Connector assembly

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector assembly capable of improving workability at the time of assembly. The first housing (22) is provided with a first cylindrical portion (22d), a temporary holding portion (52), and a guide portion (a first guide portion (53) and a second guide portion (54)), a seal ring provided in the second housing (32) is fitted to the inside of the first cylindrical portion, the temporary holding portion extends from the front end of the first cylindrical portion in the fitting direction (D) toward the fitting direction, and the guide portion extends further forward than the temporary holding portion in the fitting direction. The temporary holding portion is configured to temporarily hold the second housing by a frictional force with the seal ring in a state immediately before the seal ring is fitted to the first cylindrical portion. The guide portion is configured to guide the fitting of the first housing along the fitting direction by being inserted into the inserted portion of the second housing before the temporary holding portion is in contact with the seal ring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector assembly. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a connector assembly, there has been provided a first connector fixed to a base member such as a vehicle body panel or a metal housing, and a second connector capable of being connected to the first connector (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The first connector has a first housing and first terminals held by the first housing. The second housing is fixed to the base member by a bolt screwed into an internal thread of the base member. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-110026 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the connector assembly as described above, it is required to improve the workability when assembling the first connector and the second connector. For example, in a structure in which the first terminals and the second terminals are fitted by an axial force generated when a bolt is screwed, for example, an operator needs to support the second housing by hand while screwing the bolt. In such a case, etc., in the connector assembly as described above, there is a problem of poor workability.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly that can improve workability during assembly. Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The connector assembly of the present invention includes a first connector fixed to a base member and a second connector capable of being connected to the first connector. The first connector includes a first housing and first terminals held by the first housing. The second connector includes a second housing capable of being fitted into the first housing, second terminals held by the second housing, and an annular seal ring held by the second housing. The first housing is fitted into the second housing by relatively moving in the fitting direction with respect to the second housing. The first housing includes a cylindrical portion, a temporary holding portion, and a guiding portion. The seal ring is fitted into the inside of the cylindrical portion. The temporary holding portion extends from a front end portion of the cylindrical portion in the fitting direction toward the fitting direction. The guiding portion extends to a front side in the fitting direction with respect to the temporary holding portion. The temporary holding portion is configured to temporarily hold the second housing by frictional force with the seal ring in a state before the seal ring is about to be fitted into the cylindrical portion. The guiding portion is configured to guide the fitting of the first housing in the fitting direction by being inserted into an insertion portion of the second housing before the temporary holding portion contacts the seal ring. Advantages of the Invention

[0007] The connector assembly according to the present invention can improve the workability during assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly in one embodiment. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly in this embodiment. Figure 3 is an exploded side view of the connector assembly in this embodiment. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly in this embodiment. Figure 5 is along Figure 4 a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Figure 6 is along Figure 5 a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Figure 7 is a side view of the connector assembly in the state just before mating in this embodiment. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly in the state just before mating in this embodiment. Figure 9 is a partial perspective view showing a part of the second housing with a sealing ring installed. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the connector assembly in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Invention] First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described. The connector assembly of the present invention, [1]A first connector fixed to a base member and a second connector connectable to the first connector are provided. The first connector includes a first housing and a first terminal held by the first housing. The second connector includes a second housing engageable with the first housing, a second terminal held by the second housing, and an annular sealing ring held by the second housing. The first housing is engaged with the second housing by relatively moving in the engaging direction with respect to the second housing. The first housing includes a cylindrical portion, a temporary holding portion, and a guiding portion. The sealing ring is engaged with the inside of the cylindrical portion. The temporary holding portion extends from the front end portion in the engaging direction of the cylindrical portion toward the engaging direction. The guiding portion extends to the front side in the engaging direction with respect to the temporary holding portion. The temporary holding portion is configured to temporarily hold the second housing by the frictional force with the sealing ring in a state before the sealing ring is about to be engaged with the cylindrical portion. The guiding portion is configured to guide the engagement of the first housing in the engaging direction with respect to the second housing by inserting into the inserted portion of the second housing before the temporary holding portion contacts the sealing ring.

[0010] According to this structure, the temporary holding portion of the first housing temporarily holds the second housing by the frictional force with the sealing ring in a state before the sealing ring is about to be engaged with the cylindrical portion, so the workability during assembly becomes good. In addition, for example, when the first housing or the second housing is made of resin or metal, in order to be configured to temporarily hold without using a sealing ring, each component needs to be manufactured with high precision. In contrast, in this structure, since the frictional force with the sealing ring that can absorb manufacturing errors is utilized, high-precision manufacturing of each component is not required. Further, according to the above structure, the guiding portion of the first housing guides the engagement of the first housing with respect to the second housing in the engaging direction before the temporary holding portion contacts the sealing ring. Therefore, for example, when the first housing is assembled to the second housing in a state inclined with respect to the engaging direction, it is possible to prevent the front end portion of the temporary holding portion in the engaging direction from hooking on the sealing ring and curling the sealing ring.

[0011] [2]In the above [1], it may also be that the first housing includes a pair of side walls extending in the engaging direction and facing each other, the first terminal is provided between the pair of side walls, and each of the pair of side walls integrally includes the temporary holding portion and the guiding portion.

[0012] According to this structure, since the temporary holding portion and the guiding portion are formed in a form included in the side wall, it helps to simplify the structure of the first housing. [3] In the above [2], it may also be that the first housing includes a terminal protection portion that extends along the first terminal at least partially in the circumferential direction around the first terminal, and in the fitting direction, the front end portion of the temporary holding portion is located on the front side of the front end portion of the terminal protection portion.

[0013] According to this structure, the terminal protection portion can be protected by the side walls including the temporary holding portion and the guiding portion. [4] In the above [2] or [3], it may also be that when the direction in which the pair of side walls face each other is taken as the first direction and the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction and the first direction respectively is taken as the second direction, the guiding portions are respectively provided at both end portions of the side walls in the second direction.

[0014] According to this structure, by using the guiding portions respectively provided at both end portions of the side walls, the fitting of the first housing relative to the second housing along the fitting direction can be guided more reliably.

[0015] [5] In any one of the above [1] to [4], it may also be that the connector assembly includes a bolt, the second housing has a fixing hole penetrating along the fitting direction, and is fixed to the base member by the bolt that penetrates the fixing hole and is screwed into the internal thread provided on the base member.

[0016] According to this structure, since the second housing is fixed to the base member by the bolt that penetrates the fixing hole and is screwed into the internal thread, for example, the second housing can be temporarily held on the first housing in advance before screwing the bolt. Therefore, for example, the operator can release the second housing and perform the operation of screwing the bolt. Therefore, the workability during the assembly operation becomes good.

[0017] [Details of the Embodiment of the Present Invention] A specific example of the connector assembly of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the drawings, for convenience of explanation, a part of the structure may be enlarged or simplified. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the respective parts may be different in each of the drawings. In each of the drawings, X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to each other are shown. In this specification, the direction along the X-axis is referred to as the X-axis direction, the direction along the Y-axis is referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the direction along the Z-axis is referred to as the Z-axis direction. In addition, "parallel", "perpendicular", or "orthogonal" in this specification includes not only the cases that are strictly parallel, perpendicular, or orthogonal, but also the cases that are substantially parallel, perpendicular, or orthogonal within the range where the functions and effects of the present embodiment are achieved. In addition, the "tubular shape" used in the description of this specification includes not only a tubular shape in which a circumferential wall is continuously formed over the entire circumference, but also a shape formed by combining a plurality of components into a tubular shape, and a shape having a notch in a part of the circumference, such as a C-shaped. In addition, the "tubular shape" includes a circular shape, an elliptical shape, and a polygon having a pointed or rounded corner. In addition, the term "ring-shaped" used in the description of this specification sometimes refers to any structure forming a ring or a continuous shape without an end, and a generally ring-shaped structure having a slit, such as a C-shaped. In addition, the "ring-shaped" includes a circular shape, an elliptical shape, and a polygon having a pointed or rounded corner, but is not limited to these. In addition, "opposing" in this specification means that surfaces or members are located directly opposite to each other, and includes not only the case where they are completely located directly opposite to each other, but also the case where they are partially located directly opposite to each other. In addition, "opposing" in this specification includes both the case where a member independent of the two parts is interposed between the two parts and the case where nothing is interposed between the two parts. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. in this specification are only used to distinguish objects and do not rank the objects. In addition, the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0018] (Connector assembly 11) As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the connector assembly 11 includes a first connector 21 and a second connector 31 that can be connected to the first connector 21. The connector assembly 11 is provided in a vehicle. For example, the first connector 21 is fixed to a metal housing 41 as a base member in the vehicle. In addition, for example, the second connector 31 is fixed to the ends of two electric wires 42.

[0019] (First connector 21) As Figure 1As shown, the first connector 21 has a first housing 22 and, for example, two first terminals 23 held by the first housing 22. The first housing 22 is made of resin, for example. The first housing 22 is fitted with the second housing 32 by relatively moving along the fitting direction D of the Y-axis with respect to the second housing 32 (to be described later) that constitutes the second connector 31. In addition, in the following description, the front and rear in the fitting direction D may sometimes be simply referred to as "front" and "rear".

[0020] The first housing 22 has a base portion 22a, a fixing portion 22b, a terminal protection portion 22c, a first cylindrical portion 22d, and a pair of side walls 51. The base portion 22a of the first housing 22 is formed in a plate shape. For example, when viewed from the Y-axis direction, the base portion 22a is a quadrilateral that is long in the width direction and is formed in a shape with rounded corners. On the base portion 22a, two first terminals 23 are held in an arrangement along the X-axis direction, for example. The first terminals 23 extend linearly along the fitting direction D of the Y-axis. At the front end portion of the first terminals 23 in the fitting direction D, a resin or rubber cap 23a is fixed, for example.

[0021] The first housing 22 has a pair of fixing portions 22b that extend from a part of the outer edge of the base portion 22a, for example. A through hole 22e that penetrates the fixing portion 22b in the Y-axis direction is provided in the fixing portion 22b. The first housing 22 is fixed to the metal housing 41 by a fixing bolt 24 that passes through the through hole 22e and is screwed into an unillustrated internal thread provided in the metal housing 41.

[0022] The terminal protection portion 22c is provided to project from around the first terminals 23 in the base portion 22a in the fitting direction D. The terminal protection portion 22c extends along the first terminals 23 in a part of the circumferential direction around the first terminals 23. The terminal protection portion 22c of the present embodiment is provided so as to be slightly separated from the first terminals 23 in the width direction and cover the first terminals 23.

[0023] (The first cylindrical portion 22d) The first cylindrical portion 22d of the first housing 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on an axis parallel to the Y-axis. The first cylindrical portion 22d extends from the entire circumference of the outer edge of the base portion 22a in the fitting direction D, for example.

[0024] (A pair of side walls 51) The pair of side walls 51 of the first housing 22 are integrally formed with the first cylindrical portion 22d. The pair of side walls 51 are provided on both sides in the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical portion 22d so as to face each other in the X-axis direction. The pair of side walls 51 are, for example, in a symmetric shape with each other. The first terminals 23 and the terminal protection portion 22c are provided between the pair of side walls 51 in the X-axis direction.

[0025] As Figure 1 ,Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in Figure 3 , each side wall 51 of the first housing 22 has a temporary holding portion 52, a first guiding portion 53, and a second guiding portion 54. The temporary holding portion 52 extends from the front end portion of the first cylindrical portion 22d in the fitting direction D toward the fitting direction D. The temporary holding portion 52 extends from a part of the circumferential direction of the front end portion of the first cylindrical portion 22d. The temporary holding portions 52 of the pair of side walls 51 face each other in the X-axis direction.

[0026] (The first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54) The first guiding portion 53 on the side wall 51 of the first housing 22 is provided at one end portion of the temporary holding portion 52 in the Z-axis direction. The second guiding portion 54 is provided at the other end portion of the temporary holding portion 52 in the Z-axis direction (the end portion on the side opposite to the end portion in the Z-axis direction where the first guiding portion 53 is provided). The first guiding portion 53 forms one end portion of the side wall 51 in the Z-axis direction, and the second guiding portion 54 forms the other end portion of the side wall 51 in the Z-axis direction. The first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 have mutually different shapes. For example, the first guiding portion 53 extends along the Z-axis from one end portion of the temporary holding portion 52 in the Z-axis direction. The second guiding portion 54 forms a shape having a width in the X-axis direction wider than that of the first guiding portion 53.

[0027] The first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 each extend to the front side in the fitting direction D with respect to the temporary holding portion 52. That is, the front end portion 53a of the first guiding portion 53 in the fitting direction D is located on the front side with respect to the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 in the fitting direction D. In addition, the front end portion 54a of the second guiding portion 54 in the fitting direction D is located on the front side with respect to the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 in the fitting direction D. Further, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 each form a shape in which the width in the X-axis direction gradually narrows as it goes forward (fitting direction D), and the end becomes thinner.

[0028] In the fitting direction D, the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 on the side wall 51 is located on the front side with respect to the front end portion 22f of the terminal protection portion 22c. That is, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 on the side wall 51 are also located on the front side with respect to the front end portion 22f of the terminal protection portion 22c.

[0029] Each side wall 51 of the first housing 22 has a side rib 55. On each side wall 51, the side rib 55 projects outward in the X-axis direction from the outer side surface of the temporary holding portion 52 and extends along the Y-axis direction. In addition, on each side wall 51, a plurality of side ribs 55 are arranged, for example, in the Z-axis direction.

[0030] (The second connector 31) As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the second connector 31 includes a second housing 32 and second terminals 33. The second housing 32 is assembled relative to the first housing 22 fixed to the metal housing 41 in the Y-axis direction (specifically, the direction opposite to the fitting direction D). The second terminals 33 are held by the second housing 32 and are fitted to the first terminals 23 in the housing fitting state where the second housing 32 is fitted to the first housing 22 (see Figure 5 and Figure 6 ).

[0031] As Figure 5 shown, the second connector 31 further includes a resin housing 34, a rubber plug 35, a holding body 36, and a metal bracket 37. In addition, as Figure 4 and Figure 6 shown, the second connector 31 includes a sealing ring 38. The sealing ring 38 is made of rubber, for example.

[0032] The electric wire 42 has a core wire 42a and an insulating coating 42b. The second terminals 33 are connected to the ends of the core wire 42a exposed from the insulating coating 42b. The second terminals 33 extend along the Z-axis direction and are provided in two numbers corresponding to the number of electric wires 42 in the present embodiment. The second terminals 33 have a terminal fitting portion 33a that can be fitted to the first terminals 23 and a plate-shaped terminal connection portion 33b that is connected to the core wire 42a. In addition, the second terminals 33 are formed by bending a metal plate, but the details thereof are not shown in the drawings and are schematically shown. In the present embodiment, the terminal connection portion 33b and the core wire 42a are resistance welded.

[0033] The resin housing 34 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to cover the exposed core wire 42a and the second terminals 33. In addition, the resin housing 34 has an opening for allowing the first terminals 23 fitted to the terminal fitting portion 33a to pass through.

[0034] The second housing 32 is made of metal and is a metal case having an electromagnetic shielding function. The second housing 32 is formed so as to cover the resin housing 34. The second housing 32 has an opening 32a at the base end portion in the Z-axis direction and a housing receiving portion 32b that extends in the tip direction in the Z-axis direction. The housing receiving portion 32b is formed in a shape that can receive the resin housing 34 with substantially no gap according to the shape of the resin housing 34. The housing receiving portions 32b are arranged in two numbers in the width direction according to the number of resin housings 34.

[0035] The rubber plug 35 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is interposed between the insulating coating 42b and the opening 32a. Thus, the rubber plug 35 prevents liquid from entering the second connector 31 along the insulating coating 42b.

[0036] The holding body 36 is made of resin. The holding body 36 is locked to the second housing 32 to prevent the rubber plug 35 from falling off from the opening 32a. The metal bracket 37 is connected to the overall shielding member S serving as a shielding member that covers the insulating coating layer 42b, and is also connected to the second housing 32. Specifically, the shielding member in the present embodiment is a cylindrical overall shielding member S that covers a plurality of insulating coating layers 42b together. In addition, the overall shielding member S in the present embodiment is a braided member formed by braiding conductive wires such as copper alloy and aluminum alloy into a cylindrical shape. The metal bracket 37 is connected to the entire circumference of the overall shielding member S and is also connected to the second housing 32.

[0037] In addition, the second housing 32 has a partition wall 32c between the two housing accommodating portions 32b. The partition wall 32c is formed throughout the second housing 32 in the Z-axis direction. And a fixing hole 32d penetrating along the Y-axis direction is provided in the partition wall 32c. That is, the fixing hole 32d is provided between the plurality of electric wires 42 in the width direction in which the plurality of electric wires 42 are arranged. In other words, the fixing hole 32d is provided at a position in the width direction between the position in the width direction where one electric wire 42 is arranged and the position in the width direction where the other electric wire 42 is arranged. As Figure 4 shown, the second housing 32 can be fixed to the metal housing 41 by a bolt 43 that passes through the fixing hole 32d and is screwed into the internal thread 41a provided in the metal housing 41. The second housing 32 is fitted with the first housing 22 by relatively moving along the Y-axis direction with respect to the first housing 22 by the force along the Y-axis direction generated when the bolt 43 is screwed.

[0038] (Second cylindrical portion 32e) As Figure 4 and Figure 6 shown, the second housing 32 has a second cylindrical portion 32e, and the second cylindrical portion 32e is inserted into the inside of the first cylindrical portion 22d of the first housing 22 in the housing fitting state. A sealing ring 38 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion 32e. Viewed from the Y-axis direction, the sealing ring 38 is annular. The sealing ring 38 is externally fitted to the second cylindrical portion 32e, and the front retainer 39 fitted to the second cylindrical portion 32e is used to prevent the sealing ring 38 from falling off the second cylindrical portion 32e. The sealing ring 38 makes the first housing 22 and the second housing 32 watertight by closely adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 22d in the housing fitting state.

[0039] (Recess 60) As Figure 5 and Figure 9As shown, the second housing 32 has a pair of recesses 60, and a pair of side walls 51 of the first housing 22 enter the pair of recesses 60. The recess 60 includes a first inserted portion 61 into which the first guiding portion 53 of the side wall 51 is inserted and a second inserted portion 62 into which the second guiding portion 54 of the side wall 51 is inserted. By inserting the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 into the first inserted portion 61 and the second inserted portion 62 respectively, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 guide the fitting along the fitting direction D of the first housing 22 with respect to the second housing 32.

[0040] As Figure 5 shown, each recess 60 of the second housing 32 has an engaging portion 63 that can engage with the side ribs 55 in the Z-axis direction. In each recess 60, a pair of engaging portions 63 are provided so as to be able to engage with a pair of side ribs 55 arranged at both ends in the Z-axis direction among the side ribs 55 arranged in the Z-axis direction respectively. The engaging portion 63 can engage with the side rib 55 in the state just before the housing fitting state (refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 ).

[0041] As Figure 8 shown, the temporary holding portion 52 on the side wall 51 of the first housing 22 is set to: in the state just before the housing fitting state, the second housing 32 can be temporarily held by the frictional force with the sealing ring 38. In addition, the frictional force with the sealing ring 38 is the resistance with respect to the relative movement of the sealing ring 38 and the temporary holding portion 52 in contact with the sealing ring 38. By the sealing ring 38 contacting the inner peripheral surface of the temporary holding portion 52 in the state just before fitting, the temporary holding portion 52 temporarily holds the second housing 32. In addition, the so-called temporary holding here means: for example, as Figure 7 shown, when the Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction, in the state just before fitting, even if the operator releases the second housing 32, the second housing 32 is held to the extent that it does not fall off from the first housing 22.

[0042] In addition, the temporary holding portion 52 is set to contact the sealing ring 38 with a surface pressure smaller than the surface pressure at which the first cylindrical portion 22d is in close contact with the sealing ring 38 (refer to Figure 6 ). That is, the interval between the opposing inner peripheral surfaces of the temporary holding portion 52 is formed to be larger than the interval between the opposing inner peripheral surfaces of the first cylindrical portion 22d in the same direction. In other words, the temporary holding portion 52 and the first cylindrical portion 22d are formed such that, compared with the state just before fitting (refer to Figure 8 ), the sealing ring 38 is more greatly crushed in the housing fitting state (refer to Figure 6 ).

[0043] In addition, in the present embodiment, the first terminal 23 and the second terminal 33 are set to be engaged by a large force in the Y-axis direction generated when the bolt 43 is screwed. That is, the first terminal 23 and the second terminal 33 are set to have dimensions such that it is difficult to engage them if the operator simply holds the second housing 32 and presses it in the Y-axis direction. By setting them in this way, the contact resistance between the first terminal 23 and the second terminal 33 becomes smaller.

[0044] (Function of the present embodiment) The function of the connector assembly 11 configured as described above will be described. When assembling the first connector 21 and the second connector 31, the operator holds the second housing 32 and assembles it relative to the first housing 22 in the Y-axis direction (specifically, the direction opposite to the engagement direction D). At this time, on the side wall 51 of the first housing 22, first, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 are respectively inserted into the first insertion portion 61 and the second insertion portion 62 of the recess 60. Here, for example Figure 10 As shown, the second housing 32 may sometimes be assembled in a state where the axis L2 of the second connector 31 is inclined with respect to the axis L1 of the first connector 21. In this case, the front end portion 53a of the first guiding portion 53 on one side wall 51 contacts the inner side surface 61a of the first insertion portion 61. In addition, the front end portion 54a of the second guiding portion 54 on this side wall 51 contacts the inner side surface 62a of the second insertion portion 62 (refer to Figure 9 ). In this way, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 respectively contact the inner side surface 61a of the first insertion portion 61 and the inner side surface 62a of the second insertion portion 62. Thereby, the second housing 32 is guided in such a way that the inclination angle of the axis L2 of the second connector 31 with respect to the axis L1 of the first connector 21 is reduced. Then, through the guidance of the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54, in a state where the inclination angle of the axis L2 of the second connector 31 with respect to the axis L1 of the first connector 21 is reduced, the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 on the side wall 51 contacts the sealing ring 38.

[0045] Here, as a comparative structure, consider a structure in which the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 are omitted from the first housing 22 of the above-described embodiment. In this comparative structure, when the second housing 32 is assembled at the inclination angle of the axis L2 as Figure 10 shown, the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 contacts the sealing ring 38 at the original inclination angle. Thus, it is possible that the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 lifts the sealing ring 38.

[0046] At this point, in the present embodiment, the inclination angle of the axis L2 when the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 contacts the sealing ring 38 is reduced by the guidance of the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54. Thereby, the occurrence of the situation where the temporary holding portion 52 lifts the sealing ring 3 can be suppressed.

[0047] After the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 on the side wall 51 contacts the sealing ring 38, by pressing the second housing 32 in the Y-axis direction, the state before fitting, which is about to become the housing fitting state, is set.

[0048] In the state before fitting, the second housing 32 is temporarily held to the first housing 22 by the frictional force between the temporary holding portion 52 of each side wall 51 and the sealing ring 38. That is, in the state before fitting, even if the operator releases the second housing 32, the second housing 32 does not fall off from the first housing 22. And, for example, the operator uses a tool to screw the bolt 43 passing through the through-hole 32d into the internal thread 41a of the metal housing 41.

[0049] Then, by using the large force in the Y-axis direction generated when the bolt 43 is screwed, the second housing 32 and the first housing 22 are fitted, and the second terminal 33 and the first terminal 23 are fitted. In addition, at this time, the sealing ring 38 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion 32e and the inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion 22d, so that water is blocked between the first housing 22 and the second housing 32.

[0050] In addition, the overall shielding member S is electrically connected to the metal housing 41 via the metal bracket 37, the second housing 32, and the bolt 43 and is grounded. Therefore, the radiation of electromagnetic noise from the wire 42 and the second terminal 33 covered by the overall shielding member S, the metal bracket 37, and the second housing 32 can be suppressed well.

[0051] (Effects of the present embodiment) Hereinafter, the effects of the present embodiment will be described. (1) Before the sealing ring 38 is about to be fitted into the first cylindrical portion 22d, the temporary holding portion 52 of the first housing 22 temporarily holds the second housing 32 by the frictional force with the sealing ring 38 (state before fitting). Therefore, the workability during assembly is improved. Further, for example, when the first housing 22 or the second housing 32 is made of resin or metal, in order to be configured to temporarily hold without using the sealing ring 38, each component needs to be manufactured with high precision. In contrast, in this structure, since the frictional force with the sealing ring 38 that can absorb manufacturing errors is utilized, high-precision manufacturing of each component is not required. Further, according to the present embodiment, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 of the first housing 22 are respectively inserted into the first insertion portion 61 and the second insertion portion 62 of the second housing 32 before the temporary holding portion 52 contacts the sealing ring 38. Thus, the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 guide the fitting of the first housing 22 relative to the second housing 32 along the fitting direction D. Therefore, when the first housing 22 is assembled to the second housing 32 in a state inclined with respect to the fitting direction D, it is possible to prevent the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 in the fitting direction D from hooking on the sealing ring 38 and curling the sealing ring 38.

[0052] (2) The first housing 22 includes a pair of side walls 51 that extend along the fitting direction D and face each other. The first terminal 23 is provided between the pair of side walls 51. And each of the pair of side walls 51 integrally includes a temporary holding portion 52, a first guiding portion 53, and a second guiding portion 54. According to this structure, the temporary holding portion 52, the first guiding portion 53, and the second guiding portion 54 are formed in a form included in the side wall 51, so it is possible to contribute to simplifying the structure of the first housing 22.

[0053] (3) The first housing 22 includes a terminal protection portion 22c that extends along the first terminal 23 in a part of the circumferential direction around the first terminal 23. And in the fitting direction D, the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 is located on the front side with respect to the front end portion 22 of the terminal protection portion 22c. According to this structure, the terminal protection portion 22c can be protected by the side wall 51 including the temporary holding portion 52, the first guiding portion 53, and the second guiding portion 54.

[0054] (4) The direction in which the pair of side walls 51 face each other (X-axis direction) is taken as the first direction, and the direction perpendicular to the fitting direction D and the first direction respectively (Z-axis direction) is taken as the second direction. The first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 are respectively provided at both end portions of the side wall 51 in the second direction. According to this structure, by using the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 respectively provided at both end portions of the side wall 51, it is possible to more reliably guide the fitting of the first housing 22 relative to the second housing 32 along the fitting direction D.

[0055] (5) The second housing 32 is fixed to the metal housing 41 by a bolt 43 that passes through the through-hole 32d and is screwed into the internal thread 41a. Thus, for example, the second housing 32 can be temporarily held on the first housing 22 in advance before screwing the bolt 43. Thus, for example, the operator can release the hand from the second housing 32 and perform the operation of screwing the bolt 43. Thus, the workability during the assembly operation is improved.

[0056] (6) The temporary holding portion 52 is set to contact the sealing ring 38 with a surface pressure smaller than the surface pressure at which the first cylindrical portion 22d is in close contact with the sealing ring 38. Therefore, in the state just before fitting, curling of the sealing ring 38 from the second cylindrical portion 32e can be suppressed. Further, in the housing fitting state, the water stoppage property is improved by the first cylindrical portion 22d and the sealing ring 38 being in contact with a larger surface pressure.

[0057] (7) The side wall 51 including the temporary holding portion 52, the first guiding portion 53, and the second guiding portion 54 is provided at positions corresponding to both ends in the X-axis direction of the first cylindrical portion 22d. Therefore, in the housing fitting state, the temporary holding portion 52, the first guiding portion 53, and the second guiding portion 54 can be arranged so as to avoid the second terminal 33 extending in the Z-axis direction. That is, for example, when the temporary holding portion 52 protrudes from the entire circumference of the first cylindrical portion 22d, in order not to contact the second terminal 33 in the housing fitting state, it is necessary to form the second housing 32 longer in the Y-axis direction, but this situation can be avoided. Thus, miniaturization of the connector assembly 11 in the Y-axis direction can be achieved.

[0058] (8) The temporary holding portion 52 has side ribs 55 that protrude outward in the X-axis direction and extend in the Y-axis direction. Further, the second housing 32 has an engaging portion 63 that can engage with the side ribs 55 in the Z-axis direction in the state just before fitting. Therefore, in the state just before fitting, the second housing 32 is stopped from rotating. That is, in the state just before fitting, rotation of the second housing 32 around the axis in the Y-axis direction with respect to the first housing 22 can be prevented. In addition, this engagement serves an auxiliary function when the first housing 22 temporarily holds the second housing 32.

[0059] (Other Embodiments) The above-described embodiments can be implemented with the following modifications. The above-described embodiments and the following modification examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a range where there is no technical contradiction.

[0060] · In the first housing 22 of the above-described embodiment, the guiding portion provided on the side wall 51 can be only one of the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54. Correspondingly, the inserted portion provided in the recess 60 of the second housing 32 can be only one of the first inserted portion 61 and the second inserted portion 62.

[0061] · In the first housing 22 of the above-described embodiment, the position of the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 in the fitting direction D may be set to be the same as the position of the front end portion 22f of the terminal protection portion 22c in the fitting direction D. Alternatively, the front end portion 52a of the temporary holding portion 52 may be set on the rear side in the fitting direction D with respect to the front end portion 22f of the terminal protection portion 22c. According to such a structure, the occurrence of the situation where the temporary holding portion 52 lifts the sealing ring 38 can be further suppressed.

[0062] · In the first housing 22 of the above-described embodiment, the temporary holding portion 52, the first guiding portion 53, and the second guiding portion 54 are integrally included in one side wall 51, but it is not particularly limited thereto. For example, at least one of the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 may be configured to be separated from the temporary holding portion 52.

[0063] · The structures such as the shapes of the first guiding portion 53 and the second guiding portion 54 of the first housing 22 are not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be appropriately changed according to the structure. · In the above-described embodiment, the second housing 32 is fixed to the metal housing 41 by the bolt 43 passing through the through-hole 32d and screwing with the internal thread 41a, but it is not limited thereto, and it may be fixed to the metal housing 41 by other structures. Even if the second housing 32 is fixed to the metal housing 41 by other structures, the second housing 32 can be temporarily held in advance, so the workability during the assembly operation becomes good.

[0064] · In the above-described embodiment, the temporary holding portion 52 is set to contact the sealing ring 38 with a surface pressure smaller than the surface pressure at which the first cylindrical portion 22d is in close contact with the sealing ring 38, but it is not limited thereto. For example, it may also contact the sealing ring 38 with the same surface pressure as the first cylindrical portion 22d. Alternatively, the temporary holding portion 52 may contact the sealing ring 38 with a surface pressure larger than the surface pressure at which the first cylindrical portion 22d is in close contact with the sealing ring 38.

[0065] · In the above-described embodiment, the temporary holding portion 52 protrudes along the Y-axis direction from both sides in the width direction of the first cylindrical portion 22d, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the temporary holding portion 52 may also protrude from the entire circumference of the first cylindrical portion 22d. In addition, in such a case, for example, the second connector 31 in which the second terminal 33 extends along the Y-axis direction may be provided. For example, if it is the second connector 31 in which the second terminal 33 extends along the Y-axis direction, it can be ensured that even if the temporary holding portion 52 protrudes from the entire circumference of the first cylindrical portion 22d, it will not contact the second terminal 33, and thus the increase in size of the connector assembly 11 along the Y-axis direction can be avoided. In addition, if it is the second connector 31 in which the second terminal 33 extends along the Y-axis direction, the terminal protection portion 22c of the first housing 22 can also be configured as a cylindrical shape surrounding the entire periphery of the first terminal 23.

[0066] · In the above-described embodiment, the side wall 51 of the first housing 22 has side ribs 55, and the recess 60 of the second housing 32 has an engaging portion 63 that can engage with the side ribs 55 in a state just before fitting. However, it is not limited thereto, and the side wall 51 and the recess 60 may not have the side ribs 55 and the engaging portion 63, respectively.

[0067] · In the above-described embodiment, the second housing 32 is a metal case, but it is not limited thereto, and it may be made of resin. The second connector 31 may also not have an electromagnetic shielding function. In such a case, the insulating coating layer 42b may not be covered by the overall shielding member S.

[0068] · In the above-described embodiment, the fixing holes 32d are provided between the plurality of electric wires 42 in the width direction, but it is not limited thereto, and they may be provided at other positions. For example, the fixing holes 32d may also be provided in a fixing portion that protrudes outward in the Z-axis direction or the width direction of the second housing 32.

[0069] · In the above-described embodiment, the second connector 31 is fixed to the ends of two electric wires 42, but it is not limited thereto. For example, it may also be fixed to the ends of three or more electric wires. In addition, in this case, it is necessary to change the number of the first terminals 23, the second terminals 33, the resin housing 34, or the rubber plugs 35 according to the number of the electric wires 42.

[0070] · In the above-described embodiment, the base member is the metal outer shell 41, but it is not limited thereto, and it may be changed to other base members. For example, the metal outer shell 41 may also be other base members such as a vehicle panel.

[0071] · The embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited to these illustrations. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. Description of Reference Numerals

[0072] 11 Connector assembly 21 First connector 22 First housing 22a Base 22b Fixing portion 22c Terminal protection portion 22d First cylindrical portion (cylindrical portion) 22e Through hole 22f Front end portion 23 First terminal 23a Cap 24 Fixing bolt 31 Second connector 32 Second housing 32a opening 32b housing receiving part 32c partition wall 32d fixing hole 32e second cylindrical part 33 second terminal 33a terminal fitting part 33b terminal connection part 34 resin housing 35 rubber plug 36 holding body 37 metal bracket 38 sealing ring 39 front holding body 41 metal housing (base member) 41a internal thread 42 electric wire 42a core wire 42b insulating coating 43 bolt 51 side wall 52 temporary holding part 52a front end part 53 first guiding part (guiding part) 53a front end part 54 second guiding part (guiding part) 54a front end part 55 side rib 60 recess 61 first inserted part (inserted part) 61a inner side surface of the first inserted part 62 second inserted part (inserted part) 62a inner side surface of the second inserted part 63 engaging part D fitting direction of the first housing L1 axis of the first connector L2 axis of the second connector S overall shielding member

Claims

1. A connector assembly comprising a first connector fixed to a base member and a second connector connectable to the first connector, The first connector includes a first housing and a first terminal held in the first housing. The second connector includes a second housing that can be fitted with the first housing, a second terminal held in the second housing, and an annular seal ring held in the second housing. The first housing is fitted with the second housing by moving relative to the second housing in a fitting direction. The first housing includes a barrel, a temporary holding portion, and at least one guide portion, the sealing ring is fitted into the interior of the barrel, the temporary holding portion extends from a front end portion of the barrel in the fitting direction toward the fitting direction, and the at least one guide portion extends to a front side of the temporary holding portion in the fitting direction. The temporary holding portion is configured to temporarily hold the second housing by using a friction force with the sealing ring in a state immediately before the sealing ring is engaged with the cylindrical portion. The at least one guide portion is configured to guide fitting of the first housing along the fitting direction by being inserted into the inserted portion of the second housing before the temporary holding portion comes into contact with the seal ring.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first housing includes a pair of side walls extending along the fitting direction and facing each other. The first terminal is disposed between the pair of side walls. The pair of side walls each integrally includes the temporary holding portion and the at least one guide portion.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The first housing includes a terminal protection portion extending along the first terminal in at least a portion of a circumference around the first terminal. In the mating direction, the front end portion of the temporary holding portion is located forward of the front end portion of the terminal protecting portion.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein: When the direction in which the pair of side walls face each other is defined as a first direction, and a direction perpendicular to the fitting direction and the first direction is defined as a second direction, The at least one guide portion includes a plurality of guide portions respectively provided at both end portions of the side wall in the second direction.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The connector assembly further comprises a bolt, The second housing has a fixing hole extending through the fixing hole in the fitting direction, and is fixed to the base member by the bolt extending through the fixing hole and threadedly engaged with the internal thread provided on the base member.

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