First connector and connector assembly

Abstract

To disclose a first connector capable of increasing an engagement length of a screw thread in a fastening bolt and a nut before an application of a contact pressure of terminals without increasing the length of a fastening bolt.SOLUTION: A first connector 12 includes a bolt insertion hole 74 that penetrates a first terminal 16, a first housing 20, a fastening bolt 22, and a first housing 20. The fastening bolt 22 can be deformed to the bolt insertion hole 74 between an initial position and a fitting start position, the first connector 12 is temporally fixed to a second connector 14, the fastening bolt 22 is arranged to the initial position by contacting a tip end of a bolt side screw part 176 to an open part 218 of a nut 184 in a state where a contact pressure of the first terminal 16 and a second terminal 18 does not generate, and is deformed to the fitting start position by fitting the bolt side screw part 176 of the fastening bolt 22 to a nut side screw part 212 provided to the nut 184.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, in connector assemblies used for transmitting power between in-vehicle devices such as high-voltage batteries and inverters, the contact pressure between the terminals housed in the first and second connectors has been increased to prevent micro-sliding wear between the terminals. In response to the recent trend toward larger currents and higher voltages, the terminals have become larger and the wires connected to the terminal fittings have become larger, and the contact pressure between the terminals has also increased. Therefore, the mating force required when mating the first and second connectors has also increased, making it difficult for workers to manually mating the first and second connectors.

[0003] Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a so-called bolt-assisted type connector assembly in which a first connector is bolted to a second connector, thereby making it possible to mate the connectors with each other by utilizing the fastening force of the bolt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-41635 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the connector assembly of Patent Document 1, when the first connector is bolted to the second connector, the first thread of the fastening bolt on the first connector engages with the first thread of the nut on the second connector, and at the same time, contact pressure is applied between the terminals of the first connector and the terminals of the second connector, so that the rigidity of the threads cannot withstand the contact pressure, and there is a risk that the threads will be destroyed.

[0006] One possible solution to this problem would be to simply make the fastening bolt longer, thereby increasing the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and nut when contact pressure is applied between the terminals. However, a long protruding fastening bolt could interfere with other parts when the connectors are mated, causing problems with the mating operation itself, so a more appropriate solution was needed.

[0007] Therefore, a first connector and a connector assembly are disclosed that can increase the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and the nut before contact pressure between the terminals is applied, without lengthening the fastening bolt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first connector of the present disclosure is a first connector that is detachably fitted to a second connector, and includes a first terminal connected to a second terminal provided on the second connector, a first housing that accommodates and holds the first terminal, and a fastening bolt that is held in the first housing and fastened to a nut provided on the second connector, wherein the first housing has a bolt insertion hole that penetrates the first housing in a fitting direction of the first connector to the second connector, and the fastening bolt has a bolt head and an insertion shaft portion that protrudes forward from the bolt head in the fitting direction and is inserted into the bolt insertion hole, a bolt-side thread portion that protrudes forward in the fitting direction from a tip of the insertion shaft portion, and an engagement convex portion that is located on the tip side of the insertion shaft portion and protrudes toward the outer periphery of the fastening bolt, and the bolt insertion hole has a front opening that opens toward the front in the fitting direction and a rear opening that opens toward the rear in the fitting direction. and a rear opening that opens toward the nut, and the fastening bolt is displaceable by a predetermined dimension in the fitting direction relative to the bolt insertion hole between an initial position in which rearward displacement in the fitting direction is restricted by the engagement of the engaging protrusion with a front peripheral portion that is a peripheral portion of the front opening, and a fitting start position in which forward displacement in the fitting direction is restricted by the engagement of the bolt head with a rear peripheral portion that is a peripheral portion of the rear opening, and the fastening bolt is assembled so as not to be separated, and in a state in which the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector, and no contact pressure is generated between the first terminal and the second terminal, the fastening bolt is arranged at the initial position by a tip of the bolt-side threaded portion abutting against an opening of the nut, and the bolt-side threaded portion of the fastening bolt is displaced to the fitting start position by screwing the bolt-side threaded portion of the nut into a nut-side threaded portion provided on the nut.

[0009] The connector assembly of the present disclosure comprises a first connector of the present disclosure and a second connector into which the first connector is removably mated, the second connector having a second terminal connected to the first terminal, a second housing that accommodates and holds the second terminal, and a nut into which the fastening bolt is fastened. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the first connector and connector assembly make it possible to increase the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and the nut before contact pressure between the terminals is applied, without lengthening the fastening bolt. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector assembly according to a first embodiment in a state in which a first connector and a second connector are mated. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the connector assembly shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the cross section taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the IV-IV cross section in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the VV cross section in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1 with the first connector and the second connector separated. [Figure 7] 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fastening bolt is in an initial position in the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fastening bolt is in a fitting start position in the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the fastening bolt is in a fitting start position, and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a bottom view showing a first connector constituting the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a perspective view showing a second connector constituting the connector assembly shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the first connector according to the second embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] <Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The first connector of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A first connector to be detachably fitted to a second connector, comprising: a first terminal connected to a second terminal provided on the second connector; a first housing that receives and holds the first terminal; and a fastening bolt that is held in the first housing and fastened to a nut provided on the second connector, wherein the first housing has a bolt insertion hole penetrating the first housing in a fitting direction of the first connector to the second connector, and the fastening bolt has a bolt head and an insertion shaft portion that protrudes forward from the bolt head in the fitting direction and is inserted into the bolt insertion hole, a bolt-side thread portion that protrudes forward from a tip of the insertion shaft portion in the fitting direction, and an engagement protrusion that is located on the tip side of the insertion shaft portion and protrudes to an outer circumferential side of the fastening bolt, and the bolt insertion hole has a front opening that opens toward the front in the fitting direction and a rear opening that opens toward the rear in the fitting direction. and a rear opening that opens by a protrusion that is formed on the nut, and the fastening bolt is displaceable by a predetermined dimension in the fitting direction relative to the bolt insertion hole between an initial position in which rearward displacement in the fitting direction is restricted by the engagement of the engaging protrusion with a front peripheral portion that is the peripheral portion of the front opening, and a fitting start position in which forward displacement in the fitting direction is restricted by the engagement of the bolt head with a rear peripheral portion that is the peripheral portion of the rear opening, and the fastening bolt is assembled so as not to be separated, and in a state in which the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and no contact pressure is generated between the first terminal and the second terminal, the fastening bolt is arranged at the initial position by a tip of the bolt side threaded portion abutting against an opening of the nut, and the bolt side threaded portion of the fastening bolt is displaced to the fitting start position by screwing the bolt side threaded portion of the nut into a nut side threaded portion provided on the nut.

[0013] According to the first connector of the present disclosure, when the first housing is temporarily fixed to the second connector and no contact pressure is generated between the first terminal and the second terminal, the fastening bolt provided in the first connector is configured to be displaceable with respect to the bolt insertion hole from an initial position to a mating start position. At the initial position, the bolt head is spaced a predetermined distance rearward from the rear opening of the bolt insertion hole in the mating direction of the first connector to the second connector. At 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 distance toward the rear peripheral portion. That is, at the mating start position before the contact pressure is generated between the first terminal and the second terminal, the bolt side threaded portion of the fastening bolt can already be screwed into the nut side threaded portion of the second connector to move the fastening bolt forward by a predetermined distance in the mating direction. This allows the threads of the bolt-side threaded portion to engage with the threads of the nut-side threaded portion while the fastening bolt moves in the fitting direction by a predetermined distance, and increases the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and the nut before contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal is applied. Therefore, even when contact pressure between the first terminal and the second terminal is applied, damage to the threads of the fastening bolt is suppressed, and durability of the first connector is improved.

[0014] Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which the fastening bolt can be displaced a predetermined distance in the fitting direction and the opposite direction with respect to the bolt insertion hole, the engagement length of the threads of the fastening bolt and the nut can be increased. Therefore, since there is no need to lengthen the fastening bolt itself, deterioration of the assemblability of the first connector to the second connector is suppressed or prevented.

[0015] The first housing may be an insulating first connector housing, or may further include a metallic shield shell that covers and is fixedly assembled to the first connector housing. Furthermore, since the bolt insertion holes through which the fastening bolts are inserted need only be provided in the first housing, the bolt insertion holes may be provided in the first connector housing, or, when the first connector housing is covered with a shield shell, the bolt insertion holes may be provided in the shield shell.

[0016] In addition, the configuration for "temporarily fixing the first connector to the second connector" can be any configuration as long as it positions the first connector and the second connector so that they can be mated with each other in the mating direction.

[0017] (2) It is preferable that the first housing includes an insulating first connector housing and a metallic 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. This is because the rear peripheral portion of the bolt insertion hole to which the fastening force of the fastening bolt is applied can be configured using the metallic shield shell, which reduces the need for special reinforcement of the rear peripheral portion, and ensures the rigidity of the rear peripheral portion with a small number of parts.

[0018] (3) It is preferable that the engaging protrusion of the fastening bolt is arranged so as to be unable to be displaced, the front peripheral portion of the bolt insertion hole is provided with a recess opening in the fitting direction, the depth dimension of the recess is set to the specified dimension, the engaging protrusion abuts against the bottom surface of the recess, thereby positioning the fastening bolt 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, thereby positioning the fastening bolt in the fitting start position.

[0019] By providing an engaging protrusion fixedly on the fastening bolt and providing a recess that opens in the fitting direction at the front peripheral portion of the bolt insertion hole, the fastening bolt can be inserted displaceably in the opposite direction to the fitting direction relative to the bolt insertion hole. The depth dimension of the recess is set to a predetermined dimension and the engaging protrusion is abutted against the bottom surface of the recess, so that the fastening bolt can be easily and reliably positioned at the initial position. In addition, the engaging protrusion is displaced toward the opening side of the recess and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral portion, so that the fastening bolt is positioned at the fitting start position, so that the fastening bolt can be easily and reliably positioned at the fitting start position. Moreover, since the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral portion at the fitting start position, when the fastening bolt is further fastened from the fitting start position, the fastening force of the bolt can be quickly transmitted to the connector housing side, and the first connector and the second connector can be advantageously fitted together using the fastening force of the bolt.

[0020] (4) It is preferable that a ring-shaped ring mounting groove opening toward the outer periphery is provided on the tip side of the insertion shaft portion of the fastening bolt, and a metal ring member having one circumferential portion notched relative to the ring mounting groove is mounted so as to be displaceable in the fitting direction to form the engaging protrusion, and that in the fastening bolt where the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and the tip of the bolt side threaded portion abuts against the opening of the nut and is positioned in the initial position, the ring member is engaged with a front end face of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction, and that in the fastening bolt where the fastening bolt is screwed into the nut and positioned in the fitting start position, the ring member moves to a rear end face of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral portion.

[0021] By simply providing a ring mounting groove on the tip side of the insertion shaft of the fastening bolt and assembling a metal ring member in the ring mounting groove so as to be displaceable in the fitting direction, the fastening bolt, which is allowed to displace a predetermined dimension from the initial position to the fitting start position with respect to the bolt insertion hole, can be assembled in an undetachable manner. Therefore, the configuration of the present disclosure can be realized without requiring a change in shape on the first connector side, thereby improving manufacturability and reducing costs.

[0022] The metal ring member may be any member that has one circumferential notch so that it can be fitted into the ring mounting groove. For example, a well-known C-ring or E-ring can be advantageously used.

[0023] (5) It is preferable that the fastening bolt is displaced from the mating start position to a mating completion position located forward in the mating direction by further screwing the bolt side threaded portion into the nut side threaded portion, and the first connector is finally fixed to the second connector with the fastening bolt disposed at the mating completion position. By further screwing the fastening bolt into the nut from the mating start position to the mating completion position, the first connector and the second connector can be finally mated using an assist force by bolt fastening. In particular, since the fastening bolt and the nut have already been screwed into each other at the mating start position by a predetermined displacement of the fastening bolt in 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 received by the fastening bolt and the nut, damage to the threads of the fastening bolt is suppressed, and durability of the first connector is improved.

[0024] The connector assembly of the present disclosure comprises: (6) A connector comprising a first connector of the present disclosure and a second connector into which the first connector is removably mated, the second connector having a second terminal connected to the first terminal, a second housing that receives and holds the second terminal, and a nut into which the fastening bolt is fastened.

[0025] According to the connector assembly of the present disclosure, since the first connector of the present disclosure is adopted as the first connector to be mated with the second connector, a connector assembly can be provided that can enjoy the same effects as the first connector.

[0026] <Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure> Specific examples of the first connector and connector assembly of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0027] <Embodiment 1> A connector assembly 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. The connector assembly 10 includes a first connector 12 and a second connector 14 that is detachably fitted to the first connector 12. When the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are fitted to each other, a first terminal 16 in the first connector 12 and a second terminal 18 in the second connector 14 are connected to each other and electrically conductive. The connector assembly 10 can be arranged in any orientation, but in the following description, the upper side refers to the upper side in FIG. 3, the lower side refers to the lower side in FIG. 3, the front side refers to the left side in FIG. 2, the rear side refers to the right side in FIG. 2, the left side refers to the upper side in FIG. 2, and the right side refers to the lower side in FIG. 2. In addition, for multiple identical members, only some of the members may be labeled with reference numerals, and the reference numerals may be omitted for the other members.

[0028] <First connector 12> 3 to 5, the first connector 12 includes a first terminal 16 connected to a second terminal 18 provided in the second connector 14, a first housing 20 that accommodates and holds the first terminal 16, and a fastening bolt 22 that is held by the first housing 20 and fastened to a nut 184 (described later) provided in the second connector 14. In the first embodiment, as described later, a pair of coated electric wires 40 are provided, and a first terminal 16 is fixed to an end of each coated electric wire 40. That is, the first connector 12 is provided with a pair of first terminals 16, 16, and the first terminals 16 are arranged spaced apart from each other 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 is not limited in its specific structure as long as it has a cylindrical connection portion 24 into which a columnar connection portion 188 (described later) of the second terminal 18 is press-fitted. For example, a structure such as the female terminal (10) described in JP 2021-28899 A may be adopted. More specifically, the first terminal 16 of the first embodiment includes a first terminal body 26 and a clip spring 28 as an elastic member attached to the tip portion (front end portion) of the first terminal body 26.

[0030] <First terminal body 26> The first terminal body 26 is formed by pressing a metal plate having a generally substantially belt-like shape into a predetermined shape. The first terminal body 26 has the above-mentioned tubular connection part 24, and in the first embodiment, the tubular connection part 24 having a substantially cylindrical shape is open on both sides in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 5, the tubular connection part 24 is composed of a first peripheral wall part 30 located on the left and a second peripheral wall part 32 located on the right, each of which has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, and the first peripheral wall part 30 and the second peripheral wall part 32 face each other in the left-right direction.

[0031] An arc-shaped protrusion 34 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the first peripheral wall portion 30 at a circumferential center portion thereof, protruding inward in the radial direction while extending in the circumferential direction. Linear contact portions 36 are provided at a plurality of locations (two locations) spaced apart in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the second peripheral wall portion 32, protruding inward in the radial direction while extending in the axial direction (up and down direction) of the cylindrical connecting portion 24. As a result, as shown in Fig. 5, when a columnar connecting portion 188 (described later) is press-fitted into the cylindrical connecting portion 24, the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connecting portion 188 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 24 at the circumferential center portion of the arc-shaped protrusion 34 and three locations on the circumference of the pair of linear contact portions 36, 36.

[0032] Further, a pair of base end side plates 38, 38 protruding rearward are provided at the rear end of each of the first and second peripheral walls 30, 32, and the base end side plates 38 face each other in the left-right direction. The base end side plates 38 are connected to each other by bending at their respective rear ends. Furthermore, the first terminal body 26 has a portion extending rearward from the base end side plates 38, and this rearward extending portion serves as an electric wire fixing portion 42 to which the coated electric wire 40 is fixed. That is, the coated electric wire 40 is composed of a core wire 44 and an insulating coating 46 made of synthetic resin that covers the core wire 44 over substantially the entire length. Then, the insulating coating 46 is stripped off at the end of the coated electric wire 40 to expose the core wire 44, and the exposed core wire 44 is fixed to the electric wire fixing portion 42 of the first terminal body 26, thereby connecting the first terminal body 26 and the coated electric wire 40. The method of fastening the electric wire fastening portion 42 and the core wire 44 is not limited, and may be adhesion, welding, or crimping using a crimping piece.

[0033] Furthermore, a pair of tip side plates 48, 48 protruding forward are provided at the front ends of the first and second peripheral walls 30, 32, respectively, and the tip side plates 48 face each other in the left-right direction. That is, in the first terminal body 26, the base end side plates 38 are connected to each other on the rear side relative to the first peripheral wall 30 and the second peripheral wall 32, and the tip side plates 48 are spaced apart from each other and form free ends protruding like cantilevers on the front side relative to the first peripheral wall 30 and the second peripheral wall 32. This allows the tip side plates 48 to be elastically deformable in directions approaching or moving away from each other.

[0034] In the front-rear direction intermediate portion of each tip side plate portion 48, a substantially rectangular through hole 50 penetrating in the plate thickness direction (left-right direction) is formed in the width direction (up-down direction) central portion. In addition, a stopper portion 52 protruding inward in the left-right direction is provided in the width direction central portion on the left-right inner surface of each tip side plate portion 48. In the first embodiment, each stopper portion 52 is provided rearward of each through hole 50. As a result, when the clip spring 28 is attached to the tip portion of the first terminal body 26, the stopper portions 52 abut against each other, thereby restricting the amount of deformation of each tip side plate portion 48 in the direction of approaching each other, and thus preventing the first and second peripheral wall portions 30, 32 connected to the rear of each tip side plate portion 48 from approaching each other too closely, thereby preventing the inner diameter dimension of the cylindrical connection portion 24 from becoming too small.

[0035] <Clip spring 28> The clip spring 28 is attached to the tip of the first terminal body 26, and biases the tip side plate portions 48 in a direction approaching each other, thereby exerting a biasing force in a direction approaching each other on the first and second peripheral wall portions 30, 32 connected to the rear of each tip side plate portion 48. As shown in FIG. 5, the clip spring 28 has a substantially plate-shaped connecting plate 54 and a pair of pressing pieces 56, 56 that protrude rearward from both left and right ends of the connecting plate 54 and incline in a direction approaching each other. A bent portion 58 is provided at the middle portion in the front-rear direction of each pressing piece 56, and the protruding tip portions of each pressing piece 56 extend in a direction away from each bent portion 58. Therefore, the opposing distance of each pressing piece 56 is smallest at the portion where each bent portion 58 is formed, and the gap between each bent portion 58 is an insertion opening 60 for inserting the first terminal body 26 into the clip spring 28.

[0036] In addition, a substantially rectangular through window 62 is formed in the widthwise (vertical) center of the bent portion 58 of each pressing piece 56, penetrating each pressing piece 56 in the plate thickness direction. A locking piece 64 protruding forward is provided in the widthwise center of the inner peripheral edge of the rear of each through window 62. The locking pieces 64 face each other in the left-right direction, and each protrudes inward in the opposing direction as it moves forward. Each of these locking pieces 64 is elastically deformable in the plate thickness direction, and when the clip spring 28 is attached to the first terminal body 26 as described later, the tip of the first terminal body 26 is inserted into the insertion port 60 of the clip spring 28. Then, by sliding the clip spring 28 backward relative to the first terminal body 26, each locking piece 64 enters and is locked into the through hole 50 in each tip side plate portion 48, and the clip spring 28 is fixed to the first terminal body 26.

[0037] <First housing 20> 4 and 5, the first housing 20 includes a first connector housing 66 made of insulating synthetic resin, and a metal shield shell 68 that covers the first connector housing 66 and is fixedly assembled to the first connector housing 66. A downward opening 70 is provided in the front portion of the shield shell 68, and a synthetic resin front retainer 72 is attached to the downward opening 70. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the first housing 20 has a bolt insertion hole 74 that penetrates the first housing 20 in the up-down direction, which is the fitting direction of the first connector 12 to the second connector 14, and in the first embodiment, the bolt insertion hole 74 is provided in the shield shell 68.

[0038] <First connector housing 66> As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the first connector housing 66 has a substantially rectangular tubular terminal accommodating portion 76 that accommodates the front end portion of each coated electric wire 40 and each first terminal 16 fixed to the end of each coated electric wire 40. In the first embodiment, a pair of coated electric wires 40 and each first terminal 16 are provided, so that a pair of first connector housings 66, 66 are provided, and each first connector housing 66 has a terminal accommodating portion 76. The first connector housings 66 (the terminal accommodating portions 76) are separated from each other in the left-right direction and extend in the front-rear direction. That is, the first connector housing 66 has an upper wall portion 78 that constitutes an upper wall portion of each terminal accommodating portion 76, a lower wall portion 80 that constitutes a lower wall portion, a left wall portion 82 that constitutes a left wall portion, and a right wall portion 84 that constitutes a right wall portion. The front of each terminal accommodating portion 76 is closed by a front wall portion 86, and each insulated electric wire 40 accommodated in each terminal accommodating portion 76 is pulled out to the external space through a rear opening of each terminal accommodating portion 76. Therefore, the rear opening of each terminal accommodating portion 76 forms an electric wire pull-out opening 88 in the first connector housing 66, through which each insulated electric wire 40 is pulled out.

[0039] 4, in the first embodiment, the first connector housing 66 is composed of a first connector housing main body 90 and a first connector housing lid portion 92 assembled to the first connector housing main body 90. That is, in the first connector housing main body 90, a lower window portion 94 that opens downward is provided in a front portion of the lower wall portion 80, and the first connector housing lid portion 92 is assembled so as to cover this lower window portion 94. In short, a part of the lower wall portion 80 of the first connector housing 66 is configured by the first connector housing lid portion 92.

[0040] The first connector housing lid 92 has an insertion hole 96 formed at a position corresponding to the cylindrical connection portion 24, i.e., the columnar connection portion 188 of the second terminal 18, through which the columnar connection portion 188 is inserted. Furthermore, on both left and right sides of the insertion hole 96 in the first connector housing lid 92, insertion holes (not shown) are formed through which curved plate portions 198 (described later) located on both left and right sides of the columnar connection portion 188 in the second connector 14 are inserted. The first connector housing lid 92 is provided with a pair of support protrusions 97, 97 that protrude upward and are separated from each other in the left and right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, when the first connector 12 is assembled, the base end side plate portions 38 of the first terminal bodies 26 are inserted between the pair of support protrusions 97, 97 in the left and right direction and supported.

[0041] Although the method of fixing the first connector housing main body 90 and the first connector housing lid portion 92 is not limited, in the first embodiment, the first connector housing main body 90 and the first connector housing lid portion 92 are fixed by a locking mechanism. That is, the left wall portion 82 and the right wall portion 84 of the first connector housing main body 90 are provided with locking protrusions 98 that protrude outward in the left-right direction, and the first connector housing lid portion 92 is provided with locking frames 100 that protrude upward on both left-right sides. The locking protrusions 98 engage with the locking frames 100, so that the lower window portion 94 of the first connector housing main body 90 is covered by the first connector housing lid portion 92, thereby forming the first connector housing 66.

[0042] Incidentally, elastic pieces 102 that are elastically deformable in the left-right direction are provided in the middle portions of the left and right wall portions 82 and 84 of the first connector housing 66 in the length direction (front-rear direction), and each elastic piece 102 is provided with a locking claw 104 that protrudes outward in the left-right direction. Also, locking recesses 117, which will be described later, are provided on the inner surface of the shield shell 68, and each locking claw 104 is locked in each locking recess 117, whereby the first connector housing 66 is fixed to the shield shell 68.

[0043] <Shield Shell 68> The shield shell 68 is shaped to cover substantially the entire pair of first connector housings 66, 66. That is, the shield shell 68 includes an upper wall portion 106 covering the upper side of each first connector housing 66, a lower wall portion 108 covering the lower side of each first connector housing 66, a left wall portion 110 covering the left first connector housing 66 from the left, a right wall portion 112 covering the right first connector housing 66 from the right, and a front wall portion 114 covering the front of each first connector housing 66. In addition, the inside of the shield shell 68 includes a partition portion 116 that is provided between the first connector housings 66 (the terminal accommodating portions 76) in the left-right direction and partitions the internal space of the shield shell 68 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the left wall 110, the right wall 112 and the inner surface of the partition 116 of the shield shell 68 are formed with locking recesses 117 engageable with the locking claws 104 of the first connector housing 66.

[0044] Further, a through hole 122 is formed in a front portion of the lower wall portion 108 of the shield shell 68, penetrating the lower wall portion 108 in the thickness direction (up-down direction). This through hole 122 has a generally elliptical shape with a left-right dimension larger than its front-rear dimension, and is provided across each of the first connector housings 66 that are separated from each other in the left-right direction. That is, in each of the first connector housings 66, each insertion hole 96 through which a columnar connection portion 188 described later is inserted and each insertion hole (not shown) through which each curved plate portion 198 described later is inserted are communicated with the external space below via the common through hole 122.

[0045] An inner tubular portion 124 protruding downward is provided on the periphery of the through hole 122, and a lower opening 70 to which a front retainer 72 is attached is formed by the lower end of the inner tubular portion 124. The cylindrical connection portions 24 of the first terminals 16 housed in the terminal housings 76 are exposed to the outside through the lower openings 70 in the shield shell 68. An outer tubular portion 126 protruding downward is provided on the outer periphery of the inner tubular portion 124 in the lower wall portion 108. When the connector assembly 10 is assembled, the substantially entire area of ​​the outer tubular portion 126, excluding the rear portion at the lower end thereof, is adapted to abut against a housing 186 of the second connector 14, which will be described later. A waterproof rubber 128 is fitted and attached to the inner tubular portion 124, so that when the connector assembly 10 is assembled, water is prevented from entering between the shield shell 68 and a second housing 182, which will be described later.

[0046] Here, a bolt insertion hole 74 penetrating in the vertical direction is provided in the partition portion 116 of the shield shell 68 rearward of the rear portion of the outer tubular portion 126. That is, the bolt insertion hole 74 has a lower opening 130 as a front opening opening that opens downward in the fitting direction of the first connector 12 to the second connector 14, and an upper opening 132 as a rear opening opening that opens upward in the fitting direction. In the partition portion 116 of the shield shell 68, the peripheral portion of the lower opening 130 is a lower peripheral portion 134 as a front peripheral portion, and the peripheral portion of the upper opening 132 is an upper peripheral portion 136 as a rear peripheral portion. In the first embodiment, a substantially circular recess 138 that opens forward (downward) in the fitting direction is formed in the lower peripheral portion 134, and this recess 138 has a predetermined depth dimension (vertical dimension). In particular, in the shield shell 68, a contact portion 139 that protrudes downward is formed at the position where the bolt insertion hole 74 is formed, and as shown in Fig. 10, the contact portion 139 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom. In the first embodiment, a substantially circular recess 138 is formed in the approximate center of the contact portion 139.

[0047] In addition, in the shield shell 68, the rear end portions of the upper wall portion 106 and the lower wall portion 108 are provided with lock claw portions 140 that protrude outward in the up-down direction. These lock claw portions 140 are provided at positions corresponding to the respective first connector housings 66, and a pair of lock claw portions 140, 140 are provided at the rear end portions of the upper wall portion 106 and the lower wall portion 108, spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Furthermore, fixing portions 142 to which a shield bracket 164, which will be described later, is fixed are provided on both left-right sides of the rear end portion of the shield shell 68. In the first embodiment, a forward protruding portion 168 that protrudes forward from the shield bracket 164 is overlapped with the fixing portion 142, and the shield shell 68 and the shield bracket 164 are fixed to each other by a bolt 144.

[0048] The front retainer 72 attached to the lower opening 70 of such a shield shell 68, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is substantially cylindrical with a bottom, and has a substantially oval upper bottom wall 146 and a peripheral wall 148 protruding downward from the outer periphery of the upper bottom wall 146. As shown in Fig. 10, in the upper bottom wall 146, at positions corresponding to the cylindrical connecting portions 24 of the first connector 12, i.e., at positions corresponding to the columnar connecting portions 188 described later of the second connector 14, through holes 150a are formed penetrating in the vertical direction, through which the columnar connecting portions 188 are inserted. In addition, on both the left and right sides of each through hole 150a, through holes 150b are formed penetrating in the vertical direction, through which curved plate portions 198 described later of the second connector 14 are inserted. As a result, when the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are mated, the columnar connecting portions 188 and the curved plate portions 198 are inserted into the terminal accommodating portions 76 of the first connector housing 66 through the through holes 150a, 150b in the upper bottom wall portion 146. The front retainer 72 is inserted into the inner cylindrical portion 124 of the shield shell 68 and fixed by a locking mechanism provided on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 148 and the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylindrical portion 124.

[0049] An annular waterproof rubber 154 is fitted onto each of the insulated electric wires 40 drawn rearward from each electric wire drawing outlet 88 of each first connector housing 66, and each waterproof rubber 154 is inserted into a rear opening of each first connector housing 66. In addition, a back retainer 156 is provided on each insulated electric wire 40 behind each waterproof rubber 154 to prevent each waterproof rubber 154 from falling off.

[0050] In the first embodiment, the back retainer 156 is composed of an upper retainer 158 and a lower retainer 160 that can be assembled to each other, and the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 that sandwich each of the insulated electric wires 40 from both the top and bottom directions are assembled to the rear of the first connector housing 66. The upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 each have a pair of lock frames 162, 162 that protrude forward. As a result, the back retainer 156 formed by assembling the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 is fixed to the rear of each of the waterproof rubbers 154 by locking and fitting the lock claws 140 provided at the rear end of the shield shell 68 to the lock frames 162. In addition, the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 may be of the same shape, and the back retainer 156 may be formed by assembling the upper retainer 158 and the lower retainer 160 in an inverted state.

[0051] The back retainer 156 is covered by a metallic shield bracket 164. The shield bracket 164 has a cylindrical wall portion 166 and covers the back retainer 156 from the outer periphery. The cylindrical wall portion 166 has a forward protruding portion 168 that protrudes forward at the lower portion, and as described above, the forward protruding portion 168 is overlapped with the fixing portion 142 of the shield shell 68 and fixed by the bolt 144, so that the shield bracket 164 and the shield shell 68 are fixed to each other. Note that a substantially cylindrical shield member (not shown) that covers each of the insulated electric wires 40 extending rearward may be fitted onto the cylindrical wall portion 166 of the shield bracket 164, and the shield member may be fixed to the cylindrical wall portion 166 by a crimping band 170.

[0052] <Fastening bolt 22> The fastening bolt 22 has a bolt head 172, an insertion shaft portion 174 that protrudes downward from the bolt head 172 in the fitting direction and is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 74, a bolt-side threaded portion 176 that protrudes downward in the fitting direction from the tip (lower end) of the insertion shaft portion 174, and an engagement protrusion that is located on the tip side of the insertion shaft portion 174 and protrudes to the outer periphery of the fastening bolt 22. In the first embodiment, an annular ring mounting groove 178 that opens to the outer periphery is provided at the tip side of the insertion shaft portion 174, and a C-ring 180, which is a metal ring member, is mounted in this ring mounting groove 178 to form an engagement protrusion that protrudes to the outer periphery. That is, the C-ring 180 that constitutes the engagement protrusion protrudes from the outer periphery of the fastening bolt 22 in a substantially annular shape with a predetermined radial width dimension. As a result, as will be described later, when the C-ring 180 comes into contact with the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138, the contact is made with a sufficient contact area. The vertical dimension of the ring mounting groove 178 and the vertical dimension of the C-ring 180 are made approximately equal, and the C-ring 180 is prevented from being displaced in the vertical direction by the fastening bolt 22.

[0053] It is preferable that the metal ring member is notched at one location in the circumferential direction, for example, and a C-ring or E-ring is preferably used. This allows a ring member such as a C-ring or E-ring to be fitted laterally into the ring mounting groove 178 in the insertion shaft portion 174 through the circumferential notch.

[0054] In this fastening bolt 22, the length dimension (vertical dimension) from the lower end of the bolt head 172 to the upper end of the C ring 180 is set to be larger than the length dimension (vertical dimension) of the bolt insertion hole 74 that penetrates the shield shell 68 in the vertical direction. In addition, the projection dimension of the C ring 180 from the outer circumferential surface of the fastening bolt 22 to the outer circumferential side is set to be smaller than the radial width dimension of the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138. As a result, the fastening bolt 22 can be displaced by a predetermined dimension in the fitting direction (vertical direction) from a position where the lower end of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper end of the bolt insertion hole 74, i.e., the upper peripheral portion 136 (fitting start position shown in Figs. 8 and 9 described later) to a position where the upper end of the C ring 180 abuts against the lower end of the bolt insertion hole 74, i.e., the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138 provided in the lower peripheral portion 134 (initial position shown in Fig. 7 described later), with respect to the shield shell 68, and cannot be separated. Therefore, the depth dimension of the recess 138 can be set to a size that is approximately equal to the vertical dimension by which the fastening bolt 22 can be displaced, for example.

[0055] In addition, the portion of the fastening bolt 22 below the C-ring 180 is the bolt side threaded portion 176, but no threaded portion is provided at the very end of the fastening bolt 22. Instead, a male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the fastening bolt 22 from a portion that is spaced a certain distance above the very end of the fastening bolt 22, over a certain length in the vertical direction, to form the bolt side threaded portion 176.

[0056] <Second connector 14> 11 and the like, the second connector 14 has a second terminal 18 connected to the first terminal 16, a second housing 182 that houses and holds the second terminal 18, and a nut 184 to which the fastening bolt 22 is fastened. In the first embodiment, since the first connector 12 is provided with a pair of first terminals 16, 16, the second connector 14 has a pair of second terminals 18, 18, and these second terminals 18 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The second connector 14 also has a metal housing 186, and the second terminals 18 are held in a state where they protrude upward in a second housing 182 fixed to the housing 186.

[0057] In the first embodiment, each of the second terminals 18 is a pin terminal, and each of the second terminals 18 includes a columnar connection portion 188. A resin cap 190 is provided on the tip side of the columnar connection portion 188 of each of the second terminals 18 in the direction of press-fitting (from below to above) into the cylindrical connection portion 24 of the first terminal 16. A bolt insertion hole 192 is provided on the base end (lower end) of each of the second terminals 18, and each of the second terminals 18 is fixed to a terminal portion of a device or the like (not shown) by a bolt inserted into each bolt insertion hole 192. Note that the bolt insertion hole 192 may not be provided in each of the second terminals 18, and each of the second terminals may be fixed to the device or the like by crimping or fixing the base end of each of the second terminals to an electric wire of the device or the like (not shown).

[0058] Each of these second terminals 18 is fixedly held by the second housing 182. As shown in Figs. 4 and 11, the second housing 182 has a generally cylindrical peripheral wall portion 196 having a through hole 194 at its upper end, through which each of the second terminals 18 is inserted, and a pair of peripheral wall portions 196, 196 are provided spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. A curved plate portion 198 protruding upward with a predetermined length dimension (vertical dimension) is provided on the upper end surface of each peripheral wall portion 196. A pair of curved plate portions 198, 198 is provided on each peripheral wall portion 196, and the pair of curved plate portions 198, 198 face each other at a distance from each other in the left-right direction. Each curved plate portion 198 is curved along the circumferential direction of each peripheral wall portion 196, and each has a predetermined circumferential dimension.

[0059] The second housing 182 and the second terminals 18 are fixed in a state where the second terminals 18 are inserted into the peripheral wall portions 196 and the columnar connecting portions 188 protrude upward through the through holes 194. The method of fixing the second housing 182 and the second terminals 18 is not limited, and the second housing 182 and the second terminals 18 may be fixed by press-fitting, engagement by unevenness, adhesion, welding, or the like. In the first embodiment, the second housing 182 is molded in a state where the second terminals 18 are inserted into the molding cavity, so that the second housing 182 is formed as an integrally molded product including the second terminals 18. When the second terminals 18 are fixed to the second housing 182, the columnar connecting portions 188 are located at a predetermined radial distance from the inner periphery of the curved plate portions 198, and the columnar connecting portions 188 are covered by the curved plate portions 198 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction.

[0060] 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 distance therebetween. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11, the second housing 182 is integrally provided with a pair of legs 202, 202 protruding rearward, and the second housing 182 to which the second terminals 18 are fixed is fixed to the housing 186 by a bolt 204 inserted into each leg 202. When the second housing 182 is fixed to the housing 186, the columnar connection portion 188 of each second terminal 18 protrudes upward from each peripheral wall portion 196 and is exposed to the external space. Additionally, on the outer circumferential surface of the second housing 182, a ring-shaped waterproof rubber 206 is fitted and attached to a portion that is inserted into an insertion hole 210 (described later) in the case 186.

[0061] The housing 186 includes a rectangular plate portion 208 that is rectangular in plan view, and an insertion hole 210 through which the second housing 182 is inserted is formed in a front portion of the rectangular plate portion 208. The above-mentioned nut 184 is provided over a predetermined vertical dimension in the left-right center of a portion of the rectangular plate portion 208 rearward of the insertion hole 210. That is, on the inner peripheral surface of the nut 184, a nut side threaded portion 212 constituted by a female thread is formed with a predetermined vertical dimension.

[0062] <Assembly of connector assembly 10> The following describes a specific example of a method for assembling the connector assembly 10 by fitting the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 together. Note that the method for assembling the connector assembly 10 is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0063] First, the insulating coating 46 is stripped off at the end of each insulated electric wire 40 to expose the core wire 44, which is then fixed to the wire fixing portion 42 of each first terminal body 26, and each clip spring 28 is attached to the front end of each first terminal body 26. This results in each first terminal 16 being fixed to the end of each insulated electric wire 40. Then, each waterproof rubber 154 is fitted onto each insulated electric wire 40, and an upper retainer 158 and a lower retainer 160 are assembled to both the top and bottom sides of each insulated electric wire 40 behind each waterproof rubber 154 to form each back retainer 156.

[0064] Next, the coated electric wires 40 to which the first terminals 16, the waterproof rubbers 154 and the back retainer 156 are assembled are inserted from the rear opening of the first connector housing main body 90. After the first terminals 16 are inserted to a predetermined position, the first connector housing cover 92 is assembled to the first connector housing main body 90, so that the first terminals 16 are fixed to a predetermined position in the terminal accommodating portion 76 of the first connector housing 66. Then, the first connector housings 66 to which the first terminals 16 are assembled are inserted from the rear opening of the shield shell 68, so that the locking claws 104 of the first connector housings 66 are locked to the locking recesses 117 of the shield shell 68. As a result, the first connector housing 66 is fixed to the shield shell 68. Also, the front retainer 72 is assembled from below to the lower opening 70 of the shield shell 68. As a result, the first housing 20 is formed.

[0065] Next, each locking frame 162 of the back retainer 156 is locked and fitted into each locking claw portion 140 at the rear end portion of the shield shell 68. Thereafter, each insulated electric wire 40 is inserted through the cylindrical wall portion 166 of the shield bracket 164, and the fixing portion 142 of the shield shell 68 and the forward protruding portion 168 of the shield bracket 164 are overlapped with each other, and the fixing portion 142 and the forward protruding portion 168 are fixed with the bolt 144. Note that a shielding member covering each insulated electric wire 40 may be fixed to the cylindrical wall portion 166 of the shield bracket 164 with a crimping band 170 at an appropriate timing.

[0066] Additionally, the fastening bolt 22 is inserted from above into the bolt insertion hole 74 in 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-ring 180 is assembled to the ring mounting groove 178 in the fastening bolt 22 from the side (in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction). This completes the first connector 12. In the completed first connector 12, the shield member (not shown) that covers each of the coated electric wires 40, the shield bracket 164, and the shield shell 68 are electrically connected to each other.

[0067] Next, the second housing 182 is formed as an integrally molded product including the second terminals 18, and the waterproof rubber 206 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of this 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 in the case 186, and the second housing 182 is fixed to the case 186 with the bolts 204. This completes the second connector 14.

[0068] Then, the completed first connector 12 and second connector 14 are opposed to each other in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 6. After that, the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are brought close to each other. As a result, the columnar connection parts 188 of the second terminals 18 in the second connector 14 are inserted into the through holes 150a in the front retainer 72 of the first connector 12, and the curved plate parts 198 are inserted into the through holes 150b in the front retainer 72. At this point, the columnar connection parts 188 of the second terminals 18 are slightly separated from the lower openings of the cylindrical connection parts 24 of the first terminals 16 or are in a zero-touch state, and no contact pressure is generated between the first terminals 16 and the second terminals 18. This state is a state in which the first connector 12 is temporarily fixed to the second connector 14.

[0069] With the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 temporarily fixed in place, the tip (lower end) of the fastening bolt 22 protruding downward from the first connector 12 abuts against an upper opening 218 of a nut 184 of the second connector 14, as shown in Fig. 7. Since the fastening bolt 22 is vertically displaceable by a predetermined distance relative to the shield 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 between the upper end of the C-ring 180 and a bottom surface 181 of a recess 138 provided in the lower surface of the shield shell 68. 7, when the fastening bolt 22 is in the initial position, the fastening bolt 22 is displaced upward with respect to the shield shell 68 until the upper end of the C-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 shield shell 68 in the vertical direction. In other words, in the initial position, the fastening bolt 22 is restricted from being displaced backward (upward) in the fitting direction by the engagement protrusion (C-ring 180) engaging with the front peripheral edge (lower peripheral edge 134) in the fitting direction frontward that is configured to include the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138.

[0070] From the state in which the fastening bolt 22 is in the initial position shown in FIG. 7, the fastening bolt 22 is tightened by a predetermined distance to screw the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 together. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 are screwed together until the lower end of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper peripheral portion 136 on the upper surface of the shield shell 68, and the fastening bolt 22 is screwed downward and displaced. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 are screwed together by a predetermined dimension. As a result, the C-ring 180 is displaced from the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138 to the opening side (downward), and the gap 220 between the lower end of the bolt head 172 and the upper surface of the shield shell 68 disappears. The state shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is the state in which the fastening bolt 22 is in the fitting start position. In other words, at the mating start position, the bolt head 172 engages with the rear peripheral edge (upper peripheral edge 136) at the rear in the mating direction, restricting the fastening bolt 22 from being displaced forward (downward) in the mating direction. Even when the fastening bolt 22 is in this mating start position, the relative positions of the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 do not change, and therefore no contact pressure is generated between the first terminals 16 and the second terminals 18.

[0071] Incidentally, when the fastening bolt 22 is in the fitting start position, the vertical threaded distance between the bolt side threaded portion 176 and the nut side threaded portion 212 is not limited, but it is preferable that the threads of the bolt side threaded portion 176 and the nut side threaded portion 212 are each threadedly engaged by about three threads. That is, it is preferable that the fastening bolt 22 is displaced in the vertical direction by about three threads on each thread from the initial position of the fastening bolt 22 shown in Fig. 7 to the fitting start position shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and it is preferable that the depth dimension (vertical dimension) of the recess 138 and the vertical dimension of the gap 220 are also set to about the same extent.

[0072] Then, by tightening the fastening bolt 22 from the state where the fastening bolt 22 is in the fitting start position shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the fastening bolt 22 is screwed downward, and the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 approach each other accordingly. This starts press-fitting each columnar connection portion 188 of the second connector 14 into each cylindrical connection portion 24 of the first connector 12. That is, it is preferable that the press-fitting of each columnar connection portion 188 into each cylindrical connection portion 24 starts in a state where the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 are each screwed with about three threads. Then, by further tightening the fastening bolt 22 to further screw-fit the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 into each cylindrical connection portion 24, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the press-fitting of each columnar connection portion 188 into each cylindrical connection portion 24 is completed. 1 to 5, the fastening bolt 22 is disposed in the mating completion position, and the first connector 12 is fully fixed to the second connector 14. This completes the mating of the first connector 12 and the second connector 14, and the connector assembly 10 is completed.

[0073] Such 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 and the lower end of the contact portion 139 come into contact with the upper surface of the housing 186 of the second connector 14. This allows the shield shell 68 and the housing 186 to be electrically connected to each other, and by connecting the housing 186 to earth, a shielding effect can be exerted in a shielding member (not shown) covering each of the coated electric wires 40 from the housing 186 via the shield shell 68 and the shield bracket 164. Note that the shielding effect does not have to be exerted in the connector assembly according to the present disclosure, and the tightening of the fastening bolt 22 may be terminated when the fastening bolt 22 is displaced downward by a predetermined distance, in other words, when each of the columnar connecting portions 188 is press-fitted to a certain degree into each of the cylindrical connecting portions 24.

[0074] In the connector assembly 10 of the first embodiment having the above-mentioned structure, the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 are previously screwed together over a predetermined distance at the start of press-fitting each columnar connecting portion 188 into each tubular connecting portion 24. This avoids damage to the threads of the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 and improves durability, compared to a configuration in which the bolt-side threaded portion 176 and the nut-side threaded portion 212 begin to screw together at the start of press-fitting each columnar connecting portion 188 into each tubular connecting portion 24, which requires a large force. In particular, this configuration in which the bolt side threaded portion 176 and the nut side threaded portion 212 are pre-threaded together when pressure-fitting each columnar connection portion 188 into each tubular connection portion 24 begins can be realized without increasing the length of the fastening bolt 22, and interference of the fastening bolt 22 with other components, the casing 186 or the second housing 182 of the second connector 14, etc. is avoided when the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 are engaged, thereby improving 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 curved plate portions 198 of the second connector 14 are inserted into the through holes 150a, 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 to displace the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 from the initial position to the mating start position, horizontal deviation (front-back or left-right) between the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 is suppressed, thereby further improving the assembly performance.

[0076] The first housing 20 is configured to include 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. As a result, not only can a shield path be configured using, for example, the shield shell 68 and the housing 186, but the fastening force of the fastening bolt 22 can be applied to the shield shell 68 and the housing 186, both of which are made of metal, and durability is improved compared to, for example, a case in which the bolt insertion hole is provided in a synthetic resin member.

[0077] The fastening bolt 22 is arranged in the initial position by the engagement protrusion (C-ring 180) abutting against the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138, and the fastening bolt 22 is arranged in the fitting start position by the bolt head 172 abutting against the upper peripheral edge portion 136. With this, by appropriately setting the depth dimension (vertical dimension) of the recess 138, it is possible to adjust the size of the gap 220 when the fastening bolt 22 is in the initial position, and in turn the amount of engagement 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. In addition, the abutment between the bottom surface 181 of the recess 138 and the C-ring 180 makes it possible to more reliably displace the fastening bolt 22 upward and arrange it in the initial position. In addition, by abutting the bolt head 172 against the upper peripheral portion 136, the tightening force of the fastening bolt 22 can be more reliably applied as a force to bring the first connector 12 and the second connector 14 closer to each other, i.e., a pressure force of each columnar connection portion 188 into each tubular connection portion 24.

[0078] By disposing the fastening bolt 22 in the mating completion position, the first connector 12 is finally fixed to the second connector 14. That is, by fastening the fastening bolt 22, it is possible to complete the press-fitting of each columnar connection portion 188 into each cylindrical connection portion 24, and the operation of press-fitting, which requires a relatively large force, can be accomplished by bolt fastening.

[0079] <Embodiment 2> Next, the first connector 230 constituting the connector assembly of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 12. The first connector 230 of the second embodiment has a structure basically similar to that of the first connector 12 of the first embodiment. However, whereas the C-ring 180 is attached to the fastening bolt 22 in the first connector 12 of the first embodiment so as to be substantially immovable in the vertical direction, the C-ring 234, which is a metal ring member constituting an engagement protrusion, is attached to the fastening bolt 232 so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction in the first connector 230 of the second embodiment. Note that the second connector 14 to be fitted with the first connector 230 in the second embodiment may have a structure similar to that of the first embodiment, and is therefore not shown. In the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and detailed description of members and parts substantially the same as those of the first embodiment will be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals in the drawings as those of the first embodiment. In Figure 12, the fastening bolt 232 is shown in a solid line when the first connector 230 is in a separate state before mating with the second connector 14 or when the fastening bolt 232 is in a mating start position, and the fastening bolt 232 in the initial position is shown in a two-dot chain line.

[0080] That is, an annular ring mounting groove 236 that opens toward the outer periphery is provided on the tip side (lower end side) of the insertion shaft portion 174 of the fastening bolt 232, and this ring mounting groove 236 has a predetermined vertical dimension that is larger than the vertical dimension of the C ring 234. This allows the C ring 234 to move vertically within the ring mounting groove 236 from a lower end face 238a at the front (lower) of the fitting direction to an upper end face 238b at the rear (upper) of the fitting direction. In the second embodiment, the C ring 234 is fixed to the peripheral portion (lower peripheral portion 134) of the lower opening 130 of the bolt insertion hole 74.

[0081] In the first connector 230 thus constructed, in a standalone state before being fitted with the second connector 14, for example, the fastening bolt 232 moves downward due to gravity and is in the position shown by the solid line in Fig. 12. That is, the lower end face of the bolt head 172 abuts against the upper face (upper peripheral portion 136) of the shield shell 68, and the C-ring 234 abuts against the upper end face 238b of the ring mounting groove 236.

[0082] When the first connector 230 and the second connector 14 are fitted together from this state, the first connector 230 and the second connector 14 are vertically opposed to each other and brought close to each other as shown in Fig. 6 above. As a result, the tip of the fastening bolt 232 (the tip of the bolt-side threaded portion 176) abuts against the upper opening 218 of the nut 184 in the second connector 14, and the fastening bolt 232 is displaced upward to its initial position as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 12. 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-ring 234 abuts against the lower end surface 238a of the ring mounting groove 236. In other words, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12, when the fastening bolt 232 is in the initial position, the C-ring 234 is engaged with the front end face (lower end face 238a) of the ring mounting groove 236 in the fitting direction.

[0083] Thereafter, 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. As a result, the fastening bolt 232 is displaced to a fitting start position that is lower than the initial position, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 12. In this state, the lower end face of the bolt head 172 and the upper face (upper peripheral portion 136) of the shield shell 68 come into contact with each other, and the gap 220 disappears. In addition, since the fastening bolt 232 is displaced downward with respect to the shield shell 68, the C-ring 234 moves in the ring mounting groove 236 toward the rear end face (upper end face 238b) in the fitting direction, and, for example, the C-ring 234 comes into contact with the upper end face 238b of the ring mounting groove 236. After the fastening bolt 232 is positioned at the mating start position, the first connector 230 and the second connector 14 are displaced toward each other by fastening the fastening bolt 232 as in embodiment 1, and each columnar connecting portion 188 of the second connector 14 is pressed into each tubular connecting portion 24 of the first connector 230, completing the connector assembly.

[0084] In the first connector 230 of the second embodiment having the above-described structure, the fastening bolt 232 can be displaced between an initial position and a mating start position when mating with the second connector 14, and therefore the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved. In particular, in the first embodiment, the C-ring 180 is not displaceable in the vertical direction relative to the fastening bolt 22, and a recess 138 is provided in the shield shell 68 to enable the fastening bolt 22 to be displaced to its initial position. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the C-ring 180 is made displaceable in the vertical direction relative to the fastening bolt 232, so that it is not necessary to provide the recess 138 in the shield shell 68, and it is possible to avoid changing the shape of the shield shell 68.

[0085] <Modification> Although the first and second embodiments have been described above as specific examples of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific descriptions. Modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope of the present disclosure that can achieve the object of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modified examples 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 exemplary and are not limited. That is, in the above embodiment, the second terminal 18 is pin-shaped and has the columnar connection portion 188, and the first terminal 16 has the cylindrical connection portion 24, but is not limited to this aspect. The second terminal may be flat tab-shaped, for example, as described in International Publication WO 2021 / 145197, in which case, the first terminal may have a substantially rectangular terminal insertion gap.

[0087] (2) In the above embodiment, the first housing 20 is configured to include the first connector housing 66 made of insulating synthetic resin and the shield shell 68 made of metal, and the shield shell 68 comes into contact with the housing 186 to provide a shielding function when the first connector 12, 230 and the second connector 14 are mated, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the connector assembly according to the present disclosure does not need to provide a shielding function, and a shield shell, shield bracket, housing, etc. may not be provided. In that case, the bolt insertion hole through which the fastening bolt is inserted may be provided in the first connector housing made of synthetic resin.

[0088] (3) In the above embodiment, the engaging protrusions protruding from the fastening bolt 22, 232 to the outer periphery are formed by the C-rings 180, 234, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the engaging protrusions may be provided so as to protrude from the outer periphery of the fastening bolt to the outer periphery after the fastening bolt is inserted into the bolt insertion hole. That is, the engaging protrusions may be formed by, for example, a pin inserted into a recess provided in the outer periphery of the fastening bolt, or an annular or pin-shaped engaging protrusion may be fixed to the outer periphery of the fastening bolt after it is inserted into the bolt insertion hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 Connector Assembly 12 First connector (embodiment 1) 14 Second Connector 16 1st terminal 18 2nd terminal 20 1st Housing 22 Fastening bolt 24 Tubular joint 26 First terminal body 28 Clip spring 30 First peripheral wall part 32 Second peripheral wall part 34 Circular protrusion 36 Linear contact part 38 Proximal side plate part 40 Covered wire 42 Wire fixing part 44 core wire 46 Insulation coating 48 Tip side plate 50 Through hole 52 Stopper part 54 Connecting plate 56 Clamp 58 Bent part 60 Insertion port 62 Through window 64 Locking piece 66 1st connector housing 68 Shield Shell 70 Lower opening 72 Front retainer 74 Bolt insertion hole 76 Terminal housing 78 Upper wall 80 Lower wall part 82 Left wall 84 Right wall 86 Front wall 88 Wire outlet 90 First connector housing body 92 First connector housing cover 94 Lower window section 96 Insertion hole 97 Support protrusion 98 Lock protrusion 100 Lock frame 102 Elastic piece 104 Locking claw 106 Upper wall 108 Lower wall 110 Left wall 112 Right wall 114 Front wall 116 Partition 117 Locking recess 122 Through hole 124 Inner cylinder part 126 Outer cylinder part 128 Waterproof Rubber 130 Lower opening (front opening) 132 Upper opening (rear opening) 134 Lower rim (front rim) 136 Upper rim (rear rim) 138 Recess 139 Contact Part 140 Locking claw 142 Fixed part 144 Volts 146 Upper bottom wall 148 Peripheral wall section 150a,150b through hole 154 Waterproof rubber 156 Back retainer 158 Upper retainer 160 Lower Retainer 162 Lock frame body 164 Shield bracket 166 Cylinder wall 168 Forward protrusion 170 Crimping band 172 Bolt head 174 Insertion shaft 176 Bolt side thread 178 Ring mounting groove 180 C-ring (engagement protrusion, ring member) 181 Bottom 182 Second Housing 184 Nut 186 Case 188 Column connection 190 Resin Cap 192 Bolt insertion hole 194 Through hole 196 Peripheral wall section 198 Curved plate section 200 Exterior wall 202 Legs 204 Volts 206 Waterproof Rubber 208 Rectangular plate section 210 Insertion hole 212 Nut side thread 218 Upper opening 220 Gap 230 First Connector (Embodiment 2) 232 Fastening bolt 234 C-ring (engagement protrusion, ring member) 236 Ring mounting groove 238a Lower end face (front end face in mating direction) 238b Upper end face (rear end face in the mating direction)

Claims

1. A first connector that is detachably mated with a second connector, a first terminal connected to a second terminal provided on the second connector; a first housing that receives and holds the first terminal; a fastening bolt that is held by the first housing and fastened to a nut provided on the second connector, the first housing has a bolt insertion hole passing through the first housing in a fitting direction of the first connector to the second connector, the fastening bolt has a bolt head, an insertion shaft portion protruding forward in the fitting direction from the bolt head and inserted into the bolt insertion hole, a bolt-side thread portion protruding forward in the fitting direction from a tip of the insertion shaft portion, and an engagement protrusion located on the tip side of the insertion shaft portion and protruding toward the outer periphery of the fastening bolt, The bolt insertion hole has a front opening portion that opens toward the front in the fitting direction and a rear opening portion that opens toward the rear in the fitting direction, the fastening bolt is displaceable by a predetermined dimension in the fitting direction relative to the bolt insertion hole between an initial position where rearward displacement in the fitting direction is restricted by the engagement of the engaging protrusion with a front peripheral portion that is a peripheral portion of the front opening, and a fitting start position where forward displacement in the fitting direction is restricted by the engagement of the bolt head with a rear peripheral portion that is a peripheral portion of the rear opening, and is assembled so as not to be separated, a first connector, in which, when the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and no contact pressure is generated between the first terminal and the second terminal, the fastening bolt is positioned at the initial position by the tip of the bolt side threaded portion abutting against an opening of the nut, and the bolt side threaded portion of the fastening bolt is displaced to the mating start position by screwing into a nut side threaded portion provided on the nut.

2. 2. The first connector as described in claim 1, wherein the first housing includes an insulating first connector housing and a metallic 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 engaging protrusion of the fastening bolt is provided so as not to be displaceable, a recess that opens in the fitting direction is provided on the front peripheral portion of the bolt insertion hole, and a depth dimension of the recess is set to the predetermined dimension, The first connector as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the fastening bolt is positioned in the initial position when the engaging protrusion abuts against the bottom surface of the recess, and the fastening bolt is positioned in the mating start position when the engaging protrusion is displaced toward the opening side of the recess and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral portion.

4. The fastening bolt has a tip end portion at which the insertion shaft portion is provided, the tip end portion having an annular ring mounting groove that opens toward an outer periphery thereof, a metal ring member having one circumferential notch with respect to the ring mounting groove is mounted so as to be displaceable in the fitting direction to form the engaging protrusion, In the fastening bolt, in which the first connector is temporarily fixed to the second connector and the tip of the bolt-side threaded portion is abutted against the opening of the nut, the ring member is engaged with a front end surface of the ring mounting groove in the fitting direction, 3. The first connector according to claim 1, wherein when the fastening bolt is screwed into the nut and positioned at the engagement start position, the ring member moves toward the rear end face side of the ring mounting groove in the engagement direction, and the bolt head abuts against the rear peripheral portion.

5. The fastening bolt is displaced from the fitting start position to a fitting completion position located forward in the fitting direction by further screwing the bolt side threaded portion into the nut side threaded portion, The first connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first connector is fully fixed to the second connector with the fastening bolt disposed in the mating completion position.

6. A first connector according to claim 1 or 2; a second connector into which the first connector is detachably fitted, A connector assembly, wherein the second connector has 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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