Connector

Abstract

According to the present invention, an L-shaped connector (1) comprises: an internal housing (11) that accommodates a terminal and a tip of a wire; and an external housing (3) that accommodates the internal housing (11). The connector 1 comprises a waterproof seal member (35) that is provided to the external housing 3 on a peripheral edge of a second opening (23) where a mating terminal is inserted, and a retainer (37) that holds the seal member (35). The retainer (37) has a secondary lock portion (52) that locks a primary lock portion (26) which locks the external housing (3) and the internal housing (11).

Description

connector

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a connector in which a mating direction of a mating connector is set in a direction intersecting the electric wire is well known. The connector in Patent Document 1 includes a terminal-attached electric wire, an inner housing that accommodates the terminal-attached electric wire, and an outer housing that accommodates the inner housing. The outer housing has an electric wire lead-out opening that receives the inner housing in an inner insertion direction, and a housing mating opening in which a mating direction of the mating connector is set in a direction perpendicular to the inner insertion direction.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-164945

[0004] The inner housing accommodates a terminal-equipped electric wire to be connected to a mating connector. Therefore, in order to maintain the connection between the terminal-equipped electric wire and the mating connector, it is necessary to make the inner housing less likely to come off the outer housing. However, even if measures are taken to prevent the inner housing from coming off the outer housing, it is undesirable for the number of parts in the connector to increase or for the structure to become more complex. Therefore, a measure that can prevent the inner housing from coming off with a simple configuration was needed.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that has a simple configuration and that makes it difficult for the outer housing and the inner housing to come off.

[0006] A connector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an electric wire and an electric wire member having a terminal provided at the end of the electric wire and to which a mating terminal is connected in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire; an inner housing accommodating the end of the electric wire member including the end of the electric wire and the terminal; an outer housing having a first opening accommodating the inner housing and arranged so as to intersect with a second opening accommodating the mating terminal; a waterproof sealing member provided on the periphery of the second opening; and a retainer attached to the outer housing to hold the sealing member, wherein the retainer has a secondary locking portion that locks a primary locking portion that locks the outer housing and the inner housing.

[0007] The present disclosure can make it difficult for the outer housing and the inner housing to come off with a simple configuration.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electric wire member, an inner housing, and a shield shell. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electric wire member having an inner housing with the shield shell removed. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector. FIG. 5 is a planar cross-sectional view of the connector. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the connector. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first retainer lock. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing insertion of the assembly into an outer housing. FIG. 10 is a view of attaching a seal member and a retainer to the outer housing. FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are explanatory views showing how the first retainer lock is engaged. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a first retainer lock according to another embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a first retainer lock according to another embodiment.

[0009] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. [1] A connector of the present disclosure includes an electric wire member having a terminal provided at a tip of the electric wire and connected to a mating terminal in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire, an inner housing accommodating the tip of the electric wire member including the tip of the electric wire and the terminal, an outer housing having a first opening accommodating the inner housing and intersecting a second opening accommodating the mating terminal, a waterproof seal member provided around the periphery of the second opening, and a retainer attached to the outer housing to hold the seal member, the retainer having a secondary locking portion that locks a primary locking portion that locks the outer housing and the inner housing.

[0010] According to this configuration, the outer housing and the inner housing are locked by the primary locking portion. The retainer is also provided with a secondary locking portion that locks the primary locking portion to make it difficult for the primary locking portion to come off. Because the retainer, which is provided to hold the seal member, is provided with a secondary locking portion that locks the primary locking portion, the outer housing and the inner housing can be securely locked together without the need for additional parts. This makes it possible to make it difficult for the inner housing and the outer housing to come off with a simple configuration.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], the retainer has a retainer lock that engages with the outer housing to retain the seal member, and the secondary locking portion is formed integrally with the retainer lock. With this configuration, the retainer lock is provided with the secondary locking portion, so it is possible to provide the retainer lock with the function of the secondary locking portion. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the shape of the retainer compared to when the retainer lock and the secondary locking portion are provided separately.

[0012] [3] In the above [2], a plurality of the retainer locks are formed, the primary locking portion is provided on the inner housing, and the primary locking portion engages with an engaged portion of the outer housing, and the secondary locking portion is formed on one or more specific retainer locks among the plurality of retainer locks that engage with the engaged portion. According to this configuration, the secondary locking portion is formed only on specific retainer locks among the multiple retainer locks of the retainer. Therefore, even if a secondary locking portion that locks the primary locking portion is provided on the retainer, it is not necessary to change the shape of all the retainer locks.

[0013] [4] In the above [2] or [3], the retainer lock has snap-fit ​​portions that resiliently engage with the external housing, and the secondary locking portion is bridged between the tips of the pair of snap-fit ​​portions and presses the primary locking portion from above when the snap-fit ​​portions engage with the external housing. This configuration makes it possible to firmly lock the primary locking portion with the frame-shaped secondary locking portion having snap-fit ​​portions at both ends as legs, further contributing to preventing unintended disengagement of the primary locking portion.

[0014] [5] In the above [4], the snap-fit ​​portion has legs and protrusions provided at the tips of the legs that engage with the outer housing, and the legs and the secondary locking portion are formed to the same thickness. With this configuration, the secondary locking portion does not protrude excessively in the direction of the protrusion of the snap-fit ​​portion. Therefore, when the retainer is attached, if the protrusion of the snap-fit ​​portion slides up the inner surface of the outer housing while the retainer lock is bent, the secondary locking portion is less likely to come into contact with the primary locking portion. This makes it less likely that the primary locking portion will come off unintentionally when the retainer is attached.

[0015] [6] In the above [4], the snap-fit ​​portion has a protrusion that engages with the outer housing, and the protrusion has a sloped portion facing forward in the direction of insertion of the snap-fit ​​portion. With this configuration, when the protrusion of the snap-fit ​​portion slides up the inner surface of the outer housing while the retainer lock is bent, even if the protrusion comes into contact with the primary locking portion, the sloped portion can dissipate the release force acting on the primary locking portion. Therefore, unintended release of the primary locking portion when the retainer is attached is less likely to occur.

[0016] [7] In any of the above [1] to [6], a positioning portion is provided for positioning the inner housing relative to the outer housing in the insertion direction. This configuration allows the inner housing to be positioned optimally relative to the outer housing. This makes it possible to reliably transition the primary locking portion to the locked state.

[0017] [Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In each drawing, for the convenience of explanation, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions of each part may differ from the actual ones.

[0018] (Connector 1) As shown in Fig. 1 , the connector 1 includes an electric wire member 2 and an outer housing 3 that accommodates the tip of the electric wire member 2. The connector 1 is a so-called L-shaped connector in which the longitudinal direction of the electric wire member 2 (the X-axis direction in Fig. 1 ) intersects with the direction in which a mating connector 4 is connected to the connector 1 (the Z-axis direction in Fig. 1 ). The connector 1 includes one or more electric wire members 2 (a pair in this example). The outer housing 3 includes a body 5 in which a portion of the electric wire member 2, including the tip of the electric wire member 2, is disposed, and a head 6 provided at the tip of the body 5. For example, the head 6 of the outer housing 3 is connected to a mating connector 4.

[0019] (Electric Wire Member 2) As shown in FIG. 2 , each electric wire member 2 includes an electric wire 8 and a terminal 9 fixed to the tip of the electric wire 8. The electric wire 8 includes, for example, a conductive core wire and an insulating coating that covers the conductive core wire. The conductive core wire may be, for example, a stranded wire, a columnar conductor, a tubular conductor, or a combination thereof. The conductive core wire may be made of, for example, a metal material such as a copper-based or aluminum-based material. The insulating coating may be made of, for example, an electrically insulating material such as a synthetic resin. The insulating coating may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin whose main component is a polyolefin-based resin such as cross-linked polyethylene or cross-linked polypropylene. The tip of the electric wire 8 is fixed to the terminal 9 by a crimping ring 8a.

[0020] The terminal 9 has a mating terminal connection portion 9a for connecting a mating terminal 10 of the mating connector 4. The mating terminal connection portion 9a is open on the side facing the mating connector 4 (the lower side of the drawing in the case of FIG. 2 ). The terminal 9 is, for example, a bus bar terminal in which a portion of the terminal 9 is bent and fixed to the conductive core wire of the electric wire 8. In the example of FIG. 2 , a pair of terminals 9 at the ends of a pair of electric wires 8 are arranged symmetrically. A plurality of mating terminals 10 (two in this example) are provided according to the number of terminals 9 of the connector 1.

[0021] 2 and 3 , the connector 1 includes an inner housing 11 that accommodates the ends of the electric wire members 2 inside the outer housing 3. The ends of the electric wire members 2 (terminals 9, etc.) are inserted into insertion holes 12 of the inner housing 11. The inner housing 11 may be, for example, an inner housing assembly configured by assembling multiple parts. In this example, the inner housing 11 is formed, for example, by fixing an upper housing part 11a and a lower housing part 11b together using, for example, an elastic claw fitting structure.

[0022] An exposure hole 11c (see FIG. 3) is formed in the bottom of the inner housing 11, which exposes the mating terminal connection portion 9a of the terminal 9 to the outside. A lance 14 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 8) is formed in the inner housing 11 for positioning the terminal 9. In this example, a protrusion 14a (shown in FIG. 8) formed at the tip of the lance 14 engages with the recess 13 of the terminal 9.

[0023] 2 and 3 , the connector 1 includes a shield shell 16 as a countermeasure against radiation noise from the electric wire members 2. The shield shell 16 has an inner housing receptacle or insertion hole 17 for inserting the inner housing 11. The shield shell 16 has a window or opening 18 (see FIG. 3 ) for exposing the inner housing 11 housed therein. The shield shell 16 has, for example, a plurality of elastically deformable protrusions 19 for positioning the electric wires 8 relative to the shield shell 16. The shield shell 16 has, for example, a plurality of elastically deformable protrusions 20 for positioning the shield shell 16 relative to the outer housing 3.

[0024] (Outer Housing 3) As shown in Fig. 1 , the outer housing 3 has a first opening 22 that accommodates the inner housing 11 and a second opening 23 that accommodates the mating terminal 10. The first openings 22 are formed on a side surface of the body 5, and a plurality of the first openings 22 (two in this example) are arranged side by side according to the number of the electric wire members 2. The second openings 23 are formed on the bottom surface of the head 6. The first openings 22 and the second openings 23 are arranged in intersecting directions. That is, the direction in which the electric wire members 2 are inserted into the outer housing 3 (the X-axis direction in the figure) and the direction in which the mating connector 4 is connected to the outer housing 3 (the Y-axis direction in the figure) intersect each other (orthogonal in this example).

[0025] A seal member 24 is provided between the outer housing 3 and the electric wires 8 to seal the gap between the outer housing 3 and the electric wires 8. The seal member 24 is, for example, a rubber ring. A plurality of seal members 24 (two in this example) are provided according to the number of electric wires 8.

[0026] (Primary Locking Section 26) As shown in Figure 4, the connector 1 includes a primary locking section 26 that locks the outer housing 3 and the inner housing 11 together. In this example, the primary locking section 26 is provided on the inner housing 11 by a hook-shaped locking structure that resiliently engages with the outer housing 3. A recess 27 that is recessed a predetermined amount from the surrounding area is formed in the bottom of the inner housing 11. The primary locking section 26 is formed in this recess 27 in a shape that extends in the insertion direction of the inner housing 11 into the outer housing 3 (the X-axis direction in Figure 4). A predetermined space 28 exists between the bottom surface of the inner housing 11 and the primary locking section 26.

[0027] The primary locking portion 26 has a flexible portion 29, which may be a long arm extending in the insertion direction of the internal housing 11 into the external housing 3, and an engaging claw 30 formed at the tip of the flexible portion 29. The flexible portion 29 bends when the internal housing 11 is inserted into the external housing 3. The engaging claw 30 engages with an engaged portion 31 provided on the inner surface of the second opening 23 in the external housing 3. The engaged portion 31 is, for example, a part of the annular wall defining the second opening 23, such as a corner at the back of the second opening 23. The engaged portion 31 may be a corner at the back in the insertion direction of the internal housing 11 into the external housing 3, and in the example of FIG. 4 , may be the boundary between the body portion 5 and the head portion 6 inside the external housing 3. As described above, the primary locking portion 26 is provided in the internal housing 11 and engages with the engaged portion 31 provided on the external housing 3.

[0028] 3, the connector 1 has a pair of assemblies 32 (first assembly 32a, second assembly 32b) of the wire member 2, the inner housing 11, and the shield shell 16. In this example, the first assembly 32a and the second assembly 32b are formed to be symmetrical in the width direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3) of the connector 1. In other words, the first assembly 32a and the second assembly 32b are not formed to be identical in shape, but are formed to be line-symmetrical.

[0029] (Positioning of the inner housing 11 in the insertion direction) As shown in Fig. 5, the connector 1 has a positioning portion 34 that positions the inner housing 11 relative to the outer housing 3 in the insertion direction. In this example, the positioning portion 34 includes a protruding first positioning portion 34a formed on the side surface of the inner housing 11 and a protruding second positioning portion 34b formed on the inner surface of the outer housing 3. The positioning portion 34 is provided so that the first positioning portion 34a is located at a corner of the rectangular end surface of the inner housing 11. Two positioning portions 34 are provided, one for the first assembly 32a and one for the second assembly 32b.

[0030] (Sealing Member 35) As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the connector 1 includes a waterproofing sealing member 35 provided around the periphery of the second opening 23. The sealing member 35 may be provided on an annular wall that defines the second opening 23 in the outer housing 3. As shown in Figure 4, the sealing member 35 is attached to a step 36 formed on the edge of the second opening 23 in the head 6 of the outer housing 3. As shown in Figure 6, the sealing member 35 is made of, for example, an annular elastic member. The sealing member 35 is, for example, a rubber ring. The outer and inner surfaces of the sealing member 35 are formed in a lip shape.

[0031] (Retainer 37) As shown in Figure 6, the connector 1 includes a retainer 37 that holds the seal member 35 attached to the outer housing 3. The retainer 37 has a flange 38 formed in the circumferential direction and a guide wall 39 that guides the attachment of the retainer 37 to the outer housing 3. The flange 38 supports the seal member 35 from below. The guide wall 39 stands at the base end of the flange 38 in the insertion direction of the retainer 37. A plurality of guide walls 39 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the flange 38.

[0032] The retainer 37 has a retainer lock 40 that engages with the outer housing 3 to hold the seal member 35. In this example, a plurality of (four in this example) retainer locks 40 are formed on the retainer 37. The plurality of retainer locks 40 include a first retainer lock 41 that has a protrusion shape that engages with the outer housing 3, and a second retainer lock 42 that has a hole shape that engages with the outer housing 3.

[0033] As shown in Figure 7, the first retainer lock 41 has a snap-fit ​​structure that elastically engages with the outer housing 3. The snap-fit ​​structure of this example is a type of hook-shaped lock structure. The first retainer lock 41 of this example has a pair of elastically deformable snap-fit ​​portions 43. Each snap-fit ​​portion 43 has a flexible leg portion 45 and a protrusion 44 provided at the tip of the leg portion 45 that engages with the outer housing 3. A groove portion 43a of a predetermined width is formed between the pair of snap-fit ​​portions 43. The protrusion 44 of each snap-fit ​​portion 43 has a slope portion 46 facing forward in the direction in which the snap-fit ​​portion 43 is inserted.

[0034] 6, the second retainer lock 42 has a snap-fit ​​structure that elastically engages with the outer housing 3. The second retainer lock 42 of this example has a slit 47 that engages with the outer housing 3. The slit 47 is formed in a shape that extends in the insertion direction of the retainer 37.

[0035] As shown in Figure 8, the first retainer lock 41 (only one is shown in Figure 8) is assembled to the outer housing 3 by engaging the protrusion 44 with the engaged portion 31 located at the base end of the second opening 23. The primary locking portion 26 and the first retainer lock 41 engage with the same engaged portion 31. The second retainer lock 42 is assembled to the outer housing 3 by engaging a protrusion 48 (only one is shown in Figure 8) formed on the inner surface of the outer housing 3 with a slit 47.

[0036] 5, 8, and 10, the outer housing 3 has a groove 49 formed on the periphery of the tip of the head 6. The outer housing 3 and the mating connector 4 are assembled by fitting a cylindrical hood 50 of the mating connector 4 into this groove 49. When the hood 50 is fitted into the groove 49, the seal member 35 attached to the outer housing 3 is elastically deformed by the wall surface of the hood 50 and comes into close contact with the hood 50. This ensures close contact between the seal member 35 and the hood 50. The outer housing 3 may be fixed to the mating connector 4 by another fixing mechanism (not shown).

[0037] 4, the retainer 37 has a secondary locking portion 52 that locks the primary locking portion 26 that locks the inner housing 11 and the outer housing 3. In this way, the retainer 37 of this example not only has a holding function for holding the seal member 35, but also a locking function for preventing the primary locking portion 26 from being unintentionally removed.

[0038] 6 , the secondary locking portion 52 is formed on one or more specific retainer locks among the multiple retainer locks 40 that engage with the engaged portion 31. In this example, the secondary locking portion 52 is formed on two of the four retainer locks 40 (first retainer lock 41, second retainer lock 42).

[0039] 7, the secondary locking portion 52 is formed integrally with the retainer lock 40 (in this example, the first retainer lock 41). Specifically, the secondary locking portion 52 is mounted on the tips of the pair of snap fit portions 43, and presses down on the primary locking portion 26 from above when the snap fit portions 43 engage with the outer housing 3. In this way, the first retainer lock 41 not only has the function of engaging with the outer housing 3, but also the function of pressing down on the primary locking portion 26 from above to make it difficult to come off.

[0040] The leg portion 45 and the secondary locking portion 52 are formed to have the same thickness. Specifically, the thickness W1 of the secondary locking portion 52 and the thickness W2 of the leg portion 45 of the first retainer lock 41 are set to be the same.

[0041] Next, the operation of the connector 1 of this embodiment will be described. (Assembly of the Connector 1) As shown in Figure 9, an assembly 54 in which the inner housing 11 and the shield shell 16 are integrated is inserted into the outer housing 3. The assembly 54 of the inner housing 11 and the shield shell 16 is inserted into the first opening 22 of the outer housing 3. In this example, the assemblies 54 of the inner housing 11 and the shield shell 16 are each inserted into the two first openings 22 of the outer housing 3.

[0042] 4 , when the assembly 54 of the inner housing 11 and the shield shell 16 is inserted all the way into the first opening 22 of the outer housing 3, the primary locking portion 26 (in this example, the engaging claw 30) of the inner housing 11 engages with the engaged portion 31 of the outer housing 3. This fixes the assembly 54 of the inner housing 11 and the shield shell 16 to the outer housing 3. The primary locking portion 26 also serves as a temporary engagement that temporarily fastens the inner housing 11 to the outer housing 3.

[0043] 5 , when the assembly 54 is inserted into the outer housing 3, the insertion position of the assembly 54 is determined by the positioning portion 34. That is, the positioning in the insertion direction is determined by the first positioning portion 34a of the inner housing 11 coming into contact with the second positioning portion 34b of the outer housing 3. In this example, the primary locking portion 26 engages with the engaged portion 31 of the outer housing 3 at the timing when the first positioning portion 34a and the second positioning portion 34b come into contact with each other.

[0044] 10 , after the assembly 54 of the inner housing 11 and the shield shell 16 is attached to the outer housing 3, the seal member 35 is attached to the outer housing 3. The seal member 35 is attached to a step 36 formed on the annular wall that defines the second opening 23 of the outer housing 3. After the seal member 35 is attached, a retainer 37 is attached to the outer housing 3.

[0045] 11(a), when the retainer 37 is inserted into the second opening 23 of the outer housing 3 during installation, the protrusion 44 of the first retainer lock 41 rides up on the inner surface of the second opening 23. Then, the first retainer lock 41 is bent by the height of the protrusion 44 with its base end as a fulcrum, and the protrusion 44 slides up along the inner surface of the second opening 23. As shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, when the retainer 37 is inserted all the way into the second opening 23, the protrusion 44 of the first retainer lock 41 is positioned above the engaged portion 31.

[0046] Furthermore, in this example, a sloped surface 46 is formed on the upper surface of the projection 44. Therefore, even if the position of the first retainer lock 41 is misaligned and the projection 44 comes into contact with the primary locking portion 26 while ascending, the force applied from the projection 44 to the primary locking portion 26 is released by the sloped surface 46. This makes it less likely that the primary locking portion 26 will be unintentionally released due to contact with the first retainer lock 41.

[0047] 11B, when the first retainer lock 41 reaches the top of the inner surface of the second opening 23, the first retainer lock 41 is released from its bending, causing the protrusion 44 to engage with the engaged portion 31. In other words, the first retainer lock 41 enters a state of being engaged with the engaged portion 31. When the first retainer lock 41 engages with the engaged portion 31, the second retainer lock 42 also engages with the protrusion 48 on the inner surface of the second opening 23.

[0048] When the first retainer lock 41 engages with the engaged portion 31, the secondary locking portion 52 of the first retainer lock 41 supports the primary locking portion 26 of the inner housing 11 from above. In other words, when the first retainer lock 41 engages with the engaged portion 31, the primary locking portion 26 is locked by the secondary locking portion 52. In this way, the inner housing 11 is fixed to the outer housing 3 by the double lock of the primary locking portion 26 and the secondary locking portion 52.

[0049] 4 and 11(b), the retainer lock 40 of the retainer 37 is provided with a secondary locking portion 52 that locks the primary locking portion 26 that locks the inner housing 11 to the outer housing 3. Therefore, the retainer 37 of this example has the function of preventing the primary locking portion 26 from coming loose, in addition to its original function of holding the seal member 35. Therefore, because the retainer 37 has multiple functions, it is possible to reduce the number of parts required for the connector 1 compared to when a part is provided for each function.

[0050] 4 and 11(b), the inner housing 11 is fixed to the outer housing 3 by a double lock structure in which the primary locking portion 26, which locks the inner housing 11 to the outer housing 3, is locked by a secondary locking portion 52 provided on the retainer lock 40 (first locking portion 41 in this example) of the retainer 37. This makes it possible to firmly fix the inner housing 11 to the outer housing 3, making it difficult for the inner housing 11 to come off.

[0051] Additionally, the secondary locking portion 52 is positioned perpendicular (in the Z-axis direction in FIG. 4 , etc.) to the point where the primary locking portion 26 engages with the engaged portion 31 of the outer housing 3. Therefore, even if a force that moves the primary locking portion 26 in the vertical direction acts on the primary locking portion 26 when the connector 1 is subjected to play, vibration, or impact, the secondary locking portion 52 can restrict that movement. Therefore, in this respect as well, it can be seen that the primary locking portion 26 is highly effective in preventing unintentional disconnection.

[0052] (Effects of the Embodiments) The configuration of the above embodiment provides the following effects. (1) The connector 1 includes an electric wire member 2, an outer housing 3, an inner housing 11, a seal member 35, and a retainer 37. The electric wire member 2 has an electric wire 8 and a terminal 9 provided at an end of the electric wire 8 and configured to be connected to a mating terminal 10 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 8. The inner housing 11 accommodates the end of the electric wire member 2, which includes the end of the electric wire 8 and the terminal 9. The outer housing 3 has a first opening 22 that accommodates the inner housing 11, which intersects with a second opening 23 that accommodates the mating terminal 10. The seal member 35 is a waterproof seal provided around the periphery of the second opening 23. The retainer 37 holds the seal member 35 attached to the outer housing 3. The retainer 37 has a secondary locking portion 52 that locks the primary locking portion 26 that locks the outer housing 3 and the inner housing 11 together.

[0053] According to this configuration, the outer housing 3 and the inner housing 11 are locked by the primary locking portion 26. Furthermore, the retainer 37 is provided with a secondary locking portion 52 that locks the primary locking portion 26 to make it difficult for the primary locking portion 26 to come off. In this way, the retainer 37, which is provided to hold the seal member 35, is provided with the secondary locking portion 52 that locks the primary locking portion 26, so it is possible to firmly lock the outer housing 3 and the inner housing 11 together without adding any additional parts. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the outer housing 3 and the inner housing 11 to come off with a simple configuration.

[0054] (2) The retainer 37 has a retainer lock 40 that engages with the outer housing 3 to retain the seal member 35. The secondary locking portion 52 is formed integrally with the retainer lock 40. With this configuration, the retainer lock 40 is provided with the secondary locking portion 52, so it is possible to provide the retainer lock 40 with the function of the secondary locking portion 52. Therefore, the shape of the retainer 37 can be simplified compared to when the retainer lock 40 and the secondary locking portion 52 are provided separately.

[0055] (3) A plurality of retainer locks 40 are formed. The primary locking portion 26 is provided on the inner housing 11 and engages with the engaged portion 31 of the outer housing 3. The secondary locking portion 52 is formed on one or more specific retainer locks 40 that engage with the engaged portion 31 among the multiple retainer locks 40. According to this configuration, the secondary locking portion 52 is formed only on a specific retainer lock 40 (in this example, the first retainer lock 41) among the multiple retainer locks 40 of the retainer 37. Therefore, even if the secondary locking portion 52 that locks the primary locking portion 26 is provided on the retainer 37, there is no need to change the shape of all of the retainer locks 40.

[0056] (4) The retainer lock 40 has snap-fit ​​portions 43 that resiliently engage with the outer housing 3. The secondary locking portion 52 is installed on the tips of the pair of snap-fit ​​portions 43 and presses the primary locking portion 26 from above when the snap-fit ​​portions 43 engage with the outer housing 3. This configuration enables the frame-shaped secondary locking portion 52, which has the snap-fit ​​portions 43 at both ends as legs, to firmly lock the primary locking portion 26. This further contributes to preventing unintentional release of the primary locking portion 26.

[0057] (5) The snap-fit ​​portion 43 has a protrusion 44 that engages with the outer housing 3 and a leg 45 having the protrusion 44 at its tip. The leg 45 and the secondary locking portion 52 are formed to have the same thickness. With this configuration, the secondary locking portion 52 does not protrude excessively in the direction of protrusion of the protrusion 44 of the snap-fit ​​portion 43. Therefore, when the retainer 37 is attached, if the protrusion 44 of the snap-fit ​​portion 43 slides up the inner surface of the outer housing 3 while the retainer lock 40 (in this example, the first retainer lock 41) is bent, the secondary locking portion 52 is less likely to come into contact with the primary locking portion 26. This makes it less likely that the primary locking portion 26 will come off unintentionally when the retainer 37 is attached.

[0058] (6) The protrusion 44 has a sloped surface 46 on the front side in the direction of inserting the snap-fit ​​portion 43. With this configuration, when the protrusion 44 of the snap-fit ​​portion 43 slides up the inner surface of the outer housing 3 while the retainer lock 40 (in this example, the first retainer lock 41) is bent, even if the protrusion 44 comes into contact with the primary locking portion 26, the sloped surface 46 can dissipate the force of disengagement acting on the primary locking portion 26. Therefore, unintended disengagement of the primary locking portion 26 when the retainer 37 is attached is less likely to occur.

[0059] (7) The connector 1 has a positioning portion 34 that positions the inner housing 11 relative to the outer housing 3 in the insertion direction. This configuration makes it possible to position the inner housing 11 optimally relative to the outer housing 3. This allows the primary locking portion 26 to reliably transition to the locked state.

[0060] (Other Embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0061] 12 , the secondary locking portion 52 may have, for example, a protrusion 56 that protrudes in the same direction as the protrusion 44. It is preferable that the protrusion 56 has a shape that protrudes to the same extent as the protrusion 44.

[0062] As shown in Figure 13, the first retainer lock 41 may have a structure including only one protrusion 59 that presses the primary locking portion 26 from above. In this structure, the protrusion 59 presses the primary locking portion 26 from above, thereby locking the primary locking portion 26. In this case, the primary locking portion 26 can also be configured as a double lock. Furthermore, the shape of the first retainer lock 41 can be simplified.

[0063] The groove portion 43a in the first retainer lock 41 into which the primary locking portion 26 is fitted is not limited to a shape in which a hole is formed along the height direction, but may also be a shape in which only the portion where the primary locking portion 26 is located is recessed.

[0064] The first retainer lock 41 may have a cantilever shape in which the snap fit portion 43 is provided on only one side of the secondary locking portion 52. The primary locking portion 26 is not limited to a structure that hooks onto a corner portion, and may have a structure that fits into a recessed portion, for example.

[0065] The primary locking portion 26 may be provided at any position on the inner housing 11. The primary locking portion 26 does not necessarily have to be provided on the inner housing 11, and may be formed on the outer housing 3, for example. In this case, the primary locking portion 26 of the outer housing 3 engages with the inner housing 11.

[0066] The secondary locking portion 52 may be formed on the second retainer lock 42 instead of the first retainer lock 41, as long as the inner housing 11 is engaged (provisionally engaged) with the outer housing 3 near the second retainer lock 42.

[0067] The secondary locking portion 52 may be provided on all of the retainer locks 40. The positioning portion 34 may be formed on only one of the outer housing 3 and the inner housing 11. Furthermore, the positioning portion 34 may be omitted from the connector 1.

[0068] The secondary locking portion 52 may be formed on the retainer 37 as a separate member from the retainer lock 40. The connector 1 may omit the shield shell 16.

[0069] The number of wire members 2 may be one or three or more. The X-axis in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the wire pull-out direction. The Z-axis in FIG. 1 may be referred to as the connector attachment / detachment direction. The first opening 22 of the outer housing 3 may be referred to as a wire pull-out port. The second opening 23 of the outer housing 3 may be referred to as a connector access port for connecting the connector 1 and the mating connector 4 in a connector attachment / detachment direction that intersects the wire pull-out direction. The seal member 35 may be referred to as a waterproof seal ring. The retainer 37 in FIG. 6 may be configured to hold the waterproof seal ring 35 by being attached to the connector access port of the outer housing 3 in the connector attachment / detachment direction so that the waterproof seal ring does not fall off the outer housing 3.

[0070] The primary locking portion 26 shown in Fig. 4 may be referred to as a first elastic hook provided on the first housing, which is one of the internal housing 11 and the external housing 3. This first elastic hook may be configured to elastically engage with the second housing, which is the other of the internal housing 11 and the external housing 3 (Fig. 4), when the internal housing 11 is linearly inserted into the external housing 3 along the wire draw-out direction as shown in Fig. 2, thereby positioning the internal housing 11 relative to the external housing 3 in the wire draw-out direction and suppressing movement of the internal housing 11 relative to the external housing 3 in the wire draw-out direction. The first retainer lock 41 and secondary locking portion 52 in Fig. 7 may be referred to as a second elastic hook provided on the retainer 37. The second elastic hook may be configured to elastically engage with the first elastic hook of the first housing in the connector attaching / detaching direction (FIG. 4) when the retainer 37 is attached to the connector access port of the outer housing 3 in the connector attaching / detaching direction as shown in Fig. 6, thereby preventing the first elastic hook from bending in the connector attaching / detaching direction and preventing the first elastic hook from being disengaged from the second housing. As shown in Fig. 4, the second elastic hook of the retainer 37 may be configured to engage with the first elastic hook of the first housing in the connector attaching / detaching direction to prevent the retainer 37 from falling off the connector access port in the connector attaching / detaching direction.

[0071] The flexible portion 29 of the primary locking portion 26 in the non-limiting embodiment shown in Fig. 4 may be referred to as a first elastic long bar that extends in the wire pull-out direction and is configured to be elastically flexible in the connector attachment / detachment direction that intersects the wire pull-out direction. The leg portion 45 of the first retainer lock 41 in the non-limiting embodiment shown in Fig. 7 may be referred to as a second elastic long bar that extends in the connector attachment / detachment direction and is configured to be elastically flexible in the wire pull-out direction that intersects the connector attachment / detachment direction.

[0072] A non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to an L-shaped connector (1) to be used with a mating connector (4), the connector (1) comprising: an inner housing (11) configured to accommodate an electric wire (8) and a terminal (9) provided at the tip of the electric wire (8); an outer housing (3) covering the inner housing (11), the outer housing (3) having a wire outlet port for extracting the electric wire (8) from the inner housing (11) in an electric wire outlet direction (X) and a connector access port for connecting the L-shaped connector (1) and the mating connector (4) in a connector attachment / detachment direction (Z) intersecting the electric wire outlet direction (X), the wire outlet port facing the electric wire outlet direction (X) and the connector access port facing the connector attachment / detachment direction (Z); and a waterproof seal ring (35) provided at the connector access port of the outer housing (3). a retainer (37) attached to the connector access port of the external housing (3) in the connector attaching / detaching direction (Z) to hold the waterproof seal ring (35) so that the waterproof seal ring (35) does not fall off from the external housing (3); a first elastic hook (primary locking portion 26) provided on a first housing, which is one of the internal housing (11) and the external housing (3), the first elastic hook being configured to elastically engage with a second housing, which is the other of the internal housing (11) and the external housing (3), when the internal housing (11) is linearly inserted into the external housing (3) along the electric wire drawing-out direction (X), thereby positioning the internal housing (11) relative to the external housing (3) in the electric wire drawing-out direction (X) and suppressing movement of the internal housing (11) relative to the external housing (3) in the electric wire drawing-out direction (X);The retainer (37) may include a second elastic hook (a first retainer lock 41 and a secondary lock portion 52) provided on the retainer (37), the second elastic hook being configured to elastically engage with the first elastic hook (26) of the first housing in the connector attachment / detachment direction (Z) when the retainer (37) is linearly attached to the connector access port of the external housing (3) along the connector attachment / detachment direction (Z), thereby preventing the first elastic hook (26) from disengaging from the second housing (3).

[0073] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and modifications within the scope of equivalents. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0074] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Connector 2 Wire member 3 Outer housing 4 Mating connector 5 Body 6 Head 8 Wire 8a Crimping ring 9 Terminal 9a Mating terminal connection portion 10 Mating terminal 11 Inner housing 11a Upper housing part 11b Lower housing part 11c Exposure hole 12 Insertion hole 13 Recess 14 Lance 14a Projection 16 Shield shell 17 Insertion hole 18 Opening 19 Projecting piece 20 Projecting piece 22 First opening 23 Second opening 24 Seal member 26 Primary locking portion 27 Recess 28 Space 29 Flexible portion 30 Engaging claw 31 Engaged portion 32 Assembly 32a First assembly 32b Second assembly 34 Positioning portion 34a First positioning portion 34b Second positioning portion 35 Seal member 36 Stepped portion 37 Retainer 38 Flange 39 Guide wall 40 Retainer lock 41 First retainer lock 42 Second retainer lock 43 Snap fit portion 43a Groove portion 44 Projection 45 Leg portion 46 Sloped portion 47 Slit 48 Protruding portion 49 Groove 50 Hood of mating connector 52 Secondary lock portion 54 Assembly 56 Protruding portion 59 Protruding piece

Claims

1. A connector comprising: an electric wire member having an electric wire and a terminal provided at the end of the electric wire, configured to be connected to a mating terminal in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the electric wire; an inner housing accommodating the end of the electric wire member including the end of the electric wire and the terminal; an outer housing having a first opening accommodating the inner housing and provided so as to intersect with a second opening accommodating the mating terminal; a waterproof seal member provided on the periphery of the second opening; and a retainer for holding the seal member attached to the outer housing, wherein the retainer has a secondary locking portion for locking a primary locking portion that locks the outer housing and the inner housing.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said retainer has a retainer lock that engages with said outer housing to retain said seal member, and said secondary locking portion is formed integrally with said retainer lock.

3. A connector as described in claim 2, wherein a plurality of said retainer locks are formed, said primary locking portion is provided on said inner housing and engages with an engaged portion of said outer housing, and said secondary locking portion is formed on one or more specific retainer locks among said plurality of retainer locks which engage with said engaged portion.

4. A connector as described in claim 2, wherein the retainer lock has a snap-fit ​​portion that elastically engages with the external housing, and the secondary locking portion is mounted on the tips of the pair of snap-fit ​​portions and presses down on the primary locking portion from above when the snap-fit ​​portions engage with the external housing.

5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the snap-fit ​​portion has legs and protrusions provided at the tips of the legs for engaging with the external housing, and the legs and the secondary locking portion are formed to the same thickness.

6. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the snap-fit ​​portion has a protrusion that engages with the outer housing, and the protrusion has a slope facing forward in the direction in which the snap-fit ​​portion is inserted.

7. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning portion for positioning said inner housing relative to said outer housing in the insertion direction.

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