Electrical connector
The electrical connector's guided attachment mechanism reduces space requirements for cover member attachment, improving design flexibility and preventing collisions, addressing the challenge of rearward sliding motion in electrical connectors.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HIROSE ELECTRIC CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-11-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-30
Smart Images
Figure 0007882755000001 
Figure 0007882755000002 
Figure 0007882755000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector mounted on the upper surface of a flat conductor and provided with a cover member.
Background Art
[0002] In an electrical connector, a cover member may be provided to cover a connection portion between a terminal of the electrical connector and a member connected to the terminal. Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connector in which a front end portion of a flat conductor (FFC) extending in the front-rear direction is inserted from the rear and connected to a terminal inside the connector. A cover member for covering a connection portion between the flat conductor and the terminal is attached to the rear portion of the housing of this electrical connector. This cover member is attached so as to slide forward from the rear side of the electrical connector toward the electrical connector.
[0003] Also, in an electrical connector of the type disposed on the upper surface of a flat conductor, a cover member for covering a connection portion between a connection portion of a terminal exposed from the rear portion of the housing and a circuit portion of the flat conductor may be slid forward toward the rear portion of the housing and attached to the housing.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] Generally, to meet the demands for miniaturization of electrical equipment, the design often involves arranging electronic components within the equipment to minimize the spacing between them. However, as mentioned above, when a cover member is slid forward to attach it to the housing, space for this sliding motion must be secured at the rear of the housing. In such cases, the design flexibility regarding the placement of electronic components is reduced.
[0006] In view of these circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an electrical connector that can reduce the space required to attach a cover member to the housing. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] (1) The electrical connector according to the present invention is mounted on the upper surface of a strip-shaped flat conductor extending in the front-rear direction and connected to a mating connector facing forward, and comprises a housing and a plurality of terminals held in the housing in an arrangement where the width direction of the flat conductor is the terminal arrangement direction, and the terminals are connected to the circuit portion of the flat conductor by a connecting portion extending from the rear of the housing.
[0008] In such an electrical connector, the present invention provides a cover member attached to the rear of the housing so as to cover the connection portion, the cover member having guided portions on surfaces that are located on both ends of the electrical connector in the terminal arrangement direction and intersect with the terminal arrangement direction, the housing or a member attached to the housing having guide portions on surfaces that are located on both ends of the electrical connector in the terminal arrangement direction and intersect with the terminal arrangement direction for guiding the guided portion so that the cover member is attached to the rear of the housing, the guide portion having a first guide portion that extends in the vertical direction and guides the guided portion downward until it reaches a predetermined position, and a second guide portion that extends in the front-rear direction and guides the guided portion forward from the predetermined position, and one of the guided portion and the guide portion is formed by a projection, and the other is formed by a stepped portion that can abut against the projection.
[0009] In the electrical connector of the present invention, when attaching the cover member to the housing, first, the cover member is moved downward while being guided by the first guide portion until the guided portion reaches a predetermined position. Next, the cover member is moved forward while being guided by the second guide portion until it reaches a position where it can be attached to the rear of the housing from the rear. Thus, in the present invention, the cover member moves downward until the guided portion reaches the predetermined position, and then moves forward to be attached to the rear of the housing. Therefore, by bringing the cover member to a position close to the rear of the housing by moving downward, the distance of subsequent forward movement can be shortened. As a result, the space required at the rear of the housing to move the cover member forward is reduced. Consequently, the degree of design freedom regarding the arrangement of electronic components, including the electrical connector, is increased.
[0010] (2) In the invention of (1), the guided portion is formed as a projection provided on the plate surface of the side plate portion located on both ends of the electrical connector, the guide portion is formed as a groove between two stepped portions provided on the wall surface of the side wall portion located on both ends of the electrical connector, the first guide portion is formed as a groove extending in the vertical direction with an open upper end, and the second guide portion is formed as a groove extending forward from the lower part of the first guide portion.
[0011] (3) In the invention of (2), the guided portion is provided on the inner surface of the side plate portion in the terminal arrangement direction, and the guide portion may be provided on the outer surface of the side wall portion in the terminal arrangement direction. [Effects of the Invention]
[0012] The present invention provides an electrical connector that can reduce the space required to attach a cover member to the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) shows the view from the front and (B) shows the view from the rear. [Figure 2] Figure 1(B) is a perspective view showing the electrical connector before the cover member is attached. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a magnified view of the side wall of the electrical connector. [Figure 4] These are perspective views of the cover member, with (A) showing the view from above and (B) showing the view from below. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the electrical connector just before the cover member is attached; (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a side view. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an electrical connector with the cover member in a predetermined position; (A) is a perspective view and (B) is a side view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.
[0015] Figures 1(A) and 1(B) are perspective views of the electrical connector 1 of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1"), where Figure 1(A) shows the view from the front and Figure 1(B) shows the view from the rear. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the connector 1 of Figure 1(B) before the cover member 40 is attached. Connector 1 is an electrical connector that is mounted on the upper surface of a flat conductor C, such as an FPC. In this embodiment, connector 1 is mounted on the front end portion (X1 side portion) of a strip-shaped flat conductor C that extends in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction), and is mated and connected to a mating connector (not shown) facing forward. A reinforcing plate (not shown) is attached to the lower surface of the front end portion of this flat conductor C. The mating connector is, for example, an electrical connector for a circuit board that is mounted on a circuit board. In this embodiment, in the X-axis direction (front-to-back direction), the X1 direction is the front and the X2 direction is the rear. Furthermore, the Y-axis direction, which is the same direction as the width direction of the flat conductor C, is defined as the connector width direction, and the Z-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the surface of the flat conductor C, is defined as the up and down direction (Z1 direction is upward, Z2 direction is downward).
[0016] The connector 1 includes a housing 10, a plurality of terminals 20 held in the housing 10 in an arrangement with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as the terminal arrangement direction, fixing fittings 30 held at both ends of the housing 10 in the connector width direction, and a cover member 40 attached to the rear of the housing 10.
[0017] The housing 10 is made of an electrical insulating material such as resin and has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with the connector width direction as its longitudinal direction. The housing 10 has a mating portion 11 at its front that fits forward into a receiving space provided in the mating connector, and a cover mounting portion 13 at its rear to which the cover member 40 is attached.
[0018] As shown in Fig. 1(A), the housing 10 is provided with terminal accommodating portions 18 arranged in the terminal array direction for accommodating and holding a part of the terminals 20. Further, as shown in Fig. 1(A), the terminal accommodating portions 18 are formed in two steps in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The terminal accommodating portions 18 extend in the front-rear direction and penetrate the housing 10, and as shown in Fig. 2, they are configured to receive and hold a part of the terminals 20, specifically, the front-end side portion (not shown) where the contact portions are formed, from the rear.
[0019] On the upper surface of the fitting portion 11, a lock arm portion 12 that can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction is provided at the central position in the connector width direction. The lock arm portion 12 has a cantilever shape extending rearward from the upper surface of the front end of the housing 10. At the intermediate position of the lock arm portion 12 in the front-rear direction, a lock portion 12A for locking with a mating connector is provided protruding from the upper surface of the lock arm portion 12.
[0020] The cover attachment portion 13 has, at its front end portion, a flange portion 14 that protrudes in the connector width direction and the vertical direction more than the fitting portion 11. The flange portion 14 is configured to face and be close to the rear end surface of the mating connector from the rear in a state where the connector 1 is fitted and connected to the mating connector. A portion of the upper edge portion of the flange portion 14 that extends in the connector width direction along the upper surface of the fitting portion 11 and corresponds to the range of the lock arm portion 12 forms a stopper portion 14A for excessively restricting the upward movement of the lock arm portion 12. The stopper portion 14A is provided so as to straddle the lock arm portion 12 above the rear end portion of the lock arm portion 12 and can contact the lock arm portion 12 from above, thereby restricting the displacement of the lock arm portion 12 upward by more than a predetermined amount.
[0021] At the rear part of the cover attachment portion 13 (the portion behind the flange portion 14), as shown in FIG. 2, on the upper surface of the portion extending in the connector width direction within the arrangement range of the terminals 20, two locking portions 15 and regulating portions 16 for attaching the cover member 40 are provided respectively. The locking portions 15 project from the upper surface of the cover attachment portion 13 on both sides of the locking arm portion 12 in the connector width direction and extend in the connector width direction. The locking portions 15 can be locked with the locking portions 42A of the cover member 40 described later. The regulating portions 16 are provided between the locking arm portion 12 and the locking portions 15 in the connector width direction. The regulating portions 16 are recesses opening rearward and can receive the regulated portions 42B of the cover member 40 described later from the rear, and the peripheral wall surrounding the recess restricts the movement of the regulated portions 42B in the connector width direction and the vertical direction.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the cover attachment portion 13 has side wall portions 17 extending rearward from the flange portion 14 at both ends in the connector width direction. The side wall portions 17 are plate-shaped with a wall surface extending at a right angle to the connector width direction. As shown in FIG. 2, on the upper part of the side wall portions 17, guide portions 17A are formed on the outer wall surface (outer wall surface) in the connector width direction. The guide portions 17A form groove portions recessed from the outer wall surface and guide the guided portions 45A of the cover member 40 described later when the cover member 40 is attached to the housing 10.
[0023] FIG. = "3"> is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlargement of the side wall portion 17 of the electrical connector in FIG. = "2">. The guide portion 17A has a first guide portion 17B which is a groove portion extending in the vertical direction and a second guide portion 17C which is a groove portion extending forward from the lower part of the first guide portion 17B, and by their communication with each other, they form an L shape when viewed in the connector width direction.
[0024] As shown in Figure 3, around the guide portion 17A that is recessed from the outer wall surface of the side wall portion 17, there is a protruding portion that extends outward in the connector width direction (Y2 direction in Figure 3) from the groove bottom surface of the guide portion 17A (a surface perpendicular to the connector width direction), and this protruding portion forms a stepped portion. In other words, the guide portion 17A can be said to be formed by a stepped portion. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the first guide portion 17B is formed by a front stepped portion 17D and a rear stepped portion 17E that extend vertically (Z-axis direction) on both sides in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) of the first guide portion 17B, and a lower stepped portion 17F located at the lower end of the first guide portion 17B. The upper end of the first guide portion 17B is open, and the lower end is closed by the lower stepped portion 17F. Furthermore, the second guide portion 17C is formed by a lower stepped portion 17F and an upper stepped portion 17G extending in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) on both sides of the second guide portion 17C in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The front and rear ends of the second guide portion 17C are open, and the rear end is in communication with the lower part of the first guide portion 17B.
[0025] At the lower part of the side wall portion 17, a fitting retaining portion 17H for press-fitting and holding the fixing fitting 30 is formed, extending perpendicular to the connector width direction. The fitting retaining portion 17H is located outside the guide portion 17A in the connector width direction (towards Y2 in Figure 3). The rear end portion 17J of the side wall portion 17 protrudes rearward from a position inside the fitting retaining portion 17H in the connector width direction (towards Y1 in Figure 3). The fitting portion 46 of the cover member 40, described later, is fitted to this rear end portion 17J from the rear.
[0026] Terminal 20 is formed by bending a metal plate member in the thickness direction, and has a contact portion (not shown) on its front end for contact with a mating terminal (not shown) provided on the mating connector, and a connection portion 21 on its rear end for connection with the circuit portion C1 of the flat conductor C, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The connection portion 21 is bent at the lower end of an inverted L-shaped leg portion 22 extending from the rear end surface of the housing 10 and extends toward the rear. The connection portion 21 is in contact with the circuit portion C1 of the flat conductor C at its lower surface and is soldered to the circuit portion C1.
[0027] The fixing bracket 30 is formed by bending a metal plate member in the thickness direction, and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, it is press-fitted from above into the fitting holding portions 17H formed at both ends of the housing 10 and held by the side edges that extend in the vertical direction. The fixing bracket 30 has a fixing portion 31 at its lower end that extends outward in the width direction of the connector, and is fixed by soldering the fixing portion 31 to the corresponding portion C2 of the flat conductor C.
[0028] Figures 4(A) and 4(B) are perspective views of the cover member 40, with Figure 4(A) showing a view from above and Figure 4(B) showing a view from below. The cover member 40 is made of an electrical insulating material such as resin and is provided to cover the exposed portion of the terminals 20 from the rear of the housing 10 for purposes such as dust and water protection, or preventing contact by the worker's fingers. The cover member 40 has a main body portion 41 that extends across the terminal arrangement range in the connector width direction and side portions 44 provided on both sides of the main body portion 41 in the connector width direction. As shown in Figures 1(A) and 1(B), when the cover member 40 is attached to the housing 10, the main body portion 41 covers the exposed portion of the terminals 20 from the rear of the housing 10, i.e., the connection portion 21 and the leg portion 22 (see Figure 2), and the side portions 44 cover the side wall portion 17 of the housing 10.
[0029] As shown in Figure 1(B), the main body 41 has an upper plate portion 42 with a plate surface perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a rear plate portion 43 that extends downward from the rear end of the upper plate portion 42 and has a plate surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The upper plate portion 42 covers the exposed portion of the terminal 20 from above, and the rear plate portion 43 covers the exposed portion of the terminal 20 from the rear. The central portion of the upper plate portion 42 in the connector width direction is located lower than the other parts, thereby avoiding interference with the locking arm portion 12 (see Figure 1(B)).
[0030] As shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), a locking portion 42A and a restricted portion 42B are formed at the front end of the upper plate portion 42 in the intermediate area in the connector width direction. The locking portion 42A is formed as an elastic piece that extends in the front-rear direction and is elastically deformable in the up-down direction, and can be locked from the front to the locked portion 15 of the housing 10 by a claw portion provided at its front end. The restricted portion 42B is located inward from the locking portion 42A in the connector width direction, adjacent to the locking portion 42A, and slightly below the locking portion 42A. The restricted portion 42B is plate-shaped and extends in the front-rear direction, enters the restricted portion 16 of the housing 10 from the rear, and is restricted from moving in the connector width direction and the up-down direction.
[0031] As shown in Figure 4(B), partition wall portions 43A are formed on the rear plate portion 43, arranged in the connector width direction, at positions corresponding to the spaces between the terminals 20 in the connector width direction. The upper ends of the partition wall portions 43A are connected to the lower surface of the upper plate portion 42. When the cover member 40 is attached to the housing 10, each partition wall portion 43A enters from the rear between the legs 22 (see Figures 2 and 3) of adjacent terminals 20, and is positioned to separate the legs 22 from each other.
[0032] The side portion 44 has a side plate portion 45 at its outer end position in the connector width direction, with a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction. As shown in Figures 1(A) and (B), the side plate portion 45 is formed in a range corresponding to the upper part of the side wall portion 17 of the housing 10, and covers the upper part of the side wall portion 17 from the outside in the connector width direction. Also, as shown in Figures 1(A) and (B), the lower part of the side wall portion 17 is not covered by the side plate portion 45 and is exposed to the outside.
[0033] The side plate portion 45 has a guided portion 45A that is guided by the guide portion 17A of the housing 10 when the cover member 40 is attached to the housing 10. As shown in Figures 4(A) and (B), the guided portion 45A is provided protruding inward in the connector width direction from the inner plate surface of the side plate portion 45 at the front end and lower end positions of the side plate portion 45. The guided portion 45A is plate-shaped and extends in the front-rear direction, and in the front-rear direction it is slightly smaller than the width dimension (dimension in the front-rear direction) of the first guide portion 17B of the housing 10, and in the up-down direction it is slightly smaller than the width dimension (dimension in the up-down direction) of the second guide portion 17C of the housing 10.
[0034] The rear end of the side portion 44 is formed as a box-shaped fitting portion 46 that opens forward, as shown in Figures 4(A) and (B). The fitting portion 46 covers the rear end portion 17J of the side wall portion 17 and is fitted onto the rear end portion 17J from the rear.
[0035] The cover member 40 is attached to the rear of the housing 10 in the following manner. First, as shown in Figures 5(A) and (B), the cover member 40 is positioned above the rear of the housing 10 such that the guided portion 45A of the cover member 40 (shown by a dashed line in Figure 5(B)) is directly above the first guide portion 17B of the housing 10. Next, the cover member 40 is moved downward, allowing the guided portion 45A to enter the first guide portion 17B from above. The downward movement of the cover member 40 continues until the cover member 40 contacts the upper end of the side wall portion 17 of the housing 10. During the downward movement, the cover member 40 receives guidance from the first guide portion 17B at the guided portion 45A. As shown in Figures 6(A) and 6(B), when the downward movement of the cover member 40 is completed, the guided portion 45A (shown by a dashed line in Figure 6(B)) has reached a predetermined position close to the lower end of the first guide portion 17B, i.e., the lower step portion 17F. At this predetermined position, the guided portion 45A is located within the range of the second guide portion 17C in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the guided portion 45A does not contact the lower step portion 17F at the predetermined position, but instead, it may contact the lower step portion 17F at the predetermined position.
[0036] Next, the cover member 40 is moved forward, guided by the second guide portion 17C, until it reaches a position where it can be attached to the rear of the housing 10 from the rear (hereinafter referred to as the "attachment position"). At this time, the guided portion 45A is restricted from moving downward by the lower step portion 17F and restricted from moving upward by the upper step portion 17G. When the cover member 40 reaches the attachment position, the locking portion 42A locks into the locked portion 15 of the housing 10, thereby preventing the cover member 40 from coming out of the housing 10 to the rear. At the same time, the restricted portion 42B enters the restricting portion 16 from the rear, and the fitting portion 46 is fitted into the rear end portion 17J of the side wall portion 17 from the rear. As a result, as shown in Figures 1(A) and (B), the cover member 40 is attached to the rear of the housing 10 with almost no play, and the connector 1 is completed.
[0037] In this embodiment, the cover member 40 moves downward until the guided portion 45A reaches the predetermined position, and then moves forward to be attached to the rear of the housing 10. Therefore, by bringing the cover member 40 to a position close to the rear of the housing 10 by moving downward, the subsequent forward movement distance can be shortened. As a result, less space is required at the rear of the housing 10 to move the cover member 40 forward. Consequently, the degree of design freedom regarding the arrangement of electronic components, including the connector 1, is increased.
[0038] Furthermore, when removing the cover member 40 from the housing 10, it can be easily removed by pulling the cover member 40 backward to the predetermined position and then moving it upward. At this time, the guided portion 45A of the cover member 40 moves backward within the second guide portion 17C and then reaches the lower part of the first guide portion 17B. Even if the force used to pull the cover member 40 backward is strong, the guided portion 45A will come into contact with the rear step portion 17E, restricting further backward movement. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the cover member 40 colliding with other electronic components located behind the connector 1 due to the momentum when it is pulled backward. Also, since it does not come out of the housing 10 backward, it is possible to avoid the cover member 40 falling onto the flat conductor C and damaging the flat conductor C.
[0039] Furthermore, when disconnecting connector 1 which is mated with the mating connector, the housing 10 is grasped and moved backward. However, even if the cover member 40 is accidentally grasped and moves backward from the housing 10, the movement of the cover member 40 is restricted as described above by the guided portion 45A contacting the rear step portion 17E.
[0040] In this embodiment, the guide portion 17A of the housing 10 is provided on the outer surface of the side wall portion 17, and the guided portion 45A of the cover member 40 is provided on the inner surface of the side plate portion 45. However, as an alternative modification, for example, the guide portion may be provided on the inner surface of the side wall portion, and the guided portion may be provided on the outer surface of the side plate portion. In this modification, the side plate portion is provided so as to be located inside the side wall portion in the connector width direction.
[0041] In this embodiment, the guide portion 17A of the housing 10 is formed by a front step portion 17D, a rear step portion 17E, a lower step portion 17F, and an upper step portion 17G, and the guided portion 45A of the cover member 40 is formed by a projection. However, as an alternative modification, for example, the guide portion of the housing may be formed by a projection, and the guided portion of the cover member may be formed by a step portion. In this case, the guided portion of the cover member may be formed as a groove by two opposing step portions.
[0042] In this embodiment, the guide portion 17A of the housing 10 is formed such that the first guide portion 17B is formed as a groove by a front step portion 17D and a rear step portion 17E facing each other, and the second guide portion 17C is formed as a groove by a lower step portion 17F and an upper step portion 17G. However, as an alternative modification, for example, at least one of the first guide portion and the second guide portion may be formed with a single step portion. In this case, for example, the first guide portion may be formed only by the rear step portion, or the second guide portion may be formed by the lower step portion. Furthermore, the same applies when the guide portion of the cover member is formed with a step portion.
[0043] In this embodiment, the first guide portion 17B and the second guide portion 17C of the housing 10 are formed by a stepped portion on the same wall surface of the side wall portion 17. However, as an alternative modification, for example, the first guide portion may be formed by a stepped portion on one wall surface of the side wall portion, and the second guide portion may be formed by a stepped portion on the other wall surface of the side wall portion. In this modification, for example, the cover member is provided with two side plate portions that are arranged to sandwich the side wall portion of the housing at each end in the connector width direction. Each side plate portion is provided with a guided portion by a projection that protrudes toward each other in the connector width direction.
[0044] In this modified example, when the cover member is installed, first, when the cover member moves downward, one guided portion facing the wall surface on which the first guide portion is formed moves downward while being guided by the first guide portion. At this time, the other guided portion facing the other plate surface on which the second guide portion is formed moves downward along with the movement of the one guided portion without being guided by the guide portion. When one guided portion reaches the predetermined position, the other guided portion also stops at the position corresponding to the predetermined position. Next, when the cover member moves forward, the other guided portion moves forward while being guided by the second guide portion on the other wall surface. At this time, the one guided portion moves forward along with the movement of the other guided portion without being guided by the guide portion.
[0045] This configuration, in which the first and second guide portions are provided on different surfaces, is also applicable to the modified form described above, in which the guide portion of the housing is formed by a projection and the guided portion of the cover member is formed by a step. In that case, for example, the housing is provided with two side walls at each end in the connector width direction, positioned to sandwich the side plate portion of the cover member, and guide portions are formed on each side wall by projections that protrude toward each other in the connector width direction.
[0046] In this embodiment, the guide portion 17A is provided on the housing 10, but as an alternative modification, the guide portion may be provided on a member attached to the housing. For example, the guide portion may be provided on a fitting or the like attached to the housing. [Explanation of symbols]
[0047] 1 Connector 10 Housing 17 Side wall section 17A Information Department 17B First Information Department 17C Second guide section 17D Front section 17E Rear step 17F lower step 17G Upper step 20 terminals 21 Connection part 40 Cover component 45 Side plate part 45A Guided part C Flat conductor
Claims
1. An electrical connector mounted on the upper surface of a strip-shaped flat conductor extending in the front-to-back direction, and connected to a mating connector facing forward, Housing and The flat conductor has a plurality of terminals held in the housing in a state where the width direction is the terminal arrangement direction, The terminal is an electrical connector in which a connecting portion extending from the rear of the housing connects to the circuit portion of the flat conductor, It has a cover member that is attached to the rear of the housing so as to cover the aforementioned connection portion, The cover member is located on both ends of the electrical connector in the terminal arrangement direction and has guided portions on surfaces that intersect with the terminal arrangement direction. The housing or the member attached to the housing has guide portions on both ends of the electrical connector in the terminal arrangement direction and on surfaces intersecting the terminal arrangement direction, for guiding the guided portion so that the cover member is attached to the rear of the housing. The guide portion includes a first guide portion that extends in the vertical direction and guides the guided portion downward until it reaches a predetermined position, and a second guide portion that extends in the front-rear direction and guides the guided portion forward from the predetermined position. An electrical connector characterized in that one of the guided portion and the guide portion is formed by a protrusion, and the other is formed by a stepped portion that can contact the protrusion.
2. The guided portion is formed as a projection provided on the plate surface of the side plate portion located on both ends of the electrical connector. The guide portion is formed as a groove between two stepped portions provided on the wall surface of the side wall portion located at both ends of the electrical connector. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is formed such that the first guide portion is formed as a groove extending in the vertical direction and having an open upper end, and the second guide portion is formed as a groove extending forward from the lower part of the first guide portion.
3. The guided portion is provided on the inner surface of the side plate portion in the terminal arrangement direction, The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion is provided on the outer wall surface of the side wall portion in the terminal arrangement direction.