Patent Publication Number: US-7581969-B2

Title: Connector with auxiliary housing having inverted insertion preventing portion

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a connector. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,745 discloses a connector with an auxiliary housing and male tabs that project in an exposed manner from the front surface of the connector. The connector also includes receptacle with an accommodating chamber for the auxiliary housing and a receptacle for surrounding the male tabs. 
   Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-331929 discloses a connector that has a housing formed with a receptacle. A moving plate is mounted in the receptacle and is movable back and forth between a position before the front surface of the housing and a position closer to the front surface of the housing. Male tabs project from the front surface of the housing and pass through the moving plate. 
   The auxiliary housing of U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,745 can be inverted from a proper posture for insertion into the accommodating chamber of the frame, and there is a possibility that the auxiliary housing is forced into the accommodating chamber by pushing the walls of the receptacle outwardly. A connecting operation with a mating female housing then might be started with the auxiliary housing mounted erroneously. 
   An inverted insertion preventing portion has been considered for the outer surface of the auxiliary housing to interfere with the rear opening edge of the accommodating chamber when the auxiliary housing is inverted. The male tabs are exposed at a front of the connector in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,745. Thus, the leading ends of the male tabs could interfere with the moving plate of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-331929 if the auxiliary housing is in the inverted posture, even with the inverted insertion preventing portion on the outer surface of the auxiliary housing. As a result the tabs or the moving plate could be damaged. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,239 discloses a connector with an auxiliary housing assembled in a main housing. Tab-shaped terminals are accommodated in the auxiliary housing and project in an exposed manner from the front surface of the auxiliary housing when the auxiliary housing is alone. However, the tabs are covered in a protected manner in a receptacle of the main housing when the auxiliary housing is assembled into the main housing. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,522 discloses another connector with a receptacle and tabs that project into the receptacle. A moving plate is mounted in the receptacle and leading ends of the tabs project through the moving plate to position and align portions of the tabs projecting into the receptacle. 
   A moving plate, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,522, is required in the receptacle of U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,239 if importance is attached to positioning and protecting the tabs in the connector. The moving plate of U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,522 could be applied to the connector of U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,239, and the leading ends of the tabs will pass through the moving plate if the auxiliary housing is in a proper assembling posture. However, the leading ends of the exposed tabs could contact the rear surface of the moving plate and could be bent if the auxiliary housing is inverted. 
   The invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to provide a connector that prevents an erroneous assembly of an auxiliary housing and that prevents the leading ends of male tabs from being broken when the auxiliary housing is assembled into a frame. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a connector with at least one auxiliary housing and one or more terminal fittings projecting in an exposed manner from a front portion of the auxiliary housing. The connector also has at least one chamber for the auxiliary housing and a receptacle for at least partly surrounding the terminal fittings. A moving plate is mounted in the receptacle and is movable back and forth between a position before the front surface of the auxiliary housing and a position closer to the front surface of the auxiliary housing while the terminal fittings are passed therethrough. At least one inverted insertion preventing portion is formed on the auxiliary housing for contacting the rear opening edge of the chamber if the auxiliary housing is inserted into the chamber in an improper posture. The front end of the inverted insertion preventing portion is retracted from the front end of the auxiliary housing, and the front ends of the terminal fittings and the rear end of the moving plate are distanced from each other when the inverted insertion preventing portion contacts the rear opening edge of the chamber with the front end of the auxiliary housing fit partly in the chamber. Thus, the inverted insertion preventing portion is guided reliably to this contact position, and the auxiliary housing cannot be accommodated forcibly into the chamber. In this case, the front ends of the terminals and the rear end of the moving plate are distanced from each other so that the exposed terminals cannot be broken by interference with the moving plate. 
   The chamber preferably has at least one front-stop that contacts the inverted insertion preventing portion when the auxiliary housing is inserted into the chamber in the proper inserting posture to prevent any further forward movement of the auxiliary housing. Thus, a front space of the auxiliary housing can be utilized efficiently, as compared to a case where the front surface of the auxiliary housing is used to prevent the auxiliary housing from moving any further forward and where a front-stop means for the auxiliary housing is provided separately. 
   At least one terminal fitting that is larger than the other terminal fittings may project into the receptacle. Smaller terminal fittings are broken more easily by impact. Accordingly, the moving plate preferably is mounted into a part of the receptacle corresponding to the auxiliary housing and allows the smaller terminal fittings mounted in the auxiliary housing to be passed therethrough. Thus, the smaller terminal fittings are protected by the moving plate to prevent breakage. The larger terminal fittings are less likely to be broken by impact, and therefore need not be protected by the moving plate. Thus, the moving plate can be made smaller and can have a lower cost. 
   The connector preferably has a housing main body and the chamber penetrates the housing main body in forward and backward directions. The auxiliary housing can be inserted into the chamber of the housing main body. The receptacle projects forward from the housing main body so that portions of the terminals are in the receptacle. One of the auxiliary housing and the housing main body includes at least one rib and the other includes at least one receiving groove. The rib conforms to the receiving groove if the auxiliary housing is in a proper inserting posture so that the auxiliary housing can be inserted into the housing main body. However, the rib does not conform to the receiving groove if the auxiliary housing is in an improper posture, and hence the rib interferes with a wall surface offset from the groove to prevent insertion of the auxiliary housing into the housing main body. The leading ends of the terminals accommodated in the auxiliary housing are distanced back from the surface of the moving plate when the rib contacts the wall surface offset from the groove. Thus, the leading ends of the terminals will not be bent or otherwise damaged by interference with moving plate. 
   The auxiliary housing preferably is inserted into the chamber of the housing main body from behind and is capable of accommodating terminals with tabs that project forward in an exposed state from the auxiliary housing when the auxiliary housing is alone. 
   The receptacle preferably is a tube that projects forward from the housing main body, and the tabs of the terminals are arranged in the tube when the auxiliary housing is in the chamber. The moving plate is mounted into the tubular receptacle for aligning the tabs and allowing the tabs to pass therethrough. 
   The at least one receiving groove preferably is formed in the inner surface of the chamber of the housing main body, and the at least one rib preferably is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary housing. 
   The front end of the at least one rib preferably is retracted from the front surface of the auxiliary housing. 
   An area of the auxiliary housing before the front end of the rib preferably is fit into the chamber when the rib interferes with the surface of the housing main body if the auxiliary housing is in the improper posture. Therefore, the rib of the auxiliary housing cannot be inserted forcibly into the chamber and reliability in preventing the erroneous assembling is improved. 
   The front end of the receiving groove preferably serves as a front-stop for contacting the rib to prevent the auxiliary housing from moving any farther forward when the auxiliary housing reaches a proper assembled position. Thus, the construction of the housing main body can be simplified as compared to the case where the front-stop is provided separately. 
   These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a rear view of a connector according to a first embodiment. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view in section of the connector of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a side view in section of an auxiliary housing having male terminal fittings mounted therein. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view in section showing a state where inverted insertion preventing portions are in contact with contact portions when the auxiliary housing is in an inverted posture. 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of the auxiliary housing. 
       FIG. 6  is a side view in section of a connector according to second embodiment. 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the connector of  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 8  is a side view in section of the connector of  FIG. 6  showing a state before an auxiliary housing is inserted. 
       FIG. 9  is a side view in section showing a state where the auxiliary housing is in an inverted posture and ribs interfere with a housing main body. 
       FIG. 10  is a rear view of a housing. 
       FIG. 11  is a side view in section of the auxiliary housing accommodating tab-shaped terminals. 
       FIG. 12  is a front view of the auxiliary housing. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A connector in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention is identified by the letter A in  FIGS. 1 to 5 . The connector A of this embodiment is provided with a frame  10 , an auxiliary housing  30 , a moving plate  60  and male terminal fittings  90 A,  90 B and  90 C of different kinds. A connecting end with a mating connector (not shown) is referred to as the front. 
   The frame  10  is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and, as shown in  FIG. 2 , includes a substantially block-shaped housing  11  and a substantially tubular receptacle  12  projecting unitarily forward from the front surface of the housing  11 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , a chamber  13  penetrates a substantially vertical middle part of the housing  11  in forward and backward directions FBD and the auxiliary housing  30  can be inserted into the  13  from behind. Left and right locking pieces  14  are formed at substantially opposite inner side surfaces of the chamber  13  at positions close to the ceiling surface. The locking pieces  14  engage the auxiliary housing  30  to prevent the auxiliary housing  30  from coming out of the chamber  13 . 
   Different types of male terminal fittings  90 A,  90 B and  90 C having different sizes and shapes are held in the housing  11  including the auxiliary housing  30  so as not to come out e.g. backward. Long narrow male tabs  91 A,  91 B and  91 C are formed at the front ends of the respective male terminal fittings  90 A,  90 B and  90 C, and project into the receptacle  12  to be surrounded by the receptacle  12 . The first male tabs  91 A are the largest and are arranged at uppermost and bottommost positions. The third male tabs  91 C are the smallest and are arranged in a vertical middle part of the housing  11  in the auxiliary housing  30 . The second male tabs  91 B have an intermediate size and are arranged between the two types of male tabs  91 A,  91 C. The projecting distance of the male tabs  91 A from the front surface of the housing part  11  is substantially equal to the projecting distance of the second male tabs  91 B. However, the projecting distance of the third male tabs  91 C is shorter than the projecting distances of the first and second male tabs  91 A,  91 B. 
   Upper and lower partition plates  15  projecting forward in the receptacle  12  at upper and lower sides of the opening edge of the chamber  13 . The partition plates  15  are substantially parallel and are near the upper and lower sides of a projection space for the third male tabs  91 C. Thus, the two partition plates  15  partition the first and second male tabs  91 A,  91 B and the third male tabs  91 C. The moving plate  60  is engaged movably with the partition plates  15 . 
   The auxiliary housing  30  is made e.g. of a synthetic resin to define a rectangular block with cavities  31 C. The third male terminal fittings  90 C connected with ends of wires  80  are inserted into the cavities  31 C from behind, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 . The third male terminal fittings  90 C properly inserted into the respective cavities  31  are locked primarily by resiliently deformable locks  32  on the inner walls of the cavities  31  and are locked secondarily by a retainer  33  that penetrates the upper and lower cavities  31  to retain the third male terminal fittings  90 C in the cavities  31 . The third male tabs  91 C project forward in an exposed manner from the front surface of the auxiliary housing  30 . 
   Inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B project from the outer surfaces of the auxiliary housing  30  for preventing an erroneous assembling of the auxiliary housing  30  into the frame  10 . More particularly, left and right inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A are arranged near opposite widthwise sides of the top surface of the auxiliary housing  30 , and an insertion preventing rib  35 B is arranged at a position that is substantially in the widthwise center of the bottom surface of the auxiliary housing  30 . The left and right inverted insertion preventing portions  35 A on the top surface are closer to the locking pieces  14  with the frame  10  as compared to the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 B on the bottom surface. The front and rear end positions of the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B are aligned substantially. Front ends of the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B are more backward than the front end of the auxiliary housing  30  and the rear ends are at the same positions as the rear end of the auxiliary housing  30 . The left and right inverted insertion preventing portions  35   a  on the top surface are at substantially the same height over the entire lengths in forward and backward directions FBD. The inverted insertion preventing portion  35 B on the bottom surface is divided into front and rear parts at opposite sides of an insertion hole  36  for the retainer  33 . The front and rear parts are at substantially the same height in forward and backward directions FBD. A part of the auxiliary housing  30  before the inverted insertion preventing portions  35 A,  35 B conforms to the rear opening edge of the chamber  13 . 
   Receiving grooves  17 A,  17 B are formed in the chamber  13  of the frame  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , and are at positions corresponding to the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B if the auxiliary housing  30  is in a proper assembling posture. Specifically, left and right receiving grooves  17 A are formed in the ceiling of the chamber  13 , and a receiving groove  17 B is formed in the bottom wall of the chamber  13 . The receiving grooves  17 A,  17 B extend in forward and backward directions FBD and open in the rear edge of the chamber  13 . The receiving grooves  17 A,  17 B terminate at front stops  18  adjacent the front opening end of the chamber  13  for preventing further forward movement when the auxiliary housing  30  has reached a proper assembled position. A contact  19 A is between the left and right receiving grooves  17 A at the upper side of the rear-end opening edge of the chamber  13  and contacts  19 B are at the opposite sides of the one receiving groove  17 B in an intermediate position of the bottom of the rear opening edge of the chamber  13 . The contacts  19 A and  19 B contact the respective inverted insertion preventing portions  35 A,  35 B when the auxiliary housing  30  is in an improper posture. 
   The moving plate  60  is made unitarily e.g. of a synthetic resin, and defines a substantially cap-shape. More particularly, the moving plate  60  has a substantially wide rectangular planar main portion  61  aligned substantially at right angles to the projecting direction of the male tabs  91 A,  91 B and  91 C. A rectangular tubular surrounding wall  62  projects forward from the peripheral edge of the main portion  61  over substantially the entire periphery. A vertical dimension of the moving plate  60  is less than the vertical dimension of the opening of the receptacle  12  and a transverse dimension of the moving plate  60  is equal to or slightly smaller than the transverse dimension of the opening of the receptacle  12 . The moving plate  60  is arranged only at a position corresponding to the chamber  13  to protect the third male tabs  91 C, and the first and second male tabs  91 A,  91 B are arranged in areas above and below the moving plate  60 . 
   Positioning holes  63  penetrate the main portion  61  substantially in forward and backward directions FBD, and are disposed so that the respective third male tabs  91 C can be passed through and positioned by the positioning holes  63 . The surrounding wall  62  has substantially planar upper and lower walls and engaging grooves  64  are formed in the upper and lower walls for receiving the partition plates  15 . The moving plate  60  is movable in forward and backward directions FBD along the partition plates  15  between an advanced position and a retracted position. The main portion  61  is distanced forward from the front surface of the auxiliary housing  30  and near the opening of the receptacle  12  and the leading ends of the third male tabs  91 C are passed through the positioning holes  63  when the moving plate  60  is at the advanced position and. On the other hand, the rear surface of the main portion  61  is substantially in contact with the front surface of the auxiliary housing  30  and the third male tabs  91 C are passed through the positioning holes  63  and project forward from the front surface of the main portion  61  at the retracted position. 
   Cam followers  65  project from the outer side surfaces of the opposite side walls of the surrounding wall  62 . Each cam follower  65  has a recess  66  with an open front, and a corresponding cam pin of a mating female connector (not shown) can be inserted into the recess  66 . A lever  70  is mounted rotatably on the opposite outer side surfaces of the receptacle  12 , and the cam followers  65  are engageable with cam grooves  71  of the lever  70  through the opposite side walls of the receptacle  12 . The mutual engagement of the cam followers  65  and the cam grooves  71  generates a cam action as the lever  70  is rotated and moves the moving plate  60  in forward and backward directions FBD between the advanced position and the retracted position. Specifically, the moving plate  60  is at the advanced position when the lever  70  is at the initial position. The moving plate  60  moves towards the back of the receptacle  12  and the partition plates  15  are inserted into the engaging grooves  64  as the lever  70  is rotated towards a connection position. The moving plate  60  is at the retracted position when the lever  70  reaches the connection position. 
   Initially, the lever  70  is held at the initial position, the moving plate  60  is held at the advanced position and the first and second male terminal fittings  90 A,  90 B are mounted into the housing part  11  so that the first and second male tabs  91 A,  91 B to project into the receptacle  12 . On the other hand, the third male terminal fittings  90 C are accommodated in the cavities  31  of the auxiliary housing  30  so that the third male tabs  91 C project in an exposed manner from the front surface of the auxiliary housing  30 . 
   The auxiliary housing  30  then is inserted into the accommodating chamber  13  of the frame  10  from behind. The left and right inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A are at the upper side and the inverted insertion preventing rib  35 B is at the lower side if the auxiliary housing  30  is in a proper inserting posture. Thus, the respective inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B conform to the corresponding receiving grooves  17 A,  17 B of the frame  10  and the auxiliary housing  30  moves substantially horizontally in the chamber  13  while the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B slide on the surfaces of the receiving grooves  17 A,  17 B. The locking pieces  14  prevent the auxiliary housing  30  from coming out of the chamber  13  when the auxiliary housing  30  reaches a proper assembling position, the auxiliary housing  30  and the respective inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B contact the corresponding front-stops  18  to prevent further forward movement of the auxiliary housing  30  (see  FIG. 2 ). In this way, the auxiliary housing  30  is held in the chamber  13  of the frame  10  so as not to make movements. At this time, the front end of the auxiliary housing  30  is at substantially the same position as the front end of the housing part  11  (back end of the receptacle  12 ) in forward and backward directions FBD, and the rear end of the auxiliary housing  30  is more forward than the rear end of the frame  10  to enter the chamber  13 . 
   With the auxiliary housing  30  properly assembled into the frame  10  in this way, the front ends of the third male tabs  91 C are exposed at the front of the main portion  61  by passing through the corresponding positioning holes  63  of the moving plate  60 . In this state, the mating female connector is fit lightly into the receptacle  12  and the lever  70  is rotated towards the connection position to perform or assist the connection with the female connector. The female connector is fit deeply into the receptacle  12  when the lever  70  reaches the connection position and the moving plate  60  reaches the retracted position. Thus, all of the male tabs  91 A,  91 B and  91 C, including the third male tabs  91 C, are connected electrically to proper depths with the corresponding female terminal fittings. 
   The auxiliary housing  30  could erroneously be in an inverted posture with the left and right inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A at the lower side and the inverted insertion preventing rib  35 B at the upper side. In this situation, front portions of the auxiliary housing  30  located before the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B will enter the chamber  13  through the rear-end opening and will be guided by the inner wall of the chamber  13  so that the top and bottom surfaces of the auxiliary housing  30  are substantially horizontal. Thus, the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B come to be located right behind the contacts  19 A,  19 B. Further forward movement of the inverted auxiliary housing  30  will urge the one inverted insertion preventing rib  35 B against the contact  19 A between the left and right receiving grooves  17 A at the upper side and will urge the left and right inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A against the contacts  19 B at the opposite sides of the one receiving groove  17 B at the lower side to prevent any further forward movement of the auxiliary housing  30  (see  FIG. 4 ). At this time, the front ends of the third male tabs  91 C projecting from the front surface of the auxiliary housing  30  are in the chamber  13  rearward of the moving plate  60  (main portion  61 ). Therefore the third male tabs  91 C and the moving plate  60  are kept away from each other. The contact feeling of the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B against the contacts  19 A,  19 B clearly indicates that the auxiliary housing  30  is in the inverted posture. Thus, the auxiliary housing  30  is pulled out from the chamber  13 , corrected to the proper inserting posture and inserted into the chamber  13 . 
   As described above, if the front end of the auxiliary housing  30  is inserted partly into the chamber  13  of the frame  10  in the inverted posture, the inserting posture of the auxiliary housing  30  is restrained circumferentially by the inner wall of the chamber  13  and the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B are guided to positions corresponding to the contacts  19 A,  19 B. Thus, there is no likelihood that the auxiliary housing  30  in the inverted posture is inserted forcibly into the chamber  13 . With the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B held in contact with the contacts  19 A,  19 B in this way, the front ends of the third male tabs  91 C and the rear end of the moving plate  60  are distanced from each other to prevent the exposed third male tabs  91 C from being broken due to interference with the moving plate  60 . 
   If the auxiliary housing  30  is inserted into the chamber  13  in the proper inserting posture, the inverted insertion preventing ribs  35 A,  35 B contact the front-stops  18  to prevent further forward insertion of the auxiliary housing  30 . Thus, as compared to the case where the front surface of the auxiliary housing  30  is used to prevent the auxiliary housing  30  from moving any further forward, a front space of the auxiliary housing  30  can be utilized effectively and, in addition, the construction of the auxiliary housing  30  can be simplified as compared to the case where the front-stop means for the auxiliary housing  30  is provided separately as a special structure. 
   The third male tabs  91 C are smaller than the other first and second male tabs  91 A and  91 B, and hence are broken more easily by an impact. However, the third male tabs  91 C are protected by the moving plate  60  to prevent breakage. There is little need to protect the larger first and second male tabs  91 A and  91 B. Thus, no moving plate  60  is provided through which the first and second male tabs  91 A and  91 B can move. As a result, the moving plate  60  is made smaller, has a lower cost and can be managed more easily. 
   A second embodiment of the invention is described with reference to  FIGS. 6 to 12 . A connector of this embodiment is a male connector provided with a housing  110 , at least one auxiliary housing  140 , a moving plate  160 , a lever  180  and terminals  190 . The terminals  190  are made of a metal and the other parts are made e.g. of a synthetic resin. 
   The housing  110  includes a housing main body  111  in the form of a vertically long block and a vertically long tubular receptacle  112  projects unitarily forward from the outer periphery of the front surface of the housing main body  111 . Escaping grooves  113  in the form of slits extend back from the front end of the receptacle  112 . The escaping grooves  113  are formed in the opposite side walls of the receptacle  112  and substantially face each other in the width direction. 
   The terminals  190  include large tabs  190 A arranged at uppermost and bottommost positions of the receptacle  112 , and small tabs  191  corresponding to the auxiliary housing  140  are arranged in a substantially vertical middle part. Further, intermediate size tabs  190 B are arranged between the large and small tabs  190 A,  191 . Projecting distances of the large and intermediate size tabs  190 A are substantially equal, but the small tabs  191  have a shorter projecting distance. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , the lever  180  is formed unitarily to include two plate-like arms  181  and an operable portion  182  that connects the upper or distal ends of the arms  181 . The arms  181  extend along the outer surfaces of the opposite side walls of the receptacle  112 . Each arm  181  is formed with a cam groove  183  and a bearing hole  184  that is mounted on a corresponding supporting shaft  114  projecting from the outer surface of the receptacle  112 . Thus, the lever  180  is rotatable about the supporting shafts  114  in a direction of arrow in  FIG. 7  from an initial position where the entrances of the cam grooves  183  align with the escaping grooves  113  of the receptacle  112  to a connection position where a mating female connector (not shown) is connected to a proper depth. 
   As shown in  FIG. 9 , the moving plate  160  includes a substantially planar main body  161  aligned substantially parallel to the front surface of the housing main body  111  and a long rectangular tube  162  projecting forward from the peripheral edge of the plate main body  161 . This moving plate  160  is inserted into the receptacle  112  to be arranged in an intermediate part of the receptacle  112  in the height direction. The upper surface of the moving plate  160  is distanced from the lower surface of the upper wall of the receptacle  112  and the lower surface of the moving plate is distanced from the upper surface of the bottom lateral wall of the receptacle  112 . Positioning holes  163  penetrate the main body  161 . Left and right cam followers  164  project from the opposite side walls of the tube  162  and face each other in the width direction. The two cam followers  164  can be fit into the cam grooves  183  of the lever  180  through the respective escaping grooves  113  of the receptacle  112  in width direction, and cam pins (not shown) of the mating female connector can be fit into the cam followers  164 . Cam action is exhibited by the engagement of the cam followers  164  and the cam grooves  183  through the rotation of the lever  180 , and the moving plate  160  is movable in forward and backward directions FBD in the receptacle  112  as the lever  180  is rotated. More specifically, the moving plate  160  is at an advanced position near the opening of the receptacle  112  when the lever  180  is at the initial position; moves towards the back side of the receptacle  112  as the lever  180  is rotated towards the connection position; and comes to a retracted position where the plate main body  161  has the front surface thereof held in contact with the mating female housing and the rear surface thereof held in contact with the auxiliary housing  140  when the lever  180  reaches the connection position. At the advanced position, the leading ends of the tabs  191  (to be described later) of the terminals  190  in the auxiliary housing  140  pass through the positioning holes  163  of the plate main body  161  to be surrounded by the tube  162 . As the moving plate  160  moves towards the retracted position, the tabs  191  are inserted farther into the tube  162 . 
   Cavities  115  for accommodating the terminals  190  are formed substantially side by side in an upper area and a lower area of the housing main body  111 . The terminals  190  are inserted into the cavities  115  from behind, and resiliently deformable locks  116  are formed on the inner walls of the cavities  115  for preventing the terminals  190  from coming out or moving backward. Insertion holes  117  for the tabs  191  of the terminals  190  are formed in the front walls of the cavities  115  and slanted front-stop surfaces  118  are located at least partly around the insertion hoes  117  for preventing any further forward movements of the tab-shaped terminals  190 . The tabs  191  of the respective terminals  190  inserted into the cavities  115  project into the receptacle  112  with the leading ends thereof aligned. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 10 , one chamber  119  is formed in an intermediate part of the housing main body  111  in the height direction and penetrates the housing main body  111  in forward and backward directions FBD. The chamber  119  is located right behind the assembled position of the moving plate  160 . Additionally, the chamber  119  has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the auxiliary housing  140  and is used to assemble the auxiliary housing  140 . Two retaining portions  121  are formed in the chamber  119 . The retaining portions  119  are formed in opposite inner side surfaces of the chamber  119  facing one another in the width direction. Further, receiving grooves  122  are formed in the inner surfaces of the chamber  119 . The receiving grooves  122  have a rectangular cross-sectional shape with rounded corners. Two receiving grooves  122  are formed in the ceiling surface of the chamber  119  and one is formed in the inner bottom surface. The receiving grooves  122  on the ceiling of the chamber  119  are positioned in a rotationally asymmetric position with respect to the receiving groove  122  on the bottom surface thereof to prevent an improper mounting of the auxiliary housing  40  as described later. The two receiving grooves  122  in the ceiling are at opposite sides of the widthwise center and the one receiving groove  122  in the inner bottom surface is in the widthwise center. The rear ends of the receiving grooves  122  open in the rear surface of the housing main body  111 , whereas the front ends of the receiving grooves  122  are slightly behind the front surface of the housing main body  111 . A vertical closing wall  123  is between the front ends of the receiving grooves  122  and the front surface of the housing main body  111 . The receiving grooves  122  extend substantially straight from the front ends thereof to the rear ends. The front ends of the receiving grooves  122  (rear surface of the closing wall  123 ) are substantially vertical and parallel with the front surface of the housing main body  111  and serve as front-stops  124  where the auxiliary housing  140  rests after reaching the proper assembled position. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the auxiliary housing  140  is a substantially rectangular block that can be inserted into the chamber  119  of the housing main body  111  from behind. Cavities  141  penetrate the auxiliary housing  140  in forward and backward directions FBD for accommodating the terminals  190  connected with ends of wires  199 . Resiliently deformable locks  142  are formed on the inner walls of the cavities  141  for retaining the terminals  190  and insertion holes  143  are formed in the front walls of the cavities  141  for receiving the tabs  191  of the terminals  190 . Slanted front-stop surfaces  144  are located at least partly around the insertion holes  143  for limiting forward movement of the terminals  190 . A retainer mount hole  145  is formed in a part of the auxiliary housing  140  behind the locks  142  and communicates with the cavities  141 . A side-type retainer  130  can be inserted into the retainer mount hole  145  from below for locking the terminals  190 . Thus, the terminals  190  are locked redundantly by the retainer  130  and the locks  142 . Projections  146  are formed on opposite side surfaces of the auxiliary housing  140  for engaging the retaining portions  121  of the housing main body  111 . The projections  146  are at positions slightly above the vertical center and close to the front end. 
   Bulges  147  bulge laterally out from the lower halves of the opposite side surfaces of the auxiliary housing  140 , and parts of the opposite side surfaces of the retainer are exposed at openings  148  in the bulging portions  147 . The front surface of the auxiliary housing  140  is a connection surface that contacts the mating female housing upon the proper connection, and the substantially rectangular insertion holes  143  for the tabs  191  are arrayed in height and width directions in the front surface. The tabs  191  of the terminals  190  that have been inserted properly into the cavities  141  project forward in an exposed manner from the front surface of the auxiliary housing  140  before the auxiliary housing  140  is assembled into the housing main body  111 . On the other hand, the tabs  191  of the terminals  190  in the auxiliary housing  140  are at least partly covered in a protected manner by the receptacle  112  after the auxiliary housing  140  is assembled into the housing main body  111 . More particularly, the leading ends of the tabs  191  of the terminals  190  pass partly through the positioning holes  163  of the moving plate  160  held at the advanced position immediately after the auxiliary housing  140  is assembled into the housing main body  111  and slightly project into the tube  162 . 
   Ribs  149  extend in forward and backward directions FBD on the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary housing  140 . The ribs  149  align with the receiving grooves  122  if the auxiliary housing  140  is in a proper inserting posture relative to the chamber  119  to permit the auxiliary housing  140  to be assembled into the chamber  119 . However, the ribs  149  do not align with the receiving grooves  122  if the auxiliary housing  140  is in an improper posture (e.g. upside-down) and interfere with the rear surface of the housing main body  111  to prevent the auxiliary housing  140  from being assembled into the chamber  119 . Specifically, the ribs  149  have rectangular shapes with rounded corners to conform to the shapes of the receiving grooves  122 . Front ends of the ribs  149  are retracted slightly from the front surface of the auxiliary housing  140  and rear ends of the ribs  149  are at the same position as the rear surface of the auxiliary housing  140 . Two ribs  149  are offset to opposite sides of the widthwise center on the top surface of the auxiliary housing  140 , and one rib  149  is at the widthwise center of the bottom surface of the auxiliary housing  140 . The rib  149  on the bottom surface of the auxiliary housing  140  is interrupted at a position corresponding to the opening of the retainer mount hole  145 , thereby being divided into front and rear parts before and after the retainer mount hole  145 . 
   The auxiliary housing  140  can be inserted into the chamber  119  of the housing main body  111  from behind. The ribs  149  of the auxiliary housing  140  and the receiving grooves  122  of the housing main body  111  align if the auxiliary housing  140  is in the proper inserting posture. Thus, the auxiliary housing  140  can be inserted smoothly into the chamber  119 . The ribs  149  slide on surfaces of the receiving grooves  122  in the inserting process to guide the insertion of the auxiliary housing  140 . Front ends of the ribs  149  contact the front-stops  124  of the receiving grooves  122  as the insertion is completed to prevent further forward movement of the auxiliary housing  410 . Further, the retaining portions  121  and the projections  46  engage in a detaching direction of the auxiliary housing  140  as the insertion is completed to prevent the auxiliary housing  140  from moving backward (see  FIG. 6 ). Front surfaces of the auxiliary housing  140  and the housing main body  111  (back surface of the receptacle  112 ) substantially align in forward and backward directions FBD when the auxiliary housing  40  reaches the proper assembled position. 
   The lever  180  is positioned at the initial position and the moving plate  160  is positioned at the advanced position to prepare for connection. The female connector then is fit lightly into the receptacle  112  with the more cam pins pushed along the escaping grooves  113 . As a result, the cam pins are fit into the respective cam followers  164  positioned on standby at the entrances of the cam grooves  183 . Thus, the cam pins and the cam followers  164  are united and engaged with the cam grooves  183 . The female housing of the female connector also is fit into the moving plate  160 . The lever  180  then is rotated to the connection position. Accordingly, the moving plate  160  and the female connector are pulled together towards the back end of the receptacle  112  by the cam action exhibited by the engagement of the cam pins and the cam followers  64  with the cam grooves  183  and the two connectors reach a properly connected state. In this connecting process, the tabs  191  of the auxiliary housing  140  are restrained by the positioning holes  163  of the plate main body  161  and are kept in array, thereby being able to establish reliable electrical connection with female terminal fittings of the female connector. The lever  180  can be rotated in a reverse direction from the connection position to the initial position to separate the two connectors. 
   The ribs  149  and the receiving grooves  122  do not align if the auxiliary housing  140  is in the inverted posture, and hence insertion of the auxiliary housing  140  into the chamber  119  is prevented. At this time, the ribs  149  contact the rear surface of the housing main body  111  and a front area  151  of the housing main body  111  before the front ends of the ribs  149  is fit into the chamber  119  from behind to prevent loose movements while the tabs  191  are in the chamber  119  (see  FIG. 9 ). In this state, the moving plate  160  is at the advanced position in the chamber  119  and the leading ends of the tabs  191  are distanced back from the rear surface of the plate main body  161  of the moving plate  160 . Thus, there is no likelihood that the leading ends of the tabs  191  will contact with the rear surface of the plate main body  161 . Even if the moving plate  160  is at the retracted position, the leading ends of the tabs  191  of the tab terminals  190  in the auxiliary housing  140  are still distanced from the rear surface of the plate main body  161 . Therefore the tabs  191  are not likely to contact the rear surface of the plate main body  161 . 
   Erroneous insertion of the auxiliary housing  140  into the housing main body  111  is prevented by the ribs  149  and the receiving grooves  122 . Additionally, the leading ends of the tabs  191  of the terminals  190  in the auxiliary housing  140  are distanced back from the rear surface of the moving plate  160  when the ribs  149  interfere with the housing main body  111  during an erroneous assembling attempt. Thus, the tabs  91  exposed when the auxiliary housing  140  is alone will not be bent and deformed due to interference with the moving plate  160 . 
   The front area  151  of the inverted auxiliary housing  140  is fit partly in the chamber  119  when the ribs  149  interfere with the rear surface of the housing main body  111  to prevent the ribs  149  of the auxiliary housing  140  from being forcibly inserted into the chamber  119  and to prevent more reliably the erroneous assembling of the auxiliary housing  140 . 
   Stops  124  are defined at the front ends of the receiving grooves  122  to prevent the auxiliary housing  140  from moving any further forward. Thus, the construction of the housing main body  111  is simplified as compared to the case where front-stops are provided separately. 
   The tabs  191  are smaller than the tabs  190 A,  190 B, and hence are broken more easily by an impact. However, the tabs  191  are protected by the moving plate  160  to prevent such breakage. In this case, there is a little need to protect the larger tabs  190 A,  190 B, and no moving plates corresponding to these larger tabs are provided. Therefore, the moving plate  160  can be made smaller and can have a lower cost. 
   The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. 
   Male terminal fittings need not be mounted into the frame. 
   The moving plate may be formed to have a main portion dimensioned to cover the entire opening of the receptacle of the frame. 
   The number and arrangement of the inverted insertion preventing portions can be varied. 
   It is sufficient to provide the chamber in a part of the frame. For example, the chamber may be provided in an upper or lower side of the frame. 
   The invention is applicable to connectors with or without an operable member to assist or perform the connection with a mating connector. 
   The front-stop may be provided at parts of the auxiliary housing other than at the inverted insertion preventing portions. 
   Converse to the second embodiment, the auxiliary housing may be formed with the receiving grooves and the housing main body may have the ribs. 
   Plural auxiliary-housing accommodating chambers may be formed in the housing main body, and the housing may be able to receive a plurality of auxiliary housings. In this case, the housing main body may not be formed with cavities. 
   The lever may be dispensed with. 
   The shapes, numbers and arrangements of the ribs and the receiving grooves are arbitrary provided that the erroneous assembling of the auxiliary housing can be prevented.