connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of suppressing vibration of a female terminal fitting in a terminal insertion part of a connector housing.SOLUTION: In a connector CN according to the present invention, in a state where a lance 36 is locked to a locking lance hole 215, a horizontal surface 371 of a locking groove 37 of the lance 36 elastically contacts a first wall part 211, which is an outer wall of a cylindrical part 21 of a female terminal fitting 2, and presses the female terminal fitting 2 by a reaction force accompanying elastic deformation of the lance 36. Therefore, a cylindrical part 21 is pressed against a bottom wall 31 or an upper wall 33, which is an inner wall of a terminal accommodating part 30, and the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 is pressed against the first wall part 211 of the cylindrical part 21. Thus, a friction is generated between a female connector housing 3 and the female terminal fitting 2, and relative movement of the female terminal fitting 2 in the terminal accommodating part 30 is restricted by the friction, so that vibration of the female terminal fitting 2 in the terminal insertion part 30 can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector used for connecting wire harnesses and the like that are routed inside an automobile, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional connector, for example, those described in the following patent documents are known.

[0003] 7, the connector CN′ has a lance 36 whose base end 361 is cantilevered on the bottom wall 31 of the terminal accommodating portion 30 provided inside the female connector housing 3 and which is elastically deformable with the base end 361 as a fulcrum. A tip end 362 of the lance 36 is provided with a locking groove 37 that locks onto the opening edge of a lance hole 215 that opens into the first wall portion 211 of the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2. The locking groove 37 has a horizontal surface 371 that is generally parallel to the first wall portion 211 of the female terminal fitting 2 and a locking surface 372 that rises generally perpendicularly from the horizontal surface 371 and faces the locked surface 215a of the lance hole 215 in the terminal insertion direction. In the connector CN′, the locking groove 37 of the lance 36 locks onto the opening edge of the lance hole 215, thereby fixing the female terminal fitting 2 to the female connector housing 3 in an locked state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-207253 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional connector CN', a vertical gap C1 is provided in the Y direction between the second wall portion 213 of the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fittings 2 and the upper wall 33 of the female connector housing 3, and a horizontal gap C2 is provided in the Z direction between the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fittings 2 and the end wall portion 303 of the female connector housing 3. For this reason, in the connector CN', the female terminal fittings 2 move relative to the female connector housing 3 due to the gaps C1 and C2, which may cause the female terminal fittings 2 to vibrate inside the female connector housing 3 when an external input is applied while the vehicle is running, and so there is still room for improvement.

[0006] The present invention has been devised in light of these technical problems, and aims to provide a connector that can suppress vibration of female terminal fittings within the terminal insertion portion of the connector housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, the present invention provides a connector for connecting a male connector and a female connector, the female connector having a female connector housing with a terminal accommodating portion therein, a cylindrical portion accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion and into which male terminal fittings provided on the male connector are inserted, female terminal fittings being electrically connected to the male terminal fittings when the male terminal fittings are inserted into the cylindrical portion, a lance hole opening in an outer wall of the cylindrical portion, and a locking member having a tip end that is resiliently supported in a cantilevered manner on the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion so as to protrude inward from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion and can be locked to an opening edge of the lance hole. and a lance having a groove, wherein the locking groove has a horizontal surface facing the outer wall of the tubular portion and a locking surface that restricts movement of the female terminal fitting in the insertion direction by locking onto the locking surface of the lance hole, and when the lance is in a free state, the horizontal surface is located closer to the terminal accommodating portion than the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion, and when the lance is locked in the lance hole, the horizontal surface elastically contacts the outer wall of the tubular portion based on a reaction force caused by elastic deformation of the lance generated when the female terminal fitting is pushed against the outer wall of the tubular portion when inserted into the terminal insertion portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when the lance is engaged with the lance hole, the horizontal surface of the locking groove of the lance elastically contacts the outer wall of the tubular portion of the female terminal fitting, and the reaction force caused by the elastic deformation of the lance presses the female terminal fitting. As a result, the tubular portion is pressed against the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion, and the horizontal surface of the locking groove presses against the outer wall of the tubular portion, generating friction between the female connector housing and the female terminal fitting, which restricts the relative movement of the female terminal fitting within the terminal accommodating portion. This prevents the female terminal fitting from vibrating due to vibrations while the vehicle is running, and suppresses the generation of abnormal noise due to such vibration of the female terminal fitting.

[0009] Furthermore, by restricting the relative movement of the female terminal fittings within the female connector housing, the relative movement of the female terminal fittings and the male terminal fittings when the female connector and the male connector are mated is restricted, thereby suppressing micro-sliding wear between the female terminal fittings and the male terminal fittings, thereby improving the durability of the connector.

[0010] Furthermore, when the lance is engaged in the lance hole, the female terminal fitting is fixed to the terminal receiving portion by the reaction force caused by the elastic deformation of the lance acting on the cylindrical portion of the female terminal fitting. Therefore, for example, the insertion force of the female terminal fitting into the terminal receiving portion is increased, and the female terminal fitting can be properly held without affecting the insertion force of the female terminal fitting into the terminal receiving portion. This improves the manufacturing efficiency of the connector. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connector according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the female connector. [Figure 3] FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of a female terminal fitting to which an electric wire is connected, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1(a). [Figure 4] FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of a female connector housing, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of a male connector housing, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a connector illustrating the connector assembly process, in which (a) shows the female terminal fitting before it passes through the lance, (b) shows the female terminal fitting midway through passing through the lance, (c) shows the female terminal fitting after it has passed through the lance, and (d) shows the state in which the male connector is connected to the female connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of the connector according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, an example will be shown in which the connector according to the present invention is applied to a wire harness to be installed in an automobile, similar to the conventional connector. In the description of each figure, the width direction of the connector CN is defined as the "X direction," the height direction of the connector CN is defined as the "Y direction," and the direction perpendicular to the XY plane, that is, the insertion direction of the female terminal fittings 2 or the mating direction of the male connector CN2 into the female connector CN1, is defined as the "Z direction." In the Y direction, the side on which the locking portion RK is located is defined as the "upper," and the opposite side is defined as the "lower." In the Z direction, the mating direction of the female connector CN1 and the male connector CN2 is defined as the "front," and the opposite side is defined as the "rear."

[0013] (Connector configuration) FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a connector CN according to this embodiment, taken along the Z direction, with a female connector CN1 and a male connector CN2 mated together.

[0014] 1, for example, the connector CN has a female connector CN1 and a male connector CN2. The female connector CN1 is configured by female terminal fittings 2 connected to electric wires 1 being housed and held in terminal accommodating sections 30 that penetrate the interior of a female connector housing 3 along the Z direction. The male connector CN2 is configured by male terminal fittings 4 being housed and held in terminal accommodating sections 50 that open toward the front end side along the Z direction inside a male connector housing 5.

[0015] In the connector CN, the female connector CN1 and the male connector CN2 are connected to each other by fitting the front end of the female connector housing 3 into the terminal accommodating portion 50 of the male connector housing 5. Then, as the female connector housing 3 and the male connector housing 5 are fitted together, the male terminal fittings 4 housed in the terminal accommodating portion 50 of the male connector housing 5 are inserted into the female terminal fittings 2 (cylindrical portions 21, described later) housed in the terminal accommodating portion 30 of the female connector housing 3, thereby electrically connecting the female connector CN1 and the male connector CN2.

[0016] The connector CN also has a locking portion 6 that can maintain the mated state of the female connector housing 3 and the male connector housing 5. The locking portion 6 is composed of an engaged portion 61 that protrudes from the upper end of the female connector housing 3, and a locking claw portion 62 that is resiliently supported in a cantilevered manner on the upper end 513 of the male connector housing 5. That is, the locking portion 6 maintains the connected state of the female connector CN1 and the male connector CN2 by having the locking claw portion 62 of the male connector housing 5 enter from the front end side of the female connector housing 3, climb over the engaged portion 61 of the female connector housing 3, and engage with the rear end of the engaged portion 61.

[0017] (Female connector configuration) Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the female connector CN1 taken along the Z direction. Fig. 3 shows a cable assembly CA in which female terminal fittings 2 are connected to the ends of electric wires 1, with (a) showing a perspective view of the cable assembly CA and (b) showing a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cable assembly CA taken along line AA in Fig. 3(a). Fig. 4 shows a female connector housing 3, with (a) showing a perspective view of the female connector housing 3 and (b) showing a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the female connector housing 3 taken along line BB in Fig. 3(a).

[0018] 2, for example, the female connector CN1 includes a female connector housing 3 having a plurality of terminal accommodating portions 30 penetrating along the Z direction inside, and female terminal fittings 2 accommodated in each terminal accommodating portion 30 of the female connector housing 3. Furthermore, the rear end of each female terminal fitting 2 is connected to the end of an electric wire 1, and the electric wire 1 and the female terminal fittings 2 are integrally configured as a cable assembly CA.

[0019] 3, the electric wire 1 has a metal core wire 11 and a resin sheath 12 that covers the core wire 11. At the end of the electric wire 1, the sheath 12 is removed to expose the core wire 11, and a barrel portion 22 provided at the rear end of the female terminal fitting 2 is connected to the exposed core wire 11 in a crimped state by crimping.

[0020] The female terminal fitting 2 is formed by pressing a thin metal plate made of a conductive material, such as copper. Specifically, the female terminal fitting 2 integrally comprises a cylindrical portion 21 formed in a roughly rectangular cylindrical shape at the front end and into which the male terminal fitting 4 is inserted, and a barrel portion 22 provided at the rear end of the cylindrical portion 21 and connected to the end (core wire 11) of the electric wire 1 by crimping.

[0021] The cylindrical portion 21 has a rectangular cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction (Z direction), and includes a first wall portion 211, a pair of side wall portions 212 rising approximately vertically from both side edges of the first wall portion 211, and a second wall portion 213 connecting the upper ends of the pair of side wall portions 212. That is, the outer wall of the cylindrical portion 21 is formed by the first wall portion 211, the pair of side wall portions 212, and the second wall portion 213.

[0022] The first wall portion 211 is formed by overlapping both end portions of the thin metal plate when the cylindrical portion 21 is bent and press-molded. The first wall portion 211 is provided with a contact spring 214 formed in a manner that folds back from the tip of the first wall portion 211 toward the inside. The contact spring 214 cooperates with a terminal contact portion 213a (described later) to sandwich and elastically hold the male terminal fitting 4 between itself and the terminal contact portion 213a (in the Y direction). A lance hole 215, into which a lance 36 (described later) engages, is provided at the rear end position of the first wall portion 211 so as to penetrate in the Y direction.

[0023] A pair of left and right stabilizers 212a extend downward from the rear end positions of the pair of side wall portions 212. Each stabilizer 212a is formed by cutting open the rear end side of the first wall portion 211 symmetrically on the left and right. Furthermore, a rib 212b is provided in the center of each stabilizer 212a by causing each stabilizer 212a to protrude inward by the press molding. Each rib 212b reinforces each stabilizer 212a.

[0024] The second wall portion 213 is provided on its inner surface with a terminal contact portion 213a formed by the press molding so as to protrude inward from the second wall portion 213. The terminal contact portion 213a comes into contact with the male terminal fitting 4 inserted from the tip side of the cylindrical portion 21 and biased upward by the contact spring 214, and cooperates with the contact spring 214 to elastically clamp and hold the male terminal fitting 4 (see FIG. 2).

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4 , the female connector housing 3 is formed of a synthetic resin material in a rectangular cylindrical shape, and has a plurality of terminal accommodating sections 30 (for example, 16 in total, arranged in eight rows in the X direction and two rows in the Y direction) arranged along the Z direction. Specifically, the female connector housing 3 integrally includes a bottom wall 31, a pair of side walls 32 extending from both side edges of the bottom wall 31, and a top wall 33 connecting the upper ends of the side walls 32 as walls defining each terminal accommodating section 30. The female connector housing 3 also includes an intermediate wall 34 and an intermediate side wall 35 as inner walls separating each terminal accommodating section 30. The intermediate wall 34 is disposed generally parallel to the bottom wall 31 and the top wall 33, separating the interior of the female connector housing 3 into upper and lower sections. The intermediate side wall 35 is provided to connect the bottom wall 31, the top wall 33, and the intermediate wall 34, separating the interior of the female connector housing 3 at generally equal intervals in the X direction. In this embodiment, the intermediate wall 34 corresponds to the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion according to the present invention.

[0026] Each terminal accommodating portion 30 is provided in a penetrating state along the Z direction, and has a female terminal insertion opening 301 that opens larger than the tubular portion 21 at a first end 30B that is the side where the female terminal fitting 2 is inserted and corresponds to the rear end, and has a male terminal insertion opening 302 that opens smaller than the tubular portion 21 at a second end 30F that is the front end opposite the first end 31B in the X direction. That is, each terminal accommodating portion 30 is formed so as to have a substantially rectangular cross section that corresponds to the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2, and the inner surfaces 310, 330 of the bottom wall 31 and the top wall 33 are each cut out in a substantially flat shape from the first end 30B side toward the second end 30F side, and the first end 30B (female terminal insertion opening 301) side opens larger than the tubular portion 21. On the other hand, the second end 30F of each terminal accommodating portion 30 has end wall portions 303 that protrude inward from the tip ends of the bottom wall 31 and the upper wall 33, respectively, and the second end 30F (male terminal insertion port 302) side opens smaller than the tubular portion 21.

[0027] The end wall portion 303 is provided so as to overlap with the tip surface 213b of the second wall portion 213 of the female terminal fitting 2 in the Z direction and is capable of abutting against the tip surface 213b of the second wall portion 213 of the female terminal fitting 2 inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 30 from the female terminal insertion opening 301 of the female connector housing 3. That is, the end wall portion 303 abuts against the tip surface 213b of the second wall portion 213 of the female terminal fitting 2, thereby regulating the insertion position (insertion amount) of the female terminal fitting 2 in the terminal accommodating portion 30. The end wall portion 303 is set to a protruding amount such that the entire tip surface 213b of the second wall portion 213 of the tubular portion 21 can be accommodated inside the end wall portion 303 when the tubular portion 21 is lifted by a pressing force F based on a reaction force accompanying elastic deformation (flexural deformation) of a lance 36 (described later) (see FIG. 6(c)).

[0028] Further, a receiving groove 38 is provided on the front end side of the intermediate wall 34 to receive an intermediate wall 55 (described later) of the male connector housing 5. Due to the provision of the receiving groove 38, the front end of the intermediate wall 34 is bifurcated into two parts, one above the other. Furthermore, lances 36 for engaging and fixing the female terminal fittings 2 are provided on the front end of the intermediate wall 34. The lances 36 are formed integrally with the intermediate wall 34 by connecting their base ends 361 to the intermediate wall 34, and are cut and bent so as to extend obliquely inward (into the terminal accommodating portion 30) from the front end of the intermediate wall 34. That is, the base ends 361 of the lances 36 are cantilevered by the intermediate wall 34, and are configured to be elastically deformable (flexibly deformable) toward the receiving groove 38 with the base ends 361 as a fulcrum.

[0029] Furthermore, the lance 36 has an inclined (tapered) guide surface 363 between the base end 361 and the tip end 362, such that the distance between the lance 36 and the inner surface 310, 330 of the bottom wall 31 or the top wall 33 that the lance 36 faces gradually decreases from the base end 361 toward the tip end 362. This guide surface 363 comes into sliding contact with the tip of the female terminal fitting 2 inserted from the female terminal insertion opening 301, thereby guiding the movement (elastic deformation) of the lance 36 toward the receiving groove 38.

[0030] Furthermore, a stepped locking groove 37 is formed in the tip end 362 of the lance 36 by cutting out an L-shape in the tip end 362 of the lance 36. The locking groove 37 is open forward (toward the male terminal insertion opening 302) and inward (toward the terminal accommodating section 30). Specifically, the locking groove 37 has a flat horizontal surface 371 formed generally parallel to the first wall portion 211 of the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2, and a locking surface 372 that rises inward from the rear end of the horizontal surface 371 (toward the terminal accommodating section 30 where the lance 36 faces) and can be locked with a locked surface 215a provided at the front end of the lance hole 215 of the female terminal fitting 2 in the Z direction. That is, the upper end of the lance 36, which has an engagement surface 372, is inserted into the lance hole 215, and the engagement surface 372 of the lance 36 engages with the engagement surface 215a of the lance hole 215, thereby restricting the backward movement of the female terminal fitting 2 after engagement, and the female terminal fitting 2 is engaged and fixed in the terminal accommodating portion 30 of the female connector housing 3.

[0031] In this embodiment, the lance 36 is arranged such that, in a free state, the horizontal surface 371 is located closer to the terminal accommodating portion 30 than the inner surface 340 of the intermediate wall 34. In other words, when the locking groove 37 is locked to the opening edge of the lance hole 215, the lance 36 is pushed back by the first wall portion 211 of the tubular portion 21 upon insertion of the female terminal fitting 2 into the terminal accommodating portion 30, and the horizontal surface 371 is capable of elastically contacting almost the entire surface of the horizontal surface 371 with the first wall portion 211 of the tubular portion 21 based on a reaction force caused by elastic deformation of the lance 36, which is generated when the locking groove 37 is locked to the opening edge of the lance hole 215. In this way, when the locking groove 37 is locked to the opening edge of the lance hole 215, the reaction force caused by the elastic deformation of the lance 36 is generated, and the lance 36 can press the tubular portion 21 in the direction toward which the lance 36 is pointing, i.e., toward the first wall portion 211 or the second wall portion 213 that faces the intermediate wall 34 in the Y direction. At this time, the lance 36 is configured so that the locking surface 372 is separated in the X direction from the locked surface 215a of the lance hole 215 when the locking groove 37 is locked to the opening edge of the lance hole 215. In other words, a gap C is provided between the locking surface 372 of the locking groove 37 and the locked surface 215a of the lance hole 215 in the X direction.

[0032] (Male connector configuration) FIG. 5 shows the male connector housing 5, where (a) is a perspective view of the male connector housing 5 and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the male connector housing 5 taken along line CC in (a) of the same figure.

[0033] 5, the male connector CN2 includes a male connector housing 5 having a plurality of terminal accommodating portions 50 inside that open toward the front end, and male terminal fittings 4 accommodated in each terminal accommodating portion 50 of the male connector housing 5. The rear end of each male terminal fitting 4 is connected to the end of an electric wire (not shown) that is connected to the rear end of the male connector housing 5.

[0034] The male connector housing 5 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape from a synthetic resin material, and has multiple terminal accommodating sections 50 (in this embodiment, two levels, one above the other (in the Y direction)) arranged inside along the Z direction. Specifically, the male connector housing 5 integrally has a bottom wall 51, a pair of side walls 52 rising from both side edges of the bottom wall 51, and an upper wall 53 connecting the upper ends of the both side walls 52, and is open at its front end and closed at its rear end by an end wall 54. The male connector housing 5 also has an intermediate wall 55 as an inner wall that separates the two terminal accommodating sections 50. The intermediate wall 55 is disposed roughly parallel to the bottom wall 51 and the upper wall 53, and separates the interior of the male connector housing 5 into upper and lower sections.

[0035] Each terminal accommodating portion 50 is provided along the Z direction, opens toward the front end, and receives the front end side of the female connector housing 3. Furthermore, an end wall 54 closing the rear end of each terminal accommodating portion 50 is provided with a male terminal fitting 4 extending toward the front end side of the male connector housing 5, and the male terminal fitting 4 is accommodated in each terminal accommodating portion 50.

[0036] (Connector assembly method) 6A and 6B are longitudinal cross-sectional views of the connector CN for explaining the assembly process of the connector CN, in which (a) shows the female terminal fittings 2 before they pass through the lance 36, (b) shows the female terminal fittings 2 as they pass through the lance 36, (c) shows the female terminal fittings 2 after they have passed through the lance 36, and (d) shows the state in which the male connector CN2 is connected to the female connector CN1. The assembly method of the connector CN will be explained below with reference to FIG. 6.

[0037] First, as shown in Fig. 6(a), the female terminal fitting 2 is inserted from the female terminal insertion opening 301 of the terminal accommodating section 30 of the female connector housing 3 to a position where the tip 211a of the first wall portion 211, which is the tip of the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2, comes into contact with the rear end of the guide surface 363 of the lance 36. Next, when the female terminal fitting 2 is further pushed toward the front end side (the male terminal insertion opening 302 side) of the female connector housing 3, as shown in Fig. 6(b), the first wall portion 211 of the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2 pushes the lance 36 toward the receiving groove 38, and the lance 36 elastically deforms (flexes) toward the receiving groove 38 with the base end portion 361 as a fulcrum.

[0038] 6(c), the first wall portion 211 of the female terminal fitting 2 passes through the lance 36 in the terminal accommodating portion 30, i.e., the front end of the lance hole 215 passes through the locking surface 372 of the locking groove 37 of the lance 36, and the female terminal fitting 2 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 30 until the lance 36 faces the lance hole 215 of the female terminal fitting 2 in the Z direction. Then, the lance 36, which had been pushed aside by the first wall portion 211 of the female terminal fitting 2, moves toward the terminal accommodating portion 30 due to the reaction force generated by the elastic deformation. Then, the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 of the lance 36 abuts against the first wall portion 211 of the female terminal fitting 2 at the opening edge of the lance hole 215, thereby restricting the lance 36 from returning to its original position. That is, the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 elastically contacts the first wall portion 211 of the female terminal fitting 2 as the return of the lance 36 to the origin is restricted with the reaction force remaining.

[0039] In this way, the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 of the lance 36 elastically contacts the first wall portion 211 of the female terminal fitting 2, and a pressing force F is applied to the female terminal fitting 2 via the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 of the lance 36, pressing the tubular portion 21 toward the terminal accommodating portion 30, and the female terminal fitting 2 is urged (pressed) toward the terminal accommodating portion 30 (see FIG. 6(c)). At the same time, the locking surface 372 of the locking groove 37 of the lance 36 faces the locked surface 215a of the lance hole 215 in the Z direction, and the female terminal fitting 2 is locked and fixed by the lance 36 within the terminal accommodating portion 30. This completes the assembly of the female terminal fitting 2 into the terminal accommodating portion 30 of the female connector housing 3, and the female connector CN1 is completed.

[0040] 6(d), the male connector CN2 is mated with the female connector CN1 from the front end side. That is, the front end of the female connector housing 3 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 50 of the male connector housing 5 until the front end portion 39 of the female connector housing 3 abuts against the end wall 54 of the terminal accommodating portion 50 of the male connector housing 5, restricting the insertion of the male connector housing 5 into the female connector housing 3. Then, as the female connectors CN1 and the male connectors CN2 are mated, the male terminal fittings 4 are inserted into the cylindrical portions 21 of the female terminal fittings 2, and the male terminal fittings 4 are held in elastic contact between the terminal contact portions 213a and the contact springs 214, thereby electrically connecting the female connectors CN1 and the male connectors CN2 and completing the assembly of the connectors CN.

[0041] (Effects of this embodiment) As described above, in the connector CN according to this embodiment, particularly when the lance 36 is engaged with the lance hole 215, the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 of the lance 36 elastically contacts the first wall portion 211, which is the outer wall of the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2, and the female terminal fitting 2 can be pressed by the pressing force F based on the reaction force caused by the elastic deformation of the lance 36. Therefore, the tubular portion 21 is pressed against the bottom wall 31 or the top wall 33, which is the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion 30, and the horizontal surface 371 of the locking groove 37 is pressed against the first wall portion 211 of the tubular portion 21, thereby generating friction between the female connector housing 3 and the female terminal fitting 2, and this friction restricts the relative movement of the female terminal fitting 2 within the terminal accommodating portion 30. This prevents the female terminal fitting 2 from vibrating within the terminal accommodating portion 30 due to external input (vibration) while the vehicle is traveling, and suppresses the generation of abnormal noise due to the vibration of the female terminal fitting 2.

[0042] Furthermore, by restricting the relative movement of the female terminal fittings 2 within the female connector housing 3 as described above, the relative movement between the female terminal fittings 2 and the male terminal fittings 4 when the female connector CN1 and the male connector CN2 are mated is restricted, thereby suppressing micro-sliding wear between the female terminal fittings 2 and the male terminal fittings 4. This improves the durability of the connector CN.

[0043] Furthermore, when the lance 36 is engaged in the lance hole 215, the female terminal fitting 2 is fixed to the terminal accommodating portion 30 by a pressing force F based on a reaction force caused by elastic deformation of the lance 36 acting on the tubular portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 2. Therefore, for example, the insertion force of the female terminal fitting 2 into the terminal accommodating portion 30 may be increased, and the female terminal fitting 2 can be held appropriately without affecting the insertion force of the female terminal fitting 2 into the terminal accommodating portion 30, thereby improving the manufacturing efficiency of the connector CN.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the lance 36 is engaged in the lance hole 215, the engaging surface 372 of the lance 36 is separated from the engaged surface 215a of the lance hole 215 by a gap C. Therefore, when the lance 36 is engaged in the lance hole 215, there is no risk that the engaging surface 372 will get caught on the lance hole 215 and interfere with the pressing (biasing) action of the horizontal surface 371 on the tubular portion 21. As a result, when the lance 36 is engaged in the lance hole 215, the pressing force F based on the reaction force caused by the elastic deformation of the lance 36 can be appropriately applied to the tubular portion 21, and the relative movement of the female terminal fitting 2 within the terminal accommodating portion 30 of the female connector housing 3 can be appropriately restricted.

[0045] In addition, in this embodiment, even if, for example, due to manufacturing errors of the female terminal fitting 2 and the female connector housing 3, a gap (play) occurs between the outer wall of the tubular portion 21 and the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion 30, i.e., a gap (play) occurs between the first wall portion 211 and the intermediate wall 34, or a gap (play) occurs between the second wall portion 213 and the bottom wall 31 or the upper wall 33, and when the lance 36 is in its free state, the second wall portion 213 of the tubular portion 21 protrudes in the Y direction within the terminal accommodating portion 30 toward the intermediate wall 34 beyond the end wall portion 303 of the male terminal insertion port 302, the tubular portion 21 is lifted by a pressing force F based on the reaction force accompanying the elastic deformation of the lance 36 when the lance 36 is engaged with the lance hole 215, and the entire tip surface 213b of the second wall portion 213 of the tubular portion 21 can be accommodated inside the end wall portion 303. This eliminates the risk of the male terminal fitting 4 getting caught on the tip surface 213b of the second wall portion 213 of the female terminal fitting 2 when inserting the male terminal fitting 4 through the male terminal insertion port 302, improving the workability of connecting the female connector CN1 and the male connector CN2.

[0046] The present invention is not limited to the configuration exemplified in the above embodiment, and can be freely modified according to the specifications of the target of application, for example, the specific shape of the female terminal fittings 2, the external shapes of the female connector housing 3 and the male connector housing 5, the arrangement and configuration of each terminal accommodating section 30, 50, and the specific configuration of the locking section 6, within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1...Electric wire 2...Female terminal fitting 21...Cylindrical part 211...First wall portion (outer wall of terminal accommodating portion) 213…Second wall part 215…Lance Hall 3...Female connector housing 30...Terminal housing 301...Female terminal insertion port 302...Male terminal insertion port 303...End wall 34...Intermediate wall (inner wall of terminal accommodating section) 36...Lance 37...Latching groove 371…Horizontal plane 372...Latching surface 4...Male terminal fitting 5...Male connector housing CN, CN´… connector CN1...female connector CN2...Male connector

Claims

1. A connector in which a male connector and a female connector are connected, The female connector is a female connector housing having a terminal accommodating portion therein; a female terminal fitting accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion, having a cylindrical portion into which a male terminal fitting provided on the male connector is inserted, the female terminal fitting being electrically connected to the male terminal fitting when the male terminal fitting is inserted into the cylindrical portion; a lance hole opening in an outer wall of the cylindrical portion; a lance that is resiliently supported in a cantilevered manner on the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion so as to protrude inward from the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion, and has a locking groove at its tip that can be locked onto an opening edge of the lance hole; Equipped with the locking groove has a horizontal surface facing the outer wall of the cylindrical portion and a locking surface that locks with a locking surface of the lance hole to restrict movement of the female terminal fitting in the insertion direction, In a free state, the horizontal surface of the lance is located closer to the terminal accommodating portion than the inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion, When the lance is engaged with the lance hole, the horizontal surface elastically contacts the outer wall of the cylindrical portion due to a reaction force caused by elastic deformation of the lance, which is generated when the female terminal fitting is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion and pushed against the outer wall of the cylindrical portion. A connector characterized by:

2. 2. The connector of claim 1, When the lance is engaged with the lance hole, the engaging surface is spaced from the engaged surface of the lance hole. A connector characterized by:

3. 3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, The cylindrical portion is a first wall portion in which the lance hole is formed; a second wall portion facing the first wall portion; and The terminal accommodating portion is a female terminal insertion opening provided at a first end in an insertion direction of the female terminal fitting, the female terminal insertion opening being larger than the cylindrical portion and into which the cylindrical portion is inserted with a predetermined gap between the female terminal insertion opening and an inner wall of the terminal accommodating portion; a male terminal insertion opening provided at a second end opposite to the first end in an insertion direction of the female terminal fitting, the opening being smaller than the cylindrical portion and into which the male terminal fitting is inserted; and the male terminal insertion opening has an end wall portion that faces a tip end surface of the second wall portion of the cylindrical portion and that restricts the insertion position of the cylindrical portion by contacting the tip end surface of the second wall portion when the female terminal fitting is inserted, In a free state of the lance, a part of the second wall portion of the cylindrical portion is located closer to the first wall portion than a tip end of the end wall portion due to the gap, When the lance is engaged with the lance hole, the lance is pressed against the horizontal surface to lift the cylindrical portion, so that the entire tip end surface of the second wall portion of the cylindrical portion faces the end wall portion and is accommodated inside the end wall portion. A connector characterized by:

Images