connector

Abstract

To secure rigidity of an attachment member (a front retainer).SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises: a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 that can be fitted each other; and a front retainer 13 mounted to the first housing 11. The first housing 11 includes a housing main body 11A housing a female terminal metal fitting 30 therein. The front retainer 13 includes a peripheral wall part 13B that surrounds an outer peripheral surface of the housing main body 11A. The second housing 12 includes a hood part 12B housing the housing main body 11A and the front retainer 13 therein. The peripheral wall part 13B includes a plurality of projection parts 13K that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood part 12B at the outer peripheral surface. The projection parts 13K are arranged in pair at positions opposite to each other across an inner space S of the peripheral wall part 13B on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall part 13B. The peripheral wall part 13B includes a construction part 13M extended into the inner space S so as to connect the projection parts 13K forming a pair.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector. [Background Art]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a tower portion provided on a female housing is covered by a hood portion of a male housing. A front holder is attached to a front end portion of the tower portion. A plurality of outer projections are provided on an outer surface of a peripheral wall of the front holder, and inner projections are provided on an inner surface at positions corresponding to the respective outer projections. The tower portion of the female housing and the hood portion of the male housing are configured to eliminate backlash by coming into contact with the outer projections and the inner projections of the front holder, respectively. Further, as configurations for eliminating backlash between the female housing and the male housing, the configurations disclosed in Patent Document 2 to Patent Document 5 are also known. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-16262 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-59960 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-33700 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-166046 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-220048 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In the case of Patent Document 1, the outer projection and the inner projection are arranged back-to-back at appropriate locations on the peripheral wall of the front holder. When the female housing and the male housing are fitted together, a compressive force acts radially inward at appropriate locations on the peripheral wall due to contact between the outer projection and the hood portion, and a compressive force acts radially outward due to contact between the inner projection and the tower portion. If excessive compressive forces act on appropriate locations on the peripheral wall from both radial sides in this way, there is a concern that the portion of the peripheral wall connected to those locations may bend to absorb the compressive force. Similar to the front holder, a front retainer equipped with the function of locking terminal fittings also has a peripheral wall that is sandwiched between the female housing and the male housing, and a projection for reducing play may be provided on the peripheral wall. In that case, the peripheral wall of the front retainer may also be subjected to excessive compressive forces and deform.

[0005] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a connector that can ensure the rigidity of mounting members such as front holders and front retainers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector disclosed herein is A first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together, Mounting member attached to the first housing, Equipped with, The first housing has a housing body that houses terminal fittings inside, The mounting member has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the housing body, The second housing has a hood portion inside which the housing body and the mounting member are housed. The peripheral wall portion has a plurality of protrusions on its outer surface that are in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion. Each of the aforementioned protrusions is arranged in pairs on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, at positions facing each other across the internal space of the peripheral wall portion. The peripheral wall portion has a support portion that extends through the internal space so as to connect the pair of protrusions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the rigidity of the mounting member can be ensured. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the first housing viewed from the front lower side. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view of the first housing viewed from the front. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a rear view of the second housing viewed from the rear. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the mounting member viewed from the rear right side. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a front view of the mounting member viewed from the front. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 6. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 6. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 8. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the connector according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in Figure 10. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Figure 10. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a perspective view of the first housing of another embodiment viewed from the front lower side. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a perspective view of the mounting member of another embodiment viewed from the rear left side. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the present disclosure is: (1) Comprising a first housing and a second housing that can be fitted to each other, and a mounting member attached to the first housing. The first housing has a housing main body that accommodates a terminal fitting therein, and the mounting member has a peripheral wall portion surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the housing main body. The second housing has a hood portion that accommodates the housing main body and the mounting member therein. The peripheral wall portion has a plurality of protrusions on an outer peripheral surface thereof that are in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the hood portion. Each of the protrusions is arranged in a pair on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion at positions facing each other across an internal space of the peripheral wall portion. The peripheral wall portion has a bridging portion extending through the internal space so as to connect between the pair of protrusions. According to this configuration, since the bridging portion is arranged between the pair of protrusions, it is possible to prevent a compressive force from acting on the peripheral wall portion from the housing main body side, which is the arrangement side of the bridging portion. Further, the rigidity of the peripheral wall portion itself can be maintained by the bridging portion between the pair of protrusions. As a result, bending of the peripheral wall portion can be suppressed.

[0010] (2) In the connector of the present disclosure, it is preferable that a plurality of pairs of protrusions are provided on the peripheral wall portion, and the bridging portion is provided corresponding to all pairs of the protrusions. According to this configuration, bending of the peripheral wall portion can be suppressed more reliably.

[0011] (3) In the connector of the present disclosure, when the fitting direction of the first housing with respect to the second housing is defined as the front-rear direction, it is preferable that each protrusion is arranged within a length range of the bridging portion in the front-rear direction. According to this configuration, the bridging portion can reliably receive the compressive force acting on the peripheral wall portion from the hood portion via each protrusion.

[0012] (4) In the connector of the present disclosure, when the fitting side of the first housing with respect to the second housing is defined as the front side, it is preferable that the mounting member has a front wall portion covering a front end of the housing main body, and the bridging portion extends along a rear surface of the front wall portion and is connected to the rear surface of the front wall portion. According to this configuration, since the bridging portion is connected to the front wall portion, the strength of the bridging portion can be improved.

[0013] (5) In the connector of the present disclosure, the peripheral wall portion has upper and lower walls and left and right walls, respectively, as viewed from the side of the fitting of the first housing to the second housing. Preferably, the support portion has a first support portion that is supported in the left-right direction between the left and right walls and a second support portion that is supported in the up-down direction between the upper and lower walls. With this configuration, the first support portion and the second support portion can receive the compressive force acting on the peripheral wall portion from the hood portion via each projection in the left-right and up-down directions, and the bending of the peripheral wall portion can be suppressed more reliably.

[0014] (6) In the connector of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the first mounting portion has a retaining portion for preventing the terminal fitting from coming off the housing body. With this configuration, the first mounting portion has both the function of reinforcing the mounting member and the function of preventing the terminal fitting from coming off, so that the configuration of the mounting member does not become complicated compared to when both functions are provided separately.

[0015] (7) In the connector of the present disclosure, the housing body preferably has adjacent cavity towers in the left-right direction, and the second mounting section is preferably positioned between adjacent cavity towers. With this configuration, the second mounting section is positioned space efficiently between adjacent cavity towers.

[0016] (8) In the connector of the present disclosure, when the direction in which the projection contacts the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion is defined as the first direction, and the direction intersecting the first direction is defined as the second direction, it is preferable that the first housing has an inner contact portion that contacts the mounting portion from the second direction. With this configuration, the rattle between the second housing and the mounting member is restricted by the projection, and the rattle between the first housing and the mounting member is restricted by the inner contact portion. As a result, the rattle between the first housing and the second housing is restricted via the mounting member. Furthermore, the first direction, which is the direction in which the projection contacts the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion, and the second direction, which is the direction in which the inner contact portion contacts the mounting portion, intersect. Therefore, excessive compressive force is not applied to the circumferential wall portion from both sides in the thickness direction of the circumferential wall portion (the first direction and the opposite direction), and deflection of the circumferential wall portion can be suppressed.

[0017] (9) In the connector of the present disclosure, the mounting portion is preferably plate-shaped with its thickness oriented in a direction intersecting the mounting direction that connects the opposing protrusions, and the inner contact portion is preferably in contact with the mounting portion so as to sandwich it from both sides in the plate thickness direction of the mounting portion. With this configuration, rattle between the first housing and the mounting member can be suppressed more reliably without applying any special processing to the mounting portion.

[0018] (10) In the connector of the present disclosure, the inner contact portion is preferably arranged adjacent to the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion. With this configuration, the position where the inner contact portion contacts the mounting portion can be located on the outer edge of the first housing, making it easier to suppress looseness of the mounting member relative to the first housing.

[0019] (11) In the connector of the present disclosure, the first housing preferably has a receiving recess for receiving a mounting portion between opposing surfaces, and the inner contact portion preferably protrudes from the opposing surfaces in a direction that narrows the opening width of the receiving recess. With this configuration, by adjusting the amount of protrusion of the inner contact portion, a play-reducing structure between the first housing and the mounting member can be formed without increasing the assembly resistance.

[0020] (12) In the connector of the present disclosure, when the mating side of the first housing to the second housing is the front side, the mounting member is preferably a front retainer having a front wall portion that covers the front end of the housing body. This configuration makes it possible to have a front retainer that is less prone to bending.

[0021] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure]

[0022] <Embodiment 1> A connector 10 embodying this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 12. In the figures, "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "right," and "left" are represented by "F," "B," "U," "D," "R," and "L," respectively. In this first embodiment, the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction. As shown in Figure 1, the connector 10 of the first embodiment comprises a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 that can be mated with each other, and a front retainer 13 which is a mounting member. The front side is the side in which the second housing 12 is mated with the first housing 11.

[0023] [Configuration of Housing 1] The first housing 11 is made of synthetic resin. The first housing 11 is configured as a female housing capable of accommodating a female terminal fitting 30 from the rear. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first housing 11 has a housing body 11A that is flattened in the left-right direction (width direction) and a cylindrical surrounding wall portion 11B that surrounds the outer circumference of the housing body 11A. Multiple cavities 11C that penetrate in the front-rear direction are formed in a row in the left-right direction inside the housing body 11A. A lance 11E extending forward in a cantilevered manner is provided on the inner surface of each cavity 11C (see Figure 10).

[0024] At the front end of the housing body 11A, a recess 11F is formed between adjacent cavities 11C. Of the recesses 11F, the recess 11F located in the center in the left-right direction penetrates from the upper end to the lower end of the housing body 11A (see Figure 2) and is formed to be more deeply recessed towards the rear compared to the other recesses 11F (see Figure 11). The recess 11F located in the center in the left-right direction is a second receiving recess 11S that receives the second mounting portion 13G of the front retainer 13, which will be described later. The second receiving recess 11S receives the second mounting portion 13G between opposing surfaces 11R that face each other (see Figure 11).

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, in the housing body 11A, three first cavity towers 11H are arranged to the left of the second receiving recess 11S (L side in Figure 3), and three second cavity towers 11J are arranged to the right of the second receiving recess 11S (R side in Figure 3). The first cavity towers 11H and the second cavity towers 11J are adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. Each of the opposing surfaces 11R that form the second receiving recess 11S is provided with a second inner contact portion 11N, which is an inner contact portion, that protrudes in a direction that narrows the opening width of the second receiving recess 11S. At the upper and lower ends of each opposing surface 11R, the second inner contact portions 11N are arranged on each opposing surface 11R so as to face each other in the left-right direction.

[0026] At the front end of the housing body 11A, below the first cavity tower 11H and the second cavity tower 11J, a first receiving recess 11P is formed, which penetrates from the left end to the right end and is recessed toward the rear. The first receiving recess 11P receives the first mounting portion 13F, which will be described later, between the opposing surfaces 11Q (see Figure 12). Each of the opposing surfaces 11Q that form the first receiving recess 11P is provided with a first inner contact portion 11M, which is an inner contact portion, that protrudes in a direction that narrows the opening width of the first receiving recess 11P. At the left end and right end of each opposing surface 11Q, the first inner contact portions 11M are arranged on each opposing surface 11Q so as to face each other in the vertical direction.

[0027] The surrounding wall portion 11B, when viewed from the front (the side where the first housing 11 is fitted to the second housing 12), has a rectangular tubular shape with an upper wall, lower wall, left wall, and right wall on the top, bottom, left, and right sides. A lock arm 11K is provided at the left-right center of the upper wall portion 11B. A connecting portion 11G extending inward is provided at the rear end of the surrounding wall portion 11B. The connecting portion 11G is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the housing body 11A. A fitting space 11D into which the second housing 12, described later, can be fitted is formed between the surrounding wall portion 11B and the housing body 11A. An annular seal ring 16 is fitted to the outer circumferential surface of the housing body 11A, in front of the connecting portion 11G (i.e., at the back of the fitting space 11D) (see Figure 10).

[0028] A female terminal fitting 30 is inserted into each cavity 11C from the rear. The female terminal fitting 30 is made of conductive metal. As shown in Figure 1, the female terminal fitting 30 is connected to the end of the electric wire 31, and a rectangular tubular box portion 30A is provided at the front. The tab 32A of the male terminal fitting 32, which will be described later, is inserted into and connected to the box portion 30A (see Figure 10). The female terminal fitting 30 is prevented from coming out into the cavity 11C by the lance 11E being locked to the rear end of the box portion 30A (see Figure 10). A rubber stopper 33 is fitted onto the electric wire 31. The rubber stopper 33 is held in place by the barrel portion 30B of the female terminal fitting 30 and is in close contact with the inner surface of the rear of the cavity 11C, sealing the inside of the cavity 11C liquid-tight (see Figure 10).

[0029] [Configuration of the second housing] The second housing 12 is made of synthetic resin. The second housing 12 is configured as a male housing to which a male terminal fitting 32 can be attached. As shown in Figure 4, the second housing 12 has a terminal holding portion 12A which is plate-shaped and oriented in the front-to-back direction in the thickness direction, and a hood portion 12B which extends in a rectangular tube shape backward from the outer peripheral edge of the terminal holding portion 12A. Multiple tabs 32A of the male terminal fitting 32 which penetrate the terminal holding portion 12A in the front-to-back direction are arranged protruding from within the hood portion 12B. A locking portion 12C is provided protruding upward from the left-to-right center of the upper wall of the hood portion 12B. Multiple contact portions 12D protruding inward are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion 12B. One of these contact portions 12D is provided on the inner surface of the upper wall, lower wall, left wall, and right wall that constitute the hood portion 12B.

[0030] [Front retainer configuration] The front retainer 13 is made of synthetic resin. The front retainer 13 is attached to the housing body 11A from the front (see Figure 10). When attached to the housing body 11A, the front retainer 13 performs the function of preventing the female terminal fitting 30 from coming loose.

[0031] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the front retainer 13 has a front wall portion 13A and a peripheral wall portion 13B that protrudes backward in a cylindrical shape from the outer peripheral edge of the front wall portion 13A. When the front retainer 13 is mounted on the housing body 11A, the front wall portion 13A is positioned to cover the lower part of the front end of the housing body 11A (see Figure 10), and the peripheral wall portion 13B is positioned to cover the outer circumference of the front end of the housing body 11A (see Figure 12).

[0032] Multiple window holes 13C are formed through the front wall portion 13A, corresponding to each cavity 11C. The front end of the housing body 11A is inserted into these window holes 13C, so that the front end of the housing body 11A and the front surface of the front wall portion 13A are flush with each other (see Figure 10).

[0033] As shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, the front retainer 13 has a support section 13M. The support section 13M has a first support section 13F that extends in the left-right direction and a second support section 13G that extends in the up-down direction. The first support section 13F is flat and is positioned with its thickness direction oriented in the up-down direction. The first support section 13F extends along the rear surface of the front wall section 13A and is connected to it. The left and right ends of the first support section 13F are connected to the left wall and right wall (left and right walls) of the peripheral wall section 13B, respectively.

[0034] As shown in Figure 7, the first mounting section 13F is provided with multiple retaining sections 13H. These retaining sections 13H are arranged in the left-right direction and extend backward from the rear end edge of the first mounting section 13F. The retaining sections 13H are positioned along the lower surface of the front end of the lance 11E when the front retainer 13 is properly attached to the housing body 11A (see Figure 10). In this way, the retaining sections 13H restrict the downward bending of the lance 11E and prevent the female terminal fitting 30 located in the cavity 11C from coming out of the housing body 11A. Each retaining section 13H is provided individually to correspond to each lance 11E.

[0035] As shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, the second erection section 13G is flat and positioned in the left-right center of the front wall section 13A with its thickness direction oriented left-right. The second erection section 13G extends along the rear surface of the front wall section 13A and is connected to it. The upper and lower ends of the second erection section 13G are connected to the upper and lower walls (upper and lower walls) of the peripheral wall section 13B, respectively. As shown in Figure 9, two partition walls 13J are positioned to the left and right of the second erection section 13G. The partition walls 13J are flat and positioned with their thickness direction oriented left-right to partition adjacent window openings 13C. These partition walls 13J are formed to connect the upper wall of the peripheral wall section 13B and the first erection section 13F. The upper rear end of the partition wall 13J is located in front of the upper rear end of the second erection section 13G (see Figure 11). In other words, the upper dimension of the partition wall 13J in the front-to-back direction is shorter than the upper dimension of the second erection section 13G in the front-to-back direction. The upper end of the second erection section 13G is formed as a narrow section 13N that is smaller than the width dimension at the bottom (see Figure 9). The left-to-right dimension of the second erection section 13G is the same as that of the partition wall 13J, except for the narrow section 13N.

[0036] As shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 13B is provided with a plurality of outwardly projecting protrusions 13K. These protrusions 13K are formed to extend in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the front-rear central portion 13L of each protrusion 13K is formed parallel to the front-rear direction with respect to the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 13B. The front and rear ends of each protrusion 13K are inclined toward the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 13B.

[0037] As shown in Figure 9, the protrusions 13K provided on the upper and lower walls of the peripheral wall 13B are arranged in pairs at opposing positions across the internal space S of the peripheral wall 13B. The second erection section 13G traverses the internal space S of the peripheral wall 13B vertically, connecting the pairs of protrusions 13K provided on the upper and lower walls of the peripheral wall 13B. The thickness of the second erection section 13G is oriented in a direction (left-right direction) that intersects with the erection direction (up-down direction) connecting the protrusions 13K (opposing protrusions 13K) provided on the upper and lower walls of the peripheral wall 13B. The space between the upper and lower protrusions 13K is solid and continuous in the vertical direction by the upper and lower walls of the peripheral wall 13B and the second erection section 13G.

[0038] The protrusions 13K provided on the left and right walls of the peripheral wall section 13B are arranged in pairs at opposing positions across the internal space S of the peripheral wall section 13B. The first erection section 13F traverses the internal space S of the peripheral wall section 13B in the left-right direction, connecting the pairs of protrusions 13K provided on the left and right walls of the peripheral wall section 13B. The thickness of the first erection section 13F is oriented in a direction (up-down direction) that intersects with the erection direction (left-right direction) connecting the protrusions 13K (opposing protrusions 13K) provided on the left and right walls of the peripheral wall section 13B. The space between the left and right protrusions 13K is solid and continuous in the left-right direction by the left and right walls of the peripheral wall section 13B and the first erection section 13F.

[0039] The peripheral wall section 13B is provided with two pairs of projections 13K, and the erection section 13M is provided to correspond to all pairs of projections 13K. In the front-rear direction, the front-rear central portion 13L of the projection 13K is positioned within the range of the front-rear length of the first erection section 13F and the second erection section 13G (see Figures 7 and 8).

[0040] [Assembly configuration of each component in a connector] As shown in Figure 10, when the female terminal fitting 30 is inserted into the cavity 11C from the rear and the front retainer 13 is attached to the housing body 11A from the front, the front end of the lance 11E faces the rear end of the box portion 30A of the female terminal fitting 30 from the rear. The retaining portion 13H of the front retainer 13 is positioned along the lower surface of the front end of the lance 11E. In this way, the retaining portion 13H restricts the lance 11E from bending downward and holds the female terminal fitting 30, which is located in the cavity 11C, in a retaining state.

[0041] As shown in Figure 11, with the front retainer 13 attached to the housing body 11A, partition walls 13J are inserted into each recess 11F of the housing body 11A from the front. Then, the second mounting section 13G is inserted into the second receiving recess 11S from the front. In other words, the second mounting section 13G is positioned between the adjacent first cavity tower 11H and the second cavity tower 11J.

[0042] With the second housing 12 assembled to the first housing 11, which has the female terminal fitting 30 and front retainer 13 attached, the hood portion 12B is inserted into the fitting space 11D of the first housing 11 from the front. The lock portion 12C then engages with the lock arm 11K of the first housing 11 (see Figure 10). At the same time, the tab 32A of the male terminal fitting 32 is inserted into the box portion 30A from the front of the female terminal fitting 30. The housing body 11A and the front retainer 13 are housed inside the hood portion 12B of the second housing 12.

[0043] As shown in Figure 12, the front-to-back central portion 13L of the projection 13K of the front retainer 13 contacts the contact portion 12D provided on the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion 12B. In the first housing 11, the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N are arranged adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 13B of the front retainer 13. The first inner contact portion 11M contacts the first erection portion 13F at both left-to-right ends of the first erection portion 13F, sandwiching it from the thickness direction (up-down direction). The second inner contact portion 11N contacts the second erection portion 13G at both up-to-down ends of the peripheral wall portion 13B of the front retainer 13, sandwiching it from the thickness direction (left-to-right direction). The upper second inner contact portion 11N is in contact with the narrow portion 13N of the second erection portion 13G by sandwiching it from the plate thickness direction (left-right direction).

[0044] When the direction in which each projection 13K, located on the upper and lower walls of the peripheral wall portion 13B of the front retainer 13, contacts the contact portion 12D on the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 12B (vertical direction) is defined as the first direction, and the left-right direction intersecting the vertical direction is defined as the second direction, the second inner contact portion 11N contacts the second mounting portion 13G from the second direction.

[0045] When the direction in which each projection 13K, located on the left and right walls of the peripheral wall portion 13B of the front retainer 13, contacts the contact portion 12D on the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 12B (left-right direction) is defined as the first direction, and the vertical direction intersecting the left-right direction is defined as the second direction, then the first inner contact portion 11M contacts the first erection portion 13F from the second direction.

[0046] Next, the operation of Embodiment 1 will be described. The connector 10 of this disclosure comprises a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 that can be mated with each other, and a front retainer 13 that is mounted on the first housing 11. The first housing 11 has a housing body 11A that houses a female terminal fitting 30 inside, and the front retainer 13 has a peripheral wall portion 13B that surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 11A. The second housing 12 has a hood portion 12B that houses the housing body 11A and the front retainer 13 inside. The peripheral wall portion 13B has a plurality of protrusions 13K on its outer peripheral surface that are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the hood portion 12B. Each protrusion 13K is arranged in pairs on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 13B at positions facing each other across the internal space S of the peripheral wall portion 13B. The peripheral wall portion 13B has a bridge portion 13M that extends through the internal space S so as to connect the pairs of protrusions 13K. With this configuration, since the support section 13M is positioned between the pair of protrusions 13K, compressive force acting on the peripheral wall section 13B from the housing body 11A side, which is the side where the support section 13M is positioned, can be avoided. In addition, the peripheral wall section 13B can maintain its own rigidity due to the support section 13M between the pair of protrusions 13K. As a result, deflection of the peripheral wall section 13B can be suppressed.

[0047] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, two pairs of projections 13K are provided on the peripheral wall portion 13B, and the mounting portion 13M is provided to correspond to all pairs of the projections 13K. With this configuration, deflection of the peripheral wall portion 13B can be suppressed more reliably.

[0048] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, when the fitting direction of the first housing 11 to the second housing 12 is the front-rear direction, each projection 13K is positioned within the length range of the erection section 13M in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, the erection section 13M can reliably withstand the compressive force acting from the hood section 12B to the peripheral wall section 13B via each projection 13K.

[0049] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, when the mating side of the first housing 11 to the second housing 12 is the front side, the front retainer 13 has a front wall portion 13A that covers the lower part of the front end of the housing body 11A. The erection portion 13M extends along the rear surface of the front wall portion 13A and is connected to the rear surface of the front wall portion 13A. With this configuration, since the erection portion 13M is connected to the front wall portion 13A, the strength of the erection portion 13M can be increased.

[0050] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, the peripheral wall portion 13B has upper and lower walls and left and right walls, respectively, when viewed from the side where the first housing 11 is fitted to the second housing 12. The support portion 13M has a first support portion 13F that is supported in the left-right direction between the left and right walls, and a second support portion 13G that is supported in the up-down direction between the upper and lower walls. With this configuration, the first support portion 13F and the second support portion 13G can receive the compressive force acting on the peripheral wall portion 13B from the hood portion 12B via each projection 13K in the left-right and up-down directions, and the bending of the peripheral wall portion 13B can be suppressed more reliably.

[0051] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, the first mounting portion 13F has a retaining portion 13H that prevents the female terminal fitting 30 from coming off the housing body 11A. With this configuration, the first mounting portion 13F has both the function of reinforcing the front retainer 13 and the function of preventing the female terminal fitting 30 from coming off, so that the configuration of the front retainer 13 does not become complicated compared to when both functions are provided separately.

[0052] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, the housing body 11A has a first cavity tower 11H and a second cavity tower 11J adjacent to each other in the left-right direction, and the second mounting section 13G is positioned between the adjacent first cavity tower 11H and the second cavity tower 11J. With this configuration, the second mounting section 13G is positioned space-efficiently between the adjacent first cavity tower 11H and the second cavity tower 11J.

[0053] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, when the direction in which the projection 13K contacts the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion 12B is defined as the first direction, and the direction intersecting the first direction is defined as the second direction, the first housing 11 has a first inner contact portion 11M and a second inner contact portion 11N that contact the mounting portion 13M from the second direction. With this configuration, the looseness between the second housing 12 and the front retainer 13 is restricted by the projection 13K, and the looseness between the first housing 11 and the front retainer 13 is restricted by the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N. As a result, the looseness between the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 is restricted via the front retainer 13. Furthermore, the first direction, in which the projection 13K contacts the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion 12B, and the second direction, in which the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N contact the mounting portion 13M, intersect. Therefore, excessive compressive force is not applied to the peripheral wall portion 13B from both sides in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall portion 13B (the first direction and the opposite direction), and deflection of the peripheral wall portion 13B can be suppressed.

[0054] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, the mounting portion 13M is plate-shaped with its thickness oriented in a direction intersecting the mounting direction that connects the opposing protrusions 13K, and the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N contact the mounting portion 13M by sandwiching it from both sides in the thickness direction of the mounting portion 13M. With this configuration, looseness between the first housing 11 and the front retainer 13 can be more reliably suppressed without performing any special processing on the mounting portion 13M.

[0055] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N are arranged adjacent to the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 13B. With this configuration, the contact points of the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N with respect to the mounting portion 13M can be positioned on the outer edge of the first housing 11, making it easier to suppress play of the front retainer 13 relative to the first housing 11.

[0056] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, the first housing 11 has a first receiving recess 11P and a second receiving recess 11S that receive a bridge portion 13M between opposing surfaces 11R and 11Q. The first inner contact portion 11M protrudes from the opposing surface 11Q in a direction that narrows the opening width of the first receiving recess 11P. The second inner contact portion 11N protrudes from the opposing surface 11R in a direction that narrows the opening width of the second receiving recess 11S. With this configuration, by adjusting the amount of protrusion of the first inner contact portion 11M and the second inner contact portion 11N, a play-reducing structure between the first housing 11 and the front retainer 13 can be formed without increasing the assembly resistance.

[0057] In the connector 10 of this disclosure, when the mating side of the first housing 11 to the second housing 12 is the front side, the mounting member is a front retainer 13 having a front wall portion 13A that covers the front end of the housing body 11A. With this configuration, a front retainer 13 that is less prone to bending can be made.

[0058] [Other embodiments of this disclosure] This disclosure is not limited to Embodiment 1 described above in the description and drawings. The present invention includes the meaning of equivalents of the claims and all modifications within the claims, and is intended to include embodiments such as those described below.

[0059] The number of cavities is not limited to the number disclosed in Embodiment 1. For example, as shown in Figure 13, the first housing 111 may have a configuration in which only one cavity 111C is formed in the housing body 111A. In this case, the first receiving recess 111P is formed to penetrate the housing body 111A from the left end to the right end. The second receiving recess 111S is formed below the cavity 111C. As shown in Figure 14, the first mounting portion 113F of the mounting member, the front retainer 113, traverses the internal space S2 of the peripheral wall portion 113B in the left-right direction, connecting the protrusions 113K provided in pairs on the left and right walls of the peripheral wall portion 113B. The second mounting portion 113G is formed in connection with the lower wall of the peripheral wall portion 113B and the first mounting portion 113F. The second erection section 113G is positioned to connect to a projection 113K provided on the lower wall of the peripheral wall section 113B.

[0060] Unlike Embodiment 1, the configuration may involve attaching a male terminal fitting to the first housing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10… Connectors 11,111…1st Housing 11A, 111A… Housing body 11B... Encircling wall section 11C, 111C... Cavity 11D…Mating space 11E...Lance 11F…recess 11G...connection part 11H…First Cavity Tower (Cavity Tower) 11J...Second Cavity Tower (Cavity Tower) 11K... Lock Arm 11M…First inner contact part 11N…Second inner contact part 11P, 111P... First receptive recess 11Q,11R…Opposite surface 11S, 111S… Second receptive recess 12…Second Housing 12A…Terminal holding part 12B...Food section 12C... Lock section 12D…Contact part 13,113… Front retainer (mounting component) 13A... Front wall section 13B, 113B…Peripheral wall part 13C... Window opening 13F, 113F…1st construction section (construction section) 13G, 113G…Second construction section (construction section) 13H... Retaining part 13J... Partition wall 13K,113K…Protrusion 13L… Front and back direction central part 13M…Erection part 13N…Narrow part 16... Seal ring 30…Female terminal fittings 30A…Hakobe 30B... Barrel section 31...Electric wire 32...Male terminal fittings 32A... Tab 33... Rubber stopper S, S2…Internal space

Claims

1. A first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together, Mounting member attached to the first housing, Equipped with, The first housing has a housing body that houses terminal fittings inside, The mounting member has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the housing body, The second housing has a hood portion inside which the housing body and the mounting member are housed. The peripheral wall portion has a plurality of protrusions on its outer surface that are in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion. Each of the aforementioned protrusions is arranged in pairs on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, at positions facing each other across the internal space of the peripheral wall portion. The peripheral wall portion has a support portion that extends through the internal space so as to connect the pair of protrusions, A connector wherein multiple pairs of the aforementioned protrusions are provided on the peripheral wall, and the mounting portion is provided corresponding to all pairs of the aforementioned protrusions.

2. A first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together with each other, Mounting member attached to the first housing, Equipped with, The first housing has a housing body that houses terminal fittings inside, The mounting member has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the housing body, The second housing has a hood portion inside which the housing body and the mounting member are housed. The peripheral wall portion has a plurality of protrusions on its outer surface that are in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion. Each of the aforementioned protrusions is arranged in pairs on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, at positions facing each other across the internal space of the peripheral wall portion. The peripheral wall portion has a support portion that extends through the internal space so as to connect the pair of protrusions, A connector in which, when the fitting direction of the first housing to the second housing is the front-rear direction, each of the protrusions is positioned within the length range in the front-rear direction of the mounting portion.

3. A first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together with each other, Mounting member attached to the first housing, Equipped with, The first housing has a housing body that houses terminal fittings inside, The mounting member has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the housing body, The second housing has a hood portion inside which the housing body and the mounting member are housed. The peripheral wall portion has a plurality of protrusions on its outer surface that are in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion. Each of the aforementioned protrusions is arranged in pairs on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, at positions facing each other across the internal space of the peripheral wall portion. The peripheral wall portion has a support portion that extends through the internal space so as to connect the pair of protrusions, When the side of the first housing that fits with the second housing is the front side, the mounting member has a front wall portion that covers the front end of the housing body, The aforementioned mounting portion is a connector that extends along the rear surface of the front wall portion and is connected to the rear surface of the front wall portion.

4. The peripheral wall portion has upper and lower walls and left and right walls, respectively, when viewed from the side of the first housing that fits into the second housing. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the erection section comprises a first erection section erected in the left-right direction between the left and right walls, and a second erection section erected in the up-down direction between the upper and lower walls.

5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the first mounting portion has a retaining portion for preventing the terminal fitting from coming off the housing body.

6. The housing body has adjacent cavity towers in the left-right direction, The connector according to claim 4, wherein the second mounting section is positioned between the adjacent cavity towers.

7. A first housing and a second housing that can be fitted together with each other, Mounting member attached to the first housing, Equipped with, The first housing has a housing body that houses terminal fittings inside, The mounting member has a peripheral wall portion that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the housing body, The second housing has a hood portion inside which the housing body and the mounting member are housed. The peripheral wall portion has a plurality of protrusions on its outer surface that are in contact with the inner surface of the hood portion. Each of the aforementioned protrusions is arranged in pairs on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion, at positions facing each other across the internal space of the peripheral wall portion. The peripheral wall portion has a support portion that extends through the internal space so as to connect the pair of protrusions, A connector in which, when the direction in which the projection contacts the inner circumferential surface of the hood portion is defined as the first direction, and the direction intersecting the first direction is defined as the second direction, the first housing has an inner contact portion that contacts the mounting portion from the second direction.

8. The erection section is plate-shaped with its thickness oriented in a direction intersecting the erection direction that connects the opposing protrusions. The connector according to claim 7, wherein the inner contact portion contacts the erection portion such that it sandwiches the erection portion from both sides in the thickness direction of the erection portion.

9. The connector according to claim 7, wherein the inner contact portion is arranged adjacent to the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion.

10. The first housing has a receiving recess for receiving the mounting portion between opposing surfaces that face each other, The connector according to claim 7, wherein the inner contact portion protrudes from the opposing surface in a direction that narrows the opening width of the receiving recess.

11. The connector according to claim 1, wherein, when the side of the first housing that fits with the second housing is the front side, the mounting member is a front retainer having a front wall portion that covers the front end of the housing body.

Images