connector

Abstract

To prevent a front mask from unlocking when assembling a connection terminal in a connector.SOLUTION: A front mask 20 having an abutting wall 22a of a connection terminal 40 is provided with a shorting terminal insertion hole 23 for inserting a shorting terminal 30 into a shorting terminal housing chamber 13 of a connector housing 10, and the front part of the inserted shorting terminal 30 is locked to the wall of the shorting terminal housing chamber 13 of the connector housing 10, and the rear portion of the shorting terminal 30 in the insertion direction is locked to the wall (locking stepped portion 23a) of the shorting terminal insertion hole 23 of the front mask 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector having a shorting terminal and a front mask. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an example of a connector in which a front mask is attached to the front surface of the connector housing and a short-circuit terminal is attached to the connector housing.

[0003] The front mask is used to position the front ends of connection terminals to be inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers of the connector housing. When inserting a connection terminal into a terminal accommodating chamber from rear to front, the position of the front end of the connection terminal can be determined by inserting the connection terminal until its front end abuts against the previously attached front mask. When attached to the front of the connector housing, this type of front mask is usually locked to the connector housing by engaging a locking portion provided on the outer periphery of the front mask with a locked portion provided on the connector housing.

[0004] The shorting terminal is used to short-circuit the connection terminals inserted into the connector housing, thereby forming a short circuit when the terminals of the mating connector are connected to the connection terminals. This shorting terminal is attached to the connector housing and makes contact with and conducts to the multiple connection terminals, thereby shorting the connection terminals together. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-134006 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, in this type of conventional connector, the front mask is locked to the connector housing only by the locking means provided on the outer periphery. Therefore, if the holding force (locking force) of the front mask to the connector housing is insufficient, there is a concern that when the connection terminals are inserted until they butt against the front mask, the butting force will push the front mask back, causing the lock to be released.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a connector that does not take up extra space, has a simple configuration, can increase the holding force of the front mask against the connector housing, and can prevent the front mask from becoming unlocked when assembling the connection terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the connector according to the present invention has the following features.

[0009] a connector housing having a plurality of connection terminal accommodating chambers that penetrate from rear to front along the mating direction with the mating connector; connection terminals inserted from rear to front into the respective connection terminal accommodating chambers of the connector housing; a front mask attached to the front surface of the connector housing, locked to the connector housing by a locking means, having a plurality of connection terminal insertion holes through which terminals of the mating connector are inserted when the terminals of the mating connector are inserted from the front of the connector housing toward the connection terminals, and having abutment walls around the connection terminal insertion holes on the front surface in the mounting direction to the connector housing, against which front ends of the connection terminals inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers from the rear abut; a short-circuiting terminal attached to the connector housing for short-circuiting a specific plurality of the connection terminals inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers; Equipped with The connector housing is provided with a short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating the short-circuit terminal when the short-circuit terminal is inserted from the front, the front mask is provided with a short-circuit terminal insertion hole for inserting the short-circuit terminal into the short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber from the front of the front mask in a state where the front mask is attached to the front surface of the connector housing, When the shorting terminal is inserted into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber from the front of the front mask through the shorting terminal insertion hole, a front portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction is engaged with a wall of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber, and a rear portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction is engaged with a wall of the shorting terminal insertion hole of the front mask. connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the holding force of the front mask against the connector housing can be increased with a simple configuration without taking up extra space, and the front mask can be prevented from being unlocked when assembling the connection terminal.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of a short-circuit terminal used in the connector. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the state in which the front mask is attached to the connector housing of the connector, where (a) is a diagram showing the state before the front mask is attached to the connector housing, and (b) is a diagram showing the state after attachment. [Figure 4]Figure 4 is a diagram showing the attachment of a short-circuit terminal to a connector housing, where (a) is a diagram showing the state before the short-circuit terminal is attached after the front mask is attached to the connector housing of the connector, and (b) is a diagram showing the state after the short-circuit terminal has been attached. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the state after the front mask and short-circuit terminal are attached to the connector housing, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a cross-sectional view along line A1-A1 in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part E1 in (b). [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the state in which a connection terminal is about to be inserted from behind into the connection terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing at the assembly stage shown in Figure 5, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a cross-sectional view along line A2-A2 in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part E2 in (b). [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the state in which the connection terminal has been inserted from the stage shown in Figure 6 until its front end abuts the front mask, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A3-A3 in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part E3 in (b). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a connector according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a short-circuiting terminal used in the connector, and FIGS. 4 to 7 are various diagrams for explaining the configuration and assembly procedure of the connector.

[0015] 1, the connector 1 of this embodiment includes a connector housing 10, a front mask 20, shorting terminals 30, connection terminals 40, a mating operation lever 50, a mating detection shorting terminal 60, and a spacer 90. Of these components, the connector housing 10, front mask 20, mating operation lever 50, and spacer 90 are made of resin molded parts, while the shorting terminals 30, connection terminals 40, and mating detection shorting terminal 60 are each made of press-molded parts of springy metal plates.

[0016] This connector 1 is a male connector that establishes a predetermined electrical circuit by mating with a female connector (mating connector) not shown, and includes a male connector housing 10. The male connector housing 10 is fitted into a mating opening (a recess in the front opening surrounded by a hood) of a female connector housing (not shown) of the mating female connector. A number of female connection terminals 40 are attached to this male connector housing 10, and a number of male connection terminals are attached to the mating female connector housing. When the male connector 1 and the female connector are mated with each other, the male connection terminals attached to the female connector enter the male connector 1 and are inserted into the female connection terminals 40, thereby connecting the electrical circuits of the two connectors.

[0017] Here, to make the following explanation easier to understand, the directionality of this connector 1 will be described. The directions indicated by the mutually orthogonal arrows X1, X2, Y1, Y2, Z1, and Z2 in Figure 1 are defined as follows. The definition of directionality is arbitrary (it may or may not match the actual direction), but for convenience, the following definitions will be used in the following explanation. X1 = Left side (left side when viewed from the rear in the mating direction) X2 = Right side (right side when looking forward from the rear side in the mating direction) Y1 = upper side (side where fitting operation lever 50 is located) Y2 = downward (opposite side to the side where the fitting operation lever 50 is located) Z1 = Front (the mating direction of the mating connector relative to connector 1) Z2 = rear (the mating direction of the mating connector relative to connector 1)

[0018] 6(c), a plurality of connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 are provided in the block-shaped main body 11 (see FIG. 1) of the male connector housing 10, penetrating from the rear Z2 to the front Z1 along the mating direction Z1 with the mating connector. Also, a short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber 13 is provided in the front portion of the main body 11 of the connector housing 10 so that a short-circuiting terminal 30 can be attached from the front Z1.

[0019] 1, the shorting terminal accommodating chambers 13 are located in the central region of the front surface of the connector housing 10, and are each capable of accommodating a shorting terminal 30 when inserted from the front Z1. Also, at a specific location on the connector housing 10, an accommodating section for a mating detection shorting terminal 60 is provided, although not specifically designated by a reference numeral.

[0020] A large number of connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 are arranged in an orderly fashion vertically and horizontally in a plane (XY plane) perpendicular to the connector fitting direction Z1. As shown in Fig. 7(c), a female connection terminal 40 is inserted into each of these connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 from rear to front, and is positioned and fixed.

[0021] The shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 is provided so as to straddle the upper sides of the connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 of two adjacent connection terminals 40 on the left and right for the purpose of shorting. The arrangement and number of shorting terminal accommodating chambers 13 are arbitrary, but in this connector 1, multiple shorting terminal accommodating chambers 13 are provided side by side in the central region (region excluding the outer peripheral edge) in the plane viewed from the front of the connector housing 10. As shown in Figures 4(a) and 6(c), a shorting terminal 30 is inserted into each of these shorting terminal accommodating chambers 13 from the front. The shorting terminal 30 shorts out the two connection terminals 40 inserted into the respective connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 below the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 into which it has been inserted.

[0022] The mating detection short-circuit terminal 60 is used to detect whether the connector 1 is properly mated with the mating connector, and short-circuits two specific male terminals of the mating connector when the connector is properly mated. By electrically detecting this short-circuit, it is possible to determine whether the mating is proper.

[0023] 1 and 4, the mating lever 50 is attached to the top surface of the connector housing 10. The mating lever 50 is operated from a pre-mating initial position toward a mated position to mate the connector 1 with the mating connector, and is attached to the connector housing 10 so that it can rotate left and right and within a plane (XZ plane) along the connector mating direction. The mating lever 50 is equipped with a lock arm 55 that locks it to the connector housing of the mating connector when the connectors have been fully mated.

[0024] 1 and 3, left and right side surfaces 14 of the main body 11 of the connector housing 10 are provided with lockable portions 15 for locking the front mask 20. The front mask 20 is attached to the front of the connector housing 10, and is locked to the connector housing 10 by engaging lockable portions 15 provided on the outer periphery of the front mask 20 with lockable portions (locking means) 25 provided on the outer periphery of the connector housing 10.

[0025] The front mask 20 has a thick plate-shaped main body 21, and the left and right side edges of the main body 21 have locking pieces 24 that overlap the left and right side surfaces 14 of the connector housing 10 when the front mask 20 is attached. The locking pieces 24 are provided with locking holes as locking portions 25, and the connector housing 10 is provided with locking protrusions as locked portions 15. When the front mask 20 is attached to the connector housing 10, the locking pieces 24 bend and climb over the locking protrusions on the connector housing 10, and after climbing over them, the locking holes engage with the locking protrusions, thereby establishing the lock.

[0026] The main body 21 of the front mask 20 is provided with connection terminal insertion holes 22 that penetrate in the thickness direction. The connection terminal insertion holes 22 are through-holes through which male connection terminals (not shown) of the mating connector are inserted when the male connection terminals of the mating connector are inserted from the front of the connector housing 10 toward the connection terminals 40 in the connection terminal accommodating chambers 12. The connection terminal insertion holes 22 in the front mask 20 are provided to correspond to the connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 of the connector housing 10. As shown in FIGS. 6(c) and 7(c), abutment walls 22a are provided around the front sides of the connection terminal insertion holes 22 in the mounting direction to the connector housing 10, against which the front ends of the connection terminals 40 inserted from the rear into the connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 of the connector housing 10 abut to determine the insertion positions of the connection terminals 40.

[0027] 6(c), the main body 21 of the front mask 20 is provided with a short-circuiting terminal insertion hole 23 for inserting the short-circuiting terminal 30 into the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10 from the front of the front mask 20 when the front mask 20 is attached and locked to the front of the connector housing 10. The short-circuiting terminal insertion hole 23 is provided corresponding to the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber 13 on the connector housing 10 side.

[0028] A spacer 90 is inserted into the connector housing 10 from the underside. This spacer 90 is displaced from the temporary locking position to the full locking position once all of the connection terminals 40 have been inserted and secured, thereby doubly locking all of the connection terminals 40. That is, as shown in Fig. 7(c) , the connection terminals 40 are inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 of the connector housing 10 from the rear and positioned therein, whereby the lances 12a lock the connection terminals to prevent them from slipping out rearward, but to further ensure that the connection terminals are prevented from slipping out rearward, the spacer 90 provides doubly locking.

[0029] 6(c) and 7(c), the connection terminal 40 is a female terminal having a box-shaped socket portion 41 at the front side into which the front end of a male terminal of the mating connector is inserted. The underside of the socket portion 41 is provided with a recess 42 for engaging the lance 12a. In addition, the spacer 90 engages with the rear end of the socket portion 41 to prevent the connection terminal 40 from slipping out rearward.

[0030] <Configuration of short-circuit terminal and its mounting structure> 2, 6(c), and 7(c), the shorting terminal 30 is configured as a leaf spring piece curved in a U-shape. The shorting terminal 30 is inserted from the front of the front mask 20 through the shorting terminal insertion hole 23 into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10. As a result, the front portion of the shorting terminal 30 in the insertion direction is engaged with the wall of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10. At the same time, the rear portion of the shorting terminal 30 in the insertion direction is engaged with the wall of the shorting terminal insertion hole 23 of the front mask 20.

[0031] 2, the shorting terminal 30 has a one-end extension piece (upper extension piece) 31 that extends rearward in the insertion direction from a U-shaped curved portion 32 located at the front end in the insertion direction into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10. This one-end extension piece 31 is provided at the front portions of its left and right side edges with press-fitting portions 31a having sawtooth locking claws that are press-fitted and locked into the left and right walls 13p of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10, as shown in FIG. 5(c). In addition, a pair of locking protrusions 37a that protrude left and right in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the shorting terminal 30 are formed at rear ends 37 of the left and right side edges of the one-end extension piece (upper extension piece) 31 in the insertion direction.

[0032] The short-circuiting terminal 30 is inserted from the front of the front mask 20 through the short-circuiting terminal insertion hole 23 into the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10, so that the press-fit portion 31a with saw-tooth locking claws on the front side is pressed into and locked into the left and right walls 13p of the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10, and at the same time, the locking protrusion 37a on the rear side is locked into the locking step portions 23a on the left and right walls of the short-circuiting terminal insertion hole 23 of the front mask 20.

[0033] Here, the locking step 23a of the shorting terminal insertion hole 23 of the front mask 20 has a locking wall 23ap facing rearward in the insertion direction of the shorting terminal 30, and the locking protrusion 37a of the shorting terminal 30 has a locking wall 37ap facing forward in the insertion direction of the shorting terminal 30. Therefore, by inserting the shorting terminal 30, the locking wall 37ap of the locking protrusion 37a of the shorting terminal 30 comes into contact with the locking wall 23ap of the locking step 23a of the front mask 20, and the locking wall 23ap on the front mask 20 side absorbs the forward force of the shorting terminal 30. As a result, the front mask 20 is pressed forward (toward the connector housing 10) by the shorting terminal 30, and the front mask 20 is fixed to the connector housing 10 via the shorting terminal 30.

[0034] The other end extension piece (lower extension piece) 33 of the shorting terminal 30 extending rearward in the insertion direction from the U-shaped curved portion 32 is bifurcated at the tip, and each tip is provided with a spring contact portion 35 that elastically contacts the socket portion 41 of each of the two connection terminals 40. These spring contact portions 35 are curved in a downwardly convex mountain shape, and when the shorting terminal 30 is properly attached to the connector housing 10, they elastically contact the socket portion 41 of the connection terminal 40 through a communication window 18a provided in the partition wall 18 between the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 and the connection terminal accommodating chamber 12 below it, as shown in Figures 6(c) and 7(c).

[0035] <Assembly procedure for connector 1> When assembling this connector 1, first, as shown in Figure 3, the front mask 20 is attached to the front of the connector housing 10, and the locking portions 25 provided on the left and right side edges of the front mask 20 are locked to the locked portions 15 provided on the left and right side edges of the connector housing 10.

[0036] Next, as shown in Fig. 4, the shorting terminal 30 is inserted into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10 from the front of the front mask 20. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the press-fit portion 31a at the front portion of the shorting terminal 30 is press-fitted and locked into the wall of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber 13 of the connector housing 10. At the same time, the locking protrusion 37a at the rear end portion of the shorting terminal 30 is locked into the locking step portion 23a of the shorting terminal insertion hole 23 of the front mask 20. In this way, the front mask 20 is connected to the connector housing 10 by the multiple shorting terminals 30.

[0037] After the short-circuiting terminals 30 have been assembled, the connection terminals 40 are inserted into the respective connection terminal accommodating chambers 12 of the connector housing 10 from the rear, as shown in Fig. 5. When the connection terminals 40 are inserted until their front ends abut against the abutment wall 22a of the front mask 20, the position of the connection terminals 40 in the insertion direction is determined, and the lances 12a return from their deflection to lock and prevent the connection terminals 40 from coming out. In this state, the two connection terminals 40 that are to be short-circuited with each other elastically contact each other through the communication windows 18a provided in the partition walls 18 of the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chambers 13 and 12, and are short-circuited with each other. Therefore, when terminals of a mating connector are inserted into these connection terminals 40, the terminals of the mating connector are short-circuited with each other.

[0038] After all of the connection terminals 40 have been inserted, the spacer 90 is moved from the provisional locking position to the full locking position, whereby the connection terminals 40 are doubly locked and the assembly of the connector 1 is completed.

[0039] In the connector 1 of this embodiment, a member (short-circuit terminal 30) located in the central area of ​​the plane of the connector housing 10 and the front mask 20 has the function of connecting the front mask 20 and the connector housing 10 to each other. In other words, by assembling the required number of short-circuit terminals 30, which are necessary parts, at predetermined locations, the front portion of the short-circuit terminal 30 can be engaged with the connector housing 10, and the rear portion can be engaged with the front mask 20.

[0040] Therefore, even if the holding force of the front mask 20 is weak with only the locking means located on the outer periphery of the front mask 20, the connector housing 10 and the front mask 20 are coupled at each location of the shorting terminals 30, thereby increasing the holding force of the front mask 20. In particular, by providing the means for exerting coupling force (the shorting terminals 30) at locations where a pushing force acts on the front mask 20 when the connecting terminals 40 are inserted, a large resistance to the pushing force can be generated, eliminating concerns about the front mask 20 becoming unlocked. Furthermore, since the holding force of the front mask 20 can be increased by simply making some modifications to the necessary parts (mainly the shorting terminals 30), no extra space is required and the structure is simplified, preventing the front mask 20 from coming off.

[0041] Furthermore, the larger the size of the multi-pole connector, the greater the holding force required of the front mask 20. However, the larger the multi-pole connector, the more likely it is that the number of short-circuit terminals 30 will also increase, so the holding force of the front mask 20 can be further improved.

[0042] Furthermore, even if some deformation (warping, etc.) occurs in the molded product during resin molding of the front mask 20, the bonding force of the short-circuit terminal 30 can correct the deformation while assembling the front mask 20 to the connector housing 10.

[0043] Here, the features of the connector according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3]. [1] A connector housing (10) having a plurality of connection terminal accommodating chambers (12) penetrating from rear to front along the mating direction with the mating connector; connection terminals (40) inserted from rear to front into the respective connection terminal accommodating chambers (12) of the connector housing (10); a front mask (20) that is attached to the front surface of the connector housing (10) and locked to the connector housing (10) by a locking means (25), that has a plurality of connection terminal insertion holes (22) through which terminals of the mating connector are inserted when the terminals of the mating connector are inserted from the front of the connector housing (10) toward the connection terminals (40), and that has abutment walls (22a) around the connection terminal insertion holes (22) on the front surface in the attachment direction to the connector housing (10) against which front ends of the connection terminals (40) that are inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers (12) from the rear abut; a short-circuiting terminal (30) attached to the connector housing (10) and short-circuiting a specific number of the connection terminals (40) inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers (12); Equipped with The connector housing (10) is provided with a short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber (13) for accommodating the short-circuit terminal (30) when the short-circuit terminal (30) is inserted from the front, The front mask (20) is provided with a short-circuit terminal insertion hole (23) for inserting the short-circuit terminal (30) into the short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber (13) from the front of the front mask (20) in a state where the front mask (20) is attached to the front surface of the connector housing (10), The shorting terminal (30) is inserted into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber (13) from the front of the front mask (20) through the shorting terminal insertion hole (23), so that a front portion of the shorting terminal (30) in the insertion direction is engaged with a wall (13p) of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber (13) and a rear portion of the shorting terminal (30) in the insertion direction is engaged with a wall (23ap) of the shorting terminal insertion hole (23) of the front mask (20). Connector(1).

[0044] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [1] above, the front mask (20) is connected to the connector housing (10) by the short-circuit terminal (30), which is a necessary part, and therefore the holding force of the front mask (20) to the connector housing (10) can be significantly increased compared to when the front mask (20) is fixed to the connector housing (10) only by the locking means (25). Therefore, when the connection terminals (40) are inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers (12) of the connector housing (10) from the rear and the front ends of the connection terminals (40) are butted against the front mask (20) to position them, the butting force can be prevented from pushing back the front mask (20), which can cause the front mask (20) to become unlocked.

[0045] [2] The locking means (25) is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the connector housing (10), The short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber (13) is located in the central region of the front surface of the connector housing (10). The connector (1) described in [1] above.

[0046] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [2] above, an appropriate number of short-circuit terminals (30) are arranged in the central region of the front surface of the connector housing (10), so that the holding force of the front mask (20) to the connector housing (10) can be significantly increased compared to when the front mask (20) is fixed to the connector housing (10) only by the outer peripheral edge portion where the locking means (25) is located.

[0047] [3] A front portion of the short-circuiting terminal (30) in the insertion direction is press-fitted into the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber (13) to be locked to the wall of the short-circuiting terminal accommodating chamber (13), and a locking protrusion (37a) protruding in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction is formed on a rear portion of the short-circuiting terminal (30) in the insertion direction, and the locking protrusion (37a) engages with a locking step (23a) formed on the wall of the short-circuiting terminal insertion hole (23) of the front mask (20), thereby locking the rear portion of the short-circuiting terminal (30) in the insertion direction to the wall of the short-circuiting terminal insertion hole (23). The connector (1) described in [1] above.

[0048] According to the connector (1) having the configuration [3] above, simply by inserting the shorting terminal (30) through the shorting terminal insertion hole (23) of the front mask (20) into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber (13) of the connector housing (10), the front portion of the shorting terminal (30) can be press-fitted and locked into the connector housing (10), and the locking protrusion (37a) on the rear portion of the shorting terminal (30) can be locked into the locking step (23a) of the front mask (20). Therefore, the holding force of the front mask (20) can be easily increased without taking any special measures.

[0049] [4] The terminal of the mating connector is a male terminal, and the connection terminal (40) is a female terminal having a box-shaped socket portion (41) on the front side into which the front end of the male terminal is inserted, The shorting terminal (30) is configured as a leaf spring piece curved in a U-shape, and a one-end extension piece (31) extending rearward in the insertion direction from a U-shaped curved portion (32) located at the front end in the insertion direction into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber (13) is provided with, in order from the front side, a press-fit portion (31a) that is press-fitted and locked into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber (13) and a locking protrusion (37a) that engages with a locking step portion (23a) of the front mask (20), and a other-end extension piece (33) extending rearward in the insertion direction from the U-shaped curved portion (32) is provided with a plurality of spring contact portions (35) that elastically contact the socket portions (41) of the plurality of connection terminals (40), respectively. The connector (1) according to [3] above.

[0050] According to the connector 1 having the configuration [4] above, the holding force of the front mask 20 can be increased by a simple configuration in which the press-fit portion 31a and the locking protrusion 37a are formed on the extension piece 31 at one end of the shorting terminal 30, which is curved into a U-shape. In addition, since the spring contact portion 35 that elastically contacts the shorting connection terminal is provided on the extension piece 33, which is separate from the extension piece 31 provided with the press-fit portion 31a and the locking protrusion 37a, there is no need to worry about the effect of the locking of the press-fit portion 31a and the locking protrusion 37a affecting the elastic contact performance of the spring contact portion 35.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 connector 10 Connector housing 12 Connection terminal housing 13 Short-circuit terminal housing 13a Wall of short-circuit terminal housing 20 Front mask 22 Connection terminal insertion hole 22a End wall 23 Shorting terminal insertion hole 23a Locking step 25 Locking section (locking means) 30 Shorting terminal 31 One end side extension piece 31a Press-fit part 32 U-shaped curve 33 Other end side extension piece 35 Spring contact part 37a Locking protrusion 40 Connection terminal 41 Socket part 60 Shorting terminal for mating detection

Claims

1. a connector housing having a plurality of connection terminal accommodating chambers that penetrate from rear to front along the mating direction with the mating connector; connection terminals inserted from rear to front into the respective connection terminal accommodating chambers of the connector housing; a front mask attached to the front surface of the connector housing, locked to the connector housing by a locking means, having a plurality of connection terminal insertion holes through which terminals of the mating connector are inserted when the terminals of the mating connector are inserted from the front of the connector housing toward the connection terminals, and having abutment walls around the connection terminal insertion holes on the front surface in the mounting direction to the connector housing, against which front ends of the connection terminals inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers from the rear abut; a short-circuiting terminal attached to the connector housing for short-circuiting a specific plurality of the connection terminals inserted into the connection terminal accommodating chambers; Equipped with The connector housing is provided with a short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber for accommodating the short-circuit terminal when the short-circuit terminal is inserted from the front, the front mask is provided with a short-circuit terminal insertion hole for inserting the short-circuit terminal into the short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber from the front of the front mask in a state where the front mask is attached to the front surface of the connector housing, When the shorting terminal is inserted into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber from the front of the front mask through the shorting terminal insertion hole, a front portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction is engaged with a wall of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber, and a rear portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction is engaged with a wall of the shorting terminal insertion hole of the front mask. connector.

2. a locking portion that engages with the locking means is provided on an outer peripheral edge of the connector housing, The short-circuit terminal accommodating chamber is located in a central region of the front surface of the connector housing. The connector according to claim 1 .

3. A front portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction is press-fitted into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber, thereby engaging with the wall of the shorting terminal accommodating chamber, and a locking protrusion protruding in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction is formed on a rear portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction, and the locking protrusion is engaged with a locking step formed on a wall of the shorting terminal insertion hole of the front mask, thereby engaging the rear portion of the shorting terminal in the insertion direction with the wall of the shorting terminal insertion hole. The connector according to claim 1 .

4. the terminal of the mating connector is a male terminal, and the connection terminal is a female terminal having a box-shaped socket portion on the front side into which the front end of the male terminal is inserted, The shorting terminal is configured as a leaf spring piece curved in a U-shape, and an extension piece on one end side extending rearward in the insertion direction from a U-shaped curved portion located at the front end in the insertion direction into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber is provided with, in order from the front side, a press-fit portion that is press-fitted and locked into the shorting terminal accommodating chamber and a locking protrusion that engages with a locking step portion of the front mask, and a plurality of spring contact portions that respectively elastically contact the socket portions of the plurality of connection terminals are provided on an extension piece on the other end side extending rearward in the insertion direction from the U-shaped curved portion. The connector according to claim 3 .

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