A connector housing assembly and an electric connector assembly

Abstract

 An electrical connector is adapted and arranged to simplify the operation of fitting a lid into a housing body of the electrical connector, and in turn realize enhancement in productivity and reduction in production cost of the connector. A connector housing assembly for assembling the electrical connector (100), comprises the connector housing body (110) that is provided with a receiving chamber (111) being open to outside, a contact (120) that is received in the connector housing body (110) in such a way that it can contact a counterpart contact, and a lid (130) that fits into the connector housing body (110) to cover the receiving chamber (111), the electrical connector (100) being so arranged that the wire (W) that is connected to the contact (120) is led out through a space between the connector housing body (110) and the lid (130). This connector housing assembly is a combination of the connector housing body (110) and a lid assembling member (A) wherein an auxiliary member (140) is interconnected to the lid (130) by a severable interconnecting part (150).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to connector housing assemblies and electric connector assemblies for assembling an electric connector that is connected to a wire.

[0002] Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2002-164092, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication 2001-43926 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication Heisei 11-185868 disclose an electric connector, which comprises a connector housing body that is provided with a receiving chamber being opened to outside, a contact that is received in the connector housing body in such a way that it can contact a counterpart contact, and a lid that fits into the connector housing body to cover the receiving chamber, the electric connector being so arranged that a wire that is connected to the contact is led out through a space between the connector housing body and the lid.

[0003] Downsizing of electric connectors that are provided inside small electronic devices such as cellular phone is earnestly desired. When an electric connector comprising a connector housing body and a lid, such as one described above, is adopted as such a small electric connector mentioned above, the operation of holding the lid and fitting the lid into the connector housing body will be troublesome, demanding skill and long time on the operators. When fitting the lid into the connector housing body is done by a machine, it is necessary to additionally provide a special mechanism for reliably holding the small lid. In any case, it will result in drop in productivity and increase in production cost. Moreover, irrespective of the size of the electric connector, when a lid is to be fitted into a connector housing body in a narrow space, the operation of fitting the lid into the connector housing body will be troublesome, demanding skill and long time on the operators, and even when fitting the lid into the connector housing body is done by a machine, the machine will be required to perform more complicated movements than usual, inevitably resulting in drop in productivity and increase in production cost.

[0004] Various aspects and features of the present invention are defined in the appended claims.

[0005] The present invention was made in view of the above points. Embodiments of the present invention can provide an arrangement for inter connecting an auxiliary member to a lid by an interconnecting part, for handling this auxiliary member by an operator or a machine and for fitting the lid into a connector housing body so as to simplify the operation of fitting the lid into the connector housing body and in turn realize improvement in productivity and decrease in production cost of the electric connector.

[0006] According to the present invention there is provided a connector housing assembly for assembling an electric connector, which comprises a connector housing body that is provided with a receiving chamber being open to outside, a contact that is received in the connector housing body in such a way that it can contact a counterpart contact, and a lid that fits into the connector housing body to cover the receiving chamber, the electric connector being so arranged that the wire that is connected to the contact is led out through a space between the connector housing body and the lid. This connector housing assembly is a combination of the connector housing body and a lid assembling member wherein an auxiliary member is interconnected to the lid by a severable interconnecting part.

[0007] The contact is received in the receiving chamber of the connector housing body in such a way that the contact can contact a counterpart contact, and a wire is connected to the contact in such a way that the wire extends beyond the edge of the receiving chamber. Or a wire is connected to the contact, and then the contact with the wire is received in the receiving chamber of the connector housing body in such a way that the contact can contact a counterpart contact and the wire extends beyond the edge of the receiving chamber. Then the lid of the lid assembling member is made to fit into the connector housing body by handling the auxiliary member of the lid assembling member manually or by a machine. Next, the interconnecting part is cut off to complete the electric connector. In that case, as the lid is made to fit into the connector housing body by handling the auxiliary member manually or by a machine, the fitting-in operation can be done more easily even if the lid is small, and the fitting-in operation can be done more easily even in a narrow space; thus the burdens on the operators are reduced, and enhancement in productivity and reduction in production cost are accomplished.

[0008] With the use of the connector housing assembly of the present invention, the operation of fitting a lid into a connector housing body is simplified even if the electric connector is a small one or one that is to be mounted on a narrow space, thus enhancement in productivity and reduction in production cost can be accomplished.

[0009] The connector housing assembly of the present invention may be so arranged that the lid is slid on the connector housing body and then fitted into it.

[0010] With this arrangement, because of the guiding function at the time of sliding, the operation of fitting the lid into the connector housing body is done smoothly.

[0011] The connector housing assembly of the present invention may be so arranged that either the connector housing body or the lid is provided with a guiding groove and the other is provided with a projecting part that fits into the guiding groove slidably, and with these provisions the lid can slide on and into the connector housing body.

[0012] With this description, a structure wherein the lid slides on and into the connector housing body has been shown as an example.

[0013] The connector housing assembly of the present invention may be so arranged that either the connector housing body or the lid is provided with a leading-in groove that branches from an intermediate part of the guiding groove and extends up to the other end, and the projecting part is received through this leading-in groove.

[0014] With this arrangement, the lid can be tacked on the connector housing body by inserting the projecting part into the leading-in groove, thus the operation of fitting the projecting part into the guiding groove can be done more easily. Moreover, when the guiding groove is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the wire, if the leading-in groove is provided in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the wire, the projecting part can be inserted into the guiding groove without any interference by the wire by first inserting the projecting part into the leading-in groove and then inserting the projecting part into the guiding groove.

[0015] According, by inserting the projecting part into the leading-in groove, the lid can be tacked onto the connector housing body, and in turn the operation of fitting the projecting part into the guiding groove can be done easily. Furthermore, the projecting part can be inserted into the guiding groove without any interference by the wire.

[0016] The connector housing assembly of the present invention may be provided with a locking mechanism, which is located on the connector housing body and the lid, makes concavity-convexity engagement due to its flexibility upon completion of fitting the lid into the connector housing body to lock the lid to the connector housing body.

[0017] With this arrangement, it is easy to verify the completion of fitting. Moreover, as the lid hardly comes off the connector housing body, it is easier to make the operation of cutting the interconnecting part.

[0018] The connector housing assembly of the present invention may be provided with the interconnecting part, which has such strength that it breaks when a human force is applied to the interconnecting part or the auxiliary member.

[0019] With this arrangement, as the interconnecting part is broken by a human force, the cutting of the interconnecting part can be done more easily without relying on a cutting tool or the like.

[0020] An electric connector assembly of the present invention comprises the connector housing assembly of the present invention and the contact that is received in the receiving chamber of the connector housing body thereof.

[0021] A wire is connected to the contact in such a way that the wire extends beyond the edge of the receiving chamber. Then, the lid of the lid assembling member is made to fit into the connector housing body by handling the auxiliary member of the lid assembling member manually or by a machine. Next, when the interconnecting part is cut off, the electric connector will be completed. In that case, as the lid is made to fit into the connector housing body by handling the auxiliary member manually or by a machine, the fitting-in operation can be done more easily even if the lid is small, and moreover, the fitting-in operation can be done more easily even in a narrow space, thus the burdens on the operator are reduced, and enhancement in productivity and reduction in production cost can be achieved.

[0022] Accordingly, with the use of the electric connector assembly of the present invention, even if the connector is a small electric connector or an electric connector that is to be mounted on a narrow space, the operation of fitting the lid into the connector housing body is simplified, and enhancement in productivity and reduction in production cost can be realized. Moreover, it can produce effects similar to those exhibited by the connector housing body of the present invention.

[0023] In the following, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the connector housing assembly of the first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the connector housing body of the electric connector of the first embodiment, in which the contacts are received. It is seen in the height direction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the lid of the first embodiment seen from one side in the height direction.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front view of the lid of the first embodiment seen from the rear in the depth direction.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged bottom view of the lid of the first embodiment seen from the other side in the height direction.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the lid assembling member of the first embodiment, which is sectioned by a plane facing in the width direction and seen in the width direction. The section line passes the interconnecting part.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the lid assembling member of the first embodiment, which is sectioned by a plane facing in the width direction and seen in the width direction. The section line is off the interconnecting part.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the lid assembling member of the first embodiment, which is being fitted into the connector housing body.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the lid assembling member of the first embodiment, which is being fitted into the connector housing body, and it is seen from an angle that is different from that of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the lid assembling member of the first embodiment, which is fitted into the connector housing body.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the electric connector of the first embodiment, to which wires are connected.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged rear view of the electric connector of the first embodiment, to which wires are connected, and which is seen from the front in the depth direction.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged sectional view of the electric connector of the first embodiment, to which wires are connected, and which is sectioned by a plane facing in the width direction and seen in the width direction.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged perspective view of the electric connector of the first embodiment, to which wires are connected, and which is fitted into a counterpart electric connector.

Fig. 17 is an enlarged sectional view of the electric connector of the second embodiment, to which wires are connected, and which is sectioned by a plane facing in the width direction and seen in the width direction.

[0024] In the following, some embodiments of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 shows the connector housing assembly being the first embodiment of the present invention. This connector housing assembly is used to assemble the electric connector 100 shown in Fig. 13 through Fig. 15. This electric connector 100 is a socket connector, and as shown in Fig. 16, this electric connector 100 fits into a header connector 200 that is mounted on a printed circuit board or the like; this, however, does not limit the type, mode of use, etc. of the electric connector of the present invention. This electric connector 100 comprises a connector housing body 110 that is made of an insulative material, contacts 120 that are made of a conductive material and received in the connector housing body 110, and a lid 130 that is made of an insulative material and is fitted into the connector housing body 110. A depth direction, a width direction and a height direction all being perpendicular to each other are assumed, and these directions are used in the description. In the case of this embodiment, with reference to Fig. 15, the left-right direction of the diagram is the depth direction, the left in the diagram is the rear in the depth direction and the right is the front in the depth direction. The direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper is the width direction, and the top-bottom direction in the diagram is the height direction.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2 through Fig. 4, the connector housing body 110 is provided with receiving chamber 111 that is open to outside. In the case of this embodiment, the connector housing body 110 is substantially formed into a rectangular parallelepiped, and the receiving chamber 111 is provided in it. The receiving chamber 111 is open to outside on one end face in the height direction and on the end face on the front side in the depth direction of the connector housing body 110. The configurations of the connector housing body and the receiving chamber of the electric connector of the present invention, however, are not limited by them. The open parts of the receiving chamber 111 allow the contact 120 to be put in or come out and the wire W to be led into or led out of the receiving chamber 111.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2 through Fig. 4, the contact 120 is provided with a contacting part 121 that is to contact a counterpart contact (not illustrated) and a connecting part 122 to which a wire W is to be connected. In the case of the present embodiment, as the contact 120 is a female type insulation displacement contact, the contacting part 121 is formed to receive a blade, post, pin or the like of a counterpart male contact, and it is formed into a fork in the diagrams, however, the configuration of the contact of the electric connector of the present invention is not limited by this; for example, it may be of a male type or, for example, of a crimp type. The contact of the present invention includes both a contact that is firstly received in a connector housing body and then connected to a wire, just like a conventional insulation displacement contact, and a contact that is firstly connected to a wire and then received in a connector housing body, such as a crimp type contact. The number of contacts is not limited by this embodiment.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 2 through Fig. 4, the contacts 120 are received in the connector housing body 110 in such a way that the contacts 120 can contact the counterpart contacts. To be more precise, the connector housing body 110 is provided with communicating chambers 112, which interconnect the receiving chamber 117 with the outside, and the contacting parts 121 of the contacts 120 are set in the communicating chambers 112, and each contacting part 121 is so arranged that it can contact the counterpart contact that is received in the communicating chamber 112. The contacting part may be set outside the connector housing body.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 14 and Fig. 15, the contacts 120 are received in the connector housing body 110 in such a way that wires W being connected to the contacts 120 extend beyond the edge of the receiving chamber 111, and the wires W are led out from the edge 113. The contacts 120 are set on or fixed in the connector housing body 110 by some methods such as fitting-in, inserting or integral molding.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 13 through Fig. 15, the lid 130 is arranged to fit into the connector housing body 110 and cover the receiving chambers 111. As shown in Fig. 5 through Fig. 7, the lid 130 is formed into a plate shape. The lid 130 prevents fingers, foreign matters, etc. from contacting the contacts 120 and the connecting parts between the wires W and the contacts 120, and also prevents dust from entering into the receiving chambers 111.

[0030] This electric connector 100 is so arranged that the wires W being connected to the contacts 120 are led out to outside through the space between the connector housing body 110 and the lid 130. With this arrangement, the contacts 120 and the wires W are prevented from coming off to outside from the receiving chambers 111 of the connector housing body 110 by the connector housing body 110 and the lid 130. In that case, it does not matter whether the lid 130 contacts the contacts 120 and the wires W or not.

[0031] Generally speaking, to enhance the strength against pulling-about of wires, which cause bending and deformation of wires, connector housing bodies are sometimes provided with strain reliefs that fit on and hold wires that might be subjected to bending and deformation. Strain reliefs, however, rise in the height direction from the partition walls that rise between contacts in the connector housing body, hence the connector housing body will get thicker, and reduction in the thickness can not be realized. Moreover, when the contact is of an insulation displacement type, as strain reliefs are so provided that they are kept away from the insulation displacement punch, the connector housing body gets longer in the extending direction of the receiving chambers. However, just like this embodiment, when the contacts 120 and wires W are prevented from coming off by the connector housing body 110 and the lid 130, there is no need of provision of strain reliefs, and in turn reduction in the thickness and reduction in the length of the connector housing body 110 can be realized. Moreover, sometimes the housing lance structure wherein the connector housing body is provided with elastic pieces that fit on the contacts or the contact lance structure wherein reversely the contacts are provided with elastic pieces that fit on the connector housing body is used. In either case, however, the connector housing body gets thicker, and reduction in the thickness can not be realized. When the contacts 120 and the wires W are prevented from coming off by the connector housing body 110 and the lid 130, just like this embodiment, there is no need of providing a lance structure, and reduction in the thickness of the connector housing can be realized. As described above, when the connector housing body 110 is reduced in the length, the mounting area gets smaller, and when the connector housing body 110 is reduced in the thickness, reduction in the height of the connection structure is enhanced furthermore.

[0032] The lid 130 is so arranged that it first slides on the connector housing body 110 and then fits into it. The connector housing body 110 is provided with the guiding grooves 114, and the lid 130 is provided with projecting parts 131, which are slidably fitted into the guiding grooves 114, and with these provisions, the lid 130 can be slid into the connector housing body 110. In the case of this embodiment, the guiding grooves 114 are provided on the inner sides of the walls constituting both end faces in the width direction of the connector housing body 110, the guiding grooves 114 extending from the front toward the rear in the depth direction. The projecting parts 131 are provided on both the end faces in the width direction of the lid 130, the projecting parts 131 projecting outward in the width direction. Reversely, the lid may be provided with guiding grooves and the connector housing body with projecting parts that are to be slidably inserted into the guiding grooves. The connector housing body 110 or the lid 130 is provided with leading-in grooves 115, which branch from the middle of the guiding grooves 114 and extend to the other end face. And it is so arranged that the projecting parts 131 are received through the leading-in grooves 115. In the case of this embodiment, as the guiding grooves 114 are provided in the connector housing body 110, the leading-in grooves 115 are provided in the connector housing body 110. The leading-in grooves 115 branch from the guiding grooves 114, extend in the height direction and reach up to the end face on one side in the height direction of the connector housing body 110. Each projecting part 131 is divided into a part 131a on the rear side in the depth direction and a part 131b on the front side in the depth direction. When the rear-side parts 131a are inserted into the leading-in grooves 115 and the lid 130 is pushed rearward in the depth direction, in addition to the rear-side parts 131a, the front-side parts 131b will fit into the guiding grooves 114, and the lid 130 will slide rearward. The locations of the guiding grooves, the projecting parts and the leading-in parts, and the orientations and the numbers of the guiding grooves, the projecting parts and the leading-in parts are not limited by this embodiment.

[0033] The connector housing body 110 and the lid 130 are provided with locking mechanisms, which lock the lid 130 to the connector housing body 110 by making concavity-convexity engagement through their flexibility upon the completion of fitting the lid 130 into the connector housing body 110. In the case of this embodiment, the lid 130 is provided with projections 132, which project from both end faces in the width direction thereof outward in the width direction. The leading-in grooves 115 of the connector housing body 110 exhibit a function of receiving these projections 132. Thus the projection 132 and the leading-in groove 115 constitute a locking mechanism. In place of the leading-in groove 115, the connector housing body may be provided with another concaved part of the locking mechanism rather than making the leading-in groove exhibit the function as the concaved part of the locking mechanism. Just as mentioned above, a locking mechanism may be constituted by providing the lid with a convex part and providing the connector housing body with a concave part, or a locking mechanism may be constituted by providing the connector housing body with a convex part and providing the lid with a concave part.

[0034] The lid 130 is provided with protruding parts for wire 133 for filling the gap between the lid 130 and the wires W. The protruding part for wire 133 protrudes from the inner face of the lid 130 in the height direction. The protruding part for wire may be provided on the connector housing body to fill the gap between the connector housing body and the wire. Both the lid and the connector housing body may be provided with protruding parts for wire. The protruding part for wire 133 controls the swinging movements of the wire W inside the connector housing body 110 and in turn prevents the contact between the contact 120 and the wire W from becoming unstable even if the wire W, which is led out through a space between the connector housing body 110 and the lid 130, is pulled about to move in the height direction, the width direction or any direction that crosses the depth direction.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 1, the connector housing assembly is constituted by combining the connector housing body 110 and the lid assembling member A. As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the lid assembling member A is constituted by interconnecting an auxiliary member 140 to the lid 130 by a severable interconnecting part 150. When the lid 130 is small, the auxiliary member 140 is made larger than the lid 130. Here the auxiliary member 140 is formed into a bar, but the configuration of the auxiliary member 140 is not limited to it. The interconnecting part 150 is provided in a severable form. The mode of cutting includes mode of breaking the interconnecting part 150 by shearing off the interconnecting part 150 with a tool like pliers or by cutting up the interconnecting part 150 with a tool like a cutter, mode of breaking the interconnecting part 150 by applying a tensile force, a compressive force, a twisting force, a bending force or the like or vibration to the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140, and mode of fusing the interconnecting part 150 by using laser beams or a heating means. The force or energy that is required for cutting the interconnecting part 150 is adjusted by changing the cross sectional area and/or the thickness of the interconnecting part 150. The interconnecting part 150 may be provided with a notched part to make a sudden change in its cross sectional area. In the case of this embodiment, the auxiliary member 140 is arranged on the front side in the depth direction of the lid 130, and the interconnecting part 150 interconnects the end on the front side in the depth direction of the lid 130 and the end on the rear side in the depth direction of the auxiliary member 140. With this arrangement, it becomes easier to hold the auxiliary member 140 and push the lid 130 rearward in the depth direction. Moreover, with regard to the cross sectional areas of the respective faces facing in the depth direction, the cross sectional area of the interconnecting part 150 is smaller than the cross sectional area of the lid 130 and smaller than the cross sectional area of the auxiliary member 140. The interconnecting part 150 is provided in two locations, and they are kept apart from each other in the width direction. The auxiliary member 140, the lid 130 and the interconnecting parts 150 are integrally molded. The auxiliary member may be arranged in any direction with respect to the lid, and the number of the interconnecting parts and their locations are not limited by this embodiment. It is not necessary to integrally mold the auxiliary member, the lid and the interconnecting part. For example, they may be fitted on to each other.

[0036] The interconnecting part 150 is so arranged that it has such strength that it will break when a human force is applied to the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140. This is done by adjusting the shape of cross section, material, etc. of the interconnecting part. The form of exerting a human force to the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140 includes mode of directly pressing the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140 by a finger, etc., mode of pulling, mode of twisting, mode of bending, mode of a combination of these operations, and mode of repeating these operations. There are also mode of pushing, mode of hitting and mode of plying the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140 with a thin rod such as a screwdriver or a pick. Moreover, there is a mode of hooking and pulling the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140 with a hooked tool.

[0037] The functions and effects of this embodiment will be described. The contacts 120 are received in the receiving chambers 111 of the connector housing body 110 in such a way that the contacts 120 can contact the counterpart contacts, and then the wires W are connected to the contacts 120 in such a way that the wires W extend beyond the edges 113 of the receiving chambers 111. Or, the wires W are connected to the contacts 120, and the contacts 120 with wires are received in the receiving chambers 111 of the connector housing body 110 in such a way that the contacts 120 can contact the counterpart contacts and that the wires W extend beyond the edges 113 of the receiving chambers 111. Then, the lid 130 of the lid assembling member A is made to fit into the connector housing body 110 by handling the auxiliary member 140 of the lid assembling member A manually or by a machine. Next, when the interconnecting part 150 is cut off, the electric connector 100 will be completed. In that case, as the lid 130 is made to fit into the connector housing body 110 by handling the auxiliary member 140 manually or by a machine, the fitting-in operation can be done easily even if the lid 130 is small, and moreover, the fitting-in operation can be done easily even in a narrow space, thus the burdens on the operator are reduced, and enhancement in productivity and reduction in production cost can be achieved.

[0038] In the present invention, the lid may be so arranged that the lid is made to fit into the connector housing body by placing the lid over the connector housing body and then pushing the lid into the connector housing body. However, in the case of this embodiment, it is so arranged that the lid 130 is made to slide on the connector housing body 110 and then fit into it. With this arrangement, the fitting-in operation of the lid 130 into the connector housing body 110 is done smoothly due to the guiding function at the time of sliding.

[0039] There are other arrangements wherein first the lid is made to slide on the connector housing body and then fit into it, however, in the case of this embodiment, the guiding grooves 114 are provided in either the connector housing body 110 or the lid 130, and the projecting parts 131, which are to be slidably inserted into the guiding grooves 114, are provided on the other, and with these provisions, it is so structured that the lid 130 can be slid on and into the connector housing body 110. With this, a structure wherein the lid 130 is slid on and into the connector housing body 110 has been indicated as an example.

[0040] The present invention includes an embodiment wherein the guiding groove is not provided with a branched part. However, in the case of this embodiment, either the connector housing body 110 or the lid 130 is provided with leading-in grooves 115, which branch from the middle of the guiding grooves 114 and reach up to the other end face, and these leading-in grooves 115 are arranged to receive the projecting parts 131. With this arrangement, the lid 130 can be tacked to the connector housing body 110 by inserting the projecting parts 131 into the leading-in grooves 115, and in turn the operation of fitting the projecting parts 131 into the guiding grooves 114 can be done easily. Moreover, like this embodiment, when the guiding grooves 114 are substantially parallel to the extending direction of the wires W, if the leading-in grooves 115 are provided in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the wires W, the projecting parts 131 can be inserted into the guiding grooves 114 without being interfered by the wires W by first inserting the projecting parts 131 into the leading-in grooves 115 and then inserting the projecting parts 131 into the guiding grooves 114.

[0041] The present invention includes an embodiment wherein no locking mechanism is provided. However, in the case of this embodiment, the connector housing body 110 and the lid 30 are provided with locking mechanisms, which lock the lid 30 to the connector housing body 110 upon the completion of fitting the lid 130 into the connector housing body 110 by making convexity-concavity engagement due to their flexibility. With this arrangement, the completion of fitting can be confirmed easily. Moreover, as the lid 130 hardly comes off from the connector housing body 110, the operation of cutting the interconnecting part 150 can be done easily.

[0042] The present invention includes an embodiment wherein neither the lid nor the connector housing body is provided with a protruding part for wire. However, in the case of this embodiment, at least one of the connector housing body 110 and the lid 30 is provided with protruding parts for wire 133 that fill the gap between itself and the wires W. With this arrangement, even if the wires W are pulled about to swing in directions that cross the depth direction, the swinging movements of the wires W inside the connector housing body 110 can be controlled, and the contacts between the contacts 120 and the wires W can be prevented from getting unstable.

[0043] The present invention includes an embodiment wherein the interconnecting part is arranged to be cut by using a cutting tool or the like. However, in the case of this embodiment, the interconnecting part 150 is so provided that it has such strength that it will break when a human force is exerted to the interconnecting part 150 or the auxiliary member 140. With this arrangement, as the interconnecting parts 150 are broken by the human force, the operation of cutting the interconnecting parts can be done easily without relying on any cutting tool or the like.

[0044] Fig. 17 shows the second embodiment of the connector housing assembly and the electric connector assembly. In the case of this embodiment, the connecting part 122 of the contact 120 is an insulation displacement slot that breaks the insulation of the wire W and make connection to the conductor thereof. The lid 130 is provided with a protruding part for slot 134 that fills the gap between the lid and the slot being the connecting part 122. The protruding part for slot 134 protrudes in the height direction from the inner face of the lid 130. The protruding part for slot 134 may extend up to the slot and touch it, and may press the slot. The protruding part for slot 134 controls the swinging movements of the wire W inside the connector housing body 110 even if the wire W that is led out through the space between the connector housing body 110 and the lid 130 is pulled about to swing in the height direction, the width direction or any direction that crosses the depth direction, so as to prevent the contact between the slot and the wire W from becoming unstable. Other arrangements are similar to those of the first embodiment. With this arrangement, functions and effects that are similar to those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the contact between the slot and the wire can be kept stable. The present invention includes an embodiment wherein the protruding part for wire 133 and the protruding part for slot 134 are provided just like the second embodiment, and an embodiment wherein no protruding part for wire is provided but only a protruding part for slot that is described in the second embodiment is provided.

[0045] With the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, the electric connector assembly, which comprises the connector housing assembly and the contact 120 that is received in the receiving chamber 111 of the connector housing body 110 thereof, have been fully disclosed. In the case of this electric connector assembly, the wire W is connected to the contact 120 in such a way that the wire W extends beyond the edge 113 of the receiving chamber 111. Then the auxiliary member 140 of the lid assembling member A is held by hand, and the lid 130 of the lid assembly member A is inserted into the connector housing body 110. Next, when the interconnecting part 150 is cut off, the connection of the electric wire W to the electric connector 100 will be completed. The functions and effects obtained are similar to those that were described in relation to the connector housing assembly.

[0046] The present invention includes embodiments wherein features of the embodiments described above are combined.

Claims

1. A connector housing assembly for assembling an electric connector (100), which comprises a connector housing body (110) that is provided with a receiving chamber (111) being open to outside, a contact (120) that is received in the connector housing body (110) in such a way that it can contact a counterpart contact, and a lid (130) that fits into the connector housing body (110) to cover the receiving chamber (111), the electric connector (100) being so arranged that the wire (W) that is connected to the contact (120) is led out through a space between the connector housing body (110) and the lid (130), and
   the connector housing assembly being a combination of the connector housing body (110) and a lid assembling member (A) wherein an auxiliary member (140) is interconnected to the lid (130) by a severable interconnecting part (150).

2. The connector housing assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein
   the connector housing assembly is so arranged that the lid (130) is slid on the connector housing body (110) and then fitted into it.

3. The connector housing assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein
   the connector housing assembly is so arranged that either the connector housing body (110) or the lid (130) is provided with a guiding groove (114) and the other is provided with a projecting part (131) that fits into the guiding groove (114) slidably, and with these provisions the lid (130) can slide on and into the connector housing body (110).

4. The connector housing assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein
   the connector housing assembly is so arranged that either the connector housing body (110) or the lid (130) is provided with a leading-in groove (115) that branches from an intermediate part of the guiding groove (114) and extends up to the other end, and the projecting part (131) is received through this leading-in groove (115).

5. The connector housing assembly as recited in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
   the connector housing assembly is provided with a locking mechanism, which is located on the connector housing body (110) and the lid (130), makes concavity-convexity engagement due to its flexibility upon completion of fitting the lid (130) into the connector housing body (110) to lock the lid (130) to the connector housing body (110).

6. The connector housing assembly as recited in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
   the connector housing assembly is provided with the interconnecting part (150), which has such strength that it breaks when a human force is applied to the interconnecting part (150) or the auxiliary member (140).

7. An electric connector assembly that comprises the connector housing assembly as recited in any one of claims 1 to 6 and the contact (120) that is received in the receiving chamber (111) of the connector housing body (110) thereof.

Drawing