Electrical connector and locking member

A locking member mounted on a first connector of a cable, comprising:

• a pair of arm portions configured to restrict expansion of an outer diameter of a cylindrical fitting portion of the first connector, in a restricted state, by sandwiching the fitting portion in a radial direction in which the pair of arm portions face each other after the fitting portion of the first connector has been fitted to a mating contact of a second connector;
• and
• a positioning portion configured to restrict a movement of the first connector in the radial direction when the pair of arm portions sandwich the fitting portion, the first connector including a rear portion located rearward from the fitting portion toward a base end of the cable, wherein the positioning portion faces the rear portion of the first connector in the radial direction, in the restricted state, in order to restrict the movement of the rear portion in the radial direction, and
• wherein the locking member is configured to move relative to the first connector in a moving direction between a first position associated with the restricted state and a second position associated with a standby state in which the pair of arm portions do not restrict the expansion of the outer diameter of the fitting portion,
• the first connector has a rail portion configured to assist the movement of the locking member in the moving direction, and
• a surface of the positioning portion which faces the rear portion of the first connector is located inward from an outer surface of the rail portion in the radial direction.

An electrical connector comprising:

• a first connector mounted on a tip end of a cable and including a conductive contact configured to be electrically connected to a mating contact of a second connector, wherein the conductive contact includes a cylindrical fitting portion and a lid portion enclosing one end of the fitting portion, and wherein an outer diameter of the fitting portion is configured to expand when the fitting portion is connected to or removed from the mating contact;
• and
• a locking member mounted on the first connector and including:
• a flat plate portion configured to cover the lid portion;
• a pair of arm portions which face the flat plate portion in a fitting direction of the first connector and the second connector and are configured to extend in an axial direction of the cable parallel to the flat plate portion;
• a pair of guide portions which extend from opposite sides of the flat plate portion toward the pair of arm portions in the fitting direction;
• and
• a pair of positioning portions which extend in the fitting direction from the opposite sides of the flat plate portion so as to face each other, the pair of positioning portions located rearward from the pair of guide portions in the axial direction of the cable,
• wherein the pair of arm portions extend in the axial direction of the cable to at least partially overlap the pair of guide portions in the fitting direction but do not extend sufficiently rearward in the axial direction of the cable to overlap the pair of positioning portions, the pair of arm portions configured to restrict an outward expansion of a diameter of the fitting portion by sandwiching the fitting portion in a radial direction during removal of the fitting portion from the mating contact of the second connector,
• the pair of positioning portions face a rear portion of the first connector to prevent a movement of the rear portion in the radial direction in a restricted state in which the pair of arm portions restrict the outward expansion of the diameter of the fitting portion, the rear portion located rearward from the fitting portion in the axial direction of the cable,
• the locking member is mounted on the first connector so as to enable selective movement in a moving direction between a position in the restricted state in which the expansion of the diameter of the fitting portion is restricted and a position in a standby state in which the expansion of the diameter of the fitting portion is not restricted by the pair of arm portions, and
• the pair of positioning portions are configured to abut against the first connector when the locking member moves in the moving direction and to prevent the locking member from moving further in the moving direction.