Electrical connector and electrical connector pair including the same

Abstract

To stably ensure the holding strength of a retainer to a housing of a connector.SOLUTION: An electric connector 5 comprises: a plurality of metal terminals 31; a housing 9 that has a plurality of terminal housing chambers 47 into which the plurality of metal terminals 31 are inserted, and a retainer insertion hole 51 extending in a transverse direction orthogonal to a fore-and-aft direction corresponding to an insertion direction of the plurality of metal terminals 31; and a retainer 35 that is inserted into the retainer insertion hole to retain the metal terminals 31 inserted into the terminal housing chambers 47. The retainer has a part to be locked 57 that is locked to the housing. The housing has an upper wall 41, a lower wall 42, a left wall 43, and a right wall 44 which form an outer shell of the housing. The retainer insertion hole opens in at least one of the left wall and the right wall. A groove 53 extending in the transverse direction and forming part of the retainer insertion hole is formed in an inner surface side of the upper wall or the lower wall. The groove is formed with a locking part 55 that locks the part to be locked of the retainer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a retainer that holds a plurality of metal terminals accommodated in a housing, and to an electrical connector pair having the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrical connectors equipped with a retainer that prevents a plurality of metal terminals inserted into terminal receiving chambers of a housing from coming out of the housing by locking the metal terminals therein have been widely used (see Patent Document 1). Meanwhile, the retainer is inserted into a retainer insertion hole that opens into a side wall forming the outer shell of the housing, but if an external force acts in the direction opposite to the insertion direction, the retainer may come out of the retainer insertion hole.

[0003] In order to prevent such detachment of the retainer, for example, an electrical connector has been developed in which a locking projection formed on a flexible arm of the retainer is locked to an outer wall (side wall) that defines the opening of the retainer insertion hole of the housing (see Patent Document 2). Also, for example, an electrical connector has been developed in which a locking projection formed on the retainer is locked to a side wall that separates multiple cavities (terminal accommodating chambers) of the housing (see Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-097875 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-16625 [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-133216 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the prior art described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, the locking protrusions formed on the retainer are engaged with the outer and inner walls of the housing (the side walls of the terminal accommodating chambers in which the metal terminals are respectively housed) that are arranged perpendicular to the insertion direction of the retainer, so that the holding strength of the retainer relative to the housing (i.e., the ability to prevent the retainer from coming off the housing) depends on the rigidity and strength (i.e., the wall thickness, shape, etc.) of the materials that constitute the outer and inner walls of the housing.

[0006] Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, if there are restrictions on changing the thickness of the outer and inner walls due to the design of the housing, it may be difficult to ensure sufficient holding strength of the retainer to the housing.

[0007] The present invention has been devised in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology, and its main object is to provide an electrical connector and an electrical connector pair including the same, which can stably ensure the holding strength of the retainer relative to the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In a first aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector (5) includes a housing (9) having a plurality of metal terminals (31), a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers (47) into which the plurality of metal terminals are respectively inserted, and a retainer insertion hole (51) extending in a left-right direction perpendicular to a front-rear direction corresponding to an insertion direction of the plurality of metal terminals, and a retainer (35) that is inserted into the retainer insertion hole to hold the metal terminals inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers, and the retainer is The housing has an engaged portion (57) that engages with a retainer, and the housing has an upper wall (41), a lower wall (42), a left wall (43), and a right wall (44) that form its outer shell, and the retainer insertion hole opens in at least one of the left wall and the right wall, and a groove (53) that extends in the left-right direction and forms a part of the retainer insertion hole is formed on the inner surface side of the upper wall or the lower wall, and a locking portion (55) that engages the engaged portion of the retainer is formed in the groove.

[0009] With this, a locking portion that locks the locked portion of the retainer is formed in a groove provided on the inner surface of the upper wall or lower wall, making it possible to stably ensure the holding strength of the retainer against the housing.

[0010] In a second aspect of the present invention, the groove is defined by a front side (53A), a rear side (53B), and a bottom surface (53C), and the engagement portion is formed on the front side or the rear side.

[0011] According to this, since the locking portion is formed on a surface other than the bottom surface of the groove, it is possible to prevent the formation of the locking portion in the groove from affecting the thickness of the upper wall or the lower wall of the housing.

[0012] In a third aspect of the present invention, the engaged portion of the retainer is a protrusion (57) protruding toward the front or rear of the retainer, the retainer has an insertion side portion (71) on which the protrusion is formed, and a base portion (73) connected to the insertion side portion, and the front-to-rear width of the insertion side portion including the protrusion is less than or equal to the front-to-rear width of the base.

[0013] According to this, even when a protrusion is provided as the locked portion of the retainer, an increase in the front-to-rear width of the retainer can be suppressed, while ensuring the front-to-rear width required for the retainer to be stably held against the housing at the base.

[0014] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the housing has a plurality of inner walls (49) extending in the fore-and-aft direction between the upper wall and the lower wall and arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-and-right direction, the plurality of inner walls each having a notch portion (59) that constitutes the left and right side walls of each terminal accommodating chamber and constitutes part of the retainer insertion hole, and the notch portion (59A) in the inner wall among the plurality of inner walls that faces the insertion side portion of the retainer has a smaller fore-and-aft width than the notch portion (59B) in the inner wall that faces the base of the retainer.

[0015] According to this, by providing an inner wall having cutout portions of different front-to-rear widths to correspond to the insertion side portion and the base portion, the insertion side portion of a retainer having a smaller front-to-rear width and the base portion of a retainer having a larger front-to-rear width can each be stably held.

[0016] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the retainer, the insertion side portion is provided with a long hole (87) that is disposed inside the protrusion and passes through the insertion side portion in the up-down direction.

[0017] This allows the portion of the retainer between the projection and the long hole to easily deform, so that the projection can be easily locked to the locking portion of the housing.

[0018] In a sixth aspect of the present invention, an elastic deformation portion (89) is formed between the protrusion and the long hole of the retainer, which elastically deforms when the protrusion is engaged with the engaging portion, and the vertical width of the elastic deformation portion is configured to be smaller than the maximum vertical width of the entire insertion side portion.

[0019] As a result, the vertical width of the elastic deformation portion is smaller than the maximum vertical width of the entire insertion side portion, so that the rigidity of the insertion side portion can be maximized while preventing the deformation of the elastic deformation portion between the protrusion of the retainer and the long hole from being hindered.

[0020] In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the retainer has a terminal locking portion that locks the multiple metal terminals, and the terminal locking portion (83, 93) is configured to form a portion that protrudes toward the terminal accommodating chamber and forward in a cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction.

[0021] As a result, even if a locking portion that locks the locked portion of the retainer is formed in a groove provided on the inner surface of the upper wall or lower wall, the metal terminal can be stably locked by the retainer while preventing excessive enlargement of the retainer insertion hole (i.e., a decrease in the rigidity of the housing).

[0022] In an eighth aspect of the present invention, a housing locking portion (61) is formed in the left-right intermediate portion of the upper wall or the lower wall in which the groove is formed in the housing, and the housing locking portion (61) is displaced inwardly of the housing to lock the housing of another electrical connector that forms a pair with the electrical connector, and a recess (95) is formed in the left-right intermediate portion on the side of the retainer facing the groove and arranged to correspond to the housing locking portion.

[0023] This makes it possible to prevent the retainer from hindering the inward displacement of the housing locking portion (i.e., the connection between the electrical connector and the other electrical connector) when the electrical connector is connected to another mating electrical connector.

[0024] In a ninth aspect of the present invention, the metal terminal is a female metal terminal (31) connectable to a male metal terminal (11), and the housing is a female housing (33) connectable to a male housing (13) that holds the male metal terminal.

[0025] According to this, the structure for engaging the retainer with the metal terminal can be easily ensured by the female metal terminal, so that the structure of the electrical connector equipped with the retainer is simplified.

[0026] A tenth aspect of the present invention provides an electrical connector pair (1) comprising an electrical connector (5) according to any one of the first to ninth aspects above, and another electrical connector (3) arranged to be connectable to the electrical connector.

[0027] According to this, in the electrical connectors that constitute the electrical connector pair, a locking portion that locks the locked portion of the retainer is formed in a groove provided on the inner surface of the upper wall or lower wall, so that the holding strength of the retainer against the housing can be stably ensured. Effect of the Invention

[0028] Thus, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to easily attach louver materials to predetermined positions in buildings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the electrical connector pair 1 [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a female connector according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] Front view of female housing 33 [Figure 4] Left side view of the female housing 33 [Diagram 5] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the upper surface side of the retainer 35, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the lower surface side of the retainer 35. [Figure 6] VI-VI line cross-sectional view of the retainer 35 shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the mounting operation of the retainer 35 to the female housing 33 (the female housing 33 corresponds to the cross section taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 3). [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the mounting operation of the retainer to the female housing (the female housing 33 corresponds to the cross section taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 3). [Figure 9] IXa-IXa line cross-sectional view of FIG. 3A and IXb-IXb line cross-sectional view of FIG. 3B, showing a state in which the female terminal 31 is held by the retainer 35. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and an electrical connector pair including the same will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions are defined as shown by arrows in Fig. 1 etc. However, the arrangement of an electrical connector and an electrical connector pair including the same that are actually used is not limited to these directions.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 1, the electrical connector pair 1 is a device for electrically connecting electric wires to each other, or electric wires and electric devices (circuit boards, etc.), etc. The electrical connector pair 1 includes a male connector 3 and a female connector 5 (electrical connectors) that are connectable to each other.

[0032] Male connector 3 has a plurality of male metal terminals (hereinafter referred to as male terminals) 11 and a male housing 13 made of resin that accommodates male terminals 11 therein.

[0033] The male terminals 11 each have a pin-shaped tip portion 11A, and are arranged in a row within the male housing 13 at predetermined intervals.

[0034] Male housing 13 has a box-like shape with a substantially rectangular opening 13A on the rear side. Male housing 13 has upper wall 15, lower wall 16, left wall 17, right wall 18, and front wall 19 that form its outer shell. Opening 13A is defined by the rear edges of upper wall 15, lower wall 16, left wall 17, and right wall 18. Male housing 13 is fixed to circuit board 21 by mounting bracket 23 with lower wall 16 abutting against circuit board 21. Circuit board 21 is electrically connected to the multiple male terminals 11. Note that the multiple male terminals 11 may each be connected to an electric wire instead of circuit board 21.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, the female connector 5 has a plurality of female metal terminals (hereinafter referred to as female terminals) 31, a resin female housing 33 that accommodates the female terminals 31, and a resin retainer 35 attached to the female housing 33.

[0036] Each female terminal 31 has a square tubular portion 31A located at the front side and a crimping portion 31B located at the rear side. An electric wire 34 is connected to each crimping portion 31B.

[0037] The female housing 33 is generally rectangular and has an upper wall 41, a lower wall 42, a front wall 43 (see FIG. 3), a rear wall 44, a left wall 45, and a right wall 46 that form its outer shell. The female housing 33 has a complementary structure that allows it to be connected to the male housing 13. The female housing 33 can be fitted to the male housing 13 by being inserted into the male housing 13 through an opening 13A of the male housing 13, except for a portion of the female housing 33 (the rear portion).

[0038] The female housing 33 is formed with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 47 into which the plurality of female terminals 31 are respectively inserted. Each terminal accommodating chamber 47 has a space that is substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped, and the space extends in the front-rear direction so as to penetrate the front wall 43 and the rear wall 44. The upper and lower surfaces of each terminal accommodating chamber 47 are generally defined by the inner surfaces of the upper wall 41 and the lower wall 42, respectively. The left and right side surfaces of each terminal accommodating chamber 47 are generally defined by any one of a plurality of inner walls 49, a left wall 45, and a right wall 46 that extend in the front-rear direction between the upper wall and the lower wall. In other words, the upper wall 41 and the lower wall 42 function as the upper and lower walls of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 47. The inner wall 49, the left wall 45, and the right wall 46 also function as side walls of the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 47.

[0039] An opening 45A on the insertion side of a retainer insertion hole 51 into which the retainer 35 is inserted is formed in the left wall 45 of the female housing 33. The retainer insertion hole 51 extends in the left-right direction from the left wall 45 to the right wall 46 within the female housing 33. The opening 45A formed in the left wall 45 is generally rectangular with four chamfered corners, as shown in FIG.

[0040] Regarding the retainer insertion hole 51, a groove 53 is formed on the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall 41, which extends in the left-right direction and constitutes a part (upper portion) of the retainer insertion hole 51. The groove 53 is convex upward and is defined by a front side surface 53A, a rear side surface 53B, and a bottom surface (located on the upper side here) 53C. A protrusion (locking portion) 55 (hereinafter referred to as a housing protrusion 55; see Figs. 7(A) and (B)) protruding forward from the rear side surface 53B locks a protrusion (locked portion) 57 (hereinafter referred to as a retainer protrusion 57) formed on the retainer 35. The housing protrusion 55 has an inclined surface 55A, a parallel surface 55B, and a vertical surface 55C, each of which is rectangular. The left edge of the inclined surface 55A is connected to the rear side surface 53B, and extends from the left edge to the right front (i.e., obliquely with respect to the rear side surface 53B). The parallel surface 55B is connected to the right edge of the inclined surface 55A and extends rightward in parallel to the rear side surface 53B. The vertical surface 55C is connected to the right edge of the parallel surface 55B and extends perpendicular to the rear side surface 53B, thereby connecting its right edge to the rear side surface 53B.

[0041] In this manner, the housing protrusion 55 that engages the retainer protrusion 57 is formed in the groove 53 provided on the inner surface side of the upper wall 41, so that the holding strength of the retainer 35 with respect to the female housing 33 is stably ensured. Also, the housing protrusion 55 is formed on the rear side surface 53B (other than the bottom surface 53C) of the groove 53 (i.e., does not protrude in the thickness direction of the upper wall 41), so that the formation of the housing protrusion 55 in the groove 53 can be prevented from affecting the thickness of the upper wall 41 of the female housing 33. The groove 53 may be formed on the inner surface side (located on the upper side here) of the lower wall 42. Also, the housing protrusion 55 may be provided so as to protrude rearward from the front side surface 53A.

[0042] Further, with respect to the retainer insertion hole 51, each inner wall 49 has a notch 59 formed so as to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of a portion (lower portion) of the retainer .

[0043] An opening 46A (see FIGS. 7A and 7B) exposing the tip of the retainer 35 is formed in the right wall 46 of the female housing 33. However, the opening 46A in the right wall 46 may be omitted.

[0044] The upper wall 41 of the female housing 33 is provided with a latched claw (housing latching portion) 61 that is latched with a latching portion (such as an opening or a latching claw, not shown) provided on the inner surface side of the upper wall 15 of the male housing 13. The upper wall 41 is also provided with an operation piece 63 (see FIG. 1) that is operated by the user when the user fits (electrically connects) the female housing 9 to the male housing 13. The user presses the operation piece 63 downward to displace the periphery of the latched claw 61 on the upper wall 41 toward the inside (downward) of the female housing 33, making it easier for the latched claw 61 to be latched by the latching portion of the male housing 13. An opening 41A (see FIG. 2) is provided in a portion of the upper wall 41 located above the retainer insertion hole 51. A portion of the bottom surface 53C of the groove 53 is cut out by the opening 41A. The user can check the insertion state of the retainer 35 into the retainer insertion hole 51 through the opening 41A.

[0045] The bottom wall 42 of the female housing 33 is provided with a plurality of elastic locking claws 65 (see Figs. 9A and 9B) that restrict the rearward movement of the female terminals 31 (i.e., prevent them from coming out of the terminal accommodating chambers 47). Each elastic locking claw 65 is provided so as to be displaceable in the substantially vertical direction, and is inserted into an opening formed in the bottom wall of the tubular portion 31A when each female terminal 31 is in a normal accommodating position (i.e., when each female terminal 31 is fully inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 47).

[0046] The retainer 35 holds the multiple female terminals 31 inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers 47 of the female housing 33. More specifically, when inserted into the retainer insertion holes 51 of the female housing 33, the retainer 35 engages with each female terminal 31 in a correct accommodation position, thereby restricting the rearward movement of each female terminal 31. Thus, the rearward movement of each female terminal 31 is doubly restricted by the elastic locking claws 65 of the female housing 33 and the retainer 35.

[0047] As also shown in Figures 5(A) and (B), the retainer 35 has an insertion side portion 71 located on the insertion side of the female housing 33, a base portion 73 connected to the rear of the insertion side portion 71, and a flange portion 75 formed at the rear end of the base portion 73.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5B, the insertion side portion 71 has an upper stage portion 81, a middle stage portion 82, and a lower stage portion (terminal locking portion) 83. A retainer projection 57 that is locked to the housing projection 55 is provided on a rear surface 81A of the upper stage portion 81. The retainer projection 57 has an inclined surface 57A, a parallel surface 57B, and a vertical surface 57C, each of which is rectangular. The right edge of the inclined surface 57A is connected to the rear surface 81A and extends from the right edge to the left rear (i.e., obliquely with respect to the rear surface 81A). The parallel surface 57B is connected to the left edge (rear in the insertion direction) of the inclined surface 57A and extends leftward in parallel with the rear surface 81A. The vertical surface 57C is connected to the left edge of the parallel surface 57B and extends perpendicular to the rear surface 81A, so that the left edge of the vertical surface 57C is connected to the left edge of the parallel surface 57B.

[0049] Moreover, an elongated hole 87 is provided on the inside (front) of the locking projection 85 of the upper stage portion 81, penetrating the upper stage portion 81 in the up-down direction. As a result, the portion between the retainer projection 57 and the elongated hole 87 functions as an elastic deformation portion 89 that elastically deforms when the retainer projection 57 is locked to the housing projection 55. The up-down width of the elastic deformation portion 89 (i.e., the upper stage portion 81) is smaller than the maximum up-down width of the entire insertion side portion 71, as shown in Fig. 6. As a result, it is possible to avoid impeding the deformation of the elastic deformation portion 89 between the retainer projection 57 and the elongated hole while ensuring the rigidity of the insertion side portion 71 as much as possible.

[0050] A front edge 87A of the long hole 87 extends further forward beyond the rear surface 82A of the middle step 82, so that the long hole 87 has a smaller front-to-rear width when viewed from below the retainer 35 (see FIG. 5(B)) than when viewed from above (see FIG. 5(A)). With this configuration, the rigidity of the insertion side portion 71 is ensured by the middle step 82, while the thickness of the elastic deformation portion 89 (i.e., the upper step 81) can be made smaller and the front-to-rear width of the long hole 87 can be made larger (i.e., the retainer protrusion 57 can be easily displaced when engaged with the housing protrusion 55).

[0051] In the insertion side portion 71, the middle step 82 has a narrower front-rear width than the upper step 81. The lower step 83 is formed so as to protrude from the middle step 82 toward the terminal accommodating chamber 47 (downward) and forward in a cross section (see FIG. 9(B)) perpendicular to the left-right direction of the retainer 35. The lower step 83 has a narrower front-rear width than the middle step 82. With this configuration of the lower step 83, even when the retainer protrusion 57 is formed in the groove 53 provided on the inner surface side of the upper wall 41, the retainer 35 can stably lock the female terminal 31 while suppressing excessive enlargement of the retainer insertion hole 51 (i.e., a decrease in the rigidity of the female-side housing 9).

[0052] As shown in Fig. 5(A), the base 73 has an upper step 91, a middle step 92, and a lower step (terminal locking portion) 93. The upper step 91 is connected to the left (rear in the insertion direction) of the upper step 81 of the insertion side portion 71. The middle step 92 is connected to the left of the middle step 82 of the insertion side portion 71. The middle step 92 has a greater front-to-rear width than the middle step 82 of the insertion side portion 71. The lower step 93 is connected to the left of the lower step 83 of the insertion side portion 71.

[0053] The insertion side portion 71 including the retainer protrusion 57 has a narrower front-to-rear width in plan view than the base portion 73. This ensures a front-to-rear width necessary for the retainer 35 to be stably held in the female housing 33 at the base 73 while suppressing an increase in the front-to-rear width of the retainer 35, even when the retainer protrusion 57 is provided as an engaged portion of the retainer 35 that engages with the female housing 33. However, the front-to-rear width in plan view of the insertion side portion 71 including the retainer protrusion 57 may be set to be larger than the front-to-rear width of the base 73, if necessary.

[0054] The flange portion 75 can be fitted into the opening 43A of the female housing 9, and its outer edge forms a substantially rectangular shape with four chamfered corners.

[0055] A recess 95 is formed in the left-right intermediate portion of the top surface of retainer 35 (a part of the top surface of insertion side portion 71 and base portion 73) so as to correspond to the position of locking claws 61 of female housing 33 when retainer 35 is attached to female housing 33. This makes it possible to prevent retainer 35 from hindering inward displacement of locking claws 61 of female housing 33 when female connector 5 is connected to male connector 3.

[0056] Next, the operation of the user to attach the retainer 35 to the female housing 9 (that is, the operation of locking the plurality of female terminals 31 by the retainer 35) will be described.

[0057] A user (not shown) moves retainer 35 to the right from the state shown in Figures 7(A) and 8(A) to insert it into retainer insertion hole 51. As a result, retainer 35 is attached to retainer insertion hole 51 as shown in Figures 7(B) and 8(B).

[0058] During the insertion of retainer 35 into retainer insertion hole 51, inclined surface 57A of retainer protrusion 57 comes into contact with inclined surface 55A of housing protrusion 55. In this state, when the user further pushes retainer 35 to the right, retainer protrusion 57 is displaced inward (forward) and moves to the right of housing protrusion 55, climbing over housing protrusion 55. As a result, vertical surface 57C of retainer protrusion 57 comes into contact with vertical surface 55C of housing protrusion 55, and the movement of retainer 35 to the left is restricted (i.e., retainer 35 is prevented from coming out of retainer insertion hole 51).

[0059] 7(B), the front-to-rear width of groove 53 constituting retainer insertion hole 51 (the distance between front side surface 53A and rear side surface 53B) is approximately the same as the front-to-rear width of upper step portion 81 of retainer 35 (insertion side portion 71) including retainer protrusion 57, or is slightly larger than the front-to-rear width of upper step portion 81. As a result, insertion of retainer 35 into retainer insertion hole 51 is not hindered until inclined surface 57A of retainer protrusion 57 abuts against inclined surface 55A of housing protrusion 55.

[0060] 8(B), of the multiple inner walls 49, cutout portion 59A of inner wall 49 facing insertion side portion 71 of retainer 35 has a smaller front-to-rear width than cutout portion 59B of inner wall 49 facing base 73. By providing inner wall 49 with cutout portions 59A, 59B of different front-to-rear widths to correspond to insertion side portion 71 and base 73 of retainer 35, it is possible to stably hold insertion side portion 71 of retainer 35, which has a smaller front-to-rear width, and base 73 of the retainer, which has a larger front-to-rear width.

[0061] When the attachment of the retainer 35 to the female housing 33 is completed, as shown in Figures 9(A) and (B), the lower step portion 83 or lower step portion 93 of the retainer 35 abuts against the rear end of the tubular portion 31A of the female terminal 31, thereby preventing the female terminal 31 from moving backward (i.e., from leaving the terminal accommodating chamber 47).

[0062] Although the present invention has been described above based on specific embodiments, these embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The components of the electrical connector and the electrical connector pair including the electrical connector shown in the above embodiments are not necessarily all essential, and at least those skilled in the art can select them as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1: Electrical connector pair 3: Male connector 5: Female connector (electrical connector) 9: Female housing 11: Male terminal 13: Male housing 15: Upper wall 16: Lower wall 17: Left wall 18: Right wall 19: Front wall 21: Circuit board 23: Mounting bracket 31:Female terminal (metal terminal) 33: Female housing 34: Electric wire 35: Retainer 41: Upper wall 42: Lower wall 43: Front wall 44: Back wall 45: Left wall 46: Right wall 47: Terminal chamber 49:Inner wall 51: Retainer insertion hole 53: Groove 53A:Anterior side 53B: Back side 53C: Bottom 55: Housing protrusion 57: Retainer protrusion 59: Notch 61: Locking claw (housing locking part) 63: Operation piece 65: Elastic locking claw 71: Insertion side 73: Base 75: Flange part 81: Upper part 82: Middle section 83: Lower part (terminal locking part) 85: Locking protrusion 87: Long hole 89: Elastically deformable part 91: Upper section 92: Middle section 93: Lower part (terminal locking part) 95: Recess

Claims

1. 1. An electrical connector comprising: A plurality of metal terminals; a housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers into which the plurality of metal terminals are respectively inserted, and a retainer insertion hole extending in a left-right direction perpendicular to a front-rear direction corresponding to an insertion direction of the plurality of metal terminals; a retainer that is inserted into the retainer insertion hole to hold the metal terminal inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber, the retainer has a locked portion that is locked to the housing, The housing has an upper wall, a lower wall, a left wall, and a right wall that form an outer shell thereof, The retainer insertion hole is opened in at least one of the left wall and the right wall, a groove extending in the left-right direction and constituting a part of the retainer insertion hole is formed on an inner surface of the upper wall or the lower wall, The groove is formed so as to be convex upward on the upper wall or convex downward on the lower wall, The groove is formed with a locking portion that locks the locked portion of the retainer to restrict movement of the retainer in a direction opposite to the insertion direction relative to the retainer insertion hole, the engaged portion of the retainer is a protrusion protruding toward the front or rear of the retainer, the retainer has an insertion side portion on which a protrusion serving as the locked portion is formed, and a base portion connected to the insertion side portion, a front-rear width of the insertion side portion including the protrusion as the engaged portion is equal to or smaller than a front-rear width of the base portion, In the retainer, the insertion side portion is provided with a long hole that is disposed inside the protrusion as the locked portion and penetrates the insertion side portion in a vertical direction, an elastically deforming portion that elastically deforms when the protrusion as the locked portion is locked to the locking portion is formed between the long hole and the protrusion as the locked portion of the retainer; An electrical connector, wherein the vertical width of the elastic deformation portion is smaller than the maximum vertical width of the entire insertion side portion.

2. the groove is defined by a front side, a rear side, and a bottom side; The locking portion is a protrusion protruding from the groove, The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is formed on the front side or the rear side.

3. the retainer has terminal locking portions that lock the plurality of metal terminals, 3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the terminal locking portion forms a portion that projects toward the terminal accommodating chamber and forward in a cross section perpendicular to the left-right direction.

4. the metal terminal is a female metal terminal connectable to a male metal terminal, 4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing is a female housing connectable to a male housing that holds the male metal terminal.

5. 5. An electrical connector pair comprising: the electrical connector according to claim 1; and another electrical connector provided so as to be connectable to the electrical connector.

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