Patent ID: 7367835

Claim:
A lock mechanism of a connector, comprising: a connector body portion that receives terminals therein; a hood portion that is provided around an outer periphery of the connector body portion so that an annular space into which a mating connector can be fitted from a first side is formed between the hood portion and the outer periphery of the connector body portion; and a lock arm that includes a connecting portion, an extending portion and a depressing portion for lock cancellation, wherein the connecting portion of the lock arm is integrally connected to the hood portion at the first side, the extending portion extends from the connecting portion to the depressing portion in a first direction of fitting the mating connector into the connector body portion, and the depressing portion is arranged at a second side which is away from the mating connector than the first side in the first direction; wherein an end wall of the hood portion is integrally connected at the second side to the connector body portion; wherein a first slit is formed in the end wall of the hood portion, and has a width larger than a width of an interconnecting portion which connect the connecting portion of the lock arm to the hood portion, so that the first slit applies elastic deformability, corresponding to the width of the first slit, to a part of the hood portion including the interconnecting portion; wherein a pair of protection side walls are provided respectively at both sides of the lock arm to protect the lock arm, and are separated from the lock arm, and have a height generally equal to a height of the lock arm; wherein a rib is formed on an outer periphery of the hood portion at the first side, and extends over a range corresponding to the width of the first slit; wherein front end portions of the protection side walls extend to the rib so as to be integrally connected to the rib; wherein the front end portions of the protection side walls have a height generally equal to the height of the rib; and wherein the protection side walls respectively have second slits which extend in the first direction and are continuous with the first slit.