Patent ID: 9490574
Filing Date: 2016-11-08
CPC Classification: H01R

Claim Text:
1. A connector, comprising: a counterpart housing having a lock receiver; a housing main body that is engageable to the counterpart housing, the housing main body defining a top surface; a lock arm that extends rearward in a cantilever shape from the top surface of the housing main body, can be bent and deformed in a vertical direction crossing a direction of engagement of the housing main body and the counterpart housing, and holds the housing main body and the counterpart housing in a normal engagement state by being elastically engaged to the lock receiver; a releasing operation portion formed at a rear end portion of the lock arm, which performs a downward pressing operation if engagement of the lock receiver is released; a detecting member that is assembled to the top surface of the housing main body and is moved from an initial position to a detecting position in which the detecting member is fully inserted into the housing main body when the housing main body and the counterpart housing are engaged to each other; an elastic arm portion that is formed on the detecting member, extends in a cantilever shape diagonally upward and forward, and can be bent and deformed in a vertical direction; a pair of side arm portions formed on the detecting member on either side of the elastic arm portion; an abutting portion that is formed at an extended end portion of the elastic arm portion, restricts the movement of the detecting member from the initial position to the detecting position by engaging the lock arm from behind, and releases engagement of the lock arm if the housing main body and the counterpart housing are engaged to each other; an upward protrusion that is formed at the extended end portion of the elastic arm portion; a contact portion that is formed on a top surface of the upward protrusion, and restricts the contact portion from slipping off upward from engagement of the lock arm by contacting the lock arm from below and engaging a concave portion of the lock arm in the detecting position; and an excessive bending restriction portion that includes: (i) an inner pair and an outer pair of side walls that are raised from the top surface of the housing main body, (ii) a bridge portion that interconnects top ends of each of the walls, restricts excessive bending of the lock arm upward by covering a front portion of a top surface of the releasing operation portion, and leaves a rear portion of the top surface upwardly exposed, (iii) a central passageway formed between the inner pair of side walls in which the elastic arm portion is disposed in the detecting position, (iv) a pair of side passageways formed on either side of the central passageway in which the side arm portions are disposed in the detecting position, each formed between an inner side wall and an outer side wall, and (v) restriction portions on the inner side walls that protrude away from the lock arm into the side passageways and are engaged by the side arm portions, wherein the detecting member only secures the lock arm at the contact portion.