Male connectors and connector assemblies

Abstract

To provide a male connector or the like that can be easily fitted to a female connector.SOLUTION: A male connector 10 includes a cylindrical hood portion 13 that protrudes forward and is fitted into a fitting cylindrical portion 23 that has an opening formed in a female connector 20 from the projecting end 13A side. The hood portion 13 is provided with at least one guide protrusion 31 that protrudes forward from the annular protruding end 13A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to male connectors and connector assemblies. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an electrical connector is known, as described in Patent Document 1 below. This electrical connector includes a plug connector (male connector) having a fitting portion (hood portion) protruding on one side, and a receptacle connector (female connector) formed with a fitting opening (fitting tubular portion) for receiving the fitting portion. The fitting portion of the plug connector is inserted into the fitting opening of the receptacle connector from the protruding end side, and is fitted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-198593 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of an electrical connector such as that of Patent Document 1, if the connector is small or if there is insufficient working space, it may take time to insert the fitting portion into the fitting opening. In order to avoid such a situation, for example, in a connector complex in which a frame is attached to a female connector, a configuration is considered in which a front wall having a tapered surface is provided on the frame and placed in front of the fitting tube of the female connector, and the front wall of the frame guides the hood portion of the male connector into the fitting tube of the female connector. However, if a connector in which the hood portion and the fitting tube portion are formed in a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the terminal housed therein is configured as described above, when a terminal with a different outer shape is used, it becomes necessary to change the shape of not only the male connector and the female connector, but also the frame having the front wall. For this reason, a male connector that can easily guide the hood portion into the fitting tube of the female connector without using a separate member has been desired.

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification was developed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a male connector that can be easily mated with a female connector, and a connector complex including the male connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The male connector disclosed in this specification is a male connector having a cylindrical hood portion that protrudes forward and is inserted from the protruding end side into a mating cylindrical portion formed in an opening in the female connector, and the hood portion is formed with at least one guide protrusion that protrudes forward from the annular protruding end.

[0007] In addition, the connector complex disclosed in this specification comprises a male connector according to the present disclosure and a female connector having a cylindrical mating tube portion into which the hood portion is inserted, and a recess is provided on the inner surface of the mating tube portion to receive the guide protrusion of the male connector. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a male connector that can be easily mated with a female connector, and a connector complex including the male connector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a connector complex (in a mated state) according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the inside of the connector composite body (in a mated state). [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the male connector. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the male connector. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view (mating surface) of the male connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the female connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the female connector. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front view (mating surface) of the female connector. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a side cross-sectional view showing the male connector and the female connector in the middle of being mated. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a side cross-sectional view showing the male connector and female connector in the middle of mating, which is further advanced from FIG. 9A. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9C is a side cross-sectional view showing the male connector and the female connector when mating is complete. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.

[0011] (1) The male connector of the present disclosure is a male connector having a cylindrical hood portion that protrudes forward and is inserted from the protruding end into a mating tube portion formed in an opening in the female connector, and the hood portion is provided with at least one guide protrusion that protrudes forward from the annular protruding end.

[0012] According to the above configuration (1), the hood portion can be guided into the fitting tube portion by the guide protrusion, and the fitting can be easily performed. In addition, the length of the guide protrusion can be adjusted to set the length of the guide protrusion as desired. Since the guide can be performed without using other members that constitute the connector composite, it is possible to provide a connector composite that can be applied to terminals of various shapes by simply changing the shapes of the male connector and the female connector.

[0013] (2) In the male connector of the present disclosure, it is preferable that a rib extending in the protruding direction of the hood portion is protruded from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion, and the guide protrusion is formed at a front end of the rib. According to the above configuration (2), the rib increases the strength of the hood portion, and also makes it easier to smoothly insert the hood portion all the way into the fitting tube portion.

[0014] (3) In the male connector of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the hood portion has a predetermined thickness portion formed with a predetermined wall thickness and a thin-wall portion formed with a wall thickness smaller than the predetermined thickness portion, and the rib is arranged in a position adjacent to the thin-wall portion. According to the above configuration (3), the vicinity of the thin-walled portion, which is weaker than the predetermined thickness portion, is reinforced by the rib, which makes it possible to reduce the size of the male connector and, in turn, to reduce the size of the connector composite.

[0015] (4) A connector composite according to the present disclosure is a connector composite comprising a male connector according to the present disclosure and a female connector having a cylindrical mating tube portion into which the hood portion is inserted, wherein an inner surface of the mating tube portion is provided with a recess for receiving the guide protrusion of the male connector.

[0016] According to the above configuration (4), the dimensions of the connector assembly when mated can be minimized by adjusting the depth of the recess and the protruding length of the guiding protrusion. In addition, by appropriately designing the positions, shapes, and dimensions of the guiding protrusion and recess for various connectors, it is possible to prevent incorrect mating.

[0017] (5) A connector composite according to the present disclosure is a connector composite comprising: a male connector according to the present disclosure; and a female connector having a cylindrical mating tube portion into which the hood portion is inserted, wherein an inner surface of the mating tube portion is provided with a recess for receiving the guide protrusion of the male connector and a groove for receiving the rib.

[0018] According to the above configuration (5), the groove formed on the inner peripheral side surface of the fitting cylinder acts as a guide, enabling the hood portion, on which the ribs are formed, to be smoothly guided to the back of the fitting cylinder.

[0019] (6) In the connector complex according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that a tapered surface is formed on a tip end of the guiding protrusion and on an open end of the fitting tube portion. According to the above configuration (6), the tapered surface allows the guide protrusion to be smoothly guided into the fitting tubular portion. In a configuration in which a groove is provided in the fitting tubular portion, the tapered surface allows the guide protrusion to be guided into the groove.

[0020] (7) In the connector composite according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the female connector has a flexibly deformable lance that prevents the terminal housed inside the mating tubular portion from coming loose, and that the groove portion is arranged in the vicinity of the lance when viewed from the front. According to the above configuration (7), the recess is disposed in a portion of the female connector that is relatively strong, so that the effect of reduction in strength due to the formation of the recess can be reduced.

[0021] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0022] <Embodiment> The embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9C. In this disclosure, the opposing sides of the male connector and female connector, i.e., the right side of FIG. 4 for the male connector and the left side of FIG. 7 for the female connector, are referred to as the front (the opposite side is the rear). In the following description, the upper side of FIG. 2 is referred to as the top (the opposite side is the bottom), but each connector and connector complex can be used in any position. Some of the drawings show the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis of the Cartesian coordinate system XYZ, and each axis direction is drawn to be the same direction in each drawing. The Z-axis direction represents the up-down direction, the Y-axis direction represents the front-back direction, and the X-axis direction represents the left-right direction. Note that for multiple identical members, a reference symbol may be attached to one member and the reference symbols of the other members may be omitted.

[0023] (connector complex) As shown in Fig. 1 etc., the connector complex 1 according to this embodiment is configured to include a male connector 10 and a female connector 20. As shown in Fig. 2, the male connector 10 accommodates a first terminal T100 connected to an end of a cable C1, and the female connector 20 accommodates a second terminal T200 connected to an end of a cable C2. Although not shown in the figure, the connector complex 1 further includes a male frame that holds the male connector 10 and a female frame that holds the female connector 20, and the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 can be maintained in a mated state by a lock structure provided on the male frame and the female frame.

[0024] (Cables and terminals) For example, a coaxial cable including an inner conductor, a dielectric disposed around the inner conductor, an outer conductor made of a braided wire or the like disposed around the dielectric, and an insulator covering the outer conductor can be used for the cables C1 and C2. A coaxial terminal connected to a terminated coaxial cable includes, for example, a center contact connected to the inner conductor, an insulator holding the center contact, an outer contact holding the insulator, and a metal sleeve crimped to the outer conductor.

[0025] 2, in this embodiment, the first terminal T100 and the second terminal T200 are exemplified as coaxial terminals having base ends T110, T210 crimped to the cables C1, C2 at the base end side, cylindrical tip ends T120, T220 fitted to mating terminals at the tip side, and flanges T130, T230 positioned between the base ends T110, T210 and the tip ends T120, T220 and protruding in the outer circumferential direction. T200 The tip of T220 is the first terminal T100When the male connector 10, which houses the first terminal T100 in a normal position, and the female connector 20, which houses the second terminal T200 in a normal position, are mated, the tip portion T120 of the first terminal T100 is inserted into the tip portion T220 of the second terminal T200, and, for example, center contacts held inside the tip portions T120, T220 come into contact with each other, electrically connecting both terminals T100, T200, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0026] (Male connector) As shown in Figures 3 to 5, male connector 10 has a shape in which male main body 11, which has an external shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, has a substantially cylindrical hood portion 13 protruding forward from the front surface. As shown in Figure 5, male main body 11 has a rectangular shape with its short sides extending in the vertical direction when viewed from the front. Male connector 10 may be, for example, one that is integrally molded from insulating synthetic resin. As shown in Figure 2, male connector 10 has male terminal accommodating portion 15 with a circular cross section that penetrates male main body 11 and hood portion 13 in the front-rear direction. First terminal T100 connected to the end of cable C1 is inserted from the rear into male terminal accommodating portion 15 and accommodated therein.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3 etc., on the top surface of male main body 11, male lance 17, which is formed in a cantilever shape with its front end as a free end and is vertically flexible, is formed so as to protrude into male terminal accommodating portion 15 in its natural state (see Figure 5). As shown in Figure 2, when first terminal T100 is inserted from the rear into male terminal accommodating portion 15 and pushed to the correct position, the front surface of male lance 17, which is vertically flexible, abuts against the rear surface of flange portion T130, restricting rearward movement of first terminal T100.

[0028] A male retainer mounting hole 19 is formed on the underside of male main body portion 11 (see FIG. 9A). When first terminal T100 is inserted from the rear into male terminal accommodating portion 15 and retainer 50 is inserted into male retainer mounting hole 19 and mounted, first terminal T100 is pushed into the correct position, as described above. Male lance 17The male terminal accommodating portion 15 is retained in place by the retainer 14.

[0029] (Hood section) As shown in Figure 3 etc., hood portion 13 is formed to protrude from male main body portion 11 in a generally cylindrical shape with its axis in the front-rear direction (the direction in which hood portion 13 protrudes). A cavity penetrating the interior in the front-rear direction constitutes part of male terminal accommodating portion 15, and the tip portion of first terminal T100 is accommodated inside hood portion 13. Hood portion 13 is formed with a predetermined wall thickness that satisfies strength requirements almost entirely. As shown in Figure 3 etc., the outer peripheral surface of annular protruding end 13A of hood portion 13 that opens forward is provided with protruding end tapered surface 13T that slopes inwardly as it approaches the front.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5 etc., hood portion 13, which is circular in front view, is formed so that the opening diameter from the front surface of male main body portion 11, which is rectangular in front view with its short sides in the vertical direction, is as large as possible, that is, so that the vertical dimension of hood portion 13 is close to the vertical dimension of male main body portion 11. For this reason, the upper and lower portions of the wall portion forming hood portion 13 are thin-walled portions 13C whose wall thickness is smaller than predetermined thickness portion 13B, which is formed with a predetermined wall thickness. Thin-walled portions 13C located at the upper and lower portions of hood portion 13 extend in the front-rear direction (the direction in which hood portion 13 protrudes).

[0031] (Ribs and guide protrusions) As shown in Fig. 3 and other figures, a rib 30 is provided to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 13. Two ribs 30 are formed in the hood portion 13 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5 and other figures, the rib 30 is formed to protrude in the left-right direction (in the tangent direction to the center of the thin portion 13C in a front view) from the vicinity of the thin portion 13C, i.e., from a position adjacent to the thin portion 13C on the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 13, and to extend in the front-rear direction (the protruding direction of the hood portion 13). As shown in Fig. 5, the two ribs 30 are provided so as to be positioned and shaped point-symmetrical to each other about the center of the hood portion 13 in a front view.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4 etc., the front end of the rib 30 protrudes forward of the hood portion 13 to form a guide protrusion 31. The protruding length of the guide protrusion 31 from the hood portion 13 can be adjusted as desired depending on the dimensions, shape, and application of the connector composite, but in order to smoothly guide the hood portion 13 into the fitting tubular portion 23 as described below, it is preferable that the protruding length is, for example, 1 mm or more. As shown in Fig. 4 etc., the guide protrusion 31 is provided with a tip tapered surface 31T on the outer peripheral surface of its tip, giving it a tapered shape. It is preferable that the guide protrusion 31 is displaceable in the radial direction of the protruding end 13A.

[0033] (female connector) As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the female connector 20 has a shape in which a fitting tube 23 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, the outer shape of which is one size smaller than that of the female main body 21, is provided in front of the female main body 21 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape with a cylindrical protrusion formed at the rear. As shown in Fig. 8, the female main body 21 and the female terminal accommodating section 25 are rectangular in shape with the short sides extending in the vertical direction when viewed from the front. The female connector 20 may be, for example, a connector integrally molded from insulating synthetic resin. As shown in Fig. 2, the female connector 20 has a female terminal accommodating section 25 having a circular cross section that penetrates the female main body 21 and the fitting tube 23 in the front-rear direction. The second terminal T200 connected to the end of the cable C2 is inserted from the rear into the female terminal accommodating section 25 and accommodated therein.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 7 etc., a female lance 27, which is formed in a cantilever shape with its front end as a free end and is vertically deformable, is formed on the upper surface of the female main body 21 so as to protrude into the interior of the female terminal accommodating portion 25 in a natural state (see Fig. 8). As shown in Fig. 2, when the second terminal T200 is inserted from the rear into the female terminal accommodating portion 25 and pushed to the correct position, the front surface of the female lance 27, which is vertically deformable, abuts against the rear surface of the flange portion T230, restricting the rearward movement of the second terminal T200.

[0035] 7, a female retainer mounting hole 29 is formed on the underside of female main body portion 21. When second terminal T200 is inserted from the rear into female terminal accommodating portion 25 and retainer 50 is inserted into female retainer mounting hole 29 and attached, second terminal T200 is pushed into the correct position and, as described above, is prevented from coming out by female lance 27 and is held in female terminal accommodating portion 25.

[0036] (Fitting cylinder part) 8 and other figures, fitting tube portion 23 provided in front of female main body portion 21 is formed to open forward and have an outer shape that is one size smaller than female main body portion 21 in front view. A cavity with a substantially circular cross section that penetrates in the front-rear direction is provided inside fitting tube portion 23, and this cavity constitutes a part of female terminal accommodating portion 25. The inner periphery of fitting tube portion 23 is formed to be fitted approximately tightly to the outer periphery of hood portion 13 of male connector 10 described above.

[0037] (grooves and recesses) As shown in Fig. 6 etc., a groove 40 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting tube portion 23, extending in the front-rear direction and receiving the guide protrusion 31 and rib 30 of the male connector 10 described above. As shown in Fig. 8, the groove 40 is provided so that the inner peripheral surface of the fitting tube portion 23 is recessed in the left-right direction (directions parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the fitting tube portion 23 and the female main body portion 21).

[0038] 7, the groove 40 extends rearward beyond the portion of the inner periphery of the fitting tube 23 that fits onto the outer periphery of the hood 13, forming a recess 41. The extension length of the groove 40, i.e., the depth of the recess 41, is set according to the protruding length of the guiding protrusion 31, etc., but it is preferable to set the length to allow for some margin of error so that the guiding protrusion 31 can be received.

[0039] As shown in Figure 8 etc., in this embodiment, two grooves 40 corresponding to the two ribs 30 of the male connector 10 are provided so as to be positioned and shaped point-symmetrical to each other with respect to the center of the opening of the fitting tube portion 23 in a front view. One of the two grooves 40 (the groove 40 shown in the upper right of Figure 8) is provided in a position adjacent to the female lance 27 in a front view, and a recess 41 formed at the rear end of the groove 40 is disposed in the vicinity of the female lance 27, i.e., in a peripheral position.

[0040] 6 and other figures, a cylindrical tapered surface 23T that slopes inwardly toward the rear is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the opening end of the front surface of the fitting cylindrical portion 23 including the groove portion 40. In the following description, of the cylindrical tapered surface 23T, the tapered surface provided on the opening end of the groove portion 40 may be referred to as a groove tapered surface 40T.

[0041] (Male and female connector mating) Next, the mating operation of male connector 10 and female connector 20 will be described with reference to Figures 9A to 9C. Note that in Figures 9A to 9C, for ease of viewing, illustration of terminals T100, T200 accommodated in male and female connectors 10, 20 is omitted, but in reality, the mating operation is performed with male and female connectors 10, 20 housing and holding terminals T100, T200 in the correct positions.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 9A, the front side of the male connector 10, i.e., the protruding end 13A of the hood portion 13, is opposed to the front side of the female connector 20, i.e., the opening end of the fitting tube portion 23, and the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are brought close to each other. First, the guiding protrusion 31 abuts against the opening end of the fitting tube portion 23, and the tip tapered surface 31T of the tip of the guiding protrusion 31 is guided by the tube portion tapered surface 23T, particularly the groove portion tapered surface 40T, of the opening end of the fitting tube portion 23, and the male connector 10 is guided to a position directly facing the female connector 20. In this way, by first inserting the guiding protrusion 31 into the groove portion 40, not only can the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 be positioned relative to each other, but also mating with an incorrect connector can be avoided (prevention of incorrect connection).

[0043] As shown in Fig. 9B, when the male connector 10 is further pushed toward the female connector 20 from the state where the guiding protrusion 31 is inserted into the groove 40, the hood portion 13 enters the inside of the fitting tubular portion 23 from the protruding end 13A. Here, since the guiding protrusion 31 is inserted into the groove 40 in advance, the male connector 10 faces the female connector 20, and the rib 30, which is connected to the guiding protrusion 31 and extends in the front-rear direction (the insertion direction of the hood portion 13), is guided along the groove 40, so that the hood portion 13 is smoothly inserted into the fitting tubular portion 23. Even if there is some shaking, the protruding end tapered surface 13T of the hood portion 13 is guided by the tube tapered surface 23T of the fitting tubular portion 23 (see Fig. 9A), and the hood portion 13 is guided into the fitting tubular portion 23.

[0044] 9C, when hood portion 13 is pushed all the way into fitting tube portion 23, guide protrusion 31 is received in recess 41, completing the fitting operation. Here, rib 30 extending in the front-rear direction on hood portion 13 is guided along groove 40, allowing male connector 10 to be smoothly pushed all the way into female connector 20 while preventing rotation, etc.

[0045] When the hood portion 13 of the male connector 10 is inserted into the mating tubular portion 23 of the female connector 20 in the above manner, the terminals T100, T200 housed inside the male and female connectors 10, 20 are electrically connected as shown in Fig. 2. As described above, in the connector complex 1 according to the present embodiment, the male connector 10 and the female connector 20 are locked in the mated state by the locking structures provided on the frames attached to each of them.

[0046] (Effects of this embodiment) Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The male connector 10 of this embodiment is a male connector 10 having a cylindrical hood portion 13 that protrudes forward and is inserted into a mating tube portion 23 formed as an opening in the female connector 20 from the protruding end 13A side, and the hood portion 13 is provided with at least one guide protrusion 31 that protrudes forward from the annular protruding end 13A.

[0047] According to the male connector 10 of this embodiment, the hood portion 13 can be guided into the fitting tube portion 23 by the guiding protrusion 31, allowing easy fitting. In addition, the length of the guiding protrusion 31 can be adjusted to any desired length. As a result, guiding is possible without using other members constituting the connector composite 1 (for example, a female frame that holds the female connector 20), and as a result, by simply changing the shapes of the male connector 10 and the female connector 20, a connector composite 1 that can be used with terminals having different external shapes can be provided.

[0048] Male connector 10 according to the present disclosure is preferably applicable to, for example, a male connector that accommodates a coaxial terminal, because coaxial terminals come in a variety of external shapes, and the present disclosure can easily accommodate such shape changes.

[0049] In addition, in the male connector 10 of this embodiment, a rib 30 extending in the protruding direction (front-to-back direction) of the hood portion 13 is protruded from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 13, and the guide protrusion 31 is arranged at the front end of the rib 30. In such male connector 10, ribs 30 increase the strength of hood portion 13, and also make it easier to insert hood portion 13 smoothly and all the way into fitting tubular portion 23.

[0050] In male connector 10 of the present embodiment, a plurality of ribs 30 and guiding projections 31 are provided at positions that are point-symmetric about the center of hood portion 13 when viewed from the front. With this configuration, the multiple guide protrusions 31 are provided at positions spaced apart from one another, so that the hood portion 13 can be more reliably guided into the fitting tube portion 23. Also, the multiple ribs 30 are provided at positions spaced apart from one another, so that the strength improving effect of the ribs 30 can be obtained over a wide range of the hood portion 13.

[0051] In addition, in the male connector 10 of this embodiment, the hood portion 13 has a specified thickness portion 13B formed with a specified wall thickness, and a thin-walled portion 13C formed with a wall thickness smaller than the specified thickness portion 13B, and the rib 30 is arranged in a position adjacent to the thin-walled portion 13C. In such male connector 10, the vicinity of thin-walled portion 13C in the hood portion, which is weaker than predetermined thickness portion 13B, is reinforced by rib 30. As a result, male connector 10 and therefore connector composite 1 can be made smaller.

[0052] In male connector 10 according to the present embodiment, rib 30 is formed to protrude from the vicinity of thin-walled portion 13C in the tangential direction of hood portion 13 at the center of thin-walled portion 13C in front view. In this way, rib 30 can provide a particularly large reinforcing effect.

[0053] In addition, the connector complex 1 of this embodiment is a connector complex 1 comprising a male connector 10 and a female connector 20 having a cylindrical mating tube portion 23 into which the hood portion 13 is inserted, and a recess 41 is provided on the inner surface of the mating tube portion 23 to receive the guide protrusion 31 of the male connector 10.

[0054] According to the connector composite 1 of the present embodiment, the dimensions of the connector composite 1 during mating can be made as small as possible by adjusting the depth of the recess 41 and the protruding length of the guiding protrusion 31. In addition, by appropriately designing the positions, shapes, and dimensions of the guiding protrusion 31 and the recess 41 for various connectors, it is possible to prevent erroneous mating.

[0055] In addition, the connector complex 1 of this embodiment is a connector complex 1 comprising a male connector 10 according to the present disclosure and a female connector 20 having a cylindrical mating tube portion 23 into which the hood portion 13 is inserted, and the inner surface of the mating tube portion 23 is provided with a recess 41 that receives the guide protrusion 31 of the male connector 10 and a groove portion 40 that receives the rib 30.

[0056] According to the connector complex 1 of the present embodiment, the groove portion 40 formed on the inner peripheral side surface of the fitting tubular portion 23 acts as a guide, allowing the hood portion 13 to be smoothly guided to the back of the fitting tubular portion 23 .

[0057] In the connector complex 1 of this embodiment, the leading end of the guiding projection 31 and the opening end of the fitting cylindrical portion 23 are formed with a leading end tapered surface 31T and a cylindrical portion tapered surface 23T (tapered surface). According to such a connector complex 1, the leading end tapered surface 31T and the tube portion tapered surface 23T can smoothly guide the guide protrusion 31 into the fitting tube portion 23. In addition, the tapered surface can guide the rib 30 connected to the guide protrusion 31 into the groove portion 40 of the fitting tube portion 23. In this embodiment, the protruding end 13A of the hood portion 13 is also provided with a protruding end tapered surface 13T. This makes it even easier to insert the hood portion 13 into the fitting tube portion 23.

[0058] In addition, in the connector complex 1 of this embodiment, the female connector 20 has a flexibly deformable female side lance 27 (lance) that prevents the second terminal T200 (terminal) housed inside the mating tubular portion 23 from coming loose, and the recess 41 is arranged in the vicinity of the female side lance 27. In a connector, the vicinity of the lance is designed to be stronger than other parts to allow for bending deformation. According to the connector composite 1 of the present embodiment, the recess 41 is disposed in a relatively strong part of the female connector 20, so that the effect of the recess 41 on the reduction in strength is reduced.

[0059] <Other embodiments> The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the technology disclosed in this specification.

[0060] (1) In the above embodiment, two ribs having guide protrusions are formed on the hood portion, and two grooves connected to the recess are formed on the fitting tube portion. However, the number of guide protrusions and ribs, and the number of recesses and grooves are arbitrary. These may be one or three or more. When a plurality of guide protrusions and grooves are provided, they are preferably provided at point-symmetric positions about the center when viewed from the front. Also, when a plurality of ribs and grooves are provided, guide protrusions do not have to be formed at the tips of all ribs, and recesses do not have to be formed at the rear ends of all grooves.

[0061] (2) In the above embodiment, the male connector and the female connector are described as accommodating one terminal each, but this is not limited thereto. The male connector and the female connector may each accommodate a plurality of terminals. The terminals accommodated in the male and female connectors are not limited to the coaxial terminals described in the above embodiment, and may be terminals of various shapes.

[0062] (3) In the above embodiment, the hood portion of the male connector has a generally cylindrical outer shape with a cylindrical cavity formed therein, and the fitting tube portion of the female connector has a generally rectangular parallelepiped outer shape with a cylindrical cavity formed therein, but these are merely examples, and the hood portion and the fitting tube portion may be formed in a different cylindrical shape from the above. For example, the fitting tube portion may also be formed in a generally cylindrical outer shape with a cylindrical cavity formed therein.

[0063] (4) The male body portion and the female body portion may have a shape different from that described in the above embodiment. In addition, in the above embodiment, the male body portion and the female body portion to which the retainer is attached are described, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The male connector and the female connector according to the above embodiment are based on the premise that the frames that hold them have a locking structure, and do not have a locking structure. They are not limited to such a structure, and the male connector and the female connector may have a locking structure that locks them in a mated state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1…Connector complex 10...Male connector 11…Male body part 13…Hood section 13A…Protruding end 13B…Specified thickness part 13C…Thin wall part 13T…Tapered surface at protruding end 15...Male terminal housing 17…Male lance 19...Male retainer mounting hole 20...Female connector 21…Female body part 23...Mating cylinder portion 23T…Tapered cylindrical surface 25…Female terminal housing 27…Female lance 29…Female retainer mounting hole 30…Rib 31...Guiding protrusion 31T…Tip tapered surface 40…Groove 40T...Tapered groove surface 41…Recess 50…Retainer C1, C2...Cable T100…First terminal T200…Second terminal T110,T210…Proximal end T120, T220...Tip T130,T230…Trim part

Claims

1. A male connector having a male-side main body portion with a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a cylindrical hood portion that protrudes forward from the front surface of the male-side main body portion and is inserted into a fitting cylinder portion formed with an opening in a female connector from the protruding end side, wherein a pair of guide protrusions that protrude forward from the annular protruding end are provided on the hood portion, the male-side main body portion forms a rectangle with the vertical direction as the short side and the horizontal direction as the long side in a front view, ribs that extend in the protruding direction of the hood portion and are formed in a pair of left and right plate shapes project from the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion, the guide protrusions are formed at the front ends of the ribs, the pair of left and right ribs and the guide protrusions are located at different heights in the vertical direction, are located below the upper end on the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion, and are located above the lower end on the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion. A male connector.

2. The hood portion has a predetermined thickness portion formed with a predetermined wall thickness and a thin wall portion formed with a wall thickness smaller than that of the predetermined thickness portion, The rib is arranged at a position adjacent to the thin wall portion. The male connector according to claim 1.

3. A male connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, and a female connector having a cylindrical fitting cylinder portion into which the hood portion is inserted, wherein a recess for receiving the guide protrusion of the male connector is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder portion. A connector complex.

4. A male connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, and a female connector having a cylindrical fitting cylinder portion into which the hood portion is inserted, wherein a recess for receiving the guide protrusion of the male connector and a groove for receiving the rib are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder portion. A connector complex.

5. A taper surface is formed at the tip of the guide protrusion and the open end of the fitting cylinder portion. The connector complex according to claim 4.

6. The female connector has a lance that can be elastically deformed to prevent the terminal housed inside the fitting cylinder portion from coming off, The recess is arranged in the vicinity of the lance. The connector complex according to claim 4 or claim 5.

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