Patent Publication Number: US-6981900-B2

Title: Connector and a terminal fitting

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention relates to a connector and to a terminal fitting therefor. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-332334 and  FIGS. 24(   a ) and  24 ( b ) herein show terminal fittings with stabilizers. With reference to  FIGS. 24(   a ) and  24 ( b ) a known terminal fitting  200  has a stabilizer  210  provided on its outer periphery to assure that the terminal fitting  200  is mounted in a proper posture. A stabilizer insertion groove  230  is formed in an inner wall of a cavity  220  and extends along an inserting direction of the terminal fitting  200 . The stabilizer  210  is inserted into the stabilizer insertion groove  230  when the terminal fitting  200  is oriented properly, and the stabilizer  210  and the groove  230  guide the terminal fitting  200  into the cavity  220 . However, the stabilizer  210  contacts an opening edge at the entrance the cavity  220  if the terminal fitting  200  is oriented improperly (e. g. upside down), and hence the erroneous insertion is prevented. 
   The stabilizer  210  typically is formed near an end of a side surface of the terminal fitting  200  to avoid the interference with a retainer or the like of the connector. Accordingly, the stabilizer insertion groove  230  is formed at a corner of the cavity  230  to conform to the stabilizer  210 . These positions present no problem if the terminal fitting  200  is oriented properly. However, a corner of the terminal fitting  200  will fall into the stabilizer insertion groove  230  if the terminal fitting  200  is mounted upside down and the terminal fitting  200  will incline (see  FIG. 24(   b )). In this situation, the amount of interference of the stabilizer  210  with the opening edge of the cavity  220  is reduced. As a result, the stabilizer  210  may bite into the upper surface of the cavity  220  sufficiently for the terminal fitting  200  to be inserted in a wrong posture. 
   The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to improve the reliability of a preventing construction for preventing an erroneous insertion of a terminal fitting. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a connector that comprises a housing with at least one cavity for receiving terminal fitting. A guiding groove is formed at a corner of an inner wall of the cavity and extends substantially along an inserting direction of the terminal fitting. A side surface of the terminal fitting is formed with a stabilizer for engaging the guiding groove when the terminal fitting is inserted properly into the cavity. Thus, the stabilizer guides the insertion of the terminal fitting. However, the stabilizer interferes with an opening edge of the cavity diagonal to the guiding groove to prevent insertion when the terminal fitting is oriented improperly, e.g. upside-down. A posture holding portion is formed at a side surface of the terminal fitting other than the side surface that intersects a base end of the stabilizer. The posture holding portion bulges out towards the inner wall of the cavity at a position at or before the stabilizer with respect to the inserting direction of the terminal fitting. The posture holding portion contacts the inner wall of the cavity when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity in an improper orientation, e.g. upside down, to prevent the terminal fitting from falling into the guiding groove and becoming inclined. 
   As described above, a prior art terminal fitting that is inverted could fall partly into the guiding groove and hence the terminal fitting will incline. In this situation, the stabilizer may not interfere sufficiently with the opening edge of the cavity, and an erroneous insertion may occur. However, the terminal fitting of the subject invention has the posture holding portion. The posture holding portion contacts the inner wall of the cavity to hold the improperly oriented terminal fitting straight and to prevent the terminal fitting from being inclined. Thus, sufficient interference of the stabilizer with the opening edge of the cavity is ensured. The interference will prevent the terminal fitting from being inserted, and hence an operator will notice that the terminal fitting is in a wrong posture. 
   The disposition of the posture holding portion before the stabilizer prevents the terminal fitting from being inclined at an earlier timing than the stabilizer interferes with the opening edge of the cavity. Thus, the insertion of the terminal fitting in a wrong posture is prevented more reliably. 
   An escaping groove is formed in the inner wall of the cavity and extends substantially along the inserting direction of the terminal fitting for accommodating the posture holding portion when the terminal fitting is inserted properly. Accordingly, the posture holding portion of a properly oriented terminal fitting is accommodated in the escaping groove of the cavity and does not hinder the proper insertion. 
   The cavity preferably is a rectangular tube for receiving the terminal fitting. The posture holding portion can contact an inner wall of the cavity at a side adjacent the guiding groove when the terminal fitting is oriented improperly, e.g. upside down, with respect to the cavity. Accordingly, an inverted terminal fitting is unlikely to fall into the guiding groove because the posture holding portion contacts the inner wall at the side adjacent to the guiding groove. In addition, there is a high degree of freedom in locating the posture holding portion because no recess or projection such as the guiding groove is in the adjacent inner wall. 
   A front portion of the stabilizer relative to the inserting direction preferably is substantially normal to the inserting direction. Additionally, a rear portion of the stabilizer as seen in the inserting direction preferably is substantially rounded or slanted with respect to the inserting direction. 
   The terminal fitting preferably has a cut-away portion on one side for engaging a lock of the housing. The stabilizer preferably extends rearward from the cut-away portion. 
   The terminal fitting may have a locking projection on one side for engaging a lock of the housing. The height of the stabilizer preferably is larger than the height of the locking projection. 
   The terminal fitting preferably comprises a main portion. A leading end of a sidewall of the main portion may be embossed with an outwardly projecting bead that extends forward and back to reinforce the main portion. 
   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 section showing female terminal fittings and a female connector housing according to a first embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the female terminal fitting. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the female terminal fitting. 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the female terminal fitting. 
       FIG. 5  is a front view of the female terminal fitting. 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the female connector housing. 
       FIG. 7  is a rear view of the female connector housing. 
       FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the female connector housing. 
       FIG. 9  is a front view of a retainer. 
       FIG. 10  is a section of the retainer. 
       FIG. 11  is an exploded perspective view showing a fitting construction of the retainer and the female connector housing. 
       FIG. 12  is a side view showing a partly locked state of the retainer. 
       FIG. 13  is a side view showing a fully locked state of the retainer. 
       FIG. 14  is a section showing a state where the female terminal fittings are inserted into cavities. 
       FIG. 15  is a section showing a state where the female terminal fittings are accommodated in the cavities. 
       FIG. 16  is a section showing a state where the terminal fitting is inserted in a proper posture. 
       FIG. 17  is a section showing a state where a stabilizer interferes with a restricting portion. 
       FIG. 18  is a section showing the terminal fitting inserted upside-down. 
       FIG. 19  is a side view of a male connector housing according to a second embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 20  is a rear view of the male connector housing. 
       FIG. 21  is a section of the male connector housing. 
       FIG. 22  is a side view of a male terminal fitting. 
       FIG. 23  is a front view of the male terminal fitting. 
       FIGS. 24(   a ) and  24 ( b ) are diagrams showing a prior art. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A female connector according to a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 18 . The female connector includes a female housing  40  that can accommodate female terminal fittings  10 . The connector also includes a retainer  70  for doubly locking the female terminal fittings  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . In the following description, a connection side with a mating connector (not shown), e.g. left side in  FIG. 1 , is referred to as front side. 
   Each female terminal fitting  10  is formed by applying bending, folding, embossing and/or other processing to a conductive metallic plate that has been stamped or cut to have a specified shape. The terminal fitting  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 to 4 , has a substantially box-shaped main portion  11  that is electrically connectable with a tab of a mating male terminal fitting (not shown). A wire-crimping portion  12  is behind the main portion and is configured for crimped, bent or folded connection with an end of a wire W. The crimping portion  12  has a pair of front crimping pieces and a pair of rear crimping pieces. The front crimping pieces define a wire barrel  12   a  to be crimped into connection with a core of the wire W and the rear crimping pieces define an insulation barrel  12   b  to be crimped into connection with an insulation coating of the wire W. The height of the wire barrel  12   a  in its crimped state exceeds the height of the main body  11 . However, the height of the insulation barrel  12   b  in its crimped state is smaller than the height of the main body  11 . 
   The main body  11  has a ceiling wall  13  that extends forward and back. Two sidewalls  14 ,  15  are bent down from the opposite lateral edges of the ceiling wall  13 . A bottom wall  16  projects from the projecting end of the left side wall  15  of  FIG. 5  and faces the ceiling wall  13 . An outer wall  17  projects from the projecting end of the right side wall  14  of  FIG. 5  and is placed on the outer side of the bottom wall  16 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , a resilient contact piece  18  is folded to cantilever back at a moderate angle from the front end of the ceiling wall  13 . The resilient contact piece  18  can be brought resiliently into contact with the tab of the mating male terminal fitting. The bottom wall  16  facing the resilient contact piece  18  is embossed in to form a receiving portion  19  that can squeezingly hold the tab in cooperation with the resilient contact piece  18 . Further, the ceiling wall  13  is embossed in to form an excessive deformation preventing portion  20  that prevents excessive deformation of the resilient contact piece  18  by contacting the resilient contact piece  18  before the resilient contact piece  18  is deformed beyond its resiliency limit. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the outer wall  17  is divided into a front part  17   a  and a rear part  17   b  by a cut-away portion  21  that extends over the entire width at a substantially longitudinal middle of the outer wall  17 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rear end of the front part  17   a  of the outer wall  17  is embossed substantially in the widthwise middle to project down and out, thereby forming a locking projection  23 . A front holding piece  24  is bent toward the ceiling wall  13  at the projecting abutted against the sidewall  14  of the front part  17   a  of the outer wall  17  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The front holding piece  24  is fit into a front holding groove  25  in the sidewall  15  to hold the front part  17   a.    
   A locking step  26  is formed at the rear end of the main portion  11  for engaging a corresponding locking section  75  of the retainer  70 . A protrusion  27  is embossed substantially in the widthwise middle of the rear end of the rear part  27   b  and projects substantially to the same height as the locking projection  23 . The protrusion  27  also is engageable with the locking section  75 . The protrusion  27  thus increases a depth of engagement with the locking section  75 . A rear holding piece  28  is bent toward the ceiling wall  13  from the projecting end of the rear part  17   b  of the outer wall  17 . The rear holding piece  28  fits into a rear holding groove  29  in the sidewall  15  to hold the rear part  17   b.    
   A stabilizer  30  projects from the projecting end of the sidewall  14  in the same direction as the protrusion  27  and the locking projection  23 . A stopper surface  31  is formed at the front surface of this stabilizer  30 . The stopper surface  31  extends substantially straight along the vertical direction at an angle, and preferably substantially normal to an inserting direction ID of the female terminal fitting  10  into the female housing  40 . The rear surface of the stabilizer  30  is arcuate or inclined with respect to the inserting direction ID. The stabilizer  30  extends from the cut-away portion  21  to the rear part  17   b  of the outer wall  17  and has a height that exceeds the heights of the locking projection  23  and the protrusion  27 . 
   A leading end of the sidewall  14  is embossed to form a reinforcing bead  37  that projects out and in forward and backward directions. 
   The female housing  40  is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and is substantially in the form of a wide and flat block, as shown in  FIGS. 6 to 8 . A lock arm  41  is formed on an upper surface of the female housing  40  for locking the female housing  40  and the mating male housing into each other. 
   Cavities  42  that are hollow in forward and backward directions are arranged substantially side by side in widthwise direction WD at upper and lower stages inside the female housing  40 . The female terminal fittings  10  can be accommodated in each cavity  42  by being inserted from behind along the inserting direction ID. A lock  49  is provided at the front side of a bottom wall  43  of the cavity  42  for partly locking the female terminal fitting  10 . The lock  49  cantilevers forward and the leading end of the lock  49  is resiliently displaceable up and down in a direction intersecting the inserting direction ID. The lock  49  is resiliently deformed substantially out and down as the female terminal fitting  10  passes above the lock  49 , and is restored to engage the locking projection  23  of the female terminal fitting  10  after the passage, thereby functioning to lock the female terminal fitting  10  so as not to come out. 
   The female terminal fittings  10  engaged with the locks  49  are supported at front limit positions by a front wall  44  of the female housing  40 . The front wall  44  has tab insertion holes  44   a  that permit the tabs of the mating male terminal fittings to enter the cavities  42  from the front. Tapered guiding surfaces  44   b  are formed at the front edges of the tab insertion holes  44  over substantially the entire periphery for smoothly guiding the entrance of the tabs. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 16 , a protrusion insertion groove  45  is formed substantially in the widthwise middle of the bottom wall  43  of each cavity  42  over substantially the entire length for receiving the locking projection  23  and the protrusion  27 . Similarly, a stabilizer insertion groove  46  is formed at the left corner of the bottom wall  43  in  FIGS. 7 and 16  for receiving the stabilizer  30 . The stabilizer insertion groove  46  extends substantially along the forward and backward directions of the female housing  40  and is open backward. The front end of the stabilizer insertion groove  46  is slightly behind a base end of the lock  49 . The stabilizer insertion grooves  46  are deeper than the protrusion insertion grooves  45  at the upper stage, whereas the depths of the grooves  46 ,  45  are substantially equal at the lower stage. 
   A retainer mount hole  51  is formed in the bottom surface of the female housing  40  for receiving the retainer  70 . Specifically, the retainer mount hole  51  is open in the bottom, left and right surfaces of the female housing  40 . Accordingly, the retainer mount hole  51  is open at three sides. 
   The retainer mount hole  51  has a depth to expose the insides of the respective cavities  42  at the upper stage, and the ceiling surface of the retainer mount hole  51  is at a height substantially the middle of the cavities  42  at the upper stage. Thus, each cavity  42  at the lower stage is divided into front and rear sections over substantially the entire height, whereas each cavity  42  at the upper stage is divided into front and rear sections only up to a middle height thereof. In these divided sections, partition walls  42 A partitioning the adjacent cavities  42  along widthwise direction WD are also substantially removed. 
   The front opening edges of all the cavities  42  at the inner part of the female housing  40  cut off by the retainer mount hole  51  extend vertically in a direction substantially normal to the inserting direction ID and normal to the widthwise direction. However, the rear opening edges of all the cavities  42  at the inner part of the female housing  40  cut off by the retainer mount hole  51  sloped down from the front side to the back side with respect to the inserting direction ID of the female terminal fittings  10 . 
   Lock holes  60  are formed at opposite widthwise ends of the bottom end of the slanted surface of the retainer mount hole  51  in the female housing  40 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
   The left and right surfaces of the female housing  40  are recessed slightly in areas above and behind side openings formed by the retainer mount hole  51  to form stepped surfaces  47  as shown in  FIG. 6 . A rib-shaped locking projection  48  is formed on each stepped surface  47  substantially along the inclined edge of the retainer mount hole  51 . A push-in preventing projection  53  is aligned substantially with the back end of each locking projection  48 . 
   A shake preventing portion  55  projects above the locking projection  48  on each stepped surface  47  and extends substantially horizontally forward and backward along the insertion direction ID for preventing the retainer  70  at the full locking position (see  FIG. 13 ) from shaking. Further, a catching piece  57  projects before each shake-preventing portion  55  so that an upper edge of the catching piece  57  is substantially continuous with the upper edge of the shake-preventing portion  55 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , a slanted surface  58  is on the side of each catching piece  57  and slopes up towards the outer side, so that the locking claw  85  can move smoothly onto the catching piece  57 . 
   The retainer  70  is formed e.g. of a synthetic resin similar to the female housing  40  and has a base  71  to be aligned substantially with and fit into the retainer mount hole  51 . Side plates  72  bulge out at opposite widthwise ends of the base  71  as shown in  FIGS. 9 to 11 . The retainer  70  is displaceable between a partial locking position where insertion of the female terminal fittings  10  into the cavities  42  is permitted (see  FIG. 1 ) and a full locking position where the female terminal fittings  10  are locked by the retainer  70  (see  FIG. 15 ). 
   As shown in  FIG. 9 , the base  71  is formed with the same number of windows  74  as the cavities  42  at each stage of the female housing  40 . The respective windows  74  are formed to be substantially alignable with the cavities  42  at the lower stage. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the front opening edges of the windows  74  extend vertically and substantially conform to the front opening edges of the cavities  42  divided into the front and rear sections by the retainer mount hole  51 . The rear opening edges of the windows  74  are inclined as conform to the inclination of the rear opening edges of the divided cavities  42 . 
   Locking sections  75  are formed at the front ends of the bottom surfaces of the windows  74  and on the upper surface of the base  71  for engaging the locking steps  26  of the female terminal fittings  10 . The upper and lower locking sections  75  are substantially flush with the bottom walls  43  of the corresponding cavities  42 , as shown in  FIG. 14 , when the retainer  70  is at the partial locking position, thereby enabling insertion and withdrawal of the female terminal fittings  10 . However, the locking sections  75  enter the corresponding cavities  42  from the side of the retainer mount hole  51 , as shown in  FIG. 15 , when the retainer  70  is moved in the pushing direction PD to the full locking position thereby engaging the locking steps  26  of the terminal fittings  10 . 
   Stabilizer fitting recesses  76  penetrate the retainer  70  in forward and backward directions and can receive the stabilizers  30  of the female terminal fittings  10  inserted into the cavities  42 . The stabilizer fitting recesses  76  are at the left corners of the bottom walls  74   a  and the upper surfaces of the ceiling walls  74   b  of the respective windows  74 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , and align with the stabilizer insertion grooves  46  to permit passage of the stabilizers  30  when the retainer  70  is at the partial locking position. 
   The side plates  72  are spaced to hold opposite outer side surfaces of the female housing  40  and are resiliently deformable away from these side surfaces. The side plates  72  close the side openings of the retainer mount hole  51  when the retainer  70  reaches the full locking position, and have a size to face a specified range of the corresponding stepped surface  47 . Further, the side plates  42  have a thickness substantially equal to a level difference between the stepped surfaces  47  and the outer side surfaces of the female housing  40 . Thus, the side plates  72  are substantially flush with the outer side surfaces of the female housing  40  when the retainer  70  is at the full locking position and define part of the outer walls of sides of the female housing  40 . 
   Guiding grooves  80  are formed at the rear sides of the side plates  72  for guiding the retainer  70  between the partial and full locking positions. The guiding grooves  80  have the substantially same inclination as the rear opening edges of the respective cavities  42  of the female housing  40  and substantially parallel the pushing direction PD. Additionally the guiding grooves  80  have widths so that the locking projections  48  can be accommodated therein. As shown in  FIG. 12 , each guiding groove  80  is engageable with the corresponding locking projection  48  and push-in preventing projection  53  at its opposite ends, and the retainer  70  is held at the partial locking position in such a state. On the other hand, the locking projections  48  move towards the bottom ends of the guiding grooves  80  when the retainer  70  is pushed up in the pushing direction PD (see  FIG. 12 ) along the guiding grooves  80  so that the retainer  70  is fully locked. 
   In this fully locked state, the retainer  70  is locked at the following two portions. Specifically, a locking claw  85  is formed to project inward at the upper end of the inner surface of each side plate  72 . The locking claws  85  substantially face the catching pieces  57  of the housing  40  at substantially the same height when the retainer  70  is at the partial locking position (see  FIG. 12 ), the locking claws  85  move beyond the slanted surfaces  58  of the catching pieces  57  and engage the upper edges of the catching pieces  57  when the retainer  70  is moved to the full locking position. 
   Lock projections  87  are formed at the opposite widthwise ends of the inclined rear surface of the base  71  of the retainer  70 , as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 13 . The upper surface of each lock projection  87  is substantially horizontal and parallel to the insertion direction ID. The rear surface of each locking projection  87  is substantially vertical and normal to the insertion direction ID. Additionally, a corner between these surfaces is chamfered. The lock projections  87  wait on standby obliquely below from the rear side of the lock holes  60 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , when the retainer  70  is at the partial locking position, whereas the lock projections  87  fit into the lock holes  60 , as shown in  FIG. 13 , to prevent the retainer  70  from coming out backward when the retainer  70  is moved to the full locking position. 
   Part of the peripheral edge of the opening in a rear end surface  42 D of each cavity  42  is slanted to guide the female terminal fitting  10  into the cavity  42 . However, a restricting portion  62  is formed on this peripheral edge diagonal to the stabilizer insertion groove  46  and is substantially normal to the insertion direction ID, as shown in  FIG. 16 . The restricting portion  62  achieves surface contact with the stopper surface  31  of the stabilizer  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , when the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted in an improper posture, such as upside down into the cavity  42 , thereby preventing erroneous insertion. 
   The female terminal fitting  10  has a posture holding portion  35  to reliably prevent erroneous insertion. The posture holding portion  35  is formed by embossing or cutting and bending the sidewall  15  that faces the sidewall  14  that has the stabilizer  30  to project toward the inner wall of the cavity  42 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , the posture holding portion  35  is at an intermediate position of the sidewall  15  with respect to the height direction. Additionally, the posture holding portion  35  has a long shape extending along the inserting direction ID of the female terminal fitting  10  and has a substantially uniform width. The front end of the posture holding portion  35  is substantially at the same position along the inserting direction ID as the front holding piece  24 , whereas the rear end thereof is substantially in the longitudinal middle of the main body  11  and before the stabilizer  30  with respect to the inserting direction ID. Further, the front end of the posture holding portion  35  is located before the front end of the cut-away portion  21  and the rear end thereof is substantially in the middle of the cut-away portion  21 . Thus, the posture holding portion  35  strengthens the front side of the main portion  11 . 
   The posture holding portion  35  has a substantially flat surface  35 A connected with the sidewall  15  via slanted surfaces  35  tapered toward the flat surface  35 A. A projecting height (dimension A in  FIG. 16 ) of the posture holding portion  35  is substantially equal to or slightly shorter than a dimension obtained by subtracting the width (dimension C in  FIG. 16 ) of the main portion  11  from spacing (dimension B in  FIG. 16 ) along the width direction WD between the opposite inner walls of the cavity  42 . 
   The posture holding portion  35  enters the cavity  42  and contacts the left inner wall  42   a , i.e. the inner wall  42  adjacent to the stabilizer insertion groove  46  as shown in phantom in  FIG. 18 , if the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted improperly, e.g. upside down. This prevents the female terminal fitting  10  from being inclined, and the female terminal fitting  10  is held in a posture so that the stopper surface  31  of the stabilizer  30  is substantially normal to the ceiling wall  42   c  of the cavity  42 . Therefore, a sufficient amount of interference of the stopper surface  31  of the stabilizer  30  with the restricting portion  62  of the cavity  42  is ensured. 
   An escaping groove  56  is formed in an intermediate portion of the right inner wall  42   b  of each cavity  42  and extends substantially along the inserting direction ID of the female terminal fitting  10  for accommodating the posture holding portion  35 . The escaping grooves  56  are formed over substantially the entire length of the cavities  42  at both upper and lower stages. Thus, the front ends of the escaping grooves  56  are near the front wall  44  of the cavities  42  and the rear ends thereof open in the rear end surfaces  42 D of the cavities  42  (see  FIG. 1 ). Accordingly, the posture holding portion  35  enters the escaping groove  56  at each stage when the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted in a proper posture into the cavity  42 . Each escaping groove  56  is dimensioned to define a clearance (play) to the posture holding portion  35  in order not to impair the insertion operability of the female terminal fitting  10 . 
   The escaping grooves  56  at the lower stage are divided into front and rear sections by the retainer mount hole  51 . An escaping recess  77  having the same shape as the escaping groove  56  is formed at an intermediate portion of the left inner wall of the each window  74  of the retainer  70 . The escaping recess  77  is alignable with the escaping groove  56  at the lower stage when the retainer  70  is at the partial locking position shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   Upon assembling the connector, the retainer  70  is first held at the partial locking position with respect to the female housing  40 . The retainer  70  can be pushed in the pushing direction PD. As a result, both side plates  72  widen to hold the opposite stepped surfaces  47  of the female housing  40 , and the locking projections  48  and the push-in preventing projections  53  are fit into the guiding grooves  80 , as shown in  FIG. 12 . The retainer  70  is held at the partial locking position by the engagement of the locking projections  48  and the push-in preventing projections  53  with opposite ends of the guiding grooves  80 . 
   Subsequently, the female terminal fitting  10  is opposed to the cavity  42 . In this proper posture, the stabilizer  30  and the posture holding portion  35  of the female terminal fitting  10  face the stabilizer insertion groove  46  and the escaping groove  56  of the cavity  42 . Thus, the female terminal fitting  10  can be inserted into the cavity  42  from behind and along the inserting direction ID. Accordingly, the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted into the cavity  42  and the posture holding portion  35  enters the escaping groove  56 . The stabilizer  30  enters the stabilizer insertion groove  46  when the entire posture holding portion  35  is accommodated in the cavity  42 . Thereafter, the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted farther and is guided by the stabilizer  30  and the stabilizer insertion groove  46 . Finally, the main portion  11  passes the retainer  70  and is pushed in while resiliently deforming the lock  49  out and down. The lock  49  is restored resiliently when the locking projection  23  moves beyond the leading end of the lock  49 , so that the leading end of the lock  49  engages the rear end of the locking projection  23  to effect partial locking. 
   The rear end of the female housing  10  is gripped after all of the female terminal fittings  10  have been inserted into the cavities  42 , and the retainer  70  is pushed in the pushing direction PD from the partial locking position toward the full locking position. As a result, the portions of the side plates  42  around the bottom ends of the guiding grooves  80  deform resiliently and move onto the push-in preventing projections  53 , thereby causing the push-in preventing projections  53  to exit from the guiding grooves  80 . Simultaneously, the retainer  70  is pushed obliquely up in the pushing direction PD and is guided by the engagement of the locking projections  48  and the guiding grooves  80 . 
   The upper and lower locking sections  75  enter the cavities  42  in the female housing  40  from below to engage the corresponding locking steps  26  of the female terminal fittings  10  when the retainer  70  reaches the full locking position, as shown in  FIG. 15 , thereby doubly locking the female terminal fittings  10  in cooperation with the locks  49 . 
   The female terminal fitting  10  may be oriented improperly (e.g. turned upside down) with respect to the cavity  42  during mounting into the female housing  40 . In this situation, the posture holding portion  35  of the female terminal fitting  10  enters the cavity  42  and contacts the left inner wall  42   a  of the cavity  42 . As a result, as shown in  FIG. 18 , the female terminal fitting  10  cannot incline in the cavity  42  and the female terminal fitting  10  is held in a posture so that the stopper surface  31  of the stabilizer  30  is substantially normal to the ceiling wall  42   c  of the cavity  42 . The stabilizer  30  gradually approaches the rear end surface  42 D of the cavity  42  as the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted farther into the cavity  42  in this state. Consequently the stopper surface  31  of the stabilizer  30  contacts the restricting portion  62  of the cavity  42 . Further insertion of the female terminal fitting  10  is prevented, and thus an operator can notice that the female terminal fitting  10  is in a wrong inserting posture. 
   As described above, the posture holding portion  35  contacts the inner wall  42   a  of the cavity  42  if the female terminal fitting  10  is mounted into the female housing  40  while being improperly oriented (e.g. turn upside down), to prevent the female terminal fitting  10  from being inclined in the cavity  42 . Thus, the corner of the female terminal fitting  10  will not fall into the stabilizer insertion groove  46  in a way that could reduce mutual interference of the stabilizer  30  and the restricting portion  62  (see phantom line in  FIG. 18 ). Hence, sufficient interference between the stopper surface  31  of the stabilizer  30  and the restricting portion  62  of the cavity  42  is ensured, and the insertion of the female terminal fitting  10  in a wrong posture is prevented with high reliability. On the other hand, if the female terminal fitting  10  is inserted in a proper posture, the posture holding portion  35  is accommodated in the escaping groove  56  in the cavity  42  and does not hinder the insertion. 
   The inner wall  42   a  has a high degree of freedom in locating the posture holding portion  35  since no recess or projection such as the protrusion insertion groove  45  and the stabilizer insertion groove  46  is formed in or on this inner wall  42   a.    
   The inclination of the female terminal fitting  10  and the interference of the stabilizer  30  with the restricting portion  62  would be carried out at the same time if the posture holding portion  35  was at substantially the same position as the stabilizer  30  with respect to the inserting direction ID of the female terminal fitting  10 . However, the posture holding portion  35  is before the stabilizer  30  along the inserting direction ID. Thus, the inclination of the female terminal fitting  10  is prevented earlier and the insertion of the female terminal fitting  10  in a wrong posture is prevented with higher reliability. 
   A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated  FIGS. 19 to 23 . Although the female connector is shown in the first embodiment, a male connector is shown in the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the respective constructions are briefly described. In the following description, a mating side with an (unillustrated) mating connector (right side in each figure) is referred to as front side. 
   A male terminal fitting  110 , as shown in  FIG. 22 , has a tab  111  to be electrically connected with a mating female terminal fitting, a substantially box-shaped main portion  112  and a barrel  113  to be crimped, bent or folded into connection with an end of a wire W. The tab  111  is formed by folding a plate piece that is narrow and long in forward and backward directions and extending from the front edge of the main body  112  back along a longitudinal direction so that two pieces are held in close contact with each other. 
   The bottom surface of the main body  112  is embossed substantially in the longitudinal middle to project out and down to form a locking projection  115 . A stabilizer  121  projects out and down from the bottom end of the left surface of the main body  112  shown in  FIG. 23  similar to the female terminal fitting  10  of the first embodiment. A stopper surface  122  is defined at the front of the stabilizer  121  and is substantially straight along the vertical direction and normal to the inserting direction ID. A posture holding portion  125  projects out from the right surface  119  shown in  FIG. 23 . Similar to the first embodiment, the posture holding portion  125  has a laterally long shape substantially along the inserting direction ID of the male terminal fitting  110  and is before or partly overlapping the stabilizer  121  with respect to this inserting direction ID. 
   The male housing  130 , as shown in  FIG. 21 , has a receptacle  131  into which a mating female connector is fittable and a terminal-accommodating portion  135 . The terminal-accommodating portion  135  is a wide block, and cavities  136  are provided therein for receiving the male terminal fittings  110  from behind and along the inserting direction ID. The cavities  136  penetrate the male housing  130  along forward and backward directions, and a plurality of them are arranged in a widthwise direction WD at upper and lower stages. A resiliently deflectable lock  137  is provided at the bottom surface of each cavity  136  for engaging the male terminal fitting  110 . 
   A stabilizer insertion groove  138  is formed at the right corner of the bottom wall of each cavity  136 , as shown in  FIGS. 20 and 21 , and extends along the inserting direction ID of the male terminal fitting  110  for receiving the stabilizer  121 . The front end of the stabilizer insertion groove  138  reaches the base end of the lock  137  and the rear end thereof is open. An escaping groove  139  is formed in the left inner wall of each cavity  136  for receiving the posture holding portion  125 . The escaping groove  139  also extends along the inserting direction ID of the male terminal fitting  110 . The front end of escape groove  139  reaches the leading end of the lock  137  and the rear end thereof is open. A retainer mount hole  140  is formed in outer peripheral surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion  135  and is used to mount a retainer  150  in a pushing direction PD. Similar to the first embodiment, a restricting portion  143  for the stabilizer  121  is provided at the opening edge in a rear end surface  135 A of each cavity  136  diagonal to the stabilizer insertion groove  138 . 
   The retainer  150  has a main body  151  that is fittable into the retainer mount hole  140  and a pair of side plates  152  that bulge out from opposite widthwise ends of the retainer main body  151 . The retainer  150  is displaceable between a partial locking position (not shown) where insertion of the male terminal fittings  110  into the cavities  136  is permitted and a full locking position (not shown) where the male terminal fittings  110  are locked by the retainer  137 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 20 , the retainer main body  151  has windows  155  arranged at upper and lower stages. The windows  155  align substantially with the respective upper and lower cavities  136  of the male housing  130 . A stabilizer fitting recess  156  is formed in the bottom surface of each window  156  at each of the upper and second lower stages for receiving the stabilizer  121  and an escaping recess  157  is formed in the left inner wall of each window  155  for receiving the posture holding portion  125 . The recesses  156 ,  157  penetrate the retainer  150  along forward and backward directions. The stabilizer fitting recesses  156  align with the stabilizer insertion grooves  138  of the cavities  136  and the escaping recesses  157  align with the escaping grooves  139  of the cavities  136  when the retainer  150  is at the partial locking position. 
   The male connector of the second embodiment has the same effects as the female connector of the first embodiment. Specifically, the posture holding portion  125  prevents inclination of the male terminal fitting  110  in the cavity  136  even if the male terminal fitting  110  is mounted while being oriented improperly (e.g. upside down). 
   Insertion of the male terminal fitting  110  in a wrong posture can be prevented with higher reliability because a sufficient amount of interference of the stopper surface  122  of the stabilizer  121  with the restricting portion  143  of the cavity  136  is ensured. On the other hand, the posture holding portion  125  is accommodated in the escaping groove  139  of the cavity  136  and does not hinder the proper insertion if the male terminal fitting  110  is in a proper posture. 
   The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiments. For example, the following embodiments are also embraced by the technical scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the claims. 
   The posture holding portion  35 ,  125  is before the stabilizer  30 ,  120  with respect to the inserting direction ID of the terminal fitting  10 ,  110  in the first and second embodiments. However, they may be at the same position. 
   The posture holding portion  35 ,  125  is on the sidewall  15  substantially facing the sidewall  14  provided with the stabilizer  30 ,  120  in the first and second embodiments. However, it may be on another side surface unless it contact the inner wall where the restricting portion  62  is formed when the terminal fitting  10 ,  110  is mounted upside down. 
   Even though the invention has been described with reference to connectors having a retainer for doubly locking the terminal fittings in the respective cavities, it should be understood that the invention is also applicable to connectors having no retainer.