Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector that enables recognition of an unassembled state of at least one of a fastening part and a retainer.SOLUTION: A connector 1 includes: a connector housing 3 that mates with a mating connector 2; an electric wire 4 that is fixed to a mating connector terminal 25 by means of a fastening part 18; a retainer 29 that holds a seal member 30 attached to an opening 24, which is formed in the connector housing 3 in order for passage of the fastening part 18; and a cover 34 that closes the opening 24. The connector 1 includes an unassembled-state confirmation mechanism 74 that prevents the cover 34 from closing the opening 24 of the connector housing 3 when at least one of the fastening part 18 and the retainer 29 is in an intermediate assembly position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, bolt-fastened connectors have been well known, in which electric wires in a connector housing mated with a mating connector are electrically connected to terminals of the mating connector by tightening bolts, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this type of bolt-fastened connector, an opening formed in the connector housing for passing the bolt through is closed with a cover to prevent hands from touching the bolt. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-81173 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, this type of connector is made up of various parts, and it is not desirable to ship the connector in a state where the parts are not fully assembled. Therefore, a mechanism for recognizing when parts are not fully assembled was required.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector that can detect when at least one of a fastening portion and a retainer is not assembled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The connector that solves the above problem comprises a connector housing that is fitted into a mating connector, an electric wire whose tip electric wire terminal is fixed to the mating connector terminal of the mating connector by a fastening portion that is inserted through an opening in the connector housing, a retainer that holds a sealing member that waterproofs the edge of the opening, and a cover that closes the opening so as to cover the retainer, and is equipped with an unassembled confirmation mechanism that prevents the cover from closing the opening when at least one of the retainer and the fastening portion is in an intermediate assembly position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present disclosure may recognize unassembly of at least one of the fastener and the retainer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector as seen from the rear. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view of the electric wire, and FIG. 4(b) is an exploded perspective view of the electric wire. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 8(a) to 8(c) are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure for fitting the cover. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the connector with a portion cut away. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX shown in FIG. 8(a). [Figure 11] 11(a) and 11(b) are explanatory diagrams showing how the first engaging piece and the second engaging piece of the detection member are engaged with each other. [Figure 12] FIG. 12(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the detection member when the connector is partially mated, and FIG. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the detection member moving from the pre-detection position to the detection position. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII shown in FIG. [Figure 14] 14(a) and 14(b) are explanatory diagrams showing the movement of the cover locking mechanism. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a side view showing the structure of the unassembled check mechanism. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a side view showing the structure of the unassembled check mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a connector housing that is fitted into a mating connector, an electric wire whose tip end terminal is fixed to a mating connector terminal of the mating connector by a fastening portion inserted from an opening of the connector housing, a retainer that holds a sealing member that waterproofs the edge of the opening, and a cover that closes the opening so as to cover the retainer, and is equipped with an unassembled confirmation mechanism that prevents the cover from closing the opening when at least one of the retainer and the fastening portion is located in an intermediate assembly position.

[0010] According to this configuration, when at least one of the fastening portion and the retainer is in an intermediate assembly position, the unassembled portion detection mechanism prevents the cover from closing the opening. Therefore, during the process of attaching the cover to the connector housing, the worker can immediately determine that at least one of the fastening portion and the retainer is unassembled. In this way, it is possible to recognize that at least one of the fastening portion and the retainer is unassembled.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], the unassembled state confirmation mechanism prevents the cover from being assembled to the connector housing when the retainer is in the mid-assembly position. This configuration makes it possible for an operator to recognize that the retainer is not completely assembled to the connector housing by clearly indicating that the cover cannot be attached to the connector housing.

[0012] [3] In the above [1] or [2], the unassembled confirmation mechanism prevents the cover, which is assembled to the connector housing and positioned in the initial position, from being moved to the position where the opening is closed when the fastening portion is positioned in the intermediate assembly position. With this configuration, it is possible to let an operator know that the fastening portion is unfastened in an easy-to-understand way that the cover, which is in the initial position, cannot be moved to the position where the opening is closed.

[0013] [4] In any of the above [1] to [3], the cover is positioned in an initial position when assembled to the connector housing, and is moved linearly from the initial position relative to the connector housing to a position that closes the opening. This configuration allows the structure for moving the cover relative to the connector housing to be a simple sliding structure.

[0014] [5] In any of the above [1] to [4], the cover has legs attached to rails provided on the connector housing so as to be linearly movable, the legs have protrusions that slidably engage with the rails to prevent them from falling off, and the protrusions have curved portions that contact the bottom surfaces of the rails. With this configuration, when the cover is operated linearly relative to the connector housing, the curved protrusions ensure smooth movement of the cover relative to the connector housing. Therefore, when the cover is slid from the initial position to the closing position of the opening, stick-slip is less likely to occur in the cover, and smooth linear movement of the cover is possible.

[0015] [6] In any of the above items [1] to [5], the connector includes a cover lock mechanism that holds the cover in the position after the mating operation when the cover is in the position closing the opening. With this configuration, the cover that closes the opening of the connector housing can be made less likely to fall off the connector housing by the cover lock mechanism.

[0016] [7] In any of the above [1] to [6], the connector includes a fall-off prevention part that is provided at the end of the path of movement of the cover in the opening direction of the connector housing and that prevents the cover from falling off in the opening direction. According to this configuration, when the cover is opened through the opening, the fall-off prevention part makes it difficult for the cover to fall off the connector housing.

[0017] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In each drawing, for the convenience of explanation, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions of each part may differ from the actual ones.

[0018] (Connector 1) As shown in FIG. 1, connector 1 includes connector housing 3 that mates with mating connector 2, and electric wires 4 whose tips are housed inside connector housing 3. Connector 1 includes a pair of electric wires 4. Connector 1 is used, for example, in a wire harness of a vehicle. Connector 1 is used, for example, in a cable of a charging inlet of the vehicle. Examples of vehicles include electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles.

[0019] (Connector housing 3) 1, electric wires 4 are connected to the side of connector housing 3, and mating connector 2 is connected to the bottom. In this way, connector 1 is an L-shaped connector in which the direction in which electric wires 4 are inserted into connector housing 3 and the direction in which connector housing 3 is mated with mating connector 2 are perpendicular to each other.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, the connector housing 3 has an opening 5 on its side for inserting electric wires 4. A pair of electric wires 4 is inserted into the opening 5 via a holder 6. The pair of electric wires 4 is inserted through a pair of slits 7 formed side by side in the height direction of the holder 6, each with a water-stopping member 8 interposed therebetween. A cap 9 for holding the holder 6 is attached to the opening 5.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, a locking portion 10 is provided between the connector housing 3 and the mating connector 2 to lock them in a mated state. In this example, the locking portion 10 has a claw portion 11 formed on the connector housing 3 and a protrusion 12 formed on the mating connector 2. When the connector housing 3 is completely mated with the mating connector 2, the claw portion 11 engages with the protrusion 12, thereby locking the mating.

[0022] (wire 4) 4(a) and (b), the electric wire 4 has a core wire 15 and an insulating coating 16 that covers the periphery of the core wire 15. The core wire 15 is, for example, a plate-shaped bus bar. An electric wire terminal 17 that is electrically connected to the mating connector 2 is formed at the tip of the core wire 15. The electric wire terminal 17 is formed with a hole 19 through which a shaft of a fastening part 18 that fixes the electric wire terminal 17 to the mating connector 2 is passed.

[0023] The insulating coating 16 covers, for example, the entire outer circumferential surface of the core wire 15. The insulating coating 16 is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin. For example, a synthetic resin containing a polyolefin resin such as cross-linked polyethylene or cross-linked polypropylene as a main component is used as the material for the insulating coating 16. As the material for the insulating coating 16, one type of material may be used alone, or two or more types of materials may be used in appropriate combination.

[0024] The pair of electric wire terminals 17 are arranged at different positions in the height direction (Z-axis direction in FIG. 4) and are also arranged offset from each other on a plane perpendicular to the height direction (XY-axis plane in FIG. 4). That is, although the electric wires 4 are arranged side by side in the height direction, the pair of electric wire terminals 17 are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the height direction.

[0025] An inner housing 21 that covers the periphery of the electric wire terminal 17 is attached to the tip of the electric wire 4. In this example, the inner housing 21 houses the electric wire terminals 17 of the pair of electric wires 4 as a single member. The pair of electric wires 4 are fixed to the inner housing 21 by a plurality of engaging claws 22 (only one is shown) formed on the inner housing 21. A hole 23 through which the shaft of the fastening portion 18 passes is formed in the inner housing 21 at a position opposite to the hole 19 of the electric wire terminal 17.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5 , the wire terminals 17 at the ends of the wires 4 are fixed to mating connector terminals 25 of the mating connector 2 by fastening portions 18 inserted through openings 24 of the connector housing 3. The fastening portions 18 are provided on each of the wires 4. The fastening portions 18 are, for example, bolts. In this manner, the connector 1 is a bolted connector in which the wires 4 are fixed to the mating connector 2 by bolts serving as fastening portions 18. The fastening portions 18 are fixed to the mating connector terminals 25 via bushings 26 housed in hole portions 23 of the wire terminals 17, for example.

[0027] (Retainer 29) 1 and 5, the connector 1 includes a retainer 29 that holds a sealing member 30 that waterproofs the edge of the opening 24. The retainer 29 is formed in an annular shape to match the shape of the sealing member 30. The retainer 29 is fixed to the connector housing 3 by engaging a pair of claws 31 with protrusions 32 (only one of which is shown) formed on the inner circumferential surface of the opening 24 of the connector housing 3. The sealing member 30 is, for example, a rubber ring.

[0028] (Cover 34) 5 and 6, the connector 1 includes a cover 34 that closes the opening 24 so as to cover the retainer 29. The cover 34 closes the opening 24 to prevent the fastening portion 18 from being touched by hands. The cover 34 has a cover main body 35 that covers the entire opening 24, legs 36 that extend from the cover main body 35 toward the connector housing 3, and bulges 37 formed on the side surfaces of the cover main body 35. A pair of legs 36 are arranged on both sides of the cover main body 35.

[0029] The connector housing 3 has rail portions 38 that guide the linear movement of the cover 34 assembled to the connector housing 3. The rail portions 38 are formed with insertion holes 39 into which the leg portions 36 of the cover 34 are inserted when the cover 34 is assembled to the connector housing 3. When the leg portions 36 are inserted into the insertion holes 39 and the cover 34 is assembled to the connector housing 3, the cover 34 takes its initial position before operation.

[0030] 6, the legs 36 have protrusions 40 that slidably engage with the rail portions 38 to prevent the legs 36 from falling off the rail portions 38. The protrusions 40 are disposed in rail grooves 41 inside the rail portions 38. The cover 34 is operated to move linearly relative to the rail portions 38 as the protrusions 40 slide along the rail grooves 41.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 7, the protrusion 40 is formed in a circular shape in a side view. In this way, the portion of the protrusion 40 that contacts the bottom surface of the rail portion 38 (specifically, the rail groove 41) is formed in a curved shape. With this shape, the protrusion 40 can easily slide against the inner surface of the rail groove 41. The cover 34 is moved from the initial position in a linear direction (the direction of arrow A1 in Fig. 7) to a position that closes the opening 24 (the state of Fig. 8(a)).

[0032] The bulge 37 has a slope 42 at a corner of its lower portion. However, if the protrusion 40 is formed in a circular shape in side view, the cover 34 will swing around the protrusion 40, which could cause the bulge 37 to come into contact with a component that is on the path of movement of the cover 34. In this case, if the bulge 37 has a slope 42, the slope 42 allows the cover 34 to smoothly move over a component that is on the path of movement when the cover 34 is operated in a linear direction. This allows the cover 34 to be smoothly operated from the initial position to the closed position.

[0033] 9, the rail portion 38 of the connector housing 3 has insertion holes 43 formed at positions where the leg portions 36 of the cover 34 positioned in the closed position are to be disposed. Therefore, when the cover 34 is positioned in the closed position, the leg portions 36 are allowed to be inserted further into the insertion holes 43, so that the cover 34 can be moved further from the closed position.

[0034] 10 , the cover 34 has a pair of wall portions 45 that support the base ends of the leg portions 36. A rib 46 is formed on the inner surface of the cover 34 between the pair of wall portions 45. The connector housing 3 has two notches 47, 48 of different depths that are aligned in the linear movement direction of the cover 34 near the rail portion 38. When the cover 34 is operated from above in the closed position, the rib 46 is inserted into the notch 47 of the connector housing 3, and one side of the pair of wall portions 45 is inserted into the notch 48 of the connector housing 3.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), when the cover 34 is operated (in this example, pressed) from the closed position, it is positioned at a first operation position, which is the first operation position in the operation direction (the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 8(a)). The first operation position is a temporary fitting position in which the cover 34 is temporarily fitted into the opening 24. As shown in FIGS. 8(b) and 8(c), when the cover 34 is further operated (in this example, pressed) from the first operation position, it is positioned at a second operation position, which is the second operation position in the operation direction. The second operation position is a fully fitted position in which the cover 34 is fully fitted into the opening 24.

[0036] (detection member 51) As shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, the connector 1 is equipped with a detection member 51 that can detect whether the connector housing 3 is completely mated with the mating connector 2. The detection member 51 has a main body 52 that extends in the height direction (the Z-axis direction in FIG. 1). The main body 52 is lightweight, for example, by being hollowed out in multiple locations. The detection member 51 has both edge portions slidably engaged with a pair of grooves 53 formed on the side surface of the connector housing 3. In this way, the detection member 51 is attached to the connector housing 3 and is linearly movable in the height direction along the grooves 53.

[0037] 11(a) and 11(b), the detection member 51 has a first engagement piece 55 that is locked to a protrusion 54 formed on the mating connector 2 when the detection member 51 is in the detection position, and a second engagement piece 57 that is locked to a protrusion 56 formed on the connector housing 3. The pair of first engagement piece 55 and second engagement piece 57 is disposed on both sides of the main body 52 in the width direction, and is also disposed at the lower end of the main body 52. ​​Each second engagement piece 57 is disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the first engagement piece 55 that forms the pair.

[0038] When the claw portion 11 and the protrusion 12 of the locking portion 10 are partially engaged, the first engagement piece 55 does not reach the protrusion 54, and furthermore, the second engagement piece 57 does not reach the protrusion 56. In this way, when the claw portion 11 and the protrusion 12 are partially engaged, neither the first engagement piece 55 nor the second engagement piece 57 transitions to an engaged state. As a result, when the locking portion 10 is partially engaged, it is not possible to position the detection member 51 in the detection position, so the operator recognizes that the connector 1 is not completely engaged with the mating connector 2.

[0039] When the claw 11 and protrusion 12 of the locking portion 10 are fully engaged, the first engagement piece 55 reaches the protrusion 54, and further, the second engagement piece 57 reaches the protrusion 56. In this way, when the claw 11 and protrusion 12 are fully engaged, both the first engagement piece 55 and the second engagement piece 57 transition to an engaged state. This allows the detection member 51 to be positioned correctly in the detection position, so the operator can recognize that the connector 1 is fully engaged with the mating connector 2.

[0040] 12(a) and 12(b), the detection member 51 has a lock retaining portion 59 that maintains the locked state of the locking portion 10. The lock retaining portion 59 has a restricting portion 60 that is arranged across the claw portion 11 of the connector housing 3, and a support protrusion 62 that can be inserted into a recessed portion 61 at the base end of the claw portion 11. The restricting portion 60 presses the claw portion 11 from the surface when the detection member 51 is in the detection position. The support protrusion 62 is housed in the recessed portion 61 when the detection member 51 is in the detection position.

[0041] 12(b), when the detection member 51 is located in the detection position, the restricting portion 60 covers the claw portion 11 from above, and the support protrusion 62 enters the recessed portion 61. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to forcibly remove the locking portion 10, the support protrusion 62 of the detection member 51 is accommodated in the recessed portion 61 of the connector housing 3, and the restricting portion 60 presses the claw portion 11 from above, so that the claw portion 11 is not released from the protrusion 12 by the lock retaining portion 59. In this way, when a load is applied to the claw portion 11 of the locking portion 10 in the opening direction (unlocking direction), the support protrusion 62 is supported by the inner surface of the recessed portion 61, preventing the claw portion 11 from opening, thereby maintaining the restricting portion 60 pressing the claw portion 11 from the surface.

[0042] (Falling prevention part 65) As shown in Figure 7, the connector 1 includes a fall prevention portion 65 that is provided at the end of the movement path of the cover 34 in the opening direction (the direction of arrow B1 in Figure 7) in the connector housing 3 and that prevents the cover 34 from falling off in the opening direction. The fall prevention portion 65 is a protruding piece that is formed on the upper wall of the connector housing 3 at a position opposite the opening 24. When the cover 34 is slid in the opening direction, the cover body 35 of the cover 34 abuts against the fall prevention portion 65, thereby preventing the cover 34 from falling off when moved linearly in the opening direction.

[0043] (Cover lock mechanism 66) 13, 14(a), and 14(b), the connector 1 is provided with a cover lock mechanism 66 that holds the cover 34 in a position after the cover 34 is pressed when the cover 34 is in the closing position of the opening 24 and the connector housing 3 is mated with the cover 34. In this example, the cover lock mechanism 66 holds the cover 34 in the position where the cover 34 was pressed when the cover 34 was in the closing position of the opening 24. Specifically, the cover lock mechanism 66 transitions to a locked state when the cover 34 is operated from the closing position to the first operating position.

[0044] The cover lock mechanism 66 has a lock piece 67 (see FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b)) formed on the detection member 51 and a step 68 (see FIG. 13) formed on the cover 34. The lock piece 67 is disposed at one end (the upper end in this example) of the detection member 51 in the longitudinal direction. The step 68 is formed inside the bulging portion 37 of the cover 34. When the cover 34 is pressed from the closed position, the lock piece 67 bends during the pressing operation, and when the cover 34 reaches the first operating position, the lock piece 67 engages with the step 68.

[0045] (Guide mechanism 69) 8(a), the connector 1 is provided with a guide mechanism 69 that uses a concave-convex shape to guide the positioning of the cover 34 and the detection member 51 when the cover 34 and the detection member 51 are locked by the cover lock mechanism 66. The guide mechanism 69 includes a protruding wall 70 formed on the detection member 51 and a notch 71 formed on the cover 34. When the cover 34 is pressed from the closed position to the first operating position, the guide mechanism 69 positions the cover 34 and the detection member 51 by causing the protruding wall 70 to fit into the notch 71.

[0046] (Indentation surface 72) 8(a), the cover 34 has a pushing surface 72 that contacts the detection member 51 during operation and pushes the detection member 51 toward the detection position. A pair of pushing surfaces 72 are arranged on both sides of the guide mechanism 69 (specifically, the notch 71). In this example, when the cover 34 is operated from the first operating position to the second operating position, the pair of pushing surfaces 72 push the detection member 51, thereby positioning the detection member 51 at the detection position. In this way, after the detection member 51 is locked to the cover 34 by the cover lock mechanism 66, the detection member 51 is moved from the pre-detection position to the detection position in conjunction with further operation of the cover 34.

[0047] (Unassembled Check Mechanism 74) 15 and 16, connector 1 is provided with an unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 that prevents cover 34 from closing opening 24 when at least one of retainer 29 and fastening portion 18 is in an intermediate assembly position. Unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 prevents cover 34 from being attached properly when at least one of retainer 29 and fastening portion 18 is not completely assembled, thereby letting the worker know that these parts are not assembled.

[0048] 15, when the retainer 29 is in the mid-assembly position, the unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 prevents the cover 34 from being assembled to the connector housing 3. In this example, the unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 can recognize that the retainer 29 is in the mid-assembly position, for example, when assembling the cover 34 to the connector housing 3, by detecting that the retainer 29 is not completely attached to the connector housing 3 and floats a predetermined amount, interfering with the cover 34 and preventing the projections 40 of the cover 34 from engaging with the rail grooves 41.

[0049] 16, when the fastening portion 18 is in the mid-assembly position, the unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 prevents the cover 34, which is assembled to the connector housing 3 and is in the initial position, from being operated to the position that closes the opening 24. In this example, for example, when the cover 34, which is in the initial position, is slid to the position that closes the opening 24, the unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 can recognize that the fastening portion 18 is in the mid-assembly position by the fact that the cover 34 can only be slid partway because the cover 34 interferes with the fastening portion 18.

[0050] Next, the operation of the connector 1 of this embodiment will be described. (When the retainer 29 is not fully fitted) As shown in Figure 15, if the retainer 29 is not completely assembled into the opening 24, the retainer 29 will protrude upward by a certain amount from the top surface of the opening 24. If an attempt is made to assemble the cover 34 to the connector housing 3 in this state, the retainer 29, which protrudes upward by a certain amount, will interfere, and the protrusions 40 on the legs 36 of the cover 34 will not be able to fit into the rail grooves 41. This allows the worker to immediately see that the fit of the retainer 29 is incomplete. Therefore, the worker can reassemble the retainer 29 and continue to install the cover 34 correctly.

[0051] (When the fastening portion 18 is not completely fastened) As shown in Figure 16, if the fastening portion 18 is not completely fastened to the mating connector terminal 25 of the mating connector 2, the fastening portion 18 will protrude upward by a predetermined amount from the front of the opening 24. If the cover 34 is slid from the initial position to the closed position in this state, the fastening portion 18 protruding upward by a predetermined amount will interfere with the cover 34, preventing it from sliding to the closed position. This allows the worker to immediately know that the fastening portion 18 is not completely fastened. Therefore, the worker can immediately retighten the fastening portion 18 and continue to install the cover 34 correctly.

[0052] (Effects of the embodiment) According to the connector 1 of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Connector 1 includes connector housing 3 that is mated with mating connector 2, electric wires 4 that are fixed to mating connector terminals 25 by fastening portions 18, retainer 29 that holds seal member 30 that is attached to opening 24, and cover 34 that closes opening 24. Connector 1 includes unassembled confirmation mechanism 74 that prevents cover 34 from closing opening 24 of connector housing 3 when at least one of fastening portions 18 and retainer 29 is in an intermediate assembly position.

[0053] According to this configuration, when at least one of the fastening portion 18 and the retainer 29 is in an intermediate assembly position, the unassembled confirmation mechanism 74 prevents the cover 34 from closing the opening 24. Therefore, the worker can immediately tell that at least one of the fastening portion 18 and the retainer 29 is unassembled while attaching the cover 34 to the connector housing 3. In this way, it is possible to recognize that at least one of the fastening portion 18 and the retainer 29 is unassembled.

[0054] (2) The unassembled state confirmation mechanism 74 prevents the cover 34 from being assembled to the connector housing 3 when the retainer 29 is in an intermediate assembly position. This configuration makes it easy for an operator to recognize that the retainer 29 is not completely assembled to the connector housing 3 by showing that the cover 34 cannot be attached to the connector housing 3.

[0055] (3) When the fastening portion 18 is in the mid-assembly position, the unassembled confirmation mechanism 74 prevents the cover 34, which is assembled to the connector housing 3 and in its initial position, from being moved to the position that closes the opening 24. This configuration allows the worker to recognize that the fastening portion 18 is unfastened in an easy-to-understand manner, as the cover 34 in its initial position cannot be moved to the position that closes the opening 24.

[0056] (4) The cover 34 is located in an initial position when attached to the connector housing 3, and is located in a position that closes the opening 24 when moved linearly from the initial position relative to the connector housing 3. This configuration allows the structure for moving the cover 34 relative to the connector housing 3 to be a simple sliding structure.

[0057] (5) The cover 34 has legs 36 attached to rails 38 provided on the connector housing 3 so as to be linearly movable. The legs 36 have protrusions 40 that slidably engage with the rails 38 so as not to fall off the rails 38. The protrusions 40 have curved portions that come into contact with the bottom surfaces of the rails 38. With this configuration, when the cover 34 is moved linearly relative to the connector housing 3, the curved protrusions 40 ensure smooth movement of the cover 34 relative to the connector housing 3. Therefore, when the cover 34 is slid from the initial position to the position that closes the opening 24, stick-slip is less likely to occur in the cover 34, and the cover 34 can be moved smoothly linearly.

[0058] (6) The connector 1 includes a cover lock mechanism 66 that holds the cover 34 in the position after the mating operation when the cover 34 is in the position closing the opening 24. With this configuration, the cover 34 closing the opening 24 of the connector housing 3 can be made less likely to fall off the connector housing 3 by the cover lock mechanism 66.

[0059] (7) The connector 1 includes a fall prevention portion 65 that is provided at the end of the path of movement of the cover 34 in the opening direction in the connector housing 3 and that prevents the cover 34 from falling off in the opening direction. According to this configuration, when the cover 34 is opened through the opening 24, the fall prevention portion 65 makes it difficult for the cover 34 to fall off the connector housing 3.

[0060] (Other embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0061] The pair of electric wires 4 is not limited to being arranged in the height direction, but may be arranged in the width direction (horizontal direction). The number of electric wires 4 is not limited to two, but may be one, or three or more.

[0062] The operation of the cover 34 from the initial position to the closed position is not limited to a sliding operation, but may be, for example, a rotation operation around the tip of the leg 36 (specifically, the protrusion 40). The cover 34 may be in a closed position when it is attached to the connector housing 3 .

[0063] The operation of fitting the cover 34 from the closed position to the connector housing 3 is not limited to a two-step operation, but may be a one-step operation. That is, a configuration may be adopted in which the locking of the cover 34 and the interlocking of the detection member 51 are simultaneously performed by a one-step operation of the cover 34 from the closed position.

[0064] The core wire 15 is not limited to a bus bar, but may be a bundle of multiple conducting wires. The mid-assembly position refers to a position where the fastening portion 18 is positioned midway through fastening, or a position where the retainer 29 is positioned midway through fitting into the opening 24.

[0065] The detection member 51 may be omitted from the connector 1. While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 connector 2 Mating connector 3 Connector housing 4 electric wire 5 Opening hole 6 Holder 7 Slit 8 Water-stopping material 9 Cap 10 Locking section 11 Claw 12 protrusion 14 Insulation coating 15 core wire 16 Insulation coating 17 Wire terminal 18 Fastening part 19 Hole 21 Inner housing 22 Engagement claw 23 Hole 24 Opening 25 Mating connector terminal 26 Bush 29 Retainer 30 Sealing material 31 Claw 32 protrusion 34 Cover 35 Cover body 36 Legs 37 Bulge 38 Rail section 39 Insertion hole 40 protrusions 41 Rail groove 42 Slope 43 Insertion hole 45 Wall 46 Ribs 47 Notch 48 Notch 51 Detection member 52 Main body 53 Groove 54 protrusion 55 First engagement piece 56 Protrusion 57 Second engagement piece 59 Lock retaining part 60 Regulatory Department 61 Recessed portion 62 Supporting protrusion 65 Falling prevention part 66 Cover lock mechanism 67 Lock piece 68 Step section 69 Guide mechanism 70 Projecting wall 71 Notch 72 Push-in surface 74 Unassembled Check Mechanism

Claims

1. A connector comprising: a connector housing to be fitted into a mating connector; an electric wire having an electric wire terminal at a tip thereof fixed to a mating connector terminal of the mating connector by a fastening portion inserted from an opening of the connector housing; a retainer that holds a sealing member that waterproofs the edge of the opening; and a cover that closes the opening so as to cover the retainer, a connector including an unassembled state confirmation mechanism that prevents the cover from closing the opening when at least one of the retainer and the fastening portion is in an intermediate assembly position;

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the unassembled confirmation mechanism prevents the cover from being assembled to the connector housing when the retainer is in the intermediate assembly position.

3. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the unassembled confirmation mechanism prevents the cover, which is assembled to the connector housing and positioned in its initial position, from being operated to a position that closes the opening when the fastening portion is positioned in the mid-assembly position.

4. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the cover is positioned in an initial position when assembled to the connector housing, and is positioned in a closing position of the opening by being operated in a linear direction from the initial position relative to the connector housing.

5. the cover has legs attached to rails provided on the connector housing so as to be linearly movable; The leg portion has a protrusion that slidably engages with the rail portion so as not to fall off the rail portion, The connector according to claim 4 , wherein the projection has a curved portion that contacts the bottom surface of the rail portion.

6. 2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a cover locking mechanism that, when a mating operation is performed with the cover in a position where the cover closes the opening, holds the cover in the position after the operation.

7. 2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a fall-off prevention portion provided at an end of a movement path of the cover in the opening direction on the connector housing, the fall-off prevention portion preventing the cover from falling off in the opening direction.

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