Connector

Abstract

To connect the male and female terminals and absorb dimensional tolerances when connectors are mated.SOLUTION: A connector 10 according to the present disclosure includes a male housing 21 having a plurality of mating recesses 25 that open forward, male terminals M that protrude into the mating recesses 25, a plurality of sub-housings that are inserted into the plurality of mating recesses 25, a female frame 40 that is configured to be able to mate with the male housing 21 and that holds the sub-housing, and female terminals F that are configured to be connectable to the male terminals M and that are accommodated in the sub-housing, and the sub-housing is inserted into the mating recess 25 while being guided by the inner wall of the mating recess 25 when the male housing 21 and the female frame 40 are mated, and the female terminals F are connected to the male terminals M when the sub-housing is inserted into the mating recess 25, and the female frame 40 has a retaining wall 41 that holds the sub-housing in a cantilevered manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] An electrical connector described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2-306559 (Patent Document 1 below) is known as a multi-pole connector. This electrical connector includes a male connector fitted with female terminals, a female connector fitted with male terminals, and a push lever that completes the mating and electrical connection of the two connectors. When the male connector is mated with the female connector, the female and male terminals are not yet in contact, and the insertion force required for mating is reduced. After this, when the push lever is pushed into the cam holes of both connectors, a portion of the push lever slides against the inner wall of the cam hole, causing the male connector to slide in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction. This brings the male and female terminals into contact and electrically connects them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-306559 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as electrical connectors become more multi-polar, they become larger and more susceptible to dimensional tolerances, making it difficult to connect a pair of diagonally positioned male terminals to a corresponding pair of female terminals due to tolerance deviations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a male housing having a plurality of mating recesses that open forward, male terminals that protrude into the mating recesses, a plurality of sub-housings that are inserted into the mating recesses respectively, a female frame that is configured to be able to mate with the male housing and that holds the sub-housings, and female terminals that are configured to be connectable to the male terminals and that are accommodated in the sub-housings, wherein the sub-housings are inserted into the mating recesses while being guided by the inner walls of the mating recesses when the male housing and the female frame are mated, and the female terminals are connected to the male terminals when the sub-housing is inserted into the mating recesses, and the female frame has a retaining wall that holds the sub-housing in a cantilevered manner. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, when connectors are fitted together, dimensional tolerances can be accommodated and the male terminal and female terminal can be connected together. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the connector with the lever in the initial position. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the connector with the lever in the closed position. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connector. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing how the first sub-connector is held in a cantilevered manner by the holding wall. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing how the second sub-connector is held in a cantilevered manner by the holding wall. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector with the lever in the initial position, taken in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the first sub-connector, with the lever in the initial position, taken in a direction parallel to the mating direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second sub-connector, with the lever in the initial position, taken in a direction parallel to the mating direction. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the first sub-connector with the lever in the completed position, taken in a direction parallel to the mating direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the second sub-connector with its lever in the completed position, taken in a direction parallel to the mating direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view, seen from diagonally front left, showing how the first sub-connector and the second sub-connector are inserted into the corresponding fitting recesses. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view, seen from diagonally front right, showing how the first sub-connector and the second sub-connector are inserted into the corresponding fitting recesses. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a front view of the male connector. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the male connector as seen obliquely from the front right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The connector of the present disclosure comprises a male housing having a plurality of mating recesses that open forward, male terminals that protrude into the mating recesses, a plurality of sub-housings that are inserted into the mating recesses, respectively, a female frame that is configured to be able to mate with the male housing and that holds the sub-housings, and female terminals that are configured to be connectable to the male terminals and that are accommodated in the sub-housings, wherein the sub-housings are inserted into the mating recesses while being guided by the inner wall of the mating recess when the male housing and the female frame are mated, and the female terminals are connected to the male terminals when the sub-housing is inserted into the mating recesses, and the female frame has a retaining wall that holds the sub-housing in a cantilevered manner.

[0009] When the male housing and female frame are mated, the multiple sub-housings are inserted into the multiple mating recesses. Because the sub-housings are cantilevered by the retaining walls, they can be inserted into the mating recesses while being guided by the inner walls of the mating recesses, allowing for tilting of the sub-housings relative to the female frame. Therefore, dimensional tolerances can be accommodated when mating the connectors, allowing the male and female terminals to be connected.

[0010] [2] In the connector described in [1], a partition wall is formed between adjacent mating recesses to separate them, and it is preferable that the partition wall extends in the mating direction and extends to the front end of the mating recess. Since the distance over which the sub-housing is guided by the inner wall of the fitting recess is increased in the fitting direction, the male and female housings can be fitted together smoothly.

[0011] [3] In the connector described in [2], it is preferable that the female frame has an outer peripheral wall that houses multiple sub-housings inside, the male housing has an inner peripheral wall that fits within the outer peripheral wall, and the partition is connected to the inner peripheral wall. Since the partition wall is connected to the inner peripheral wall, the strength of the partition wall can be improved compared to when the partition wall is not connected to the inner peripheral wall.

[0012] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure. 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. In the drawings, for the sake of convenience, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of the components may differ between drawings. In this specification, "orthogonal" does not only refer to a strict orthogonal relationship, but also includes a roughly orthogonal relationship within the scope of the operation and effect of the present embodiment.

[0013] In addition, "facing" in this specification refers to surfaces or components facing each other, and includes not only cases where they are completely facing each other, but also cases where they are partially facing each other. In addition, "facing" in this specification includes both cases where a component separate from the two components is interposed between the two components, and cases where nothing is interposed between the two components.

[0014] <Embodiment> An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 14. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow Z is defined as upward, the direction indicated by arrow X as forward, and the direction indicated by arrow Y as leftward. Note that, for multiple identical components, only some of the components may be designated by reference numerals, and the reference numerals for the other components may be omitted.

[0015] (Connector 10) The connector 10 of this embodiment is a multi-pole connector and is mounted on vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. As shown in Fig. 3, the connector 10 is configured to include a male connector 20, a female connector 30, and a lever 50. The lever 50 is movable between an initial position shown in Fig. 1 and a mated position shown in Fig. 2. The male connector 20 and the female connector 30 are mated by moving the lever 50 from the initial position to the mated position, and the male connector 20 and the female connector 30 are disengaged by moving the lever 50 from the mated position to the initial position.

[0016] (Lever 50) 3, the lever 50 is made of synthetic resin and has an upper slide portion 51, a lower slide portion 52, and an operating portion 53. The upper and lower slide portions 51, 52 are slidable in the left-right direction perpendicular to the mating direction, and the operating portion 53 is rotatable.

[0017] The operation unit 53 has an upper operation unit 531 that slides the upper slide unit 51 in the left-right direction, a lower operation unit 532 that slides the lower slide unit 52 in the left-right direction, and a connecting unit 533 that connects the upper operation unit 531 and the lower operation unit 532. The upper operation unit 531 is longer than the lower operation unit 532. Therefore, the lever 50 can be moved between the initial position and the mating position by holding the upper operation unit 531 in one's hand and operating the lever.

[0018] The upper operating unit 531 and the lower operating unit 532 are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction with the connecting unit 533 in between. A pair of upper and lower rotation shafts 534 are provided on the opposing surfaces of the upper operating unit 531 and the lower operating unit 532. The lower rotation shaft 514 is connected to both the lower operating unit 532 and the connecting unit 513. Although not shown, the upper rotation shaft 514 is connected to both the upper operating unit 531 and the connecting unit 513. The pair of upper and lower rotation shafts 514 are arranged coaxially and are journaled by the female connector 30. This allows the operating unit 53 to rotate relative to the female connector 30 between an initial position and a mating position.

[0019] A linking shaft 535 is provided on the opposing surface of the lower operating unit 532 at a position different from the rotation shaft 534. Meanwhile, a linking groove 521 that receives the linking shaft 535 is provided in the lower slide unit 52. The female connector 30 has an upper slide accommodating portion 301 that accommodates the upper slide unit 51 and a lower slide accommodating portion 302 that accommodates the lower slide unit 52. The upper and lower slide accommodating portions 301, 302 open in the left and right directions and support the upper and lower slide units 51, 52 so that they can be guided in the left and right directions. As a result, when the operating unit 53 is rotated, the linking shaft 535 engages with the inner wall of the linking groove 521 of the lower slide unit 52, allowing the lower slide unit 52 to slide in the left and right directions between the initial position and the mated position.

[0020] Although not shown, the linking shaft 535 is provided on the opposing surface of the upper operating part 531 in addition to the opposing surface of the lower operating part 532. Similarly, the upper slide part 51 is provided with a linking groove 511 that receives the linking shaft 535. When the operating part 53 is rotated, the linking shaft 535 engages with the inner wall of the linking groove 511 of the upper slide part 51, allowing the upper slide part 51 to slide left and right between the initial position and the mating position.

[0021] (female connector 30) As shown in FIG. 3, the female connector 30 has a plurality of first sub-connectors 31, a plurality of second sub-connectors 32, and a female frame 40. The second sub-connector 32 is smaller than the first sub-connector 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the first sub-connector 31 has a first sub-housing 311 made of synthetic resin and female terminals F housed inside the first sub-housing 311. As shown in FIG. 5, the second sub-connector 32 has a second sub-housing 321 made of synthetic resin and female terminals housed inside the second sub-housing 321. In the following, the female terminals of the first sub-connector 31 and the female terminals F of the second sub-connector 32 will not be distinguished from each other and will both be referred to as female terminals F. The female terminals F are made of a conductive metal and have a rectangular tubular main body.

[0022] The female frame 40 is made of synthetic resin and has a retaining wall 41 that holds the multiple first sub-connectors 31 and the multiple second sub-connectors 32 in a cantilevered manner, and an outer wall 42 that surrounds the multiple first sub-connectors 31 and the multiple second sub-connectors 32 held by the retaining wall 41 all around.

[0023] An upper slide accommodating portion 301 is formed in an upper wall 421 constituting the outer peripheral wall 42, and a lower slide accommodating portion 302 is formed in a lower wall 422 constituting the outer peripheral wall 42. A holding protrusion 423 that holds the lever 50 in the mating position is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall 421 constituting the outer peripheral wall 42. Meanwhile, a lever lock portion 536 that can be engaged with the holding protrusion 423 is formed on an upper operating portion 531 of the lever 50. When the lever 50 reaches the mating position, the lever lock portion 536 engages with the holding protrusion 423, thereby holding the lever 50 in the mating position.

[0024] (Male connector 20) Male connector 20 includes male housing 21 and male terminals M held in male housing 21. Male housing 21 is made of synthetic resin and has an inner peripheral wall 22 that can be fitted into the inside of outer peripheral wall 42 of female frame 40, a plurality of vertical partition walls 23 extending vertically inside inner peripheral wall 22, and a plurality of horizontal partition walls 24 extending horizontally inside inner peripheral wall 22.

[0025] A plurality of cam pins 201 are formed on the upper wall 221 and the lower wall 222 that constitute the inner peripheral wall 22. Meanwhile, a plurality of cam grooves 501 are formed on the upper slide portion 51 and the lower slide portion 52 of the lever 50. When the male connector 20 and the female connector 30 are shallowly mated with each other while the lever 50 is in the initial position, the cam pins 201 enter the entrances of the cam grooves 501. When the lever 50 is moved to the mating position in this state, the cam pins 201 engage with the inner walls of the cam grooves 501, thereby progressing the mating of the male connector 20 and the female connector 30 and reaching a fully mated state.

[0026] A plurality of mating recesses 25 are formed inside inner peripheral wall 22 by a plurality of vertical partition walls 23 and a plurality of horizontal partition walls 24, and are arranged in a grid pattern. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a plurality of male terminals M protrude into mating recesses 25. Male terminals M are made of a conductive metal and have a tab shape. When male connector 20 and female connector 30 are mated, male terminals M and female terminals F are electrically connected as shown in Figures 9 and 10.

[0027] The mating recess 25 has a first mating recess 26 shown in Fig. 7 and a second mating recess 27 shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 6, one first sub-connector 31 is inserted into the first mating recess 26, while two second sub-connectors 32 stacked in the vertical direction are inserted into the second mating recess 27. The vertical partition walls 23 and the horizontal partition walls 24 extend in the mating direction and reach the front end of the mating recess 25. The vertical partition walls 23 and the horizontal partition walls 24 are connected to the inner circumferential wall 22.

[0028] (First sub-connector holding structure) 4, the first sub-connector 31 has a first sub-housing 33, which is cantilevered by a retaining wall 41 of the female frame 40. A retaining protrusion 331 is formed on the top or bottom surface of the first sub-housing 33.

[0029] 3, a first insertion hole 411, through which the first sub-connector 31 is inserted, is formed in the retaining wall 41 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. A gate-shaped first retaining piece 412 is formed in an inner wall 413 that defines the first insertion hole 411 and is flexible. When the first sub-connector 31 is inserted into the first insertion hole 411 from the rear, the first retaining piece 412 rides up on the retaining protrusion 331, causing the first retaining piece 412 to bend and deform. When the retaining protrusion 331 rides up over the first retaining piece 412, the first retaining piece 412 elastically returns to its original state, and the retaining protrusion 331 engages with the first retaining piece 412 from the front, preventing the first sub-connector 31 from coming off rearward.

[0030] The base end 333 of the first sub-housing 33 is sandwiched in the vertical and horizontal directions by the inner wall 413 of the first insertion hole 411. That is, the rear end of the first sub-housing 33 in the insertion direction into the first fitting recess 26 is held by the holding wall 41, and the first sub-housing 33 is held in a cantilevered manner by the holding wall 41. The base end 333 of the first sub-housing 33 is supported by the inner wall 413 so that the tip end 334 can tilt. A clearance required for assembling the first sub-housing 33 into the first insertion hole 411 is secured between the base end 333 of the first sub-housing 33 and the inner wall 413 of the first insertion hole 411. This allows the tip end 334 of the first sub-housing 33 to tilt in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0031] (Second sub-connector retention structure) As shown in FIG. 5 , the second sub-connector 32 has a second sub-housing 34, which is cantilevered by a retaining wall 41 of the female frame 40. A retaining protrusion 341 is formed on the top or bottom surface of the second sub-housing 34, and a retaining recess 342 is formed on the opposite surface. The second sub-connectors 32 are stacked in two layers, one above the other, with the retaining protrusion 341 of one second sub-connector 32 accommodated in the retaining recess 342 of the other second sub-connector 32. This positions the pair of upper and lower second sub-connectors 32 in a stacked state. Hereinafter, the stacked plurality of second sub-connectors 32 will be referred to as the second sub-connector stack 32, and the stacked plurality of second sub-housings 34 will be referred to as the second sub-housing stack 34.

[0032] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 , the retaining wall 41 has a second insertion hole 414 formed therethrough in the front-rear direction, through which the second sub-connector laminate 32 is inserted. A cantilevered second retaining piece 415 is formed on an inner wall 416 defining the second insertion hole 414 and is flexible. A pair of second retaining pieces 415 is provided for each second insertion hole 414. The pair of second retaining pieces 415 is provided side by side in the left-right direction. When the second sub-connector laminate 32 is inserted into the second insertion hole 414 from the rear, the second retaining piece 415 rides up on the retaining protrusion 341, thereby causing the second retaining piece 415 to bend and deform. When the retaining protrusion 341 rides up on the second retaining piece 415, the second retaining piece 415 elastically returns to its original position, and the retaining protrusion 341 engages with the second retaining piece 415 from the front, preventing the second sub-connector laminate 32 from slipping out rearward.

[0033] The base end 343 of the second sub-housing laminate 34 is sandwiched in the vertical and horizontal directions by the inner wall 416 of the second insertion hole 414. That is, the rear end of the second sub-housing laminate 34 in the insertion direction into the second fitting recess 27 is held by the retaining wall 41, and the second sub-housing laminate 34 is held in a cantilevered manner by the retaining wall 41. The base end 343 of the second sub-housing laminate 34 is supported by the inner wall 416 so that the tip end 344 can tilt. A clearance required for assembling the second sub-housing laminate 34 into the second insertion hole 414 is secured between the base end 343 of the second sub-housing laminate 34 and the inner wall 416 of the second insertion hole 414. This allows the tip end 344 of the second sub-housing laminate 34 to tilt in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0034] (Guide structure of male connector) 3, male connector 20 has male housing 21, which has a mating recess 25 that opens forward (toward the side that mates with female connector 30 in the mating direction). Mating recess 25 has a plurality of first mating recesses 26 into which a plurality of first sub-connectors 31 are inserted, and a plurality of second mating recesses 27 into which a plurality of second sub-connector stacks 32 are inserted.

[0035] 11 to 13, the first sub-housing 33 has a first guide protrusion 335 that protrudes in the left-right direction, and the first fitting recess 26 has a first guide recess 261 that accommodates the first guide protrusion 335. The second sub-housing 34 has a second guide protrusion 345 that protrudes in the left-right direction, and the second fitting recess 27 has a second guide recess 271 that accommodates the second guide protrusion 345. Tapered guide surfaces 262, 272 are formed on the opening edges of the guide recesses 261, 271, respectively.

[0036] When male connector 20 and female connector 30 are shallowly mated by hand, first guide protrusion 335 is guided into first guide recess 261 while sliding against guide surface 262 of first guide recess 261, and second guide protrusion 345 is guided into second guide recess 271 while sliding against guide surface 272 of second guide recess 271. When male connector 20 and female connector 30 are shallowly mated, as shown in Figure 6, first sub-connector 31 is inserted into first mating recess 26, and second sub-connector stack 32 is inserted into second mating recess 27. In this state, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, each sub-connector 31, 32 is positioned by each mating recess 26, 27, and therefore, when lever 50 is subsequently slid to perform mating, each male terminal M is securely connected to each female terminal F (see Figures 9 and 10). The male terminal M in Figure 9 is located on the far left when viewed from the front, and the male terminal M in Figure 10 is located on the far right when viewed from the front, but since each sub-connector 31, 32 can tilt relative to the female frame 40 to absorb dimensional tolerances, the male terminal M and female terminal F located at the most diagonal are connected.

[0037] (Effects of this embodiment) The connector 10 of this embodiment comprises a male housing 21 having a plurality of mating recesses 25 that open forward, a male terminal M that protrudes into the mating recess 25, a plurality of sub-housings 33, 34 that are inserted into the plurality of mating recesses 25, respectively, a female frame 40 that is configured to be able to mate with the male housing 21 and that holds the sub-housings 33, 34, and a female terminal F that is configured to be connectable to the male terminal M and that is accommodated in the sub-housings 33, 34, wherein the sub-housings 33, 34 are inserted into the mating recess 25 while being guided by the inner wall of the mating recess 25 when the male housing 21 and the female frame 40 are mated, and the female terminal F is connected to the male terminal M when the sub-housings 33, 34 are inserted into the mating recess 25, and the female frame 40 has a retaining wall 41 that holds the sub-housings 33, 34 in a cantilevered manner.

[0038] When the male housing 21 and the female frame 40 are mated, the multiple sub-housings 33, 34 are inserted into the multiple mating recesses 25. At this time, because the sub-housings 33, 34 are held in a cantilevered manner by the retaining wall 41, the sub-housings 33, 34 can be inserted into the mating recess 25 while being guided by the inner wall of the mating recess 25, while allowing tilting of the sub-housings 33, 34 relative to the female frame 40. Therefore, dimensional tolerances can be absorbed when the connectors are mated, and the male terminals M and female terminals F can be connected.

[0039] Between adjacent mating recesses 25, partition walls 23, 24 are formed to separate them, and the partition walls 23, 24 extend in the mating direction and reach the front ends of the mating recesses 25. Since the distance over which the sub-housings 33 and 34 are guided by the inner wall of the mating recess 25 is increased in the mating direction, the mating of the connector 10 can be performed smoothly.

[0040] The female frame 40 has an outer peripheral wall 42 that houses multiple sub-housings 33, 34 inside, the male housing 21 has an inner peripheral wall 22 that fits within the outer peripheral wall 42, and the partition walls 23, 24 are connected to the inner peripheral wall 22. Since the partition walls 23, 24 are connected to the inner peripheral wall 22, the strength of the partition walls 23, 24 can be improved compared to when they are not connected to the inner peripheral wall 22.

[0041] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows: The above-described embodiments can be implemented in combination with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0042] In the above embodiment, both the first sub-housing 33 and the second sub-housing 34 are illustrated as sub-housings, but only one of the first sub-housing 33 and the second sub-housing 34 may be used.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the partition walls 23 and 24 extend to the front end of the fitting recess 25, but the front end of the partition walls may be located rearward of the front end of the fitting recess 25.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the partition walls 23 and 24 are connected to the inner circumferential wall 22, but the partition walls do not have to be connected to the inner circumferential wall 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10: Connector 20: Male connector 201: Cam pin 21: Male housing 22: Inner wall 221: Upper wall 222: Lower wall 23: Longitudinal bulkhead 24: Transverse bulkhead 25:Mating recess 26: First fitting recess 261: First guide recess 262: Guide surface 27: Second fitting recess 271: Second guide recess 272: Guide surface 30: Female connector 301: Upper slide housing 302: Lower slide housing 31: First sub-connector 32: Second sub-connector, second sub-connector laminate 33: First sub-housing 331: Holding protrusion 333: Base end portion 334: Tip portion 335: First guide protrusion 34: Second sub-housing, second sub-housing laminated body 341: Holding protrusion 342: Holding recess 343: Base end portion 344: Tip portion 345: Second guide protrusion 40: Female frame 41: Retaining wall 411: First insertion hole 412: First retaining piece 413: Inner wall 414: Second insertion hole 415: Second retaining piece 416: Inner wall 42: Outer wall 421: Upper wall 422: Lower wall 423: Holding protrusion 50: Lever 501: Cam groove 51: Upper slide part 511: Linking groove 52: Lower slide part 521: Linking groove 53: Operation unit 531: Upper operation unit 532: Lower operation unit 533: Connection unit 534: Rotation axis 535: Linkage axis 536: Lever lock unit F: Female terminal M: Male terminal

Claims

1. a male housing having a plurality of mating recesses that open forward; a male terminal protruding into the mating recess; a plurality of sub-housings to be inserted into the respective fitting recesses; a female frame configured to be matable with the male housing and to hold the sub-housing; a female terminal configured to be connectable to the male terminal and accommodated in the sub-housing, When the male housing and the female frame are mated, the sub-housing is inserted into the mating recess while being guided by an inner wall of the mating recess, The female terminal is connected to the male terminal by inserting the sub-housing into the fitting recess, The female frame has a retaining wall that holds the sub-housing in a cantilevered manner.

2. A partition wall is formed between adjacent fitting recesses to separate them, 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein said partition wall extends in the mating direction to a front end of said mating recess.

3. the female frame has an outer peripheral wall that accommodates the plurality of sub-housings therein, the male housing has an inner peripheral wall that fits within the outer peripheral wall, The connector of claim 2 , wherein the bulkhead is connected to the inner circumferential wall.

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