Connector, connector unit, and connector set

Abstract

This connector (1) comprises a housing (10) having a housing body (11) that can accommodate a terminal (13), and a fixed terminal (16) that is held by the housing body (11) and can be fixed to a member (1A) to be connected. The fixed terminal (16) has a base portion (161) disposed so as to follow a side surface (113a) of the housing body (11) in the state in which the fixed terminal is held by the housing body (11), and a connection fixing portion (162) that is provided continuing from the base portion (161) and can connect to a connection surface (11aA) of the member (1A) to be connected. The connection fixing portion (162) is provided continuing from the base portion (161) so as to protrude in direction away from the side surface (113a). The housing (10) has a protective wall (17) formed so as to cover at least a portion of the connection fixing portion (162) in a state viewed along the direction in which the connection fixing portion (162) protrudes.

Description

Connectors, connector units and connector sets

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector, a connector unit, and a connector set.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a connector has been known that includes a housing and terminals that are held by the housing and mounted on a connected member such as a cable.

[0003] In this patent document, the connector is configured to be mated with the mating connector by moving it relative to the mating connector. The connector is also configured to be able to connect a member to it. Then, by mating the connector with the connected member into the mating connector, or by connecting the member to the connector mated with the mating connector, the mating terminal of the mating connector and the conductor of the member to be connected are electrically connected via the terminal of the connector.

[0004] JP 2016-110994 A

[0005] In such a connector, it is preferable to further increase the reliability of connection with the connected member.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector, a connector unit, and a connector set that can further improve the connection reliability with a connected member.

[0007] The connector according to the present disclosure is capable of electrically connecting a mating terminal of a mating connector to a conductor of a connected member, and comprises a terminal capable of being electrically connected to the mating terminal, a housing having a housing main body with an internal space capable of accommodating the terminal, and a fixed terminal that can be held in the housing main body and fixed to the connected member, the terminal having a contact portion that can be electrically connected to the mating contact portion of the mating terminal, and a terminal connection portion that can be electrically connected to the conductor of the connected member, the fixed terminal having a base that is arranged along the side of the housing main body when held in the housing main body, and a connection fixing portion that is connected to the base and can be connected to the connection surface of the connected member, the connection fixing portion being connected to the base so as to protrude in a direction away from the side, and the housing has a protective wall that is formed to cover at least a portion of the connection fixing portion when the housing is viewed along the direction in which the connection fixing portion protrudes.

[0008] The connector unit according to the present disclosure includes the connector and a member to be connected to the connector.

[0009] A connector set according to the present disclosure includes the connector and a mating connector that mates with the connector.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain a connector, a connector unit, and a connector set that can further improve the connection reliability with a connected member.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connector set and a connector unit, and is an exploded perspective view showing a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a connector set and a connector unit, and is an oblique view showing a state in which the plug connector mounted on the cable and the receptacle connector mounted on the circuit board are mated. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing plug terminals and receptacle terminals of the connector set, where (a) is a perspective view showing a state before the plug terminals and the upper receptacle terminals come into contact, and (b) is a plan view showing the contact state between the plug terminals and the upper receptacle terminals. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing plug terminals and receptacle terminals of the connector set, where (a) is a perspective view showing a state before the plug terminals and the lower receptacle terminals come into contact, and (b) is a rear view showing the contact state between the plug terminals and the lower receptacle terminals. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating how a plug connector is mounted on a cable, where (a) is a perspective view of the cable before mounting as seen from the front side, and (b) is a perspective view of the cable after mounting as seen from the front side. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating how a plug connector is mounted on a cable, where (a) is a perspective view of the cable before mounting as seen from the back side, and (b) is a perspective view of the cable after mounting as seen from the back side. Fig. 7 is a front view of a connector unit. Fig. 8 is a rear view of the connector unit. Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a connector set and a plug connector provided in the connector unit. Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a plug housing provided in the plug connector, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a rear view. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a plug housing provided in the plug connector, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a rear view, (c) is a side view, and (d) is a cross-sectional side view. Fig. 12 shows plug terminals provided in the plug connector, with (a) being a perspective view, (b) being a plan view, (c) being a side view, (d) being a rear view, (e) being a front view, and (f) being a rear view. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a state before a receptacle connector provided in the connector set is mounted on a circuit board. Fig. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the connector set and the receptacle connector provided in the mating connector unit.Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a receptacle housing provided in the receptacle connector, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a back view. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a receptacle housing provided in the receptacle connector, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a back view, (c) is a side view, and (d) is a side cross-sectional view. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an upper receptacle terminal provided in the receptacle connector, where (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a back view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a back view. Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a lower receptacle terminal provided in the receptacle connector, where (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a back view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a back view. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a plug connector provided in a connector set and a connector unit, where (a) is a perspective view of the plug connector viewed from the back, and (b) is a back view of the plug connector. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a plug connector provided in a connector set and a connector unit, where (a) is a front view of the plug connector and (b) is a front view showing a partially enlarged version of the plug connector. Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a cable provided in the connector unit, seen from the front. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing a connector unit, where (a) is a perspective view showing a partially cutaway version of the connector unit, and (b) is a side cross-sectional view of the connector unit. Fig. 23 is a diagram explaining the positional relationship between a locking portion of a plug connector and a cable, where (a) is a rear view showing the locking portion of the plug connector alone, and (b) is a rear view showing the locking portion with a cable installed in the plug connector. Fig. 24 is a diagram showing another example of a connector set, showing a perspective view of a mated state of a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board, and a slide member, exploded. Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a slide member, where (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a plan view, (c) is a side view, (d) is a rear view, (e) is a front view, and (f) is a rear view. Fig. 26 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a state in which the slide member is temporarily held in the plug connector.Fig. 27 is a diagram illustrating how the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked with the slide member, and is a side cross-sectional view showing a state before the plug connector, with the slide member temporarily held, is mated with the receptacle connector. Fig. 28 is a diagram illustrating how the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked with the slide member, and is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the plug connector, with the slide member temporarily held, is mated with the receptacle connector. Fig. 29 is a diagram illustrating how the plug connector and the receptacle connector are locked with the slide member, and is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the plug connector is mated with the receptacle connector and locked with the slide member. Fig. 30 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a plug housing and a retention fitting provided in the plug connector, where (a) is a perspective view of the periphery of the retention fitting as viewed from the front side, and (b) is a perspective view of the periphery of the retention fitting as viewed from the back side. Fig. 31 is a diagram explaining the positional relationship between a plug housing and a retention fitting provided in a plug connector, where (a) is a front view showing the periphery of the retention fitting, and (b) is a rear view showing the periphery of the retention fitting. Fig. 32 is a diagram showing another example of use of the connector set, showing an exploded perspective view of a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board. Fig. 33 is a diagram showing a modified connector set, showing an exploded perspective view of a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board. Fig. 34 is a diagram explaining the positional relationship between a plug housing and a retention fitting provided in a plug connector of a connector set according to a modified example, where (a) is a front view showing the periphery of the retention fitting, and (b) is a rear view showing the periphery of the retention fitting. Fig. 35 is a diagram showing another example of use of the connector set according to a modified example, showing an exploded perspective view of a plug connector mounted on a cable and a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following examples illustrate a plug connector 1 that is mounted on (connected to) a flexible sheet-like cable (connected member) 1A as a connector. The following examples also illustrate a receptacle connector 2 that is mounted on (connected to) a rigid sheet-like circuit board (connected member) 2A as a mating connector with which the plug connector 1 mates.

[0013] In the following, the up-down axis, front-rear axis, and width axis of the plug connector 1 are defined in a state in which the plug housing 10 is disposed above the sheet-like cable (connectable member) 1A. These up-down axis, front-rear axis, and width axis are defined merely for the sake of convenience in explaining each configuration, and do not define the actual arrangement of the plug connector 1. Furthermore, the up-down axis, front-rear axis, and width axis are imaginary configurations, and do not mean that the plug connector 1, etc., actually has an axial portion such as the up-down axis.

[0014] In this embodiment, the insertion direction of the terminals into the housing of each connector coincides with the front-rear axis, the longitudinal direction of the housing of each connector when viewed along the front-rear axis coincides with the width axis of the connector, and the lateral direction of the housing of each connector when viewed along the front-rear axis coincides with the up-down axis of the connector.

[0015] In this embodiment, the axis extending along the X-axis in the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system is the front-rear axis (first axis), the axis extending along the Z-axis is the up-down axis (second axis), and the axis extending along the Y-axis is the width axis (third axis). That is, the axis perpendicular to the front-rear axis (first axis: direction extending along the X-axis) is the up-down axis (second axis: direction extending along the Z-axis). Furthermore, the axis perpendicular to the front-rear axis (first axis: direction extending along the X-axis) and the up-down axis (second axis: direction extending along the Z-axis) is the width axis (third axis: direction extending along the Y-axis).

[0016] Furthermore, in the following description, the side of the connectors that faces the mating connector when mated is defined as the front on the longitudinal axis (the second side of the first axis), and the side opposite the side facing the mating connector on the longitudinal axis is defined as the rear on the longitudinal axis (the first side of the first axis). Also, the upper side on the vertical axis is defined as the first side of the second axis, and the lower side on the vertical axis is defined as the second side of the second axis.

[0017] [Configuration Example of Connector Set and Connector Unit] A plug connector (connector) 1 according to this embodiment is used in a connector set C1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector set C1 includes the plug connector 1 described above and a receptacle connector 2 into which the plug connector 1 can be mated.

[0019] In this embodiment, the plug connector 1 is formed so as to be mountable (connectable) to a cable (connectable member) 1A such as an FPC or an FFC. Specifically, a mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of a plug terminal (terminal) 13 provided in the plug connector 1 is mounted on a conductor exposed portion 14aA of the cable 1A, thereby electrically connecting the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A, and the plug connector 1 is mounted (connected) to the cable 1A.

[0020] In this manner, in this embodiment, the cable 1A is mounted (connected) to the plug connector 1 to form the connector unit U1.

[0021] On the other hand, the receptacle connector 2 is formed so as to be mountable (connectable) to a circuit board (mating connected member) 2A. Specifically, the receptacle connector 2 is mounted (connected) to the circuit board 2A by electrically connecting (mounting) mounting pieces (mating terminal connection portions) 232, 242 of receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 provided on the receptacle connector 2 to a conductor portion (mating conductor) 2bA of the circuit board 2A.

[0022] In this manner, in this embodiment, the circuit board 2A is mounted (connected) to the receptacle connector 2 to form the mating connector unit U2.

[0023] The plug connector 1 (connector unit U1), in which the plug terminals 13 are held in the plug housing 10 and the mounting pieces 132 are mounted on the cable 1A, is fitted into the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. In this manner, the plug terminals 13 are electrically connected to the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 of the receptacle connector 2.

[0024] In this way, the connector set C1 is configured such that the plug connector 1 is mated with the receptacle connector 2 to electrically connect the plug terminal 13 to the receptacle terminals 23, 24. By electrically connecting the plug terminal 13 to the receptacle terminals 23, 24, the cable 1A of the connector unit U1 is electrically connected to the circuit board 2A of the mating connector unit U2 (see FIGS. 2 to 4).

[0025] As described above, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is configured to be able to mate with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving it relative to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 along the front-rear axis (first axis). Furthermore, the plug connector (connector) 1 is configured to be able to connect a cable (connected member) 1A. This plug connector (connector) 1 is capable of electrically connecting receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 of the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 to a conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0026] [Configuration Example of Cable 1A] Next, an example of the configuration of the cable 1A on which the plug connector 1 is mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG.

[0027] The cable 1A is sheet-shaped (flat) with a front surface (one side: first sheet surface) 1aA and a back surface (other side: second sheet surface) 1bA, and the plug connector 1 is mounted on the front surface 1aA.

[0028] Furthermore, the cable 1A is flexible, allowing it to be bent (curved) in the thickness direction of the cable. The plug connector 1 is mounted on a partial region of the surface 1aA of the flexible cable 1A, and the region of the cable 1A where the plug connector 1 is mounted serves as a coupling region 11A used for coupling with the plug connector 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the surface 1aA of the coupling region 11A of the cable 1A serves as the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA on which the plug connector 1 is mounted. Thus, in this embodiment, the cable 1A includes the coupling region 11A used for coupling with the plug connector 1. Furthermore, the cable 1A includes an extension region 12A to which the conductor portion 14A extends for wiring with another circuit.

[0029] In this embodiment, the cable 1A is formed so that the connection region 11A is located on one end side of the extension region 12A (above on the vertical axis: the first side of the second axis). When the plug connector 1, to which the connection region 11A is connected, is mated with the receptacle connector 2, the cable 1A is located on the opposite side of the receptacle connector 2, i.e., behind the receptacle connector 2 on the front-rear axis (the first side of the first axis). At this time, the cable 1A is connected to the plug connector 1 with the extension region 12A pulled out downward on the vertical axis (the second side of the second axis).

[0030] As described above, in this embodiment, a vertical type connector unit U1 (in which the connection surface 11aA of the connected member 1A is substantially perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector set C1) is exemplified as the connector unit. That is, when the plug connector 1 is mounted on the cable 1A, the direction perpendicular to the plane including the mounting surface 11aA (the normal direction to the plane including the mounting surface 11aA) coincides with the front-rear axis (X axis) of the plug connector 1. In this embodiment, the direction in which the plug terminals (terminals) 13 housed in the plug housing (housing) 10 of the plug connector 1 are arranged side by side corresponds to the width axis (Y axis).

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cable 1A has a multilayer structure and includes a substrate 1311A, a conductor portion 14A laminated on the substrate 1311A, and a sheath portion 1312A laminated on the substrate 1311A to cover the conductor portion 14A. The substrate 1311A and the sheath portion 1312A are made of an insulating film and cover the conductor portion 14A. Meanwhile, the conductor portion 14A is a conductive film printed on the insulating film constituting the sheath portion 1312A and has multiple wiring patterns corresponding to the multiple plug terminals 13 (terminals: first terminal 14 and second terminal 15) described below. Thus, in this embodiment, the cable 1A includes a flexible sheet 131A having the substrate 1311A and the sheath portion 1312A, and the conductor portion 14A formed on the flexible sheet 131A. The flexible sheet 131A constitutes at least a portion of the base body 13A.

[0032] Furthermore, a plurality of conductor exposed portions 14aA, which are conductor portions 14A exposed from the covering portion 1312A, are formed on the surface of the coupling region 11A. The plurality of conductor exposed portions 14aA are formed in two rows along the vertical axis (Z axis), and the conductor exposed portions 14aA in each row are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the plurality of conductor exposed portions 14aA are formed in a staggered pattern in a front view (when viewing the mounting surface 11aA along the normal direction of the mounting surface 11aA).

[0033] Such a structure can be formed, for example, by printing a plurality of conductive films on substrate 1311A to form conductor portion 14A, and then covering conductor portion 14A with covering portion 1312A. In this case, if a through hole is provided in covering portion 1312A so that the tip of conductor portion 14A is not covered, cable 1A is formed in which the tip of conductor portion 14A is exposed on one side (forward on the front-to-rear axis: second side of the first axis).

[0034] The method for forming the cable 1A is not limited to the above method, and the cable 1A can be formed by various methods.

[0035] Furthermore, a fixing portion 15A is formed on the surface 1aA of the connecting region 11A to which a retaining metal fitting 16 (described later) of the plug connector 1 is fixed. In this embodiment, a pair of fixing portions 15A is formed on the outer side of the conductor exposed portion 14aA on the width axis (on both sides of the third axis). The fixing portions 15A can be formed in the same manner as the conductor portion 14A, for example, in the printing process of the conductor portion 14A.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cable 1A includes a reinforcing plate (base) 132A. This reinforcing plate 132A is made of glass epoxy resin, stainless steel, or the like, and is configured to sandwich the connecting region 11A of the cable 1A between the cable 1A and the plug connector 1, thereby reinforcing the connecting region 11A of the cable 1A.

[0037] In this embodiment, the reinforcing plate 132A has a shape corresponding to the shape of the connection region 11A of the cable 1A. That is, the outline shape of the reinforcing plate 132A in a front view (viewed along the normal direction of the mounting surface 11aA) is substantially the same as the outline shape of the connection region 11A. The reinforcing plate 132A is attached (fixed) to the back surface 1bA of the connection region 11A with an adhesive or the like.

[0038] In this case, it is preferable that the entire conductor exposed portion 14aA overlaps with the reinforcing plate 132A when viewed from the front (as viewed along the normal direction of the mounting surface 11aA). In this way, the entire conductor exposed portion 14aA is supported by the reinforcing plate 132A, which prevents the conductor exposed portion 14aA from bending along the front-to-rear axis (forward or backward: the direction of extension of the X-axis) or bending along the width axis (rightward or leftward: the direction of extension of the Y-axis).

[0039] In this embodiment, not only the flexible sheet 131A but also the reinforcing plate 132A constitutes part of the base 13A. That is, in this embodiment, the cable 1A includes the base 13A and a conductor portion (conductor) 14A formed on the base 13A. The base 13A has the flexible sheet 131A on which the conductor portion (conductor) 14A is formed and which is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and the reinforcing plate (base) 132A fixed to the flexible sheet 131A and which suppresses deformation of the flexible sheet 131A.

[0040] [Configuration Example of Plug Connector 1] Next, a configuration example of the plug connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. FIG.

[0041] 9, the plug connector (connector) 1 includes a plug housing (housing) 10 and plug terminals (terminals) 13 held by the plug housing 10. The plug connector (connector) 1 also includes a retaining metal fitting 16 held by the plug housing 10.

[0042] The plug terminals 13 held in the plug housing 10 are mounted (electrically connected) to the exposed conductor portions 14aA of the cable 1A arranged outside the plug housing 10. In this manner, the plug connector 1 is mounted to the cable 1A as a connected member. The plug terminals 13 are mounted (electrically connected) to the exposed conductor portions 14aA by soldering or the like. The retaining metal fittings 16, while held in the plug housing 10, are fixed to the fixing portions 15A of the cable 1A by soldering or the like, thereby fixing the plug housing 10 to the cable 1A.

[0043] The plug housing 10 can be made of, for example, an insulating resin material, and includes a housing body 11 having rigidity.

[0044] The housing body 11 is also formed with a locking portion 12 that holds the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 in a mated state and releases the mated state.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, the plug housing 10 includes the housing body 11 and the locking portion 12 formed on the housing body 11 .

[0046] The housing main body 11 includes a top wall 111, a bottom wall 112, and a pair of side walls 113 connecting both ends of the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis) of the top wall 111 and the bottom wall 112. The housing main body 11 also includes a front wall 114 connected to the front ends of the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the side walls 113, 113, and a rear wall 115 connected to the rear ends of the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the side walls 113, 113.

[0047] The housing main body 11 also has a partition wall 116 connected to a pair of side walls 113, a front wall 114 and a rear wall 115, which divides the space defined by the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, the side walls 113, 113, the front wall 114 and the rear wall 115 into upper and lower sections.

[0048] Furthermore, the housing main body 11 includes a plurality of upper partition walls 117 connected to the top wall 111, the partition wall 116, the front wall 114, and the rear wall 115, and the upper space separated by the partition wall 116 is divided into a plurality of spaces by these upper partition walls 117. The housing main body 11 also includes a plurality of lower partition walls 118 connected to the bottom wall 112, the partition wall 116, the front wall 114, and the rear wall 115, and the lower partition walls 118 divide the lower space separated by the partition wall 116 into a plurality of spaces.

[0049] A locking portion 12 is formed in the center of the width axis of the upper part of the housing main body 11. Specifically, top walls 111 are formed on both sides of the width axis, and intermediate walls 119 are connected to the inside of each top wall 111 along the width axis. As described above, in this embodiment, the housing main body 11 has a recessed shape in the center of the width axis when viewed along the insertion direction (front-rear axis; extension direction of the X axis). The locking portion 12 is formed in a recess 11a formed in the center of the width axis of the housing main body 11. Note that in this embodiment, the pair of intermediate walls 119 also function as upper partition walls 117 that divide the upper space into multiple spaces.

[0050] The locking portion 12 includes a lever portion 121 that is connected to the front end of the partition wall 116 and extends rearward. The rear side of this lever portion 121 is capable of moving along the vertical axis relative to the partition wall 116 (housing main body 11). An operating portion 121a that operates the lever portion 121 is formed at the rear end of the lever portion 121, and an engaging protrusion 121b that engages with an engaging hole (engaging portion) 221a formed in the receptacle connector 2 is formed at the center of the front-to-rear axis of the lever portion 121.

[0051] In this embodiment, when the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 of the receptacle connector 2 are mated, the engaging protrusion 121b engages with the engaging hole 221a, thereby locking the housings of the connectors together (maintaining the mated state). By pressing down the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121 and moving the lever portion 121 downward, the engaging protrusion 121b also moves downward, disengaging from the engaging hole 221a and allowing the housings of the connectors to be released from mating.

[0052] Furthermore, below the lever portion 121 (between the lever portion 121 and the partition wall 116), a movement space S6 is formed that allows downward movement of the lever portion 121 (relative movement with respect to the housing body 11).

[0053] Thus, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is provided with a locking portion 12 that can restrict relative movement of the plug connector (connector) 1 relative to the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 along the front-to-rear axis (first axis) when the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1 are engaged with each other.

[0054] In addition, the locking portion 12 has an operating portion 121a that can unlock the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1 by moving it from the upper side of the vertical axis (the first side of the second axis that intersects with the front-to-rear axis) to the lower side of the vertical axis (the second side of the second axis that intersects with the front-to-rear axis).

[0055] The plug housing (housing) 10 has a movement space S6 formed therein that allows movement of the operating portion 121a downward (to the second side of the second shaft).

[0056] In this embodiment, the front wall 114 is formed with through-holes 114a so as to communicate with the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition wall 116, the upper partition wall 117, and the lower partition wall 118. Similarly, the rear wall 115 is formed with through-holes 115a so as to communicate with the plurality of spaces partitioned by the partition wall 116, the upper partition wall 117, and the lower partition wall 118.

[0057] As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of spaces penetrating along the front-rear axis are formed in the housing main body 11. The plug terminals 13 are press-fitted (inserted) into the spaces penetrating along the front-rear axis. That is, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 includes a plug housing (housing) 10 having a housing main body 11 formed with internal spaces capable of accommodating the plug terminals (terminals) 13.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the housing body 11 is configured so that a plurality of spaces arranged side by side along the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis) are formed in two stages along the up-down axis (extending direction of the Z axis). Furthermore, when the housing body 11 is viewed from the rear of the front-to-rear axis, the plurality of spaces are formed in a staggered pattern. This allows the plug connector 1 to be made smaller along the width axis.

[0059] Specifically, a plurality of spaces defined by the top wall 111, the partition wall 116, and the upper bulkhead 117 are arranged side by side along the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis) above the housing body 11. The spaces formed above the housing body 11 form upper spaces (first spaces: internal spaces) S1 into which the plug terminals 13 are press-fitted (inserted).

[0060] Meanwhile, below the housing body 11, a plurality of spaces defined by the bottom wall 112, the partition wall 116, and the lower bulkhead 118 are arranged in parallel along the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis). The spaces formed below the housing body 11 form lower spaces (second spaces: internal spaces) S2 into which the plug terminals 13 are press-fitted (inserted).

[0061] In this embodiment, fourteen lower spaces (second spaces) S2 are arranged side by side along the width axis on the lower side of the housing main body 11. Meanwhile, five upper spaces (first spaces) S1 are arranged side by side on one side of the width axis of the locking portion 12 (the right side in the left-right direction) on the upper side of the housing main body 11, and five upper spaces (first spaces) S1 are arranged side by side on the other side of the width axis of the locking portion 12 (the left side in the left-right direction). In other words, ten spaces (upper spaces S1) are arranged side by side along the width axis on the upper side of the housing main body 11, sandwiching the locking portion 12 therebetween. This allows the housing main body 11 to be made smaller in the height direction.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper partition wall 117 and the lower partition wall 118 are formed at positions offset from each other along the width axis. That is, the first space S1 and the second space S2 are formed so as to partially overlap in a plan view. In other words, when the plug housing 10 is viewed along the up-down axis (second axis) with the plug terminals 13 held in the plug housing 10, the first space S1 and the second space S2 overlap.

[0063] The plug terminals 13 are press-fitted (inserted) forward from the opening at the rear end of the first space S1, and this opening at the rear end of the first space S1 serves as an insertion opening S1a. The opening at the front end of the first space S1 is smaller than the insertion opening S1a to prevent the plug terminals 13 from falling out. That is, the front wall 114 restricts the forward movement of the plug terminals 13 press-fitted (inserted) through the insertion opening S1a. The opening at the front end of the first space S1 serves as an introduction opening S1b for introducing contact portions 230a of upper receptacle terminals 23 of the receptacle connector 2 (described later) into the first space S1. The peripheral edge of this introduction opening S1b is tapered to facilitate the introduction of the contact portions 230a of the upper receptacle terminals 23.

[0064] Similarly, the plug terminals 13 are press-fitted (inserted) forward from the opening at the rear end of the second space S2, and this opening at the rear end of the second space S2 serves as an insertion opening S2a. The opening at the front end of the second space S2 is smaller than the insertion opening S2a to prevent the plug terminals 13 from falling out. That is, the front wall 114 restricts the forward movement of the plug terminals 13 press-fitted (inserted) through the insertion opening S2a. The opening at the front end of the second space S2 also serves as an introduction opening S2b for introducing contact portions 240a of lower receptacle terminals 24 of the receptacle connector 2 (described later) into the second space S2. The peripheral edge of this introduction opening S2b is also tapered to facilitate the introduction of the contact portions 240a of the lower receptacle terminals 24.

[0065] In this embodiment, plug terminals 13 having the same shape are inserted into the first space S1 and the second space S2, respectively. At this time, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the plug terminal 13 inserted into the first space S1 is inserted into the first space S1 in a state in which it is upside down relative to the plug terminal 13 inserted into the second space S2. In other words, the plug terminal 13 in a state in which it is inserted into the second space S2 is rotated 180 degrees about the front-to-rear axis, and in this state is moved relatively along the front-to-rear axis so that the plug terminal 13 is inserted into the first space S1.

[0066] Furthermore, a groove 116a that opens rearward and upward is formed in the upper part of the rear end of the partition wall 116 so as to communicate with the first space S1. In this embodiment, the groove 116a is formed on both sides of the width axis of the first space S1, and the tip of a side wall 134 of the plug terminal 13, which will be described later, is inserted into this groove 116a. In this embodiment, the groove width (length of the width axis) of this groove 116a is formed to be slightly wider than the plate thickness of the side wall 134.

[0067] Similarly, a groove 116b that opens rearward and downward is formed in the lower part of the rear end of the partition wall 116 so as to communicate with the second space S2. In this embodiment, the groove 116b is also formed on both sides of the width axis of the second space S2, and the tip of the side wall 134 of the plug terminal 13 is also inserted into the groove 116b. In this embodiment, the groove width (length of the width axis) of the groove 116b is also formed to be slightly wider than the plate thickness of the side wall 134.

[0068] Further, the pair of side walls 113, 113 are formed with holder fitting attachment portions 1131, 1131 for holding the holder fittings 16, respectively.

[0069] In this embodiment, the retaining bracket mounting portion 1131 has a recess 1131a that opens forward on the front-to-rear axis and outward on the width axis. The retaining bracket mounting portion 1131 also has a pair of slits 1131b, 1131b that are connected to both sides of the recess 1131a on the vertical axis and into which the side portions (ends of the vertical axis) of the main body (base) 161 of the retaining bracket 16 are inserted.

[0070] Then, with the retaining fitting 16 held in the plug housing 10, the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 connected to the lower end (rear end of the front-to-rear axis) of the main body portion 161 is fixed to the fixing portion 15A formed on the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable 1A, thereby fixing the plug housing 10 to the cable 1A.

[0071] Specifically, the fixing piece 162 is formed at the lower end of the substantially flat body portion 161 so as to protrude to one side along the plate thickness of the body portion 161. The retaining fitting 16 is then inserted into the retaining fitting attachment portion 1131 from the front of the front-rear axis (the sides of the body portion 161 are inserted into the pair of slits 1131b, 1131b, respectively), thereby holding the retaining fitting 16 in the plug housing 10. At this time, with the fixing piece 162 protruding outward from the width axis on the rear side of the front-rear axis, the body portion 161 is moved relatively rearward along the front-rear axis while aligning with the side surface 113a of the housing body 11. In this manner, the body portion 161 of the retaining fitting 16 is positioned along the side surface 113a of the housing body 11, and the fixing piece 162 protrudes in a direction away from the side surface 113a of the housing body 11.

[0072] As described above, in this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 includes a retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 that can be held by the housing main body 11 and fixed to the cable (connected member) 1A. The retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 has a main body portion (base portion) 161 that is arranged along the side surface 113a of the housing main body 11 while held by the housing main body 11. Furthermore, the retaining metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 has a fixing piece (connection fixed portion) 162 that is connected to the main body portion (base portion) 161 so as to protrude in a direction away from the side surface 113a of the housing main body 11 (outside the width axis) and can be mounted (connected) to the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0073] Next, a specific configuration of the plug terminal (terminal) will be described with reference to FIG.

[0074] In this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 includes a main body 130 that is press-fitted (inserted) into an internal space (first space S1 or second space S2) formed in the plug housing 10, and a mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 that extends from the main body 130 toward the mounting surface 1aA of the cable 1A when the plug terminal 13 is mounted on the cable 1A (connected member), and can be mounted on the cable 1A. In this embodiment, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 is formed to protrude outward from the rear wall 115 along the vertical axis when held in the plug housing (housing) 10.

[0075] The plug terminals 13 are electrically conductive and are arranged in a row along the width axis (extension of the Y-axis) of the plug housing 10. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 12, the plug terminals 13 are formed by bending a single strip-shaped metal member in the thickness direction, and are generally U-shaped when viewed along the insertion direction (front-rear axis; extension of the X-axis) (see Figs. 12(e) and 12(f)). Such plug terminals 13 can be formed, for example, by bending a strip-shaped metal member that has been punched into a predetermined shape.

[0076] The main body 130 includes a bottom wall 133 and side walls 134 connected to both ends of the bottom wall 133 in the width direction (extending direction of the Y axis).

[0077] The bottom wall 133 includes a bottom wall main body 135 connected to the lower end of the side wall 134, and a contact protection portion 136 connected to the front end of the bottom wall main body 135 and protruding forward. The contact protection portion 136 prevents the contact portions 130a of the plug terminals 13 from coming into contact with the housing main body 11 when the main body portion 130 is press-fitted (inserted) into the internal space (the first space S1 or the second space S2).

[0078] Furthermore, restricting pieces 135a, 136a that protrude outward from both ends of the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis) are formed on the bottom wall main body 135 and the contact protection portion 136. These restricting pieces 135a, 136a prevent the main body 130 from being press-fitted (inserted) obliquely when the main body 130 is press-fitted (inserted) into the internal space (first space S1 or second space S2).

[0079] The side wall 134 comprises a side wall main body 137 whose lower end is connected to the bottom wall main body 135, and a contact piece 138 which is connected to the front end of the side wall main body 137 in an elastically deformable manner and which comes into contact with the contact portion of the receptacle connector.

[0080] A restricting protrusion 137a is formed on the upper end of the side wall main body 137, and this restricting protrusion 137a prevents the main body portion 130 from floating up when the main body portion 130 is pressed (inserted) into the internal space (first space S1 or second space S2).

[0081] In addition, the contact piece 138 has an inner bent piece 138a connected to the front end of the side wall main body 137 so as to bend inward along the width axis, and an outer bent piece 138b connected to the front end of the inner bent piece 138a so as to bend outward along the width axis.

[0082] In this embodiment, the contact pieces 138 are connected to the pair of side wall main bodies 137, 137, respectively, and are formed to be approximately line-symmetrical in a plan view. That is, the pair of contact pieces 138, 138 include inner bent pieces 138a, 138a that are bent in directions that approach each other as they extend forward, and outer bent pieces 138b, 138b that are bent in directions that move away from each other as they extend forward.

[0083] The pair of contact pieces 138, 138 are configured to sandwich the contact portions 230a, 240a of the receptacle connector 2 at the portion where they are closest to each other (the portion where the inner bent piece 138a and the outer bent piece 138b are connected) (see FIGS. 3(b) and 4(b)). In this manner, in this embodiment, the pair of contact pieces 138, 138 function as the contact portions 130a of the plug terminal 13. The pair of outer bent pieces 138b function as guide portions for more smoothly introducing the contact portions 230a, 240a of the receptacle connector 2.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a press-fit protrusion 137b is formed on the upper end of the rear portion of one of the pair of side wall main bodies 137, 137. The press-fit protrusion 137b is forced into the housing main body 11, so that the main body portion 130 is press-fit into the internal space (the first space S1 or the second space S2).

[0085] In this embodiment, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 extends downward from the rear end of the bottom wall main body 135 (opposite the side from which the side wall 134 extends).

[0086] As described above, in this embodiment, plug terminal (terminal) 13 has contact portion 130a that can be electrically connected to contact portions (mating contact portions) 230a, 240a of receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24. Furthermore, plug terminal (terminal) 13 has mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 that can be electrically connected to conductor portion (conductor) 14A of cable (connected member) 1A.

[0087] Here, in this embodiment, as described above, the plug terminal 13 inserted into the first space S1 is inserted into the first space S1 in a state in which it is inverted upside down relative to the plug terminal 13 inserted into the second space S2.

[0088] Specifically, the plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is pressed (inserted) into the upper space S1 through the insertion port S1a with the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 positioned on the rear side of the front-to-rear axis (first side of the first axis) and the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 facing the upper side of the up-down axis (first side of the second axis).

[0089] On the other hand, the plug terminal 13 arranged on the lower side is pressed (inserted) into the lower space S2 through the insertion port S2a with the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 positioned on the rear side of the front-to-rear axis (first side of the first axis) and the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 facing downward on the up-down axis (second side of the second axis).

[0090] At this time, the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is made to protrude above the top surface (surface on the first end side of the second axis) 111a of the top wall 111 of the housing main body 11.

[0091] Similarly, the tip of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the lower side is made to protrude downward below the bottom surface (surface on the second end side of the second axis) 112a of the bottom wall 112 of the housing main body 11.

[0092] Thus, in this embodiment, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 that protrudes upward beyond the upper end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protrudes outward from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis). The plug terminal 13 arranged on the upper side is the first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 that has the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142.

[0093] Furthermore, the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 arranged on the lower side forms a second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 that protrudes downward from the lower end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protruding outward from a second end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis and is located on the opposite side from the first end of the second axis). The plug terminal 13 arranged on the lower side forms a second plug terminal (second terminal) 15 that has the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152.

[0094] Therefore, in this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 having a first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 that protrudes above the upper end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protrudes outward from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis).

[0095] The plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a second plug terminal (second terminal) 15 having a second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 that protrudes downward below the lower end of the vertical axis of the plug housing (housing) 10 (protruding outward from a second end located on the opposite side of the second axis from the first end of the second axis that intersects with the first axis).

[0096] [Configuration Example of Receptacle Connector 2] Next, an example of the configuration of the receptacle connector 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0097] 13 and 14 , the receptacle connector 2 includes a receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. The receptacle connector 2 also includes receptacle terminals (mating terminals: upper receptacle terminals 23 and lower receptacle terminals 24) held in the receptacle housing 20. The receptacle connector 2 also includes a retaining metal fitting (mating retaining metal fitting) 25 held in the receptacle housing 20.

[0098] Receptacle terminals 23, 24 held in receptacle housing 20 are mounted to conductor portion 2bA of circuit board 2A located outside receptacle housing 20. This allows receptacle connector 2 to be mounted to circuit board 2A as a mating connected member. Receptacle terminals 23, 24 are also mounted to conductor portion 2bA by soldering or the like. Furthermore, retaining metal fitting 25, while held in receptacle housing 20, is fixed to fixing portion 2cA of circuit board 2A by soldering or the like, thereby fixing receptacle housing 20 to circuit board 2A.

[0099] The circuit board 2A has a generally rectangular plate shape and includes a substrate body 2aA made of a rigid, insulating resin material or the like. The conductor portion 2bA and the fixing portion 2cA are formed so as to be exposed on a surface 21aA of the substrate body 2aA. In this embodiment, the surface 21aA of the substrate body 2aA serves as the mounting surface.

[0100] The receptacle housing 20 includes a housing body 21 having rigidity, and the receptacle housing 20 can be formed using, for example, an insulating resin material.

[0101] In addition, a locking portion insertion portion 22 is formed at the top of the housing body 21, into which the locking portion 12 is inserted, which holds the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 in a mated state and releases the mated state.

[0102] As described above, in this embodiment, the receptacle housing 20 includes the housing main body 21 and the lock portion insertion portion 22 formed in the housing main body 21 .

[0103] The housing main body 21 comprises a top wall 211, a bottom wall 212, a pair of side walls 213 connecting both ends of the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) of the top wall 211 and the bottom wall 212, and a rear wall 214 connected to the rear ends of the top wall 211, the bottom wall 212 and the side walls 213, 213.

[0104] The locking portion insertion portion 22 is formed in the center of the width axis of the top wall 211. Specifically, the locking portion insertion portion 22 is formed below the center of the width axis of the top wall 211, and includes a housing portion 221 that houses the lever portion 121. An engagement hole (engagement portion) 221a that engages with the engagement protrusion 121b of the locking portion 12 is formed in the center of the front-rear axis of this housing portion 221.

[0105] The rear wall 214 is also formed with a plurality of spaces that penetrate along the front-to-rear axis. In this embodiment, the plurality of spaces are arranged side by side along the width axis (extending direction of the Y axis) and are formed in two stages along the up-down axis (extending direction of the Z axis). Furthermore, when the housing main body 21 is viewed from behind the front-to-rear axis, the plurality of spaces are formed in a staggered pattern. This allows the receptacle connector 2 to be made smaller along the width axis.

[0106] The upper receptacle terminal 23 and the lower receptacle terminal 24 are press-fitted (inserted) into the space passing through the front-rear axis.

[0107] Specifically, a space formed on the upper side of the housing body 21 (at a position away from the mounting surface 21aA) serves as a first space S3 into which the upper receptacle terminal 23 is press-fitted (inserted).

[0108] On the other hand, a space formed below the housing body 21 (closer to the mounting surface 21aA than the first space S3) is a second space S4 into which the lower receptacle terminals 24 are press-fitted (inserted).

[0109] The upper receptacle terminal 23 is press-fitted (inserted) forward from the rear opening of the first space S3, which serves as an insertion opening S3a. Similarly, the lower receptacle terminal 24 is press-fitted (inserted) forward from the rear opening of the second space S4, which serves as an insertion opening S4a.

[0110] The housing body 21 also has a mating space S5 that opens forward (toward the plug connector 1). The housing body 11 of the plug housing 10 is inserted into the mating space S5, which is defined by a top wall 211, a bottom wall 212, a pair of side walls 213, 213, and a rear wall 214. Therefore, the first space S3 and the second space S4 are each formed to communicate with the mating space S5. In this embodiment, a portion of the mating space S5 serves as an accommodation portion 221 for the locking portion insertion portion 22.

[0111] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear end of the rear wall 214 is provided with a protrusion 214a that protrudes rearward.

[0112] Further, the pair of side walls 213, 213 are respectively formed with holder fitting attachment portions 213a, 213a for holding the holder fitting 25.

[0113] In this embodiment, retaining metal fitting attachment portion 213a includes recess 213b that opens outward on the vertical axis and width axis, and slits 213c, 213c that are connected to the inside of recess 213b on the width axis and into which both ends of the front-to-rear axis of main body 251 of retaining metal fitting 25 are inserted. With retaining metal fitting 25 held in receptacle housing 20, fixing piece 252 connected to the lower end of main body 251 is fixed to fixing portion 2cA of circuit board 2A, thereby fixing receptacle housing 20 to circuit board 2A.

[0114] In addition, in this embodiment, the receptacle terminal includes a main body portion that is inserted into a space formed in the receptacle housing 20, a leg portion that extends from the main body portion toward the mounting surface 21aA of the circuit board (connected member) 2A when the receptacle terminal is mounted on the circuit board 2A, and a connection portion that is connected to the leg portion and can be mounted on the circuit board 2A.

[0115] Specifically, the receptacle terminal includes an upper receptacle terminal 23 that is press-fitted (inserted) into a first space S3 formed on the upper side (at a position farther from mounting surface 21aA) of housing body 21. Furthermore, the receptacle terminal includes a lower receptacle terminal 24 that is press-fitted (inserted) into a second space S4 formed on the lower side of housing body 21 (closer to mounting surface 21aA than first space S3).

[0116] In this embodiment, the upper receptacle terminals 23 are conductive and are arranged in multiple rows along the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) of the receptacle housing 20. As shown in Fig. 17, these upper receptacle terminals 23 are formed in the shape of a thin plate, and are press-fitted (inserted) from the rear into the first space S3 formed in the housing main body 21 with the plate thickness approximately aligned with the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). Such upper receptacle terminals 23 can be formed, for example, by stamping a thin metal plate.

[0117] The upper receptacle terminal 23 also includes a first body portion (mating body portion) 230 that is press-fit (inserted) into the first space S3. The upper receptacle terminal 23 also includes a first leg portion (mating leg portion) 231 that extends from the first body portion 230 toward the mounting surface 21aA when the upper receptacle terminal 23 is mounted on the circuit board (connected member) 2A. The upper receptacle terminal 23 also includes a first mounting piece (mating connection portion) 232 that is connected to the first leg portion 231 and can be mounted on the circuit board 2A.

[0118] A substantially rod-shaped contact portion (mating contact portion) 230a is formed to protrude forward at the front end of the first main body portion 230. Press-fit protrusions 230b are formed at the upper and lower ends of the first main body portion 230, and the first main body portion 230 is press-fit into the first space S3 by being engaged with the housing main body 21. When the first main body portion 230 is press-fitted (inserted) into the first space S3, the contact portion 230a is positioned within the mating space S5.

[0119] In this embodiment, the first leg 231 extends downward (toward the circuit board 2A: the connected member) from the rear end of the first main body 230. Specifically, the first leg 231 extends in a substantially linear manner downward (toward the circuit board 2A: the connected member) from the rear end of the first main body 230. As described above, in this embodiment, the first leg 231 extends in the housing thickness direction (vertical axis) from the first main body 230 press-fitted (inserted) into the first space S3. The length of the vertical axis of this first leg 231 is longer than that of the second leg 241. The first mounting piece 232 is connected to the lower end of this first leg 231.

[0120] Meanwhile, the lower receptacle terminals 24 are also conductive and are arranged in multiple rows along the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis) of the receptacle housing 20. As shown in Fig. 18, these lower receptacle terminals 24 are formed in the shape of a thin plate, and are press-fitted (inserted) from the rear into the second space S4 formed in the housing main body 21 with the plate thickness approximately coinciding with the width axis (extension direction of the Y axis). These lower receptacle terminals 24 can also be formed, for example, by stamping a thin metal plate.

[0121] Lower receptacle terminal 24 also includes second body portion (mating body portion) 240 that is press-fit (inserted) into second space S4. Lower receptacle terminal 24 also includes second leg portion (mating leg portion) 241 that extends from second body portion 240 toward mounting surface 21aA when lower receptacle terminal 24 is mounted on circuit board (connected member) 2A, and second mounting piece (mating connection portion) 242 that is connected to second leg portion 241 and can be mounted on circuit board 2A.

[0122] A substantially rod-shaped contact portion (mating contact portion) 240a is formed to protrude forward at the front end of the second main body portion 240. Press-fit protrusions 240b are formed at the upper and lower ends of the second main body portion 240, and the second main body portion 240 is press-fit into the second space S4 by being engaged with the housing main body 21. When the second main body portion 240 is press-fitted (inserted) into the second space S4, the contact portion 240a is positioned within the mating space S5.

[0123] In this embodiment, the second leg 241 has a crank-like bent shape, and its lower end is located rearward of the second main body 240. The first mounting piece 232 is connected to the lower end of the first leg 231.

[0124] With the receptacle terminals held in the receptacle housing 20, the connecting portions (first mounting pieces 232 and second mounting pieces 242) are arranged in a staggered pattern.

[0125] When the above-mentioned plug connector 1 is mated with a receptacle connector 2 configured in this manner, the locking portion 12 of the plug housing 10 is inserted into the locking portion insertion portion 22 of the receptacle housing 20, and the housing main body 11 is inserted into the mating space S5.

[0126] At this time, engaging protrusion 121b of lever portion 121 is pressed downward by top wall 211 of receptacle housing 20. When engaging protrusion 121b is pressed downward by top wall 211 in this manner, the rear end portion (operating portion 121a) of lever portion 121 is elastically deformed so as to move downward, and engaging protrusion 121b can move to the back side of lock portion insertion portion 22.

[0127] When engaging protrusion 121b is moved to the innermost side of locking portion insertion portion 22, the downward pressure on engaging protrusion 121b by top wall 211 is released, and engaging protrusion 121b moves upward due to the elastic restoring force of lever portion 121. As engaging protrusion 121b moves upward, it engages with engaging hole 221a formed in receptacle connector 2, and plug connector 1 and receptacle connector 2 are locked in a mated state.

[0128] Furthermore, during the mating of the plug connector 1 with the receptacle connector 2, the tip of the contact portion 230a of the upper receptacle terminal 23 is introduced from the introduction port S1b into the first space S1 formed in the plug housing 10 and comes into contact with the contact portion 130a of the plug terminal 13 (first plug terminal 14: first terminal) arranged above. In this embodiment, the substantially rod-shaped contact portion 230a is inserted between the pair of contact pieces 138, 138 and is clamped by the pair of contact pieces 138, 138, thereby electrically connecting the plug terminal 13 (first plug terminal 14: first terminal) arranged above and the upper receptacle terminal 23.

[0129] Similarly, the tip of contact portion 240a of lower receptacle terminal 24 is introduced from introduction port S2b into second space S2 formed in plug housing 10 and comes into contact with contact portion 130a of plug terminal 13 (second plug terminal 15: second terminal) arranged below. In this embodiment, substantially rod-shaped contact portion 240a is inserted between and held by the pair of contact pieces 138, 138, thereby electrically connecting plug terminal 13 (second plug terminal 15: second terminal) arranged below and lower receptacle terminal 24.

[0130] In this way, by mating the plug connector 1 with the receptacle connector 2 and electrically connecting the plug terminals 13, 13 to the receptacle terminals 23, 24, respectively, a connector set C1 is formed that electrically connects the cable 1A and the circuit board 2A.

[0131] On the other hand, when removing the plug connector 1 from the receptacle connector 2, first, the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121 is pressed down to move the lever portion 121 downward. This also moves the engaging protrusion 121b downward, disengaging the engaging protrusion 121b from the engaging hole 221a. Then, with the engaging protrusion 121b disengaged from the engaging hole 221a, pulling the plug connector 1 in the removal direction relative to the receptacle connector 2 causes the plug connector 1 to move relative to the receptacle connector 2 in the removal direction. When the plug connector 1 is moved relative to the receptacle connector 2 in this removal direction, first, the conductive connection between the terminals is released, and then the mating of the housings is released. In this way, the plug connector 1 is removed from the receptacle connector 2.

[0132] As described above, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 is configured to be detachably inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 of the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 .

[0133] In this embodiment, as described above, the plug terminal 13 includes the first plug terminal 14 having the first mounting piece 142 that protrudes upward beyond the upper end of the vertical axis of the plug housing 10 (protrudes outward from the first end of the second axis). The plug terminal 13 also includes the second plug terminal 15 having the second mounting piece 152 that protrudes downward beyond the lower end of the vertical axis of the plug housing 10 (protrudes outward from the second end of the second axis).

[0134] As described above, in the present embodiment, the tips (at least a portion) of the first mounting piece 142 and the second mounting piece 152, which are portions of the plug terminal 13 that are mounted (connected) to the cable 1A, protrude outward from the plug housing 10. This makes it possible to visually confirm the mounting pieces 132 (first mounting piece 142, second mounting piece 152) of the plug terminal 13 even when the cable 1A is mounted (connected) to the plug connector 1. This makes it possible to confirm the connection state (e.g., the state of formation of solder fillets) between the mounting pieces 132 (first mounting piece 142, second mounting piece 152) and the conductor portion 14A of the cable 1A when the cable 1A is mounted (connected) to the plug connector 1, thereby further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0135] However, in recent years, efforts have been made to miniaturize the connector set C1 (plug connector 1 and receptacle connector 2) in order to make it more versatile in terms of installation location, etc. However, when the connector set C1 is made smaller, the amount of protrusion of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 from the plug housing (housing) 10 becomes smaller, making it difficult to check the connection status between the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 and the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0136] Therefore, it is conceivable that by reducing the thickness of the plug housing (housing) 10, the amount of protrusion of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be sufficiently ensured, thereby making it possible to more reliably visually confirm the connection status between the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 and the conductor portion (conductor) 14A.

[0137] However, when the thickness of the plug housing (housing) 10 is reduced, there is a problem in that the strength of the plug housing (housing) 10 is reduced.

[0138] Therefore, in this embodiment, when attempting to miniaturize the plug connector (connector) 1, it is possible to prevent the strength of the plug housing (housing) 10 from decreasing while further improving the visibility of the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132.

[0139] Specifically, when the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) is viewed from the second end side of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) closer to the first end, an opening is formed in the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) that allows the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 to be seen.

[0140] 19 , in this embodiment, the rear end 11b of the front-rear axis (first axis) of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) is the first end of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10), and the front end 11c of the front-rear axis (first axis) of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10) is the second end of the housing body 11 (plug housing 10).

[0141] As described above, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a rear end (first end) 11b of the front-rear axis (first axis) from which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes when the plug terminal (terminal) 13 is accommodated in the internal space (first space S1 and second space S2), and a front end (second end) 11c located on the opposite side of the front-rear axis (first axis) from the rear end (first end) 11b.

[0142] Furthermore, by providing the opening as described above in the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), a wider range of the mounting pieces (terminal connection portions) 132 can be visually observed through the opening. This makes it easier to check the connection state between the mounting pieces (terminal connection portions) 132 and the conductor portions (conductors) 14A, even when the plug connector (connector) 1 is miniaturized. Furthermore, by providing the opening in the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), a wider range of the mounting pieces (terminal connection portions) 132 can be visually observed without making the entire plug housing (housing) 10 thinner. This also makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the strength of the plug housing (housing) 10.

[0143] In this way, in this embodiment, the housing strength of the plug housing (housing) 10 is ensured while making it easier to check the connection status between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0144] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 19 and 20, this opening is formed in the bottom surface 112a, which is at least one of the top surface (the surface on the side of the first end 11b of the second shaft) 111a and the bottom surface (the surface on the side of the second end 11c of the second shaft) 112a of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

[0145] By doing this, even if, for example, the amount of protrusion of the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 from the plug housing (housing) must be made small on at least one of the upper side (first end 11b side) and lower side (second end 11c side) of the vertical axis (second axis), it is possible to more reliably view both the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 and the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 over a wider range, thereby improving the degree of freedom in design.

[0146] In this embodiment, the downward protrusion amount of the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 is smaller than the upward protrusion amount of the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142. Therefore, of the top surface 111 a and bottom surface 112 a of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), an opening is formed only on the bottom surface 112 a. However, even if the protrusion amount of either the first mounting piece (first terminal connection portion) 142 or the second mounting piece (second terminal connection portion) 152 is smaller than the other mounting piece, it is also possible to provide openings on both the top surface 111 a and the bottom surface 112 a of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

[0147] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a groove 1121 extending along the front-to-rear axis (first axis) is formed in the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), and this groove 1121 functions as an opening through which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can be viewed.

[0148] This makes it possible to more easily and reliably visually recognize the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132).

[0149] In addition, in this embodiment, a groove 1121 is formed so as to penetrate the front-rear axis (first axis) from the rear end (first end) 11b to the front end (second end) 11c of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

[0150] This makes it possible to view the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) by looking at the connector unit U1 from the front (looking into the plug housing 10 along the front-to-back axis from the front end 11c side).

[0151] The groove 1121 is also open downward (outside the vertical axis (second axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis)).

[0152] This makes it possible to view the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) even by looking diagonally into the groove 1121 from the front and outside of the connector unit U1, making it possible to more easily and reliably view the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132). Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the thickness dimension of the vertical axis (second axis) of the wall portion of the plug housing (housing) 10, making it possible to further reduce the size of the plug housing (housing) 10 along the vertical axis (second axis).

[0153] Thus, in this embodiment, the groove 1121 is formed in the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) with three openings: front, rear, and bottom. Specifically, the groove 1121 is defined by a rear surface 1121a, which is a flat surface located inside the vertical axis and perpendicular to the vertical axis, and a pair of inner surfaces 1121b, which are flat surfaces connected to both ends of the rear surface 1121a along the width axis and perpendicular to the width axis (see FIG. 20(b)). The plug terminals (terminals) 13 are accommodated in the internal spaces (first space S1 and second space S2) of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) with the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) facing the lower opening of the groove 1121.

[0154] This allows a wider area of ​​the second mounting piece 152 to be exposed from the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing), making it possible to see the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132) by looking at the connector unit U1 from the front or by looking at the connector unit U1 diagonally from the front and outside.

[0155] Furthermore, if the groove 1121, for example, opens downward but not forward, when viewing the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132), it is necessary to look diagonally into the groove 1121 from the front and outside of the connector unit U1.

[0156] In this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 is configured to be inserted and fitted into a receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 of a receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 .

[0157] The groove (opening) 1121 is formed to penetrate the front-rear axis (first axis) from the rear end (first end) 11b to the front end (second end) 11c of the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing).

[0158] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, at least a portion of the groove (opening) 1121 is accommodated in the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20.

[0159] As described above, groove (opening) 1121 is formed to penetrate along the front-to-rear axis (first axis), which is the axis along which plug housing (housing) 10 moves relative to plug housing (housing) 10 when plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. Furthermore, groove (opening) 1121 is formed to open downward, so that when plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, rear surface 1121 a faces the inner surface of receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 (upper surface of bottom wall 212).

[0160] That is, groove (opening) 1121 is formed so that it is open on the side facing the innermost surface (front surface of rear wall 214) that defines the mating space S5 of receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, and on the side facing the inner surface (upper surface of bottom wall 212) that defines the mating space S5 of receptacle housing (mating housing) 20.

[0161] Therefore, it is possible to form a protrusion on receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 that is inserted into groove (opening) 1121 when plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. In this way, groove (opening) 1121 for visually checking mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 can also be used as a guide portion that guides the insertion and fitting of plug housing (housing) 10 into receptacle housing (mating housing) 20, making it possible to suppress rattling when fitting plug housing (housing) 10 and receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 together.

[0162] In addition, in this embodiment, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a convex wall 19 that extends rearward (outward) of the front-to-rear axis (first axis) beyond the rear end (first end) 11b from which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes.

[0163] In this embodiment, a pair of protruding walls 19 are formed on both sides of the width axis of the plug housing (housing) 10, and the pair of protruding walls 19 are formed so as to be located further outward on the width axis than the housing main body 11. Specifically, the pair of protruding walls 19 are connected to the housing main body 11 via protective walls 17 and connecting walls 18, which will be described later, so that the pair of protruding walls 19 are located further outward on the width axis than the housing main body 11. In this way, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the entire housing main body 11 is located between the pair of protruding walls 19.

[0164] In this embodiment, the housing main body 11 has a groove wall 1122 that forms a groove (opening) 1121, and the pair of protruding walls 19 are formed to protrude downward along the vertical axis beyond the groove wall 1122. That is, the pair of protruding walls 19 are formed to protrude downward beyond the entire bottom surface 112a of the housing main body 11. The pair of protruding walls 19 are also formed to protrude upward beyond the entire top surface 111a of the housing main body 11.

[0165] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the front-to-back axis, the pair of convex walls 19 are formed so as to protrude downward along the up-down axis further than the tip of the second mounting piece 152 (mounting piece 132), and so as to protrude upward further than the first mounting piece 142 (mounting piece 132).

[0166] In this manner, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the multiple grooves (openings) 1121, the multiple mounting pieces 132 (the multiple first mounting pieces 142 and the multiple second mounting pieces 152), and the multiple internal spaces (the first space S1 and the second space S2) are positioned between a pair of convex walls 19.

[0167] By shaping the plug housing (housing) 10 in this manner, a accommodating section 191 is formed in the rear of the plug housing (housing) 10, defined by the inner surfaces of the width axis of the pair of protruding walls 19 and the rear surface 115b of the housing main body 11. In this manner, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the portion where the mounting surface (connecting surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A is formed is accommodated in this accommodating section 191. In this embodiment, the rear surface 115b of the housing main body 11 serves as the mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connecting surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1.

[0168] In this way, in this embodiment, by forming an accommodation section 191 for accommodating the cable (connected member) 1A in the plug housing (housing) 10, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the periphery of the cable (connected member) 1A can be protected by the convex wall 19.

[0169] In addition, in this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is inserted and fitted into the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 , the pair of protruding walls 19 are exposed from the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 .

[0170] The pair of protruding walls 19 can be used as handles to be gripped by hand, making it easier to perform operations such as fitting the plug connector (connector) 1 into the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

[0171] In this embodiment, when the plug connector (connector) 1 is mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and viewed along the front-to-rear axis, the outer ends of the pair of protruding walls 19 are positioned outward in the width direction relative to the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. That is, when the plug connector (connector) 1 is mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, both sides of the plug housing (housing) 10 in the width direction are positioned outward in the width direction relative to the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20. This prevents the receptacle housing (mating housing) 20 from interfering with the gripping of the pair of protruding walls 19 when the plug connector (connector) 1 is removed from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. Furthermore, when the plug connector (connector) 1 is removed from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 using a jig, the jig can be more reliably hooked onto the protruding walls 19, the protective wall 17, or the like.

[0172] As described above, in this embodiment, the connector unit is exemplified as a vertical type connector unit U1 (a type in which the connection surface 11aA of the connected member 1A is approximately perpendicular to the fitting direction of the connector set C1).

[0173] A recess 11a is formed in the center of the width axis of the housing main body 11, and a locking portion 12 is formed in this recess 11a, thereby achieving a low profile of the plug connector (connector) 1. The locking portion 12 has an operating portion 121a that can be moved from the upper side (first side) to the lower side (second side) of a vertical axis (second axis) that intersects with the front-rear axis (first axis) to unlock the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1. Furthermore, the plug housing (housing) 10 is formed with a movement space S6 that allows the operating portion 121a to move downward (second side) on the vertical axis (second axis).

[0174] In such a plug connector (connector) 1, when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, if the locking portion 12 is covered from behind by the cable (connected member) 1A, it becomes difficult to operate the lever portion 121 with fingers or the like when removing the plug connector (connector) 1 from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2.

[0175] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to more easily release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to more effectively utilize the movement space S6.

[0176] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 21 , a recess 13aA is formed in the base 13A of the cable (connected member) 1A, which passes through the front-to-rear axis (first axis) and opens to the upper side (first side) of the up-down axis (second axis) when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. Then, as shown in Fig. 22 , when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the recess 13aA communicates with the movement space S6 along the front-to-rear axis (first axis).

[0177] This more reliably prevents the operator's fingers from hitting the cable (connected member) 1A when operating the operation portion 121a, even when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. This makes it easier to release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1.

[0178] Furthermore, by making the recess 13aA penetrating the front-rear axis (first axis) communicate with the movement space S6 via the front-rear axis (first axis), the movement space S6 is prevented from being blocked by the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1. This also makes it possible to more effectively use the movement space S6 that allows the operation unit 121a to move downward (to the second side) along the up-down axis (second axis).

[0179] In this embodiment, the base 13A has a flexible sheet 131A on which a conductor portion (conductor) 14A is formed and which is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and a reinforcing plate (base) 132A which is fixed to the flexible sheet 131A and which suppresses deformation of the flexible sheet 131A. Therefore, in this embodiment, the recess 13aA is composed of a sheet-side recess 131aA formed in the flexible sheet 131A and a base-side recess 132aA formed in the reinforcing plate (base) 132A (see FIG. 21 ).

[0180] In this way, the reinforcing plate (base) 132A further improves the connection reliability of the cable (connected member) 1A to the plug connector (connector) 1, while making it easier to release the lock between the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 and the plug connector (connector) 1.

[0181] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, and a pair of convex walls 19 that protrude from the mounting surface 10a and, together with the mounting surface 10a, define a storage section 191 in which the cable (connected member) 1A is stored.

[0182] When the plug housing (housing) 10 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A is viewed along the front-rear axis, the recess 13aA is positioned between the pair of protruding walls 19.

[0183] This allows the height position of the operating portion 121a to be lowered, thereby enabling the plug connector (connector) 1 to be made even lower in height.

[0184] In this embodiment, the plug terminals (terminals) 13 arranged on the upper side of the housing main body 11 are arranged to be aligned with the movement space S6 along the width axis (third axis). Specifically, five plug terminals (terminals) 13 are arranged to be aligned along the width axis (third axis) on one side (right side in the left-right direction) of the width axis of the movement space S6. Furthermore, five plug terminals (terminals) 13 are arranged to be aligned along the width axis (third axis) on the other side (left side in the left-right direction) of the width axis of the movement space S6.

[0185] Thus, in this embodiment, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 is provided with a first plug terminal (first terminal) 14 that is arranged in line with the movement space S6 along the width axis (third axis) that intersects the front-to-back axis (first axis) and the up-down axis (second axis).

[0186] This allows the height position of the operating portion 121a to be lowered, thereby enabling the plug connector (connector) 1 to have a lower profile.

[0187] In this embodiment, the first plug terminals (first terminals) 14 are arranged on both sides of the width axis of the movement space S6, but the first plug terminals (first terminals) 14 may be arranged on only one side of the width axis of the movement space S6. Furthermore, when the first plug terminals (first terminals) 14 are arranged on both sides of the width axis of the movement space S6, the number of terminals arranged on one side of the width axis may be different from the number of terminals arranged on the other side of the width axis.

[0188] In addition, in this embodiment, the connector unit U1 can be made versatile, specifically, the connector unit U1 can be configured to enable confirmation of the completion of mating between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 without replacing any parts.

[0189] That is, the plug connector (connector) 1 is configured to be able to slidably hold the slide member 3 (see FIG. 24).

[0190] The slide member 3 is slidably attached to the plug connector 1 so that its sliding movement from an initial position (first position) to a complete sliding position (second position) is restricted when the plug connector 1 is not fully mated with the receptacle connector 2. The first and second positions can be set as appropriate. Specific positions in this embodiment will be described later.

[0191] The connector unit U1 is configured so that the sliding member 3 is allowed to slide from the initial position to the sliding completion position when the mating of the plug connector 1 with the receptacle connector 2 is complete. With this configuration, the sliding of the sliding member 3 from the initial position to the sliding completion position makes it possible to confirm that the mating of the plug connector 1 and the receptacle connector 2 is complete.

[0192] In this manner, in this embodiment, the connector set C1 can also have a connector position assurance (CPA) function, in which case the slide member 3 functions as a CPA member.

[0193] Next, a configuration for providing the connector set C1 with a connector position assurance (CPA) function will be described.

[0194] First, in this embodiment, the movement space S6 formed in the plug housing (housing) 10 is formed directly below the operating portion 121a and has a deflection allowance space S61 that allows downward deflection of the lever portion 121. Furthermore, the movement space S6 is formed on both outer sides of the width axis of the recess 11a (parts of the recess 11a that are located outside the width axis of the lever portion 121), and has insertion spaces S62 into which the slide member 3 is inserted. The insertion spaces S62 are formed to communicate with the deflection allowance space S61 along the width axis (third axis).

[0195] A restricting protrusion (slide restricting portion) 111b that is substantially L-shaped in plan view is formed on the rear portion of the top wall 111. This restricting protrusion 111b restricts the sliding member 3 from sliding from the initial position to the complete sliding position when the mating of the plug housing 10 with the receptacle housing 20 is not complete.

[0196] In this embodiment, the insertion space S62 and the second space S2 overlap when the plug housing 10 is viewed along the width axis, which makes it possible to keep the height of the plug housing 10, in which the slide member 3 is held, low.

[0197] When the plug housing (housing) 10 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A is viewed from behind along the front-to-rear axis, the entirety or at least a portion of the movement space S6 (the deflection-accepting space S61 and the insertion space S62) is in communication with the recess 13aA along the front-to-rear axis (first axis). That is, when the plug housing (housing) 10 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A is viewed from behind along the front-to-rear axis, the entirety or at least a portion of the movement space S6 (the deflection-accepting space S61 and the insertion space S62) is exposed from the cable (connected member) 1A (see FIG. 23 ). In this embodiment, when the plug housing (housing) 10 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A is viewed from behind along the front-to-rear axis, the pair of restricting protrusions 111b are also exposed from the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0198] This allows the plug housing (housing) 10 to selectively hold the slide member 3 even when the cable (connectable member) 1A is connected, thereby enabling the connector unit U1 to confirm the completion of mating between the plug connector (connector) and the receptacle connector (mating connector).In other words, the connector unit U1 can be made versatile.

[0199] [Configuration Example of Slide Member 3] Next, an example of the configuration of the slide member 3 slidably held in the plug connector 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0200] In this embodiment, the slide member 3 has a body portion 31 in the shape of a substantially rectangular plate, and a handle 31 a is formed on the top of the body portion 31 .

[0201] A pair of lower arms 32 are connected to both sides of the width axis at the bottom of the main body 31 so as to extend forward along the front-to-rear axis. The pair of lower arms 32 are connected to the main body 31 in a cantilevered state and are formed so as to be elastically deformable along the width axis. A locking protrusion (retaining portion) 32a is formed at the tip (front end) of each lower arm 32 so as to protrude outward from the width axis.

[0202] Meanwhile, a pair of upper arms 33 are connected to both sides of the width axis at the top of the main body 31 so as to extend forward along the front-to-rear axis. The pair of upper arms 33 are connected to the main body 31 in a cantilevered state and are formed so as to be elastically deformable along the up-down axis (an axis intersecting the terminal insertion direction). In addition, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the pair of upper arms 33 are formed so that the base side (the side connected to the main body 31) is wider. An engaging protrusion (engaging portion) 33b is formed at the tip (front end) of the upper arm 33 so as to protrude upward.

[0203] Furthermore, a protrusion 33a that protrudes upward is formed at approximately the center of the front-rear axis of the upper arm portion 33.

[0204] A restricting protrusion (restricting portion) 31b extending forward and upward is formed on the lower part of the main body portion 31. In the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, each end of the width axis of the restricting protrusion (restricting portion) 31b is connected to the inner surface of the lower arm portion 32.

[0205] In this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is held in the plug housing 10 , the main body 31 of the slide member 3 is arranged in the vicinity of the operating portion 121 a of the lever portion 121 .

[0206] Therefore, when operating the operating portion 121a to elastically deform the lever portion 121 downward, the operator's fingers may hit the main body portion 31, making it difficult to easily release the engagement between the lever portion 121 and the engagement hole (engagement portion) 221a.

[0207] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operation of the lever portion 121 from being hindered by the slide member 3 .

[0208] Specifically, by forming a recess 31c in the main body 31 that is recessed in the operating direction of the operating unit 121a (downward on the up-down axis), it is possible to prevent the operator's fingers from hitting the main body 31.

[0209] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when viewed along the front-to-rear axis (X axis: sliding direction of the slide member 3) with the slide member 3 held in one of the housings (plug housing 10), a portion of the main body 31 overlaps with the operating portion 121a of the lever portion 121. In other words, the slide member 3 is held in one of the housings (plug housing 10) so that a portion of the main body 31 overlaps with the operating portion 121a when viewed along the front-to-rear axis.

[0210] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is held in one of the housings (plug housing 10) and viewed along the front-to-rear axis (X axis: sliding direction of the slide member 3), the main body 31 is positioned so that the handle 31a extends beyond the operating portion 121a.

[0211] In this manner, in this embodiment, the recess 31c is formed in the center of the width axis of the upper part of the main body 31. The recess 31c is preferably formed to be large enough to allow the operator's finger to be inserted from above.

[0212] Specifically, the main body 31 is held in the plug housing 10 with both ends of its width axis protruding outward beyond the operating portion 121a of the lever 121. A recess 31c is formed in the center of the width axis of the upper part of the main body 31, and handles 31a are formed on the upper part of both sides of the width axis of the recess 31c. Each of the pair of handles 31a protrudes outward beyond the operating portion 121a of the lever 121. This allows the handles 31a located near the operating portion 121a to be more securely gripped or hooked with fingers.

[0213] Furthermore, the recess 31c is preferably formed so that its depth (the amount of recession of the vertical axis) is such that the operator's finger does not come into contact with the recess 31c when the operating portion 121a is pressed down to disengage the engaging protrusion 121b from the engaging hole 221a. This makes it possible to more reliably disengage the engaging protrusion 121b from the engaging hole 221a without being obstructed by the main body 31.

[0214] Furthermore, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, a protrusion 32b protruding upward is formed on the lower arm portion 32 along the direction in which the lower arm portion 32 extends. Specifically, the protrusion 32b is formed to extend from the base side toward the tip side of the lower arm portion 32 and is formed to be elongated in the direction in which the lower arm portion 32 extends. By forming such a protrusion 32b on the lower arm portion 32, the gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 is reduced. Note that in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the protrusion 32b is not formed directly below the portion of the upper arm portion 33 where the engaging protrusion (engagement portion) 33b is formed. In other words, the protrusion 32b is formed so that its tip is located closer to the base than the engaging protrusion (engagement portion) 33b of the upper arm portion 33. This prevents the protrusion 32b from interfering with the elastic deformation of the upper arm portion 33 about the vertical axis.

[0215] Furthermore, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the gap (shortest distance of the vertical axis) between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 at the location where the protrusion 32b is formed is made smaller than the thickness of the vertical axis of the lower arm portion 32 and the thickness of the vertical axis of the upper arm portion 33.

[0216] As described above, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the lower arm portion 32, which is at least one of the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33, is formed with the protrusion 32b extending from the base side to the tip side to reduce the gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33. The gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 at the location where the protrusion 33b is formed is made smaller than the thickness of the lower arm portion 32 and the thickness of the upper arm portion 33.

[0217] Furthermore, in the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment, the width of the tip end of the lower arm portion 32 and the width of the tip end of the upper arm portion 33 are also made larger than the gap (shortest distance between the upper and lower axes) between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 at the location where the protrusion 32b is formed.

[0218] This prevents the lower arm portion 32 or the upper arm portion 33 of another slide member 3 from being inserted into the gap between the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 of one slide member 3, thereby preventing the arms from becoming entangled. In this way, the slide member 3 shown in this embodiment is configured to prevent the arms from becoming entangled without interfering with the elastic deformation of the upper arm portion 33 about the vertical axis.

[0219] In addition, in this embodiment, the insertion space S62 is divided into a space into which the lower arm portion 32 of the slide member 3 is inserted and a space into which the upper arm portion 33 is inserted by a protruding wall 119a formed on the intermediate wall 119 that defines the recess 11a so as to protrude along the width axis.

[0220] Furthermore, a step 119b is formed in the center of the front-rear axis below the protruding wall 119a of the intermediate wall 119 that defines the recess 11a, so that the space into which the lower arm 32 is inserted is wider on the front side in plan view (see FIG. 26 ). A locking protrusion 32a formed at the tip (front end) of the lower arm 32 so as to protrude outward from the width axis is locked onto the step 119b, thereby preventing the slide member 3 from coming off the housing main body 11.

[0221] Next, an example of the operation of the slide member 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0222] As described above, in this embodiment, the slide member 3 functions as a CPA member. That is, the slide member 3 is slidably attached to the plug housing 10 so that sliding movement from the initial position (first position) to the sliding completion position (second position) is restricted when the mating of the plug housing 10 with the receptacle housing 20 is not complete. Then, when the mating of the plug housing 10 with the receptacle housing 20 is complete, sliding movement from the initial position to the sliding completion position is permitted.

[0223] Specifically, the slide member 3 is inserted into the insertion space S62 with the tip of the lower arm portion 32 bent inward along the width axis. At this time, the tip of the upper arm portion 33 is also inserted into the insertion space S62.

[0224] When the slide member 3 is moved forward (inserted) a predetermined amount with the tips of the lower arm portion 32 and the upper arm portion 33 inserted into the insertion space S62, the tip of the lower arm portion 32 moves forward beyond the step 119b formed in the intermediate wall 119 that defines the recess 11a. When the tip of the lower arm portion 32 moves forward beyond the step 119b in this manner, the lower arm portions 32 move in a direction that opens apart (outward on the width axis) due to their elastic restoring force, and the locking protrusions 32a of the lower arm portions 32 lock onto the step 119b. Thus, the slide member 3 is slidably held (temporarily held) in the plug housing 10 while being prevented from coming off the housing main body 11 (see FIG. 26 ).

[0225] Furthermore, when the locking protrusion 32a of the lower arm portion 32 is locked to the step portion 119b, the upper arm portion 33 is positioned so that the protrusion 33a is behind the regulating protrusion (slide regulating portion) 111b and faces the regulating protrusion (slide regulating portion) 111b (see Figure 27).

[0226] Therefore, when the slide member 3 is temporarily held in the plug housing 10 that is not engaged with the receptacle housing 20 and an attempt is made to slide the slide member 3 forward, the protrusion 33a of the upper arm portion 33 abuts against the restricting protrusion 111b, thereby restricting further forward movement of the slide member 3.

[0227] In this embodiment, this configuration prevents the slide member 3 from sliding from the initial position to the complete sliding position when the plug housing 10 has not been completely mated with the receptacle housing 20. In this embodiment, the initial position of the slide member 3 is the state in which the locking protrusion 32a of the lower arm 32 is locked with the step portion 119b.

[0228] When the plug housing 10 with the slide member 3 temporarily held therein is mated with the receptacle housing 20, the engaging protrusion 33b of the upper arm 33 abuts against the protrusion 211c of the top wall 211 and is pushed downward between the start and completion of mating. When the mating between the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 is complete, the tip of the engaging protrusion 33b abuts against the underside of the protrusion 211c, causing the upper arm 33 to bend downward. At this time, the protrusion 33a of the upper arm 33 also moves downward and is positioned below the restricting protrusion (slide restricting portion) 111b (see FIG. 28 ).

[0229] Therefore, when the plug housing 10 is mated with the receptacle housing 20, the restriction on the forward movement of the protrusion 33a by the restricting protrusion 111b is released, allowing the slide member 3 to slide forward. In this manner, in this embodiment, the upper arm 33 that is elastically deformable up and down and the protrusion 33a formed on the upper arm 33 so as to be able to abut against the restricting protrusion 111b function as a slide lock mechanism.

[0230] Then, the slide member 3 is slid forward to engage the engaging protrusion 33b of the upper arm portion 33 with the engaging hole 211d formed in the rear end (end on the far side) of the protrusion 211c of the top wall 211. In this manner, the plug housing 10 and the receptacle housing 20 are locked in the mated state by the slide member 3 as well (see FIG. 29 ). In this embodiment, the state in which the engaging protrusion 33b of the upper arm portion 33 is engaged with the engaging hole 211d formed in the rear end of the protrusion 211c of the top wall 211 is defined as the slide completion position of the slide member 3 (completion position: second position).

[0231] In this way, the connector set C1 is doubly locked by the lever portion 121 and the slide member 3.

[0232] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the slide member 3 is slid to the slide completion position (completion position), the restricting protrusion (restricting portion) 31b is inserted into the deflection allowance space S61. Then, the restricting protrusion 31b inserted into the deflection allowance space S61 restricts the downward movement of the lever portion 121.

[0233] At this time, it is preferable to set the amount of upward protrusion of the restricting protrusion 31b so that the engaging protrusion 121b and the engaging hole 221a are engaged even when the lever portion 121 abuts against the restricting protrusion 31b. In this way, the lock by the lever portion 121 cannot be released unless the lock by the slide member 3 is released, and the locked state can be maintained more reliably.

[0234] To release the connector set C1 that is doubly locked by the lever portion 121 and the slide member 3, the slide member 3 is first slid from the complete sliding position to the initial position. In this embodiment, the engagement between the engaging protrusion 33b and the protrusion 211c is released by strongly pulling the slide member 3 rearward (toward the initial position). Therefore, for example, if an operator grasps the handle 31a and strongly pulls the slide member 3 rearward, the slide member 3 will slide to the initial position.

[0235] In this way, by sliding the slide member 3 to the initial position, the restriction on the downward movement of the lever portion 121 is released, and the lock by the lever portion 121 can be released.

[0236] In this embodiment, a recess 31c is formed at the upper end of the main body 31 of the slide member 3. This prevents the operator's fingers from hitting the main body 31 (slide member 3) when the lever 121 moves downward, and allows the lock by the lever 121 to be released more reliably.

[0237] Then, by performing the above-described operation of removing the plug connector 1 from the receptacle connector 2, the plug connector 1 is removed from the receptacle connector 2.

[0238] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reliability of connection with the cable (connected member) 1A can be further improved.

[0239] Specifically, the entire exposed conductor portion 14aA of the cable 1A to which the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 is connected is supported by the reinforcing plate 132A.

[0240] This prevents the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 of the plug terminal 13 from being deformed or the connection between the mounting piece (connection terminal portion) 132 and the exposed conductor portion 14aA from being deteriorated when the cable 1A is moved in a direction away from the reinforcing plate 132A. In other words, the mounting portion between the plug terminal 13 and the cable 1A can be protected from the movement of the cable 1A.

[0241] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 30 and 31 , when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the width axis (the direction in which the connection fixing portion 162 protrudes), the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) has a protective wall 17 formed to cover at least a portion of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162.

[0242] In this way, when performing operations such as mating the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 or removing it from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, the protective wall 17 prevents fingers or the like from touching the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 or the connection portion between the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0243] In this manner, in this embodiment, the protective wall 17 can prevent fingers or the like from touching the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 or the connection portion between the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A. This can prevent the connection state between the cable (connected member) 1A and the plug connector (connector) 1 from deteriorating, thereby further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0244] Furthermore, in this embodiment, protective wall 17 has outer end 171 in the direction (outside the width axis) in which fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 protrudes. Also, cable (connected member) 1A has outer end 1cA on the width axis in the direction in which fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 protrudes at the portion to which fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 is connected. Outer end 171 of protective wall 17 is positioned outside outer end 1cA of cable (connected member) 1A (see FIG. 31 ).

[0245] This more reliably prevents fingers or the like from coming into contact with the cable (connected member) 1A when performing the task of mating or removing the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A with or from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. In other words, the task of mating the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 can be performed without touching the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0246] In this way, in this embodiment, fingers or the like are prevented from touching the cable (connected member) 1A when performing the mating operation between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. This prevents a decrease in connection strength and deterioration of the electrical connection due to contact with the cable (connected member) 1A by fingers or the like. It also prevents connection errors from occurring due to disconnection between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0247] In this embodiment, the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 protrudes outward from the width axis when the holding fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is held in the housing main body 11. That is, the holding fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is held in the housing main body 11 with the plate thickness of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 approximately coinciding with the front-rear axis. The lower surface 162a of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 (the rear surface when the fixed terminal 16 is held in the housing main body 11) is mounted (connected) to the fixing portion 15A, thereby fixing the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) to the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0248] Therefore, in this embodiment, the lower surface 162a of the fixed piece (connection / fixed portion) 162 serves as a first surface that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A, and the upper surface 162b of the fixed piece (connection / fixed portion) 162 (the front surface when the fixed terminal 16 is held in the housing main body 11) serves as a second surface that faces the lower surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side to the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA.

[0249] Thus, in this embodiment, the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 has a lower surface (first surface) 162a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A, and an upper surface (second surface) 162b that faces the lower surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side of the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA.

[0250] In this embodiment, the portion of the tip of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 that extends from one end to the other end of the up-down axis faces the protective wall 17 along the width axis. Specifically, when viewed along the front-rear axis, the entire tip of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 is positioned between one end and the other end of the up-down axis of the protective wall 17, while being spaced apart from the protective wall 17 along the width axis.

[0251] In this embodiment, the protective wall 17 has a rod-like shape that is elongated along the up-down axis when viewed along the front-rear axis, and is disposed so that its inner surface along the width axis faces the side surface of the tip of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162. The protective wall 17 is connected to the side surface 113 a of the housing main body 11 by the connecting wall 18.

[0252] In this manner, in this embodiment, the protective wall 17 is integrated with the housing body 11. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the plug connector (connector) 1 and further improve the reliability of the connection between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0253] Specifically, one end of the vertical axis of the protective wall 17 is connected to one end of the vertical axis on the side surface 113a of the housing main body 11 by a connecting wall 18 extending in the width axis. The other end of the vertical axis of the protective wall 17 is connected to the other end of the vertical axis on the side surface 113a of the housing main body 11 by another connecting wall 18 extending in the width axis. One end of the vertical axis of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 faces the connecting wall 18 along the vertical axis while being spaced apart from the vertical axis, and the other end of the vertical axis of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 faces the other connecting wall 18 along the vertical axis while being spaced apart from the vertical axis. This configuration forms a substantially rectangular through hole 10b in the plug housing (housing) 10, which is defined by the side surface 113a of the housing main body 11, the inner surface of the width axis of the protective wall 17, and the inner surfaces of the vertical axes of the pair of connecting walls 18 and penetrates in the front-to-rear axis. With the holding metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 held by the housing body 11, the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 is arranged inside the through hole 10b.

[0254] In this way, in this embodiment, when the cable (connected member) 1A is not connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the lower surface (first surface) 162a of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 can be seen from behind the front-to-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a in the direction in which the first surface 162a and the second surface 162b of the connection fixing portion 162 face each other).

[0255] This makes it possible to more reliably check whether the holding metal fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is firmly held in the housing body 11 or not.

[0256] When viewed from the front of the front-rear axis (the second surface side of the connection fixing portion 162), the retaining fitting (fixed terminal) 16 is held in the housing main body 11 in a state where at least a portion of the peripheral edge 1621 of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 is visible.

[0257] This makes it possible to check the connection state (e.g., the state of formation of solder fillets) between the fixing piece (connection and fixing portion) 162 and the cable (connection member) 1A even when the cable (connection member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1 from the rear of the front-rear axis (the first surface side of the connection and fixing portion 162). This makes it easy to check whether the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connection member) 1A are securely connected, thereby further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connection member) 1A.

[0258] In this embodiment, the plug connector (connector) 1 is provided with a pair of retaining metal fittings (fixed terminals) 16 that are respectively held by side surfaces 113a that face each other along the width axis of the housing body 11. The plug connector (connector) 1 is also provided with a pair of protective walls 17 that are respectively disposed outside the width axis of fixing pieces (connection fixing portions) 162 that the pair of retaining metal fittings (fixed terminals) 16 have.

[0259] When the plug connector (connector) 1 is viewed from the rear of the front-to-rear axis (the first surface 162a side of the connection fixing portion 162), the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 is located between the pair of protective walls 17.

[0260] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the plug terminals (terminals) 13 are configured to be accommodated in the internal spaces (first space S1 and second space S2) by being inserted through insertion openings (terminal openings) S1a, S2a formed in the internal spaces. When the plug connector (connector) 1 is viewed from the rear of the front-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a of the connection fixing portion 162), the insertion openings (terminal openings) S1a, S2a are located between the pair of protective walls 17.

[0261] This makes it possible to reduce the height of the plug connector (connector) and further improve the connection strength between the plug connector (connector) and the cable (connected member).

[0262] In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the plug housing (housing) 10 has the convex wall 19 that extends rearward (outward) on the front-rear axis (first axis) beyond the rear end (first end) 11b from which the mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 protrudes. The convex wall 19 is connected to the rear end of the protective wall 17. In this way, the convex wall 19 is connected to the housing main body 11 via the protective wall 17 and the connecting wall 18, and the convex wall 19 is formed outside the housing main body 11 on the width axis.

[0263] That is, in this embodiment, when viewed along the up-down axis, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a shape such that the rear end of the protective wall 17 protrudes further rearward, and the portion that protrudes further rearward than the protective wall 17 forms the convex wall 19.

[0264] In this embodiment, a convex wall 19 is provided adjacent to each of the pair of protective walls 17. When the cable (member to be connected) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1, the mounting surface 10a facing the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (member to be connected) 1A and the pair of convex walls 19 protruding rearward from the mounting surface 10a define a housing section 191 in which the cable (member to be connected) 1A is housed. When the cable (member to be connected) 1A is housed in the housing section 191, the pair of convex walls 19 protruding outward in the width direction and rearward in the front-to-rear direction can be pinched by hand, allowing the connector unit U1 to be grasped without touching the cable (member to be connected) 1A.

[0265] In this way, in this embodiment, by integrating the convex wall 19 that defines the accommodating portion 191 with the protective wall 17, it is possible to reduce the size of the plug connector (connector) 1 while improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0266] The plug connector (connector) 1 and connector unit U1 according to this embodiment can also be used as part of a connector set C1 shown in Fig. 32. That is, the plug connector (connector) 1 and connector unit U1 can be fitted into the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 shown in Fig. 32.

[0267] 32 , the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 is mounted (connected) to the circuit board (mating connected member) 2A with the mating space S5 opening in the normal direction to the surface (mounting surface) 21aA of the board main body 2aA. The plug connector (connector) 1 and the connector unit U1 are mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving the plug connector (connector) 1 and the connector unit U1 relatively along the normal direction to the surface (mounting surface) 21aA of the board main body 2aA.

[0268] In the above embodiment, the connector unit is a vertical type connector unit U1 (a type in which the connection surface 11aA of the connected member 1A is approximately perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector set C1), in which the plug housing (housing) 10 has a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, and the plug housing (housing) 10 is configured to be mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving the plug housing (housing) 10 along a normal to the mounting surface 10a.

[0269] However, as shown in Figures 33 and 34, the present disclosure can also be applied to a horizontal-type connector unit U1. Here, the horizontal-type connector unit U1 refers to a connector set in which the extension direction of the connection surface 11aA is approximately parallel to the mating direction of the connector set C1. That is, the plug housing (housing) 10 has a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, and is configured to be mated with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving the plug housing (housing) 10 along the mounting surface 10a. In the plug connector 1 shown in Figures 33 and 34, the bottom surface of the housing main body 11 serves as the mounting surface that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) of the cable (connected member) 1A when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected to the plug connector (connector) 1.

[0270] In the connector unit U1 shown in Figures 33 and 34, when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the width axis (the direction in which the connection fixing portion 162 protrudes), the housing main body 11 (plug housing 10: housing) has a protective wall 17 formed to cover at least a portion of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162.

[0271] In this way, when performing operations such as mating the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 or removing it from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, the protective wall 17 can prevent fingers or the like from touching the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 or the connection portion between the fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0272] Therefore, by using the connector unit U1 shown in Figures 33 and 34, it is possible to prevent the connection state between the cable (connected member) 1A and the plug connector (connector) 1 from deteriorating, and the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A can be further improved.

[0273] In addition, the horizontal type plug connector (connector) 1 and connector unit U1 can also be mated with a receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 whose mating direction is normal to the surface (mounting surface) 21aA of the board main body 2aA, as shown in Figure 35.

[0274] [Actions and Effects] (Technology 1) The plug connector (connector) 1 according to this embodiment and its modified examples is capable of electrically connecting the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24 of the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0275] Here, the plug connector (connector) 1 comprises a plug terminal (terminal) 13 that can be electrically connected to receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24, a plug housing (housing) 10 having a housing main body 11 in which an internal space (first space S1 and second space S2) capable of accommodating the plug terminal (terminal) 13 is formed, and a retaining fitting (fixed terminal) 16 that is held by the housing main body 11 and can be fixed to a cable (connected member) 1A.

[0276] In addition, the plug terminal (terminal) 13 has a contact portion 130a that can be electrically connected to the contact portions (mating contact portions) 230a, 240a of the receptacle terminals (mating terminals) 23, 24, and a mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 132 that can be electrically connected to the conductor portion (conductor) 14A of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0277] On the other hand, the retaining fitting (fixed terminal) 16 has a main body portion (base portion) 161 that is held in the housing main body 11 and is arranged along the side surface 113a of the housing main body 11, and a fixed piece (connection fixed portion) 162 that is connected to the main body portion (base portion) 161 and can be connected to the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0278] Here, the fixing piece (connecting and fixing portion) 162 is connected to the main body portion (base portion) 161 so as to protrude in a direction away from the side surface 113a (outside the width axis).

[0279] The plug housing (housing) 10 has a protective wall 17 formed to cover at least a portion of the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 when the plug housing (housing) 10 is viewed along the width axis, which is the direction in which the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 protrudes.

[0280] In this way, when performing the task of mating or removing the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to a cable (connectable member) 1A with or from a receptacle connector (mating connector) 2, the protective wall 17 can prevent the operator's fingers or the like from touching the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162, specifically the connection portion between the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 and the cable (connectable member) 1A. As a result, it is possible to prevent the connection state between the cable (connectable member) 1A and the plug connector (connector) 1 from deteriorating, and it is possible to further improve the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connectable member) 1A.

[0281] In this way, by providing a protective wall 17 on the plug housing (housing) 10 to protect the connection portion between the fixing piece (connection fixing portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A, it is possible to obtain a plug connector (connector) 1 that can further improve the connection reliability with the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0282] (Technology 2) In the above-described (Technology 1), the protective wall 17 may have an outer end 171 in the direction (outside the width axis) in which the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 protrudes. Also, the cable (connected member) 1A may have an outer end 1cA on the width axis in the direction in which the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 protrudes at the portion to which the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 is connected. The outer end 171 of the protective wall 17 may be located outside the outer end 1cA of the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0283] This more reliably prevents the worker's fingers from coming into contact with the cable (connected member) 1A when fitting the plug connector (connector) 1 connected to the cable (connected member) 1A into or removing it from the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2. In other words, the worker can perform fitting operations without touching the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0284] In this way, by preventing fingers or the like from touching the cable (connected member) 1A during fitting work, etc., it is possible to prevent a decrease in connection strength and deterioration of the electrical connection due to contact with the cable (connected member) 1A by fingers or the like. It is also possible to prevent connection errors from occurring due to disconnection between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0285] Therefore, it is possible to further improve the reliability of the connection between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0286] (Technology 3) Also, in the above (Technology 1) or (Technology 2), the fixing piece (connection fixed portion) 162 may have a lower surface (first surface) 162a facing the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A, and an upper surface (second surface) 162b facing the lower surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side of the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA, and the retaining fitting (fixed terminal) 16 may be held in the housing main body 11 in a state where at least a part of the periphery 1621 of the fixing piece (connection fixed portion) 162 is visible when viewed from the upper surface (second surface) 162b side.

[0287] In this way, by making at least a portion of the peripheral edge 1621 of the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 visible, it becomes possible to check the connection state (e.g., the state of formation of a solder fillet) between the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 and the cable (connected member) 1A when the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A are connected. As a result, it becomes easy to check whether the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A are securely connected, which makes it possible to further improve the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0288] (Technology 4) In any of the above-described (Technology 1) to (Technology 3), the protective wall 17 may be connected to the side surface 113 a of the housing body 11 by a connecting wall 18 .

[0289] In this way, by integrating the protective wall 17 and the housing main body 11, it is possible to reduce the size of the plug connector (connector) 1 while further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0290] (Technology 5) In addition, in any of the above-mentioned (Technology 1) to (Technology 4), the plug housing (housing) 10 may have a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connecting surface) 11aA when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, and a convex wall 19 that protrudes from the mounting surface 10a and defines, together with the mounting surface 10a, a storage section 191 in which the cable (connected member) 1A is stored, and the protective wall 17 may be connected to the convex wall 19.

[0291] In this way, by integrating the protective wall 17 and the convex wall 19 that defines the accommodating section 191, it is possible to reduce the size of the plug connector (connector) 1 while further improving the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0292] (Technology 6) In any of the above-described (Technology 1) to (Technology 5), the plug connector (connector) 1 may include a pair of retaining fittings (fixed terminals) 16 respectively held on opposing side surfaces 113a of the housing main body 11, and a pair of protective walls 17 respectively disposed on the outer sides of fixing pieces (connection-fixed portions) 162 of the pair of retaining fittings (fixed terminals) 16. The fixing pieces (connection-fixed portions) 162 may have a lower surface (first surface) 162a facing the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A, and an upper surface (second surface) 162b facing the lower surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side from the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA. When the plug connector (connector) 1 is viewed from the rear of the front-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a of the connection-fixed portions 162), the mounting pieces (terminal connection portions) 132 may be present between the pair of protective walls 17.

[0293] This makes it possible to reduce the height of the plug connector (connector) 1 while further improving the connection strength between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0294] (Technology 7) In any of the above-mentioned (Technology 1) to (Technology 6), the plug connector (connector) 1 may include a pair of retaining fittings (fixed terminals) 16 respectively held on opposing side surfaces 113a of the housing body 11, and a pair of protective walls 17 respectively arranged on the outsides of fixing pieces (connection fixing portions) 162 of the pair of retaining fittings (fixed terminals) 16. The plug terminals (terminals) 13 may be configured to be accommodated in the internal spaces (first space S1 and second space S2) by being inserted through insertion openings (terminal openings) S1a, S2a formed in the internal spaces (first space S1 and second space S2). Furthermore, the fixing piece (connection / fixing portion) 162 may have a lower surface (first surface) 162a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA of the cable (connected member) 1A, and an upper surface (second surface) 162b that faces the lower surface (first surface) 162a on the opposite side of the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA. When the plug connector (connector) 1 is viewed from the rear of the front-rear axis (the side of the first surface 162a of the connection / fixing portion 162), insertion openings (terminal openings) S1a, S2a may be present between the pair of protective walls 17.

[0295] This also makes it possible to reduce the height of the plug connector (connector) 1 while further improving the connection strength between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0296] (Technology 8) In addition, in any of the above-mentioned technologies (Technology 1) to (Technology 7), the plug housing (housing) 10 may have a mounting surface 10a that faces the mounting surface (connection surface) 11aA when the cable (connected member) 1A is connected, and may be configured to mate with the receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 by moving the plug housing (housing) 10 along a normal to the mounting surface 10a.

[0297] In this way, when a vertical type plug connector (connector) 1 is used, fingers etc. can be prevented from coming into contact with the cable (connected member) 1A when performing fitting work etc., thereby making it possible to further improve the connection reliability between the plug connector (connector) 1 and the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0298] (Technology 9) Furthermore, the connector unit U1 according to this embodiment and its modified examples may include a plug connector (connector) 1 shown in any of the above-mentioned (Technology 1) to (Technology 8) and a cable (connected member) 1A connected to the plug connector (connector) 1.

[0299] In this way, a connector unit U1 can be made using a plug connector (connector) 1 that can further improve the connection reliability with the cable (connected member) 1A, thereby making it possible to further improve the connection reliability of the connector unit U1.

[0300] (Technology 10) Furthermore, the connector set C1 according to this embodiment and its modified examples may include a plug connector (connector) 1 shown in any of the above (Technology 1) to (Technology 9) and a receptacle connector (mating connector) 2 that mates with the plug connector (connector) 1.

[0301] In this way, a connector set C1 can be created using a plug connector (connector) 1 that can further improve the connection reliability with the cable (connected member) 1A, thereby making it possible to further improve the connection reliability of the connector set C1.

[0302] Thus, according to this embodiment and its variations, it is possible to obtain a plug connector (connector) 1, a connector unit U1, and a connector set C1 that can further improve the connection reliability with the cable (connected member) 1A.

[0303] [Others] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and their modifications, and various modifications are possible.

[0304] For example, in the above embodiment and its variations, a connector in which multiple terminals are arranged in two rows, one above the other, is exemplified, but it is also possible to have a connector in which multiple terminals are arranged in only one row, or in which terminals are arranged in three or more rows.

[0305] In addition, although the connector has been exemplified as having terminals arranged in multiple stages with the same shape, it is also possible to have a connector in which multiple types of terminals are arranged in each stage.Furthermore, it is not necessary for the terminals arranged in the same stage to have the same shape, and it is also possible to have a connector in which multiple types of terminals are arranged in the same stage.

[0306] The present disclosure may also be applied to connectors (plug connectors and receptacle connectors) that electrically connect boards to boards or cables to boards, and further to connectors (plug connectors and receptacle connectors) that electrically connect electric wires to boards or connectors (plug connectors and receptacle connectors) that electrically connect electric wires to cables.

[0307] In addition, the specifications of the housing, terminals, and other details (shape, size, layout, etc.) can also be changed as appropriate.

[0308] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-188702, filed November 25, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0309] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain a connector, a connector unit, and a connector set that can further improve the connection reliability with a connected member.

[0310] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plug connector (connector) 10 Plug housing (housing) 10a Mounting surface 11 Housing body 113a Side surface 13 Plug terminal (terminal) 130a Contact portion 132 Mounting piece (terminal connection portion) 16 Holding metal fitting (fixed terminal) 161 Main body portion (base portion) 162 Fixing piece (connection fixed portion) 162a Lower surface (first surface) 162b Upper surface (second surface) 1621 Periphery 17 Protective wall 171 Outer end 18 Connecting wall 19 Convex wall 191 Storage portion 1A Cable (connected member) 1cA Outer end 11aA Mounting surface (connection surface) 14A Conductor portion (conductor) 2 Receptacle connector (mating connector) 20 Receptacle housing (mating housing) 23 Upper receptacle terminal (mating terminal) 230a: Contact portion (mating contact portion) 24 Lower receptacle terminal (mating terminal) 240a: Contact portion (mating contact portion) C1 Connector set U1 Connector unit S1 Upper space (internal space) S1a: Insertion port (terminal opening) S2 Lower space (internal space) S2a: Insertion port (terminal opening)

Claims

1. A connector capable of electrically connecting a mating terminal provided in a mating connector and a conductor provided in a member to be connected, a terminal capable of being electrically connected to the mating terminal, a housing having a housing body in which an internal space capable of accommodating the terminal is formed, a fixing terminal held by the housing body and capable of being fixed to the member to be connected, comprising, the terminal has, a contact portion capable of being electrically connected to a mating contact portion of the mating terminal, a terminal connection portion capable of being electrically connected to the conductor of the member to be connected, and has, the fixing terminal has, a base portion arranged along a side surface of the housing body while being held by the housing body, a connection fixing portion continuously provided to the base portion and capable of being connected to a connection surface of the member to be connected, and has, the connection fixing portion is continuously provided to the base portion so as to project in a direction away from the side surface, the housing has a protective wall formed so as to cover at least a part of the connection fixing portion in a state where the housing is viewed along a direction in which the connection fixing portion projects, connector.

2. The protective wall has an outer end in a direction in which the connection fixing portion projects, the member to be connected has an outer end in a direction in which the connection fixing portion projects at a portion where the connection fixing portion is connected, the outer end of the protective wall is located outside the outer end of the member to be connected, The connector according to claim 1.

3. The connection fixing portion has a first surface facing the connection surface of the member to be connected and a second surface facing the first surface on the side opposite to the connection surface, the fixing terminal is held by the housing body in a state where at least a part of a peripheral edge of the connection fixing portion can be visually recognized when viewed from the second surface side, The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The protective wall is connected to the side surface of the housing body by a connecting wall, The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The housing has, a mounting surface facing the connection surface in a state where the member to be connected is connected, a convex wall protruding from the mounting surface and defining an accommodating portion in which the member to be connected is accommodated together with the mounting surface, and has, the protective wall is continuously provided to the convex wall, The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. A pair of the fixing terminals respectively held on opposite side surfaces of the housing body, A pair of the protection walls respectively arranged outside the connection and fixing parts of the pair of the fixed terminals comprising The connection and fixing part has a first surface facing the connection surface of the member to be connected and a second surface facing the first surface on the side opposite to the connection surface In a state viewed from the first surface side, the terminal connection part exists between the pair of the protection walls The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2

7. A pair of the fixed terminals respectively held on opposite side surfaces of the housing main body A pair of the protection walls respectively arranged outside the connection and fixing parts of the pair of the fixed terminals comprising The terminal is configured to be accommodated in the internal space by being inserted through a terminal opening formed in the internal space The connection and fixing part has a first surface facing the connection surface of the member to be connected and a second surface facing the first surface on the side opposite to the connection surface In a state viewed from the first surface side, the terminal opening exists between the pair of the protection walls The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2

8. The housing includes a mounting surface facing the connection surface in a state where the member to be connected is connected The housing is configured to be fitted with the mating connector by moving the housing along the normal line of the mounting surface The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2

9. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2 A member to be connected connected to the connector comprising Connector unit

10. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2 A mating connector that mates with the connector comprising Connector set