Connector

Abstract

The present invention discloses a connector which ensures good assemblability of a finger contact prevention member to a terminal fitting, and with which detachment of the finger contact prevention member from the terminal fitting can be suppressed. This connector comprises: a flat plate-shaped terminal fitting (16) accommodated in a terminal accommodation part (12) of a housing (14); a first connection part (48) constituted by one end side of the terminal fitting (16) and exposed to the outside via a first opening (28) of the terminal accommodation part (12); and an insulating finger contact prevention member (18) including a tip cover part (66) that is assembled to the first connection part (48) and covers a tip surface (58) of the first connection part (48). The first connection part (48) has a pair of guide protrusions (62) respectively protruding from a pair of side surfaces, the finger contact prevention member (18) has a pair of side surface cover parts (68) connected to both end parts of the tip cover part (66) in a cantilevered manner, and the side surface cover parts (68) each have an interference part (72) provided at a protruding end thereof, and a guide groove part (74) extending from a tip part toward a base end part thereof and accommodating the guide protrusions.

Description

Connector

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal block as an example of a connector including a housing and a terminal fitting accommodated inside the housing. The housing is protrudingly provided with an accommodation cylinder portion that covers the terminal fitting from the outer peripheral side and opens toward the tip end side of the terminal fitting, and the tip end of the terminal fitting is exposed to the outside from the opening of the accommodation cylinder portion. Since the tip end portion of such a terminal fitting may be a live part, for the purpose of reducing the risk of electric shock caused by an operator's finger or the like coming into contact with the tip end of the terminal fitting, an insulating finger-touch prevention member is attached to the tip end of the terminal fitting.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2023-122741

[0004] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, since the finger-touch prevention member is merely assembled to the tip end of the terminal fitting, there is a risk that the finger-touch prevention member may detach from the terminal fitting. In order to reduce the risk of detachment, it is conceivable to extend the finger-touch prevention member to the inner part of the terminal fitting, but there is concern about deterioration of assemblability of the finger-touch prevention member with respect to the terminal fitting, so this cannot be said to be a desirable countermeasure.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure discloses a connector in which the assemblability of the finger-touch prevention member with respect to the terminal fitting is good, and detachment of the finger-touch prevention member from the terminal fitting can be suppressed.

[0006] The connector of this disclosure comprises a housing having a cylindrical terminal housing portion, a flat terminal fitting housed in the terminal housing portion, a first connecting portion formed by one end of the terminal fitting and exposed to the outside through a first opening of the terminal housing portion, and an insulating finger-preventing member including a tip cover portion assembled to the first connecting portion and covering the tip surface of the first connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion has a pair of guide protrusions projecting from a pair of sides connected to the tip surface and extending into the rear of the terminal housing portion, the finger-preventing member has a pair of side cover portions connected in a cantilevered manner to both ends of the tip cover portion and extending into the rear of the terminal housing portion, each of the side cover portions has an interference portion provided at the protruding end that interferes with the guide protrusion, and a guide groove portion extending from the tip portion toward the base portion and accommodating each of the guide protrusions, and the finger-preventing member is assembled to the first connecting portion with each of the guide groove portions housed in the guide groove portion by elastic deformation as the interference portion of each of the side cover portions overcomes the guide protrusion.

[0007] According to the connector of this disclosure, the attachment of the finger-prevention member to the terminal fitting is good, and the detachment of the finger-prevention member from the terminal fitting can be suppressed.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a connector according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the terminal fittings constituting the connector in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the finger-proofing member constituting the connector in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2, showing the state of the connector in Figure 1 before the finger-proofing member is assembled. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2, showing the initial state of the finger-proofing member after assembly in the connector in Figure 1. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 2, showing the intermediate state of the finger-proofing member after assembly in the connector in Figure 1. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the state shown in Figure 7 with the housing omitted. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the state shown in Figure 2 with the housing omitted.

[0009] <Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure> First, embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described. The connector of the Disclosure is (1) The device comprises a housing having a cylindrical terminal housing portion, a flat terminal fitting housed in the terminal housing portion, a first connecting portion formed by one end of the terminal fitting and exposed to the outside through a first opening of the terminal housing portion, and an insulating finger-preventing member including a tip cover portion assembled to the first connecting portion and covering the tip surface of the first connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion has a pair of guide protrusions projecting from a pair of side surfaces connected to the tip surface and extending into the rear of the terminal housing portion, the finger-preventing member has a pair of side cover portions connected in a cantilevered manner to both ends of the tip cover portion and extending into the rear of the terminal housing portion, each of the side cover portions has an interference portion provided at the protruding end that interferes with the guide protrusion, and a guide groove portion extending from the tip portion toward the base portion and accommodating each of the guide protrusions, and the finger-preventing member is assembled to the first connecting portion with each of the guide groove portions housed when the interference portion of each of the side cover portions elastically deforms over the guide protrusion.

[0010] According to the connector of this disclosure, even if the first connection portion of the terminal fitting is exposed to the outside through a first opening in the terminal housing portion of the housing, an insulating finger-prevention member is assembled to the first connection portion, and the tip surface of the first connection portion is covered by the tip cover portion of the finger-prevention member. As a result, even if the first connection portion becomes a live part, contact of the worker with the tip surface of the first connection portion exposed through the first opening can be prevented, thereby preventing or reducing the risk of electric shock. Furthermore, since the finger-prevention member has a tip cover portion that covers the tip surface of the first connection portion, as well as a pair of side cover portions that cover a pair of sides of the first connection portion, the risk of the finger-prevention member detaching from the first connection portion of the terminal fitting can be reduced compared to conventional structures in which the finger-prevention member is assembled only to the tip of the terminal fitting.

[0011] In addition, since the terminal fitting is housed in a cylindrical terminal housing and exposed to the outside through a first opening, the task of positioning the pair of side cover portions of the finger-proofing member on the side of the first connection portion and inserting them into the back of the terminal housing portion is extremely difficult. However, in this disclosure, each side cover portion of the finger-proofing member has an interference portion provided at the protruding end and a guide groove portion extending from the tip to the base. As a result, when inserting the finger-proofing member through the first opening of the terminal housing portion and assembling it to the first connection portion, the interference portions of each side cover portion of the finger-proofing member elastically deform over the guide protrusions of the first connection portion, and with each guide protrusion housed in the guide groove portion, the finger-proofing member can be pushed into the back of the terminal housing portion and assembled to the first connection portion. In other words, since the guide projection is housed in the guide groove, the pair of side cover portions of the finger-touch prevention member can be reliably positioned on the side of the first connection portion while the finger-touch prevention member can be pushed into the back of the terminal housing portion, resulting in good assembly of the finger-touch prevention member to the terminal fitting and preventing the finger-touch prevention member from detaching from the terminal fitting. It is preferable that the guide projection be provided closer to the tip surface than the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting, and more preferably in the vicinity of the tip surface.

[0012] (2) In (1) above, it is preferable that each of the sides of the first connection portion is provided with a retaining projection that engages with each of the interference portions to prevent the finger-preventing member from being displaced toward the tip surface when the tip cover portion of the finger-preventing member is assembled to the tip surface. After the finger-preventing member is assembled to the first connection portion with good assembly properties, the risk of the finger-preventing member being displaced toward the tip surface of the first connection portion and detached from the first connection portion due to insertion or removal of the mating terminal or contact of the finger-preventing member by an operator can be reduced.

[0013] (3) In (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the first connecting portion has an end face projection protruding from the tip surface, and the tip cover portion of the finger-touch prevention member has an end face recess into which the end face projection is fitted. By fitting the end face projection into the end face recess, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of misalignment between the first connecting portion and the finger-touch prevention member in the thin plate thickness direction of the terminal fitting, which is prone to misalignment, and to more advantageously prevent misalignment or detachment of the finger-touch prevention member from the first connecting portion.

[0014] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, it is preferable that the finger-touch prevention member has an engaging projection that fits into an engaging hole opening in the terminal housing when assembled to the first connection portion. The state in which the finger-touch prevention member is assembled to the first connection portion can also be maintained by fitting the finger-touch prevention member into the engaging hole (housing) of the terminal housing portion, and displacement or detachment of the finger-touch prevention member from the first connection portion can be prevented more advantageously.

[0015] <Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure> Specific examples of the connectors of the Disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. However, the Disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims as indicated by the claims.

[0016] <Embodiment 1: Connector 10> Hereinafter, the connector 10 of Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The connector 10 is provided on in-vehicle equipment or wire terminals mounted on vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. The connector 10 is composed of a housing 14 having a cylindrical terminal housing portion 12, a flat terminal fitting 16 housed in the terminal housing portion 12, and an insulating finger-preventing member 18 assembled to the terminal fitting 16. The connector 10 can be positioned in any orientation within a vehicle, but in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 will be described as the up-down direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction. In addition, for multiple identical components, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the components, while the reference numerals for other components may be omitted.

[0017] <Housing 14> The housing 14 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and has a rectangular flat base portion 20 fixed to a mounting surface (not shown) provided on the in-vehicle equipment, and two cylindrical terminal housing portions 12 that penetrate two locations in the central region of the base portion 20 in the thickness direction and protrude from both sides of the base portion 20 in the thickness direction. As shown in Figure 2, each terminal housing portion 12 includes a front cylindrical portion 24 that protrudes to one side (front) in the thickness direction of the base portion 20, and a rear cylindrical portion 26 that protrudes to the other side (rear) in the thickness direction of the base portion 20. The protruding end of the front cylindrical portion 24 is provided with a first opening 28 that exposes the front side of the terminal housing portion 12 to the outside, while the protruding end of the rear cylindrical portion 26 is provided with a second opening 30 that exposes the rear side of the terminal housing portion 12 to the outside. The peripheral wall of the front cylindrical portion 24 has a notch 32 in the lower part. As shown in Figure 2, an engagement hole 34 is provided at the end face of the notch 32, which is part of the terminal housing portion 12, into which an engagement projection 78, described later, provided on the finger-prevention member 18, is fitted.

[0018] The housing 14 further has an outer cylindrical portion 36 that protrudes forward from the base portion 20 and surrounds the two terminal housing portions 12, 12 together from the outer circumference with a gap in between. Multiple fitting ribs 38 are provided at multiple locations on the outer surface of the outer cylindrical portion 36, extending in the front-rear direction for fitting into the housing of a mating connector (not shown). Notches 40 are also provided on the peripheral wall of the outer cylindrical portion 36 in the portion located downward from the side.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the inner circumferential surface of the rear cylindrical portion 26 is provided with a stepped surface 42 formed by making the vertical dimension of the protruding end side (second opening 30 side) larger than the vertical dimension of the base end side. This stepped surface 42 engages with the locking projection 54 of the terminal fitting 16, which will be described later, inserted into the terminal housing portion 12 from the second opening 30 side, thereby defining the position where the insertion of the terminal fitting 16 into the terminal housing portion 12 is complete.

[0020] The base portion 20 is provided with an annular groove 44 that opens to the rear surface, and an annular sealing rubber 46 is housed in it. As a result, when the connector 10 is fixed to the mounting surface of an in-vehicle device (not shown), the sealing rubber 46 is sandwiched between the mounting surface and the base portion 20, preventing water from entering the inside of the in-vehicle device.

[0021] <Terminal fitting 16> As shown in Figure 3, the terminal fitting 16 is a flat tab in the shape of a substantially rectangular plate as a whole, and is made of a metal such as copper (including copper alloys) or aluminum (including aluminum alloys) which has excellent conductivity. One end (front portion) of the terminal fitting 16 is a first connection portion 48 that connects to the terminal of a mating connector (not shown), and the other end (rear portion) of the terminal fitting 16 is a second connection portion 50 that connects to a power-carrying member of an in-vehicle device (not shown). An intermediate portion 52 is provided between the first connection portion 48 and the second connection portion 50, and a pair of locking protrusions 54, 54 are provided on both sides of the intermediate portion 52 on the side facing the second connection portion 50. Multiple pressure contact ribs 56 are provided at multiple locations separated from each other in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the terminal fitting 16 on both sides of the intermediate portion 52 on the side of the first connection portion 48 from the locking protrusions 54.

[0022] A protruding end face portion 60 is provided on the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting 16, and is designed to be fitted into a recessed end face portion 70 provided on the tip cover portion 66 of the finger-touch prevention member 18, which will be described later. On a pair of side surfaces that are connected to the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48 and extend into the inner part of the terminal housing portion 12, a pair of guide protrusions 62 are provided in the region close to the tip surface 58, protruding from both sides in the width direction (vertical direction) of the first connection portion 48. Furthermore, on a pair of side surfaces of the first connection portion 48, a pair of retaining protrusions 64 are provided in the region close to the intermediate portion 52, protruding from both sides in the width direction (vertical direction) of the first connection portion 48.

[0023] <Finger-proofing member 18> As shown in Figure 4, the finger-proofing member 18 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and integrally has a substantially rectangular plate-shaped tip cover portion 66 that is assembled to the first connection portion 48 and covers the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48, and a pair of side cover portions 68, 68 that are cantilevered and connected to both ends of the tip cover portion 66 and extend toward the intermediate portion 52 of the terminal fitting 16 which is located at the back of the terminal housing portion. The tip cover portion 66 is provided with an end face recess 70 that opens on the surface that overlaps with the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48, into which the end face projection 60 protruding from the tip surface 58 is fitted when the tip cover portion 66 is assembled to the tip surface 58.

[0024] Each side cover portion 68 of the finger-touch prevention member 18 has an interference portion 72 at its tip, which is bent toward the opposite side cover portion 68. In addition, each side cover portion 68 has a guide groove portion 74 that extends from the tip toward the base end, into which guide projections 62 protruding from each side of the first connecting portion 48 are fitted and housed. The guide groove portion 74 of the side cover portion 68 located in the upper part of Figure 4 penetrates the side cover portion 68 in the thickness direction and opens on both the inner and outer surfaces. The guide groove portion 74 of the side cover portion 68 located in the lower part of Figure 4 penetrates the side cover portion 68 in the thickness direction and opens on both the inner and outer surfaces at the tip end, but at the base end, it opens only on the inner surface because the side cover portion 68 has a thick reinforcing portion 76. Furthermore, the side cover portion 68 located at the bottom of Figure 4 has an engaging projection 78 at the tip of the reinforcing portion 76 that protrudes toward the tip, and is fitted into an engaging hole 34 that opens on the end face of the notch 32 of the terminal housing portion 12.

[0025] <Assembly of Connector 10> Next, an example of how to assemble the connector configured as described above will be given. When assembling the connector 10, first, the housing 14 and the finger-preventing member 18, which have the shapes described above, are prepared by injection molding or the like. For the terminal fitting 16, a single metal plate that constitutes the terminal fitting 16 is pressed to prepare the terminal fitting 16, which has the shape described above. Subsequently, the terminal fitting 16 is inserted into the terminal housing portion 12 of the housing 14, with the first connection portion 48 side leading, by inserting it through the second opening 30 side of the housing 14. As shown in Figure 5, the position where the terminal fitting 16 has been inserted into the terminal housing portion 12 is defined by the locking projection 54 of the terminal fitting 16 contacting the stepped surface 42 of the rear cylindrical portion 26 of the housing 14. Furthermore, when the terminal fitting 16 is positioned in the completed insertion position into the terminal housing 12, the multiple pressure contact ribs 56 provided on both sides of the intermediate portion 52 of the terminal fitting 16 press against the inner surface of the rear cylindrical portion 26 located beyond the stepped surface 42, thereby stably fixing and holding the terminal fitting 16 in the completed insertion position in the terminal housing 12.

[0026] Next, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, the finger-touch prevention member 18 is inserted through the first opening 28 of the housing 14 and assembled to the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting 16, with the protruding end of the side cover portion 68 leading. Initially, the interference portions 72 of the pair of side cover portions 68, 68 abut against both sides of the end face protrusion 60 of the terminal fitting 16 (upper and lower end faces in Figure 6), and the interference portions 72 slide against both sides of the terminal fitting 16, elastically deforming in both width directions (up and down directions in Figure 6) to conform to the shape of the side, and enter the back of the front cylindrical portion 24 of the terminal housing portion 22. As shown in Figure 6, after the interference portions 72 of each side cover portion 68 abut against the guide projections 62 protruding from both sides of the terminal fitting 16, each side cover portion 68 elastically deforms outward in the width direction, allowing further entry of the finger-touch prevention member 18.

[0027] Subsequently, when the interfering portion 72 overcomes the guide projection 62 and elastically returns to its original position, the guide projection 62 becomes fitted into the guide groove portion 74 of each side cover portion 68, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. As a result, when the finger-preventing member 18 is subsequently pushed into the rear of the front cylindrical portion 24, the guide projection 62 is housed in the guide groove portion 74, allowing the pair of side cover portions 68 of the finger-preventing member 18 to be reliably positioned on both sides of the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting 16 while the finger-preventing member 18 is pushed into the rear of the front cylindrical portion 24 of the terminal housing portion 12. Note that in Figure 8, for ease of understanding, the housing 14 from Figure 7 has been removed, and the guide projection 62 and guide groove portion 74 are shown viewed from diagonally above.

[0028] Furthermore, when the finger-touch prevention member 18 is pushed into the rear of the front cylindrical portion 24 of the terminal housing 12, as shown in Figures 2 and 9, the interference portions 72 of each side cover portion 68 elastically return to their original position, overcoming the retaining projection 64, so that the interference portions 72 are positioned further back than the retaining projection 64 and assembled, and the finger-touch prevention member 18 is positioned in the completed assembly position with respect to the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting 16. In this state, the end face projection 60 protruding from the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48 is fitted into the end face recess 70 of the tip cover portion 66 of the finger-touch prevention member 18 (see Figure 2). Note that in Figure 9, for ease of understanding, the housing 14 from Figure 2 has been removed, and the guide projection 62 and guide groove portion 74 are shown viewed from diagonally above. Also in this state, the engagement projection 78 provided on the finger-touch prevention member 18 is fitted into the engagement hole 34 opening on the end surface of the notch 32 of the terminal housing 12. In this way, the assembly of the connector 10 is completed, and the connector 10 of Embodiment 1 is finished.

[0029] In the connector 10 of Embodiment 1, which has the structure described above, even if the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting 16 is exposed to the outside through the first opening 28 of the terminal housing portion 12 of the housing 14, an insulating finger-prevention member 18 is assembled to the first connection portion 48, so that the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48 is covered by the tip cover portion 66 of the finger-prevention member 18, and both sides of the first connection portion 48 are covered by the side cover portions 68 of the finger-prevention member 18. Therefore, even if the first connection portion 48 is a live part, contact of the worker with the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48 exposed from the first opening 28 can be prevented, and the risk of electric shock can be prevented or reduced. Furthermore, since the finger-touch prevention member 18 also has a pair of side cover portions 68 that cover both sides of the first connection portion 48, it is possible to advantageously reduce the risk of the finger-touch prevention member 18 detaching from the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting and the risk of electric shock to the worker compared to the conventional structure in which it is assembled only to the tip of the terminal member.

[0030] In addition, since the terminal fitting 16 is housed in a cylindrical terminal housing portion 12 and exposed to the outside through the first opening 28, the work of positioning the pair of side cover portions of the finger-touch prevention member 18 on the side of the first connection portion 48 and inserting them into the back of the terminal housing portion 12 (front cylindrical portion 24) becomes extremely difficult. In this embodiment, each side cover portion 68 of the finger-touch prevention member 18 has an interference portion 72 provided at the protruding end and a guide groove portion 74 extending from the tip to the base end. As a result, when assembling the finger-proofing member 18 to the first connection part 48 by inserting it through the first opening 28 of the front cylindrical part 24 of the terminal housing part 12, the interference portions 72 of each side cover portion 68 of the finger-proofing member 18 elastically deform over the guide protrusions 62 of the first connection part 48, so that each guide protrusion 62 is housed in each guide groove portion 74, and the finger-proofing member 18 can be assembled to the first connection part 48 while being pushed into the back of the terminal housing part 12 (front cylindrical part 24). In this way, since the guide protrusions 62 are housed in the guide groove portions 74, the finger-proofing member 18 can be pushed into the back of the terminal housing part 12 while reliably positioning the pair of side cover portions 68 of the finger-proofing member 18 on the side of the first connection part 48, and the finger-proofing member 18 can be pushed into the back of the terminal housing part 12, resulting in good assembly of the finger-proofing member 18 to the terminal fitting 16 and preventing the finger-proofing member 18 from detaching from the terminal fitting 16, thus providing a connector 10. In particular, in Embodiment 1, since the guide projection 62 is provided near the tip surface 58 of the terminal fitting 16, the guide effect due to the fitting of the guide projection 62 and the guide groove 74 can be advantageously enjoyed from the very beginning of the assembly work of the finger-touch prevention member 18 to the terminal fitting 16, thereby further improving the ease of assembly.

[0031] In the connector 10 of Embodiment 1, even if an external force is applied to the finger-touch prevention member 18 toward the tip surface 58 side of the first connection portion 48, the interfering portion interferes with the retaining projection 64, thereby reliably preventing the finger-touch prevention member 18 from detaching from the terminal fitting 16 of the first connection portion 48. As a result, after assembling the finger-touch prevention member 18 to the first connection portion 48 with good assembly properties, the risk of the finger-touch prevention member 18 being displaced toward the tip surface 58 side of the first connection portion 48 and detaching from the first connection portion 48 due to insertion or removal of the mating terminal or contact with the finger-touch prevention member 18 by an operator is reduced.

[0032] Furthermore, in the connector 10 of Embodiment 1, the end face projection 60 protruding from the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48 is fitted into the end face recess 70 of the tip cover portion 66 of the finger-proofing member 18 (see Figure 2). Therefore, even when an external force is applied to the finger-proofing member 18 in the direction of the thickness of the first connection portion 48, the end face projection 60 interferes with the end face recess 70, thereby reliably preventing the finger-proofing member 18 from detaching the terminal fitting 16 from the first connection portion 48. This further advantageously suppresses misalignment and detachment between the first connection portion 48 and the finger-proofing member 18 in the thin thickness direction of the terminal fitting 16, which is prone to misalignment.

[0033] <Modifications> Although Embodiment 1 has been described in detail above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the purpose of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0034] (1) In the above embodiment 1, the guide projections 62 protruding from both sides of the first connection portion 48 of the terminal fitting 16 were provided near the tip surface 58 of the first connection portion 48. However, the position of the guide projections 62 is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the guide projections 62 may be provided closer to the tip surface 58 and connected to the tip surface 58, or they may be provided at a distance from the tip surface 58, in the longitudinal central portion of the first connection portion 48 or closer to the tip surface. Furthermore, they may be provided in the longitudinal central portion of the first connection portion 48 or closer to the base end.

[0035] (2) In the first embodiment, an end face projection 60 was provided on the tip surface 58 of the first connecting portion 48, but it is not necessary to provide it. Also, the shape of the end face projection 60 does not have to be a continuous strip shape in the width direction as in the first embodiment, but may be formed by a plurality of projections divided in the width direction.

[0036] (3) In the first embodiment, the finger-touch prevention member 18 was provided with an engaging projection 78 that fits into the engaging hole 34 of the housing, but it is not necessary to provide it. Furthermore, even when the engaging hole 34 and the engaging projection 78 are provided, their shape and placement can be any desired.

[0037] 10 Connector 12 Terminal housing 14 Housing 16 Terminal fitting 18 Finger-proof member 20 Base 24 Front cylindrical part 26 Rear cylindrical part 28 First opening 30 Second opening 32 Notch 34 Engagement hole 36 Outer cylindrical part 38 Fitting rib 40 Notch 42 Stepped surface 44 Groove 46 Seal rubber 48 First connection part 50 Second connection part 52 Intermediate part 54 Locking projection 56 Pressure contact rib 58 Tip surface 60 End surface protrusion 62 Guide projection 64 Retaining projection 66 Tip cover part 68 Side cover part 70 End surface recess 72 Interference part 74 Guide groove part 76 Reinforcement part 78 Engagement projection

Claims

1. A connector comprising: a housing having a cylindrical terminal housing portion; a flat terminal fitting housed in the terminal housing portion; a first connecting portion formed by one end of the terminal fitting and exposed to the outside through a first opening of the terminal housing portion; and an insulating finger-preventing member including a tip cover portion assembled to the first connecting portion and covering the tip surface of the first connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion has a pair of guide protrusions projecting from a pair of side surfaces connected to the tip surface and extending into the rear of the terminal housing portion, the finger-preventing member has a pair of side cover portions connected in a cantilever-like manner to both ends of the tip cover portion and extending into the rear of the terminal housing portion, each of the side cover portions has an interference portion provided at the protruding end that interferes with the guide protrusion, and a guide groove portion extending from the tip portion toward the base portion and accommodating each of the guide protrusions, and the finger-preventing member is assembled to the first connecting portion with each of the guide groove portions accommodated by the interference portion of each of the side cover portions elastically deforming over the guide protrusions.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein each of the sides of the first connection portion is provided with a retaining projection that engages with each of the interference portions to prevent the finger-touching member from being displaced toward the tip surface when the tip cover portion of the finger-touching member is assembled to the tip surface.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first connecting portion has an end face projection protruding from the tip surface, and the tip cover portion of the finger-preventing member has an end face recess into which the end face projection is fitted.

4. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the finger-preventing member, when assembled to the first connection portion, has an engaging projection that fits into an engaging hole opening in the terminal housing portion.

Images