Patent Publication Number: US-10333239-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. JP2017-036100 filed Feb. 28, 2017, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a connector which is mateable with a mating connector and comprises a lock portion which maintains a mated state with the mating connector. 
     This type of connector is disclosed in JP 5805288B (Patent Document 1), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 24 and 25 , Patent Document 1 discloses a receptacle (connector)  90  which comprises a receptacle housing (housing)  910  and two power terminals  920 . The connector  90  is formed with a receptacle-side receiving space (receiving portion)  912 . Each of the power terminals  920  has a lock portion  922  exposed inside the receiving portion  912 . The connector  90  is mateable with a plug (mating connector)  96  which comprises two locked portions (mating lock portions)  962 . Under a mated state where the connector  90  and the mating connector  96  are mated with each other, the mating connector  96  is partially received in the receiving portion  912 , and the mating lock portions  962  are located inside the receiving portion  912 . Under the mated state, the lock portions  922  lock the mating lock portions  962 , respectively, to maintain the mated state. 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 25 , in a case where a straight upward force along an upper-lower direction (Z-direction), or a force along the positive Z-direction, is applied to the mating connector  96  under the mated state, two mating lock portions  962  are brought into abutment with the lock portions  922 , respectively, to be stopped, so that the lock of the mating lock portions  962  by the lock portions  922  is kept. In other words, the mated state is maintained. However, in another case where an obliquely upward force (F) is applied to an upper end of one of opposite sides (positive X-side in  FIG. 25 ) of the mating connector  96  in a front-rear direction (X-direction) while a lower end of a remaining one of the opposite sides (negative X-side in  FIG. 25 ) of the mating connector  96  in the X-direction is used as a fulcrum, one of the mating lock portions  962  might be moved upward without being stopped by the lock portion  922 . In other words, the mated state might be released. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector which is mateable with a mating connector and comprises a lock portion which facilitates to more securely maintain a mated state with the mating connector. 
     An aspect of the present invention provides a connector mountable on an object in an upper-lower direction and mateable with a mating connector along the upper-lower direction. The mating connector has a received portion provided with two mating lock portions. The connector extends longer in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the upper-lower direction than in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the upper-lower direction and the front-rear direction. The connector comprises a housing, terminals and two additional members. The terminals and the additional members are held by the housing. The housing has an outer wall, a projecting wall and a receiving portion. The projecting wall projects upward in the upper-lower direction. The outer wall surrounds the projecting wall in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the upper-lower direction. The receiving portion is a space formed between the outer wall and the projecting wall and receives the received portion of the mating connector under a mated state where the connector is mated with the mating connector. Each of the additional members has a lock portion. The two lock portions are located at opposite sides of the projecting wall, respectively, in one of the front-rear direction and the lateral direction and face the receiving portion. Under the mated state, the lock portions lock the locked portions, respectively, to maintain the mated state. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, the two lock portions are located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall, respectively, in one of the front-rear direction and the lateral direction and face the receiving portion. According to this arrangement, when an obliquely upward force is applied to the mating connector under the mated state, one of the mating lock portions receives a force toward the lock portion. Therefore, the lock of the mating lock portions by the lock portions is not unlocked so that the mated state is maintained. As described above, the lock portions according to an aspect of the present invention facilitate to more securely maintain the mated state with the mating connector. 
     An appreciation of the objectives of the present invention and a more complete understanding of its structure may be had by studying the following description of the preferred embodiment and by referring to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein an outline of a circuit board on which the connector is mounted is illustrated in dashed line. 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view showing the connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a top view showing the connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side view showing the connector of  FIG. 1 , wherein an outline of the circuit board is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view showing the connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view showing the connector of  FIG. 3 , taken along line VI-VI, wherein an outline of the circuit board is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing an additional member of the connector of  FIG. 1 , wherein a position of a starting portion of each of spring portions is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 8  is another perspective view showing the additional member of  FIG. 7 , wherein the position of the starting portion of the spring portion is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 9  is a top view showing the additional member of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 10  is a bottom view showing the additional member of  FIG. 7 , wherein the position of the starting portion of each of the spring portions is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 11  is a side view showing the additional member of  FIG. 7 , wherein the position of the starting portion of the spring portion is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 12  is a rear view showing the additional member of  FIG. 7 , wherein an outline of each of mating additional members of a mating connector is illustrated in dashed-line, and another outline of the circuit board is illustrated in two-dot chain line. 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view showing the additional member of  FIG. 7 , taken along line XIII-XIII of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view showing the mating connector which is mateable with the connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 15  is another perspective view showing the mating connector of  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 16  is a plan view showing the mating connector of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view showing the mating connector of  FIG. 14 , taken along line XVII-XVII of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view showing the connector of  FIG. 1  and the mating connector of  FIG. 14 , wherein the connector and the mating connector are in a mated state, and an outline of the circuit board is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 19  is a top view showing the connector and the mating connector of  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional view showing the connector and the mating connector of  FIG. 19 , taken along line XX-XX, wherein an outline of the circuit board is illustrated in dashed-line. 
         FIG. 21  is a rear view showing a positional relation among portions of a side portion of the additional member of  FIG. 12 , wherein dashed line shows a path along which a base portion and an armor portion extend, and chain dotted line shows an outline of the starting portion of the spring portion. 
         FIG. 22  is a view showing another positional relation among the portions of the side portion of  FIG. 21  which is seen from above, wherein an outline of each of the portions is illustrated by continuous line even in a case where the outline is hidden under the other portion. 
         FIG. 23  is a rear view showing a modification of the positional relation of  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view showing a connector and a mating connector of Patent Document 1, wherein the mating connector is apart from the connector. 
         FIG. 25  is a cross-sectional view showing the connector and the mating connector of  FIG. 24 , wherein the mating connector is mated with the connector. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 4 , a connector  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention is mountable on an object (circuit board)  80  in an upper-lower direction (Z-direction). In other words, the connector  10  is an on-board connector that is mounted on the circuit board  80  when used. Referring to  FIGS. 1, 14 and 18 , the connector  10  is mateable with a mating connector  70  along the Z-direction (mating direction). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14 to 17 , the mating connector  70  comprises a mating housing  72  made of insulator such as resin, two mating additional members  76  each made of bendable material such as metal and mating terminals  78  each made of conductor such as metal. Each of the mating additional members  76  is held by the mating housing  72  and partially covers the mating housing  72 . Each of the mating terminals  78  is held by the mating housing  72 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 15 to 17 , the mating connector  70  has a mating receiving portion  722  and a received portion  74 . The mating receiving portion  722  is a space recessed in the Z-direction and is located at the middle of the mating housing  72  in a horizontal plane (XY-plane) perpendicular to the Z-direction. The received portion  74  surrounds the mating receiving portion  722  in the XY-plane. The received portion  74  is formed with an inner wall portion  742  and an outer wall portion  744 . The inner wall portion  742  faces the mating receiving portion  722 , and the outer wall portion  744  faces the outside of the received portion  74 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14, 15 and 17 , the two mating additional members  76  are located at opposite sides of the received portion  74 , respectively, in a front-rear direction (X-direction) perpendicular to the upper-lower direction (Z-direction). Each of the mating additional members  76  has a mating lock portion  762  and two mating contact points  768 . Each of the mating lock portions  762  is a hole formed in the mating additional member  76 . The two mating lock portions  762  are located at opposite sides of the inner wall portion  742  in the X-direction, respectively, and face the mating receiving portion  722 . In each of the mating additional members  76 , the two mating contact points  768  are located at opposite sides of the outer wall portion  744 , respectively, in a lateral direction (Y-direction) perpendicular to both the upper-lower direction (Z-direction) and the front-rear direction (X-direction), and each of the mating contact points  768  is exposed outside the received portion  74  in the Y-direction. Thus, the mating connector  70  has the received portion  74  provided with the two mating lock portions  762  and the four mating contact points  768 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14 to 17 , the mating terminals  78  are grouped into two rows each extending along the X-direction. Each of the mating terminals  78  in each row has a mating contact portion  782 . Two rows of the mating contact portions  782  are located at opposite sides of the inner wall portion  742  in the Y-direction and face the mating receiving portion  722 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , the connector  10  comprises a housing  20  made of insulator such as resin, terminals  30  each made of conductor such as metal and two additional members  40  each made of bendable material such as metal. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the housing  20  has an outer wall  24 . The outer wall  24  has a rectangular frame-shape in the XY-plane. In detail, the outer wall  24  has two sidewalls  242  and two coupling walls  244 . Each of the sidewalls  242  extends along the X-direction to have a front end (positive X-side end) and a rear end (negative X-side end) in the X-direction. Each of the sidewalls  242  has a holding portion  248  for holding the terminals  30 . The holding portion  248  is formed at the middle of the sidewall  242  in the X-direction. Each of the coupling walls  244  extends along the Y-direction and couples the front ends or the rear ends of the two sidewalls  242  to each other in the Y-direction. A size of the sidewall  242  in the X-direction is larger than a size of the coupling wall  244  in the Y-direction. Therefore, the connector  10  extends longer in the X-direction than in the Y-direction. 
     The housing  20  has a receiving portion  22 , a bottom wall  26  and a projecting wall  28 . The bottom wall  26  is located at a lower end, or the negative Z-side end, of the housing  20  in the Z-direction. The projecting wall  28  projects upward in the Z-direction, or projects in the positive Z-direction, from the bottom wall  26 . The projecting wall  28  is located at the middle of the housing  20  in the XY-plane and surrounded by the outer wall  24  in the XY-plane. The receiving portion  22  is a space formed between the outer wall  24  and the projecting wall  28 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 , the bottom wall  26  of the housing  20  is formed with two bottom holes  262 . Each of the bottom holes  262  is located under the receiving portion  22  and passes through the bottom wall  26  in the Z-direction. Thus, the receiving portion  22  opens downward, or in the negative Z-direction, via the bottom holes  262  of the housing  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the housing  20 , which is formed as described above, has an upper surface  20 U and a lower surface  20 L. The upper surface  20 U is located at an upper end, or the positive Z-side end, of the connector  10 , and the lower surface  20 L is located at a lower end of the connector  10 . In the present embodiment, the upper surface  20 U is an upper surface of the outer wall  24 , and the lower surface  20 L is a lower surface of the bottom wall  26 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the terminals  30  according to the present embodiment are grouped into two rows each extending along the X-direction. Each of the terminals  30  in each row is a signal terminal and has a contact portion  32 , a held portion  34  and a fixed portion  38 . Each of the terminals  30  is held by the housing  20 . In detail, two rows of the held portions  34  are held by the holding portions  248  of the two sidewalls  242 , respectively. As can be seen from  FIGS. 1 to 3 , in each of the terminals  30 , the contact portion  32  extends from the held portion  34  to the inside of the projecting wall  28  and subsequently extends upward while partially projecting to the inside of the receiving portion  22 . In each of the terminals  30 , the fixed portion  38  extends outward in the Y-direction from a lower end of the held portion  34 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , when the connector  10  is used, each of the fixed portions  38  is fixed to and electrically connected with the circuit board  80  via soldering, etc. Referring to  FIGS. 18 to 20 , under a mated state where the connector  10  is mated with the mating connector  70 , the receiving portion  22  of the connector  10  receives the received portion  74  of the mating connector  70 . As can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 15 , under the mated state, the mating receiving portion  722  of the mating connector  70  receives the projecting wall  28  of the connector  10 , and the contact portions  32  of the terminals  30  are brought into contact with the mating contact portions  782  of the mating terminals  78 , respectively. As a result, the connector  10  and the mating connector  70  are electrically connected with each other so that the mating connector  70  is electrically connected with the circuit board  80 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the housing  20  and the terminals  30  of the connector  10  are not limited to the aforementioned embodiment but can be variously modified. For example, the housing  20  may have any shape, provided that the housing  20  has the receiving portion  22 , the outer wall  24  and the projecting wall  28 . The portion of the housing  20  that holds the terminals  30  is not limited to the holding portion  248  of the outer wall  24 . Moreover, each of the terminals  30  does not need to be a signal terminal. 
     Hereafter, explanation will be made in detail about the additional members  40  of the connector  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the two additional members  40  have shapes and sizes same as each other. Each of the additional members  40  is held by the housing  20 . The additional members  40  are apart from each other in the X-direction and arranged in mirror symmetry with respect to the YZ-plane. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each of the two additional members  40  may be a part of a common single member that is integrally formed. Instead, each of the additional members  40  may be formed of a plurality of members which are joined together. Moreover, the connector  10  may be provided with three or more of the additional members  40  separated from one another, and the additional members  40  may have shapes different from one another to some extent. However, from the viewpoint of reducing manufacturing cost, the additional members  40  are preferred to have shapes and sizes same as one another. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 to 12 , each of the additional members  40  according to the present embodiment is a single metal plate with bends and has a mirror-symmetrical shape with respect to the XZ-plane. In detail, each of the additional members  40  has two side portions  42 , a coupling portion  44 , a body portion  46  and an outer protection portion  48 . The two side portions  42  are apart from each other in the Y-direction and have shapes mirror-symmetrical to each other with respect to the XZ-plane. The coupling portion  44  extends along the Y-direction as a whole. 
     Hereafter, explanation will be made about the body portion  46  and the outer protection portion  48  of each of the additional members  40 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  together with  FIG. 7 , in the front additional member  40 , or in the additional member  40  that is located at a front side (positive X-side) of the connector  10 , the body portion  46  extends rearward, or in the negative X-direction, as a whole from the middle of the coupling portion  44  in the Y-direction, and the outer protection portion  48  is bent to extend forward, or in the positive X-direction, and downward from the middle of the coupling portion  44  in the Y-direction and subsequently extends downward. In the rear additional member  40 , or the additional member  40  that is located at a rear side (negative X-side) of the connector  10 , the body portion  46  extends forward as a whole from the middle of the coupling portion  44  in the Y-direction, and the outer protection portion  48  is bent to extend rearward and downward from the middle of the coupling portion  44  in the Y-direction and subsequently extends downward. In other words, in each of the additional members  40 , the body portion  46  extends inward in the X-direction from the coupling portion  44 , and the outer protection portion  48  extends outward in the X-direction from the coupling portion  44 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the body portion  46  of each of the two additional members  40  has a lock portion  62 , a fixed portion  64 , an inner protection portion  66  and a held portion  68  and is connected to the coupling portion  44  at an outer end of the inner protection portion  66  in the X-direction. The inner protection portion  66  is bent to extend inward in the X-direction and downward from the middle of the coupling portion  44  in the Y-direction and subsequently extends downward. The fixed portion  64  extends inward in the X-direction from a lower end of the inner protection portion  66 . The lock portion  62  extends upward from an inner end of the fixed portion  64  in the X-direction. The held portion  68  is bent to extend inward in the X-direction and upward from an upper end of the lock portion  62  and subsequently extends downward. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 to 9 , the lock portion  62  has a projection  622 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , the projection  622  is located at an upper end of the lock portion  62  and projects outward in the X-direction. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the lock portions  62  of the two additional members  40  are located at opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the X-direction, respectively, and face the receiving portion  22 . Each of the projections  622  projects into and is exposed inside the receiving portion  22 . The thus-formed two projections  622  project to be away from each other in the X-direction. 
     The fixed portion  64  of each of the additional members  40  extends outward in the X-direction from a lower end of the lock portion  62 . The thus-formed fixed portion  64  of each of the additional members  40  couples the lower end of the inner protection portion  66  and the lower end of the lock portion  62  to each other. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 5 and 6 , in the present embodiment, the two fixed portions  64  are located inside the two bottom holes  262  of the bottom wall  26  of the housing  20 , respectively. Each of the fixed portions  64  is located above the lower surface  20 L of the housing  20 , or the lower end of the connector  10 , with a slight gap. Each of the fixed portions  64 , which is arranged as described above, is fixed to the circuit board  80  via soldering, etc., when the connector  10  is used. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each of the fixed portions  64  may be located inside the common bottom hole  262  that is formed in the bottom wall  26  of the housing  20  and continuously extends. In other words, the housing  20  may be formed with one or more of the bottom holes  262 , and the fixed portion  64  of each of the additional members  40  may be located inside one of the bottom holes  262 . Moreover, each of the fixed portions  64  may have a lower end that is located at a position same as that of the lower surface  20 L of the housing  20  in the Z-direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the held portion  68  of each of the additional members  40  is held by the projecting wall  28 . More specifically, in the present embodiment, the additional members  40  are embedded in the housing  20  via insert-molding, and the held portions  68  of the body portions  46  are embedded in the projecting wall  28 . In addition, the coupling portions  44  are embedded in upper ends of the coupling walls  244  of the outer wall  24 , respectively. In each of the additional members  40 , the inner protection portion  66  of the body portion  46  and the outer protection portion  48  are embedded in the coupling wall  244  so as to interpose the coupling wall  244  in the X-direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the held portion  68 , etc. of each of the additional members  40  may be press-fit in the housing  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 20 , under the mated state, the two mating lock portions  762  are received in the receiving portion  22  and face the two lock portions  62  in the X-direction, respectively, so that the lock portions  62  lock the mating lock portions  762 , respectively, to maintain the mated state. According to the present embodiment, under the mated state, the projections  622  of the lock portions  62  are inserted into the insides of the mating lock portions  762 , respectively, so that the mating lock portions  762  are locked. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each of the lock portions  62  may have, instead of the projection  622 , a depression that is exposed inside the receiving portion  22 . In this structure, each of the mating lock portions  762  may be a projection that projects inward in the X-direction. In other words, the mating lock portions  762  may be inserted into the insides of the depressions of the lock portion  62 , respectively, so as to be locked. 
     According to the present embodiment, the two lock portions  62  are located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the X-direction, respectively, and the thus-located lock portions  62  lock the mating lock portions  762 , respectively. According to this arrangement, when an obliquely upward force, or a force that has both a force component in the X-direction and another force component in the Z-direction, is applied to the mating connector  70  under the mated state, one of the mating lock portions  762  receives a force toward the lock portion  62 . Therefore, the lock of the mating lock portions  762  by the lock portions  62  is not unlocked so that the mated state is maintained. As described above, the lock portions  62  according to the present embodiment facilitate to more securely maintain the mated state with the mating connector  70 . 
     The arrangement of the lock portions  62  according to the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment but can be variously modified. For example, the two lock portions  62  may be located at opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the Y-direction, respectively. Thus, the two lock portions  62  may be located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall  28 , respectively, in one of the X-direction and the Y-direction. The two lock portions  62  may be or may not be located at positions same as each other in the Y-direction when being located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the X-direction, respectively. Similarly, the two lock portions  62  may be or may not be located at positions same as each other in the X-direction when being located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the Y-direction, respectively. 
     Moreover, the connector  10  may be provided with three or more of the lock portions  62 . In this structure, one of the additional members  40  may have two or more of the lock portions  62 , or the connector  10  may be provided with three or more of the additional members  40  each of which has only one of the lock portions  62 . For example, when the connector  10  is provided with four of the lock portions  62 , two of the lock portions  62  may be located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the X-direction, respectively, and remaining two of the lock portions  62  may be located at the opposite sides of the projecting wall  28  in the Y-direction, respectively. 
     According to the present embodiment, when the connector  10  is used, the fixed portions  64  are fixed to the circuit board  80 , and the held portions  68  are fixed to and held by the projecting wall  28 . Each of the lock portions  62  is located between the fixed portion  64  and the held portion  68  which are fixed as described above, so that each of the lock portions  62  is hardly moved even when receiving a strong force. Therefore, the lock portions  62  facilitate to securely lock the mating lock portions  762 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each of the body portions  46  may have only one or none of the fixed portion  64  and the held portion  68 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the inner protection portion  66  of each of the additional members  40  extends upward from the fixed portion  64  and partially covers the outer wall  24 . In particular, the inner protection portions  66  cover inner surfaces of the coupling walls  244  in the X-direction, respectively, so as to prevent the coupling walls  244  from being damaged by the mating connector  70 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each of the body portions  46  may have the inner protection portion  66  as necessary. For example, each of the body portions  46  may have the outer protection portion  48  as a part thereof instead of the inner protection portion  66 . In this structure, each of the body portions  46  may have a portion that passes under the coupling wall  244  and couples a lower end of the outer protection portion  48  to an outer end of the fixed portion  64  in the X-direction. 
     Hereafter, explanation will be made about the side portions  42  of the front additional member  40  of the connector  10 . As described above, the two additional members  40  are the same components as each other while being arranged in mirror symmetry with respect to the YZ-plane. Therefore, the following explanation about the front additional member  40  is applicable, by reversing the situation in the X-direction, to the side portions  42  of the rear additional member  40 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the coupling portion  44  has opposite ends in the Y-direction which extend rearward to be connected to the two side portions  42 , respectively. In other words, the coupling portion  44  couples the two side portions  42  to each other. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the two side portions  42  are partially embedded in the two sidewalls  242 , respectively. The thus-embedded two side portions  42  are located across the receiving portion  22  in the Y-direction. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 to 12 , each of the side portions  42  has a base portion  50 , an anchored portion  52 , an armor portion  54 , a spring portion  56  and a projecting portion  58 . Thus, the additional member  40  has the two base portions  50 , the two anchored portions  52 , the two armor portions  54 , the two spring portions  56  and the two projecting portions  58 . As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 9 , the coupling portion  44  of the present embodiment couples the base portions  50  of the two side portions  42  to each other. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the coupling portion  44  may couple the armor portions  54  of the two side portions  42  to each other. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7, 8 and 11 , the anchored portion  52  of the present embodiment is a lower surface of the side portion  42  and extends along the X-direction. Referring to  FIG. 4 , in the Z-direction, the anchored portion  52  is located at a position same as that of the lower surface  20 L of the housing  20 , or the lower end of the connector  10 . When the connector  10  is used, the anchored portion  52  is fixed to and electrically connected with the circuit board  80  via soldering, etc. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7, 8, 11 and 12 , the base portion  50  extends upward as a whole from the anchored portion  52 . In the present embodiment, the anchored portion  52  itself is a boundary portion  502  between the base portion  50  and the anchored portion  52 . The base portion  50  according to the present embodiment has a flat-plate portion  504 , a bent portion  506  and an upper plate  508 . The flat-plate portion  504  has a flat-plate shape in parallel to the XZ-plane and extends straight upward from the anchored portion  52 . The flat-plate portion  504  has an upper part, or the positive Z-side part, which protrudes rearward. The bent portion  506  is bent to extend upward and inward in the Y-direction from an upper end of the flat-plate portion  504 . The upper plate  508  has a flat-plate shape in parallel to the XY-plane and extends inward in the Y-direction from the bent portion  506 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7, 9 and 12 , the armor portion  54  extends inward in the Y-direction from an inner end of the upper plate  508  of the base portion  50  in the Y-direction. In detail, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the armor portion  54  is bent to extend downward and inward in the Y-direction. In other words, the armor portion  54  extends toward the receiving portion  22  of the housing  20 . The thus-extending armor portion  54  has an innermost portion  542 . The innermost portion  542  is a part of the armor portion  54  that is located to be innermost in the Y-direction. 
     In the present embodiment, the innermost portion  542  of the armor portion  54  is an end of the armor portion  54 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the armor portion  54  may have another end which is bent to extend toward the flat-plate portion  504  of the base portion  50 . In this structure, the innermost portion  542  of the armor portion  54  is located inward in the Y-direction relative to the end of the armor portion  54 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the spring portion  56  extends from the base portion  50  and is supported by the base portion  50  to be resiliently deformable. In other words, the spring portion  56  is resiliently deformable relative to a support point, or a boundary portion (starting portion)  562  between the spring portion  56  and the base portion  50 . 
     The spring portion  56  according to the present embodiment has a first spring  564 , a second spring  566  and a third spring  568  in addition to the starting portion  562 . The first spring  564  extends rearward along the X-direction from the starting portion  562 . The second spring  566  is bent to extend rearward and inward in the Y-direction from a rear end of the first spring  564 , subsequently extends inward in the Y-direction, and is subsequently bent to extend forward and inward in the Y-direction. The third spring  568  starts from a front end of an inner part of the second spring  566  in the Y-direction and extends forward along the X-direction while passing under the armor portion  54 . 
     The spring portion  56  according to the present embodiment has a J-like shape in the XY-plane and has high spring properties because of the structure described above. In particular, the third spring  568  extends long along the X-direction to have high spring properties. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, but the structure of the spring portion  56  can be variously modified. For example, the position of the starting portion  562  in the X-direction may be shifted forward so that the first spring  564  has a length almost equal to another length of the third spring  568 . According to this modification, the spring portion  56  has a U-like shape in the XY-plane. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the projecting portion  58  is supported by the spring portion  56 . In detail, the projecting portion  58  is formed in the vicinity of a front end of the third spring  568  of the spring portion  56  and projects inward in the Y-direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , when the side portion  42  of the additional member  40  is seen from above along the Z-direction, the third spring  568  of the spring portion  56  is partially covered by the armor portion  54 . In particular, the third spring  568  according to the present embodiment has a part that is located at a position same as that of the armor portion  54  in the X-direction and that is entirely covered by the armor portion  54 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, but the spring portion  56  may be, at least in part, covered by the armor portion  54 . For example, the armor portion  54  may be formed to extend rearward to entirely cover the third spring  568  of the spring portion  56 . Moreover, the spring portion  56  may be formed to extend inward in the Y-direction from the middle of the base portion  50  in the X-direction so that the spring portion  56  is entirely covered by the armor portion  54 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the base portion  50  is embedded in the sidewall  242  of the housing  20  except a part of the upper plate  508  and a part in the vicinity of a lower end thereof so that the base portion  50  is fixed to the housing  20 . In addition, the first spring  564  and the second spring  566  (see  FIG. 7 ) of the spring portion  56  are embedded in the sidewall  242  to be fixed to the housing  20 . In contrast, the third spring  568  of the spring portion  56  is located in a space formed in the sidewall  242  and is movable relative to the housing  20 . The projecting portion  58  supported by the third spring  568  is movable in the Y-direction. 
     As described above, the first spring  564  and the second spring  566  (see  FIG. 7 ) of the present embodiment are embedded in the housing  20  and unmovable relative to the housing  20 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto. One or both of the first spring  564  and the second spring  566  may have no part embedded in the housing  20  to be movable relative to the housing  20 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the base portion  50  is located outside the receiving portion  22  in the Y-direction. Moreover, when the additional member  40  is seen from above along the Z-direction under an unmated state where the connector  10  is not mated with the mating connector  70  (see  FIG. 14 ), the projecting portion  58  is located in the receiving portion  22  to be visible. The thus-arranged projecting portion  58  is pressed against and brought into contact with the mating connector  70  under the mated state. 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , the projecting portion  58  of the present embodiment is brought into contact with the mating contact point  768  of the mating connector  70  under the mated state. In the present embodiment, the additional member  40  is a power terminal of the connector  10 , and the mating additional member  76  is a power terminal of the mating connector  70 . Thus, each of the projecting portion  58  and the mating contact point  768  is a contact portion of the power terminal, and the projecting portion  58  and the mating contact point  768  are electrically connected with each other under the mated state. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, but each of the projecting portion  58  and the mating contact point  768  does not need to be a power terminal. In any usage of the additional member  40 , the connector  10  of the present embodiment is connected to the mating connector  70  at the projecting portion  58  supported by the spring portion  56 . 
     According to the present embodiment, the projecting portion  58  is entirely located in the receiving portion  22  to be visible. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, but the projecting portion  58  may be, at least in part, located in the receiving portion  22  to be visible. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , according to the present embodiment, each of the side portions  42  of the additional member  40  is provided with the armor portion  54  which is bent to extend downward. As previously described, the armor portion  54  covers the third spring  568  (see  FIG. 7 ), which is movable relative to the housing  20 , from above. Therefore, during the mating process of the connector  10  with the mating connector  70 , the mating connector  70  is guided by the armor portion  54  to be smoothly moved downward without deforming the third spring  568  prior to the contact of the mating connector  70  with the projecting portion  58 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , in each of the side portions  42  of the additional member  40 , all of the parts except the armor portion  54  and the third spring  568  are fixed to the housing  20 , so that only the armor portion  54  and the third spring  568  are movable relative to the housing  20 . In addition, the armor portion  54  and the third spring  568  are not directly connected to each other. Therefore, even if the mating connector  70  (see  FIG. 14 ) is brought into abutment with the armor portion  54  in the mating process of the connector  10  with the mating connector  70  so that the armor portion  54  receives a relatively small pushing force that resiliently deforms the armor portion  54 , the third spring  568  is unaffected by this pushing force. In other words, the projecting portion  58  supported by the third spring  568  is not moved by this pushing force but is brought into contact with the mating contact point  768  (see  FIG. 14 ) as designed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , the pushing force of the mating connector  70 , which is applied to the armor portion  54  of the additional member  40 , is received by the circuit board  80  via the base portion  50  and the anchored portion  52 . Therefore, even in a case where the pushing force is so large that the armor portion  54  is plastically deformed, a part of the additional member  40  that is close to the anchored portion  52  is hardly affected by the pushing force. 
     Referring to  FIG. 21 , the spring portion  56  extends from the aforementioned part that is hardly affected by the pushing force. More specifically, the spring portion  56  has the starting portion  562  at which the spring portion  56  starts and extends from the base portion  50  and which is nearer to the anchored portion  52  than to the innermost portion  542  of the armor portion  54 . According to this arrangement, the starting portion  562 , which is close to the anchored portion  52 , is hardly moved even if the armor portion  54  is pushed by the mating connector  70  (see  FIG. 15 ) to be resiliently or plastically deformed. Therefore, the spring portion  56  extending from the starting portion  562  and the projecting portion  58  supported by the spring portion  56  are hardly moved. According to the connector  10  (see  FIG. 1 ) of the present embodiment, connection reliability of the projecting portion  58  to the mating connector  70  can be improved. 
     In the additional member  40  of the present embodiment, a position of the starting portion  562  of the spring portion  56  in the Y-direction is equal to another position of the anchored portion  52  in the Y-direction. In other words, a distance D 0  (see  FIG. 23 ) between the starting portion  562  and the anchored portion  52  in the Y-direction is zero. In contrast, the innermost portion  542  of the armor portion  54  is apart from the starting portion  562  by a distance D 1  in the Y-direction. Thus, in the Y-direction, the distance D 0  (see  FIG. 23 ) between the starting portion  562  and the anchored portion  52  is smaller than the distance D 1  between the starting portion  562  and the innermost portion  542 . In other words, the starting portion  562  is nearer to the anchored portion  52  than to the innermost portion  542  in the Y-direction. According to the present embodiment, this arrangement facilitates to reduce the influence of the aforementioned pushing force on the spring portion  56 . 
     According to the present embodiment, when the starting portion  562 , the innermost portion  542  and the anchored portion  52  are seen along the X-direction, an imaginary path P 1  that extends between the anchored portion  52  and the innermost portion  542  via the starting portion  562  can be defined. A path length (creeping distance) between the starting portion  562  and the anchored portion  52  along the path P 1  is shorter than another path length (creeping distance) between the starting portion  562  and the innermost portion  542  along the path P 1 . In other words, when the starting portion  562 , the innermost portion  542  and the anchored portion  52  are seen along the X-direction, the starting portion  562  is nearer to the anchored portion  52  than to the innermost portion  542  in an extending direction along which the base portion  50  and the armor portion  54  extend, or in a direction along the path P 1 . According to the present embodiment, this arrangement also facilitates to reduce the influence of the aforementioned pushing force on the spring portion  56 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , in the additional member  40  of the present embodiment, the flat-plate portion  504  of the base portion  50  securely resists the aforementioned downward pushing force because the flat-plate portion  504  is located just above the anchored portion  52 . The spring portion  56  is hardly affected by the aforementioned pushing force because the spring portion  56  extends from the flat-plate portion  504 . According to the present embodiment, the connection reliability of the projecting portion  58  of the connector  10  to the mating connector  70  can be further improved. However, the spring portion  56  may extend from a part other than the flat-plate portion  504 , provided that the spring portion  56  extends from the base portion  50 . For example, the spring portion  56  may extend from the bent portion  506 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 22 , in the additional member  40  of the present embodiment, a position of the armor portion  54  in the X-direction overlaps with another position of the anchored portion  52  in the X-direction. This arrangement facilitates to more efficiently disperse the aforementioned pushing force to the anchored portion  52 . Therefore, the connection reliability of the projecting portion  58  (see  FIG. 21 ) of the connector  10  (see  FIG. 1 ) to the mating connector  70  (see  FIG. 15 ) can be further improved. From the viewpoint of efficient dispersion of the aforementioned pushing force to the anchored portion  52 , the position of the armor portion  54  in the X-direction is more preferred to be equal to or included in the position of the anchored portion  52  in the X-direction. 
     The present embodiment can be further variously modified as described below in addition to the already explained modifications. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the additional member  40  may have the side portions  42 , the coupling portion  44  and the outer protection portion  48  as necessary. In other words, the additional member  40  may have only the body portion  46 . Moreover, the body portion  46  may have only the lock portion  62 . 
     In the additional member  40 , each of the first spring  564  and the second spring  566  of the spring portion  56  may have a part that extends downward so that each of the first spring  564  and the second spring  566  has a lower end that is located at a position same as that of the anchored portion  52 . Moreover, the lower ends of the thus-extending first spring  564  and second spring  566  may be fixed to the circuit board  80  (see  FIG. 1 ) via soldering, etc. According to this structure, the first spring  564  and the second spring  566  lose their spring properties when the connector  10  is used, while the spring portion  56 , or the third spring  568 , can be more securely prevented from being moved downward. Thus, the contact reliability of the projecting portion  58  of the connector  10  to the mating connector  70  can be further securely improved. 
     Referring to  FIG. 23  together with  FIG. 21 , an additional member  40 A according to a modification has a side portion  42 A which is different from the side portion  42  of the additional member  40 . The side portion  42 A has a base portion  50 A and an anchored portion  52 A different from the base portion  50  and the anchored portion  52 , respectively. However, the side portion  42 A has a structure same as that of the side portion  42  except the aforementioned difference. The base portion  50 A has a part that is located in the vicinity of a lower end thereof and that is bent to extend outward in the Y-direction. The anchored portion  52 A extends outward in the Y-direction from the boundary portion  502  which is an outer end of the base portion  50 A in the Y-direction. 
     The spring portion  56  of the present modification also has the starting portion  562  at which the spring portion  56  starts and extends from the base portion  50 A and which is nearer to the anchored portion  52 A than to the innermost portion  542  of the armor portion  54 . In detail, in the Y-direction, the distance D 0  between the starting portion  562  and the boundary portion  502  that defines a boundary of the anchored portion  52 A is smaller than the distance D 1  between the starting portion  562  and the innermost portion  542 . Moreover, when the starting portion  562 , the innermost portion  542  and the anchored portion  52 A are seen along the X-direction, a creeping distance, or a distance along the path P 1 , between the starting portion  562  and the anchored portion  52 A is smaller than another creeping distance between the starting portion  562  and the innermost portion  542 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , according to the present modification, the contact reliability of the projecting portion  58  of the connector  10  to the mating connector  70  can be similarly improved. 
     While there has been described what is believed to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such embodiments that fall within the true scope of the invention.