retainer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-101869 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-8516 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, when the connector is miniaturized, the amount of protrusion of the retainer cannot be sufficiently secured when the terminal locking portion of the retainer interferes with the terminal metal fitting in the half-inserted state. In contrast, if the protruding dimension of the terminal locking portion of the retainer is increased, the amount of protrusion of the retainer can be increased when the terminal locking portion interferes with the terminal metal fitting in the half-inserted state. However, if the protruding dimension of the terminal locking portion is large, even if the terminal metal fitting is inserted into the housing at the normal depth, the terminal locking portion of the retainer abuts against the connecting side wall of the terminal metal fitting, and the retainer cannot reach the full locking position. Here, if the terminal locking portion is provided at the center in the width direction on the bottom surface of the terminal insertion hole, the terminal locking portion can be prevented from abutting against the connecting side wall. However, in this case, a new problem occurs in that when the retainer is in the temporary locking position, the terminal locking portion abuts against the protruding portion of the terminal metal fitting, and the terminal metal fitting cannot be inserted into the housing.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that is capable of detecting a partially inserted state of a terminal fitting from the amount of protrusion of a retainer without interfering with the assembly of the retainer and the terminal fitting to the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure relates to a housing that accommodates a terminal fitting, and a retainer that is arranged to be movable relative to the housing between a temporary locking position and a final locking position, wherein a main body portion of the terminal fitting has a pair of side walls that are arranged at an interval in the width direction, a first wall and a second wall that are connected to the pair of side walls and arranged at an interval in the height direction, a protrusion that protrudes from an end portion on one side of the first wall in the width direction to a side opposite to a side on which the second wall is located, and a pair of connecting side walls that are connected to portions of the pair of side walls at rear ends on the second wall side, and the retainer is arranged to be movable relative to the housing between the temporary locking position and a final locking position. This connector has an insertion portion that allows the main body portion to pass through at a locking position, and a detection portion that protrudes from a wall portion that defines the insertion portion and is capable of interfering with the first wall of the terminal fitting that is half-inserted into the housing from the side opposite the second wall, and is configured so that the amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the housing decreases as it moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, and the detection portion has a recess that is shaped to escape from the protrusion at the temporary locking position and is positioned in correspondence with an intermediate portion of the wall portion excluding the ends on both sides in the width direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector that is capable of detecting a partially inserted state of a terminal fitting from the amount of protrusion of the retainer, without interfering with the assembly of the retainer and the terminal fitting to the housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector of the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing, from the front, a state in which a main body of a terminal metal fitting passes through an insertion portion of a retainer when the retainer is in a temporary locking position with respect to a housing in the connector of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view showing a state in which movement of the retainer to a full locking position is restricted when the terminal fitting is in a half-inserted state in the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the connector of the first embodiment, showing a state in which the terminal fittings are accommodated in the housing and the retainer has moved to a full locking position relative to the housing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, seen from behind, of the connector of the first embodiment in a state in which the terminal fittings are accommodated in the housing and the retainer has moved to a full locking position relative to the housing. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a terminal fitting in the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the retainer in the connector of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A terminal fitting includes a housing that accommodates a terminal fitting, and a retainer that is arranged to be movable relative to the housing between a temporary locking position and a full locking position, wherein a main body of the terminal fitting has a pair of side walls spaced apart in the width direction, a first wall and a second wall that are connected to the pair of side walls and spaced apart in the height direction, a protrusion that protrudes from one end of the first wall in the width direction to a side opposite to the side on which the second wall is located, and a pair of connecting side walls that are connected to portions of the pair of side walls at rear ends on the second wall side, and the retainer is The terminal fitting has an insertion portion which allows the main body portion to pass through at the temporary locking position, and a detection portion which protrudes from a wall portion which defines the insertion portion and is capable of interfering with the first wall of the terminal fitting which is in a half-inserted state in the housing from the side opposite the second wall, and is configured so that the amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the housing decreases as it moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, and the detection portion has a recess shaped to escape from the protrusion at the temporary locking position, and is positioned in correspondence with an intermediate portion of the wall portion excluding the ends on both sides in the width direction.

[0011] According to the above configuration (1), since the detection portion is disposed corresponding to the middle portion of the wall portion that defines the insertion portion, the detection portion can be prevented from hitting the connecting side wall as the retainer moves toward the full locking position. Also, since the recess is free from the protrusion at the partial locking position, the detection portion can be prevented from hitting the protrusion. This reduces the constraints on the assembly of the retainer and the terminal fittings to the housing, and also allows the retainer to protrude a large amount from the outer surface of the housing when the terminal fittings are in a partially inserted state (a state in which the terminal fittings are not inserted to the normal depth into the housing) and the detection portion interferes with the first wall. As a result, the reliability of the detection when the detection portion detects the partially inserted state of the terminal fittings can be improved.

[0012] (2) In the connector described in (1) above, it is preferable that the detection portion has a recess formed by cutting out one of the corners on both sides in the width direction at the tip end in the protruding direction from the wall portion.

[0013] According to the above configuration (2), the corner on the other side of the detection portion, where no recess is formed, can be formed into a shape having a predetermined rigidity.

[0014] (3) In the connector described in (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the tip of the detection portion protruding from the wall portion is located in a widthwise opposing space formed between a pair of the connecting side walls in the main engagement position.

[0015] According to the above configuration (3), the detection portion can be formed without any constraints from the connecting side wall. Therefore, for example, the movement stroke of the retainer moving between the temporary locking position and the full locking position can be made large, and the retainer can be adjusted to the desired protrusion amount.

[0016] (4) In the connector described in any one of (1) to (3) above, it is preferable that the protrusion has an outer periphery that is curved in front view, and the recess has a curved surface that is curved in front view corresponding to the outer periphery.

[0017] According to the above configuration (4), when the terminal is in a partially inserted state, the curved surface of the recess can contact along the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion, so that a sufficient contact area between the detection portion and the protrusion can be secured, and the retainer that detects the partially inserted state of the terminal can be prevented from rattling. As a result, the reliability of the detection when the detection portion detects the partially inserted state of the terminal can be improved. In addition, the widthwise thickness of the detection portion at the base end side can be made large, so that a decrease in the rigidity of the detection portion due to the recess can be avoided.

[0018] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 10 of the first embodiment includes a housing 20 capable of accommodating a terminal fitting 80, and a retainer 50 attached to the housing 20. The housing 20 is adapted to be mated with a mating connector (not shown). The retainer 50 is adapted to be movable between a provisional locking position and a full locking position relative to the housing 20 in a direction intersecting the mating direction of the housing 20 and the mating connector. In the following description, the front-rear direction refers to the side where the housing 20 is mated with the mating connector. The left-right direction is synonymous with the width direction and is based on the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2. The up-down direction is synonymous with the height direction and is based on the up-down direction in each drawing. The retainer 50 moves in the up-down direction between the provisional locking position and the full locking position. The terminal fitting 80 is inserted and removed by moving in the front-rear direction relative to the housing 20. In FIG. 1, the front-rear direction is indicated by an arrow X, the left-right direction is indicated by an arrow Y, and the up-down direction is indicated by an arrow Z. These directional references are merely for convenience and do not necessarily coincide with directional references when the connector 10 is mounted on a vehicle or the like (not shown).

[0020] (Housing 20) 1, the housing 20 is made of synthetic resin and has a block-shaped housing main body 21, a cylindrical rubber plug accommodating portion 22 protruding rearward from the outer peripheral edge of the rear surface of the housing main body 21, and a fitting tubular portion 23 surrounding the outer periphery of the housing main body 21. The fitting tubular portion 23 is connected to the boundary between the housing main body 21 and the rubber plug accommodating portion 22 via a connecting portion 24 that protrudes in the radial direction. The space between the fitting tubular portion 23 and the housing main body 21 and in front of the connecting portion 24 forms a fitting space 25 that can be fitted with a mating connector.

[0021] A one-piece rubber stopper (not shown) is inserted from the rear into the rubber stopper receiving portion 22 and received therein. The rubber stopper provides a liquid-tight seal between the coated electric wire 100 connected to the terminal fitting 80 and the inner peripheral surface of the rubber stopper receiving portion 22. A shaft 26 (the shaft on the lower surface is not shown in FIG. 1) is formed to protrude from the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber stopper receiving portion 22. A lever (not shown) is attached to the shaft 26. The lever is a member that rotates about the shaft 26 while engaged with the mating connector, and reduces the mating force between the housing 20 and the mating connector.

[0022] The housing body 21 has a plurality of cavities 27 extending in the front-rear direction. The cavities 27 are arranged in the housing body 21 in a plurality of rows in the left-right direction and in a plurality of stages in the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 3, an elastically deformable lance 28 is formed to protrude from the inner upper surface of each cavity 27. A terminal fitting 80 is inserted into each cavity 27 from the rear. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal fitting 80 is engaged with the lance 28 and is temporarily prevented from coming out of the cavity 27. As shown in FIG. 2, each cavity 27 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The housing body 21 has a guide groove 29 formed in a shape recessed upward from one corner of the upper right end of each cavity 27. The guide groove 29 extends in the front-rear direction while communicating with the cavity 27 in the housing body 21. Projections 91 and 92 of the terminal fitting 80, which will be described later, are inserted into the guide groove 29.

[0023] 1, 3 and 4, a front holder 30 is attached to the housing main body 21 from the front. The front holder 30 is made of synthetic resin, has a cap shape, and has a front wall 31 that covers the front surface of the housing main body 21. The front wall 31 is formed with a plurality of tab insertion holes 32 through which tabs of a mating terminal fitting (not shown) can be inserted. Each tab insertion hole 32 is disposed at a position corresponding to each cavity 27.

[0024] The housing body 21 is also formed with a retainer mounting hole 41 into which the retainer 50 can be inserted. The retainer mounting hole 41 extends in the vertical direction behind the lance 28 and opens to the top surface of the housing body 21 as well as to the left and right side surfaces of the housing body 21 as shown in FIG. 1. Each cavity 27 is arranged separately at the front and rear portions of the housing body 21 via the retainer mounting hole 41. The retainer 50 is inserted into the retainer mounting hole 41 from above. The front end of the fitting tube portion 23 is located behind the retainer mounting hole 41 so as to avoid interference with the retainer 50 during the assembly process.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the housing body 21 is formed with a first holding portion 42 and a second holding portion 43 for holding the retainer 50 at the provisional locking position and the full locking position. The first holding portion 42 and the second holding portion 43 are arranged in a vertical direction and protrude forward of the retainer mounting hole 41 on the left and right side surfaces of the housing body 21. The first holding portion 42 and the second holding portion 43 are both rib-shaped and extend in the front-rear direction. The first holding portion 42 is disposed above the second holding portion 43. In addition, a seal ring (not shown) is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 21 to seal between the housing body 21 and the mating connector fitted in the fitting space 25. The seal ring is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 21, rearward of the retainer mounting hole 41 and forward of the connecting portion 24.

[0026] (Terminal fitting 80) The terminal fitting 80 is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the terminal fitting 80 has an elongated shape extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 6, the terminal fitting 80 has a cylindrical main body portion 81, a wire barrel portion 82 located behind the main body portion 81, a connecting portion 83 located between the wire barrel portion 82 and the main body portion 81, and an insulation barrel portion 84 connected to the rear of the wire barrel portion 82. The terminal fitting 80 also has a second wall 85 extending over the entire length in the front-rear direction. The main body portion 81, the connecting portion 83, the wire barrel portion 82, and the insulation barrel portion 84 are arranged in sequence from the front side on the second wall 85, including corresponding portions of the second wall 85.

[0027] The wire barrel portion 82 is crimped and electrically connected to the conductor 120 exposed by removing the insulating coating 110 at the end portion of the coated electric wire 100. The insulation barrel portion 84 is crimped and mechanically connected to the coating 110 at the end portion of the coated electric wire 100.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 81 has a front end of a second wall 85, a pair of side walls 86 rising from both the left and right ends of the second wall 85, an inner wall 87 extending from the upper end of one of the side walls 86 (the left side wall 86 in FIG. 2) toward the other (the right side in FIG. 2), and a first wall 88 extending from the upper end of the other of the side walls 86 toward the one (the left side in FIG. 2). The side walls 86 are arranged opposite each other with a gap in the left-right direction (width direction). The second wall 85 and the inner wall 87 are arranged opposite each other with a gap in the up-down direction (height direction). The second wall 85 and the first wall 88 are arranged with a gap in the up-down direction. The first wall 88 is arranged so as to overlap the upper surface of the inner wall 87.

[0029] The inner wall 87 has an elastic contact portion 89 that can be elastically deformed inside the main body portion 81. The elastic contact portion 89 comes into contact with a tab of a mating terminal metal fitting (not shown), thereby electrically connecting the terminal metal fitting 80 to the mating terminal metal fitting. The first wall 88 has two protrusions 91, 92 that protrude upward (opposite the second wall 85) while bending from an end portion on one of the left and right sides (the right side in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 6, the protrusions 91, 92 are disposed at intervals between the front end and the rear end of the first wall 88. The outer surfaces of the protrusions 91, 92 have an outer peripheral portion 93 that is curved in a front view. The front protrusion 91 has a tapered shape that narrows toward the front. The rear end of the rear protrusion 92 is disposed at the same position as the rear end of the inner wall 87 in the front-rear direction.

[0030] The protrusions 91, 92 are so-called stabilizers and are arranged at positions corresponding to the guide grooves 29 of the housing body 21, as shown in Fig. 2. When the terminal fitting 80 is inserted into the cavity 27, the protrusions 91, 92 are inserted into the guide grooves 29, thereby guiding the insertion of the terminal fitting 80. If the terminal fitting 80 is to be inserted into the cavity 27 in an incorrect position, such as upside down, the front protrusion 91 interferes with the rear surface of the housing body 21, thereby preventing the terminal fitting 80 from being erroneously inserted into the cavity 27.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 6, a lance hole 94 is formed penetrating the first wall 88 in the thickness direction. The lance hole 94 is disposed between the protrusions 91, 92 in the front-rear direction. A part of the elastic contact portion 89 is visible through the lance hole 94. As shown in Fig. 4, a protrusion portion of the lance 28 is fitted into the lance hole 94 so as to be engaged.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portion 83 has a pair of connecting side walls 95 rising from both the left and right ends of the second wall 85. The front end of each connecting side wall 95 is integrally connected to the lower part of the rear end of each side wall 86 (the part on the second wall 85 side). The rear end of each connecting side wall 95 is integrally connected to the rising end part of the wire barrel portion 82. The tip end of the conductor 120 crimped to the wire barrel portion 82 is accommodated inside the connecting portion 83. Each connecting side wall 95 is arranged so as to cover the tip end of the conductor 120 from both the left and right sides. As shown in FIG. 5, a detection unit 61 (described later) of the retainer 50 can enter an opposing space 96 in which the connecting side walls 95 face each other in the left-right direction.

[0033] (Retainer 50) The retainer 50 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, has a retainer body 51 that is rectangular and lattice-shaped when viewed from the front, and plate-shaped retainer end portions 52 that are connected to the upper surface and left and right side surfaces of the retainer body 51 and extend to the front and rear sides. As shown in Fig. 4, the retainer end portions 52 are arranged so as to cover the opening edges on both the front and rear sides of the retainer mounting hole 41 on the outer surface (upper surface and left and right side surfaces) of the housing body 21. As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the retainer end portion 52 has a pair of side plate portions 53 that face each other with a gap in the left and right direction. A held portion 54 is formed to protrude from the inner surface (opposing surface) of each side plate portion 53. The held portion 54 is formed to extend in the front and rear direction at the lower end of the side plate portion 53. Each side plate portion 53 is arranged so as to cover the left and right side surfaces of the housing body 21. 2, the retained portion 54 is sandwiched between the first retaining portion 42 and the second retaining portion 43, so that the retainer 50 is held in a state where its movement in the vertical direction is restricted in a temporary locking position relative to the housing 20. Moreover, the retained portion 54 is disposed so as to be lockable from below by the second retaining portion 43, so that the retainer 50 is held in a state where its movement in the vertical direction is restricted in a full locking position relative to the housing 20.

[0034] The upper wall 55 of the retainer end 52 is disposed at a large distance upward from the upper surface of the housing main body 21 in the temporary locking position (see FIG. 2), and is disposed so as to gradually approach the upper surface of the housing main body 21 as it moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the upper wall 55 of the retainer end 52 is disposed within the thickness range of the upper wall portion 34 of the front holder 30 located forward in the up-down direction in the full locking position, and its upper surface is recessed below the upper surface of the upper wall portion 34 of the front holder 30. In short, the retainer 50 is configured so that the amount of protrusion from the upper surface of the housing main body 21 decreases as it moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the retainer 50 has a plurality of insertion portions 56, 57 through which the main body portion 81 of the terminal fitting 80 can be inserted in the provisionally-retained position. Each of the insertion portions 56, 57 is disposed corresponding to each of the cavities 27 of the housing main body 21. In the case of the first embodiment, each of the insertion portions 56, 57 is composed of an insertion hole 56 and an insertion space 57. A plurality of the insertion holes 56 are formed penetrating the retainer main body 51 in the front-rear direction. Each of the insertion holes 56 has a rectangular shape in a front view except for a detection portion 61 described later. A plurality of the insertion spaces 57 are formed between comb-tooth portions 59 at the lower end of the retainer main body 51 and have a shape that opens downward. Each of the insertion spaces 57 corresponds to each of the cavities 27 in the lowest stage.

[0036] The retainer 50 also has a plurality of detection portions 61 capable of detecting the insertion state of the terminal fittings 80 into the cavities 27. Each detection portion 61 protrudes from a wall surface portion 58 (an inner upper surface portion facing downward at the upper side of the inner surface of each insertion hole 56, and a lower surface portion facing downward between the comb teeth portions 59 of each insertion space 57) that defines each insertion portion 56, 57. The wall surface portion 58 is constituted by the inner upper surface that defines the insertion hole 56 and the lower surface of the retainer body 51 that defines the insertion space 57.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 7, the detection portion 61 is provided to protrude from a portion (middle portion) of the inner upper surface of the insertion hole 56 excluding both left and right ends. Specifically, the detection portion 61 is provided to protrude from a portion (center portion) including the center in the left-right direction of the inner upper surface of the insertion hole 56. Similarly, the detection portion 61 is provided to protrude from a middle portion between adjacent comb tooth portions 59 on the lower surface of the retainer body 51, specifically, from the center portion. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the detection portion 61 is formed at the front end portion of the retainer body 51. The rear surface of the detection portion 61 is inclined rearward.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7, the detection unit 61 has a recess 62 formed by cutting out one of the left and right corners at the tip of the protruding direction from the wall surface portion 58 (the right side in FIG. 7). The recess 62 has a downward curved surface 63 that is curved in a front view. The curved shape of the curved surface 63 corresponds to the curved shape of the outer circumferential portion 93 of the protrusions 91 and 92. The lower end of the curved surface 63 is connected to the lower end surface (the tip surface in the protruding direction) of the detection unit 61 at the center in the left-right direction of the detection unit 61 or on the other side of this center (the left side in FIG. 7). The upper end of the curved surface 63 is connected to one side surface of the detection unit 61 (the right side surface in FIG. 7) at the center in the height direction of the detection unit 61 or above this center. The base end of the detection unit 61 in the protruding direction is protruded from the wall surface portion 58 with a certain width in the left-right direction between the one side surface and the other side surface (the left side surface in FIG. 7) of the detection unit 61. The other corner 65 of the detection unit 61 is formed at a location where the other side surface of the detection unit 61 and the lower end surface of the detection unit 61 intersect at right angles. In the case of the first embodiment, the left-right center of the detection unit 61 and the left-right center of the wall surface portion 58 are formed at the same position in the left-right direction.

[0039] (Function of Connector 10) With the retainer 50 held in the temporary locking position relative to the housing 20, the terminal fitting 80 is inserted into the cavity 27 of the housing body 21 from the rear. As shown in FIG. 2, in the temporary locking position, each detection portion 61 is arranged to be retracted from the insertion passage of the terminal fitting 80 (the portion corresponding to the cavity 27). The recess 62 of the detection portion 61 is arranged to be retracted from the portion corresponding to the guide groove 29 to the upper side and to the other left and right side (the left side in FIG. 2). In other words, the recess 62 of the detection portion 61 is arranged to be away from the protrusions 91, 92 inserted into the guide groove 29 in the temporary locking position. Therefore, the terminal fitting 80 is inserted into the cavity 27 without interfering with the retainer 50. When the terminal fitting 80 is inserted into the cavity 27 to the normal insertion depth, the front end of the main body portion 81 abuts against the front wall 31 as shown in FIG. 4, and further forward movement is restricted. Furthermore, the protruding portion of the lance 28 is fitted into the lance hole 94 and is arranged so as to be able to be locked by the front projection 91. This allows the terminal fitting 80 to be held in the cavity 27 in a temporarily prevented state from coming out.

[0040] The retainer 50 is moved from the partial locking position toward the full locking position relative to the housing 20. At this time, the retainer end 52 is pressed from above. Then, the retained portion 54 and the second holding portion 43 are released from the lock, and the retainer 50 becomes movable to the full locking position.

[0041] If the terminal fitting 80 is not inserted to the correct depth into the cavity 27 and remains in a half-inserted position before the correct insertion position as shown in Fig. 3, the detection portion 61 interferes with the first wall 88 from above (the opposite side to the second wall 85) during the movement (pushing) of the retainer 50, restricting the movement of the retainer 50 to the full locking position. For example, the curved surface 63 of the recess 62 of the detection portion 61 comes into contact along the outer periphery 93 of the front protrusion 91, restricting the movement of the retainer 50 to the full locking position.

[0042] When the terminal fittings 80 are in a partially inserted state, the upper surface of the retainer end portion 52 is located higher than the upper surface of the housing body 21 and the upper surface of the upper wall portion 34 of the front holder 30. Therefore, it is possible to visually confirm that the retainer end portion 52 is protruding from the outer surface of the housing 20 and floating. By confirming that the retainer 50 is in a floating state, it is possible to detect that the terminal fittings 80 are in a partially inserted state.

[0043] When all the terminal fittings 80 are inserted into the cavities 27 to the correct depth, the retainer 50 can reach the full locking position with respect to the housing 20. In the full locking position, the front surface of the retainer body 51 is positioned so as to be lockable with the rear end of the first wall 88 (including the rear protrusion 92) of the main body 81. This allows the terminal fittings 80 to be held in the cavities 27 in a secondarily prevented state from coming out.

[0044] When the retainer 50 is in the full locking position relative to the housing 20, as shown in FIG. 5, the wall surface portions 58 of the insertion portions 56, 57 are disposed close to the upper ends of the connecting side walls 95 in the full locking position, and the detection portion 61 is disposed by entering into the opposing space 96 of the connecting side walls 95. The front surface of the retainer body 51 can be locked not only with the rear end of the first wall 88, but also with the rear ends of the inner wall 87 and the upper ends of the side walls 86. In addition, the detection portion 61 can be prevented from interfering with the protrusions 91, 92 and the connecting side walls 95, and the protruding dimension of the detection portion 61 from the wall surface portion 58 can be made large. Therefore, when the terminal fitting 80 is in the half-inserted state, the protruding amount of the retainer end portion 52 protruding from the housing body 21 can be secured to a large amount.

[0045] As described above, the connector 10 of the first embodiment includes the housing 20 that accommodates the terminal fittings 80, and the retainer 50 that is arranged to be movable between a temporary locking position and a full locking position relative to the housing 20. The terminal fittings 80 have a pair of side walls 86 arranged at a distance in the left-right direction, a first wall 88 and a second wall 85 that are connected to each side wall 86 and arranged at a distance in the up-down direction, protrusions 91, 92 that protrude from one left or right end of the first wall 88 to the side opposite to the side where the second wall 85 is located, and a pair of connecting side walls 95 that are connected to a portion of the rear end of each side wall 86 on the second wall 85 side. The retainer 50 has insertion portions 56, 57 that allow passage of the main body portion 81 at the temporary locking position, and a detection portion 61 that protrudes from a wall portion 58 that defines the insertion portions 56, 57 and can interfere with a first wall 88 of the terminal fitting 80 that is partially inserted into the housing 20 from the side opposite the second wall 85, and the amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the housing 20 decreases as it moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position. The detection portion 61 has a recess 62 that is shaped to escape from the protrusions 91, 92 at the temporary locking position, and is disposed in correspondence with an intermediate portion of the wall portion 58 excluding both the left and right ends.

[0046] According to the above configuration, since the detection portion 61 is disposed corresponding to the left-right intermediate portion of the wall surface portion 58 that divides the insertion portions 56, 57, the detection portion 61 can be prevented from hitting the connecting side wall 95 when the retainer 50 moves toward the full locking position. In addition, since the recessed portion 62 is free from the protrusions 91, 92 at the temporary locking position, the detection portion 61 can be prevented from hitting the protrusions 91, 92. This reduces restrictions on the assembly of the retainer 50 and the terminal fittings 80 to the housing 20, and also allows the amount of protrusion of the retainer 50 from the outer surface of the housing 20 to be large when the terminal fittings 80 are in a half-inserted state (a state in which the terminal fittings 80 are not inserted to the normal depth into the housing 20) and the detection portion 61 interferes with the first wall 88. As a result, the reliability of detection when detecting the half-inserted state of the terminal fittings 80 can be improved.

[0047] In the case of the first embodiment, the detection unit 61 has a recess 62 formed by cutting out one corner (the right side in FIG. 2) of the left and right corners at the tip end in the protruding direction from the wall surface portion 58. With this configuration, the corner 65 on the other side of the detection unit 61, where the recess 62 is not formed, can be formed into a shape having a predetermined rigidity.

[0048] Furthermore, in the case of the first embodiment, the tip of the detection portion 61 in the protruding direction from the wall portion 58 is located in the opposing space 96 formed between the connecting side walls 95 at the full locking position. With this configuration, the detection portion 61 can be formed without being restricted by the connecting side walls 95, so that, for example, the movement stroke of the retainer 50 moving between the partial locking position and the full locking position can be made large, and the retainer 50 can be adjusted to a desired protruding amount.

[0049] Furthermore, in the case of the first embodiment, the protrusions 91, 92 have a curved outer periphery 93 in a front view, and the recess 62 has a curved surface 63 in a front view corresponding to the outer periphery 93 of the protrusions 91, 92. According to this configuration, when the terminal fitting 80 is in a half-inserted state, the curved surface 63 of the recess 62 can contact along the outer periphery of the protrusions 91, 92, so that a sufficient contact area between the detection portion 61 and the protrusions 91, 92 can be secured, and the retainer 50 that detects the half-inserted state of the terminal fitting 80 can be prevented from rattling. As a result, the reliability of detection when detecting the half-inserted state of the terminal fitting 80 can be further improved. In addition, the thickness of the detection portion 61 in the left-right direction at the base end side can be made large, so that the reduction in rigidity of the detection portion 61 due to the recess 62 can be avoided.

[0050] [Another embodiment of the present disclosure] The above-described first embodiment disclosed herein should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the upper surface of the retainer end 52 is located above the upper surface of the housing main body 21 in the full locking position. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the upper surface of the retainer end may be disposed continuously with no step on the upper surface of the housing main body in the full locking position. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the recess 62 is constituted by the curved surface 63 that is curved in a front view. In contrast to this, according to other embodiments, the recess may include, for example, a linear surface that is inclined with respect to the left-right direction in addition to the curved surface that is curved in a front view. Also, for example, when the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion is not curved, the recess may be constituted only by a linear surface in a front view. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the upper wall portion of the main body 81 has a double-wall structure made up of the inner wall 87 and the first wall 88. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the upper wall portion of the main body may not include the inner wall and may be formed only by the first wall. In the case of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, two protrusions 91, 92 are provided at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction on the first wall 88 of the main body 81. In contrast to this, according to other embodiments, only one protrusion may be provided on the main body, or three or more protrusions may be provided on the main body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10…Connector 20. Housing 21…Housing body 22...Rubber stopper housing 23...Mating cylinder portion 24…Connecting part 25…Mating space 26…Shaft 27…Cavity 28…Lance 29...Guide groove 30…Front holder 31...Front wall 32...Tab insertion hole 34...Top wall part 41...Retainer mounting hole 42...First holding part 43...Second holding part 50…Retainer 51…Retainer body 52...Retainer end 53…Side plate part 54...Holded part 55…Upper wall 56...Through hole (through part) 57...Passage space (passage part) 58…Wall section 59…Comb teeth part 61…Detection unit 62…Recess 63...Curved surface 65…Other corner 80...Terminal fitting 81…Main body 82…Wire barrel part 83...Connection part 84…Insulation barrel part 85…Second wall 86…Side wall 87…Inner wall 88…1st wall 89...Elastic contact part 91…Front protrusion (protrusion) 92…Rear protrusion (protrusion) 93…Outer periphery 94…Lance hole 95…Connected side wall 96…Facing space 100…Coated wire 110...Covering 120…Conductor

Claims

1. a housing for accommodating the terminal fittings; a retainer that is arranged to be movable between a temporary locking position and a full locking position relative to the housing, The main body of the terminal fitting has a pair of side walls spaced apart in the width direction, a first wall and a second wall connected to the pair of side walls and spaced apart in the height direction, a protrusion protruding from one end of the first wall in the width direction to a side opposite to the side on which the second wall is located, and a pair of connecting side walls connected to portions of the pair of side walls at rear ends on the second wall side, the retainer has an insertion portion that allows passage of the main body portion at the temporary locking position, and a detection portion that protrudes from a wall portion that defines the insertion portion and is capable of interfering with the first wall of the terminal fitting that is in a partially inserted state in the housing from the side opposite to the second wall, and is configured so that an amount of protrusion from the outer surface of the housing decreases as the retainer moves from the temporary locking position to the full locking position, A connector, wherein the detection portion has a recess shaped to escape from the protrusion in the provisionally-retained position, and is disposed in correspondence with a middle portion of the wall portion excluding both ends in the width direction.

2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is formed by cutting out one of two corners in a width direction at a tip end of the detection portion in a direction protruding from the wall portion.

3. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein a tip end of said detection portion in a protruding direction from said wall portion is positioned in a widthwise opposing space formed between said pair of connecting side walls in said main locking position.

4. The protrusion has a curved outer periphery in a front view, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the recess has a curved surface that is curved in a front view in correspondence with the outer periphery.

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