connector

Abstract

To disclose a connector which can suppress or prevent external force applied to an electric wire from being transmitted to a terminal side, while suppressing the upsizing of the connector itself or an increase in manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises: a terminal 12; an electric wire 16; a shield shell 20 having an electric wire lead-out port 18 from which the electric wire 16 is led out; and a back retainer 24 fitted to the electric wire lead-out port 18. The electric wire lead-out port 18 of the shield shell 20 has a plurality of engaged parts 54. The back retainer 24 has: a first engaging part 116 which has a collapsible rib 114 provided in a first direction and is engaged with the engaged parts 54; and a second engaging part 120 which has a collapsible rib 118 provided in a second direction and is engaged with the engaged parts 54. When the back retainer 24 is fitted in the electric wire lead-out port 18, the first engaging part 116 is brought into pressure-contact with the engaged parts 54 in the first direction via the collapsible rib 114, and the second engaging part 120 is brought into pressure-contact with the engaged parts 54 in the second direction via the collapsible rib 118.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Connectors have traditionally been used to electrically connect in-vehicle devices. Such connectors include a connector housing, terminals housed in the connector housing, and electric wires connected to the terminals. The electric wires are drawn out from the electric wire outlet of the connector housing. The drawn-out electric wires are subjected to external forces such as vibrations when mounted in the vehicle. If the external forces applied to the electric wires are transmitted to the terminals, stress is applied to the contact points between the terminals and the mating terminals, potentially resulting in problems such as contact wear. Therefore, connectors must be able to prevent the external forces applied to the electric wires from being transmitted to the terminals. To this end, the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a resin back retainer that is assembled to the connector housing while holding the electric wires. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-54393 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, the back retainer is assembled by a locking claw-shaped engaging portion provided at the tip of an elastic protruding piece provided on the connector housing, which elastically deforms while overcoming the engaged portion provided on the back retainer and then elastically returning to its original position, thereby engaging with the engaged portion. Therefore, it is inevitable that a small gap will be formed between the engaging portion and the engaged portion, and there is a risk that external force transmitted to the electric wire will be transmitted to the terminal side due to rattle caused by this gap.

[0005] Furthermore, in recent years, with the increasing current of in-vehicle devices, the diameter of electric wires has been increasing, and in order to ensure sufficient holding force to prevent the vibration of such large electric wires, the resin back retainer must be made larger, which creates the inherent problem of making the connector larger. To address this issue, it is possible to increase the holding force by making the back retainer out of metal, but a back retainer with a complex shape would need to be formed by aluminum die-casting or the like, which is undesirable as it increases manufacturing costs.

[0006] Therefore, a connector is disclosed that can suppress or prevent external forces acting on the wires from being transmitted to the terminal side while suppressing an increase in the size of the connector itself and an increase in manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The connector of the present disclosure comprises: terminals accommodated in a connector housing; electric wires connected to the terminals and drawn out to the outside of the connector housing; a metallic shield shell fixed to the connector housing to cover the connector housing and having a cylindrical electric wire outlet through which the electric wires are drawn; and a synthetic resin back retainer having an electric wire insertion cylindrical portion through which the electric wires are inserted and held in a pressure-welded state and fitted into the electric wire outlet, wherein the electric wire outlet of the shield shell has a plurality of engaged portions provided at intervals from each other in a circumferential direction of the electric wire outlet, The back retainer has a first engaging portion that has crushed ribs on both sides in a first direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the electric wire and that engages with the engaged portion, and a second engaging portion that has crushed ribs on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to both the extension direction of the electric wire and the first direction and that engages with the engaged portion, and when the back retainer is fitted into the electric wire outlet, the first engaging portion is pressed against the engaged portion on both sides in the first direction via the crushed ribs, and the second engaging portion is pressed against the engaged portion on both sides in the second direction via the crushed ribs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the connector of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress or prevent external forces acting on the wire from being transmitted to the terminal side, while suppressing an increase in the size of the connector itself and an increase in manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of the connector shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cross section taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the IV-IV section in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a partially exploded perspective view showing a back retainer in an exploded state in the connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the back retainer is removed from the connector shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a perspective view showing, from the top side, an upper retainer that constitutes a back retainer of the connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the upper retainer shown in FIG. 7 from the bottom side. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the upper retainer shown in FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a rear view of the upper retainer shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A connector comprising: a terminal accommodated in a connector housing; an electric wire connected to the terminal and drawn out to the outside of the connector housing; a metallic shield shell fixed to the connector housing to cover the connector housing and having a cylindrical electric wire outlet through which the electric wire is drawn; and a synthetic resin back retainer having an electric wire insertion cylindrical portion through which the electric wire is inserted and held in a pressure-welded state and fitted into the electric wire outlet, wherein the electric wire outlet of the shield shell has a plurality of engaged portions provided at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction of the electric wire outlet, and the back retainer The retainer has a first engaging portion that has crushing ribs provided on both sides in a first direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the electric wire and that engages with the engaged portion, and a second engaging portion that has crushing ribs provided on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to both the extension direction of the electric wire and the first direction and that engages with the engaged portion, and when the retainer is fitted into the electric wire outlet of the back retainer, the first engaging portion is pressed against the engaged portion on both sides in the first direction via the crushing ribs, and the second engaging portion is pressed against the engaged portion on both sides in the second direction via the crushing ribs.

[0011] According to the connector of the present disclosure, electric wires drawn out from the connector housing are inserted and held in a pressure-contact state in the wire insertion tube portion of the synthetic resin back retainer, and this back retainer is fitted into an electric wire outlet of a metal shield shell fixed to the connector housing. The back retainer includes, when fitted into the electric wire outlet, a first engaging portion that is pressure-contacted to the engaged portion of the electric wire outlet via a crushing rib on both sides (e.g., both upper and lower sides) in a first direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the electric wire, and a second engaging portion that is pressure-contacted to the engaged portion of the electric wire outlet via a crushing rib on both sides (e.g., both left and right sides) in a second direction perpendicular to both the extending direction of the electric wire and the first direction. Therefore, even if the back retainer is fitted to the wire outlet port of the shield shell with some rattle, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are pressed against the engaged portion while crushing the crushing rib in both a first direction (e.g., the up-down direction) and a second direction (e.g., the left-right direction), which are two directions perpendicular to the extending direction (axial direction) of the wire. As a result, the crushing rib absorbs the rattle, and displacement of the back retainer fitted to the wire outlet port relative to the wire outlet port is suppressed. This makes it possible to suppress displacement of the back retainer relative to the shield shell due to vibrations during vehicle installation, etc., by using the crushing rib while making the back retainer out of synthetic resin, without increasing the size of the connector housing or the back retainer or using a metal back retainer. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent external forces acting on the wire from being transmitted to the terminal side, while suppressing an increase in the size of the connector itself and an increase in manufacturing costs. This also improves the external force blocking performance of the back retainer, which suppresses the transmission of external forces from the wire. In particular, because the wire outlet into which the back retainer is fitted is constructed using a metal shield shell, problems such as the occurrence of gaps due to creep in high temperature environments can be advantageously suppressed compared to when the wire outlet is provided in a connector housing made of synthetic resin, and the pressure contact state with the engaged part via the crushing rib of the engaging part can be advantageously maintained.

[0012] Any structure can be adopted for fitting the back retainer to the wire outlet of the shield shell. For example, the back retainer may be provided with an elastic locking piece that is locked into a locking protrusion provided on the shield shell.

[0013] (2) Preferably, the plurality of engaged portions of the wire outlet include a plurality of first engaged portions arranged on both sides in the second direction and a plurality of second engaged portions arranged on both sides in the first direction, the back retainer includes a plurality of first engaging portions arranged on both sides in the second direction and a plurality of second engaging portions arranged on both sides in the first direction, and when the back retainer is fitted to the wire outlet, the first engaging portions are pressed against the first engaged portions on both sides in the second direction via the crushing ribs on both sides in the first direction, and the second engaging portions are pressed against the second engaged portions on both sides in the first direction via the crushing ribs on both sides in the second direction. This is because the engaging portions can be pressed against the engaged portions via the crushing ribs on both sides in the first and second directions, which more stably suppresses displacement of the back retainer with respect to the shield shell and suppresses or prevents transmission of an external force acting on the wire to the terminal side.

[0014] (3) It is preferable that the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion tube portion of the back retainer is larger than the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire inserted inside the electric wire insertion tube portion, and that a plurality of electric wire pressing protrusions protruding radially inward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion tube portion at a distance from each other and protruding radially inward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire, and that each of the electric wire pressing protrusions presses the insulating coating constituting the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire radially inward, thereby inserting and holding the electric wire in a pressure-welded state through the electric wire insertion tube portion.

[0015] The diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the wire insertion tube portion is larger than the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire, forming a gap therebetween. Furthermore, the plurality of wire pressing protrusions are spaced apart from one another. Therefore, the insulating coating elastically deformed radially outward by being pressed by the wire pressing protrusions can be absorbed in the gaps extending between the wire pressing protrusions. This advantageously achieves positional fixation of the electric wire in the wire insertion tube portion by pressing the wire pressing protrusions against the insulating coating, while reducing the assembly force required when assembling the wire insertion tube portion to the electric wire, thereby improving assembly workability. Preferably, the plurality of wire pressing protrusions are scattered and spaced apart from one another in both the axial and circumferential directions of the wire insertion tube portion. This allows the electric wire to be fixed over a wider area by the pressure of the wire pressing protrusions, further improving the external force blocking performance of the back retainer, which suppresses the transmission of external forces from the electric wire.

[0016] (4) Preferably, the back retainer has an elastic locking piece that protrudes in a cantilever shape toward the wire outlet of the shield shell, the elastic locking piece having a fitting hole at its protruding end, the shield shell having a locking protrusion that protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet, and the back retainer is fitted into the wire outlet of the shield shell by fitting the locking protrusion of the shield shell into the fitting hole of the elastic locking piece of the back retainer. Since it is sufficient to provide an elastic locking piece on a back retainer made of synthetic resin and form a locking protrusion on the shield shell, it is possible to simplify the structure of the shield shell while facilitating molding of the elastic locking piece, and to reduce manufacturing costs.

[0017] (5) In the above (4), it is preferable that the wire outlet of the shield shell has a concave locking piece accommodating portion that opens to the outer peripheral surface of the wire outlet, the locking protrusion is protruded from a bottom surface of the locking piece accommodating portion, and when the back retainer is fitted to the shield shell, the elastic locking piece of the back retainer is accommodated in the locking piece accommodating portion.

[0018] When the back retainer is fitted to the shield shell, the elastic locking pieces of the back retainer are accommodated in the locking piece accommodating portions of the shield shell, which prevents the elastic locking pieces from protruding outward from the wire outlet. This prevents interference between the elastic locking pieces and other components, advantageously preventing the back retainer from unexpectedly detaching from the wire outlet. Furthermore, because the locking protrusions of the wire outlet are also provided on the bottom surface of the locking piece accommodating portions, they are also prevented from protruding outward from the wire outlet, preventing interference with other components. More preferably, the depth dimension of the locking piece accommodating portions is adjusted so that the elastic locking pieces do not protrude outward from the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet.

[0019] (6) In the above (5), it is preferable that the wire outlet of the shield shell has a cylindrical end located on the wire-pulling direction side, and the engaged portions have a plurality of notched portions that penetrate in the plate thickness direction and open to the end face on the wire-pulling direction side, at least one of the engaged portions is provided so as to open to the bottom face of the locking piece accommodating portion, and the base end side of the elastic locking piece of the back retainer has the second engaging portion that has a protruding shape that protrudes from the elastic locking piece toward the wire side and is press-fitted into the at least one engaged portion.

[0020] The engaged portion provided at the wire outlet of the shield shell is configured as a notch that penetrates the cylindrical end in the plate thickness direction and opens on the end face in the direction in which the wire is drawn, so the engaged portion can be provided without increasing the size of the shield shell. Furthermore, one of the engaged portions is provided as an opening on the bottom face of the locking piece accommodating portion, and the second engaging portion that is press-fitted into it has a protruding shape that protrudes from the elastic locking piece toward the wire side, so it is provided space-efficiently by cleverly utilizing the empty space on the back side of the elastic locking piece. This makes it possible to provide the engaged portion and the second engaging portion that fits into it in a space-saving manner without increasing the size of the connector.

[0021] (7) In the above (6), it is preferable that the back retainer includes a mounting tubular portion that is fitted into the inner peripheral side of the tubular end of the electric wire outlet, and the first engaging portion that has a protruding shape and is protruded from the outer peripheral surface of the mounting tubular portion, and when the back retainer is fitted to the shield shell, the first engaging portion is accommodated in the engaged portion without protruding to the outer peripheral side of the electric wire outlet.

[0022] The back retainer has a cylindrical mounting portion that is fitted into the inner periphery of the cylindrical end of the wire outlet. The cylindrical mounting portion has a first engaging portion that projects from the outer periphery of the cylindrical mounting portion. Let The first engaging portion can be housed in the engaged portion that penetrates the cylindrical end portion in the plate thickness direction, and the first engaging portion can be press-fitted into the engaged portion. Therefore, the engaged portion and the first engaging portion press-fitted therein can be arranged using the cylindrical end portion of the wire outlet, and the engaged portion and the first engaging portion that fits therein can be provided in a space-saving manner without increasing the size of the connector.

[0023] <Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure> Specific examples of the connector of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure 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.

[0024] <Embodiment 1> A connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 10. The connector 10 includes terminals 12, and when the connector 10 is connected to a mating connector (not shown), the terminals 12 in the connector 10 are electrically connected to the mating terminals in the mating connector. The connector 10 can be placed in any orientation, but in the following description, the upper side will be referred to as the upper side in Figure 3, the lower side as the lower side in Figure 3, the front side as the left side in Figure 2, the rear side as the right side in Figure 2, the left side as the upper side in Figure 2, and the right side as the lower side in Figure 2. In addition, when multiple identical components are shown, only some of the components will be designated by reference numerals, and the reference numerals may be omitted for the other components.

[0025] <Connector 10> 1 to 4, the connector 10 has terminals 12 accommodated in a connector housing 14, and electric wires 16 connected to the terminals 12 and drawn out of the connector housing 14. The connector 10 also includes a metal shield shell 20 that is fixed to and covers the connector housing 14 and has a cylindrical electric wire outlet 18 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) through which the electric wires 16 are drawn, and a synthetic resin back retainer 24 that has an electric wire insertion tubular portion 22 through which the electric wires 16 are inserted and held in a pressure-welded state and that is fitted into the electric wire outlet 18. In the first embodiment, the connector 10 has a pair of terminals 12, 12, and is also provided with a pair of connector housings 14 that accommodate each terminal 12 and a pair of electric wires 16 that are connected to each terminal 12.

[0026] <Terminal 12> In the first embodiment, a mating terminal (not shown) connected to each terminal 12 is a pin terminal, and the specific structure is not limited as long as it has a tubular connecting portion 26 into which the pin-shaped mating terminal is press-fitted. For example, a structure similar to that of the female terminal (10) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-28899 can be adopted. More specifically, each terminal 12 in the first embodiment is configured to include a terminal body 28 having the tubular connecting portion 26 and a clip spring 30 as an elastic member attached to the tip end (rear end) of the terminal body 28. Furthermore, a wire fastening portion 32 to which each electric wire 16 is fastened is provided at the base end (front end) of each terminal body 28.

[0027] Each electric wire 16 is a coated electric wire and is composed of a core wire 34 and an insulating coating 36 made of synthetic resin that covers the core wire 34 over substantially the entire length. The insulating coating 36 is stripped off at the end of each electric wire 16 to expose the core wire 34, and the exposed core wire 34 is fixed to the wire fastening portion 32 of each terminal body 28, thereby connecting each terminal body 28 to each electric wire 16. Note that the method of fixing the wire fastening portion 32 to the core wire 34 is not limited, and may be adhesive, welding, or crimping using a crimping piece.

[0028] <Connector housing 14> As shown in Fig. 2, the connector housing 14 has a substantially rectangular tubular terminal accommodating portion 38 that accommodates the rear end portions of the electric wires 16 and the terminals 12 fixed to the ends of the electric wires 16. As described above, in the first embodiment, a pair of connector housings 14, 14 is provided, and each connector housing 14 has a terminal accommodating portion 38. The connector housings 14 (terminal accommodating portions 38) are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and extend in the front-rear direction. The electric wires 16 accommodated in the terminal accommodating portions 38 are drawn out to the external space through front openings 39 of the connector housings 14 (terminal accommodating portions 38).

[0029] The method for fixing each of these connector housings 14 to the shield shell 20 that is fixed while covering each of the connector housings 14 is not limited, but in the first embodiment, as will be described later, each of the connector housings 14 is inserted into the inside of the shield shell 20 from a front opening (wire outlet 18) of the shield shell 20. Then, each of the connector housings 14 is fixed to the shield shell 20 by, for example, fitting of recesses and protrusions provided on the outer surface of each of the connector housings 14 with the inner surface of the shield shell 20.

[0030] <Shield Shell 20> The shield shell 20 has a generally cylindrical shape that opens forward as a whole, and covers substantially the entire pair of connector housings 14, 14. That is, the shield shell 20 includes an upper wall portion 40 that covers the upper side of each connector housing 14, a lower wall portion 42 that covers the lower side of each connector housing 14, a left wall portion 44 that covers the left side of the left connector housing 14, a right wall portion 46 that covers the right side of the right connector housing 14, and a rear wall portion 48 that covers the rear of each connector housing 14. Furthermore, a partition portion 50 that divides the internal space of the shield shell 20 in the left-right direction is provided inside the shield shell 20, between the left and right sides of each connector housing 14 (each terminal accommodating portion 38).

[0031] This partition portion 50 extends forward from the rear wall portion 48 of the shield shell 20, but is formed with a dimension in the front-to-rear direction that does not reach the front opening of the shield shell 20. As a result, the front opening of the shield shell 20 has a substantially rectangular tubular shape surrounded on all four sides by the upper wall portion 40, the lower wall portion 42, the left wall portion 44, and the right wall portion 46, as shown in Figures 3 and 6. Then, the electric wires 16 drawn forward through the front opening portions 39 of the connector housings 14 are drawn to the outside of the shield shell 20 through the front opening portion of the shield shell 20, which has a substantially rectangular tubular shape, and a tubular electric wire outlet 18 is formed by this front opening portion of the shield shell 20.

[0032] In particular, a cylindrical end portion 52 is formed at the front end portion, which is the side in the drawing direction of the electric wires 16, at the electric wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20. That is, the cylindrical end portion 52 is a substantially cylindrical portion surrounded by the upper wall portion 40, the lower wall portion 42, the left wall portion 44, and the right wall portion 46 as described above, and substantially flat, widening portions are provided at left-right intermediate portions of the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42 and at up-down intermediate portions of the left wall portion 44 and the right wall portion 46. Furthermore, at the cylindrical end portion 52, the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42 are connected to the left wall portion 44 and the right wall portion 46 at both left-right end portions, and these connection portions are configured to have rounded curved portions.

[0033] <Engaged portion 54> Here, the wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20 is provided with a plurality of engaged portions 54 spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the wire outlet 18. Specifically, at the cylindrical end 52 of the wire outlet 18, At the same timeA plurality of notched engaged portions 54 are provided on the end surface of the cylindrical end portion 52 on the withdrawal direction side (front side) of each electric wire 16. More specifically, the plurality of engaged portions 54 are provided on both sides of the cylindrical end portion 52 in a first direction (vertical direction in the first embodiment) perpendicular to the extending direction (front-rear direction) of each electric wire 16 and in a second direction (horizontal direction in the first embodiment) perpendicular to both the extending direction of each electric wire 16 and the first direction. That is, the engaged portions 54 include a plurality of first engaged portions 56 arranged on both sides of the cylindrical end portion 52 in the second direction (horizontal direction) and a plurality of second engaged portions 58 arranged on both sides of the first direction (vertical direction). In other words, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first engaged portions 56 are provided on each of the left wall portion 44 and the right wall portion 46 constituting the cylindrical end portion 52, and the second engaged portions 58 are provided on each of the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42 constituting the cylindrical end portion 52.

[0034] Each of the first engaged portions 56 is provided in a generally flat, vertically intermediate portion of the left wall portion 44 and the right wall portion 46 that constitute the cylindrical end portion 52, and opens onto the front end surface of the cylindrical end portion 52, penetrating it in the left-right direction, which is the plate thickness direction. Each of these first engaged portions 56 has a predetermined vertical dimension A (see FIG. 6).

[0035] Each second engaged portion 58 is provided in a generally flat, left-right intermediate portion of the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42 that constitute the cylindrical end portion 52, and in the first embodiment, a pair of second engaged portions 58, 58 are provided spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction in each of the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42. Each second engaged portion 58 opens at the front end surface of the cylindrical end portion 52 and penetrates in the up-down direction, which is the plate thickness direction, and has a predetermined left-right dimension B (see FIG. 6).

[0036] <Lock piece accommodating portion 60> In particular, in the first embodiment, a concave locking piece accommodating portion 60 for accommodating a later-described elastic locking piece 96 of the back retainer 24 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20, opening outward and forward. Specifically, in each of the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42 constituting the electric wire outlet 18 (cylindrical end portion 52), a pair of locking piece accommodating portions 60, 60 are provided spaced apart in the left-right direction in a substantially flat, central portion in the left-right direction, opening outward and forward in the up-down direction, which is the outer peripheral side. The above-mentioned second engaged portions 58 are provided at the front end surface at the bottom of each locking piece accommodating portion 60, penetrating in the up-down direction, which is the plate thickness direction, in other words opening at the bottom surface of each locking piece accommodating portion 60. In addition, a locking protrusion 62 that protrudes outward in the vertical direction is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet 18, and in embodiment 1, a locking protrusion 62 that protrudes outward in the vertical direction is provided on the bottom surface of each locking piece accommodating portion 60, rearward of each second engaged portion 58.

[0037] A through-hole (not shown) is formed in the rear portion of the upper wall 40 of the shield shell 20, penetrating the upper wall 40 in the thickness direction (vertical direction), and the cylindrical connecting portion 26 of each terminal 12 arranged inside the shield shell 20 is exposed to the outside space through the through-hole. A cylindrical portion 64 protruding upward is provided on the periphery of the through-hole provided in the upper wall 40. The cylindrical portion 64 has a generally oval shape with a larger left-right dimension than its front-to-rear dimension, and a front retainer 66 is attached to the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 64. A generally circular through-hole 68 is formed in the front retainer 66 at a position corresponding to the cylindrical connecting portion 26 of each terminal 12, penetrating the front retainer 66 in the vertical direction. When the connector 10 is connected to a mating connector, a pin-shaped mating terminal is inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion 26 of each terminal 12 through the through-hole 68. The cylindrical portion 64 and the front retainer 66 can be fixed to each other by, for example, a locking mechanism (not shown).

[0038] Furthermore, in the left-right central portion of the shield shell 20, a bolt insertion hole 72 through which a fastening bolt 70 is inserted is formed penetrating in the vertical direction, forward of the cylindrical portion 64. This fastening bolt 70 is adapted to be fastened to, for example, the housing of a mating device in which a mating terminal (not shown) is provided, and the fastening force of the fastening bolt 70 can be used to press-fit the mating terminal into the cylindrical connecting portion 26 of each terminal 12. The fastening bolt 70 inserted into the bolt insertion hole 72 can be prevented from falling out of the bolt insertion hole 72 by a fixing member 73, such as a C-ring.

[0039] Inside the shield shell 20, an annular waterproof rubber 74 is fitted over each electric wire 16 that is drawn forward from the front opening 39 of each connector housing 14. Each waterproof rubber 74 is inserted into the inside of the shield shell 20 from the front opening (electric wire drawing outlet 18) of the shield shell 20, and is positioned in front of each connector housing 14. Furthermore, a back retainer 24 that prevents each waterproof rubber 74 from falling off is assembled to the shield shell 20.

[0040] <Back retainer 24> In the first embodiment, the back retainer 24 is made up of an upper retainer 76 and a lower retainer 78 that can be assembled to each other in the vertical direction. In particular, in the first embodiment, the upper retainer 76 and the lower retainer 78 have the same shape, and the back retainer 24 is constructed by assembling a pair of upper retainers 76, 76 (lower retainers 78, 78) that are in an upside-down state. Note that, because the upper retainer 76 and the lower retainer 78 have the same shape, the following description will focus on the upper retainer 76 with reference to Figures 7 to 10, and a description of the lower retainer 78 will be omitted.

[0041] As described above, the back retainer 24 has the electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22 that holds the inserted electric wires 16 in a pressure-welded state, and this electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22 also has a structure that is divided in the vertical direction. That is, the upper retainer 76 has a split cylindrical portion 80 that constitutes the electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22 when assembled with another upper retainer 76 that is upside down. In the first embodiment, the pair of electric wires 16, 16 are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and therefore the upper retainer 76 has a pair of split cylindrical portions 80, 80 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0042] In particular, in the first embodiment, the circumferential lengths of the front portions of the pair of split tubular portions 80, 80 provided on both the left and right sides are different, and the first split tubular portion 80a provided on the left side is formed with a circumferential length shorter than 1 / 2 circumference (for example, about 1 / 3 circumference), while the second split tubular portion 80b provided on the right side is formed with a circumferential length of approximately 1 / 2 circumference. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1, when the first split tubular portion 80a and the second split tubular portion 80b are stacked in the vertical direction to form each electric wire insertion tubular portion 22, a gap 82 extending in the front-to-rear direction is formed between the first split tubular portion 80a and the second split tubular portion 80b in the circumferential direction.

[0043] The first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a and 80b are connected at their rear portions by a connecting portion 84. At the connection position by the connecting portion 84, the circumferential lengths of the first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a and 80b are approximately half a circumference. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, when the first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a and 80b are stacked in the vertical direction to form the electric wire insertion cylindrical portions 22, the circumferential end faces of the rear portions of the first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a and 80b are butted against each other, forming the electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22 having a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the diameter dimension φα (see FIG. 4) of the inner surface of each electric wire insertion tube portion 22 composed of each first divided tube portion 80a and each second divided tube portion 80b is larger than the diameter dimension φβ (see FIG. 4) of the outer surface of each electric wire 16 inserted inside each electric wire insertion tube portion 22.

[0044] <Wire pressing convex part 86> And, Figure 4 and figure As also shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 protruding radially inward are formed on the inner circumferential surfaces of the first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a, 80b. In each of the first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a, 80b, the plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 are arranged spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction on the same circumference. Furthermore, the plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 arranged spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction on the same circumference are arranged spaced apart from one another at two locations in the front-to-rear direction. The plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 provided in the first separate cylindrical portion 80a and the plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 provided in the second separate cylindrical portion 80b are located at approximately the same positions in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when each first divided tubular portion 80a and each second divided tubular portion 80b are stacked in the vertical direction to form each electric wire insertion tubular portion 22, a plurality of electric wire pressing protrusions 86 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction around almost the entire circumference of each electric wire insertion tubular portion 22, which is approximately cylindrical in shape.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 4, the plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 protrude radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of each wire 16 when the wire 16 is inserted into each wire insertion tube portion 22. As a result, the insulating coating 36 constituting the outer circumferential surface of each wire 16 is pressed radially inward by each wire pressing protrusion 86. This allows each wire 16 to be inserted and held in a pressure-contact state relative to each wire insertion tube portion 22. In the first embodiment, after the back retainer 24 is attached to each wire 16 as described later, the back retainer 24 is removed. rear Since the back retainer 24 is moved toward the shield shell 20 and assembled to the shield shell 20, the back retainer 24 can be displaced in the front-rear direction relative to each electric wire 16 while the wire pressing protrusions 86 press the insulating coating 36 of each electric wire 16.

[0046] Additionally, a downwardly protruding locking claw 88 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the first separate tubular portion 80a, and a locking frame 90 protruding outward is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the second separate tubular portion 80b. In the first embodiment, a pair of locking claws 88, 88 is provided on both the left and right sides of the first separate tubular portion 80a, and a pair of locking frames 90, 90 is provided on both the left and right sides of the second separate tubular portion 80b. As a result, when the first separate tubular portions 80a and the second separate tubular portions 80b are stacked vertically to form the wire insertion tubular portions 22, the locking claws 88 and / or the locking frame 90 elastically deform and engage with each other. As a result, separation between the first separate tubular portions 80a and the second separate tubular portions 80b is prevented, and the wire insertion tubular portions 22 are maintained in a substantially cylindrical shape.

[0047] A base portion 92 is provided at the rear end portions of the first separate cylindrical portion 80a, the second separate cylindrical portion 80b, and the connecting portion 84. In other words, the first separate cylindrical portion 80a, the second separate cylindrical portion 80b, and the connecting portion 84 protrude forward from the base portion 92. As shown in Fig. 10 , the base portion 92 has a generally rectangular shape as a whole when viewed in the front-to-rear direction, but the portions corresponding to the first separate cylindrical portion 80a and the second separate cylindrical portion 80b are recessed in a generally semicircular shape, and have a predetermined thickness dimension (front-to-rear direction dimension).

[0048] When the back retainer 24 is constructed by vertically assembling the upper retainer 76 and the other upper retainer 76 that is upside down, the base portion 92 and the other upside-down base portion 92 are overlapped in the vertical direction. Then, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, by vertically overlapping this pair of base portions 92, 92, a mounting tubular portion 93 is constructed that is fitted into the inner periphery of the tubular end portion 52 of the electric wire outlet 18. In other words, in a state in which the back retainer 24 is assembled to the shield shell 20 to construct the connector 10, the mounting tubular portion 93 is fitted into the tubular end portion 52 and is located in front of each waterproof rubber 74.

[0049] Additionally, a plurality of ribs 94 extending forward from the base portion 92 are provided on the upper surfaces of the first separate tubular portion 80a, the second separate tubular portion 80b, and the connecting portion 84, and these ribs 94 are spaced apart in the left-right direction. Each of these ribs 94 is generally triangular or trapezoidal in left-right view, and has a portion whose vertical dimension gradually decreases from rear to front. These ribs 94 reinforce the first separate tubular portion 80a, the second separate tubular portion 80b, and the connecting portion 84.

[0050] In particular, by making the vertical dimension of the rear portion of each rib 94 larger than that of the front portion, when the back retainer 24 is fitted into the electric wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20, a relatively strong reinforcing effect is exerted in the portion close to the electric wire outlet 18, and displacement of each electric wire 16 inserted into each electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22 near the electric wire outlet 18 is prevented. On the other hand, by making the vertical dimension of the front portion of each rib 94 smaller than that of the rear portion, elastic deformation of the first divided cylindrical portion 80a and the second divided cylindrical portion 80b is permitted to a certain extent, and the risk of damage to each electric wire 16 when the electric wire 16 is displaced significantly relative to the first divided cylindrical portion 80a and the second divided cylindrical portion 80b is reduced.

[0051] <Elastic lock piece 96> The upper end of the base portion 92 is provided with an elastic locking piece 96 that protrudes rearward, i.e., toward the wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20, in a cantilevered manner. The upper retainer 76 is provided with a pair of elastic locking pieces 96, 96, and the elastic locking pieces 96 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Specifically, the elastic locking pieces 96 are provided at positions corresponding to the first and second separate cylindrical portions 80a and 80b, respectively. Furthermore, the protruding end (rear end) of each of these elastic locking pieces 96 is provided with a substantially rectangular fitting hole 98 that penetrates in the up-down direction.

[0052] More specifically, each elastic locking piece 96 has a pair of rearward protruding portions 100, 100 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and protrude rearward from the upper end of the base portion 92, and a connecting portion 102 that connects the protruding tip ends (rear ends) of each of these rearward protruding portions 100. The fitting hole 98 is formed by the area surrounded by each of these rearward protruding portions 100 and the connecting portion 102. As shown in Figures 7 and 10, a downward extending portion 104 that extends downward along the rear surface of the base portion 92 is provided at the protruding base end (front end) of each rearward protruding portion 100. 3 As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, crushing ribs 118 for second engagement portions 120 (described later) are provided on the outer surfaces in the left-right direction of the downward extension portions 104 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0053] Furthermore, on the outer surface of the base portion 92 in the left-right direction, a downwardly protruding elastic lock frame 106 is provided on the left end surface, and a rightwardly protruding lock claw 108 is provided on the right end surface. The elastic lock frame 106 is elastically deformable in the left-right direction, and the back retainer 24 is formed by vertically opposing an upper retainer 76 and another upper retainer 76 that is upside down, and engaging the elastic lock frame 106 with the lock claw 108. That is, in addition to the engagement between the lock claw 88 and the lock frame 90, the engagement between the elastic lock frame 106 and the lock claw 108 prevents the pair of upper retainers 76, 76 from separating, thereby forming the back retainer 24.

[0054] The elastic locking frame 106 has a pair of downward protruding portions 110, 110 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction and protrude downward from the base portion 92, and a connecting portion 112 that connects the protruding tip portions (lower ends) of these downward protruding portions 110. The locking claw portion 108 is adapted to engage with the area surrounded by these downward protruding portions 110 and the connecting portion 112.

[0055] <First Engagement Portion 116 and Second Engagement Portion 120> Here, the back retainer 24 has a first engaging portion 116 that engages with a first engaged portion 56 that has crushed ribs 114, 114 provided on both sides in the first direction (up-down direction) and constitutes the engaged portion 54, and a second engaging portion 120 that has crushed ribs 118, 118 provided on both sides in the second direction (left-right direction) and engages with a second engaged portion 58 that constitutes the engaged portion 54. As described above, at the electric wire outlet 18, the multiple first engaged portions 56 are arranged on both sides in the second direction (left-right direction), and the multiple second engaged portions 58 are arranged on both sides in the first direction (up-down direction). Therefore, in the back retainer 24, the multiple first engaging portions 116 are arranged on both sides in the second direction, and the multiple second engaging portions 120 are arranged on both sides in the first direction.

[0056] Specifically, in the upper retainer 76, the first engagement portion 116 is formed in a protruding shape that protrudes outward (leftward) from the outer peripheral surface of the elastic lock frame 106 provided at the left end. That is, vertical wall portions 122, 122 that protrude leftward and expand in the vertical direction are provided in the vertical middle portion of a pair of downward protruding portions 110, 110 that are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction of the elastic lock frame 106. Furthermore, the protruding tip ends (left ends) of the vertical wall portions 122 are connected by a connecting wall portion 124. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the area surrounded by the vertical wall portions 122 and the connecting wall portion 124 forms a substantially rectangular through-hole 126 that penetrates in the vertical direction. The first engagement portion 116 is configured to include each of the vertical wall portions 122 and the connecting wall portion 124, and crushed ribs 114, 114 that protrude beyond each of the vertical wall portions 122 on both sides in the first direction (up-down direction) are provided on both upper and lower end surfaces of the connecting wall portion 124. By assembling the pair of upper retainers 76, 76 having such a shape to each other in the up-down direction, the first engagement portion 116 is provided on each side in the second direction (left-right direction) of the back retainer 24. Furthermore, the first engagement portion 116 is provided to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the elastic lock frame 106 that constitutes the base portion 92, and therefore is also provided to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the mounting tube portion 93 constituted by the pair of base portions 92, 92.

[0057] In the state of the upper retainer 76 alone before the first engaging portions 116 are engaged with the first engaged portions 56, the vertical dimension C (see FIG. 10) between the protruding tips of the crushing ribs 114 is larger than the vertical dimension A of the first engaged portions 56. As a result, when the back retainer 24 is fitted into the electric wire outlet 18 and the first engaging portions 116 are fitted into the first engaged portions 56, the first engaging portions 116 are pressed against the first engaged portions 56 on both sides in the first direction (vertical direction) via the crushing ribs 114. Furthermore, when the first engaging portions 116 are fitted into the first engaged portions 56, the first engaging portions 116 are accommodated in the first engaged portions 56 without protruding outward from the outer periphery of the electric wire outlet 18.

[0058] As described above, in the upper retainer 76, the crushed ribs 118, 118 of the second engagement portion 120 are provided on the outer lateral surfaces of the downward extending portions 104 that extend downward from a pair of rearward protruding portions 100, 100 spaced apart in the lateral direction in each elastic locking piece 96. Specifically, the crushed ribs 118 are provided on the upper end portion of each downward extending portion 104, and each second engagement portion 120 is configured to include the upper end portion of each downward extending portion 104. In other words, each protruding second engagement portion 120 is configured to include each downward extending portion 104 that protrudes from each elastic locking piece 96 toward the electric wires 16 side (downward) on the base end side (front side) of each elastic locking piece 96 of the back retainer 24 (upper retainer 76). By assembling the pair of upper retainers 76, 76 having such a shape to each other in the vertical direction, second engagement portions 120 are provided on both sides of the back retainer 24 in the first direction (vertical direction).

[0059] In the state of the upper retainer 76 alone before the second engaging portions 120 are engaged with the second engaged portions 58, the left-right dimension D (see FIG. 10) between the protruding tips of the crushing ribs 118 is larger than the left-right dimension B of the second engaged portions 58. As a result, when the back retainer 24 is fitted into the electric wire outlet 18 and the second engaging portions 120 are fitted into the second engaged portions 58, the second engaging portions 120 are pressed against the second engaged portions 58 on both sides in the second direction (left-right direction) via the crushing ribs 118. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, a space may be provided between the downward extending portions 104 in the left-right direction so that the downward extending portions 104 can elastically deform slightly inward in the opposing direction when the crushing ribs 118 are pressed against the second engaged portions 58.

[0060] By giving the upper retainer 76 this shape, the molding die used to mold the upper retainer 76 can be removed in the vertical direction when molding the upper retainer 76. This prevents an increase in the number of die types, and avoids an increase in costs. Furthermore, by giving the upper retainer 76 and the lower retainer 78 the same shape, an increase in the number of part types is also suppressed, and costs are reduced. Note that the upper retainer and the lower retainer do not necessarily have to have the same shape.

[0061] <Assembly of connector 10> The following describes a specific example of a method for assembling the connector 10. However, the method for assembling the connector 10 is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0062] First, the insulating coating 36 is stripped from the end of each electric wire 16 to expose the core wire 34, which is then secured to the wire securing portion 32 of each terminal body 28, and each clip spring 30 is attached to the rear end of each terminal body 28. This results in each terminal 12 being connected to the end of each electric wire 16. Then, each waterproof rubber 74 is fitted onto each electric wire 16.

[0063] Next, the electric wires 16 to which the terminals 12 and waterproof rubbers 74 are assembled are inserted through the front opening 39 of each connector housing 14. After the terminals 12 are inserted to a predetermined position, the connector housings 14 to which the terminals 12 are assembled are inserted through the front openings (electric wire outlets 18) of the shield shell 20, and the connector housings 14 and the shield shell 20 are fixed together, for example, by recess-and-protrusion fitting. In addition, a front retainer 66 is assembled from above to the cylindrical portion 64 of the shield shell 20. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5 , the electric wires 16 are pulled out (forward) from the electric wire outlets 18 in the shield shell 20. The fastening bolts 70 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 72 at an appropriate timing.

[0064] 5, the upper retainer 76 and the lower retainer 78 are arranged to sandwich the electric wires 16 from above and below at the portion of each electric wire 16 drawn forward from each electric wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20, i.e., the upper retainer 76 and another upper retainer 76 that is upside down are arranged to face each other in the vertical direction. Thereafter, the pair of upper retainers 76, 76 are brought closer to each other in the vertical direction, and the lock claws 88 and the lock frame bodies 90, and the elastic lock frame bodies 106 and the lock claws 108 are engaged with each other. As a result, the back retainer 24 is attached to each electric wire 16 at a position spaced forward from the shield shell 20.

[0065] Next, the back retainer 24 attached to each electric wire 16 is moved toward the shield shell 20. rear As a result, the elastic locking pieces 96 protruding rearward in the back retainer 24 are inserted into the locking piece accommodating portions 60 that open forward at the electric wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20, and the elastic locking pieces 96 are accommodated in the locking piece accommodating portions 60. Then, as the elastic locking pieces 96 undergo elastic deformation, they climb over the locking protrusions 62 provided on the bottom surface of the locking piece accommodating portions 60, and the locking protrusions 62 are fitted into and engaged with the fitting holes 98 of the elastic locking pieces 96.

[0066] Additionally, the first engaging portions 116 and the second engaging portions 120 are inserted into the first engaged portions 56 and the second engaged portions 58, which open forward at the wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20. As a result, the crushed ribs 114 of the first engaging portions 116 and the crushed ribs 118 of the second engaging portions 120 are compressed and deformed by the first engaged portions 56 and the second engaged portions 58, respectively, and the first engaging portions 116 and the second engaging portions 120 are pressed against the first engaged portions 56 and the second engaged portions 58, respectively. As a result, the back retainer 24 fits into the wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20, and the connector 10 is completed.

[0067] According to the connector 10 of the first embodiment having the above-described structure, the first engaging portion 116 having the crushed ribs 114 and the second engaging portion 120 having the crushed ribs 118 of the back retainer 24 are fitted into the multiple engaged portions 54 (first engaged portions 56 and second engaged portions 58) at the wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20. In particular, by deforming the crushed ribs 114, 118 so as to be crushed against the first engaged portions 56 and the second engaged portions 58, the first engaging portions 116 and the second engaging portions 120 are pressed against the first engaged portions 56 and the second engaged portions 58, thereby preventing rattling between the shield shell 20 and the back retainer 24. As a result, even if an external force such as vibration input from the outside is applied to each electric wire 16, causing each electric wire 16 to swing up and down or left and right, the back retainer 24 is displaced relative to the shield shell 20, preventing the external force from being applied to each terminal 12 connected to each electric wire 16.

[0068] In particular, the first engaging portions 116 and the first engaged portions 56 are provided on both sides in the second direction (left-right direction), and the second engaging portions 120 and the second engaged portions 58 are provided on both sides in the first direction (up-down direction). This allows the first engaging portions 116 and the first engaged portions 56 and the second engaging portions 120 and the second engaged portions 58 to be arranged symmetrically in the left-right direction and the up-down direction in the circumferential direction of the electric wire outlet 18, thereby further suppressing displacement of the back retainer 24 relative to the shield shell 20.

[0069] The wire pressing protrusions 86 of the back retainer 24 press the insulating coating 36 of each electric wire 16 radially inward, thereby inserting and holding each electric wire 16 in a pressure-contact state into each electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of displacement of each electric wire 16 relative to the back retainer 24. In particular, in the first embodiment, the plurality of wire pressing protrusions 86 arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction in each electric wire insertion cylindrical portion 22 are also arranged at intervals in the axial direction, making it possible to effectively reduce the amount of displacement of each electric wire 16 in the rotational direction (twisting).

[0070] The back retainer 24 has elastic locking pieces 96, and the shield shell 20 has locking protrusions 62. The back retainer 24 is fitted into the wire outlet 18 of the shield shell 20 by fitting the locking protrusions 62 into the elastic locking pieces 96. This makes it possible to assemble the back retainer 24 to the shield shell 20 with a simple structure consisting of the elastic locking pieces 96 and the locking protrusions 62. In particular, the shield shell 20 is provided with locking piece accommodating portions 60 that open on the outer circumferential surface and accommodate the elastic locking pieces 96, so that the amount of protrusion of the elastic locking pieces 96 from the locking piece accommodating portions 60 can be reduced or eliminated. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the back retainer 24 and the shield shell 20, and ultimately the connector 10. It also reduces the risk of the back retainer 24 falling off from the shield shell 20 due to unintentional release of the engagement between the elastic locking pieces 96 and the locking protrusions 62.

[0071] In particular, the second engaged portions 58 are provided at the bottom of the locking piece accommodating portions 60 in which the elastic locking pieces 96 are accommodated, and the second engaging portions 120 that are press-fitted into the second engaged portions 58 are provided on the base end side (front side) of each elastic locking piece 96. That is, the locking piece accommodating portions 60 and the second engaged portions 58 are provided continuously in the up-down direction on the upper wall portion 40 and the lower wall portion 42 of the shield shell 20, and this prevents the shield shell 20 from becoming larger than when, for example, the locking piece accommodating portions and the second engaged portions are provided at different positions in the circumferential direction of the electric wire outlet. Similarly, the elastic locking pieces 96 and the second engaging portions 120 can be provided at the same position in the circumferential direction of the mounting tube portion 93 of the back retainer 24, and this also prevents the back retainer 24 from becoming larger.

[0072] When the back retainer 24 is fitted to the shield shell 20, each first engaging portion 116 is housed in each first engaged portion 56 without protruding outward from the outer periphery of the electric wire outlet 18. This makes it possible to prevent each first engaging portion 116 from unintentionally falling off from each first engaged portion 56 due to contact with other members or an operator, etc.

[0073] <Modification> Although the embodiments have been described above as specific examples of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific descriptions. Modifications, improvements, etc., within the scope of achieving the object of the present disclosure, are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0074] (1) The shape of the terminal 12 in the above embodiment is merely an example and is not limited thereto. That is, in the above embodiment, the terminal 12 has a cylindrical connecting portion 26 into which a pin-shaped mating terminal is inserted, but is not limited to this form. The mating terminal may be in the form of a flat tab, for example, as described in International Publication No. 2021 / 145197. In this case, the terminal only needs to have a substantially rectangular terminal insertion gap.

[0075] (2) In the above embodiment, a plurality of first engaged portions 56 and second engaged portions 58 are provided, and a plurality of first engaging portions 116 and second engaging portions 120 are provided corresponding to the plurality of first engaged portions 56 and second engaged portions 58. However, this is not limited to this configuration. That is, the connector according to the present disclosure may be provided with a plurality of engaged portions and a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion that engage with the engaged portions. For example, two engaged portions and one first engaging portion and one second engaging portion may be provided. Even in this configuration, the crushed ribs provided on both sides of the first engaging portion in the first direction (the up-down direction in the above embodiment) suppress rattle in the first direction, and the crushed ribs provided on both sides of the second engaging portion in the second direction (the left-right direction in the above embodiment) suppress rattle in the second direction. Therefore, displacement of the back retainer relative to the shield shell in two mutually perpendicular directions can be suppressed. The number of first engaging portions and second engaging portions is not limited, as long as at least one of each is provided.

[0076] (3) In the above embodiment, each locking piece accommodating portion 60 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet 18 in the shield shell 20, and each locking protrusion 62 is provided on the bottom surface of each locking piece accommodating portion 60, but this is not limited to this. That is, the connector according to the present disclosure does not need to be provided with a locking piece accommodating portion. For example, the locking protrusion may protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet in the shield shell, in which case each elastic locking piece is arranged to overlap the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet in the shield shell.

[0077] (4) In the above embodiment, each second engagement portion 120 was provided on the base end side (front side) of each elastic locking piece 96. However, instead of or in addition to the second engagement portion, a first engagement portion may be provided on the base end side of the elastic locking piece. That is, in the above embodiment, each elastic locking piece 96 was provided on both sides of the back retainer 24 in the up-down direction. However, elastic locking pieces may be provided on one or both sides of the back retainer in the left-right direction so as to engage with lock protrusions provided on one or both sides of the shield shell in the left-right direction. Note that elastic locking pieces are not essential to the connector according to the present disclosure.

[0078] (5) In the above embodiment, the back retainer 24 is composed of the upper retainer 76 and the lower retainer 78 (a pair of upper retainers 76, 76) that have the same shape. However, the upper retainer and the lower retainer may have different shapes. The upper retainer and the lower retainer may be formed as a single unit. For example, a hinge portion may be provided at one circumferential end of the upper retainer and the lower retainer to enable the upper retainer and the lower retainer to open and close, and after the electric wires are sandwiched between them, the upper retainer and the lower retainer may be fixed to each other by a locking mechanism or the like provided at the other circumferential end of the upper retainer and the lower retainer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 10 Connectors 12 terminals 14 Connector housing 16 Electric wire 18 Wire outlet 20 Shield Shell 22 Wire insertion tube 24 Back retainer 26 Tubular joint 28 Terminal body 30 Clip spring 32 Wire fixing part 34 core wire 36 Insulation coating 38 Terminal housing 39 Front opening 40 Upper wall 42 Lower wall 44 Left wall 46 Right wall 48 Rear wall 50 Partition 52 Cylindrical end 54 Engaged part 56 First engaged part 58 Second engaged part 60 Lock piece housing 62 Locking protrusion 64 Cylindrical part 66 Front retainer 68 Through Hole 70 Fastening bolt 72 Bolt insertion hole 73 Fixing member 74 Waterproof Rubber 76 Upper retainer 78 Lower retainer 80 split cylinder part 80a 1st divided cylinder part 80b Second divided cylinder part 82 Gap 84 Connecting part 86 Wire pressing convex part 88 Locking claw 90 Lock frame body 92 Base 93 Mounting tube 94 Ribs 96 Elastic lock piece 98 Mating hole 100 Rear protrusion 102 Connection 104 Downward extension part 106 Elastic lock frame 108 Locking claw 110 Downward protrusion 112 Connection 114 Smashed Ribs 116 First engagement part 118 Crushed Ribs 120 second engagement portion 122 Vertical wall section 124 Connecting wall 126 Through hole

Claims

1. a terminal accommodated in a connector housing; an electric wire connected to the terminal and drawn out to the outside of the connector housing; a metallic shield shell fixed to the connector housing to cover the connector housing, the shield shell having a cylindrical wire outlet through which the wires are drawn; a wire insertion tube portion through which the wire is inserted and held in a pressure-welded state; and a back retainer made of synthetic resin that is fitted into the wire outlet, the wire outlet of the shield shell has a plurality of engaged portions spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the wire outlet, the back retainer has a first engaging portion having crushed ribs provided on both sides in a first direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the electric wire and engaged with the engaged portion, and a second engaging portion having crushed ribs provided on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to both the extending direction of the electric wire and the first direction and engaged with the engaged portion, a connector in which, when the back retainer is fitted into the wire outlet, the first engaging portion is pressed against the engaged portion via the crushing rib on both sides in the first direction, and the second engaging portion is pressed against the engaged portion via the crushing rib on both sides in the second direction.

2. the plurality of engaged portions of the electric wire drawing outlet include a plurality of first engaged portions arranged on both sides in the second direction and a plurality of second engaged portions arranged on both sides in the first direction, the back retainer includes a plurality of the first engaging portions arranged on both sides in the second direction and a plurality of the second engaging portions arranged on both sides in the first direction, 2. The connector of claim 1, wherein, when the back retainer is fitted into the wire outlet, the first engaging portion is pressed against the first engaged portion on both sides in the second direction via the crushing ribs on both sides in the first direction, and the second engaging portion is pressed against the second engaged portion on both sides in the first direction via the crushing ribs on both sides in the second direction.

3. a diameter dimension of an inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion cylindrical portion of the back retainer is larger than a diameter dimension of an outer peripheral surface of the electric wire inserted inside the electric wire insertion cylindrical portion, a plurality of wire pressing protrusions are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the wire insertion tube portion so as to be spaced apart from each other and protrude radially inward from the outer peripheral surface of the wire; 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein each of the wire pressing protrusions presses the insulating coating that forms the outer surface of the wire radially inward, thereby inserting and holding the wire in a pressure-contact state into the wire insertion tube portion.

4. the back retainer has an elastic locking piece that protrudes in a cantilever shape toward the wire outlet of the shield shell, the elastic locking piece having a fitting hole at a protruding end thereof, the shield shell has a locking protrusion protruding from an outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet, 3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the back retainer is fitted into the wire outlet of the shield shell by fitting the locking protrusion of the shield shell into the fitting hole of the elastic locking piece of the back retainer.

5. the wire outlet of the shield shell has a concave lock piece accommodating portion that opens to the outer circumferential surface of the wire outlet, and the lock protrusion is provided on a bottom surface of the lock piece accommodating portion, 5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the elastic locking pieces of the back retainer are housed in the locking piece housing portions when the back retainer is fitted to the shield shell.

6. the wire outlet of the shield shell is provided with a cylindrical end portion located on a wire outlet direction side, the cylindrical end portion having a plurality of notched engaged portions penetrating in a plate thickness direction and opening on an end surface on the wire outlet direction side, At least one of the engaged portions is provided so as to open on the bottom surface of the lock piece accommodating portion, 6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein a protruding second engaging portion is provided on a base end side of the elastic locking piece of the back retainer, the protruding second engaging portion protruding from the elastic locking piece toward the electric wire side and press-fitted into the at least one engaged portion.

7. the back retainer includes a mounting tubular portion that is fitted into an inner peripheral side of the tubular end portion of the electric wire outlet, and the first engaging portion that has a protruding shape and is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the mounting tubular portion, 7. The connector according to claim 6, wherein, in a state in which the back retainer is fitted to the shield shell, the first engaging portion is accommodated in the engaged portion without protruding outward from the outer periphery of the wire outlet.

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