First connector and connector assembly

Abstract

Disclosed is a first connector capable of increasing an engagement length between a fastening bolt and a screw thread of a nut before a contact pressure between terminals is applied without extending the fastening bolt. The first connector (12) has a first terminal (16), a first housing (20), a fastening bolt (22), and a bolt insertion hole (74) penetrating the first housing (20). The fastening bolt (22) is displaceable with respect to the bolt insertion hole (74) between an initial position and a fitting start position, and in a state where the first connector (12) is temporarily fixed to the second connector (14) and the contact pressure between the first terminal (16) and the second terminal (18) does not occur, the fastening bolt (22) is disposed at the initial position by the tip of the bolt-side threaded part (176) abutting against the opening (218) of the nut (184), and the fastening bolt (22) is fitted to the fastening bolt (22). A bolt-side threaded part 176 of the fastening bolt 22 is screwed with a nut-side threaded part 212 provided on the nut 184, and the fastening bolt 22 is displaced to a fitting start position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a first connector and a connector assembly. Background Art

[0002] Until now, in connector assemblies used to supply power between high-voltage batteries and on-board devices such as inverters, the contact pressure between the terminals housed in the first connector and the second connector has been increased to prevent minute sliding wear between the terminals. In recent years, in order to cope with higher currents and higher voltages, the size of the terminals and the diameter of the wires connected to the terminal parts have gradually increased, and the contact pressure between the terminals has also increased. Therefore, the mating force required to mate the first connector and the second connector has also increased, making it difficult for the operator to manually mate the first connector and the second connector.

[0003] To this end, Patent Document 1 proposes a so-called bolt-assisted connector assembly in which a first connector is fastened to a second connector with bolts so that the connectors can be mated with each other using the fastening force of the bolts. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-41635 Summary of the invention Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] However, in the connector assembly of patent document 1, when the first connector is fastened to the second connector with a bolt, since a first thread of the fastening bolt provided in the first connector is engaged with a first thread of the nut provided in the second connector, contact pressure is applied between the terminals of the first connector and the terminals of the second connector. Therefore, the rigidity of the thread may not be able to withstand the contact pressure, and there is a risk that the thread may be damaged.

[0006] In this regard, although it is possible to simply extend the length of the fastening bolt and increase the engagement length of the thread teeth of the fastening bolt and the nut when contact pressure is applied between the terminals, since the long protruding fastening bolt may interfere with other parts when the connectors are engaged and affect the engagement operation itself, people are seeking a more appropriate response plan.

[0007] To this end, a first connector and a connector assembly are disclosed, which can increase the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and the nut before the contact pressure between the terminals is applied without extending the fastening bolt. Solutions to Solve Problems

[0008] The first connector of the present disclosure is a first connector that can be detachably engaged with a second connector, the first connector comprising: a first terminal, the first terminal being connected to a second terminal provided on the second connector; a first housing, the first housing accommodating and holding the first terminal; and a fastening bolt, the fastening bolt being held by the first housing and fastened to a nut provided on the second connector, the first housing having a bolt insertion hole, the bolt insertion hole penetrating the first housing along a mating direction in which the first connector is mated with the second connector, the fastening bolt comprising: a bolt head; an insertion shaft portion, the insertion shaft portion protruding from the bolt head toward the front in the mating direction and inserted into the bolt insertion hole; a bolt-side threaded portion, the bolt-side threaded portion protruding from the top end of the insertion shaft portion toward the front in the mating direction; and an engaging protrusion, the engaging protrusion being located at the top end side of the insertion shaft portion and protruding toward the outer peripheral side of the fastening bolt, the bolt insertion hole comprising: a front opening portion, the front opening portion facing the mating direction The bolt has a front opening and a rear opening, the rear opening opening being open toward the rear of the mating direction, the fastening bolt being displaceable by a predetermined dimension relative to the bolt insertion hole in the mating direction between an initial position and a mating start position and being assembled in a manner that cannot be disengaged, the fastening bolt being restricted from being displaced toward the rear of the mating direction by the engaging protrusion being engaged with the front peripheral edge portion as the peripheral edge portion of the front opening portion, the fastening bolt being restricted from being displaced toward the front of the mating direction by the bolt head being engaged with the rear peripheral edge portion as the peripheral edge portion of the rear opening portion, the fastening bolt being restricted from being displaced toward the front of the mating direction, the first connector being temporarily fixed to the second connector and the contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal not being generated, the fastening bolt being arranged at the initial position by the top end of the bolt-side threaded portion abutting against the opening of the nut, and being displaced to the mating start position by the bolt-side threaded portion of the fastening bolt being threadedly engaged with the nut-side threaded portion provided on the nut.

[0009] The connector assembly of the present invention comprises: the first connector of the present invention; and a second connector capable of being detachably engaged with the first connector, wherein the second connector comprises: a second terminal connected to the first terminal; a second shell, the second shell accommodating and holding the second terminal; and a nut, the fastening bolt being fastened to the nut. Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, according to the first connector and the connector assembly, it is possible to increase the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and the nut before the contact pressure between the terminals is applied without lengthening the fastening bolt. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the connector assembly according to the first embodiment in a fitted state of a first connector and a second connector. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A top view of the connector assembly is shown. Figure 3 Yes Figure 2 A longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged view of a main portion of the III-III cross section. Figure 4 Yes Figure 2 A longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged view of a main portion of the IV-IV cross section. Figure 5 Yes Figure 4 A longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged view of a main part of the VV cross section. Figure 6 Yes Figure 1 The connector assembly shown is a perspective view showing a first connector and a second connector in a separated state. Figure 7 Yes means Figure 1 The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1 shows a state where the fastening bolt is in the initial position, which corresponds to Figure 3 . Figure 8 Yes means Figure 1 The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1 is a view showing a state in which the fastening bolt is in the mating start position. Figure 3 . Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the fastening bolt is at the start position of the engagement, corresponding to Figure 4 . Fig.10 It means composition Figure 1 A bottom view of the first connector of the connector assembly is shown. Fig.11 It means composition Figure 1 A perspective view of the second connector of the connector assembly shown. Fig.12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the first connector involved in the second embodiment, corresponding to Figure 3 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] <Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The first connector of the present disclosure, (1) A first connector that can be detachably engaged with a second connector, the first connector comprising: a first terminal connected to a second terminal provided in the second connector; a first housing that accommodates and holds the first terminal; and a fastening bolt that is held by the first housing and fastened to a nut provided in the second connector, the first housing having a bolt insertion hole that passes through the first housing along a mating direction in which the first connector is mated with the second connector, the fastening bolt comprising: a bolt head; an insertion shaft that protrudes from the bolt head toward the front in the mating direction and is inserted into the bolt insertion hole; a bolt-side threaded portion that protrudes from the top end of the insertion shaft toward the front in the mating direction; and an engaging protrusion that is located on the top end side of the insertion shaft and protrudes toward the outer peripheral side of the fastening bolt, the bolt insertion hole comprising: a front opening that opens toward the front in the mating direction. and a rear opening portion, the rear opening portion being open toward the rear of the mating direction, the fastening bolt being able to be displaced by a predetermined dimension relative to the bolt insertion hole in the mating direction between an initial position and a mating start position and being assembled in a manner that cannot be disengaged, in the initial position, the engaging protrusion is engaged with the front peripheral edge portion as the peripheral edge portion of the front opening portion, thereby limiting the rearward displacement of the fastening bolt in the mating direction, in the mating start position, the bolt head is engaged with the rear peripheral edge portion as the peripheral edge portion of the rear opening portion, thereby limiting the frontward displacement of the fastening bolt in the mating direction, when the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and the contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal is not generated, the fastening bolt is arranged in the initial position by the top end of the bolt-side threaded portion abutting the opening portion of the nut, and is displaced to the mating start position by the bolt-side threaded portion of the fastening bolt being threadedly engaged with the nut-side threaded portion provided on the nut.

[0013] According to the first connector disclosed in the present invention, the structure is as follows: when the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and the contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal does not occur, the fastening bolt provided in the first connector can be displaced relative to the bolt insertion hole from the initial position to the mating start position. In the initial position, the bolt head is spaced a predetermined dimension from the rear opening of the bolt insertion hole to the rear of the mating direction of the first connector and the second connector. In addition, in the mating start position, the bolt side threaded portion of the fastening bolt is screwed into the nut side threaded portion, and the bolt head moves a predetermined dimension toward the rear peripheral portion. That is, in the mating start position before the contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal occurs, the bolt side threaded portion of the fastening bolt can be screwed into the nut side threaded portion of the second connector to move the fastening bolt forward in the mating direction by a predetermined dimension. Thus, in the process of the fastening bolt moving a predetermined dimension in the fitting direction, the thread teeth of the bolt-side threaded portion can be engaged with the thread teeth of the nut-side threaded portion, and the engagement length of the thread teeth of the fastening bolt and the nut before the contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal is applied can be increased. Therefore, even if the first terminal and the second terminal are applied with contact pressure, the thread teeth of the fastening bolt can be prevented from being damaged, and the durability of the first connector can be improved.

[0014] Furthermore, by adopting a structure in which the fastening bolt is displaced by a predetermined dimension relative to the bolt insertion hole in the fitting direction and in the opposite direction of the fitting direction, the engagement length of the thread teeth of the fastening bolt and the nut can be increased. Therefore, since there is no need to extend the fastening bolt itself, it is also possible to suppress or prevent the deterioration of the assembly performance of the first connector relative to the second connector.

[0015] Furthermore, the first housing may be composed of a first connector housing having insulation properties, and further, may include a metal shielding shell that covers and is fixedly assembled to the first connector housing. Furthermore, since the bolt insertion hole for inserting the fastening bolt only needs to be provided in the first housing, it can be provided in the first connector housing, and in the case where the first connector housing is covered by the shielding shell, it can also be provided in the shielding shell.

[0016] In order to realize the structure in which “the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector”, any structure may be adopted as long as the first connector and the second connector are positioned so as to be able to fit with each other in the fitting direction.

[0017] (2) Preferably, the first housing includes: an insulating first connector housing; and a metal shielding shell covering the first connector housing and fixedly assembled to the first connector housing, and the bolt insertion hole is provided in the shielding shell. Since the rear peripheral edge of the bolt insertion hole that receives the tightening force of the tightening bolt can be formed by the metal shielding shell, the necessity of special reinforcement of the rear peripheral edge can be reduced, and the rigidity of the rear peripheral edge can be ensured with a small number of parts.

[0018] (3) Preferably, the engaging protrusion of the fastening bolt is configured to be non-displaceable, a recess opening in the mating direction is provided on the front peripheral portion of the bolt insertion hole, the depth dimension of the recess is set to the predetermined dimension, the engaging protrusion abuts against the bottom surface of the recess, and the fastening bolt is arranged in the initial position, and the engaging protrusion is displaced toward the opening side of the recess and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral portion, and the fastening bolt is arranged in the mating start position.

[0019] By providing a locking protrusion in a fixed manner on the fastening bolt and providing a recess opening in the mating direction on the front peripheral portion of the bolt insertion hole, the fastening bolt can be inserted into the bolt insertion hole in the direction opposite to the mating direction and can be displaced. Moreover, by setting the depth dimension of the recess to a predetermined dimension and making the locking protrusion abut the bottom surface of the recess, the fastening bolt can be simply and reliably arranged in the initial position. In addition, by displacing the locking protrusion to the opening side of the recess and making the bolt head contact the rear peripheral portion, the fastening bolt can be simply and reliably set at the mating start position. Moreover, at the mating start position, since the bolt head abuts the rear peripheral portion, when the bolt is further tightened from the mating start position, the tightening force of the bolt can be quickly transmitted to the first housing side, and the tightening force of the bolt can be effectively used to make the first connector and the second connector mating.

[0020] Preferably, an annular ring mounting groove opening toward the outer peripheral side is provided on the top end side of the insertion shaft portion of the fastening bolt, and an annular component made of metal with a cutout in the circumferential direction is mounted in the ring mounting groove in a manner that it can be displaced along the fitting direction and constitutes the engaging protrusion, which is temporarily fixed to the second connector via the first connector, and the top end of the threaded portion on the bolt side abuts the opening portion of the nut. In the fastening bolt arranged in the initial position, the annular component is stopped at the front end face of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction. In the fastening bolt that is threadedly engaged with the nut and arranged in the fitting start position, the annular component moves toward the rear end face side of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction, and the bolt head abuts the rear peripheral edge portion.

[0021] By providing a ring mounting groove at the top end side of the insertion shaft portion of the fastening bolt, the fastening bolt can be assembled in a manner that it cannot be disengaged while being allowed to be displaced by a predetermined dimension from the initial position to the mating start position relative to the bolt insertion hole by only assembling the metal ring member to the ring mounting groove in a manner that it can be displaced in the mating direction. Therefore, the structure of the present disclosure can be realized without changing the shape on the first connector side, which can contribute to improving manufacturability and reducing costs.

[0022] Furthermore, the metal annular member may be any member that has a cutout in the circumferential direction and can be mounted in the ring mounting groove. For example, a known C-ring or E-ring can be advantageously used.

[0023] Preferably, the fastening bolt is displaced to a mating completion position located forward in the mating direction by further screwing the bolt-side threaded portion and the nut-side threaded portion from the mating start position, and the first connector is formally fixed to the second connector when the fastening bolt is arranged at the mating completion position. By further screwing the fastening bolt to the nut from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the first connector and the second connector can be formally mated using the auxiliary force of the bolt tightening. In particular, at the mating start position, since the screwing of the fastening bolt and the nut has been completed by an amount corresponding to the displacement of the fastening bolt along the predetermined size of the mating direction, the contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal generated when the first connector and the second connector are mated can be stably borne by the fastening bolt and the nut, thereby suppressing the damage of the thread teeth of the fastening bolt and improving the durability of the first connector.

[0024] The connector assembly of the present disclosure, (6) comprising: a first connector according to claim 1 or claim 2; and a second connector capable of being detachably engaged with the first connector, the second connector having: a second terminal connected to the first terminal; a second shell, the second shell accommodating and holding the second terminal; and a nut, the fastening bolt being fastened to the nut.

[0025] According to the connector assembly of the present disclosure, since the first connector of the present disclosure is used as the first connector to be fitted with the second connector, it is possible to provide a connector assembly having the same operational effects as those of the first connector.

[0026] <Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> Specific examples of the first connector and connector assembly of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0027] <Implementation method 1> The following use Figures 1 to 11 The connector assembly 10 of the first embodiment of the present disclosure is described. The connector assembly 10 includes a first connector 12 and a second connector 14 that can be detachably engaged with the first connector 12. In addition, by engaging the first connector 12 and the second connector 14, the first terminal 16 in the first connector 12 and the second terminal 18 in the second connector 14 are connected and electrically connected. In addition, the connector assembly 10 can be arranged in any direction, but in the following description, the upper side is Figure 3 The top of the middle is Figure 3 Below, in front is Figure 2 To the left of Figure 2 The right side of the Figure 2 The top and right are Figure 2 In addition, for a plurality of identical components, sometimes only some of the components are marked with symbols while the symbols of the other components are omitted.

[0028] <First connector 12> like Figures 3 to 5 As also shown in the figure, the first connector 12 includes: a first terminal 16 connected to a second terminal 18 provided on the second connector 14; a first housing 20 that accommodates and holds the first terminal 16; and a fastening bolt 22 held in the first housing 20 and fastened to a nut 184 to be described later provided on the second connector 14. In the first embodiment, as described later, a pair of covered electric wires 40 are provided, and the first terminal 16 is fixed to the end of each covered electric wire 40. That is, a pair of first terminals 16, 16 are provided in the first connector 12, and each first terminal 16 is separated and arranged in the left-right direction.

[0029] <1st terminal 16> In the first embodiment, the second terminal 18 is a pin terminal, and the first terminal 16 has no specific structure as long as it has a cylindrical connection portion 24 for pressing a columnar connection portion 188 described later in the second terminal 18. For example, the structure of the female terminal (10) described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-28899 can be adopted. In more detail, the first terminal 16 of the first embodiment includes a first terminal body 26 and a clamp spring 28 as an elastic member installed at the top end (front end) of the first terminal body 26.

[0030] <First terminal body 26> The first terminal body 26 is formed by stamping a metal flat plate that is generally in the shape of a band into a predetermined shape. The first terminal body 26 has the above-mentioned cylindrical connecting portion 24. In the first embodiment, the cylindrical connecting portion 24 that is generally in the shape of a cylinder is open on both sides in the upward and downward directions. Figure 5As also shown in FIG. 1 , the cylindrical connection portion 24 is composed of a first peripheral wall portion 30 located on the left and a second peripheral wall portion 32 located on the right, each of which is substantially semi-cylindrical in shape. The first peripheral wall portion 30 and the second peripheral wall portion 32 are opposed to each other in the left-right direction.

[0031] In addition, an arc-shaped protrusion 34 extending in the circumferential direction and protruding inward in the radial direction is provided at the circumferential center of the inner circumferential surface of the first circumferential wall portion 30. In addition, linear contact portions 36 extending in the axial direction (up and down direction) of the cylindrical connecting portion 24 and protruding inward in the radial direction are provided at a plurality of locations (two locations) spaced apart in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the second circumferential wall portion 32. Figure 5 As also shown in the figure, when the columnar connection portion 188 described later is pressed into the cylindrical connection portion 24, the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion 188 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical connection portion 24 at three locations on the circumferential central portion of the arc-shaped protrusion 34 and around a pair of linear contact portions 36.

[0032] In addition, a pair of base end side plates 38 and 38 protruding rearward are provided at the rear ends of the first peripheral wall portion 30 and the second peripheral wall portion 32, respectively, and the base end side plates 38 are opposed to each other in the left-right direction. These base end side plates 38 are connected to each other at their respective rear ends by bending, etc., and further, the first terminal body 26 has a portion extending rearward from each base end side plate portion 38, and the portion extending rearward is used as a wire fixing portion 42 to which the covered wire 40 is fixed. That is, the covered wire 40 is composed of a core wire 44 and an insulating coating portion 46 made of synthetic resin that covers the core wire 44 over substantially the entire length. In addition, at the end of the covered wire 40, the insulating coating portion 46 is stripped to expose the core wire 44, and the exposed core wire 44 is connected to the wire fixing portion 42 fixed to the first terminal body 26 to achieve the connection between the first terminal body 26 and the covered wire 40. Furthermore, the method for fastening the wire fastening portion 42 and the core wire 44 is not limited, and may be bonding, welding, or crimping with a crimping sheet.

[0033] Furthermore, a pair of top side plates 48 protruding forward are respectively provided at the front ends of the first and second peripheral wall portions 30 and 32, and the top side plates 48 are mutually opposed in the left-right direction. That is, in the first terminal body 26, the base side plates 38 are mutually connected at the rear side relative to the first peripheral wall portion 30 and the second peripheral wall portion 32, and the top side plates 48 are configured as free ends that are separated from each other and protrude in a cantilever beam shape at the front side relative to the first peripheral wall portion 30 and the second peripheral wall portion 32. Thus, the top side plates 48 can be elastically deformed in a direction of approaching or separating from each other.

[0034] A through hole 50 of a substantially rectangular shape that penetrates in the plate thickness direction (left-right direction) is formed in the central portion in the width direction (up-down direction) of the middle portion in the front-back direction of each top side plate portion 48. In addition, a stopper portion 52 that protrudes inward in the left-right direction is provided in the central portion in the width direction of the inner surface in the left-right direction of each top side plate portion 48. In Embodiment 1, each stopper portion 52 is provided at the rear of each through hole 50. Thus, when the clamp spring 28 is mounted to the top end portion of the first terminal body 26, each stopper portion 52 abuts against each other to limit the deformation amount of each top side plate portion 48 in the direction of approaching each other, and even prevents the first and second peripheral wall portions 30, 32 connected to the rear of each top side plate portion 48 from being too close to each other and the inner diameter dimension of the cylindrical connecting portion 24 from becoming too small.

[0035] <Clip spring 28> By installing the clamp spring 28 at the top end of the first terminal body 26, a force is applied to each top end side plate portion 48 in a direction of approaching each other, and an elastic force is applied to the first and second peripheral wall portions 30 and 32 connected to the rear of each top end side plate portion 48 in a direction of approaching each other. Figure 5 As shown, the clamp spring 28 has a roughly plate-shaped connecting plate 54 and a pair of push pieces 56, 56 protruding backward from both ends of the connecting plate 54 in the left and right directions and tilted in a direction approaching each other. A bent portion 58 is provided in the middle portion in the front-to-back direction of each push piece 56, and the protruding top end of each push piece 56 extends from each bent portion 58 in a direction away from each other. Therefore, the opposing distance of each push piece 56 is the smallest at each bent portion 58, and the gap between these bent portions 58 is the insertion port 60 for the first terminal body 26 to be inserted into the clamp spring 28.

[0036] In addition, a substantially rectangular through window 62 is formed in the central portion of the bent portion 58 of each push piece 56 in the width direction (up and down direction) and penetrates each push piece 56 in the plate thickness direction. In addition, a locking piece 64 protruding forward is provided in the center of the width direction of the inner peripheral edge portion behind each through window 62. The locking pieces 64 are opposed to each other in the left-right direction, and protrude inwardly in the opposing direction as they move toward the front. These locking pieces 64 can be elastically deformed in the plate thickness direction. As described later, when the clamp spring 28 is installed on the first terminal body 26, the top end of the first terminal body 26 is inserted into the insertion port 60 of the clamp spring 28. Thereafter, by sliding the clamp spring 28 backward relative to the first terminal body 26, each locking piece 64 enters the through hole 50 of each top side plate portion 48 and is locked, so that the clamp spring 28 is fixed to the first terminal body 26.

[0037] <First housing 20> like Figure 4 and Figure 5As also shown in FIG. 1 , the first housing 20 includes a first connector housing 66 made of an insulating synthetic resin and a metal shielding shell 68 covering the first connector housing 66 and fixedly assembled to the first connector housing 66. In addition, a lower opening portion 70 opening downward is provided in the front portion of the shielding shell 68, and a front retaining member 72 made of a synthetic resin is installed in the lower opening portion 70. Further, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As also shown in FIG. 1 , the first housing 20 has a bolt insertion hole 74 that penetrates the first housing 20 in the up-down direction that is the mating direction in which the first connector 12 is mated with the second connector 14 . In the first embodiment, the bolt insertion hole 74 is provided in the shield shell 68 .

[0038] <First Connector Housing 66> like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As also shown in the figure, the first connector housing 66 has a terminal receiving portion 76 in a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape, and the terminal receiving portion 76 receives the front end portion of each covered electric wire 40 and the first terminal 16 fixed to the end of each covered electric wire 40. In the first embodiment, since a pair of covered electric wires 40 and a pair of first terminals 16 are provided, a pair of first connector housings 66, 66 are provided, and each first connector housing 66 has a terminal receiving portion 76. Each first connector housing 66 (terminal receiving portion 76) is separated from each other in the left-right direction and extends in the front-rear direction. That is, the first connector housing 66 has an upper wall portion 7 constituting the upper wall portion of the terminal receiving portion 76, a lower wall portion 80 constituting the lower wall portion, a left wall portion 82 constituting the left wall portion, and a right wall portion 84 constituting the right wall portion. In addition, the front of each terminal housing portion 76 is blocked by the front wall portion 86, and each covered electric wire 40 housed in each terminal housing portion 76 is led out to the outside space through the rear opening of each terminal housing portion 76. Therefore, through the rear opening of each terminal housing portion 76, a wire lead-out port 88 is formed in the first connector housing 66 through which each covered electric wire 40 is led out.

[0039] In implementation mode 1, Figure 4 As also shown in FIG. 1 , the first connector housing 66 is composed of a first connector housing body 90 and a first connector housing cover 92 assembled to the first connector housing body 90. That is, in the first connector housing body 90, a lower window 94 opening downward is provided at the front portion of the lower wall 80, and the first connector housing cover 92 is assembled so as to cover the lower window 94. In short, a part of the lower wall 80 of the first connector housing 66 is composed of the first connector housing cover 92.

[0040] An insertion hole 96 for inserting the columnar connection portion 188 is formed at a position of the first connector housing cover 92 corresponding to the cylindrical connection portion 24, i.e., the columnar connection portion 188 in the second terminal 18. In addition, on both sides of the insertion hole 96 of the first connector housing cover 92 in the left and right directions, there are insertion holes (not shown) for inserting the bent plate portions to be described later located on both sides of the columnar connection portion 188 of the second connector 14 in the left and right directions. In addition, a pair of support protrusions 97, 97 that protrude upward and are separated from each other in the left and right directions are provided on the first connector housing cover 92. Figure 5 As shown, when the first connector 12 is assembled, each base end side plate portion 38 of each first terminal body 26 is inserted between the pair of support protrusions 97 , 97 in the left-right direction and supported.

[0041] The fixing method of the first connector housing body 90 and the first connector housing cover 92 is not limited, but in the first embodiment, the first connector housing body 90 and the first connector housing cover 92 are fixed by a locking structure. That is, the left wall portion 82 and the right wall portion 84 of the first connector housing body 90 are provided with locking protrusions 98 protruding outward in the left-right direction, and the locking frames 100 protruding upward are provided on both sides of the first connector housing cover 92 in the left-right direction. And, by engaging the locking protrusions 98 with the locking frames 100, the lower window portion 94 of the first connector housing body 90 is covered by the first connector housing cover 92 to form the first connector housing 66.

[0042] In addition, elastic pieces 102 that can be elastically deformed in the left and right directions are provided at the middle parts of the left wall portion 82 and the right wall portion 84 in the longitudinal direction (front and rear direction) of the first connector housing 66, and each elastic piece 102 is provided with a locking claw 104 that protrudes outward in the left and right directions. In addition, locking recesses 117 described later are provided on the inner surface of the shielding shell 68, and the first connector housing 66 can be fixed to the shielding shell 68 by locking the locking claws 104 in the locking recesses 117.

[0043] <Shielding case 68> The shielding shell 68 is shaped to cover the pair of first connector shells 66, 66 in a substantially entirety. That is, the shielding shell 68 includes an upper wall portion 106 covering the upper portion of each first connector shell 66, a lower wall portion 108 covering the lower portion of each first connector shell 66, a left wall portion 110 covering the left first connector shell 66 from the left, a right wall portion 112 covering the right first connector shell 66 from the right, and a front wall portion 114 covering the front of each first connector shell 66. In addition, the shielding shell 68 includes a partition portion 116 inside, which is provided between the left and right directions of each first connector shell 66 (each terminal housing portion 76) to partition the internal space of the shielding shell 68 in the left and right directions. Furthermore, as Figure 5As shown, locking recesses 117 that can engage with the locking claws 104 of the first connector housing 66 are formed on the inner surfaces of the left wall portion 110 , the right wall portion 112 , and the partition portion 116 of the shield shell 68 .

[0044] In addition, a through hole 122 is formed in the front portion of the lower wall portion 108 of the shield shell 68, which passes through the shield shell 68 in the thickness direction (up and down direction). The through hole 122 is a substantially oblong shape whose dimension in the left-right direction is larger than that in the front-back direction, and is provided across each of the first connector housings 66 separated from each other in the left-right direction. That is, in each of the first connector housings 66, each of the insertion holes 96 through which the columnar connection portion 188 described later is inserted and each of the insertion holes (not shown) through which the bent plate portions 198 described later are inserted communicate with the external space below through the common through hole 122.

[0045] An inner tube portion 124 protruding downward is provided at the peripheral portion of the through hole 122, and the lower end portion of the inner tube portion 124 constitutes a lower opening portion 70 to which the front retainer 72 can be mounted. In addition, each cylindrical connection portion 24 of each first terminal 16 accommodated in each terminal accommodation portion 76 is exposed to the outside through the lower opening portion 70 of the shielding shell 68. Furthermore, an outer tube portion 126 protruding downward is provided on the outer peripheral side of the inner tube portion 124 of the lower wall portion 108. In addition, when the connector assembly 10 is assembled, substantially the entire area of ​​the lower end of the outer tube portion 126, except for the rear portion, abuts against the housing 186 of the second connector 14 described later. In addition, a waterproof rubber 128 installed externally is provided on the inner tube portion 124 to prevent water from entering between the shielding shell 68 and the second connector 14 described later when the connector assembly 10 is assembled.

[0046] Here, in the partition 116 of the shield shell 68, a bolt insertion hole 74 is provided to penetrate in the vertical direction behind the rear portion of the inner tube 124. That is, the bolt insertion hole 74 has a lower opening portion 130 as a front opening portion and an upper opening portion 132 as a rear opening portion, the lower opening portion 130 opening toward the lower front side of the first connector 12 in the mating direction with the second connector 14, and the upper opening portion 132 opening toward the upper rear side in the mating direction. In addition, in the partition 116 of the shield shell 68, the peripheral edge portion of the lower opening portion 130 is a lower peripheral edge portion 134 as a front peripheral edge portion, and the peripheral edge portion of the upper opening portion 132 is an upper peripheral edge portion 136 as a rear peripheral edge portion. In the first embodiment, a substantially circular recess 138 opening toward the front (downward) in the mating direction is formed in the lower peripheral edge portion 134, and the recess 138 has a predetermined depth dimension (vertical dimension). In particular, in the shield case 68, a contact portion 139 protruding downward is formed at a position where the bolt insertion hole 74 is formed. Fig.10As shown in FIG. 1 , the contact portion 139 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from below. In the first embodiment, a substantially circular recess 138 is formed substantially in the center of the contact portion 139 .

[0047] In addition, in the shield shell 68, locking claws 140 protruding outward in the vertical direction are provided at the rear ends of the upper wall portion 106 and the lower wall portion 108. These locking claws 140 are provided at positions corresponding to the first connector housings 66, and a pair of locking claws 140 are provided at the rear ends of the upper wall portion 106 and the lower wall portion 108, separated from each other in the left-right direction. Furthermore, fixing portions 142 for fixing the shield bracket 164 described later are provided on both sides in the left-right direction of the rear end portion of the shield shell 68. In the first embodiment, the front protruding portion 168 protruding forward from the shield bracket 164 overlaps with the fixing portion 142, and the shield shell 68 and the shield bracket 164 are fixed to each other by bolts 144.

[0048] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As also shown in FIG. 1 , the front retainer 72 mounted on the lower opening 70 of the shield shell 68 is substantially cylindrical with a bottom, and has a substantially oblong upper bottom wall 146 and a peripheral wall 148 protruding downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper bottom wall 146. Fig.10 As also shown in FIG. 1 , in the upper bottom wall portion 146, at positions corresponding to the cylindrical connecting portions 24 of the first connector 12, that is, at positions corresponding to the columnar connecting portions 188 described later in the second connector 14, through holes 150a are formed through the upper and lower directions, through which the columnar connecting portions 188 are inserted. In addition, on both sides of the through hole 150a, through holes 150b are formed through the upper and lower directions, through which the bent plate portions 198 described later in the second connector 14 are inserted. Thus, when the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are mated, the columnar connecting portions 188 and the bent plate portions 198 are inserted into the terminal receiving portions 76 of the first connector housing 66 through the through holes 150a and 150b of the upper bottom wall portion 146. The front retainer 72 is inserted into the inner tube portion 124 of the shield shell 68 and fixed by a locking mechanism provided on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 148 and the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube portion 124 .

[0049] A ring-shaped waterproof rubber 154 is externally mounted on each of the covered electric wires 40 led out from each of the electric wire lead-out ports 88 of each of the first connector housings 66, and each of the waterproof rubbers 154 is inserted into the rear opening of each of the first connector housings 66. In addition, a rear retainer 156 is provided behind each of the waterproof rubbers 154 of each of the covered electric wires 40 to prevent the waterproof rubbers 154 from falling off.

[0050] In the first embodiment, the rear retainer 156 is composed of an upper retainer 158 and a lower retainer 160 that can be assembled with each other, and the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 are assembled to sandwich the covered electric wire 40 from both sides in the upper and lower directions at the rear of the first connector housing 66. These upper retainers 158 and lower retainers 160 are respectively provided with locking frames 162 and 162 protruding forward. Thus, the rear retainer 156 composed of the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 is fixed to the rear of the waterproof rubber 154 by the locking engagement of the locking claws 140 provided at the rear end of the shield shell 68 and the locking frames 162. In addition, the shapes of the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 may be the same as each other, or the rear retainer 156 may be composed by assembling the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 in a state of being reversed up and down.

[0051] In addition, the rear retainer 156 is covered by a shield bracket 164 made of metal. The shield bracket 164 has a cylindrical wall portion 166, which covers the rear retainer 156 from the outer peripheral side. The cylindrical wall portion 166 has a front protrusion 168 protruding forward at the lower part. As described above, the front protrusion 168 overlaps with the fixing portion 142 of the shield shell 68 and is fixed by the bolt 144, so that the shield bracket 164 and the shield shell 68 are fixed to each other. In addition, a substantially cylindrical shielding member (not shown) covering each covered wire 40 extending backward can be externally inserted into the cylindrical wall portion 166 of the shield bracket 164, and the shielding member can be fixed to the cylindrical wall portion 166 by a tightening band 170.

[0052] <Tightening bolt 22> The fastening bolt 22 includes a bolt head 172, an insertion shaft 174 that protrudes downwardly from the bolt head 172 in the front direction of the fitting direction and is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 74, a bolt-side threaded portion 176 that protrudes downwardly from the top end (lower end) of the insertion shaft 174 in the fitting direction, and an engaging protrusion that is located on the top end side of the insertion shaft 174 and protrudes toward the outer peripheral side of the fastening bolt 22. In the first embodiment, an annular ring mounting groove 178 that opens toward the outer peripheral side is provided at the top end side of the insertion shaft 174. The engaging protrusion that protrudes toward the outer peripheral side is formed by mounting a C-shaped ring 180 that is an annular member made of metal in the ring mounting groove 178. That is, the C-shaped ring 180 that constitutes the engaging protrusion protrudes approximately annularly from the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt 22 toward the outer peripheral side and has a predetermined radial width dimension. The C-ring 180 described below can thus abut with a sufficient abutment area when it abuts against the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138. The vertical dimension of the ring mounting groove 178 is substantially the same as the vertical dimension of the C-ring 180, and the C-ring 180 cannot be displaced in the vertical direction of the fastening bolt 22.

[0053] In addition, the metal annular component preferably has a cutout at one place in the circumferential direction, and a C-shaped ring or an E-shaped ring can be appropriately used. Thus, an annular component such as a C-shaped ring or an E-shaped ring can be embedded in the ring mounting groove 178 of the insertion shaft portion 174 from the side through the cutout portion on the circumference.

[0054] In the fastening bolt 22, the length dimension (vertical dimension) from the lower end of the bolt head 172 to the upper end of the C-shaped ring 180 is greater than the length dimension (vertical dimension) of the bolt insertion hole 74 that penetrates the shielding shell 68 in the vertical direction. In addition, the protruding dimension of the C-shaped ring 180 from the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt 22 to the outer peripheral side is smaller than the radial width dimension of the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138. As a result, the fastening bolt 22 can be fastened to the shielding shell 68 at a position where the lower end of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper end of the bolt insertion hole 74, that is, the upper peripheral portion 136 (described later). Figure 8 , 9 The upper end of the C-shaped ring 180 abuts against the lower end of the bolt insertion hole 74, that is, the bottom surface 181 of the concave portion 138 of the lower peripheral portion 134 (described later) Figure 7 The initial position shown in the figure) is displaced in the fitting direction (up and down direction) by a predetermined dimension and cannot be disengaged. Therefore, the depth dimension of the recess 138 can be set to be substantially equal to the up and down dimension of the fastening bolt 22 that can be displaced, for example.

[0055] In addition, the portion below the C-shaped ring 180 of the fastening bolt 22 is the bolt-side threaded portion 176, but the topmost portion of the fastening bolt 22 is not provided with a threaded portion. A portion of a predetermined size is separated upward from the topmost portion of the fastening bolt 22 to a position of a predetermined length in the up and down directions, and a male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt 22 to constitute the bolt-side threaded portion 176.

[0056] <Second connector 14> like Fig.11 As also shown in the embodiment 1, the second connector 14 has a second terminal 18 connected to the first terminal 16, a second housing 182 for accommodating and holding the second terminal 18, and a nut 184 for screwing the fastening bolt 22. In the first embodiment, since the first connector 12 is provided with a pair of first terminals 16, 16, the second connector 14 is provided with a pair of second terminals 18, 18, and these second terminals 18 are separated from each other in the left-right direction. In addition, the second connector 14 is provided with a metal housing 186, and each second terminal 18 is held in a state of protruding upward in the second housing 182 fixed to the housing 186.

[0057] In the first embodiment, each second terminal 18 is a pin terminal, and each second terminal 18 has a columnar connection portion 188. In addition, a resin cap 190 is provided at the top end side of the columnar connection portion 188 of each second terminal 18 in the direction of press-fitting into the cylindrical connection portion 24 of the first terminal 16 (direction from the bottom to the top). In addition, a bolt insertion hole 192 is provided at the base end (lower end) of each second terminal 18, and each second terminal 18 can be fixed to a terminal portion of a device not shown in the figure by a bolt inserted into each bolt insertion hole 192. In addition, the bolt insertion hole 192 of each second terminal 18 may not be provided, and each second terminal may be fixed to a device or the like by crimping or fixing the base end of each second terminal to an electric wire of a device or the like not shown in the figure.

[0058] These second terminals 18 are fixedly held in the second housing 182. Figure 4 and Fig.11 As also shown in FIG. 1 , the second housing 182 has a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall portion 196, the upper end portion of which has a through hole 194 for each second terminal 18 to be inserted, and a pair of peripheral wall portions 196, 196 are disposed in a left-right direction and separated from each other. In addition, a bent plate portion 198 having a predetermined length dimension (vertical dimension) and protruding upward is disposed on the upper end surface of each peripheral wall portion 196. Each peripheral wall portion 196 is provided with a pair of bent plate portions 198, 198, and these pairs of bent plate portions 198, 198 are separated from each other and opposed in the left-right direction. Each bent plate portion 198 is bent in the circumferential direction of each peripheral wall portion 196, and each has a predetermined circumferential dimension.

[0059] In addition, each second terminal 18 is arranged in the peripheral wall portion 196 in an inserted state, and each columnar connection portion 188 fixes the second housing 182 and each second terminal 18 in a state where it passes through each through hole 194 and protrudes upward. In addition, the fixing method of the second housing 182 and each second terminal 18 is not limited, and they can be fixed by pressing, concave-convex locking, bonding or welding. In embodiment 1, when molding the second housing 182, each second terminal 18 is molded in a state of being inserted into the molding cavity, so that the second housing 182 is formed into an integral molded part having each second terminal 18. In a state where each second terminal 18 is fixed to the second housing 182, the columnar connection portion 188 is located on the inner peripheral side of each bent plate portion 198 in a manner separated by a predetermined radial distance, and the columnar connection portion 188 is covered by each bent plate portion 198 in the entire length direction.

[0060] In addition, the second housing 182 is integrally provided with a pair of outer wall portions 200, 200 located on the left and right outer sides of each peripheral wall portion 196 and protruding upward. The pair of outer wall portions 200, 200 are located on the left and right outer sides of the outer curved plate portion 198 of the pair of curved plate portions 198, 198 at a predetermined separation distance. Fig.11 As also shown in the figure, the second housing 182 has a pair of legs 202, 202 that are integrally formed and protrude rearward, and the second housing 182 to which the second terminals 18 are fixed is fixed to the housing 186 by bolts 204 inserted through the legs 202. When the second housing 182 is fixed to the housing 186, the columnar connecting portions 188 of the second terminals 18 protrude upward from the peripheral wall portions 196 and are exposed to the external space. In addition, an annular waterproof rubber 206 is installed on the outer peripheral surface of the second housing 182 at a portion of the housing 186 that is inserted into the insertion hole 210 described later.

[0061] The housing 186 includes a rectangular plate portion 208 that is rectangular in a plan view, and an insertion hole 210 is formed in the front portion of the rectangular plate portion 208 for the second housing 182 to be inserted. In addition, the above-mentioned nut 184 is provided in the left-right center of the rear portion of the insertion hole 210 of the rectangular plate portion 208, and the nut 184 is provided over the entire length of a predetermined vertical dimension. That is, a nut side thread portion 212 composed of a female thread and having a predetermined vertical dimension is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the nut 184.

[0062] <Assembly of Connector Assembly 10> A specific example of a method for assembling the connector assembly 10 by fitting the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 together will be described below. The method for assembling the connector assembly 10 is not limited to the method described below.

[0063] First, the insulating coating 46 is stripped off at the end of each covered wire 40, the exposed core wire 44 is fixed to the wire fixing portion 42 of each first terminal body 26, and each clamp spring 28 is installed at the front end of each first terminal body 26. Thus, each first terminal 16 is fixed to the end of each covered wire 40. Then, each waterproof rubber 154 is externally inserted into each covered wire 40, and the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 are assembled from both sides of the upper and lower directions behind each waterproof rubber 154 through each covered wire 40 to form each rear retainer 156.

[0064] Next, each covered electric wire 40 assembled with each first terminal 16, each waterproof rubber 154, and the rear retainer 156 is inserted from the rear opening of the first connector housing body 90. After each first terminal 16 is inserted to a predetermined position, each first terminal 16 is fixed to a predetermined position of each terminal receiving portion 76 of each first connector housing 66 by assembling the first connector housing cover 92 to the first connector housing body 90. Subsequently, each first connector housing 66 assembled with each first terminal 16 is inserted from the rear opening of the shield shell 68, and each locking claw 104 of each first connector housing 66 is locked to each locking recess 117 of the shield shell 68. Thus, the first connector housing 66 is fixed to the shield shell 68. Furthermore, the front retainer 72 is assembled to the lower opening 70 of the shield shell 68 from below. Thus, the first housing 20 can be constructed.

[0065] Next, the locking frames 162 of the rear retainer 156 are locked and engaged with the locking claws 140 of the rear end of the shielding shell 68. After that, the covered electric wires 40 are inserted into the barrel wall 166 of the shielding bracket 164, and the fixing portion 142 of the shielding shell 68 is overlapped with the front protruding portion 168 of the shielding bracket 164, and the fixing portion 142 and the front protruding portion 168 are fixed by the bolt 144. In addition, the shielding member covering the covered electric wires 40 may be fixed to the barrel wall 166 of the shielding bracket 164 by the tightening band 170 at a more appropriate time.

[0066] Furthermore, the fastening bolt 22 is inserted from above into the bolt insertion hole 74 of the shield shell 68. As a result, the lower portion of the fastening bolt 22 protrudes downward from the shield shell 68, and the C-shaped ring 180 is assembled from the side (in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction) to the ring mounting groove 178 of the fastening bolt 22. Thus, the first connector 12 is completed. In the completed first connector 12, the shielding member (not shown) covering each covered electric wire 40, the shielding bracket 164, and the shield shell 68 are in an electrically connected state.

[0067] Next, the second housing 182 is formed as an integrally molded part having the second terminals 18, and the waterproof rubber 206 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the second housing 182. Then, the lower portion of the second housing 182 to which the waterproof rubber 206 is attached is inserted into the insertion hole 210 of the housing 186, and the second housing 182 is fixed to the housing 186 by the bolts 204, thereby completing the second connector 14.

[0068] Next, if Figure 6As shown in the figure, the completed first connector 12 and second connector 14 are placed opposite to each other in the vertical direction, and then the first connector 12 and second connector 14 are brought close to each other. As a result, the columnar connection parts 188 of each second terminal 18 of the second connector 14 are inserted into each through hole 150a of the front retainer 72 of the first connector 12, and each bent plate part 198 is inserted into each through hole 150b of the front retainer 72. In addition, at this time, the columnar connection parts 188 of each second terminal 18 are slightly separated from or in a zero contact state with respect to the lower opening of the cylindrical connection part 24 of each first terminal 16, and the contact pressure between each first terminal 16 and each second terminal 18 is not generated. This state is a state in which the first connector 12 is temporarily fixed to the second connector 14.

[0069] When the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are temporarily fixed, Figure 7 As shown, the top end (lower end) of the fastening bolt 22 protruding downward from the first connector 12 abuts against the upper opening 218 of the nut 184 of the second connector 14. Since the fastening bolt 22 can only be displaced a predetermined distance in the up-down direction relative to the shielding shell 68, the fastening bolt 22 is displaced upward as it abuts against the upper opening 218 of the nut 184. The upward displacement of the fastening bolt 22 is limited by the abutment against the upper end of the C-shaped ring 180 and the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138 provided on the lower surface of the shielding shell 68. In short, as Figure 7 As shown in the figure, when the fastening bolt 22 is in the initial position, the fastening bolt 22 is displaced upward relative to the shielding shell 68 until the upper end of the C-shaped ring 180 abuts against the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138, and a gap 220 is formed between the lower end of the bolt head 172 and the upper surface of the shielding shell 68 in the vertical direction. In other words, in the initial position, the fastening bolt 22 is restricted from displacement to the rear (upward) in the mating direction by engaging the engaging protrusion (C-shaped ring 180) with the front peripheral edge portion (lower peripheral edge portion 134) in the mating direction frontward formed by the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138.

[0070] from Figure 7 The fastening bolt 22 is in the initial position shown in the figure, and the fastening bolt 22 is tightened by a predetermined distance so that the bolt side threaded portion 176 is screwed into the nut side threaded portion 212. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the fastening bolt 22 is screwed downward and displaced, thereby threading the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 until the lower end of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper peripheral edge portion 136 of the upper surface of the shield shell 68. Figure 8As shown, the bolt side threaded portion 176 and the nut side threaded portion 212 are screwed together with a predetermined size. As a result, the C-shaped ring 180 is displaced from the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138 to the opening side (lower side), and the gap 220 between the lower end of the bolt head 172 and the upper surface of the shielding shell 68 disappears. Figure 8 , 9 The state shown is a state where the fastening bolt 22 is in the mating start position. In other words, in the mating start position, the bolt head 172 is engaged with the rear peripheral edge portion (upper peripheral edge portion 136) in the rear of the mating direction, thereby restricting the displacement of the fastening bolt 22 to the front (downward) in the mating direction. Even when the fastening bolt 22 is in the mating start position, since the relative position of the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 does not change, there is no contact pressure between each first terminal 16 and each second terminal 18.

[0071] Furthermore, when the fastening bolt 22 is in the engagement start position, the screw engagement distance between the bolt side threaded portion 176 and the nut side threaded portion 212 in the vertical direction is not limited, but it is preferred that the bolt side threaded portion 176 and the nut side threaded portion 212 are screwed to about 3 threads each. Figure 7 The initial position of the fastening bolt 22 is shown to Figure 8 , 9 In the illustrated engagement start position, the fastening bolt 22 is preferably displaced about three threads in the vertical direction, and the depth dimension (vertical dimension) of the recess 138 and the vertical dimension of the gap 220 are preferably of the same degree.

[0072] Then, Figure 8 , 9 The fastening bolt 22 shown is in the state of being in the mating start position, and by tightening the fastening bolt 22, the fastening bolt 22 is screwed downward, and the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 approach each other. As a result, each columnar connection part 188 of the second connector 14 begins to be pressed into each cylindrical connection part 24 of the first connector 12. That is, it is preferred that the operation of pressing each columnar connection part 188 into each cylindrical connection part 24 be started when the bolt-side threaded part 176 and the nut-side threaded part 212 are respectively screwed together by about 3 threads. Then, by further tightening the fastening bolt 22, the bolt-side threaded part 176 and the nut-side threaded part 212 are further screwed together, as shown in FIG. Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the process of pressing each columnar connection part 188 into each cylindrical connection part 24 is completed. Figures 1 to 5 In the state shown, the fastening bolt 22 is arranged at the mating completion position, and the first connector 12 is formally fixed to the second connector 14. Thus, the mating of the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 is completed, and the connector assembly 10 is completed.

[0073] The tightening of the fastening bolt 22, i.e., the screwing of the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212, is preferably performed until, for example, the lower end of the outer cylindrical portion 126 of the shield shell 68 or the lower end of the contact portion 139 abuts against the upper surface of the shell 186 of the second connector 14. Thus, the shield shell 68 and the shell 186 can be electrically connected, and the unillustrated shielding member covering each covered electric wire 40 from the shell 186 through the shield shell 68 and the shield bracket 164 can exert a shielding effect by grounding the shell 186. In addition, in the connector assembly according to the present disclosure, the shielding effect may not be exerted, and the tightening operation of the fastening bolt 22 may be terminated when the fastening bolt 22 is displaced downward by a predetermined distance, that is, when each columnar connecting portion 188 has been pressed into each cylindrical connecting portion 24 to a certain extent.

[0074] In the connector assembly 10 of the first embodiment having the above-described structure, the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 are already screwed together by a predetermined distance when each columnar connection portion 188 starts to be pressed into each cylindrical connection portion 24. Thus, compared with a structure in which a large force is required to start screwing the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 when each columnar connection portion 188 starts to be pressed into each cylindrical connection portion 24, damage to the thread teeth of the bolt-side threaded portion 176 or the nut-side threaded portion 212 can be avoided, which contributes to improved durability. In particular, the structure in which the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 are pre-threaded together when each columnar connection portion 188 begins to be pressed into each cylindrical connection portion 24 can be achieved without extending the length of the fastening bolt 22, and when the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are engaged, interference between the fastening bolt 22 and other components or the outer shell 186, the second shell 182, etc. of the second connector 14 can be avoided, thereby helping to improve assembly performance.

[0075] Furthermore, when the fastening bolt 22 is displaced from the initial position to the mating start position, the columnar connection portions 188 and the bent plate portions 198 of the second connector 14 are inserted into the through holes 150a and 150b of the first connector 12, and the first connector 12 is temporarily fixed to the second connector 14. Therefore, when the fastening bolt 22 is tightened and displaced from the initial position to the mating start position, the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 can be prevented from being misaligned in the horizontal direction (front-rear direction or left-right direction), thereby contributing to further improving the assembly performance.

[0076] The first housing 20 includes a first connector housing 66 and a shield shell 68, and a bolt insertion hole 74 through which the fastening bolt 22 is inserted is provided in the shield shell 68. Thus, for example, not only can a shield path be formed by the shield shell 68 and the housing 186, but also the fastening force of the fastening bolt 22 can be applied to the shield shell 68 and the housing 186, which are both made of metal, and this contributes to improved durability compared to, for example, a case where the bolt insertion hole is provided in a member made of synthetic resin.

[0077] The fastening bolt 22 is arranged in the initial position by making the engaging protrusion (C-shaped ring 180) abut against the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138, and the fastening bolt 22 is arranged in the fitting start position by making the bolt head 172 abut against the upper peripheral edge portion 136. Thus, by appropriately setting the depth dimension (vertical dimension) of the recess 138, the size of the gap 220 when the fastening bolt 22 is in the initial position and even the threading amount between the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 when the fastening bolt 22 is in the fitting start position can be adjusted. In addition, by making the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138 abut against the C-shaped ring 180, the fastening bolt 22 can be more reliably displaced upward and arranged in the initial position. Furthermore, by making the bolt head 172 abut against the upper peripheral edge portion 136 , the tightening force of the tightening bolt 22 can be more reliably used as a force for bringing the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 closer to each other, that is, a pressing force of each columnar connecting portion 188 relative to each cylindrical connecting portion 24 .

[0078] By arranging the fastening bolt 22 in the mating completion position, the first connector 12 is formally fixed to the second connector 14. That is, by tightening the fastening bolt 22, the press-fitting of each columnar connection part 188 into each cylindrical connection part 24 can be completed, and the press-fitting operation requiring a large force can be achieved by bolt tightening.

[0079] <Implementation method 2> Next, use Fig.12The first connector 230 constituting the connector assembly of the second embodiment of the present disclosure is described. The structure of the first connector 230 of the second embodiment is basically the same as the structure of the first connector 12 of the first embodiment, but in the first connector 12 of the first embodiment, the C-ring 180 of the fastening bolt 22 is installed so as to be substantially unable to be displaced in the up-down direction. In contrast, in the first connector 230 of the second embodiment, the C-ring 234, which is an annular component made of metal and serves as an engaging protrusion constituting the fastening bolt 232, is installed so as to be able to be displaced in the up-down direction. In addition, since the second connector 14 engaged with the first connector 230 in the second embodiment can adopt the same structure as that of the first embodiment, it is omitted from the illustration. In addition, in the following description, the differences from the first embodiment are described, and for the components and parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, the detailed description is omitted by marking the same symbols as those in the first embodiment in the drawings. Fig.12 In FIG. 1 , the single product state of the first connector 230 before being mated with the second connector 14 or the fastening bolt 232 in the mating start position is indicated by a solid line, and the fastening bolt 232 in the initial position is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0080] That is, an annular ring mounting groove 236 opening toward the outer peripheral side is provided at the top end side (lower end side) of the insertion shaft portion 174 of the fastening bolt 232, and the ring mounting groove 236 has a predetermined vertical dimension larger than the vertical dimension of the C-shaped ring 234. Therefore, the C-shaped ring 234 can move in the vertical direction from the lower end face 238a at the front (lower) of the fitting direction to the upper end face 238b at the rear (upper) of the fitting direction in the ring mounting groove 236. In the second embodiment, the C-shaped ring 234 is fixed to the peripheral edge portion (lower peripheral edge portion 134) of the lower opening portion 130 of the bolt insertion hole 74.

[0081] In the first connector 230 having such a structure, in the single product state before being fitted with the second connector 14, for example, the fastening bolt 232 moves downward due to gravity and is in a Fig.12 That is, the lower end surface of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper surface (upper peripheral edge portion 136 ) of the shield shell 68 , and the C-shaped ring 234 abuts against the upper end surface 238 b of the ring mounting groove 236 .

[0082] From this state, when the first connector 230 and the second connector 14 are mated, as described above, Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first connector 230 and the second connector 14 are placed in the vertical direction opposite to each other and close to each other. As a result, the top end of the fastening bolt 232 (the top end of the bolt-side threaded portion 176) abuts against the upper opening 218 of the nut 184 of the second connector 14, as shown in FIG. Fig.12As shown by the double-dashed line in FIG. 1 , the tightening bolt 232 is displaced to the initial position upward. As a result, a gap 220 is generated between the lower end surface of the bolt head 172 and the upper surface (upper peripheral portion 136) of the shield shell 68 in the vertical direction, and the C-shaped ring 234 abuts against the lower end surface 238a of the ring mounting groove 236. In other words, Fig.12 As indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure, when the fastening bolt 232 is in the initial position, the C-shaped ring 234 is locked to the front end surface (lower end surface 238a) of the ring mounting groove 236 in the fitting direction.

[0083] Then, the bolt-side threaded portion 176 of the fastening bolt 232 in the initial position is screwed into the nut-side threaded portion 212 of the nut 184, and the fastening bolt 232 is screwed downward. Fig.12 As shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 , the fastening bolt 232 is displaced to the mating start position below the initial position. In this state, the lower end surface of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper surface (upper peripheral portion 136) of the shield shell 68, and the gap 220 disappears. In addition, since the fastening bolt 232 is displaced downward relative to the shield shell 68, the C-shaped ring 234 moves to the rear end surface (upper end surface 238b) side in the mating direction in the ring mounting groove 236, for example, the C-shaped ring 234 abuts against the upper end surface 238b of the ring mounting groove 236. After the fastening bolt 232 is arranged in the mating start position, as in the first embodiment, by tightening the fastening bolt 232, the first connector 230 and the second connector 14 are displaced in a direction of approaching each other, and each columnar connection portion 188 of the second connector 14 is pressed into each cylindrical connection portion 24 of the first connector 230, thereby completing the connector assembly.

[0084] Even in the first connector 230 of the second embodiment having the above-described structure, since the fastening bolt 232 can be displaced between the initial position and the mating start position when mating with the second connector 14, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. In particular, in the first embodiment, the C-ring 234 is provided so as not to be displaced in the up-down direction relative to the fastening bolt 22, and the recess 138 is provided in the shielding shell 68 to allow the fastening bolt 22 to be displaced to the initial position. In contrast, in the second embodiment, by allowing the C-ring 234 to be displaced in the up-down direction relative to the fastening bolt 232, it is not necessary to provide the recess 138 in the shielding shell 68, and thus it is possible to avoid changing the shape of the shielding shell 68.

[0085] <Modification> As a specific example of the present disclosure, embodiments 1 and 2 are described in detail above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the specific description. Variations and improvements that can achieve the purpose of the present disclosure are also included in the present disclosure. For example, the following variations of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0086] (1) The shapes of the first terminal 16 and the second terminal 18 in the above embodiment are merely examples and not limitations. That is, in the above embodiment, the second terminal 18 is pin-shaped and has a columnar connection portion 188, and the first terminal 16 has a cylindrical connection portion 24, but the present invention is not limited to this form. The second terminal may be, for example, a flat protruding piece as described in International Publication No. 2021 / 145197, in which case the first terminal only needs to have a substantially rectangular terminal insertion gap.

[0087] (2) In the above embodiment, the first housing 20 includes the first connector housing 66 made of insulating synthetic resin and the shielding shell 68 made of metal. When the first connector 12, 230 and the second connector 14 are engaged, the shielding shell 68 abuts against the shell 186 to exert a shielding function, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, in the connector assembly involved in the present disclosure, the shielding function may not be exerted, and the shielding shell, shielding bracket or shell may not be provided. In this case, the bolt insertion hole for inserting the fastening bolt may also be provided in the first connector housing made of synthetic resin.

[0088] (3) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the engaging protrusion protruding from the fastening bolt 22, 232 to the outer peripheral side is constituted by the C-shaped ring 180, 234, but the present invention is not limited to this form. For example, the engaging protrusion only needs to be provided so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt to the outer peripheral side after the fastening bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole. That is, for example, the engaging protrusion may be constituted by a pin inserted into a recessed portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt, or a ring-shaped or pin-shaped engaging protrusion may be fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt after the fastening bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole. Description of Reference Numerals

[0089] 10 Connector assembly 12 First connector (Implementation 1) 14 2nd connector 16 Terminal 1 18 Terminal 2 20 1st shell 22 Fastening bolts 24 Cylindrical connection 26 1st terminal body 28 Clip spring 30 1st wall 32 2nd wall 34 Arc protrusion 36 Linear contact 38 Base end side plate 40 Coated wire 42 Wire connection part 44 core wire 46 Insulation coating 48 Top side panel 50 Through hole 52 stopper 54 Connecting plate 56 Pushing piece 58 Bending part 60 Insertion port 62 Through Window 64 Stopper 66 1st connector housing 68 Shielding Shell 70 Lower opening 72 front retainer 74 Bolt insertion hole 76 Terminal storage area 78 Upper wall 80 Lower wall 82 left wall 84 Right wall 86 front wall 88 Wire outlet 90 1st connector housing body 92 1st connector housing cover 94 Lower side window 96 Insert hole 97 Support protrusion 98 Locking tab 100 Lock frame 102 elastic sheet 104 Locking claw 106 Upper wall 108 Lower wall 110 Left wall 112 Right wall 114 front wall 116 Divider 117 Locking recess 122 Through hole 124 Inner tube 126 Outer tube 128 waterproof rubber 130 Lower opening (front opening) 132 Upper opening (rear opening) 134 Lower peripheral part (front peripheral part) 136 Upper peripheral part (rear peripheral part) 138 Recess 139 Contact Department 140 Locking claw 142 Fixed part 144 Bolt 146 Upper bottom wall 148 surrounding wall 150a, 150b Through hole 154 Waterproof rubber 156 Rear retainer 158 upper retainer 160 Lower retaining member 162 Lock frame 164 Shielding bracket 166 Cylinder wall 168 Front protrusion 170 Tie-down strap 172 Bolt head 174 Insertion shaft 176 Bolt side thread 178 Ring mounting groove 180 C-ring (engaging protrusion, annular component) 181 Bottom 182 Second Shell 184 Nut 186 Housing 188 Column connection 190 resin cap 192 Bolt insertion hole 194 Through holes 196 Wall 198 Bending plate 200 Outer wall 202 Feet 204 Bolt 206 Waterproof Rubber 208 Rectangular plate 210 Insert hole 212 Threaded part on nut side 218 Upper opening 220 Gap 230 First connector (Implementation 2) 232 Fastening bolt 234 C-ring (engaging protrusion, annular component) 236 Ring mounting groove 238a Lower end surface (front end surface in the mating direction) 238b Upper end surface (end surface at the rear in the mating direction)

Claims

1. A first connector capable of being detachably engaged with a second connector, wherein: The first connector comprises: a first terminal connected to a second terminal provided on the second connector; a first housing for housing and holding the first terminal; as well as a fastening bolt, the fastening bolt being held by the first housing and fastened to a nut provided on the second connector, The first housing has a bolt insertion hole, and the bolt insertion hole penetrates the first housing along a fitting direction in which the first connector is fitted into the second connector. The fastening bolt comprises: a bolt head; an insertion shaft portion, the insertion shaft portion protruding from the bolt head toward the front of the fitting direction and inserted into the bolt insertion hole; a bolt side threaded portion, the bolt side threaded portion protruding from the top end of the insertion shaft portion toward the front of the fitting direction; and an engaging protrusion, the engaging protrusion being located at the top end side of the insertion shaft portion and protruding toward the outer peripheral side of the fastening bolt, The bolt insertion hole has a front opening portion, the front opening portion is open toward the front of the fitting direction; and a rear opening portion, the rear opening portion opening toward the rear in the fitting direction, The fastening bolt can be displaced by a predetermined dimension relative to the bolt insertion hole in the fitting direction between an initial position and a fitting start position and can be assembled in a manner that cannot be disengaged. In the initial position, the engaging protrusion is engaged with the front peripheral edge portion of the peripheral edge portion of the front opening portion, thereby limiting the rearward displacement of the fastening bolt in the fitting direction. In the fitting start position, the bolt head is engaged with the rear peripheral edge portion of the peripheral edge portion of the rear opening portion, thereby limiting the frontward displacement of the fastening bolt in the fitting direction. When the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal is not generated, the fastening bolt is arranged in the initial position by the top end of the bolt-side threaded portion abutting against the opening portion of the nut, and is shifted to the mating start position by the bolt-side threaded portion of the fastening bolt being threadedly engaged with the nut-side threaded portion provided on the nut.

2. The first connector according to claim 1, wherein: The first housing includes: an insulating first connector housing; and a metal shield shell that covers the first connector housing and is fixedly assembled to the first connector housing, and the bolt insertion hole is provided in the shield shell.

3. The first connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The engaging protrusion of the fastening bolt is arranged to be non-displaceable, A recessed portion opening in the fitting direction is provided at the front peripheral edge portion of the bolt insertion hole, and a depth dimension of the recessed portion is set to the predetermined dimension. The engaging protrusion abuts against the bottom surface of the recess, so that the fastening bolt is arranged in the initial position, and the engaging protrusion is displaced toward the opening side of the recess and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral edge, so that the fastening bolt is arranged in the fitting start position.

4. The first connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: An annular ring mounting groove opening toward the outer peripheral side is provided on the tip side of the insertion shaft portion of the fastening bolt. A metal annular component having a cutout in the circumferential direction is installed in the ring installation groove in a manner that it can be displaced along the fitting direction and constitutes the engaging protrusion. The first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector, the top end of the threaded portion on the bolt side abuts against the opening of the nut, and in the fastening bolt arranged in the initial position, the annular component is locked to the front end surface of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction. In the fastening bolt that is threadedly engaged with the nut and disposed at the fitting start position, the annular member moves toward the rear end surface side of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction, and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral edge portion.

5. The first connector according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The fastening bolt is displaced from the fitting start position to a fitting completion position located forward in the fitting direction by further threading the bolt-side threaded portion with the nut-side threaded portion. In a state where the fastening bolt is arranged at the mating completion position, the first connector is formally fixed to the second connector.

6. A connector assembly comprising: The first connector according to claim 1 or claim 2; and a second connector capable of being detachably engaged with the first connector, The second connector includes: a second terminal connected to the first terminal; a second housing that accommodates and holds the second terminal; and a nut to which the fastening bolt is fastened.

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