connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of easily mounting a fitting assurance component (CPA) on a housing, and suppressing unintended displacement of the fitting assurance component.SOLUTION: A connector 1 includes a housing 5 and a CPA 7. The housing 5 has: a lock arm 28; a lock part 29 that engages with a mating component 11 when in the mated state; and an operation part 31 to which an external force is applied to bend the lock arm 28 when the lock part 29 and the mating component 11 are disengaged. The CPA 7 cannot be disposed at a predetermined target mounting position because it interferes with the lock part 29 in the housing 5 is not in the fitting position. When the housing 5 is in the fitting position, interference with the lock part 29 is avoided and can be disposed at the target mounting position, so that whether or not it is in the fitting state can be detected, and when it is disposed at the target mounting position, it abuts on the operation part 31 in a bending direction of the lock arm 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector including a housing that can be fitted to a mating component and a fitting assurance component (so-called CPA: Connector Position Assurance) mounted on the housing.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a connector having a function of detecting whether a connector and a mating component are in a proper fitting state (hereinafter also referred to as a "fitting state") in which the housing of the connector is in a fitting position where it is fitted to the mating component as designed by using a fitting assurance component (CPA) has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The fitting assurance component is generally used in a housing having a lock arm that can switch between maintaining and releasing the above-described fitting state. Specifically, interference between the fitting assurance component and the lock arm is avoided only when the housing is in the fitting position (i.e., the above-described fitting state), and the lock arm and the fitting assurance component are configured such that the fitting assurance component is mounted at a predetermined target mounting position. In other words, when the connector and the mating component are not in the fitting state, the fitting assurance component interferes with the lock arm and is not mounted at the target mounting position. That is, it is possible to detect whether the connector and the mating component are in the fitting state based on whether the fitting assurance component can be mounted at such a target mounting position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, conventional connectors are generally designed such that there is a predetermined gap between a fitting guarantee component and the surrounding housing components when the fitting guarantee component is at a predetermined target mounting position. This is to reduce the frictional force etc. between the fitting guarantee component and the housing component, and to reduce the external force (so-called insertion force) required when placing the fitting guarantee component at the target mounting position. However, due to the existence of such a gap, when the connector is mounted on a vehicle or the like and actually used, there is a possibility that the fitting guarantee component may be displaced due to vibration or the like and come into contact with the housing component, resulting in contact noise. Since such contact noise can be interpreted as abnormal noise by users of vehicles or the like, it is desirable to suppress the occurrence of contact noise as much as possible. However, as described above, it is generally difficult to achieve both easy mounting of the fitting guarantee component to the housing and suppression of unintentional displacement (so-called misalignment) of the fitting guarantee component.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector capable of achieving both easy mounting of a fitting guarantee component to a housing and suppression of unintentional displacement of the fitting guarantee component.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] In order to achieve the above-described object, the connector according to the present invention is characterized by the following.

[0008] A connector including a housing to be fitted to a mating component, and a fitting guarantee component that is mounted on the housing and can detect whether the housing is in a fitting position where the housing is fitted to the mating component, The housing includes a cantilever-shaped lock arm, a lock portion provided on the lock arm that engages with the mating component when in the fitting position, and an operation portion provided on the lock arm for applying an external force to bend the lock arm when releasing the engagement between the lock portion and the mating component, The fitting guarantee component includes When the housing is not in the fitting position, it interferes with the locking portion and cannot be arranged at a predetermined target mounting position. When the housing is in the fitting position, interference with the locking portion is avoided and it can be arranged at the target mounting position. Thus, it is configured to be able to detect whether the housing is in the fitting position, and when the fitting guarantee component is arranged at the target mounting position, it abuts against the operation portion in the bending direction of the lock arm. It is a connector.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the connector of the present invention, when the housing of the connector is in a fitting position where it is fitted to a mating component (for example, a mating connector, a connector mounting port of a mating device, etc.), the fitting guarantee component (that is, CPA) is arranged at a predetermined target mounting position, and when the fitting guarantee component is arranged at the target mounting position, the fitting guarantee component abuts against the operation portion (so-called finger contact portion) of the lock arm in the bending direction of the lock arm. Thereby, even when an external force such as vibration acts on the connector, the displacement (so-called misalignment) of the fitting guarantee component in the bending direction is suppressed by the operation portion that abuts against the fitting guarantee component. Therefore, generation of contact noise can be reduced compared to conventional connectors. Furthermore, since the operation portion is provided on the lock arm, it can be elastically displaced in the bending direction of the lock arm. Therefore, compared to the case where the fitting guarantee component abuts against a member (for example, a wall portion of the housing, etc.) for which displacement is not assumed in the design, an excessive external force (that is, insertion force) is not required when arranging the fitting guarantee component at the target mounting position. Therefore, the connector of the present invention can achieve both easy mounting of the fitting guarantee component to the housing and suppression of unintentional displacement of the fitting guarantee component.

[0010] Furthermore, as another effect, when the operation part of the lock arm comes into contact with the fitting guarantee part, not only the displacement of the fitting guarantee part but also the displacement of the operation part is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation where the operation part is displaced unintentionally and the engagement margin between the locking part and the mating part becomes small. That is, it is possible to suppress the so-called engagement force from becoming small. Therefore, according to the connector of the present invention, the fitting state between the connector and the mating part can be properly maintained.

[0011] As described above, the present invention has been briefly described. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the connector 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The connector 1 (see FIG. 1) is a female connector connected to the electric wire 3. The mating connector 2 (see FIG. 1) is a male connector connected to the electric wire 4. The female housing 5 of the connector 1 (see FIG. 1) can be fitted with the male housing 11 of the mating connector 2 (see FIG. 1) as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, etc. Note that the female housing 5 corresponds to the "housing" in the present invention, and the male housing 11 corresponds to the "mating component" in the present invention. In this example, the connector 1 will be fitted to the mating connector 2, but the connector 1 may be fitted to other mating components (for example, the connector attachment port of the mating device, etc.).

[0014] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1 etc., "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" are defined. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "upper-lower direction" are orthogonal to each other. The front-rear direction coincides with the fitting direction between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2. For the connector 1, the front side in the fitting direction where the mating connector 2 is fitted is defined as the front side, and the opposite rear side in the fitting direction is defined as the rear side.

[0015] When the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are fitted, the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 reach a completely fitted state (see FIG. 6) through a state where the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are in the middle of fitting (see FIG. 5). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the former state is referred to as the "unfitted state", and the latter state is referred to as the "fitted state".

[0016] First, the connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 1 includes a female housing 5, a terminal module 6 housed in the female housing 5, a fitting guarantee part 7 provided movably in the front-rear direction on the upper part of the female housing 5, a packing 8 for closing the gap between the electric wire 3 extending from the terminal module 6 and the female housing 5, and a cover 9 provided on the female housing 5 so as to cover the rear end surface of the packing 8. Hereinafter, the configurations of the respective components constituting the connector 1 will be described in order. In the following, the "fitting guarantee part" will be abbreviated as "CPA".

[0017] First, the female housing 5 will be described. The resin-made female housing 5 integrally includes a substantially square tube-shaped square tube part 21 and a substantially cylindrical tube part 22 located on the front side of the square tube part 21, and has a shape extending in the front-rear direction. The cylindrical part 22 of the female housing 5 is inserted into a fitting recess formed inside the hood part 61 (see FIG. 1) of the male housing 11 of the mating connector 2, so that the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are fitted together (see FIG. 6).

[0018] Inside the female housing 5, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, a terminal accommodation chamber 23 penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The terminal module 6 is accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 23. The terminal module 6 is a female terminal having a shape extending in the front-rear direction, and an electric wire 3 is connected to the rear end portion thereof so as to extend rearward. When the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are fitted together, a male terminal (not shown) accommodated in the male housing 11 and connected to the electric wire 4 (see FIG. 1) is inserted into the front end portion of the terminal accommodation chamber 23.

[0019] At both left and right ends in the lateral direction of the upper wall 24 of the female housing 5 (more specifically, the square tube portion 21), as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of ribs 25 that rise upward are integrally provided so as to extend in the front region of the square tube portion 21 and face each other in the lateral direction. The space sandwiched by the pair of ribs 25 functions as a space (so-called slide space) for accommodating the CPA 7 and guiding it in the front-rear direction. The pair of ribs 25 function to guide the CPA 7 that moves in the front-rear direction on the upper wall 24 of the square tube portion 21 in the front-rear direction. At the upper end portions of the front regions of the pair of ribs 25, a pair of protrusions 26 that project inward in the lateral direction and face each other in the lateral direction are integrally formed (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0020] On the upper part of the female housing 5 (more specifically, the cylindrical portion 22), as shown in FIG. 2, a lock mechanism 27 is provided. The lock mechanism 27 has a function of being able to switch between maintaining and releasing the fitting state between the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 by engaging with a locked hole 62 (see FIG. 1) provided on the upper part of the hood portion 61 of the male housing 11 of the mating connector 2.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the lock mechanism 27 has a pair of lock arms 28 that extend rearward in a cantilever shape at intervals in the lateral direction from the front end portion at the upper part of the cylindrical portion 22 of the female housing 5. The pair of lock arms 28 can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction and extend to a position above the front end portion of the upper wall 24 of the square tube portion 21 of the female housing 5.

[0022] On the pair of lock arms 28, a lock protrusion 29 that connects the middle portion in the front-rear direction in the lateral direction and an operation portion 31 that connects the tip portions (rear end portions) in the lateral direction are integrally formed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the operation portion 31 is composed of a pair of vertical wall portions 32 that project upward from the tip portions of the pair of lock arms 28 and a substantially rectangular flat top plate portion 33 that connects the pair of vertical wall portions 32 in the lateral direction. In the central portion in the lateral direction on the lower surface of the top plate portion 33, a concave portion 34 that is recessed upward and extends in the front-rear direction is formed. The effect of forming the concave portion 34 will be described later.

[0023] The operation unit 31 is located above the front end of the upper wall of the square tube portion 21, and the dimension of the operation unit 31 in the left - right direction is smaller than the left - right interval between the pair of protrusions 26. For this reason, along with the elastic deformation of the pair of lock arms 28 in the vertical direction, the operation unit 31 is movable in the vertical direction in the space between the pair of protrusions 26 provided on the pair of ribs 25.

[0024] The locked hole 62 of the male housing 11 is engaged with the lock protrusion 29 of the lock mechanism 27, thereby maintaining the fitting state of the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 (see Fig. 6). In this fitting state, by pushing the operation unit 31 downward, the lock protrusion 29 moves downward and the engagement between the lock protrusion 29 and the locked hole 62 is released, and the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 can be separated in the front - rear direction.

[0025] A pair of protrusions 35 protruding outward in the left - right direction are integrally formed at the tip portions of the pair of lock arms 28 (that is, the lower part of the operation unit 31) (see Fig. 3 etc.). When the pair of lock arms 28 elastically deform upward, the pair of protrusions 35 interfere with the pair of protrusions 26 in the vertical direction, thereby performing the function of suppressing the excessive deformation of the pair of lock arms 28 upward.

[0026] On the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends in the left - right direction of the rear end portion of the female housing 5, as shown in Fig. 2, a pair of left - right groove portions 36 are formed so as to be recessed inward in the left - right direction and extend forward from the rear end of the female housing 5. On the bottom surface of each groove portion 36, an engagement protrusion 37 protruding outward in the left - right direction is formed. A pair of engagement frame body portions 93 (described later) of the cover 9 are to be inserted into the pair of groove portions 36.

[0027] Next, CPA7 will be described. The resin-made CPA7 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is provided on the upper wall 24 of the square tube portion 21 of the female housing 5 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. CPA7 has a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped main body portion 41 extending in the front-rear direction. At the upper rear part of the main body portion 41, a CPA operation portion 42 that protrudes upward and extends in the left-right direction is provided. The left-right dimension of the main body portion 41 is smaller than the left-right interval between the pair of ribs 25. Therefore, the main body portion 41 can move in the front-rear direction within the space sandwiched by the pair of ribs 25 while being guided by the pair of ribs 25.

[0028] An arm portion 43 extending forward is integrally formed at the center in the left-right direction on the front surface of the main body portion 41. At the tip end portion (i.e., the front end portion) of the arm portion 43, a protrusion 44 that engages with the lock protrusion 29 of the lock mechanism 27 is formed so as to protrude upward. The left-right dimension of the arm portion 43 is smaller than the left-right dimension of the main body portion 41. A flat plate-shaped protrusion portion 45 that protrudes upward and extends forward from the CPA operation portion 42 is formed at the center in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the main body portion 41. The upper end surface of the protrusion portion 45 extending in the front-rear direction is a convex portion 45a having a convex shape protruding upward (see FIGS. 4 and 8). The effect of forming the protrusion portion 45 will be described later.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, in the un-fitted state before the fitting of the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 (the state of the connector 1 alone), the CPA 7 is arranged at the initial position shown in Fig. 5 on the upper wall 24 of the square tube portion 21 of the female housing 5. Then, within the space sandwiched by the pair of ribs 25 of the female housing 5, while guiding the CPA 7 (its main body portion 41) by the pair of ribs 25, by pressing the CPA operation portion 42 forward, the CPA 7 is moved forward. The forward movement of the CPA 7 continues until the protrusion 44 located at the tip of the arm portion 43 of the CPA 7 engages with the rear surface of the locking protrusion 29 of the locking mechanism 27 of the female housing 5. When the protrusion 44 of the CPA 7 engages with the rear surface of the locking protrusion 29 of the female housing 5, the CPA 7 cannot move forward from that position. That is, in the un-fitted state, the CPA 7 cannot move to the target mounting position shown in Fig. 6 (see Fig. 6).

[0030] Next, the packing 8 and the cover 9 will be described. The rubber packing 8 is a member arranged in the gap between the outer surface of the electric wire 3 extending from the terminal module 6 and the inner surface of the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 of the female housing 5, and exhibits a water-stopping function of blocking the gap to prevent water from entering the terminal accommodation chamber 23 from the outside. As shown in Fig. 2, the packing 8 has a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, and at its rear end portion, it has an annular flange portion 8a protruding radially outward. The outer peripheral shape of the packing 8 corresponds to the shape of the inner surface of the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23, and the inner peripheral shape of the packing 8 corresponds to the shape of the outer surface of the electric wire 3.

[0031] The resin cover 9 is a member assembled to the rear end portion of the female housing 5 so as to cover the rear end surface of the packing 8, and exhibits a function of suppressing the dropping (separation) of the packing 8 from the female housing 5 and suppressing the displacement of the electric wire 3 extending from the terminal module 6. As shown in Fig. 2, the cover 9 has a flat plate-shaped lid wall portion 91 arranged so as to block the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 of the female housing 5. The outer peripheral shape of the lid wall portion 91 corresponds to the shape of the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 of the female housing 5.

[0032] In the central portion of the lid wall portion 91, a through hole 92 through which the electric wire 3 extending in the front-rear direction is inserted is formed. At both left and right ends of the lid wall portion 91 in the left-right direction, a pair of left and right engaging frame portions 93 are integrally formed so as to project forward. Each engaging frame portion 93 is elastically deformable in the left-right direction. On the outer peripheral edge of the lid wall portion 91 located above and below the pair of engaging frame portions 93, a peripheral wall 94 is integrally formed so as to project forward and extend along the outer peripheral edge of the lid wall portion 91.

[0033] The packing 8 and the cover 9 are assembled to the female housing 5 as follows. First, one end portion of the electric wire 3 is inserted through the through hole 92 of the cover 9 and the through hole of the packing 8. Next, one end portion of the electric wire 3 is connected to the rear end portion of the terminal module 6. Next, the terminal module 6 to which the electric wire 3 is connected is accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 23 of the female housing 5 from the rear side through the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 of the female housing 5. Next, the packing 8 inserted through the electric wire 3 is disposed in the gap between the inner side surface of the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 and the outer side surface of the electric wire 3 in a state where the flange portion 8a abuts against the rear end surface of the female housing 5 through the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 of the female housing 5 (see also FIGS. 5 and 6). Thereby, the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the packing 8 are in close contact with the inner side surface of the rear end opening of the terminal accommodation chamber 23 and the outer side surface of the electric wire 3, respectively, so that the water-stopping function of the packing 8 described above is exhibited.

[0034] Next, the cover 9 inserted into the electric wire 3 is attached to the rear end portion of the female housing 5. In a state where the cover 9 is completely attached to the rear end portion of the female housing 5, a pair of engaging frame portions 93 of the cover 9 are inserted into a pair of groove portions 36 of the female housing 5, and the hole edges at the front end portions of the pair of engaging frame portions 93 are engaged with a pair of engaging protrusions 37. Also, the peripheral wall 94 of the cover 9 engages with the rear end portion of the female housing 5 in such a manner as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the rear end portion of the female housing 5 or to be received in a receiving groove (not shown) formed on the rear end surface of the female housing 5. By the engagement between the hole edges of the pair of engaging frame portions 93 and the pair of engaging protrusions 37, the cover 9 (and thus the packing 8) is prevented from falling off (separating) from the female housing 5. Further, in this example, the upper peripheral wall 94 of the cover 9 is arranged so as to cover the rear end portion of the upper wall 24 of the female housing 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 5), thereby preventing the CPA7 arranged on the upper wall 24 of the female housing 5 from moving (falling off) rearward (see FIG. 5). Furthermore, even when an external force in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the electric wire 3 acts on the electric wire 3 extending outside the female housing 5 through the through hole 92 of the cover 9, the displacement of the electric wire 3 is suppressed by the hole wall of the through hole 92. As a result, the deformation of the packing 8 due to the displacement of the electric wire 3 is suppressed, so that the above-described decrease in the water-stopping function of the packing 8 due to the deformation of the packing 8 is suppressed. The connector 1 has been described above.

[0035] Next, the fitting operation between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 will be described. The connector 1 connected to the electric wire 3 and with the CPA7 locked in the initial position is fitted to the mating connector 2 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This fitting operation is performed such that the cylindrical portion 22 of the female housing 5 is inserted into the fitting recess within the hood portion 61 of the male housing 11, and the terminal module 6 (female terminal) housed in the female housing 5 and connected to the electric wire 3 is connected to the male terminal housed in the male housing 11 and connected to the electric wire 4. This fitting operation is continued until the locked hole 62 of the male housing 11 engages with the locking protrusion 29 of the locking mechanism 27 of the female housing 5.

[0036] The hole edge of the locked hole 62 gets over the upper part of the locking projection 29 of the locking mechanism 27 that is temporarily elastically deformed downward by the pressing force from the hole edge of the locked hole 62, and moves to the rear side of the locking projection 29 of the locking mechanism 27 after elastic recovery, so that the locked hole 62 and the locking projection 29 are engaged (see Fig. 6). Thereby, the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are maintained in a fitted state.

[0037] Furthermore, when the hole edge of the locked hole 62 moves to the rear side of the locking projection 29, the hole edge of the locked hole 62 pushes down the projection 44 of the CPA 7 located at the rear side of the locking projection 29, so that the arm portion 43 of the CPA 7 is elastically deformed downward, and the engagement between the projection 44 and the locking projection 29 is released. That is, the CPA 7 becomes movable to the forward target mounting position (see Fig. 6). And by pushing the CPA 7 (the CPA operation portion 42 thereof) forward in this state, while maintaining the state where the arm portion 43 is elastically deformed downward, the CPA 7 moves to the target mounting position shown in Fig. 6. When the CPA 7 reaches the target mounting position, the projection 44 gets over the lower part of the locking projection 29, and the arm portion 43 elastically recovers, so that the projection 44 moves to the front side of the locking projection 29. Thereby, the CPA 7 is locked at the target mounting position.

[0038] When the CPA 7 moves from the initial position to the target mounting position, the convex portion 45a which is the upper end surface of the projection portion 45 provided on the CPA 7 slightly pushes back the concave portion 34 provided on the lower surface of the top plate portion 33 of the operation portion 31 of the locking mechanism 27 upward and slides with the concave portion 34, and proceeds forward (see Figs. 6 to 8). In the state where the CPA 7 is at the target mounting position, due to the elastic restoring force of the locking arm 28 elastically deformed slightly upward, the state where the concave portion 34 and the convex portion 45a are in pressing contact (that is, the state where the CPA 7 is clamped vertically by the operation portion 31 and the upper wall 24 of the female housing 5) is maintained. Thereby, even when an external force such as vibration acts on the connector 1, the displacement of the CPA 7 in the vertical direction with respect to the female housing 5 is suppressed by the operation portion 31 in pressing contact with the CPA 7.

[0039] Furthermore, the operation portion 31 provided on the lock arm 28 is elastically displaceable in the deflection direction of the lock arm 28 (i.e., the vertical direction). Therefore, the sliding frictional force when the CPA 7 pushes back and slides the operation portion 31 is smaller than when the mating member that the CPA 7 slides against is a member that cannot be displaced in the vertical direction. Thus, when pushing the CPA 7 in the initial position forward toward the target mounting position, an excessive external force (insertion force) is not required. Since the convex portion 45a of the protrusion 45 contacts the operation portion 31, the contact area between the CPA 7 and the operation portion 31 can be reduced, and thus the insertion force of the CPA 7 can be further reduced.

[0040] In addition, when the CPA 7 is in the target mounting position, the concave portion 34 of the operation portion 31 and the convex portion 45a of the protrusion 45 are in pressing contact. As a result, not only the displacement of the CPA 7 in the vertical direction but also the displacement of the CPA 7 in the horizontal direction is suppressed because the concave portion 34 and the convex portion 45a engage with each other in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the positional deviation of the CPA 7 with respect to the female housing 5 can be more strongly suppressed.

[0041] When the CPA 7 is in the target mounting position, the CPA 7 functions to ensure that the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are in a fitted state. Further, when the CPA 7 is in the target mounting position, as shown in FIG. 6, since the protrusion 45 of the CPA 7 contacts the operation portion 31 of the locking mechanism 27, the operation portion 31 cannot move downward. Thereby, it is suppressed that the operation portion 31 unintentionally moves downward and the engagement margin between the lock protrusion 29 and the locked hole 62 becomes smaller. That is, it is suppressed that the so-called engagement force becomes smaller. In this way, the CPA 7 also functions to prevent the release of the engagement between the lock protrusion 29 and the locked hole 62 due to the downward elastic deformation of the locking mechanism 27 (so-called double locking function).

[0042] On one hand, when the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are in an un-fitted state, the hole edge of the locked hole 62 of the male housing 11 does not push the protrusion 44 of the CPA 7 downward, so that the engagement between the protrusion 44 and the locking protrusion 29 is not released. Therefore, the CPA 7 cannot move to the target mounting position. In this way, since the CPA 7 cannot move to the target mounting position, the un-fitted state between the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 can be easily detected. The fitting operation between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 has been described above.

[0043] In the fitted state of the female housing 5 and the male housing 11, the terminal module 6 housed in the female housing 5 and the male terminals housed in the male housing 11 are electrically connected. Thereby, the electric wire 3 connected to the terminal module 6 and extending from the female housing 5 and the electric wire 4 connected to the male terminal and extending from the male housing 11 are electrically connected.

[0044] Next, for maintenance or the like, the operation when separating the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 from the state shown in FIG. 6 (the state where the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 are in a fitted state and the CPA 7 is in the target mounting position) will be described.

[0045] To separate the female housing 5 and the male housing 11, first, by pulling the CPA operation part 42 of the CPA 7 backward, the CPA 7 is returned from the target mounting position to the initial position. Next, the operation part 31 of the locking mechanism 27 is pushed downward toward the space sandwiched by the pair of ribs 25. As a result, the locking protrusion 29 of the locking mechanism 27 elastically deformed downward moves downward. As a result, the engagement between the locking protrusion 29 and the locked hole 62 is released, and the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 can be separated in the front-rear direction, so that the female housing 5 and the male housing 11 can be separated.

[0046] <Function and Effect> According to the connector 1 according to the present embodiment described above, when the connector 1 is in a mated state with the mating connector 2, the mating assurance part (CPA) 7 is disposed at the target mounting position, and when the CPA 7 is disposed at the target mounting position, a state in which the CPA 7 abuts against the operation part 31 of the lock arm 28 is maintained in the bending direction of the lock arm 28. Thereby, even when an external force such as vibration acts on the connector 1 in the mated state, displacement of the CPA 7 in the bending direction is suppressed by the operation part 31 that abuts against the CPA 7. Therefore, generation of contact noise (in other words, abnormal noise) can be reduced as compared with conventional connectors. Further, since the operation part 31 is provided on the lock arm 28, it can be elastically displaced in the bending direction of the lock arm 28. Therefore, when the CPA 7 is disposed at the target mounting position, an excessive external force (insertion force) is not required as compared with the case where the operation part is a member that cannot be displaced. Therefore, the connector 1 according to the present embodiment can achieve both easy mounting of the CPA 7 to the female housing 5 and suppression of displacement of the CPA 7.

[0047] Furthermore, when the CPA 7 is disposed at the target mounting position, the protrusion 45 provided on the CPA 7 abuts against the operation part 31. Thereby, since the contact area between the CPA 7 and the operation part 31 can be reduced, the insertion force of the CPA 7 can be further reduced. Note that even when the protrusion 45 of the CPA 7 abuts against the operation part 31, the effect of suppressing the displacement of the CPA 7 is not impaired.

[0048] Furthermore, at the contact portion where the CPA 7 and the operation part 31 abut, the convex part 45a of the CPA 7 fits into the concave part 34 of the operation part 31. Thereby, not only the displacement of the CPA 7 in the bending direction of the lock arm 28 but also the displacement of the CPA 7 in a direction different from the bending direction (vertical direction) of the lock arm 28 (for example, the left-right direction in which the inner surface of the concave part 34 and the convex part 45a engage with each other) is suppressed. Therefore, displacement of the CPA 7 can be suppressed more powerfully.

[0049] <Other aspects> Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0050] For example, in the above-described embodiment, at the contact portion where the CPA7 and the operation unit 31 come into contact, the convex portion 45a of the CPA7 fits into the concave portion 34 of the operation unit 31, and the convex portion 45a abuts against the concave portion 34. On the other hand, at the contact portion where the CPA7 and the operation unit 31 come into contact, the convex portion of the operation unit 31 may fit into the concave portion of the CPA7, and the convex portion may abut against the concave portion.

[0051] Here, the features of the embodiments of the connector 1 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in [1] to [3] below.

[0052] [1] A connector (1) comprising a housing (5) to be fitted to a mating component (11), and a fitting assurance component (7) that is mounted on the housing (5) and can detect whether the housing (5) is in a fitted position where it is fitted to the mating component (11), The housing (5) has a cantilever-shaped lock arm (28), a lock portion (29) provided on the lock arm (28) and engaging with the mating component (11) when in the fitted position, and an operation portion (31) provided on the lock arm (28) for applying an external force to bend the lock arm (28) when releasing the engagement between the lock portion (29) and the mating component (11), The fitting assurance component (7) has When the housing (5) is not in the fitting position, it interferes with the locking portion (29) and cannot be arranged at a predetermined target mounting position. When the housing (5) is in the fitting position, interference with the locking portion (29) is avoided and it can be arranged at the target mounting position. Thus, it is configured to be able to detect whether the housing (5) is in the fitting position. When the fitting guarantee component (7) is arranged at the target mounting position, it abuts against the operation portion (31) in the bending direction of the lock arm. Connector (1).

[0053] According to the connector having the configuration of [1] above, when the housing of the connector is in the fitting position where it is fitted to a mating component (for example, a mating connector or a connector mounting port of a mating device), the fitting guarantee component (i.e., CPA) is arranged at a predetermined target mounting position. When the fitting guarantee component is arranged at the target mounting position, a state where the fitting guarantee component abuts against the operation portion (so-called finger contact portion) of the lock arm in the bending direction of the lock arm is maintained. Thereby, even when an external force such as vibration acts on the connector, displacement of the fitting guarantee component in the bending direction (so-called misalignment) is suppressed by the operation portion that abuts against the fitting guarantee component. Therefore, generation of contact noise can be reduced compared to conventional connectors. Furthermore, since the operation portion is provided on the lock arm, it can be elastically displaced in the bending direction of the lock arm. Therefore, compared to the case where the fitting guarantee component abuts against a member (for example, the wall portion of the housing) that is not assumed to be displaced in the design, an excessive external force (i.e., insertion force) is not required when arranging the fitting guarantee component at the target mounting position. Therefore, the connector of this configuration can achieve both easy mounting of the fitting guarantee component to the housing and suppression of unintentional displacement of the fitting guarantee component.

[0054] Furthermore, as another effect, since the state where the operation part of the lock arm and the fitting guarantee part are in contact with each other is maintained, not only the displacement of the fitting guarantee part but also the displacement of the operation part is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation where the operation part is displaced unintentionally and the engagement margin between the locking part and the mating part becomes small. That is, it is possible to suppress the so-called engagement force from becoming small. Therefore, according to the connector of this configuration, the fitting state between the connector and the mating part can be properly maintained.

[0055] [2] In the connector (1) described in the above [1], The fitting guarantee part (7) is has a protrusion part (45) having a shape that protrudes toward the operation part (31) when the fitting guarantee part (7) is arranged at the target mounting position, The protrusion part (45) is in contact with the operation part (31) when the fitting guarantee part (7) is arranged at the target mounting position, Connector (1).

[0056] According to the connector having the configuration of the above [2], when the fitting guarantee part is arranged at the target mounting position, the state where the protrusion part provided on the fitting guarantee part is in contact with the operation part is maintained. Thereby, since the contact area between the fitting guarantee part and the operation part can be reduced, the insertion force of the fitting guarantee part can be further reduced. As understood from the above description, even when the protrusion part of the fitting guarantee part is in contact with the operation part, the effect of suppressing the displacement of the fitting guarantee part is not impaired.

[0057] [3] In the connector (1) described in the above [1], At the contact portion where the fitting guarantee part (7) and the operation part (31) are in contact, a convex part (45a) of one of the fitting guarantee part (7) and the operation part (31) fits into a concave part (34) of the other, Connector (1).

[0058] According to the connector having the configuration of [3] above, at the contact location where the fitting guarantee component and the operation part come into contact, the convex part of one of the fitting guarantee component and the operation part fits into the concave part of the other. As a result, not only the displacement of the fitting guarantee component in the bending direction of the lock arm but also the displacement of the fitting guarantee component in a direction different from the bending direction of the lock arm (for example, the direction in which the inner surface of the concave part and the outer surface of the convex part engage with each other) is suppressed. Therefore, the positional deviation of the fitting guarantee component can be suppressed more powerfully.

Explanation of symbols

[0059] 1 Connector 5 Female housing (housing) 7 CPA (fitting guarantee component) 11 Male housing (counterpart component) 28 Lock arm 29 Lock protrusion (locking part) 31 Operation part 34 Concave part 45 Protrusion part 45a Convex part

Claims

1. A connector comprising a housing to be fitted to a mating component, and a fitting assurance component that is mounted on the housing and can detect whether the housing is in a fitting position where the housing is fitted to the mating component, wherein the housing has a cantilevered lock arm, a lock portion provided on the lock arm and engaging with the mating component when in the fitting position, and an operation portion provided on the lock arm for applying an external force to deflect the lock arm when releasing the engagement between the lock portion and the mating component, and the fitting assurance component is configured such that when the housing is not in the fitting position, it interferes with the lock portion and cannot be arranged at a predetermined target mounting position, and when the housing is in the fitting position, interference with the lock portion is avoided and it can be arranged at the target mounting position, thereby being able to detect whether the housing is in the fitting position. Further, when the fitting assurance component is arranged at the target mounting position, it abuts against the operation portion in the deflection direction of the lock arm, a connector.

2. In the connector according to Claim 1, the fitting assurance component has a protrusion having a shape protruding toward the operation portion when the fitting assurance component is arranged at the target mounting position, wherein the protrusion abuts against the operation portion when the fitting assurance component is arranged at the target mounting position, a connector.

3. In the connector according to Claim 1, at the contact location where the fitting assurance component and the operation portion abut, a convex portion of one of the fitting assurance component and the operation portion fits into a concave portion of the other, a connector.

Images