Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector advantageous for being downsized.SOLUTION: A connector 1 connected to an external connector includes: a terminal 10 connected to a wire 100; an inner housing 20 housing a part of the terminal 10 and holding the same; and a cylindrical housing 30 housing at least a part of the inner housing 20 with a connection direction to the external connector as a through direction. The housing 30 has an engaging projection 33 in an inner wall part 31c. The terminal 10 has an engaging part 13 freely contactably facing at least a part of the engaging projection 33 in the connection direction in a part exposed outside the inner housing 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is a connector that includes an inner housing that accommodates and holds at least a portion of a terminal, and a housing that accommodates the inner housing. Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a connector that has a pair of spring locking protrusions on the upper and lower outer surfaces of the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing, and a pair of outer housing locking portions on both sides. According to this technology, the spring locking protrusions of the inner housing are assembled to the spring locking portions of the outer housing via springs, so that vibrations of the electric wire are less likely to be transmitted directly to the terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-103087 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, part of the locking structure for holding the inner housing to the outer housing is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing. Therefore, this locking structure can directly affect the size of the inner housing, and there is room for improvement in order to make the connector more compact.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector that is advantageous for miniaturization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a connector that is connected to an external connector, and includes a terminal connected to an electric wire, an inner housing that accommodates and holds a portion of the terminal, and a cylindrical housing that accommodates at least a portion of the inner housing and whose penetrating direction is the direction of connection to the external connector, wherein the housing has a locking protrusion on its inner wall, and the terminal has a locking portion in a portion exposed to the outside of the inner housing that faces at least a portion of the locking protrusion in the connection direction and is capable of freely abutting against the locking protrusion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a connector that is advantageous for miniaturization. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. [Figure 3A] FIG. [Figure 3B] FIG. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner housing viewed from a direction in which the front side of the inner housing is visible. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear side of the inner housing. [Figure 5] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector taken along line VV in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing as viewed in a direction that allows the front side to be seen. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a front view of the housing as viewed in a direction that allows the front side to be seen. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 9A] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion IXA in FIG. 2. [Figure 9B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the inner housing pulled along the connection direction. [Figure 10A]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the XA portion of FIG. 2. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the inner housing pushed in the direction opposite to the connecting direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A connector according to one embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of convenience and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector 1 taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. The cut surface in Fig. 2 is an imaginary plane including the approximate central axes of the first terminal accommodating portion 21 and the second terminal accommodating portion 22 in the inner housing 20.

[0011] Connector 1 is a high-voltage connector that can be used in drivetrain electrical components such as inverters, DC / DC converters, and chargers installed in electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles. Hereinafter, the object to which connector 1 is connected will be referred to as the "external connector," although this is not shown. The direction in which connector 1 connects to the external connector (hereinafter referred to as the "connection direction") corresponds to the Z direction in each drawing. Furthermore, along the connection direction, the side of connector 1 that connects to the external connector may be referred to as the "front," and the opposite side may be referred to as the "rear."

[0012] Furthermore, with regard to various directions, the plane perpendicular to the connection direction is defined as the XY plane. The X and Y directions are perpendicular to each other. Hereinafter, the direction along the X direction may be referred to as the "width direction" of the connector 1, and the direction along the Y direction may be referred to as the "height direction" of the connector 1.

[0013] In this embodiment, the connector 1 is an in-vehicle two-pole high-voltage connector that is connected to the ends of two electric wires 100, a first electric wire 100a and a second electric wire 100b. Each electric wire 100 has a core wire 101 that is a conductor and a coating 102 that is an insulator that covers the core wire 101. One end of the electric wire 100 is connected to an electrical component, and the other end of the electric wire 100 is connected to the connector 1. In addition, the coating 102 is removed from the end of each electric wire 100 that is connected to the connector 1, exposing the end portion 101a of the core wire 101. Note that the core wire 101 may actually be composed of multiple strands, but is simply depicted in FIG. 2 as a single conductor member.

[0014] The connector 1 includes a plurality of terminals 10, an inner housing 20, a housing 30, and a cover 40.

[0015] 3A is a perspective view of a first terminal 10a, which is one of the plurality of terminals 10. FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a second terminal 10b, which is another one of the plurality of terminals 10.

[0016] Each of the multiple terminals 10 is a female terminal made of metal and manufactured by machining a sheet metal material having a certain thickness. In this embodiment, there are two terminals 10: a first terminal 10a and a second terminal 10b. The first terminal 10a is attached to an end of the first electric wire 100a. The second terminal 10b is attached to an end of the second electric wire 100b. The first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b each have a connecting portion 11, a joint portion 12, and a locking portion 13. The first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b have locking portions 13 in different positions.

[0017] The connecting portion 11 is a cylindrical portion that allows a rod-shaped male terminal, serving as an external terminal of an external connector, to be freely inserted through a connecting port 11a. In order to stably maintain electrical continuity with the male terminal inserted inside, the connecting portion 11 may have a leaf spring portion 11b that presses a portion of the male terminal against an inner wall of the connecting portion 11. In this embodiment, the leaf spring portion 11b is a portion that is integrated with the connecting portion 11, but it may also be, for example, a leaf spring member that is separately prepared and installed inside the connecting portion 11 in advance.

[0018] The connection portion 11 also has a locking hole 11c that engages with a lance 26 provided on the inner wall of a first terminal accommodating portion 21 or a second terminal accommodating portion 22 of the inner housing 20, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the locking hole 11c is formed near the connection port 11a so as to penetrate one wall of the connection portion 11 in the height direction. The opening shape of the locking hole 11c desirably has an edge portion at part of the opening edge that is parallel to the XY plane and has a normal direction in the direction opposite to the connection direction.

[0019] The joint portion 12 is a flat portion that is continuous with the connecting portion 11 in the connection direction and that joins the terminal portion 101a of the core wire 101. If one axial end of the connecting portion 11 is an open end into which a male terminal is inserted, the joint portion 12 is integrated with the other axial end of the connecting portion 11. In this embodiment, the axial direction of the connecting portion 11 is along the connection direction. In this case, the joint portion 12 may be a flat portion that is parallel to both the connection direction and the width direction. For example, the planar shape of the joint portion 12 may be a substantially rectangular shape with two end sides aligned along the connection direction and the remaining two end sides aligned along the width direction. One surface of the joint portion 12 is a joining surface to which the terminal portion 101a is joined.

[0020] In this embodiment, the terminal portion 101a of the core wire 101 is joined to the joint portion 12 by ultrasonic joining. During ultrasonic joining, the direction from the terminal portion 101a on the joint portion 12 toward the main body of the electric wire 100 for each terminal 10 is opposite to the connection direction. In ultrasonic joining, the joint portion 12 together with the terminal portion 101a is clamped between a horn and anvil (not shown), and ultrasonic vibrations are applied from the horn to join the terminal portion 101a to the joint portion 12. The shape of the terminal portion 101a joined to the joint portion 12 is a flat plate that is approximately rectangular in plan view.

[0021] When the connector 1 is assembled, the locking portion 13 faces at least a portion of the locking protrusion 33 provided on the inner wall portion 31c of the housing 30 in the connection direction so as to be able to freely come into contact with at least a portion of the locking protrusion 33 provided on the inner wall portion 31c of the housing 30. The locking portion 13 is provided on a portion that is exposed to the outside of the inner housing 20 when the terminal 10 is held in the inner housing 20. In this embodiment, since at least the joint portion 12 is exposed to the outside of the inner housing 20 when the terminal 10 is held in the inner housing 20, the locking portion 13 is provided on the joint portion 12. The first locking portion 13a is the locking portion 13 provided on the joint portion 12 of the first terminal 10a. The second locking portion 13b is the locking portion 13 provided on the joint portion 12 of the second terminal 10b.

[0022] Here, the first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b are adjacent to each other in the width direction when held in the inner housing 20. Therefore, at the joint 12 of the first terminal 10a, a first end 12a on the side opposite to the side adjacent to the second terminal 10b in the width direction is adjacent to the inner wall 31c of the housing main body 31. Therefore, the first locking portion 13a may be provided on at least a part of the first end 12a. Meanwhile, at the joint 12 of the second terminal 10b, a second end 12b on the side opposite to the side adjacent to the first terminal 10a in the width direction is adjacent to the inner wall 31c of the housing main body 31. Therefore, the second locking portion 13b may be provided on at least a part of the second end 12b.

[0023] In this embodiment, the locking portion 13 is a piece that is partially bent with a crease along the connection direction. Specifically, the locking portion 13 has a shape that combines one flat plate portion that is integrated with the joint portion 12 so as to be flush with the joint portion 12 and the other flat plate portion that protrudes along the Y direction perpendicular to the XZ plane of the joint portion 12. In this case, the shape of the first locking portion 13a when viewed in the direction opposite to the connection direction and the shape of the second locking portion 13b when viewed in the connection direction are each approximately L-shaped.

[0024] Fig. 4A is a perspective view showing the front side of the inner housing 20. Fig. 4B is a perspective view showing the rear side of the inner housing 20.

[0025] The inner housing 20 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and is an insulating member that accommodates and holds a portion of each terminal 10 to protect the terminals 10. The inner housing 20 has a first terminal accommodating portion 21, a second terminal accommodating portion 22, a base portion 23, and an extending wall portion 25.

[0026] The first terminal accommodating portion 21 is a cylindrical portion that accommodates and holds at least a portion of the connecting portion 11 of the first terminal 10a along the connection direction. The second terminal accommodating portion 22 is a cylindrical portion that accommodates and holds at least a portion of the connecting portion 11 of the second terminal 10b along the connection direction. In other words, the inner housing 20 is provided with such terminal accommodating portions equal to the number of installed terminals 10.

[0027] The first terminal accommodating portion 21 and the second terminal accommodating portion 22 each accommodate the connecting portion 11 of each terminal 10 such that the axial direction of the connecting portion 11 of the terminal 10 is aligned with the connection direction. Specifically, in the first terminal accommodating portion 21, the connecting portion 11 of the first terminal 10a is accommodated in an internal space formed by the first inner wall portion 21b. In the second terminal accommodating portion 22, the connecting portion 11 of the second terminal 10b is accommodated in an internal space formed by the second inner wall portion 22b. The first terminal accommodating portion 21 has a first opening 21a at its tip that is continuous with the first inner wall portion 21b. The second terminal accommodating portion 22 has a second opening 22a at its tip that is continuous with the second inner wall portion 22b. The first opening 21a and the second opening 22a are each open in the connection direction and do not obstruct the insertion of a male terminal into the connecting portion 11 accommodated in the internal space of the first terminal accommodating portion 21 or the second terminal accommodating portion 22.

[0028] Furthermore, the first inner wall portion 21b and the second inner wall portion 22b are provided with lances 26 that engage with the locking holes 11c of the accommodated terminals 10. Here, the shapes and positions of the lances 26 provided on both the first inner wall portion 21b and the second inner wall portion 22b are the same, so the lance 26 provided on the first inner wall portion 21b will be described below as an example.

[0029] Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of connector 1 taken along line VV in Fig. 2. The cut surface in Fig. 5 is an imaginary plane set to pass through lance 26 provided in first inner wall portion 21b.

[0030] When the connecting portion 11 of the first terminal 10a is accommodated in the first terminal accommodating portion 21, the lance 26 engages with the locking hole 11c provided in the connecting portion 11, thereby holding the first terminal 10a in the first terminal accommodating portion 21. In this embodiment, the locking hole 11c is formed so as to penetrate one wall portion of the connecting portion 11 in the height direction near the connection opening 11a, as described above. In this case, the protrusion of the lance 26 is formed so as to protrude in the Y direction on the first inner wall portion 21b near the first opening 21a in order to engage with the locking hole 11c. By providing such a protrusion on an elastic piece portion that is part of the first terminal accommodating portion 21, the lance 26 as a whole is elastically deformable in a direction from the inside to the outside of the wall portion of the first terminal accommodating portion 21.

[0031] The protrusion of the lance 26 may have a shape including a vertical surface 26a and an inclined surface 26b. The vertical surface 26a is perpendicular to the first inner wall portion 21b and has the connection direction as its normal direction. When the connection portion 11 of the first terminal 10a is accommodated in the first terminal accommodating portion 21, the vertical surface 26a faces an edge of the locking hole 11c that is parallel to the XY plane and has a normal direction in the opposite direction to the connection direction. The inclined surface 26b is provided on the opposite side of the vertical surface 26a in the connection direction and is inclined relative to the first inner wall portion 21b so that its height continuously increases in the Y direction as it progresses in the connection direction.

[0032] The base portion 23 is a flange-shaped portion that supports the first terminal accommodating portion 21 and the second terminal accommodating portion 22. The base portion 23 supports the base ends of the first terminal accommodating portion 21 and the second terminal accommodating portion 22 on the front side in the connection direction. As shown in FIG. 4B , the internal space of the first terminal accommodating portion 21 opens in the direction opposite to the connection direction from a first insertion opening 21c provided on the rear surface side of the base portion 23. Similarly, the internal space of the second terminal accommodating portion 22 opens in the direction opposite to the connection direction from a second insertion opening 22c provided on the rear surface side of the base portion 23.

[0033] The extending wall portion 25 is a wall portion that extends in the direction opposite to the connection direction from the rear surface side of the base portion 23. In this embodiment, the base portion 23 supports the base end of the extending wall portion 25 between the first insertion opening 21c and the second insertion opening 22c on the rear surface. When the connector 1 is in an assembled state, the tip portion 25a of the extending wall portion 25 faces a part of the intermediate wall portion 32 provided on the housing 30 in the direction opposite to the connection direction so as to be able to abut freely.

[0034] For example, the extending wall portion 25 may be formed of a main flat plate parallel to the YZ plane. In this case, both edges of the extending wall portion 25 in the height direction may be set at the same positions as both ends of the base portion 23 in the height direction. In this case, the extending wall portion 25 may function as an insulating wall that separates a spatial region where the joint portion 12 of the first terminal 10a is present from a spatial region where the joint portion 12 of the second terminal 10b is present. Furthermore, the extending wall portion 25 may have ribs 25b on both edges in the height direction to ensure the strength of the extending wall portion 25. Each rib 25b may be formed of a flat plate parallel to the XZ plane and have a shape that protrudes in the X direction.

[0035] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the housing 30 as viewed in a direction that allows the front side to be seen. Fig. 7 is a front view of the housing 30 as viewed in a direction that allows the front side to be seen. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the housing 30 taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7. The cut surface in Fig. 8 is an imaginary plane that includes the central axes of the two through holes 32a of the intermediate wall portion 32 of the housing 30.

[0036] The housing 30 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and is an insulating member that protects the inner housing 20 by accommodating at least a portion of the inner housing 20. The housing 30 has a housing main body 31, an intermediate wall 32, a plurality of locking projections 33, and a plurality of locking claws 34.

[0037] The housing main body 31 is a cylindrical portion with the connection direction as the penetration direction. In this embodiment, the first terminal accommodating portion 21 and the second terminal accommodating portion 22 are arranged along the width direction of the inner housing 20. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the internal space of the housing main body 31 is an elongated hole whose width dimension is set longer than its height dimension.

[0038] One opening in the connection direction of the housing main body 31 is a connector opening 31a, which is an opening on the side to be connected to an external connector. The connector opening 31a exposes the tip ends of the first terminal accommodating portion 21 and the second terminal accommodating portion 22, which are located on the tip side of the inner housing 20. The housing main body 31 also has an annular groove 31e, near the connector opening 31a and in part of the outer wall portion 31d, into which the unit packing 50 is fitted. The other opening in the connection direction of the housing main body 31 is a routing opening 31b, through which each electric wire 100 is routed outside the connector 1.

[0039] The intermediate wall portion 32 is a flat portion that is provided on a part of the inner wall portion 31c of the housing main body 31 and is perpendicular to the connection direction. Specifically, the intermediate wall portion 32 is disposed so as to be located upstream in the connection direction of the inner housing 20 and each of the terminals 10 held by the inner housing 20 when the connector 1 is in an assembled state.

[0040] The intermediate wall portion 32 also has two through holes 32a shaped to allow the terminals 10 to pass through in the connection direction. One of the through holes 32a allows the first terminal 10a to pass through. The other through hole 32a allows the second terminal 10b to pass through. The opening shape of each of the through holes 32a is basically circular with a diameter similar to the outer diameter of the electric wire 100 so that the electric wire 100 can be passed through closely. However, in this embodiment, since each terminal 10 has a locking portion 13, each of the through holes 32a may have a notch 32c for passing the locking portion 13 when the terminal 10 is passed through.

[0041] Furthermore, the intermediate wall 32 has a protruding wall 32b that protrudes in the connection direction from the front surface side of the intermediate wall 32. After the connector 1 is assembled, when the tip end 25a of the extending wall 25 of the inner housing 20 abuts against the front surface of the housing 30, the protruding wall 32b faces and abuts against a part of the extending wall 25 in the width direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the intermediate wall 32 supports the base end of the protruding wall 32b between the two through holes 32a on the front surface.

[0042] For example, the intermediate wall portion 32 may be formed of a main flat plate parallel to the YZ plane. In this case, both edges of the intermediate wall portion 32 in the height direction are set at positions that do not interfere with the ribs 25b of the extending wall portion 25 when the extending wall portion 25 of the inner housing 20 approaches the intermediate wall portion 32 in the width direction.

[0043] The multiple locking protrusions 33 are provided on a portion of the inner wall 31c of the housing main body 31. Specifically, in this embodiment, there are two locking protrusions 33. One of the locking protrusions 33 is positioned downstream of the first locking portion 13a of the first terminal 10a in the connection direction when the connector 1 is assembled. At this time, the one locking protrusion 33 faces and abuts against at least a portion of the first locking portion 13a in the direction opposite to the connection direction. Similarly, the other locking protrusion 33 is positioned downstream of the second locking portion 13b of the second terminal 10b in the connection direction when the connector 1 is assembled. At this time, the other locking protrusion 33 faces and abuts against at least a portion of the second locking portion 13b in the direction opposite to the connection direction. In other words, each locking protrusion 33 is positioned downstream of the intermediate wall 32 in the connection direction within the housing main body 31. In this embodiment, the two locking projections 33 are located at intermediate positions in the height direction and face each other in the width direction inside the housing main body 31. In this embodiment, the shape of the locking projections 33 is a rectangular parallelepiped, for example, but is not particularly limited to this.

[0044] The plurality of locking claws 34 are provided on a portion of the outer wall 31d of the housing main body 31, and engage with cover locking holes 42 provided in the cover 40 when the cover 40 is attached to the housing 30. In this embodiment, there is a pair of locking claws 34, each of which is elastically deformable in opposite directions along the width direction.

[0045] The cover 40 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, and is an insulating member that protects the housing 30 by accommodating at least a portion of the housing 30. The cover 40 has a cover main body 41 and a plurality of cover locking holes 42.

[0046] The cover main body 41 is a cylindrical part with the connection direction as the penetration direction. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the internal space of the cover main body 41 is an elongated hole shape in which the width dimension is set longer than the height dimension to match the cross-sectional shape of the housing main body 31.

[0047] One opening in the connection direction of the cover body 41 is a front opening 41a, which is the opening on the side that is connected to an external connector. The front opening 41a exposes the front end of the housing 30, where the connector opening 31a is formed. The other opening in the connection direction of the cover body 41 is a rear opening 41b, which routes the electric wires 100 to the outside of the connector 1.

[0048] The plurality of cover locking holes 42 are each provided to penetrate a portion of the wall of the cover main body 41. When the cover 40 is attached to the housing 30, each cover locking hole 42 engages with a locking claw 34 provided on the housing main body 31, thereby preventing the cover 40 from falling off the housing 30. In this embodiment, since two locking claws 34 are provided on the housing main body 31, two cover locking holes 42 are provided on the cover main body 41 to align with the positions of the two locking claws 34.

[0049] The connector 1 also includes a unit packing 50 and a wire packing 51 as waterproof members that prevent moisture from entering the housing 30 from the outside.

[0050] The unit packing 50 is an annular elastic member that is tightly attached to the annular groove 31e of the housing body 31 in the housing 30. That is, when the external connector is connected to the connector 1, the unit packing 50 seals the gap between the outer wall 31d of the housing body 31 and the mating surface of the external connector.

[0051] The wire packing 51 is an elastic member in the shape of an elongated round plate that is closely attached inside the housing 30 upstream of the intermediate wall portion 32 in the connection direction. The wire packing 51 has two through holes 51a that allow the electric wires 100 to pass through individually while being in close contact with each other. In other words, the wire packing 51 seals the gap between the inner wall portion 31c of the housing main body 31 and each electric wire 100.

[0052] Furthermore, the connector 1 may include a rear holder 52 as a holding member for the wire packing 51. The rear holder 52 is made of synthetic resin and is attached inside the housing 30 upstream of the wire packing 51 in the connection direction in order to prevent the wire packing 51 from falling out from inside the housing 30. The rear holder 52 has two through holes 52a through which the electric wires 100 individually pass, and is an elongated flat member similar in shape to the wire packing 51. The rear holder 52 is supported by the housing main body 31 by at least a portion of it being inserted through the routing opening 31b of the housing main body 31 with the wire packing 51 sealing the gap between the inner wall portion 31c of the housing main body 31 and each electric wire 100.

[0053] Next, the assembly of the connector 1 will be described.

[0054] First, the terminal portion 101a of the corresponding electric wire 100 is ultrasonically joined to each of the joint portions 12 of the first terminal 10a and the second terminal 10b. Here, the first electric wire 100a and the second electric wire 100b have previously passed through the internal space of the cover 40, and also through the through-holes 51a of the corresponding wire packing 51 and the through-holes 52a of the corresponding rear holder 52.

[0055] Next, the first terminal 10a connected to the first electric wire 100a and the second terminal 10b connected to the second electric wire 100b are inserted into the housing main body 31 of the housing 30. At this time, each terminal 10 is inserted from the wiring opening 31b into the housing main body 31 along the connection direction, with the connection portion 11 at the front. Subsequently, each terminal 10 passes through the corresponding through hole 32a of the intermediate wall portion 32, and is ultimately disposed downstream of the intermediate wall portion 32 in the connection direction.

[0056] Next, the inner housing 20 is inserted into the housing main body 31. At this time, the inner housing 20 is inserted into the housing main body 31 from the connector opening 31a in the direction opposite to the connection direction, with the tip 25a of the extended wall portion 25 leading. Subsequently, the connection portion 11 of the first terminal 10a, which has already been arranged inside the housing main body 31, is accommodated in the internal space of the first terminal accommodating portion 21 of the inner housing 20 through the first insertion opening 21c. Similarly, the connection portion 11 of the second terminal 10b, which has already been arranged inside the housing main body 31, is accommodated in the internal space of the second terminal accommodating portion 22 of the inner housing 20 through the second insertion opening 22c.

[0057] For example, when the connection portion 11 of the first terminal 10a enters the first terminal accommodating portion 21 through the first insertion opening 21c, the tip of the connection portion 11 near the connection opening 11a abuts against the inclined surface 26b on the protruding portion of the lance 26. As the connection portion 11 continues to enter, the lance 26 elastically deforms while being guided by the inclined surface 26b. When the protruding portion of the lance 26 reaches the locking hole 11c of the connection portion 11, the lance 26 regains its original shape and engages with the locking hole 11c, as shown in FIG. 5 . When the lance 26 is engaged with the locking hole 11c, the vertical surface 26a on the protruding portion of the lance 26 faces the edge of the locking hole 11c in the connection direction, preventing the inner housing 20 from being removed from the first terminal 10a. In other words, the first terminal 10a is accommodated and held in the first terminal accommodating portion 21. This also applies when the connecting portion 11 of the second terminal 10b enters the inside of the second terminal accommodating portion 22.

[0058] Next, the wire packing 51 and the rear holder 52 are fitted into the housing 30 at a predetermined position upstream of the intermediate wall portion 32 in the connection direction.

[0059] Then, the housing 30 is inserted into the cover main body 41 of the cover 40. At this time, the housing 30 is inserted into the cover main body 41 from the tip opening 41a in the direction opposite to the connection direction, with the side of the routing opening 31b at the front. Finally, the locking claws 34 provided on the housing main body 31 engage with the cover locking holes 42 provided on the cover main body 41, thereby holding the cover 40 to the housing 30 and completing the assembly of the connector 1.

[0060] Next, the effects of the connector 1 will be described.

[0061] The connector 1 is connected to an external connector. The connector 1 includes a terminal 10 connected to an electric wire 100, an inner housing 20 that accommodates and holds a portion of the terminal 10, and a cylindrical housing 30 that penetrates in the direction of connection to the external connector and accommodates at least a portion of the inner housing 20. The housing 30 has a locking protrusion 33 on an inner wall portion 31c. The terminal 10 has a locking portion 13 in a portion exposed to the outside of the inner housing 20 that faces and can abut against at least a portion of the locking protrusion 33 in the connection direction.

[0062] In the above example, there are two terminals, a first terminal 10a and a second terminal 10b, as the terminals 10. In the above example, the connection direction corresponds to the Z direction.

[0063] 9A is an enlarged view of the area IXA shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 9A, attention is focused on a region where a first locking portion 13a provided on the first terminal 10a exists as an example of the locking portion 13. As shown in FIG. 9A, in the connector 1, a locking protrusion 33 is provided on a portion of the inner wall portion 31c of the housing main body 31. Meanwhile, the first terminal 10a is provided with the first locking portion 13a. When the terminal 10 is held in the inner housing 20, the first locking portion 13a faces at least a portion of the locking protrusion 33 in the connection direction.

[0064] FIG. 9B corresponds to FIG. 9A and illustrates a state in which inner housing 20 holding first terminal 10a is pulled relative to housing 30 in the connection direction. As shown in FIG. 9B, even if first terminal 10a is pulled in the connection direction from the state shown in FIG. 9A, it cannot move in the connection direction beyond the position where locking portion 13 abuts against locking protrusion 33. This restricts movement of inner housing 20 holding first terminal 10a in the connection direction. In other words, inner housing 20 is locked so that it cannot fall off from housing 30 in the connection direction. This also applies to the relationship between second locking portion 13b provided on second terminal 10b and locking protrusion 33 facing second locking portion 13b.

[0065] Therefore, in connector 1, it is not necessary to provide part of the locking structure for holding inner housing 20 to housing 30 on the outer peripheral surface of inner housing 20. As a result, the height or width of inner housing 20 can be set smaller, which can contribute to the miniaturization of housing 30 and therefore connector 1.

[0066] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a connector 1 that is advantageous for miniaturization.

[0067] Furthermore, in connector 1, terminal 10 may have connecting portion 11 that connects to an external terminal provided on an external connector, and joining portion 12 that is continuous with connecting portion 11 in the connection direction and joins end portion 101a of electric wire 100. Inner housing 20 has a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates and holds at least a portion of connecting portion 11 along the connection direction. Locking portion 13 may be provided on joining portion 12.

[0068] In the above example, there are two terminal accommodating portions: a first terminal accommodating portion 21 that accommodates the first terminal 10a, and a second terminal accommodating portion 22 that accommodates the second terminal 10b.

[0069] According to this connector 1, the locking portion 13 is provided at the joint portion 12 of the terminal 10, and is not provided at, for example, the connection portion 11, which has the advantage that the presence of the locking portion 13 is less likely to interfere with accommodating the terminal 10 in the terminal accommodating portion of the inner housing 20.

[0070] In addition, in connector 1, locking portion 13 may be a piece that has been partially bent along the connection direction.

[0071] According to this connector 1, the shape of the locking portion 13 when viewed in the direction of connection is, for example, L-shaped, so that the contact area with the corresponding locking protrusion 33 can be widened within the allowable dimensional range in the width direction or height direction. Therefore, the reliability of the locking portion 13 when abutting against the locking protrusion 33 can be improved simply by subjecting the terminal 10 to a simple bending process.

[0072] In addition, in the connector 1, the housing 30 may have an intermediate wall portion 32 in which a through hole 32a having a shape that allows the terminal 10 to pass through in the connection direction is formed in the inner wall portion 31c. The inner housing 20 may have an extended wall portion 25 that faces a part of the intermediate wall portion 32 in the direction opposite to the connection direction so as to be able to abut freely.

[0073] FIG. 10A is an enlarged view of the XA portion shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 10A focuses on the area where the tip 25a of the extension wall 25, which faces a part of the intermediate wall 32, is located. FIG. 10B corresponds to FIG. 10A and illustrates a state in which the inner housing 20 is pushed into the housing 30 in the direction opposite the connection direction. As shown in FIG. 10B, even if the inner housing 20 is pushed in the direction opposite the connection direction from the state shown in FIG. 10A, it cannot move further in the same direction beyond the position where the tip 25a of the extension wall 25 abuts against the intermediate wall 32. Therefore, movement of the inner housing 20 in the direction opposite the connection direction is also directly restricted. In other words, the inner housing 20 is locked so as not to fall off the housing 30 in the direction opposite the connection direction.

[0074] Therefore, according to this connector 1, when the inner housing 20 is locked to the housing 30, it is possible to prevent it from falling off not only in the connecting direction but also in the direction opposite to the connecting direction.

[0075] In addition, in the connector 1, the intermediate wall portion 32 may have a protruding wall portion 32b that faces a part of the extending wall portion 25 in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction so as to be able to abut freely against the part of the extending wall portion 25 when the tip portion 25a of the extending wall portion 25 abuts against it.

[0076] In the above example, the direction perpendicular to the connection direction corresponds to the X direction.

[0077] According to this connector 1, even if the inner housing 20 is misaligned in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction inside the housing 30, the misalignment can be kept within an allowable range by abutting a portion of the extending wall portion 25 against the protruding wall portion 32b at a specific position. Therefore, the reliability of the abutment of the locking portion 13 against the locking projection 33 can be improved.

[0078] In the above description, the connector 1 is an in-vehicle two-pole high-voltage connector that is connected to the terminals of two electric wires 100, the first electric wire 100a and the second electric wire 100b, and accordingly, the case where the inner housing 20 includes two terminal accommodating portions has been exemplified. However, the connector 1 is not limited to such a high-voltage connector, and may be, for example, an in-vehicle three-pole high-voltage connector that is connected to the terminals of three electric wires 100. In this case, the inner housing 20 may include three terminal accommodating portions that respectively accommodate and hold individual terminals 10.

[0079] Although one embodiment has been described above, the embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 connector 10 terminals 10a Terminal 1 10b 2nd terminal 11 Connection 12 Joint 13 Locking part 20 Inner housing 21 First terminal housing 22 Second terminal housing 25 Extended wall section 25a Tip 30 Housing 31c Inner wall 32 Intermediate wall 32a through hole 32b Projecting wall part 33 Locking protrusion 100 wire 100a First Wire 100b 2nd wire 101a Terminal

Claims

1. A connector to be connected to an external connector, a terminal connected to the wire; an inner housing that accommodates and holds a portion of the terminal; a cylindrical housing having a through-hole direction that is the direction of connection to the external connector and that accommodates at least a portion of the inner housing; The housing has a locking projection on an inner wall thereof, The terminal has a locking portion at a portion exposed to the outside of the inner housing, the locking portion facing and able to come into contact with at least a portion of the locking projection in the connecting direction.

2. The terminal is a connection portion for connecting to an external terminal provided on the external connector; a joining portion that is continuous with the connection portion in the connection direction and joins an end portion of the electric wire, the inner housing has a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates and holds at least a portion of the connection portion along the connection direction, The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portion is provided on the joint portion.

3. 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is a piece that is partially bent along the connecting direction.

4. the housing has an intermediate wall portion on the inner wall portion, the intermediate wall portion having a through hole formed therein, the through hole having a shape that allows the terminal to pass through along the connection direction; 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the inner housing has an extended wall portion that faces a part of the intermediate wall portion in a direction opposite to the connecting direction and is capable of coming into contact with the part of the intermediate wall portion.

5. 5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate wall portion has a protruding wall portion that faces a part of the extending wall portion in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction so as to be able to abut against the part of the extending wall portion when the tip end of the extending wall portion abuts against the part.

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