Connector and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of more properly detecting a fitting state of a female housing and a male housing, and a wire harness.SOLUTION: In a connector 1, a tilted part 24 is provided in a male housing 21 and a short-circuiting terminal 13 comprises a spring part 13 having flexibility and an abutment piece 13b which is provided in a tip end of the spring part 13a and abutted with the tilted part 24. With a fitting action of a female housing 11 and the male housing 21, the abutment piece 13b of the short-circuiting terminal 13 moves up on the tilted part 24 while bending the spring part 13a in a state where the abutment piece is abutted to the tilted part 24 and at the timing when a connector lock part 40 locks the female housing 11 and the male housing 21, the abutment piece 13b of the short-circuiting terminal 13 falls from a top portion 24a of the tilted part 24 to the other side in a height direction Z. Therefore, the short-circuiting terminal 13 and a terminal 23 for fitting detection are abutted and conducted and a fitting state of the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector and a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of technology relating to conventional connectors, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a female connector having a female terminal, a short-circuiting terminal, and a female housing that holds the female terminal and the short-circuiting terminal therein, and a male connector having a male terminal, a terminal for mating detection, and a male housing that holds the male terminal and the terminal for mating detection therein and is mated with the female housing along the axial direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-196134 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the connector described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has room for further improvement, for example, in terms of detection of mating between the female housing and the male housing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a connector and a wire harness that can more accurately detect the mated state of a female housing and a male housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a connector according to the present invention comprises a female connector having a female terminal, a shorting terminal separate from the female terminal, and a female housing that holds the female terminal and the shorting terminal therein; a male connector having a male terminal electrically connected to the female terminal, a mating detection terminal electrically connected to the shorting terminal, and a male housing that holds the male terminal and the mating detection terminal therein and is mated with the female housing along an axial direction; and a connector lock portion that holds the female housing and the male housing in a mated state, the male housing has a connector lock portion that extends along the axial direction and becomes narrower as it goes toward the opposite side to the female housing in the axial direction. An inclined portion is provided that is inclined toward one side in the height direction that intersects with the axial direction, and the short-circuiting terminal has a flexible spring portion and a contact piece provided at the tip of the spring portion and abutting the inclined portion, and as the female housing and the male housing are mated, the abutment piece of the short-circuiting terminal abuts against the inclined portion and climbs the inclined portion while bending the spring portion, and at the timing when the connector locking portion locks the female housing and the male housing, the abutment piece of the short-circuiting terminal falls from the top of the inclined portion to the other side in the height direction, whereby the short-circuiting terminal abuts against the mating detection terminal and becomes conductive, and the mating state of the female housing and the male housing is detected. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the connector and wire harness according to the present invention, when the female housing is mated with the male housing, the abutting piece of the shorting terminal moves up the inclined portion while bending the spring portion, and when the connector locking portion locks the female housing with the male housing, the abutting piece of the shorting terminal falls from the top of the inclined portion to the other side in the height direction, so that the shorting terminal comes into contact with the mating detection terminal and is electrically connected, and the mating state of the female housing and the male housing is detected. With this configuration, the connector and wire harness can, for example, use the inclined portion to synchronize the timing at which the connector locking portion locks the connector and the timing at which the shorting terminal shorts, and thus can suppress the occurrence of a two-step feeling in the connector insertion waveform caused by a mismatch between the timing at which the connector locking portion locks the connector and the timing at which the shorting terminal shorts. As a result, the connector and wire harness have the effect of being able to more appropriately detect the mating state of the female housing and the male housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a wire harness to which a connector according to an embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exemplary exploded perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a male connector of the connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional perspective view of the vicinity of a short-circuit terminal of a connector according to an embodiment, showing a state in which the female connector is located in a first position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a shorting terminal and a sloped portion of a connector according to an embodiment, showing a state in which a female housing is located in a first position. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the shorting terminal and the inclined portion of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is positioned at a first intermediate position between the first position and the second position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the shorting terminal and the inclined portion of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is positioned at a second intermediate position between the first position and the second position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the shorting terminal and the inclined portion of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is located in the second position. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an exemplary cross-sectional perspective view of the vicinity of a shorting terminal of a connector according to an embodiment, showing a state in which a female housing is located in a second position. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an exemplary perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is located in a first position. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an exemplary perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is positioned at a first intermediate position between the first position and the second position. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an exemplary perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is positioned at a second intermediate position between the first position and the second position. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an exemplary perspective view of the connector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the female housing is located in the second position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. Note that in this specification, ordinal numbers are used only to distinguish between parts, members, parts, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0010] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness WH to which a connector 1 according to an embodiment is applied. The connector 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated into a wire harness WH arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile. Here, the wire harness WH is, for example, a bundle of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication to connect each device mounted on a vehicle, and the electric wires W are connected to each device by a connector 1 or the like. The wire harness WH of this embodiment includes, for example, a plurality of conductive electric wires W and a connector 1 provided at the terminals of the plurality of electric wires W. The wire harness WH may further include a protector, a fixing device, and the like.

[0011] In the following description, among the first, second, and third directions that intersect with each other, the first direction is referred to as the "axial direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z". Here, the axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are approximately perpendicular to each other. The axial direction X typically corresponds to the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the connector 1, the insertion / removal direction (fitting direction) of the female connector 10 and the male connector 20 of the connector 1, the extension direction of the electric wire W, the insertion direction of the electric wire W into the connector 1, and the like. The height direction Z typically corresponds to the thickness direction (up-down direction) of the connector 1, and the like. The width direction Y typically corresponds to the width direction (left-right direction) of the connector 1, and the like. In addition, each direction used in the following description will be described as a direction in a state in which the electric wire W is assembled to the connector 1, unless otherwise specified.

[0012] The electric wire W includes, for example, a linear conductor portion W1 having electrical conductivity, and an insulating coating W2 having electrical insulation and covering the outside of the conductor portion W1. The electric wire W is an insulated electric wire in which the conductor portion W1 is covered with the insulating coating W2. The conductor portion W1 in this embodiment is a core wire in which a plurality of conductive metal wires are bundled together, but may be a twisted core wire in which the plurality of metal wires are twisted together. The insulating coating W2 is an electric wire coating that covers the outer periphery of the conductor portion W1. The insulating coating W2 is formed, for example, by extrusion molding an insulating resin material (such as PP, PVC, or cross-linked PE, which is appropriately selected in consideration of abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, etc.).

[0013] The electric wires W are each formed to extend linearly along the axial direction X and to extend with approximately the same diameter in the axial direction X (extension direction). In addition, the electric wires W are formed, for example, such that the cross-sectional shape of the conductor portion W1 (cross-sectional shape intersecting with the axial direction X) is approximately circular and the cross-sectional shape of the insulating coating W2 is approximately annular, so that the electric wires W are formed to have an approximately circular cross-sectional shape as a whole. At least one end of the electric wires W has the insulating coating W2 stripped off, and a female terminal 12 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, is crimped to the conductor portion W1 exposed from the insulating coating W2.

[0014] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the connector 1 includes, for example, a female connector 10, a male connector 20, a lever 30, a connector locking portion 40, a front mask 50, a packing 60, a spacer 70, a seal member 80, and a rear holder 90. The connector 1 is used in, for example, a wire harness WH having an electric power supply wire W that supplies power from an inverter to a motor in a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.

[0015] The female connector 10 has, for example, a female housing 11, a plurality of female terminals 12, and a short-circuit terminal 13. The female housing 11 is formed of an insulating synthetic resin material and holds the female terminals 12, the short-circuit terminals 13, the electric wires W, etc. inside. The female housing 11 includes, for example, a cylindrical portion 11a and a fitting portion 11b that protrudes from the cylindrical portion 11a along the axial direction X and fits with the male connector 20. The female housing 11 has the cylindrical portion 11a and the fitting portion 11b integrally formed, and an insertion space portion 15 is provided inside the cylindrical portion 11a and the fitting portion 11b, through which the female terminals 12, the short-circuit terminals 13, the electric wires W, etc. are inserted. The insertion space 15 is open toward both sides in the axial direction X, and the female terminal 12 and the electric wire W are inserted from one side in the axial direction X (the side opposite to the male connector 20), while the shorting terminal 13 is inserted from the other side in the axial direction X (the male connector 20 side). The insertion space 15 into which the shorting terminal 13 is inserted is formed larger than the insertion space 15 into which the female terminal 12 and the electric wire W are inserted.

[0016] The female terminal 12 is a female-type terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material, and is electrically connected to a male terminal 22 (see FIG. 3) of the male connector 20. The female terminal 12 includes an electrical connection portion electrically connected to the male terminal 22, and an electric wire crimping portion electrically connected to an end of the electric wire W. The electric connection portion has, for example, a pair of fork terminal portions provided on both sides of the male terminal 22 in the width direction Y or height direction Z, and the pair of fork terminal portions are fitted together so that the male terminal 22 is sandwiched between them and electrically connected to each other. The electric wire crimping portion is electrically connected to the electric wire W by, for example, being crimped and crimped to the conductor portion W1 of the electric wire W.

[0017] The shorting terminal 13 is a terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material, and is electrically connected to the mating detection terminal 23 (see FIG. 3) of the male connector 20. The shorting terminal 13 is connected to a short circuit (not shown), and when the short circuit occurs between both terminals due to contact with the mating detection terminal 23, the short circuit is formed, thereby enabling detection of the mating state between the female housing 11 (female connector 10) and the male housing 21 (male connector 20). The shorting terminal 13 is a terminal separate from the above-mentioned female terminal 12, and is disposed offset from the female terminal 12 in the width direction Y or height direction Z.

[0018] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector 20 of the connector 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the male connector 20 has, for example, a male housing 21, a plurality of male terminals 22, and a mating detection terminal 23. The male housing 21 is formed of an insulating synthetic resin material and holds the male terminals 22, the mating detection terminal 23, and the like therein. In addition, an accommodation space 25 is provided inside the male housing 21 in which the front mask 50, the packing 60, the spacer 70, the mating portion 11b, and the like are accommodated. The accommodation space 25 is open toward one side in the axial direction X (the female connector 10 side), and the front mask 50, etc. are inserted from the one side in the axial direction X.

[0019] The male terminal 22 is a male-type terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material, and is electrically connected to the female terminal 12 of the female connector 10. A plurality of male terminals 22 corresponding to the female terminals 12 are provided inside the male housing 21 at intervals from each other in the width direction Y and the height direction Z. The mating detection terminal 23 is a terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material, and is electrically connected to the short-circuit terminal 13 of the female connector 10. The mating detection terminal 23 is a terminal separate from the male terminal 22 described above, and is disposed offset from the male terminal 22 in the width direction Y or the height direction Z.

[0020] The front mask 50 is, for example, a member that is fitted with the fitting portion 11b of the female housing 11 in the accommodation space portion 25 of the male housing 21. The front mask 50 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with one side in the axial direction X (the female connector 10 side) open and the other side in the axial direction X (the male connector 20 side) closed. A bottom portion of the front mask 50 is provided with a plurality of through holes 51 through which the male terminals 22 are inserted in the axial direction X. The front mask 50 is attached to the accommodation space portion 25 of the male housing 21 with the male terminals 22 protruding from each of the plurality of through holes 51 to one side in the axial direction X.

[0021] The packing 60 prevents foreign matter such as moisture and dust from entering the inside of the connector 1 through an annular gap between the male housing 21 and the mating portion 11b of the female housing 11. The packing 60 is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber or resin. The packing 60 is formed, for example, in a rectangular ring shape along the outer circumferential surface of the mating portion 11b, and is interposed between the male housing 21 and the mating portion 11b.

[0022] The spacer 70 is for holding the female terminals 12 and the shorting terminals 13 protruding from the fitting portion 11b of the female housing 11 to the other side in the axial direction X (the male connector 20 side). The spacer 70 also functions as a member for detecting partial insertion of the female terminals 12 and the like. The spacer 70 is provided with a plurality of insertion holes 71 through which the female terminals 12 and the shorting terminals 13 are inserted in the axial direction X. The insertion holes 71 through which the shorting terminals 13 are inserted are formed larger than the insertion holes 71 through which the female terminals 12 are inserted. The spacer 70 is interposed between the bottom of the front mask 50 and the fitting portion 11b of the female housing 11 in the axial direction X.

[0023] The seal member 80, for example, holds a plurality of electric wires W and seals the periphery of the plurality of electric wires W to suppress the intrusion of moisture or the like into the inside of the connector 1 from one side (the electric wire W side) in the axial direction X. The seal member 80 is formed of an elastically deformable member such as rubber or resin. The seal member 80 is provided with a plurality of electric wire insertion holes 81 through which the electric wires W are inserted in the axial direction X. The diameters of the plurality of electric wire insertion holes 81 are approximately the same as the diameters of the electric wires W. The seal member 80 is attached in a compressed state between the female housing 11 and the rear holder 90, for example, so that the diameters of the plurality of electric wire insertion holes 81 are reduced radially inward from the free state, and thus the inner surfaces of the respective electric wire insertion holes 81 and the electric wires W are in close contact with each other, thereby enhancing the sealing performance between them. The seal member 80 is also called a mat seal or the like.

[0024] The rear holder 90 is, for example, a member for holding the seal member 80 between itself and the female housing 11. That is, the rear holder 90 covers one side of the seal member 80 in the axial direction X, and prevents the seal member 80 from coming off the female housing 11 to one side in the axial direction X. The rear holder 90 is provided with a plurality of wire through holes 91 through which the electric wires W are inserted in the axial direction X. The rear holder 90 is integrated with the female housing 11 by claw fitting or the like in a state in which the seal member 80 is held between itself and the female housing 11.

[0025] The lever 30, for example, fits the male housing 21 into the female housing 11 with a low insertion force. The lever 30 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The lever 30 is provided with a connector lock portion 40 (described later) that maintains the fitted state of the female housing 11 and the male housing 21. The lever 30 is also configured to include, for example, a pair of arm portions 31 extending along the width direction Y and an operating portion 32 extending along the height direction Z and connecting the pair of arm portions 31, and is assembled to the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 so as to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0026] Specifically, the pair of arms 31 are each provided with a hole 31a that functions as a bearing and penetrates along the height direction Z. A pair of protrusions 17 protruding from the female housing 11 on both sides in the height direction Z are fitted into this hole 31a. The pair of protrusions 17 function as a rotation axis of the lever 30, and the lever 30 is rotatable around the rotation axis extending along the height direction Z of the pair of protrusions 17 relative to the female housing 11. The pair of arms 31 are also provided with an elongated groove 31b that engages with a pair of protrusions 27 protruding from the male housing 21 on both sides in the height direction Z.

[0027] In such a configuration, the lever 30 can move the male housing 21 toward the female housing 11 along the axial direction X by rotating the operating part 32 to one side about a rotation axis extending along the height direction Z of the protrusion 17 with the protrusion 27 engaged with the slotted groove 31b. Specifically, in this embodiment, as the operating part 32 is rotated to one side, the female housing 11 moves relative to the male housing 21 along the axial direction X from a first position P1 (see FIG. 10) corresponding to a provisionally fitted state between the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 toward a second position P2 (see FIG. 13) corresponding to a completely fitted state between the female housing 11 and the male housing 21. This allows the lever 30 to fit the female housing 11 into the male housing 21 with a low insertion force.

[0028] On the other hand, the lever 30 can move the male housing 21 along the axial direction X to the opposite side to the female housing 11 by rotating the operating part 32 to the other side about the rotation axis extending along the height direction Z of the protrusion 17 with the protrusion 27 engaged with the slotted groove 31b. Specifically, in this embodiment, as the operating part 32 is rotated to the other side, the female housing 11 moves relative to the male housing 21 along the axial direction X from the second position P2 (see FIG. 13) corresponding to the complete mating state between the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 to the first position P1 (see FIG. 10) corresponding to the temporary mating state between the female housing 11 and the male housing 21. As a result, the lever 30 can remove the female housing 11 from the male housing 21 with less force.

[0029] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the vicinity of the short-circuit terminal 13 of the connector 1, showing a state in which the female housing 11 is located at the first position P1. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, an inclined portion 24 is provided inside the male housing 21, which comes into contact with the short-circuit terminal 13 as the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 are mated. The inclined portion 24 is configured to include, for example, a top portion 24a, an inclined wall portion 24b, and a notch portion 24c, and is provided on one side in the height direction Z within the accommodation space portion 25.

[0030] The inclined wall portion 24b extends, for example, along the axial direction X and is inclined toward one side of the height direction Z as it approaches the other side of the axial direction X (the side opposite to the female housing 11). The top portion 24a is connected to the other end (upper end) of the inclined wall portion 24b in the axial direction X and extends along the axial direction X. The top portion 24a intersects with the inclined wall portion 24b and is formed with a plate thickness substantially the same as that of the inclined wall portion 24b. The notch portion 24c is provided at the other end of the top portion 24a in the axial direction X. The notch portion 24c functions as an opening for allowing the contact piece 13b of the short-circuit terminal 13 to drop from the top portion 24a to the other side of the height direction Z when the female housing 11 moves to the second position P2 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0031] The shorting terminal 13 includes, for example, a spring portion 13a having flexibility and an abutment piece 13b provided at the tip of the spring portion 13a. The spring portion 13a is formed, for example, in a cantilever spring shape with one end in the axial direction X as a fixed end and the other end in the axial direction X as a free end. That is, the spring portion 13a is elastically deformable along the height direction Z with the one end in the axial direction X as a fulcrum. The abutment piece 13b is provided, for example, at the tip of one of the spring portions 13a bifurcated in the width direction Y on the other side in the axial direction X. The abutment piece 13b is elastically deformable along the height direction Z together with the spring portion 13a. In addition, the abutment piece 13b protrudes, for example, in the width direction Y more than the spring portion 13a and can abut against the inclined portion 24. In other words, the spring portion 13a is positioned offset in the width direction Y with respect to the inclined portion 24. The contact piece 13b is provided at a position overlapping with the mating detection terminal 23 in the height direction Z when the female housing 11 is located at the second position P2 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0032] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the shorting terminal 13 accompanying the relative movement of the female housing 11 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 with respect to the male housing 21. Figures 5 to 8 are cross-sectional views of the shorting terminal 13 and the inclined portion 24 of the connector 1, in which Figure 5 is a diagram of the female housing 11 positioned at the first position P1, Figure 6 is a diagram of the female housing 11 positioned at the first intermediate position P3 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, Figure 7 is a diagram of the female housing 11 positioned at the second intermediate position P4 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, and Figure 8 is a diagram of the female housing 11 positioned at the second position P2.

[0033] 5, when the female housing 11 is located at the first position P1, the abutment piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 abuts against one end (lower end) of the inclined wall portion 24b in the axial direction X. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when the female housing 11 is located at the first intermediate position P3 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the abutment piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 abuts against the upper surface of the inclined wall portion 24b and moves up the inclined portion 24 along the inclined direction between the axial direction X and the height direction Z while bending the spring portion 13a.

[0034] Next, as shown in Fig. 7, when the female housing 11 is positioned at the second intermediate position P4 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the contact piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 slides along the axial direction X on the inclined portion 24 while bending the spring portion 13a in a state where it is in contact with the upper surface of the top portion 24a. Then, as shown in Fig. 8, when the female housing 11 is positioned at the second position P2, the contact piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 falls from the notch portion 24c provided on the top portion 24a to the other side in the height direction Z. As a result, in this embodiment, the shorting terminal 13 and the mating detection terminal 23 come into contact with each other and are electrically connected, and the mating state (complete mating state) of the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 is detected.

[0035] 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the vicinity of the short-circuiting terminal 13 of the connector 1, showing a state in which the female housing 11 is located at the second position P2. As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, when the female housing 11 is located at the second position P2, the spring portion 13a and the abutment piece 13b of the short-circuiting terminal 13 are located on the other side in the height direction Z than the apex 24a of the inclined portion 24. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the female housing 11 moves relatively to the first position P1 in the axial direction X with respect to the male housing 21 due to the reaction force of the above-mentioned seal member 80 or the like, the spring portion 13a and the abutment piece 13b pass under the apex 24a, so that the contact allowance of the short-circuiting terminal 13 is secured and the short circuit can be maintained.

[0036] In addition, in this embodiment, for example, in the process of moving the female housing 11 from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the abutment piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 moves on the upper surface side of the inclined portion 24, while in the process of moving the female housing 11 from the second position P2 to the first position P1, the abutment piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 moves on the lower surface side of the inclined portion 24. In the process of moving the female housing 11 from the second position P2 to the first position P1, the abutment piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 moves to one side in the axial direction X while bending the spring portion 13a in a state of abutting on the lower surface of the top portion 24a and the lower surface of the inclined wall portion 24b, and returns to a state in which the abutment piece 13b and one end of the inclined wall portion 24b in the axial direction X are in abutment with each other at the first position P1 due to the elastic restoring force of the spring portion 13a.

[0037] Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the connector 1, showing a state in which the female housing 11 is located at the first position P1. As shown in Fig. 10, the connector locking portion 40 has, for example, a first locking portion 41 provided on the lever 30 and a second locking portion 42 provided on the female housing 11. The second locking portion 42 is formed, for example, in a claw shape on the upper surface of the female housing 11. The first locking portion 41 is provided, for example, at a position on the arm portion 31 of the lever 30 corresponding to the second locking portion 42. The second locking portion 42 has a locking surface facing the first locking portion 41 in the axial direction X, and when the female housing 11 is positioned at the second position P2 (see FIG. 13), the locking surface and the first locking portion 41 are locked in the axial direction X, thereby restricting the rotation of the lever 30 toward the first position P1 (see FIG. 10) relative to the female housing 11, thereby maintaining a completely engaged state between the female housing 11 and the male housing 21.

[0038] In the present embodiment, the connector 1 is provided with a housing lock portion 45. The housing lock portion 45 has, for example, a first engagement portion 45a provided on the male housing 21 and a second engagement portion 45b provided on the female housing 11. The first engagement portion 45a is formed, for example, in a claw shape on the upper surface of the male housing 21. The second engagement portion 45b is formed, for example, as an opening provided at a position corresponding to the first engagement portion 45a on the female housing 11. The first engagement portion 45a has an engagement surface facing the second engagement portion 45b in the axial direction X, and when the female housing 11 is positioned at the second intermediate position P4 (see FIG. 12), the engagement surface and the second engagement portion 45b are engaged with each other, thereby restricting the movement of the female housing 11 along the axial direction X toward the first position P1 (see FIG. 10) side relative to the male housing 21.

[0039] Figures 11 to 13 are oblique views of the connector 1, with Figure 11 showing the female housing 11 positioned at the first intermediate position P3 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, Figure 12 showing the female housing 11 positioned at the second intermediate position P4 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, and Figure 13 showing the female housing 11 positioned at the second position P2.

[0040] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, in this embodiment, when the female housing 11 is positioned at the first position P1 and when the female housing 11 is positioned at the first intermediate position P3 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the first locking portion 41 and the second locking portion 42 of the connector locking portion 40 are spaced apart in the axial direction X, and the first engagement portion 45a and the second engagement portion 45b of the housing locking portion 45 are spaced apart in the axial direction X.

[0041] 12, in a state where the female housing 11 is positioned at the second intermediate position P4 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the first locking portion 41 and the second locking portion 42 of the connector locking portion 40 are spaced apart in the axial direction X, while the first engaging portion 45a and the second engaging portion 45b of the housing locking portion 45 are engaged in the axial direction X. This limits the movement of the female housing 11 along the axial direction X toward the first position P1 (see FIG. 10) relative to the male housing 21.

[0042] 13, when the female housing 11 is located at the second position P2, the first locking portion 41 and the second locking portion 42 of the connector lock portion 40 are locked in the axial direction X. This limits the rotation of the lever 30 toward the first position P1 (see FIG. 10) relative to the female housing 11, and maintains the complete mating state between the female housing 11 and the male housing 21.

[0043] As described above, in the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment, as the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 are mated, the abutment piece 13b of the short-circuiting terminal 13 abuts against the inclined portion 24 and moves up the inclined portion 24 while bending the spring portion 13a, and at the timing when the connector locking portion 40 locks the female housing 11 and the male housing 21, the abutment piece 13b of the short-circuiting terminal 13 falls from the top 24a of the inclined portion 24 to the other side in the height direction Z, causing the short-circuiting terminal 13 to abut against the mating detection terminal 23 and become conductive, and the mating state of the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 is detected. With this configuration, the connector 1 and the wire harness WH can, for example, synchronize the timing at which the connector locking portion 40 locks the connector with the timing at which the shorting terminal 13 shorts by the inclined portion 24, thereby suppressing the occurrence of a two-step feeling in the connector insertion waveform caused by a mismatch between the timing at which the connector locking portion 40 locks the connector and the timing at which the shorting terminal 13 shorts. As a result, the connector 1 and the wire harness WH can more appropriately detect the mated state of the female housing 11 and the male housing 21.

[0044] In the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment, the connector lock portion 40 has a first locking portion 41 provided on the lever 30, and a second locking portion 42 provided on the female housing 11 and locked with the first locking portion 41 in the axial direction X when the female housing 11 is located at a second position P2 corresponding to a completely fitted state with the male housing 21. With this configuration, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can relatively easily hold the female housing 11 and the male housing 21 in a completely fitted state by, for example, a locking structure (snap fit) between the first locking portion 41 and the second locking portion 42.

[0045] In the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment, the spring portion 13a and the abutment piece 13b of the shorting terminal 13 are positioned on the other side in the height direction Z of the apex 24a of the inclined portion 24 when the female housing 11 is positioned at the second position P2. With this configuration, when the female housing 11 moves relative to the male housing 21 in the direction away from the male housing 21 in the axial direction X due to a reaction force of the seal member 80 or the like when the female housing 11 is positioned at the second position P2 corresponding to the completely mated state with the male housing 21, the shorted spring portion 13a and the abutment piece 13b pass under the apex 24a of the inclined portion 24, so that the contact allowance of the shorting terminal 13 is secured and the short circuit can be maintained.

[0046] In the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment, the top 24a of the inclined portion 24 is provided with a notch 24c for causing the abutment piece 13b of the short-circuiting terminal 13 to drop to the other side in the height direction Z when the female housing 11 moves to the second position P2. With this configuration, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can, for example, relatively easily adjust the timing at which the connector locking portion 40 locks the connector and the timing at which the short-circuiting terminal 13 drops from the top 24a of the inclined portion 24 to short-circuit by using the notch 24c.

[0047] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the male housing 21 of the male connector 20 is provided with an inclined portion 24 and a mating detection terminal 23, and the female connector 10 is provided with a short-circuiting terminal 13, but this example is not limited to this. For example, the female housing 11 of the female connector 10 may be provided with an inclined portion 24 and a mating detection terminal 23, and the male connector 20 may be provided with a short-circuiting terminal 13.

[0048] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated above, the above embodiment is merely an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, the specifications of each configuration, shape, and the like (structure, type, direction, format, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be appropriately changed and implemented. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Connector 10 Female Connector 11 Female housing 12 Female terminal 13 Shorting terminal 13a Spring part 13b Contact piece 20 Male Connector 21 Male housing 22 Male terminal 23 Mating detection terminal 24 Slope 24a top 24c Notch 30 Lever 40 Connector lock part 41 First locking portion 42 Second locking portion P1 1st position P2 2nd position W electric wire WH Wire harness X-axis direction Z height direction

Claims

1. a female connector having a female terminal, a short-circuiting terminal separate from the female terminal, and a female housing that holds the female terminal and the short-circuiting terminal therein; a male connector including a male terminal electrically connected to the female terminal, a mating detection terminal electrically connected to the shorting terminal, and a male housing that holds the male terminal and the mating detection terminal therein and is mated with the female housing along an axial direction; a connector lock portion for holding the female housing and the male housing in a mated state; Equipped with The male housing is provided with an inclined portion that extends along the axial direction and is inclined toward one side in a height direction intersecting with the axial direction as it moves toward a side opposite to the female housing in the axial direction, the shorting terminal has a flexible spring portion and a contact piece provided at a tip of the spring portion and contacting the inclined portion, As the female housing and the male housing are mated, the abutment piece of the shorting terminal moves up the inclined portion while abutting the inclined portion, deflecting the spring portion, and at the timing when the connector lock portion locks the female housing and the male housing, the abutment piece of the shorting terminal falls from the top of the inclined portion to the other side in the height direction, whereby the shorting terminal abuts against the mating detection terminal and becomes conductive, and the mating state of the female housing and the male housing is detected. connector.

2. a lever that supports the female housing so as to be movable relative to the male housing along the axial direction between a first position corresponding to a temporary mated state between the female housing and the male housing and a second position corresponding to a complete mated state between the female housing and the male housing, the connector lock portion has a first locking portion provided on the lever, and a second locking portion provided on the female housing and locked with the first locking portion in the axial direction when the female housing is positioned at the second position, The connector of claim 1 .

3. the spring portion and the abutment piece of the short-circuiting terminal are positioned on the other side in the height direction relative to the apex of the inclined portion when the female housing is positioned at the second position. The connector according to claim 2.

4. a notch is provided at the top of the inclined portion for allowing the contact piece of the shorting terminal to drop to the other side in the height direction when the female housing is moved to the second position; 4. The connector according to claim 2 or 3.

5. A conductive wire; A connector provided at an end of the electric wire, The connector includes: a female connector having a female terminal, a short-circuiting terminal separate from the female terminal, and a female housing that holds the female terminal and the short-circuiting terminal therein; a male connector including a male terminal electrically connected to the female terminal, a mating detection terminal electrically connected to the shorting terminal, and a male housing that holds the male terminal and the mating detection terminal therein and is mated with the female housing along an axial direction; a connector lock portion for holding the female housing and the male housing in a mated state; Equipped with The male housing is provided with an inclined portion that extends along the axial direction and is inclined toward one side in a height direction intersecting with the axial direction as it moves toward a side opposite to the female housing in the axial direction, the shorting terminal has a flexible spring portion and a contact piece provided at a tip of the spring portion and contacting the inclined portion, As the female housing and the male housing are mated, the abutment piece of the shorting terminal moves up the inclined portion while abutting the inclined portion, deflecting the spring portion, and at the timing when the connector lock portion locks the female housing and the male housing, the abutment piece of the shorting terminal falls from the top of the inclined portion to the other side in the height direction, whereby the shorting terminal abuts against the mating detection terminal and becomes conductive, and the mating state of the female housing and the male housing is detected. Wire harness.

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