Connector device

Abstract

The present invention suppresses breakage of a housing.　This connector device (10) comprises: a housing (30) that can be fitted to a counterpart connector (55); and a holder (12) that has a rear wall part (13) and a pair of left and right side wall parts (14). A guide groove (16) that opens to the inside surface and the front surface of the side wall parts (14) is formed in the side wall parts (14). Protruding to-be-guided parts (40) accommodated in the guide groove (16) so as to be capable of relative displacement in the front-rear direction are formed on both left and right side surfaces of the housing (30). An elastically deformable lock arm (20) is formed inside the guide groove (16). A retaining protrusion (44) that restricts detachment of the to-be-guided parts (40) from the guide groove (16) by engagement with the lock arm (20) is formed on the to-be-guided part (40).

Description

Connector device

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a floating connector including a slide housing to which contacts are attached and a base housing that holds the slide housing so as to be relatively displaceable in both the depth direction and the width direction. This floating connector can absorb misalignment in a two-dimensional direction orthogonal to the fitting direction during the fitting process with a mating connector.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-093424

[0004] The above floating connector slides with the protruding portion of the slide housing fitted into the groove of the base housing. In such a fitting structure, it is preferable to provide means for preventing the protruding portion from coming off the groove. As such a detachment preventing means, a structure in which an elastically deformable lock arm is provided on the protruding portion and the lock arm is locked to a stopper provided in the groove can be considered. However, if the lock arm is arranged on the outer surface of the protrusion, there is a concern that the lock arm may be damaged due to interference between the slide housings when a large number of slide housings are packed in boxes or bags and transported.

[0005] The connector device of the present disclosure has been completed based on the above circumstances, and aims to suppress damage to the housing.

[0006] The connector device of the present disclosure includes a housing that can be fitted to a mating connector, and a holder having a rear wall portion and a pair of left and right side wall portions. Guide grooves that open to the inner surface and the front surface of the side wall portion are formed in the side wall portion. Protruding guided portions that are accommodated in the guide grooves so as to be relatively displaceable in the front-rear direction are formed on both left and right side surfaces of the housing. An elastically deformable lock arm is formed inside the guide groove. A retaining protrusion that restricts the detachment of the guided portion from the guide groove by locking to the lock arm is formed on the guided portion.

[0007] According to this disclosure, damage to the housing can be suppressed.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the connector device of Embodiment 1 detached from the mating connector. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the support member and the connector device. Figure 3 is a front view showing the connector device attached to the support member. Figure 4 is a plan view showing the connector device attached to the support member. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X showing the housing slid forward relative to the holder. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X showing the housing slid backward relative to the holder. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X showing the state in which mating between the diagonally positioned mating connector and the connector device has begun.

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure] Embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described first. Any combination of the following embodiments, insofar as they do not contradict each other, is also included as a form for carrying out the invention. The connector device of the Disclosure comprises: (1) a housing that can be mated with a mating connector; and a holder having a rear wall and a pair of left and right side walls, wherein the side walls have guide grooves that open to the inner surface and front surface of the side walls, and the left and right sides of the housing have protruding guided portions that are housed in the guide grooves so as to be able to be displaced relative to each other in the front-rear direction, and elastically deformable lock arms are formed inside the guide grooves, and retaining protrusions are formed on the guided portions that restrict the detachment of the guided portions from the guide grooves by engaging with the lock arms. With this configuration, since the elastically deformable lock arms are housed inside the guide grooves, damage to the lock arms due to interference with foreign matter can be suppressed. Therefore, damage to the housing can be suppressed.

[0010] (2) In (1), it is preferable that a restricting projection is formed on the surface of the guided portion facing the lock arm, which contacts the lock arm to suppress the vertical movement of the housing. This configuration makes it possible to suppress the housing from rattling in the vertical direction relative to the holder.

[0011] (3) In (2), the housing is capable of tilting in the front-rear direction to match the tilt of the mating connector in the front-rear direction, the guided portion is curved to protrude downward in a side view and has a rolling surface that contacts the upward support surface of the guide groove, a vertical clearance is provided between the guided portion and the inner surface of the guide groove to allow the guided portion to tilt in the front-rear direction within the guide groove, and the regulating projection is preferably positioned in the center of the guided portion in the front-rear direction.

[0012] When the housing tilts in the front-to-back direction to match the tilted mating connector, the guided portion also tilts in the front-to-back direction within the guide groove. In order to allow the front-to-back tilt of the guided portion within the guide groove, it is necessary to secure vertical oscillation space between the guided portion and the inner surface of the guide groove. Taking this into consideration, the regulating projection is positioned at the center of the guided portion in the front-to-back direction. With this arrangement, it is easy to secure oscillation space on both sides of the regulating projection in the front-to-back direction to allow tilting of the guided portion in both forward and backward directions within the guide groove.

[0013] (4) In (2) or (3), the lock arm is positioned on the side of the guided portion that is facing the regulating projection in the guide groove, and when the guided portion is restricted from detaching from the guide groove by the lock arm, it is preferable that the maximum displacement range of the regulating projection in the front-rear direction is the same as or narrower than the formation range of the lock arm. With this configuration, when the guided portion is not detached from the guide groove, the vertical rattle of the housing relative to the holder can be suppressed regardless of the position of the housing relative to the holder in the front-rear direction.

[0014] In (5) and (4), the lock arm has a pivot point connected to the opposing surface of the guide groove and an elastically deformable movable arm portion extending cantilevered from the pivot point, and a locking projection is formed at the extended end of the movable arm portion to restrict the guided portion from detaching from the guide groove by engaging the retaining projection, and when the retaining projection is engaged with the locking projection, it is preferable that the restricting projection is located within the range of the pivot point in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, when the retaining projection is engaged with the locking projection, the restricting projection abuts against the pivot point connected to the opposing surface of the guide groove. Since the pivot point connected to the opposing surface of the guide groove does not elastically deform, vertical displacement of the guided portion by the restricting projection can be effectively suppressed, and consequently, the retaining projection can be prevented from detaching from the locking projection.

[0015] [Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure] [Example 1] An embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector device 10 of Embodiment 1, will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is shown by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and range equivalent to the claims are included. In Embodiment 1, the front-to-back direction is defined as the F direction in Figures 1, 2, 4 to 8. The up-and-down direction is defined as the H direction in Figures 1 to 3, 5 to 8. The left-to-right direction is defined as the R direction in Figures 1 to 4.

[0016] The connector device 10 of this embodiment 1 is a device that constitutes a floating connector A by being attached to a panel-shaped support member P. The support member P is fixed to the chassis of an automobile (not shown) with its plate thickness direction facing the front-rear direction. The support member P has a pair of left and right mounting holes H formed therethrough.

[0017] The connector device 10 is designed to be fitted from below to a mating connector 55 attached to the body of an automobile (not shown). The mating connector 55 has a female mating terminal (not shown). On the surface of the mating connector 55 facing the connector device 10 (the lower surface), a guide portion 56 is formed that protrudes toward the connector device 10. The guide portion 56 has a guide surface 57 that is inclined with respect to the mating direction (up and down direction) with respect to the mating direction with respect to the mating connector 55. When the connector device 10 and the mating connector 55 are mated with a misalignment in a two-dimensional direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the mating direction, the guide surface 57 slides against the connector device 10, thereby correcting the misalignment in the two-dimensional direction (front-back direction and left-right direction) between the connector device 10 and the mating connector 55.

[0018] The connector device 10 includes a movable member 11 attached to a support member P and a male terminal fitting (not shown). The movable member 11 is constructed by assembling one holder 12 and one housing 30. The holder 12 is made of synthetic resin and is a single component having a rear wall portion 13 and a pair of symmetrical side wall portions 14. For example, two clips 15 are provided on the rear surface of the rear wall portion 13. The holder 12 (movable member 11) is attached to the support member P by fitting the two clips 15 into a pair of mounting holes H.

[0019] A pair of symmetrical guide grooves 16 are formed in the pair of side wall portions 14. The guide grooves 16 have a shape that extends in the front-rear direction and open to the inner surface and front end surface of the side wall portion 14. The lower surface on the inner surface of the guide groove 16 functions as a support surface 17 for supporting the housing 30. The support surface 17 is composed of a plane that is perpendicular to the fitting direction and extends in the front-rear direction (horizontal direction).

[0020] As shown in Figures 5-8, a lock arm 20 is formed within the guide groove 16. The lock arm 20 has a pivot point 21 connected to the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16, an elastically deformable movable arm portion 22 extending forward in a cantilevered manner from the pivot point 21, and a lock projection 24. The movable arm portion 22 is parallel to the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16. The pivot point 21 is, for example, a projection that protrudes downward from the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16. The pivot point 21 is a solid portion that does not have a hollow part inside and is a portion that is less prone to elastic deformation. The movable arm portion 22 is designed to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction with the front end of the pivot point 21 as the pivot point. A deflection allowance space 23 is formed between the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16 and the movable arm portion 22 to allow the movable arm portion 22 to be elastically deformed upward. The locking projection 24 is a portion that protrudes downward from the extended end (rear end) of the movable arm portion 22. The entire locking arm 20 is located below the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16. Furthermore, the entire locking arm 20 is contained within the guide groove 16 (within its formation range) in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, for example (see Figure 3). The lower surface 25 of the locking arm 20, excluding the locking projection 24, is parallel to the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16.

[0021] The housing 30 is a single component having a block-shaped terminal holding portion 31 and a rectangular tubular fitting portion 32 extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface 31A of the terminal holding portion 31. The upper surface 31A is an example of a fitting plane. The upper surface 31A is a plane perpendicular to the actual fitting direction between the housing 30 and the mating connector 55. The housing 30 is housed inside the holder 12. In other words, the housing 30 is housed in a space enclosed by the rear wall portion 13 and the left and right side wall portions 14. A male terminal fitting (not shown) is held in the terminal holding portion 31. The tab of the terminal fitting is arranged inside the fitting portion 32.

[0022] As shown in Figure 4, in a plan view of the housing 30 from above, the opening edge of the mating portion 32 forms a rectangle with its long side oriented in the left-right direction. A tapered guide slope 33 is formed at the upper end of the opening edge of the mating portion 32. The mating portion 32 is the part into which the mating connector 55 is inserted from above. The mating portion 32 is composed of a front wall 34, a pair of left and right side walls 35, and a rear wall 36. The inner surfaces of the front wall 34 and the rear wall 36 of the mating portion 32 function as a pair of interference portions 37.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a pair of symmetrical guided portions 40 are formed on the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 35 of the fitting portion 32. As shown in Figures 4 to 8, the guided portions 40 are protruding parts that have an elongated shape in the front-rear direction as a whole. The direction in which the pair of guided portions 40 protrude from the side walls 35 is, for example, away from the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 35 in the left-right direction. The left-right separation dimension of the protruding end faces of the pair of guided portions 40 is greater than the left-right separation dimension of the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 35.

[0024] The upper surface 41 of the guided portion 40 has a restricting projection 42 and a retaining projection 44 that protrude upward from the guided portion 40. The restricting projection 42 is located, for example, in the center of the guided portion 40 in the front-rear direction. Note that the restricting projection 42 is considered to be located in the center of the guided portion 40 in the front-rear direction if it is located in a region that includes the center of the guided portion 40 in the front-rear direction. In a side view of the housing 30 viewed from the side, the restricting projection 42 is, for example, triangular. Note that the shape of the restricting projection 42 in the side view is not limited to a triangle, but may be a semicircle, etc. In a side view, the top 43 of the upper end of the restricting projection 42 is located, for example, in the center of the guided portion 40 in the front-rear direction. The retaining projection 44 is located, for example, at the rear end of the guided portion 40. The lower surface of the guided portion 40 functions as a rolling surface 45 that is curved to be convex downward. In a side view, the rolling surface 45 is in the shape of a circular arc with a constant curvature.

[0025] The housing 30 is attached to the holder 12 with the terminal holding portion 31 and the mating portion 32 housed inside the holder 12, and the pair of guided portions 40 housed in the pair of guide grooves 16. When assembling the housing 30 to the holder 12, the guided portions 40 are inserted into the guide grooves 16 from the front of the housing 30. During the insertion process, the retaining projection 44 of the guided portion 40 interferes with the locking projection 24 of the lock arm 20, causing the movable arm portion 22 to elastically deform upward. When the retaining projection 44 passes the locking projection 24 and the movable arm portion 22 elastically returns downward, the assembly of the housing 30 to the holder 12 is completed.

[0026] When the guided portion 40 is installed in the guide groove 16, the rolling surface 45 is in contact with the support surface 17 while resting on it. The position of the housing 30 when it is facing the mating connector 55 without tilting in a side view is defined as the neutral position. The point on the rolling surface 45 that contacts the support surface 17 when the housing 30 is in the neutral position is defined as the pivot point 46. In a side view, the pivot point 46 is located on a vertical line V passing through the center of gravity G of the housing 30, between the pair of front and rear interfering portions 37.

[0027] When the retaining projection 44 of the guided portion 40 is engaged with the lock projection 24 of the lock arm 20 from the rear, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, a first clearance 51 is present between the rear wall portion 13 of the holder 12 and the rear surface of the housing 30. In a plan view of the movable member 11 from above, when the left-right center of the housing 30 coincides with the left-right center of the holder 12, a second clearance 52 is present between the left and right outer surfaces of the housing 30 and the left and right side walls 14 of the holder 12, as shown in Figure 4. Due to this first clearance 51 and second clearance 52, the housing 30 can be displaced relative to the holder 12 in the horizontal direction (front-rear direction and left-right direction) perpendicular to the fitting direction between the mating connector 55 and the housing 30.

[0028] When the housing 30 is displaced horizontally relative to the holder 12, the rolling surface 45 slides against the support surface 17. When the guided portion 40 is displaced forward, which is the direction away from the guide groove 16, the retaining projection 44 engages with the lock arm 20 by abutting against the lock projection 24 from the rear, as shown in Figure 6. The retaining projection 44 then engages with the lock projection 24 from the rear, restricting further displacement of the guided portion 40. This prevents the guided portion 40 from leaving the guide groove 16. When the guided portion 40 is displaced backward, as shown in Figure 7, the rear end of the guided portion 40 abuts against the rear surface 19 of the guide groove 16, thereby restricting further backward displacement of the guided portion 40.

[0029] When the guided portion 40 is installed in the guide groove 16, the top 43 of the restricting projection 42 is in contact with or in close proximity to the lower surface 25 of the lock arm 20. When the housing 30 attempts to displace upward relative to the holder 12, the top 43 of the restricting projection 42 abuts against the lower surface 25 of the lock arm 20 from below. This abutment action restricts the relative upward displacement of the housing 30 with respect to the holder 12. In other words, it is possible to suppress rattling of the housing 30 in the vertical direction relative to the holder 12.

[0030] As shown in Figure 6, when the guided portion 40 is prevented from coming out of the guide groove 16 by the locking projection 44 engaging with the locking projection 24, the top 43 of the restricting projection 42 is positioned to face the front end of the pivot point 21 of the lock arm 20. As shown in Figure 7, when the guided portion 40 is abutting against the rear surface 19 of the guide groove 16, the top 43 of the restricting projection 42 is positioned to face the rear end of the pivot point 21 or the front end of the movable arm portion 22. Therefore, when the guided portion 40 is prevented from coming out of the guide groove 16, the top 43 of the restricting projection 42 is positioned to face the lower surface 25 of the lock arm 20, regardless of where the guided portion 40 is within its sliding range. Thus, when the guided portion 40 is held in a locked state within the guide groove 16, upward displacement of the housing 30 relative to the holder 12, i.e., large vertical rattling of the housing 30 relative to the holder 12 is prevented.

[0031] As shown in Figures 5 to 7, when the housing 30 is in a neutral position, a pair of front-to-back third clearances 53 are secured between the area of ​​the rolling surface 45 other than the pivot point 46 and the support surface 17 of the holder 12. A fourth vertical clearance 54 is secured between the upper surface 41 of the guided portion 40 and the lower surface of the guide groove 16. The third clearances 53 and the fourth clearances 54 allow the housing 30 to roll in the front-to-back direction on the support surface 17 relative to the holder 12. The pivot point 46 is the pivot point for the tilt when the housing 30 begins to tilt its posture relative to the holder 12.

[0032] As shown in Figure 8, when the mating connector 55 attempts to enter the mating portion 32 of the housing 30 with its orientation tilted in the front-rear direction, the mating connector 55 interferes with the interference portion 37, applying a pressing force to the housing 30 in the mating direction. This pressing force generates a moment force in the housing 30 that causes it to tilt forward or backward with the pivot point 46 as the pivot point. Here, the pair of front and rear interference portions 37 to which the pressing force is applied are positioned at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction, sandwiching the pivot point 46. Therefore, when the mating connector 55 presses downward on the interference portion 37 with its orientation tilted forward, the moment force generated in the housing 30 becomes a force that causes the housing 30 to tilt forward. As a result, the housing 30 tilts its orientation forward, just like the mating connector 55, allowing the mating between the mating connector 55 and the housing 30 to proceed smoothly.

[0033] The connector device 10 of this embodiment 1 comprises a housing 30 that can be mated with a mating connector 55 and a holder 12. The holder 12 has a rear wall portion 13 and a pair of left and right side wall portions 14. Guide grooves 16 are formed in the side wall portions 14, opening to the inner surface and front surface of the side wall portions 14. Protruding guided portions 40 are formed on both the left and right sides of the housing 30. The guided portions 40 are housed in the guide grooves 16 in a state that allows them to be displaced relative to the holder 12 in the front-rear direction. An elastically deformable lock arm 20 is formed inside the guide groove 16. The guided portions 40 have retaining projections 44 that, by engaging with the lock arm 20, restrict the guided portions 40 from detaching from the guide groove 16. With this configuration, since the elastically deformable lock arm 20 is housed inside the guide groove 16, there is no risk of the lock arm 20 being damaged by interference from foreign objects.

[0034] A regulating projection 42 is formed on the upper surface 41 of the guided portion 40 (the surface of the guided portion 40 facing the lock arm 20) to suppress the vertical movement of the housing 30 by contacting the lock arm 20. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the housing 30 from rattling in the vertical direction relative to the holder 12.

[0035] The housing 30 can tilt in the front-to-back direction to match the front-to-back tilt of the mating connector 55. The guided portion 40 is curved to protrude downward in a side view and has a rolling surface 45 that contacts the upward support surface 17 of the guide groove 16. Between the guided portion 40 and the inner surface of the guide groove 16, there are a third clearance 53 and a fourth clearance 54 in the vertical direction that allow the guided portion 40 to tilt in the front-to-back direction within the guide groove 16.

[0036] When the housing 30 tilts in the front-to-back direction to match the mating connector 55 which is tilted in the front-to-back direction, the guided portion 40 also tilts in the front-to-back direction within the guide groove 16. In order to allow the front-to-back tilt of the guided portion 40 within the guide groove 16, it is necessary to secure vertical swing-tolerance space between the upper surface 41 of the guided portion 40 and the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16. Taking this into consideration, the top portion 43 of the regulating projection 42 is positioned in the center of the guided portion 40 in the front-to-back direction when viewed from the side. With this arrangement, it is easy to secure vertical swing-tolerance space on both sides of the regulating projection 42 in the front-to-back direction to allow the guided portion 40 to tilt in both forward and backward directions within the guide groove 16.

[0037] The lock arm 20 is positioned below the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16 (the surface in the guide groove 16 facing the restricting projection 42) (towards the guided portion 40). When the guided portion 40 is restricted from detaching from the guide groove 16 by the lock arm 20, the maximum displacement range of the restricting projection 42 (top 43) in the front-rear direction is the same as or narrower than the formation range of the lock arm 20. With this configuration, when the guided portion 40 does not detach from the guide groove 16, the vertical rattle of the housing 30 relative to the holder 12 can be suppressed regardless of the position of the housing 30 relative to the holder 12 in the front-rear direction.

[0038] The lock arm 20 has a pivot point 21 connected to the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16, and an elastically deformable movable arm portion 22 that extends cantilevered rearward from the pivot point 21. A lock projection 24 is formed at the extended end (rear end) of the movable arm portion 22. The lock projection 24 restricts the dislodgement of the guided portion 40 from the guide groove 16 by engaging a retaining projection 44 from the rear. When the retaining projection 44 is engaged with the lock projection 24, the restricting projection 42 is located within the range formed by the pivot point 21 in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, when the retaining projection 44 is engaged with the lock projection 24, the restricting projection 42 abuts against the pivot point 21 connected to the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16. The pivot point 21 does not elastically deform because it is connected to the upper surface 18 of the guide groove 16. Since the restricting projection 42 is positioned opposite the pivot point 21 which does not elastically deform, it can effectively suppress vertical displacement of the guided portion 40 by the restricting projection 42, and consequently, it can prevent the retaining projection 44 from disengaging from the locking projection 24.

[0039] [Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above in the description and drawings, but is shown in the claims. The present invention includes the meaning of equivalents of the claims and all modifications within the claims, and also includes the following embodiments.

[0040] - The lock arm may be in a cantilevered form extending forward, or it may be in a form supported at both the front and rear ends. - The lock arm may be positioned along the lower surface of the guide groove, and the guided portion may be positioned above the lock arm. - The guided portion may be in a form without a restricting projection. - The position of the restricting projection may be off-center from the center of gravity of the housing in the front-rear direction. - The maximum displacement range of the restricting projection in the front-rear direction may be outside the formation range of the lock arm, either forward or backward. - When the retaining projection is engaged with the lock projection, the restricting projection may be outside the formation range of the pivot point in the front-rear direction.

[0041] A...Floating connector G...Center of gravity H...Mounting hole P...Support member V...Vertical line 10...Connector device 11...Movable member 12...Holder 13...Rear wall 14...Side wall 15...Clip 16...Guide groove 17...Support surface 18...Upper surface of guide groove (facing surface with regulating projection in guide groove) 19...Rear surface 20...Lock arm 21...Pivot point 22...Movable arm 23...Allowable deflection space 24...Lock projection 25...Bottom surface 30...Housing 31...Terminal holding part 31A...Upper surface of terminal holding part (fitting plane) 32...Fitting part 33...Guiding slope 34...Front wall 35...Side wall 36...Rear wall 37...Interference part 40...Guided part 41...Upper surface of guided part (facing surface with lock arm in guided part) 42...Regulating projection 43...Top 44... Retaining projection 45... Rolling surface 46... Pivot point 51... First clearance 52... Second clearance 53... Third clearance (clearance) 54... Fourth clearance (clearance) 55... Mating connector 56... Guide part 57... Guide surface

Claims

1. A connector device comprising: a housing that can be mated with a mating connector; a holder having a rear wall and a pair of left and right side walls, wherein the side walls have guide grooves that open to the inner surface and front surface of the side walls; the left and right sides of the housing have protruding guided portions that are housed in the guide grooves and can be displaced relative to each other in the front-rear direction; an elastically deformable lock arm is formed inside the guide groove; and the guided portions have retaining protrusions that, by engaging with the lock arm, restrict the guided portions from detaching from the guide grooves.

2. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein a restricting projection is formed on the surface of the guided portion facing the lock arm, which contacts the lock arm to suppress the vertical movement of the housing.

3. The connector device according to claim 2, wherein the housing is capable of tilting in the front-rear direction to match the inclination of the mating connector's orientation in the front-rear direction, the guided portion is curved to protrude downward in a side view and has a rolling surface that contacts the upward support surface of the guide groove, a vertical clearance is provided between the guided portion and the inner surface of the guide groove to allow the guided portion to tilt in the front-rear direction within the guide groove, and the regulating projection is positioned at the center of the guided portion in the front-rear direction.

4. The connector device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the lock arm is located on the side of the guided portion that is opposite to the regulating projection in the guide groove, and when the guided portion is restricted from detaching from the guide groove by the lock arm, the maximum displacement range of the regulating projection in the front-rear direction is the same as or narrower than the formation range of the lock arm.

5. The connector device according to claim 4, wherein the lock arm has a pivot portion connected to the opposing surface of the guide groove, and an elastically deformable movable arm portion extending cantilevered from the pivot portion, and a locking projection is formed at the extended end of the movable arm portion to restrict the dislodgement of the guided portion from the guide groove by engaging the retaining projection, and when the retaining projection is engaged with the locking projection, the restricting projection is located within the range of the pivot portion in the front-rear direction.

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