Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of increasing a reaction force of a lock arm at the time of fitting and improving a lock feeling.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises a first connector 20 and a second connector 60 that can be fitted to each other. The first connector 20 has a lock arm 28 that extends in a front-rear direction and is elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction with a front end part 31 as a fulcrum. The second connector 60 has: a lock part 67 that is engaged with the lock arm 28; and a contact part 73 that contacts a rear end part 34 of the lock arm 28 that is located rearward of the lock part 67 and elastically deforms in the process of fitting the first connector 20 and the second connector 60, and suppresses the rear end part 34 from being displaced in the elastic deformation direction of the lock arm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector and a mating connector that can be mated (joined) with each other. The connector has a housing main body that can accommodate terminals, and a locking arm that protrudes from the housing main body and extends rearward (in the opposite direction to the mating direction of the connector with the mating connector). The locking arm elastically deforms around a connecting part that is connected to the housing main body as a fulcrum during the mating process of the connectors, and elastically returns to its original position when mating is complete, so that it is locked by a locking claw of the mating connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-201259 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To achieve a "locked feeling"—the recognition that the lock arm has been locked by its elastic return when the connector and the mating connector are fully mated—it is desirable to increase the amount of deflection of the lock arm and set the lock arm so that its elastic return speed is fast. For example, in Patent Document 1, the lock arm can be changed from a cantilevered beam shape to a doubly supported beam shape, thereby adjusting the elastic force of the lock arm, thereby improving the locking feeling. However, in Patent Document 1, if the lock arm were to be changed to a doubly supported beam shape, there is a concern that the mating resistance of the connector would increase, resulting in a deterioration in the workability of mating the connectors. Also, there may be circumstances in which the shape of a female housing with an existing lock arm cannot be changed.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that can increase the reaction force of the locking arm during mating and improve the locking feeling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a connector comprising a first connector and a second connector that can be mated with each other, wherein when the mating direction of the first connector relative to the second connector is defined as the forward direction and the opposite direction as the rearward direction, the first connector has a lock arm that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the front-to-rear direction with its front end as a fulcrum, and the second connector has a lock portion that engages with the lock arm and an abutment portion that is located rearward of the lock portion and comes into contact with the rear end of the lock arm, which elastically deforms during the mating process of the first connector and the second connector, and prevents the rear end from displacing from the contact position in the elastic deformation direction of the lock arm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector that can increase the reaction force of the locking arm during mating and improve the locking feeling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the rear end of a lock arm comes into contact with an abutment portion in the process of fitting a first connector and a second connector in the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the first connector and the second connector are mated in the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear view showing the structure of the upper end sides of the first connector and the second connector in the mated state in the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first housing in the connector of the first embodiment, seen obliquely from above and in front. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a plan view of the first housing seen from above in the connector of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second housing in the connector of the first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from above and behind. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a rear view of the second housing seen from the rear in the connector of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A connector is provided with a first connector and a second connector that can be mated with each other, and when the mating direction of the first connector relative to the second connector is defined as the forward direction and the opposite direction as the rearward direction, the first connector has a lock arm that extends in the fore-and-aft direction and is elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the fore-and-aft direction with its front end as a fulcrum, and the second connector has a lock portion that engages with the lock arm and an abutment portion that is located rearward of the lock portion and comes into contact with the rear end of the lock arm, which elastically deforms during the mating process of the first connector and the second connector, and prevents the rear end from displacing in the elastic deformation direction of the lock arm from the contact position.

[0010] During the mating process of the first connector and the second connector, the abutment portion of the second connector comes into contact with the rear end of the lock arm, suppressing displacement of the rear end of the lock arm, allowing the lock arm to elastically deform in a substantially doubly supported beam state supported by the abutment portion and the front end. This increases the reaction force of the lock arm when the first connector and the second connector are completely mated, improving the lock feeling. During the mating process between the first connector and the second connector, the locking arm elastically deforms like a cantilever with its front end as a fulcrum until the abutment portion of the second connector comes into contact with the rear end of the locking arm, preventing the mating resistance of the first connector from increasing. Also, because the abutment portion is included in the second connector, there is no need to change the design of the first connector, which has the locking arm.

[0011] (2) In the connector described in (1) above, it is preferable that the first connector has a housing body that accommodates a first terminal fitting, the front end of the locking arm is connected to the front end side of the housing body, and the rear end of the locking arm is located rearward of the housing body. According to the configuration (2) above, the overall length of the lock arm can be increased compared to when the rear end of the lock arm is positioned within the range of the housing main body in the front-to-rear direction, so the housing main body can be made smaller while ensuring a large amount of elastic deformation of the lock arm (the amount of elastic deformation of the lock arm in the vertical direction is twice that of the first embodiment described below).As a result, the locking feeling can be further improved.In particular, in the case of the configuration (2) above, the housing main body cannot contact the rear end of the lock arm, so there is a great advantage to forming an abutment portion on the second connector.

[0012] (3) In the connector described in (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the second connector has a mating portion that mates with the housing body, the locking portion is formed in the mating portion, the abutment portion is located rearward of the mating portion, the second connector has wall-like protrusions that protrude rearward from the mating portion and are arranged in pairs in a width direction that intersects both the direction in which the lock arm elastically deforms and the front-to-rear direction, and the protrusions arranged in pairs are located on both sides of the abutment portion in the width direction. Even if the contact portion protrudes rearward beyond the fitting portion, the protrusions are located on both sides of the contact portion in the width direction, making it less likely for the contact portion to interfere with foreign matter that tries to enter from both sides in the width direction. Note that the direction in which the lock arm elastically deforms corresponds to the up-down direction in the first embodiment.

[0013] (4) In the connector described in (3) above, the abutting portion may be integrally connected to each of the pair of protruding portions. Since the contact portion is connected to each of the pair of protrusions, the rigidity of the contact portion can be increased.

[0014] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, 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.

[0015] <Embodiment 1> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connector 10 of the first embodiment includes a first connector 20 and a second connector 60 that can be mated with each other. In the following description, the mating direction of the first connector 20 with the second connector 60 is referred to as the front, and the opposite direction is referred to as the rear. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in each figure except for Figure 5. The up-down direction is synonymous with the height direction. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction when viewed from the front. The left-right direction is synonymous with the width direction. In each figure, the symbol X represents the front, the symbol Y represents the right, and the symbol Z represents the top. The references for these directions do not necessarily coincide with the references for directions when the connector 10 is mounted on a vehicle or the like (not shown).

[0016] (first connector 20) The first connector 20 has a first housing 21 made of synthetic resin and a first terminal fitting 50 made of conductive metal. As shown in Fig. 2, the first terminal fitting 50 is a so-called female terminal and has a cylindrical box portion 51 at its front end. A tab 91 of a second terminal fitting 90 (described later) is inserted into the box portion 51. The tab 91 comes into contact with a resilient contact portion (not shown) inside the box portion 51, thereby electrically connecting the first terminal fitting 50 and the second terminal fitting 90. The rear end of the first terminal fitting 50 is crimped to an end portion of the electric wire W1, thereby electrically and mechanically connecting the first terminal fitting 50 and the second terminal fitting 90.

[0017] The first housing 21 has a housing main body 22 that accommodates the first terminal fittings 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the housing main body 22 has a rectangular outer shape and includes multiple first cavities 23 that penetrate the housing main body 22 in the front-rear direction. The first cavities 23 are arranged in multiple vertical rows and in multiple rows in the width direction in the housing main body 22. As shown in FIG. 2, an elastically deformable first lance 24 protrudes from the inner surface of each first cavity 23. The first terminal fittings 50 are inserted into the first cavity 23 from the rear. The first terminal fittings 50 are prevented from slipping out rearward from the first cavity 23 by being locked by the first lance 24. The first terminal fittings 50 also are prevented from slipping out forward from the first cavity 23 by contacting a stopper portion 39 protruding from the inner surface of the first cavity 23 from the rear.

[0018] 3 and 4, the first housing 21 has a pair of side portions 25 that stand upright from both left and right ends of the upper surface of the housing main body 22. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each side portion 25 extends in the front-rear direction beyond the formation area (front-rear length) of the housing main body 22. In the front-rear direction, the front end of each side portion 25 is flush with the front surface of the housing main body 22, and the rear end of each side portion 25 is located rearward of the rear surface of the housing main body 22. In other words, the rear end of each side portion 25 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the housing main body 22 in the front-rear direction.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 4, a portion near the rear end of each side portion 25 has a portion that is positioned one step higher than the adjacent portion in front of that portion, and has a pair of protruding portions 26 that protrude from that portion toward the left and right inner sides (toward the left and right center of the housing main body 22). As shown in Fig. 3, each protruding portion 26 faces each protrusion 35 of a lock arm 28 (described later) from above so as to be able to come into contact with it.

[0020] 4, the first housing 21 has a pair of left and right grooves 27 extending in the front-rear direction and open to the front and rear between the base side (lower end side) of each side portion 25 and the upper surface side of the housing main body 22. As shown in FIG. 3, when the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 are mated, abutment portions 73 (described later) of the second connector 60 are inserted into each groove 27.

[0021] 4 and 5, the first housing 21 has a lock arm 28 that is located above the center of the left and right sides of the top surface of the housing main body 22. The lock arm 28 is plate-shaped with its plate surface facing up and down, and has an arm main body 29 that extends in the front-rear direction.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, a front end 31 of the lock arm 28 (arm main body 29) is integrally connected to the upper surface of the housing main body 22. The front end 31 of the lock arm 28 is also integrally connected to each of the side portions 25 on both the left and right sides. The lock arm 28 is elastically deformable in the up and down direction with the front end 31 as a fulcrum. A through hole 32 that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction is formed in the front end 31 of the lock arm 28. The through hole 32 has a rectangular opening shape that is long in the left-to-right direction. The through hole 32 ensures that the lock arm 28 can easily deform elastically.

[0023] 4 and 5, the lock arm 28 has a lock protrusion 33 that protrudes from the front-to-rear center of the upper surface of the arm body 29. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lock protrusion 33 engages with a lock portion 67 (described later) of the second connector 60 when the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 are mated.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4 , the lock arm 28 has a pair of protrusions 35 that protrude outward to the left and right and protrude upward from a portion of the arm body 29 near the rear end 34. As shown in FIG. 5 , each protrusion 35 is positioned to overlap a corresponding protrusion 26 in the front-to-rear direction. When the arm body 29 elastically deforms upward, each protrusion 35 abuts against each protrusion 26, thereby suppressing excessive upward elastic deformation of the lock arm 28. Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the lock arm 28 has a beam-shaped release operation portion 36 that spans between the protrusions 35. The release operation portion 36 is positioned above the top surface of the arm body 29. When the first connector 20 and the second connector 60, which are in a mated state, are to be separated, the release operation portion 36 is pressed from above, and the portion of the arm body 29 near the rear end 34 is pressed downward. As a result, the locking projection 33 moves away from the locking portion 67, the locking arm 28 is released from the locking portion 67, and the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 become separable.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the lock arm 28, like each side portion 25, has a length in the front-to-rear direction that exceeds the area where the housing body 22 is formed. The rear end of the lock arm 28 is located rearward of the rear surface of the housing body 22. In other words, the rear end portion 34 of the lock arm 28 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the housing body 22 in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 5 , the rear end portion 34 of the lock arm 28 has a pair of extension portions 37 that protrude on both the left and right sides. The extension portions 37 cause the rear end portion 34 of the lock arm 28 to be wider, extending outward to the left and right than adjacent portions in front of the rear end portion 34 (portions located within the area where the housing body 22 is formed in the front-to-rear direction). The rear end portion 34 of the lock arm 28 is located between each side portion 25 and is covered on both the left and right sides by the rear ends of each side portion 25. 3, a flexure space 38 for the lock arm 28 is formed below each extension portion 37, and when the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 are mated, tip portions 75 of each abutment portion 73 (described later) of the second connector 60 are positioned in the flexure space 38. As shown in FIG. 5, the left and right outer ends of each extension portion 37 are close to the opposing side portion 25 with a gap between them.

[0026] (Second connector 60) The second connector 60 has a second housing 61 made of synthetic resin and a second terminal fitting 90 made of conductive metal. As shown in Fig. 2, the second terminal fitting 90 is a so-called male terminal and has a tab 91 that protrudes rearward. The front end of the second terminal fitting 90 is crimped to the end portion of the electric wire W2 and is electrically and mechanically connected to it.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the second housing 61 has a terminal accommodating portion 62 that accommodates the second terminal fitting 90, and a fitting portion 63 that is slightly larger than the terminal accommodating portion 62 and protrudes rearward.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal accommodating portion 62 has a plurality of second cavities 64 penetrating therethrough in the front-to-rear direction. Each second cavity 64 is disposed at a position corresponding to each first cavity 23 of the first housing 21. An elastically deformable second lance 65 is formed to protrude from the inner surface of each second cavity 64. A second terminal fitting 90 is inserted into the second cavity 64 from the front. A retainer 66 is attached to the terminal accommodating portion 62 from below. The second terminal fitting 90 is primarily locked by the second lance 65 and then secondarily locked by the retainer 66, thereby preventing the second terminal fitting 90 from slipping out of the second cavity 64 rearward.

[0029] Each fitting 63 is cylindrical and open to the rear. The tab 91 of each second terminal fitting 90 protrudes into the fitting 63. The second housing 61 is fitted into the fitting 63 from the rear, and the tab 91 of each second terminal fitting 90 is inserted into the box portion 51 of each first terminal fitting 50 to be electrically connected.

[0030] 2 and 6, a claw-shaped locking portion 67 is formed on the upper wall 69 of the mating portion 63. The locking portion 67 protrudes into the mating portion 63 from the left-right center portion on the rear end side of the inner surface of the upper wall 69. The locking portion 67 is positioned at a height where it interferes with the locking protrusion 33 of the locking arm 28 during the mating process of the first connector 20 and the second connector 60, and is locked against the locking protrusion 33 from behind when mating is complete.

[0031] As shown in Figure 7, one of the side walls 71 on both the left and right sides of the fitting portion 63 has a mounting portion 68 formed on one side wall 71 (the left side when viewed from the front, or the right side in Figure 7) that bulges outward. Also, a mounting portion 77 having a different shape from the mounting portion 68 is formed on a bottom wall 76 of the fitting portion 63. The second connector 60 is fixed to a vehicle (not shown) via brackets (not shown) attached to the mounting portions 68, 77.

[0032] 6, the second housing 61 has a pair of left and right wall-like protrusions 72 that protrude rearward from the upper portions (upper halves) of the side walls 71 on both the left and right sides of the fitting portion 63. Each protrusion 72 is a vertical wall with its wall surface facing the left-right direction, and is continuous with each side wall 71 (one side wall 71 excluding the mounting portion 68) in the left-right direction and has the same thickness. The upper end of each protrusion 72 is continuous with the upper surface of the upper wall 69 of the fitting portion 63 at the same height. The lower end of each protrusion 72 is inclined upward from the fitting portion 63 toward the rear.

[0033] The second housing 61 has abutment portions 73 that include a rear end portion located rearward of the fitting portion 63. The abutment portions 73 are provided in pairs on the left and right sides of the inner surfaces of each protrusion 72 and each side wall 71. The protrusions 72 and each side wall 71 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the abutment portion 73 so as to cover the abutment portion 73 from the outside on the left and right.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the abutment portion 73 has a rib shape extending in the front-rear direction across the inner surfaces of the side walls 71 and the protruding portion 72. Its rear end is connected to the rear end of the side walls 71, and its front end is connected to the rear surface (the front end of the side walls 71) of the terminal accommodating portion 62. As shown in FIG. 7, the protruding dimension of the abutment portion 73 in the left-right direction is greater than its thickness in the up-down direction. The thickness of the abutment portion 73 in the up-down direction is greater at the base end 74 (the portion connected to each side wall 71 and each protruding portion 72) than at the tip end 75 (the tip end protruding from the inner surface of each side wall 71 and each protruding portion 72). The upper surface of the base end 74 slopes downward toward the tip end 75. As shown in FIG. 3, the tip end 75 of the abutment portion 73 is positioned at a height that allows it to enter the deflection space 38 of the locking arm 28 in the up-down direction.

[0035] (Function of connector 10) When the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 are mated, the first housing 21 is inserted from the front into the mating portion 63 of the second housing 61. When the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 start to be mated, each abutting portion 73 is inserted into each groove portion 27 in a mated state. Each abutting portion 73 remains inserted into each groove portion 27 from the start of mating the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 until after mating (see FIG. 3).

[0036] As the mating of the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 progresses, the locking protrusion 33 of the locking arm 28 interferes with the locking portion 67 of the mating portion 63 from behind. This causes the locking arm 28 to elastically deform around the front end 31 as a fulcrum, displacing the rear end 34 of the locking arm 28 downward. As the mating progresses further, and the locking portion 67 rides up onto the upper surface of the locking protrusion 33 as shown in FIG. 1 , the rear end portions of the abutting portions 73 escape from the grooves 27 and reach the rear surface of the housing main body 22. Then, the expansion portions 37 of the rear end 34 of the elastically deforming locking arm 28 abut against the rear end portions of the tips 75 of the abutting portions 73 from above, preventing further downward displacement of the rear end 34 of the locking arm 28. As a result, the lock arm 28 is essentially supported at both the front and rear ends by the front end 31 and each abutment portion 73, essentially acting as a doubly supported beam, causing the portion of the arm body 29 between the lock protrusion 33 and the rear end 34 to undergo large downward elastic deformation.

[0037] Thereafter, the locking portion 67 climbs over the locking projection 33 and the locking arm 28 elastically returns, so that the locking portion 67 faces the locking projection 33 from behind in an engageable manner, and the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 are maintained in a mated state. The tab 91 of the second terminal fitting 90 is inserted to the correct depth into the box portion 51 of the first terminal fitting 50 and is electrically connected. When the locking arm 28 elastically returns, the rear end 34 of the locking arm 28 receives a reaction force from the abutment portion 73 and is separated from it. This improves the lock feeling, which is the feeling when the locking arm 28 elastically returns, and, for example, makes it possible to increase the mating sound emitted when the locking arm 28 elastically returns.

[0038] As described above, the connector 10 of the first embodiment includes a first connector 20 and a second connector 60 that are matable with each other. When the mating direction of the first connector 20 with the second connector 60 is defined as the forward direction and the opposite direction as the rearward direction, the first connector 20 has a lock arm 28 that extends in the front-to-rear direction and is elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the front-to-rear direction, with a front end 31 as a fulcrum. The second connector 60 has a lock portion 67 that engages with the lock arm 28, and an abutment portion 73 that is located rearward of the lock portion 67 and comes into contact with a rear end 34 of the lock arm 28 that elastically deforms during the mating process of the first connector 20 and the second connector 60, thereby suppressing displacement of the rear end 34.

[0039] According to the above configuration, during the mating process of the first connector 20 and the second connector 60, the abutting portion 73 of the second connector 60 comes into contact with the rear end portion 34 of the locking arm 28, and displacement of the rear end portion 34 of the locking arm 28 is suppressed, allowing the locking arm 28 to elastically deform in a substantially doubly supported beam state supported by the abutting portion 73 and the front end portion 31. Therefore, when the mating of the first connector 20 and the second connector 60 is complete, the locking arm 28 can elastically return with an increased reaction force, thereby improving the locking feeling.

[0040] During the mating process of the first connector 20 and the second connector 60, the locking arm 28 elastically deforms like a cantilever beam with the front end 31 as a fulcrum until the abutting portion 73 of the second connector 60 comes into contact with the rear end 34 of the locking arm 28, thereby preventing the mating resistance of the first connector 20 from increasing. Furthermore, because the abutting portion 73 is formed on the mating portion 63 of the second connector 60, there is no need to make major design changes to the shape of the first connector 20 side that has the locking arm 28, and the first connector 20 can be made smaller.

[0041] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the first connector 20 has a housing main body 22 that accommodates the first terminal fittings 50, the front end 31 of the lock arm 28 is connected to the front end side of the housing main body 22, and the rear end 34 of the lock arm 28 is located rearward of the housing main body 22. With this configuration, the overall length of the lock arm 28 can be increased compared to when the rear end 34 of the lock arm 28 is positioned within the formation range of the housing main body 22 in the front-to-rear direction, thereby enabling the housing main body 22 to be made more compact. In particular, since the housing main body 22 cannot contact the rear end 34 of the lock arm 28 and it is difficult to form the abutment portion 73 on the housing main body 22, there is a significant advantage to forming the abutment portion 73 on the fitting portion 63 of the second connector 60.

[0042] Furthermore, in the case of the first embodiment, the second connector 60 has a mating portion 63 that mates with the housing main body 22, and the locking portion 67 is formed in the mating portion 63. The abutting portion 73 is located rearward of the mating portion 63, and the second connector 60 has wall-like protruding portions 72 that protrude rearward from the mating portion 63 and are arranged in pairs in the width direction of the locking arm 28 (the left-right direction, a direction intersecting both the up-down direction and the front-rear direction, which are the elastic deformation directions of the locking arm 28). The protruding portions 72 arranged in pairs are located on both sides (left and right sides) of the abutting portion 73 in the width direction.

[0043] Even if the abutting portion 73 protrudes further rearward than the fitting portion 63, the protruding portions 72 are located on both sides of the abutting portion 73 in the width direction, so the abutting portion 73 is less likely to interfere with foreign matter that tries to enter from both sides in the width direction. Furthermore, since the abutting portion 73 is integrally connected to each of the protruding portions 72 arranged in pairs, the rigidity of the abutting portion 73 can be increased.

[0044] [Another embodiment of the present disclosure] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the first embodiment, the abutting portion is integrally connected to each of the side wall and the protruding portion. In contrast to this, in other embodiments, the abutting portion may be configured to be separated from the side wall and the protruding portion and to protrude independently into the interior of the mating portion, and may be inserted into a through-hole in the front end of the locking arm during the mating process of the first connector and the second connector, with the leading end side (rear end side) coming out rearward from the through-hole coming into contact with the rear end of the locking arm. In the first embodiment, the contact portion is a rib-like portion that extends from the side wall to the protrusion. In contrast, in other embodiments, the contact portion may be located in a position that allows it to come into contact with the rear end of the locking arm during the mating process of the first connector and the second connector. For example, the contact portion may be provided as a short portion that protrudes in the front-rear direction only from the inner surface of each protrusion. In the first embodiment, the front end of the lock arm is integrally connected to both the housing main body and each side portion. In contrast, in other embodiments, the front end of the lock arm may be connected to either the housing main body or each side portion at the front end of the housing main body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10...Connector 20...First connector 21...1st Housing 22...Housing body 23...First cavity 24...First Lance 25...Side 26…Protrusion 27...Groove 28...Lock arm 29...Arm body 31...Front end of lock arm 32...Through hole 33...Lock protrusion 34...Rear end of lock arm 35...Protrusion 36...Release operation section 37...Extension 38...Flexure space 39...Stopper part 50...First terminal fitting 51...Hakobe 60...Second connector 61...Second housing 62...Terminal housing 63...Mating part 64...Second cavity 65...Second Lance 66...Retainer 67...Rock Club 68,77...Attachment part 69...Upper wall of mating part 71...Side wall of fitting portion 72...Protrusion 73...Abutting part 74...Base end of contact part 75...Tip of contact part 76...Bottom wall of fitting part 90...Second terminal fitting 91...Tab W1,W2…Electric wire

Claims

1. a first connector and a second connector that are matable with each other; When the mating direction of the first connector with respect to the second connector is defined as the forward direction and the opposite direction is defined as the rearward direction, the first connector has a lock arm that extends in a front-rear direction and is elastically deformable in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction with a front end portion as a fulcrum; The second connector has a locking portion that engages with the locking arm, and an abutment portion that is located rearward of the locking portion and comes into contact with the rear end of the locking arm, which elastically deforms during the mating process of the first connector and the second connector, and prevents the rear end from displacing in the elastic deformation direction of the locking arm from the contact position.

2. 2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the first connector has a housing body that accommodates a first terminal fitting, the front end of the locking arm is connected to the front end side of the housing body, and the rear end of the locking arm is located rearward of the housing body.

3. the second connector has a fitting portion that fits with the housing body, The locking portion is formed on the fitting portion, the abutment portion is located rearward of the fitting portion, the second connector has wall-like protrusions that protrude rearward from the fitting portion and are arranged in pairs in a width direction that intersects both the direction in which the lock arm elastically deforms and the front-rear direction, The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the pair of protrusions are located on both sides of the abutting portion in the width direction.

4. The connector according to claim 3 , wherein the abutment portion is integrally connected to each of the paired projections.

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