JP3211671B2 - Connector inspection method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to inspection of a connector having a housing and a terminal fitting inserted and mounted on the housing, and more particularly, to a type in which a retainer for preventing the terminal fitting from being detached is mounted on the housing. And a method and apparatus for inspecting a connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Usually, a connector is attached to an end of a wire harness. FIG. 6 shows a general connector 1. Referring to FIG. 1, connector 1 has housing 2 and terminal fitting 4 inserted into terminal insertion hole 3 of housing 2. The terminal fitting 4 is provided at an end of the electric wire E in advance. The connector 1 achieves electrical connection with the mating connector via the terminal fitting 4 by fitting with another mating connector.
The terminal fitting 4 must be securely inserted to a predetermined position of the housing 2, and it is necessary to prevent the inserted terminal fitting 4 from coming off. For this reason, there has conventionally been a housing 2 in which a retainer 5 is attached to the housing 2. The retainer 5 engages with the terminal fitting 4 by being fitted into the housing 2 from the side along the direction of the arrow 6 in a state where the terminal fitting 4 is securely inserted, and prevents the terminal fitting 4 from coming off. To prevent it.

In the manufacture of a wire harness, whether or not the connector 1 is correctly assembled (reliable insertion of the terminal fitting 4 and reliable fitting of the retainer 5)
Is very important, so the connector is always inspected. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of connector inspection. Referring to the figure, in the connector inspection, the inspection electrode body 8 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 3 along the direction of the arrow 7 to check whether there is conduction between the inspection electrode body 8 and the terminal fitting 4.
Then, if conduction is obtained between the two, the terminal fitting 4 is securely inserted, whereby the wire harness can pass the inspection.

More specifically, a so-called two-probe type electrode can be used as the inspection electrode body 8. The inspection electrode body 8 is arranged at a position corresponding to each terminal fitting 4. Then, when the contact 9 of the inspection electrode body 8 is pressed against the terminal fitting 4, the contact 9 is moved to the inspection electrode body 8.
And the internal switch (not shown) is turned on. As a result, continuity with the terminal fitting 4 is obtained, and reliable insertion of the terminal fitting 4 can be confirmed.

Further, the terminal fitting 4 has a structure (so-called lance structure) which is locked inside the housing 2 while being securely inserted into the housing 2. That is, the terminal fitting 4 easily comes out of the housing 2 unless it is securely inserted. Therefore, as shown in the figure,
If the terminal fitting 11 is not inserted to a predetermined position (incomplete insertion state), the contact 9 is connected to the terminal fitting 4.
The terminal fitting 4 is pressed into the terminal insertion hole 3.
, The internal switch of the inspection electrode body 8 does not turn on. As a result, conduction with the terminal fitting 11 is not obtained, and incomplete insertion of the terminal fitting 11 can be detected.

On the other hand, when the retainer 5 is securely fitted, it becomes flush with the outer peripheral surface of the housing 2. Therefore, if the retainer 5 is not securely fitted, it will protrude from the housing 2, and by detecting this, it is possible to detect incomplete mounting of the retainer 5. The connector 1 can pass the inspection by performing the inspection as described above and confirming the secure insertion of the terminal fitting 4 and the secure attachment of the retainer 5. Also,
If the inspection fails, the faulty terminal fitting 11 is securely reinserted, and if the retainer 5 is incompletely mounted, the mounting is performed again to ensure the mounting.

[0007]

By the way, the terminal fitting 1
In order to perform the work of re-inserting 1, the retainer 5 must be removed. However, since it is not easy to attach and detach the retainer 5 once mounted, there is a problem that the work of re-inserting the terminal fitting 11 is very troublesome. In addition, when the retainer 5 is detached, the retainer 5 may be damaged. In such a case, there is a problem that the entire connector 1 must be replaced.

Further, in the connector assembling step, the operator must make sure that the terminal fitting 4 is not connected to the connector inspection if the retainer 5 is in an incompletely mounted state. Even when the retainer 5 is not inserted, the retainer 5 is pushed with a considerable force in order to completely mount the retainer. For this reason, the retainer 5 can be fitted only in a state where the terminal fitting 4 is originally securely inserted.
When the retainer 5 is pushed by a considerable force, the retainer 5 may be deformed in the housing 2, and as a result, may be fitted into the housing 2.

At the stage of fitting the retainer 5, it is extremely difficult for the operator to find incomplete insertion of the terminal fitting 4. For this reason, the forcible fitting of the retainer as described above requires the complete mounting of the retainer 5. It is a kind of force majeure that occurs in relation to workers who work in anticipation.
However, when the retainer 5 is forcibly fitted as described above, there is a problem that the retainer 5 cannot be detected in the connector inspection despite the abnormal mounting state.

Further, even if the terminal fitting 4 is not securely inserted, the terminal fitting 4 is temporarily held in the terminal insertion hole 3 by the forcibly fitted retainer 5. And
If this holding force is larger than the pressing force of the contact 9,
The terminal fitting 4 does not retreat in the terminal insertion hole 3, and the internal switch of the inspection electrode body 8 is turned on. That is, although the terminal fitting 4 is not securely inserted, it cannot be detected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for inspecting a connector which can be reliably inspected for insertion of a terminal fitting and surely attached a retainer.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector inspection method comprising: a housing; and a plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the housing from a predetermined insertion direction. A method for inspecting a connector provided with a retainer for retaining the terminal fitting by being fitted flush with the side surface from an opening provided on a side surface of the housing, wherein the retainer protrudes from the opening. A first step for inspecting whether or not they are arranged in a state where they have been placed, and contacting the conduction detecting means with a predetermined pressing force from the opposite insertion direction to each of the terminal fittings, thereby making the conduction detecting means A second step for checking whether or not electrical continuity is obtained with each terminal fitting, and the first step causes the retainer to protrude from the opening. Detecting the door, and by detecting the electrical continuity condition of the respective terminal fittings by the second step, it is characterized in that it contains a third step of determining test pass.

According to this configuration, the connector inspection is performed in a state where the retainer is incompletely inserted, that is, in a state where the retainer is not completely fitted into the housing but protrudes from the housing. Then, after detecting the retainer protruding from the housing, the conduction detecting means checks whether or not each terminal is electrically connected. If the electrical conduction is obtained, the inspection passes. Further, since the retainer is not completely fitted, it is easy to remove the retainer. Further, since it is not necessary to completely insert the retainer in the operation of assembling the connector, there is no inconvenience that the retainer is forcibly inserted even though the terminal fitting is in an incompletely inserted state.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a connector inspection device according to a second aspect has a housing and a plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the housing from a predetermined insertion direction, and is provided on a side surface of the housing. A connector provided with a retainer for retaining the terminal fitting by being fitted flush with the side surface from the opening, wherein the retainer is projected from the opening in advance. A connector holding portion for positioning and holding the connector is opposed to the connector holding portion so as to be relatively close to and detachable from the connector holding portion. An inspection unit provided with a plurality of contacts that can be pressed and contacted by a pressing force, and a retainer detection mechanism that detects the protruding retainer. It is intended.

According to this configuration, at the time of assembling the wire harness, the retainer is not completely fitted but is projected from the housing. Then, in this state, the connector to be inspected is held by the connector holding section.
Next, the inspection unit is brought close to the connector holding unit, and the retainer protruding from the housing is detected by the retainer detection mechanism. That is, the retainer detection mechanism confirms that the retainer is not completely fitted and is in a temporarily mounted state.

On the other hand, if the terminal fitting is securely inserted to a predetermined position, when the inspection section is brought close to the connector holding section, the contact is pressed against the terminal fitting with a predetermined pressing force,
Electrical continuity is obtained between the two. Specifically, if the terminal fitting is securely inserted to a predetermined position in the housing, the terminal fitting is locked in the housing. Therefore, by bringing the inspection section close to the connector holding section and bringing the contact into press contact with the terminal fitting, the contact is relatively pressed, and electrical continuity is obtained between the contact and the terminal fitting.

The inspection can be passed if the retainer is in the temporarily mounted state and electrical continuity is obtained between the contact and the terminal fitting. Even if the connector fails the inspection and the terminal fitting needs to be reinserted, the retainer is not completely fitted, so that the retainer can be easily removed. Further, since it is not necessary to completely insert the retainer in the operation of assembling the connector, there is no inconvenience that the retainer is forcibly inserted even though the terminal fitting is in an incompletely inserted state.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, a continuity inspection device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the connector inspection device according to the second aspect, wherein the retainer detection mechanism is capable of being displaced in a direction in which the inspection portion comes into contact with or separates from the inspection portion. A retainer detecting member that is relatively close to the inspection unit by contacting the protruding retainer with the inspection unit side end surface when the inspection unit is relatively close to the connector holding unit; A contact probe which is provided and comes into contact with the retainer detecting member when the retainer detecting member is relatively close to the inspection section.

According to this configuration, the same operation as that of the second aspect is obtained. In particular, according to the present invention, when the inspection section is brought close to the connector holding section, the retainer detection member abuts on the inspection section side end face of the retainer. Is displaced to the inspection section side in accordance with the relative approach. The displacement of the retainer detecting member can be detected by the contact probe.

[0020]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector inspection device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 shows an operation for inspecting the connector.

Referring to FIG.
0 indicates whether or not a terminal fitting (not shown) included in the connector 21 is securely inserted and mounted by checking the connector of the wire harness, that is, checking whether there is electrical continuity in the connector 21 portion. The purpose of this is to ensure that the retainer 22 provided on the connector 21 is securely mounted.

The connector 21 to be inspected is of the so-called double locking type, in which the terminal fitting is prevented from falling out by a lance and a retainer 22 described below. That is, the connector 21 has the housing 23, a plurality of terminal fittings inserted therein, and the retainer 22. The housing 23 is formed of, for example, synthetic resin or the like, and has a plurality of terminal insertion holes 25 penetratingly formed from the rear end face 24 side to the front end face side. Each terminal fitting includes a plurality of electric wires 2 which are components of the wire harness.
6 are press-fitted in advance to the end portions, and are inserted into the corresponding terminal insertion holes 25 from the rear end face 24 side.

The housing 23 has a locking claw (not shown) called a lance. The lance is provided so as to protrude into the terminal insertion hole 25, and the lance can be elastically deformed. When the terminal fitting is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 25, the lance is elastically deformed so as to be pushed by the terminal fitting and once withdrawn from the terminal insertion hole 25, but then the terminal fitting is securely moved to a predetermined insertion position. When the terminal is inserted, the elastic deformation is restored to engage with a predetermined portion of the terminal fitting. This prevents the terminal fitting from coming out of the terminal insertion hole 25.

Further, a retainer mounting opening 28 is provided in the side surface portion 27 of the housing 23. The retainer mounting port 28 communicates with the terminal insertion hole 25. The retainer 22 is adapted to be fitted into the retainer mounting opening 28, thereby entering the terminal insertion hole 25 and engaging with a predetermined portion of the terminal fitting. This prevents the terminal fitting from coming out of the terminal insertion hole 25.

Next, the connector inspection device 20 will be described. The connector inspection device 20 includes a base 30 and a connector holding unit 31 that houses and holds the connector 21 to be inspected.
An inspection unit 32 opposed thereto; a lever 33 for sliding the inspection unit 32 toward and away from the connector holding unit 31; and a retainer detection mechanism 34 for detecting the retainer 22 provided on the connector 21. And

In this connector inspection apparatus 20, the inspection unit 3
2 and the connector 21 are fitted and connected to each other, a predetermined inspection circuit is formed for each terminal fitting (for each electric wire 26) via the inspection unit 32, and an electric circuit in the connector 21 is formed by an inspection circuit unit (not shown). The presence or absence of electrical continuity can be checked for each terminal fitting. The present embodiment is characterized in that the retainer 22 is confirmed not to be completely fitted by the retainer detection mechanism 34, and then the presence or absence of electrical continuity of each of the terminal fittings is checked. The details will be described below.

The base 30 is a board on which the connector holding section 31 and the inspection section 32 are mounted, and can be fixed on an inspection drawing board (not shown) using, for example, screws. In addition, this inspection drawing board is what should be called a work table when performing the connector inspection,
Place the wire harness as the object to be inspected,
This is for installing the connector inspection device 20, the inspection circuit section, and the like.

The connector holding portion 31 is fixed to one longitudinal end of the base 30. The connector holding part 31
As indicated by a white arrow 35, the housing unit main body 36 capable of housing the connector 21 from above and a positioning plate 37 attached to the rear surface of the housing main body 36. The positioning plate 37 is fastened using screws 38. The positioning plate 37 abuts the rear end surface 24 of the housing 23 when the connector 21 is accommodated, and positions the connector 21. At a substantially central portion of the positioning plate 37, a notch groove portion 39 which is notched downward from the upper edge is formed. When the connector 21 is accommodated in the connector holding portion 31, each of the electric wires 26 passes through the cutout groove portion 39.

The housing portion main body 36 is formed in a block shape having a substantially U-shaped cross section. The shape of the inner peripheral surface of the housing portion main body 36 is formed according to the side peripheral surface shape of the housing 23. The connector housing chamber 49 is formed by the inner peripheral surface portion of the housing body 36 and the positioning plate 37.
Is partitioned. Accordingly, when the connector 21 is accommodated in the connector accommodating chamber 49, the connector 21 is positioned and held in that posture.

The inspection section 32 is provided at an intermediate portion of the base 30 and is arranged to face the connector holding section 31. The inspection section 32 is slidable with respect to the base 30, and can be brought into contact with and separated from the connector holding section 31. The inspection unit 32 is for forming an electric circuit (inspection circuit) including the inspection circuit unit by contacting the terminal fittings of the connector 21 housed and held in the connector holding unit 31.

The inspection section 32 has a main body 40 and a contact probe 41 provided on the main body 40. The main body 40 is formed in a block shape, and a concave portion 42 opened on the front surface is formed on the front surface side. The inner surface of the recess 42 is formed in a shape that allows the distal end of the housing 23 of the connector 21 to be inserted exactly.

The contact probe 41 is of a so-called two-probe type, which is conventionally known, and has a shaft and a contact provided at the tip of the shaft. The contact probe 41 is provided in the concave portion 42, and protrudes in a state where the contact is elastically biased toward the connector holding portion 30. A plurality of contact probes 41 are provided, and are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective terminal fittings arranged in the housing 23. Lead wires (not shown) are connected to the base end of each contact probe 41, respectively, and each lead wire is connected to the inspection circuit unit. That is, when each terminal fitting and the contact are pressed and contacted with a predetermined pressing force, if there is continuity between them, this is sent to the inspection circuit section as a signal.

The lever 33 is rotatably provided at the other end of the base 30 in the longitudinal direction via a pin 43. The rotation center side of the lever 50 and the main body 40 of the inspection unit 32 are connected via a link mechanism 44. As a result, when the handle 45 of the lever 33 is raised in the direction of the arrow 46, the inspection unit 40 slides along the rail 30 and approaches the connector holding unit 31 as shown in the figure.
When the handle 45 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 46, the inspection unit 40 slides along the rail 30 and separates from the connector holding unit 31.

Next, the retainer detecting mechanism 34 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG. 1 and shows the structure of the retainer detection mechanism 34. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a retainer detection mechanism 34 includes a retainer detection member 50 that contacts the retainer 22 provided on the connector 21,
And a contact probe 51 for detecting the retainer detecting member 50 abutting on the retainer 22. The retainer detection member 50 is attached to the connector holding portion 31 by the following attachment structure. The contact probe 51 is attached to the inspection section 32 side. This contact probe 51 is also of a so-called two-probe type, has a shaft portion, a contact 52 provided at the tip of the shaft portion, and has an internal switch. Each contact probe 51 is connected to a lead wire (not shown), and this lead wire is connected to the inspection circuit.

The retainer detecting member 50 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped block shape, and a side surface 62 (see FIG. 4) of the retainer detecting member 50 comes into contact with the housing 23 of the connector 21.
Further, the end face 53 comes into contact with the retainer 22. The mounting structure of the retainer detecting member 50 will be described.
A pair of slide pins 5 protruding from one housing portion main body 36
4 is slidably supported in the direction of arrow 55. A coil spring 56 is coaxially inserted into each slide pin 54, whereby the retainer detecting member 50 is constantly elastically biased toward the inspection section 32.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the housing portion main body 36, and shows a mounting structure of the retainer detecting member 50.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a position regulating plate 57 is attached to the housing body 36. This position regulating plate 57
Is to abut on the elastically biased retainer detecting member 50 to regulate its position. The position regulating plate 57
The mounting portion 59 is formed in a substantially L-shape, and is provided along the side surface of the holding portion main body 36, and the position regulating portion 6 extended therefrom.
0.

The position restricting plate 57 has the mounting portion 59 fastened to the side surface of the holding portion main body 36 by using screws 58, and the retainer detecting member 50 comes into contact with the position restricting portion 60. As shown in FIG. 3, the position regulating unit 60 includes:
A pair of through holes 61 are provided. This through hole 61
Corresponds to the position where the contact 52 of the contact probe 51 is arranged, and when the inspection unit 32 and the connector holding unit 31 approach each other, the contact 52 penetrates the through hole 61 and the retainer detecting member 50.

Next, the connector inspection using the connector inspection device 20 will be described together with the operational effects of the connector inspection device 20. First, in the connector inspection using the connector inspection device 20, the inspection is not performed in a state where the retainer 22 is completely fitted as in the related art, but is performed with the retainer 22 in a half-fitted state. Therefore, at the stage of assembling the wire harness, the housing 2 is not completely fitted without retaining the retainer 22.
Slightly protrude from 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, in this state, connector 21 to be inspected is held by connector holding portion 31. Next, the inspection unit 32 is brought close to the connector holding unit 31 using the lever 33. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the connector holding unit 31 and the contact probe 51 in this state. As shown in FIG. 4, when the inspection unit 32 approaches the connector holding unit 31, the contact probe 51 also approaches the connector holding unit 31 side, and the contact 52 moves through the through hole 61 of the position regulating plate 57 (see FIG. 3). It penetrates and contacts the retainer detection member 50. The retainer detecting member 50 is pushed by the contact 52 and moves to the left in the drawing, but because the retainer detecting member 50 contacts the end face 63 of the retainer 22 protruding from the housing 23, the movement is restricted. Therefore, the contact 52
Is pushed into the shaft, and the internal switch of the contact probe 51 is turned on. Accordingly, a signal is sent from the contact probe 51 to the inspection circuit section, and it is possible to detect that the retainer 22 has protruded from the housing 23.

On the other hand, if the terminal fitting inserted into the housing 23 is securely inserted to a predetermined position, when the inspection unit 32 is brought close to the connector holding unit 31,
The contact probe 41 is pressed into contact with the terminal fitting with a predetermined pressing force, and electrical continuity is obtained between the two. If the terminal fitting is securely inserted to a predetermined position of the housing 23, the terminal fitting is locked in the housing 23 by the lance. , And the internal switch is turned on. When electrical continuity is obtained between the contact probe 41 and the terminal fitting, a signal is sent from the contact probe 41 to the inspection circuit section, and it can be detected that the terminal fitting is securely inserted.

If the retainer 22 projects from the housing 23 and the terminal fitting is securely inserted,
The connector 21 can pass the connector inspection. On the other hand, if a signal is not sent from the contact probe 41 to the inspection circuit section, it means that the terminal fitting has not been securely inserted, and the work of inserting the terminal fitting must be performed again.

In such a case, since the retainer 22 is not completely fitted, it is easy to remove the retainer 22. Therefore, in the related art, it is difficult to remove the retainer 22, so that the re-insertion work of the terminal fitting is very troublesome. However, in the connector inspection according to the present embodiment, the re-insertion work of the terminal fitting is very easily performed. It can be carried out. Then, after confirming that the terminal fitting has been securely inserted, the retainer 22 can be completely fitted finally, so that the reliable insertion of the terminal fitting can be ensured, and the retainer 22 can be securely inserted. Can be expected to be fitted.

Further, since it is not necessary to completely insert the retainer 22 in the operation of assembling the connector 21, the operator forcibly inserts the retainer 22 even though the terminal fitting is in an incompletely inserted state. Inconvenience that does not occur. As a result, it is possible to avoid performing the connector inspection in a state where the retainer 22 is forcibly fitted in the connector assembling stage. Therefore, when the terminal fitting is not securely inserted, the terminal fitting can be reliably detected and a repair work can be performed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, if the retainer 22 is completely fitted in the connector assembling step, the retainer 22 does not protrude from the housing 23. It is pushed by the contact probe 51 and moves. For this reason, the internal switch of the contact probe 51 is not turned on, and as a result, the connector inspection cannot be passed. Therefore, if the retainer 22 is in a forcibly fitted state,
This can also be detected.

Further, since the inspection cannot be passed unless the retainer 22 protrudes from the housing 23, even if the retainer 22 is not mounted, it is possible to reliably detect this, and the There is also an advantage that forgetting to attach can be prevented. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the retainer detection member 50 can be provided on the inspection unit 32 side. Further, the contact 52 of the contact probe 51 may be directly contacted with the retainer 22 without providing the retainer detecting member 50. In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, the connector inspection is performed after confirming the incomplete mounting of the retainer. Therefore, the connector inspection is performed in a state where the retainer is forcibly fitted at the connector assembling stage. Can be avoided. Therefore, if the terminal fitting is not securely inserted, it can be reliably detected. Moreover,
In such a case, there is an advantage that the work of reinserting the terminal fitting can be easily performed because the retainer can be easily removed. In addition, when the retainer is completely mounted, the inspection is set to fail, so that even when the retainer is not mounted, it is possible to reliably detect this.

On the other hand, the retainer can be completely fitted after confirming that the terminal fitting has been securely inserted. Of the retainer can be prevented. Thus, it is possible to expect the secure mounting of the retainer with the terminal fitting securely inserted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a positional relationship between a connector holding unit and an inspection unit.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a retainer detection mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a retainer projecting from a housing is detected.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the retainer detection member and the housing when the retainer does not protrude from the housing.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional general connector.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the principle of a conventional connector inspection.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Connector inspection apparatus 21 Connector 22 Retainer 23 Housing 25 Terminal insertion hole 27 Side surface part 28 Retainer mounting port 31 Connector holding part 32 Inspection part 34 Retainer detection mechanism 41 Contact probe 50 Retainer detection member 51 Contact probe 53 End face 54 Slide pin 56 Coil spring 57 Position control plate 61 Through hole

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-6-82511 (JP, A) JP-A-2-5383 (JP, A) JP-A-9-22765 (JP, A) JP-A-9-925 43300 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 43/00 G01R 31/02-31/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A terminal fitting comprising: a housing; and a plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the housing from a predetermined insertion direction. The terminal fitting is fitted into an opening provided in a side surface of the housing so as to be flush with the side surface. A method for inspecting a connector provided with a retainer for preventing the retainer from coming off, comprising: a first step for inspecting whether the retainer is disposed so as to protrude from the opening; A second test for checking whether or not electrical continuity can be obtained between the continuity detecting means and each terminal fitting by bringing the continuity detecting means into press contact with the metal fitting with a predetermined pressing force from the anti-insertion direction. A first step of detecting that the retainer protrudes from the opening, and a second step of detecting the electrical conduction state of each terminal fitting. By,
And a third step of determining whether the inspection has passed. 2. A terminal comprising: a housing; and a plurality of terminal fittings inserted into the housing from a predetermined insertion direction. The terminal fitting is fitted into an opening provided in a side surface of the housing so as to be flush with the side surface. An apparatus for inspecting a connector provided with a retainer for preventing the connector from coming off, comprising: a connector holding section for positioning and holding the connector with the retainer protruding from the opening in advance; and a connector holding section. Inspection provided with a plurality of contacts which are opposed to each other so as to be relatively close to and separated from each other, and which can press and contact each terminal fitting with a predetermined pressing force from the opposite insertion direction when approaching the connector holding portion. And a retainer detecting mechanism for detecting the protruding retainer. 3. The connector inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the retainer detection mechanism is provided so as to be displaceable in a direction in which the inspection unit comes into contact with and separates from the connector, and when the inspection unit is relatively close to the connector holding unit. A retainer detection member that is relatively close to the inspection unit by contacting the protruding retainer with the inspection unit side end surface; and a retainer detection member that is provided in the inspection unit and the retainer detection member is relatively close to the inspection unit A connector probe that sometimes contacts the retainer detection member.