Connector and connector device

Abstract

A connector 10 can be mated with a counterpart connector 60 and comprises: a housing 20 having a cavity 22 extending in a first direction; a terminal 11 disposed in the cavity 22; and a detection member 40 assembled to the housing 20 so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position. The housing 20 has a lance 24 disposed in the cavity 22 and formed so as to be elastically deformable in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The lance 24 faces the detection member 40 in the second direction. The detection member 40 is restricted from moving from the standby position to the detection position before completion of the mating of the housing 20 with the counterpart connector 60, and is allowed to move from the standby position to the detection position after completion of the mating of the housing 20 with the mating connector 60. The detection member 40 is provided with an excessive deflection restriction portion 42B that, when the detection member 40 is in the standby position, limits the amount of deflection of the lance 24 within a fixed range when the lance 24 is elastically deformed to one side in the second direction.

Description

Connector and connector device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector and a connector device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a housing and a terminal fitting accommodated in a cavity of the housing. An elastically deformable lance is formed on a peripheral wall portion that defines the cavity. The terminal fitting inserted into the cavity is prevented from being removed by the lance. When the terminal fitting is to be removed from the cavity, the lance is deflected using a jig to release the lance's engagement with the terminal fitting. The housing is formed with a support plate that faces the lance with a space to allow deflection of the lance. When the lance is deflected using the jig, the lance hits the support plate, preventing excessive deflection of the lance.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-115345

[0004] In the above connector, a support plate for restricting excessive deflection of the lance is disposed facing the lance with a deflection allowance space therebetween and covering the peripheral wall, so that providing the support plate on the housing may result in an increase in the overall size of the connector.

[0005] The present disclosure was completed in light of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a connector that is easy to miniaturize.

[0006] The connector of the present disclosure is a connector that can be mated with a mating connector, and comprises: a housing having a cavity extending in a first direction; a terminal arranged in the cavity; and a detection member assembled to the housing so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position; the housing is formed with a lance that is arranged in the cavity and is elastically deformable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the lance faces the detection member in the second direction, the detection member is restricted from moving from the standby position to the detection position when the mating of the housing and the mating connector is not complete, and is allowed to move from the standby position to the detection position when the mating of the housing and the mating connector is complete, and the detection member is equipped with an excessive deflection restriction portion that restricts the amount of deflection of the lance within a certain range when the lance elastically deforms in one side of the second direction when the detection member is in the standby position.

[0007] The connector device of the present disclosure is a connector device including the above connector and a mating connector that can be fitted to the housing.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a connector that is easy to miniaturize can be provided.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a connector according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, showing a state in which a detection member is in a standby position. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the detection member is in a standby position and the connector and the mating connector have been fully mated. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the detection member is in a detection position. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, showing a state in which a terminal is being repaired. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the detection member is in a standby position. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the detection member is in a standby position. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the detection member is in a detection position. FIG. 10 is a side view of the connector. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in FIG. 10, showing a state in which a retainer is in a provisionally locked position. Fig. 13 is a view showing a state in which the retainer is in the provisional locking position, taken along the E-E cross section of Fig. 10. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the housing. Fig. 15 is a view showing the housing, taken along the C-C cross section of Fig. 1. Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the retainer. Fig. 17 is a rear perspective view of the detection member. Fig. 18 is a front perspective view of the detection member.

[0010] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. [1] A connector of the present disclosure is a connector that can be mated with a mating connector, and includes: a housing having a cavity extending in a first direction; a terminal disposed in the cavity; and a detection member assembled to the housing so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position, the housing is formed with a lance disposed in the cavity and elastically deformable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the lance faces the detection member in the second direction, the detection member is restricted from moving from the standby position to the detection position when mating between the housing and the mating connector is not complete, and is allowed to move from the standby position to the detection position when mating between the housing and the mating connector is complete, and the detection member includes an excessive deflection restricting portion that restricts an amount of deflection of the lance within a certain range when the lance elastically deforms in one side of the second direction when the detection member is in the standby position.

[0011] According to this configuration, by providing the excessive deflection restricting portion on the detection member, it is easier to make the housing smaller than when the excessive deflection restricting portion is provided on the housing, and therefore it is easier to make the connector including the detection member smaller.

[0012] [2] In the above [1], it is preferable that the housing includes a first wall portion from which the lance extends, and a lock arm extending from the first wall portion.

[0013] With this configuration, there is no need to provide an excessive deflection prevention portion on the housing, so the lock arm can be molded using a simple mold. Also, the strength of the lock arm and the mold can be ensured while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector.

[0014] [3] In the above [1] or [2], it is preferable that the housing has a first wall portion from which the lance extends, and that the first wall portion has a recess formed therein that exposes the tip of the lance in the first direction.

[0015] According to this configuration, the terminal can be released from the locking by the lance by inserting a jig into the recess.

[0016] [4] In any one of [1] to [3] above, it is preferable that the housing has a first wall portion from which the lance extends, the first wall portion has a sliding surface that slides against the detection member, and the lance has an opposing surface that faces the detection member and is arranged on the other side of the sliding surface in the second direction.

[0017] With this configuration, it is easy to ensure a space for the lance to bend between the detection member and the opposing surface.

[0018] [5] In any one of [1] to [4] above, it is preferable that the housing has a first wall portion from which the lance extends, the detection member has a main body portion that slides against the first wall portion and an arm portion that extends from the main body portion in the first direction, and the excessive deflection control portion is formed on the arm portion and is arranged on one side of the first wall portion in the second direction.

[0019] With this configuration, it is easy to ensure a space for the lance to bend between the excessive deflection restricting portion and the lance.

[0020] [6] The connector device of the present disclosure comprises any one of the connectors [1] to [5] above and a mating connector that can be fitted to the housing.

[0021] [Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In the drawings, for the convenience of explanation, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of each part may differ between drawings. In this specification, "orthogonal" does not only refer to a strict orthogonal relationship, but also includes a roughly orthogonal relationship within the scope of the operation and effect of this embodiment.

[0022] In addition, "facing" in this specification refers to surfaces or components facing each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. In addition, "facing" in this specification includes both cases where a component separate from the two components is interposed between the two components, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two components.

[0023] <Embodiments> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 18. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is defined as upward, the direction indicated by arrow X as forward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y as leftward. The front-to-back direction is an example of a first direction. The up-to-down direction is an example of a second direction. Note that, for multiple identical components, only some of the components may be designated by reference numerals, and the reference numerals for the other components may be omitted.

[0024] (Connector device 1, connector 10) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the connector device 1 according to the embodiment includes a connector 10 and a mating connector 60 that can be mated with the connector 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the connector 10 includes a housing 20, terminals 11 accommodated in the housing 20, and a detection member 40 that is assembled to the housing 20 and is movable in the front-rear direction between a standby position (see Figures 2 and 3) and a detection position (see Figure 4). Also, as shown in Figure 6, the connector 10 includes a retainer 50 that prevents the terminals 11 from coming out of the housing 20.

[0025] (Terminal 11) As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal 11 includes a pair of cylindrical terminals 12 connected to the ends of a pair of cables through which differential signals are transmitted, an insulating member 13 that holds the pair of cylindrical terminals 12, and a conductive shielding member 14 that surrounds the insulating member 13. A locking portion 14A that locks with a lance 24 (described later) is formed on the upper surface of the shielding member 14 and protrudes upward. As shown in Fig. 6, a locking piece 14B that locks with a retainer 50 is formed on the side surface of the shielding member 14. Because the terminal 11 is used for high-speed transmission twisted-pair cables, the connector 10 is sometimes referred to as an HMTD (High-Speed ​​Modular Twisted-Pair Data) connector.

[0026] (Housing 20) The housing 20 is made of insulating synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 20 includes a housing main body 21 having a cavity 22 into which the terminal 11 is inserted. The housing main body 21 is generally block-shaped. The cavity 22 penetrates the housing main body 21 in the front-rear direction. The housing main body 21 includes a first wall portion 23 that defines the cavity 22 and is disposed above the cavity 22. A lance 24 is formed within the cavity 22 and is elastically deformable in the up-down direction relative to the housing main body 21. The lance 24 protrudes inward into the cavity 22. The lance 24 extends from the first wall portion 23. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the lance 24 is formed by cutting out the first wall portion 23. As shown in FIG. 1, the first wall portion 23 has a recess 23A that exposes the tip of the lance 24 forward.

[0027] When the terminal 11 is inserted into the cavity 22 from behind, the lance 24 interferes with the terminal 11 and elastically deforms upward. When the terminal 11 is placed in the correct position, as shown in Figure 2, the lance 24 elastically returns to its natural state and engages with the engaging portion 14A of the terminal 11 from behind.

[0028] The housing 20 has an opening 25 that penetrates the first wall portion 23 of the housing main body 21 in the vertical direction. The opening 25 communicates with the cavity 22. The housing 20 has a lock arm 26 that extends upward and rearward from a portion of the first wall portion 23 forward of the opening 25. The lock arm 26 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. The lock arm 26 has a lock arm main body 26A and a lock protrusion 26B that protrudes upward from the lock arm main body 26A.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 10 , the housing 20 has a retainer mounting recess 27 in which the retainer 50 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 14 , the retainer mounting recess 27 is recessed from both side surfaces and the bottom surface of the housing main body 21. The retainer mounting recess 27 has a temporary locking portion 27A and a full locking portion 27B protruding from the inner surface of the retainer mounting recess 27, and a through hole 27C that connects the internal space of the retainer mounting recess 27 to the cavity 22. The temporary locking portion 27A, the full locking portion 27B, and the through hole 27C are provided in pairs on both the left and right sides of the retainer mounting recess 27. The temporary locking portion 27A is located rearward and below the full locking portion 27B. The through hole 27C is located between the full locking portion 27B and the temporary locking portion 27A in the front-to-rear direction. The through hole 27C is provided in a lower portion of the retainer mounting recess 27.

[0030] The retainer 50 is made of insulating synthetic resin. The retainer 50 has a gate shape corresponding to the retainer mounting recess 27. As shown in FIG. 16 , the retainer 50 includes a base wall portion 51 and a pair of side wall portions 52 extending upward from both side edges of the base wall portion 51. A temporary-locking projection 53 and a full-locking projection 54 are provided at the upper end of the side wall portion 52. The temporary-locking projection 53 and the full-locking projection 54 protrude from the inner surface of the side wall portion 52. The temporary-locking projection 53 is located rearward of the full-locking projection 54. In addition, a slip-out prevention portion 55 is provided at the lower end of the side wall portion 52. The slip-out prevention portion 55 protrudes from the inner surface of the side wall portion 52 and also protrudes from the upper surface of the base wall portion 51.

[0031] The retainer 50 is assembled into the retainer mounting recess 27 from below the housing main body 21. First, the temporary-locking projections 53 and the temporary-locking portions 27A engage with each other, causing the side wall portions 52 to elastically deform so as to move apart in the left-right direction, and the temporary-locking projections 53 climb over the temporary-locking portions 27A. As shown in FIG. 12 , the temporary-locking projections 53 and the temporary-locking portions 27A engage with each other, and the retainer 50 is locked in the temporary-locking position. As shown in FIG. 13 , in the temporary-locking position, the full-locking projections 54 are located below the full-locking portions 27B. When the retainer 50 is further pushed upward in the temporary-locking position, the full-locking projections 54 and the full-locking portions 27B engage with each other, causing the side wall portions 52 to elastically deform so as to move apart in the left-right direction, and the full-locking projections 54 climb over the full-locking portions 27B. As shown in FIG. 11, the retainer 50 is locked in the full locking position by the full locking projection 54 and the full locking portion 27B engaging with each other.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 6 , when the retainer 50 is in the full-locking position, the retaining portion 55 enters the cavity 22 through the through hole 27C. The retaining portion 55 engages with the locking piece 14B, thereby preventing the terminal 11 from slipping out rearward within the cavity 22. On the other hand, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 6 , when the retainer 50 is in the partial-locking position, the retaining portion 55 does not enter the cavity 22. Therefore, the terminal 11 can be inserted into the cavity 22 and removed from the cavity 22.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 14 , the housing 20 includes two locking plates 28 extending upward from both left and right ends of the first wall 23 of the housing main body 21. The locking plates 28 have inner surfaces 28A that are located inside the housing 20 in the left-right direction. The housing 20 includes a first locking portion 29 and a second locking portion 30 that protrude left and right from the inner surface 28A of the locking plate 28. The second locking portion 30 is located near the center of the locking plate 28 in the front-to-rear direction. The first locking portion 29 is located rearward of the second locking portion 30. The first locking portion 29 is located at the lower end of the inner surface 28A of the locking plate 28 and is connected to the upper surface (sliding surface 23B) of the first wall 23 of the housing main body 21. The second locking portion 30 is located near the upper end of the inner surface 28A of the locking plate 28.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 9 , the first locking portion 29 and the second locking portion 30 each have locking surfaces 29A, 30A that lock the detection member 40. The locking surfaces 29A, 30A each lock the detection member 40 to prevent it from slipping out (rearward) from the direction opposite the insertion direction (forward). As shown in FIG. 7 , the locking surface 29A of the first locking portion 29 locks a locking protrusion 45 of the detection member 40 (described later) from the rear, thereby holding the detection member 40 in the standby position. As shown in FIG. 8 , the rear surface of the second locking portion 30 locks the locking protrusion 45 from the front, preventing the detection member 40 from moving forward from the first position. As shown in FIG. 9 , the locking surface 30A of the second locking portion 30 locks the locking protrusion 45 from the rear, preventing the detection member 40 from moving forward from the detection position. As shown in FIG. 4 , interference between the lock arm 26 and the detection member 40 prevents the detection member 40 from moving forward from the detection position.

[0035] 7, the locking surface 29A of the first locking portion 29 is inclined in the protruding direction (left-right direction) toward the rear (front) of the insertion direction as it moves away from the locking plate portion 28. In other words, the first locking portion 29 has an overhanging shape in the insertion direction.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 9 , the protrusion dimension L1 of the first locking portion 29 from the locking plate portion 28 is greater than the protrusion dimension L2 of the second locking portion 30 from the locking plate portion 28. This increases the holding force that holds the detection member 40 in the standby position. Meanwhile, the protrusion dimension L2 of the second locking portion 30 is smaller than the protrusion dimension L1 of the first locking portion 29, so the locking protrusion 45 is easier to overcome than the first locking portion 29. In other words, the force required to move the detection member 40 from the standby position to the detection position can be reduced compared to assembling the detection member 40 in the standby position. That is, the movement of the detection member 40 from the standby position to the detection position can be performed manually by an operator. The detection member 40 may be assembled in the standby position using, for example, an automated machine.

[0037] As described above, the first locking portion 29 is disposed at the lower end of the locking plate portion 28 and is connected to the first wall portion 23 of the housing body 21, thereby preventing the locking projection 45 of the detection member 40 from shifting downward. This makes it difficult for the detection member 40 to be disengaged from the first locking portion 29, thereby increasing the holding force of the detection member 40 in the standby position.

[0038] As shown in Figure 14, the housing 20 has a guide recess 31 recessed from the inner surface 28A of the locking plate portion 28. The guide recess 31 opens on the opposite side (rearward) from the insertion direction of the detection member 40. The upper surface of the first wall portion 23 serves as a sliding surface 23B. A recess 23C recessed downward relative to the sliding surface 23B is provided in the center of the first wall portion 23 from left to right. As shown in Figure 13, the lance 24 is located inside the recess 23C. The upper surface of the lance 24 serves as an opposing surface 24A that is located below the sliding surface 23B. The opposing surface 24A faces the detection member 40 in the vertical direction.

[0039] 17 and 18, the detection member 40 includes a main body 41 and an arm 42. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm 42 extends forward and upward from a lower portion of the front end of the main body 41. The arm 42 is elastically deformable in the up-and-down direction relative to the main body 41. As shown in FIG. 18, the arm 42 includes an arm main body 42A and an excessive deflection restricting portion 42B that protrudes downward from the center of the arm main body 42A in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B is disposed above the first wall 23.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 17 , the detection member 40 includes two side plates 44 disposed on either side of the main body 41, and a locking projection 45 projecting from each side plate 44 in a direction away from the main body 41 in the left-right direction. The front portions of the side plates 44 are elastically deformable in the left-right direction relative to the main body 41. The locking projection 45 is disposed at the front end of the side plate 44. The locking projection 45 has a first surface 45A disposed in approximately the lower two-thirds of the vertical direction and a second surface 45B disposed in approximately the upper one-third of the vertical direction. The first surface 45A and the second surface 45B are disposed behind the locking projection 45. As shown in FIG. 7 , the first surface 45A engages with the locking surface 29A of the first locking portion 29 of the housing 20. As shown in FIG. 9, the second surface 45B engages with the engaging surface 30A of the second engaging portion 30 of the housing 20.

[0041] As shown in Figure 7, the first surface 45A is inclined rearward as it moves away from the side plate portion 44 in the left-right direction. That is, approximately two-thirds of the lower portion of the locking protrusion 45 has a shape that overhangs rearward. As described above, the first locking portion 29 also has a shape that overhangs forward. Therefore, the engagement between the first surface 45A of the locking protrusion 45 and the locking surface 29A of the first locking portion 29 is particularly difficult to disengage, thereby increasing the holding force of the detection member 40 in the standby position.

[0042] 17 , the detection member 40 includes guide protrusions 46 that protrude from the rear end of each side plate 44 in the left-right direction away from the main body 41. As shown in FIG. 7 , the guide protrusions 46 come into sliding contact with the guide recesses 31. This guides the movement of the detection member 40 in the front-rear direction relative to the housing 20.

[0043] 3, the mating connector 60 includes a mating housing 61 and mating terminals 62 held by the mating housing 61. In this embodiment, the mating connector 60 is a board connector to be installed on a circuit board.

[0044] The mating terminal 62 includes a pair of pin terminals 63, an insulating member 64 that holds the pair of pin terminals 63, and a conductive shielding member 65 that surrounds the insulating member 64. The pin terminals 63 are generally L-shaped in side view. One end of the pin terminal 63 is a terminal connecting portion 63A. The terminal connecting portion 63A is inserted into the cylindrical terminal 12 and is electrically connected to the cylindrical terminal 12. The other end of the pin terminal 63 is a board connecting portion 63B. The board connecting portion 63B is inserted into a through-hole in the circuit board and is electrically connected to a signal conduction path of the circuit board. The insulating member 64 covers the pair of pin terminals 63 except for both end portions. The shielding member 65 includes a fitting cylindrical portion 65A disposed around the terminal connecting portion 63A, an insulator surrounding portion 65B connected to the fitting cylindrical portion 65A and surrounding the insulating member 64, and a plurality of legs 65C extending from the lower end of the insulator surrounding portion 65B. The fitting cylindrical portion 65A fits around the terminal 11 from the outside and comes into contact with the shielding member 14 of the terminal 11. The plurality of legs 65C are generally cylindrical. The plurality of legs 65C are inserted into grounding through-holes in the circuit board and connected to grounding conductive paths provided on the circuit board.

[0045] The mating housing 61 is made of insulating synthetic resin and is fitted to the housing 20 from the outside. The mating housing 61 has a locking portion 61A that engages with the locking protrusion 26B of the locking arm 26.

[0046] 2, when the detection member 40 is in the standby position, the opposing surface 24A of the lance 24 and the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B of the arm portion 42 are spaced apart in the vertical direction. The excessive deflection restricting portion 42B is positioned so that when the terminal 11 is inserted into the cavity 22 from behind, the lance 24 interferes with the terminal 11 and allows elastic deformation upward.

[0047] In this embodiment, the opposing surface 24A of the lance 24 is disposed below the sliding contact surface 23B. Moreover, the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B is provided on the arm portion 42 and disposed above the sliding contact surface 23B. This configuration makes it easier to ensure a space between the opposing surface 24A and the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B. In other words, it is easier to ensure a deflection space for the lance 24 between the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B and the opposing surface 24A.

[0048] Furthermore, when the detection member 40 is in the standby position, the tip of the arm portion 42 faces the lock arm 26 in close proximity in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to move the detection member 40 from the standby position to the detection position, interference between the arm portion 42 and the lock arm 26 prevents the detection member 40 from moving to the detection position. When the detection member 40 is in the standby position and the connector 10 begins to mate with the mating connector 60, the lock portion 61A of the mating connector 60 engages with the tip of the arm portion 42, causing the arm portion 42 to elastically deform downward from its initial position (see FIG. 2). Then, when the connector 10 and the mating connector 60 are completely mated, as shown in FIG. 3, the tip of the arm portion 42 is displaced downward to a position where it does not interfere with the lock arm 26. This allows the detection member 40 to be moved from the standby position to the detection position (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, when the mating of the connector 10 and the mating connector 60 is incomplete, a portion of the tip of the arm portion 42 is positioned in an interference position with the lock arm 26, making it impossible to move the detection member 40 from the standby position to the detection position.

[0049] To repair a terminal 11 in the connector 10, first, the detection member 40 is moved to the standby position, and the connector 10 is separated from the mating connector 60. Then, the retainer 50 is moved from the full-locking position to the temporary-locking position, releasing the retention of the terminal 11 by the retainer 50. Next, as shown in FIG. 5 , a jig J is inserted into the recess 23A, and the locking of the terminal 11 by the lance 24 is released. Specifically, the jig J is hooked onto the tip of the lance 24, causing the lance 24 to elastically deform upward. With the locking of the lance 24 and the terminal 11 released, the cable connected to the terminal 11 can be pulled backward to remove the terminal 11 from the cavity 22.

[0050] When repairing the terminal 11, if the lance 24 is elastically deformed upward by the jig J and the amount of deflection of the lance 24 becomes greater than necessary, the opposing surface 24A will abut against the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B. When the opposing surface 24A abuts against the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B, further elastic deformation of the lance 24 is restricted. The amount of deflection of the lance 24 at this time is within the elastic limit of the lance 24, and the lance 24 is designed to elastically deform within a range that does not cause plastic deformation. Therefore, when the jig J is removed from the lance 24, the lance 24 will elastically return to a position where it can prevent the terminal 11 from coming out.

[0051] (Effects of the embodiment) (1) The connector 10 according to the embodiment is a connector 10 that can be mated with a mating connector 60, and includes a housing 20 having a cavity 22 extending in a first direction (front-rear direction), terminals 11 arranged in the cavity 22, and a detection member 40 assembled to the housing 20 so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position. The housing 20 is formed with a lance 24 that is arranged in the cavity 22 and is elastically deformable in a second direction (up-down direction) perpendicular to the first direction, and the lance 24 4 faces the detection member 40 in the second direction, and the detection member 40 is restricted from moving from the standby position to the detection position when the mating between the housing 20 and the mating connector 60 is not complete, and is allowed to move from the standby position to the detection position when the mating between the housing 20 and the mating connector 60 is complete, and the detection member 40 is provided with an excessive deflection restriction portion 42B that restricts the amount of deflection of the lance 24 within a certain range when the lance 24 elastically deforms to one side (upward) in the second direction when the detection member 40 is in the standby position.

[0052] According to this configuration, by providing the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B on the detection member 40, it is easier to reduce the size of the housing 20 compared to when the excessive deflection restricting portion is provided on the housing. Therefore, it is easier to reduce the size of the connector 10 including the detection member 40.

[0053] (2) In the embodiment, the housing 20 includes the first wall portion 23 from which the lance 24 extends, and the lock arm 26 extending from the first wall portion 23 .

[0054] With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide an excessive deflection prevention portion in the housing 20, and therefore it is possible to mold the lock arm 26 using a simple mold. Furthermore, it is possible to ensure the strength of the lock arm 26 and the strength of the mold while avoiding an increase in the size of the connector 10.

[0055] (3) In the embodiment, the housing 20 includes the first wall portion 23 from which the lance 24 extends, and the first wall portion 23 is formed with a recess 23C that exposes the tip end of the lance 24 in the first direction.

[0056] With this configuration, the terminal 11 can be released from the locking by the lance 24 by inserting the jig J into the recess 23C.

[0057] (4) In the embodiment, the housing 20 has a first wall portion 23 from which the lance 24 extends, the first wall portion 23 has a sliding surface 23B that slides against the detection member 40, and the lance 24 has an opposing surface 24A that faces the detection member 40 and is arranged on the other side (downward) of the sliding surface 23B in the second direction.

[0058] With this configuration, it is easy to ensure a space for the lance 24 to bend between the detection member 40 and the opposing surface 24A.

[0059] (5) In the embodiment, the housing 20 has a first wall portion 23 from which the lance 24 extends, the detection member 40 has a main body portion 41 that slides against the first wall portion 23 and an arm portion 42 that extends from the main body portion 41 in the first direction, and the excessive deflection control portion 42B is formed on the arm portion 42 and is arranged on one side (above) of the first wall portion 23 in the second direction.

[0060] With this configuration, it is easy to ensure a space for deflection of the lance 24 between the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B and the lance 24.

[0061] (6) The connector device 1 according to the embodiment includes the connector 10 and the mating connector 60 that can be fitted to the housing 20 .

[0062] (Other Embodiments) The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the connector 10 includes the retainer 50. However, the retainer may be omitted.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the excessive deflection restricting portion 42B has a shape that protrudes from the arm main body 42A toward the lance 24, but the excessive deflection restricting portion does not have to protrude from the arm main body. Also, the excessive deflection restricting portion may be provided in a portion other than the arm.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the terminal 11 includes the insulating member 13 and the shielding member 14. However, the terminal does not necessarily have to include the insulating member and the shielding member.

[0066] 1: Connector device 10: Connector 11: Terminal 12: Cylindrical terminal 13: Insulating member 14: Shield member 14A: Locking portion 14B: Locking piece 20: Housing 21: Housing body 22: Cavity 23: First wall portion 23A: Recess 23B: Sliding surface 23C: Recess 24: Lance 24A: Opposing surface 25: Opening 26: Lock arm 26A: Lock arm body 26B: Lock protrusion 27: Retainer mounting recess 27A: Provisional locking portion 27B: Full locking portion 27C: Through hole 28: Locking plate portion 28A: Inner surface 29: First locking portion 29A: Locking surface 30: Second locking portion 30A: Locking surface 31: Guide recess 40: Detecting member 41: Main body 42: Arm 42A: Arm body 42B: Excessive deflection restricting portion 44: Side plate 45: Locking protrusion 45A: First surface 45B: Second surface 46: Guide protrusion 50: Retainer 51: Base wall 52: Side wall 53: Provisional locking projection 54: Full locking projection 55: Pull-out prevention portion 60: Mating connector 61: Mating housing 61A: Locking portion 62: Mating terminal 63: Pin terminal 63A: Terminal connecting portion 63B: Board connecting portion 64: Insulating member 65: Shielding member 65A: Fitting cylinder portion 65B: Insulator surrounding portion 65C: Leg J: Jig L1: Protrusion dimension L2: Protrusion dimension

Claims

1. A connector that can be mated with a mating connector, comprising: a housing having a cavity extending in a first direction; terminals arranged in the cavity; and a detection member assembled to the housing so as to be movable between a standby position and a detection position, wherein the housing is formed with a lance that is arranged in the cavity and is elastically deformable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the lance faces the detection member in the second direction, the detection member is restricted from moving from the standby position to the detection position when the mating of the housing and the mating connector is not complete, and is allowed to move from the standby position to the detection position when the mating of the housing and the mating connector is complete, and the detection member has an excessive deflection restriction portion that restricts the amount of deflection of the lance within a certain range when the lance elastically deforms in one side of the second direction when the detection member is in the standby position.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a first wall portion from which said lance extends, and a locking arm extending from said first wall portion.

3. A connector as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing has a first wall portion from which the lance extends, and the first wall portion has a recess formed therein that exposes the tip of the lance in the first direction.

4. A connector as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing has a first wall portion from which the lance extends, the first wall portion has a sliding surface that comes into sliding contact with the detection member, and the lance has an opposing surface that faces the detection member and is arranged on the other side of the sliding surface in the second direction.

5. A connector as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing has a first wall portion from which the lance extends, the detection member has a main body portion that slides against the first wall portion and an arm portion that extends from the main body portion in the first direction, and the excessive deflection control portion is formed on the arm portion and is arranged on one side of the first wall portion in the second direction.

6. A connector device comprising: the connector according to claim 1 or 2; and a mating connector that can be fitted to the housing.

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