Patent ID: 7207841

Claim:
An electrical connector comprising a housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating holes for accommodating a plurality of connecting terminals connected to distal ends of electric wires and a plurality of locking arms each of which is engaged with a respective one of said connecting terminals not to remove backwardly, and a front holder which is engaged with a front portion of the housing and includes a plurality of terminal inserting holes through which cooperating connecting terminals are to be inserted and a plurality of arm pushing portions each of which is urged against a respective one of said locking arms to enhance a locking force of the locking arms, wherein said front holder has formed therein a plurality of arm operating holes through each of which a jig for operating the locking arms is to be inserted, and a plurality of said terminal inserting holes independently, said front holder is movable lineally in a plane parallel to a front surface of said housing in a direction along an axial line between said terminal inserting holes and said arm operating holes corresponding to a first position and a second position; in said first position of the front holder, said plurality of locking arms are pushed toward connecting terminals by said plurality of arm pushing portions and said plurality of terminal inserting holes are aligned with said plurality of connecting terminals such that an electrical connection between the connecting terminals and cooperating electrical terminals is attained by engaging a cooperating housing; and in said second position of the front holder, said front holder is temporarily engaged with said housing, said front holder releases arm pushing portions of said locking arms, said plurality of terminal inserting holes are shifted out of the axial lines of the connecting terminals installed within the housing, said plurality of arm operating holes are aligned with said plurality of locking arms, and said plurality of arm pushing portions are removed from said plurality of locking arms such that a locking operation of a locking arm is released by inserting the jig into an arm operating hole and a connecting terminal can be removed from a terminal accommodating hole.