Connector

Abstract

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a connector that enables recognition of an unassembled state of at least one of a fastening part and a retainer. A connector (1) comprises: a connector housing (3) that mates with a counterpart connector (2); an electric wire (4) that is fixed to a counterpart 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) is provided with 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.

Description

connector

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors.

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a bolt-fastened connector is known in the art, which electrically connects electric wires in a connector housing mated with a mating connector to terminals of the mating connector by tightening bolts. In this type of bolt-fastened connector, an opening formed in the connector housing for passing the bolt is closed with a cover to prevent hands from touching the bolt.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-81173

[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.

[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.

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

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector as seen from the rear. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view of an electric wire, and FIG. 4(b) is an exploded perspective view of the electric wire. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the connector. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the connector. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 1. FIGS. 8(a), 8(b), and 8(c) are explanatory diagrams showing the procedure for fitting the cover. FIG. 9 is a partial plan view of the connector. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in FIG. 8(a). FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are explanatory diagrams showing how the first and second engagement pieces of the detection member engage. 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. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. 1. 14(a) and 14(b) are explanatory diagrams showing the movement of the cover locking mechanism, Fig. 15 is a side view showing the structure of the unassembled confirmation mechanism, and Fig. 16 is a side view showing the structure of the unassembled confirmation mechanism.

[0009] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. [1] A connector of the present disclosure includes a connector housing that is fitted with a mating connector, electric wires having terminals at their ends fixed to mating connector terminals of the mating connector by fastening portions inserted through openings in the connector housing, a retainer that holds a seal member that waterproofs the edge of the opening, and a cover that closes the opening so as to cover the retainer, and includes an unassembled state detection mechanism that prevents the cover from closing the opening when at least one of the retainer and the fastening portions is 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. With this configuration, it is possible to let an operator know 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 make an operator aware that the fastening portion is unfastened in an easy-to-understand manner, in 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 closing the opening. With this configuration, the structure for moving the cover relative to the connector housing can 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 in a linear direction 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, when the cover is in a position to close the opening and a mating operation is performed, holds the cover in the position after the operation. 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 one 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 a connector housing 3 that mates with a mating connector 2, and electric wires 4 whose tips are housed inside the 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] 1 , the connector housing 3 has the electric wires 4 connected to its side and the mating connector 2 connected to its bottom. In this way, the connector 1 is an L-shaped connector in which the direction in which the electric wires 4 are inserted into the connector housing 3 and the direction in which the connector housing 3 is mated with the mating connector 2 are orthogonal to each other.

[0020] As shown in Figure 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] 3, a locking portion 10 that locks the mated state of the connector housing 3 and the mating connector 2 is provided between them. 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] 4( a) and 4(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 portion 18 that fixes the electric wire terminal 17 to the mating connector 2 is passed.

[0023] The insulating coating 16, for example, covers 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 (X-Y axis plane in FIG. 4 ). In other words, 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 holes 19 of the wire terminals 17, for example.

[0027] 1 and 5, the connector 1 includes a retainer 29 that holds a seal 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 seal 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 seal member 30 is, for example, a rubber ring.

[0028] 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 hands from touching the fastening portion 18. 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 shown in Fig. 8(a)).

[0032] The bulge 37 has a slope 42 at the corner of its lower portion. However, if the protrusion 40 is circular in side view, the cover 34 swings around the protrusion 40, which could cause the bulge 37 to come into contact with a component 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 even if the component is on the path of movement when the cover 34 is operated in a linear direction. This allows the cover 34 to be smoothly moved 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 Figures 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 (in the direction of arrow A2 in Figure 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 Figures 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 Figure 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 Figure 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 surfaces 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 widthwise outer side of the first engagement piece 55 that constitutes 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 impossible 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 in the normal 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 disposed 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 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 prevents the claw portion 11 from being released from the protrusion 12 by the lock retaining portion 59 that presses the claw portion 11 from above. 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] 7, the connector 1 includes a fall-off 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 FIG. 7) in the connector housing 3 and that prevents the cover 34 from falling off in the opening direction. The fall-off 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-off prevention portion 65, thereby preventing the cover 34 from falling off when moved linearly in the opening direction.

[0043] 13, 14(a), and 14(b), the connector 1 includes a cover lock mechanism 66 that holds the cover 34 in a position after the operation when the cover 34 is in the closing position of the opening 24 and the mating operation is performed. In this example, when the cover 34 is pressed to fit into the connector housing 3 with the cover 34 in the closing position of the opening 24, the cover lock mechanism 66 holds the position of the cover 34 in the position where the cover 34 was pressed. 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 bulge 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] 8( a), the connector 1 includes 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] 8A, 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] 15 and 16 , connector 1 is provided with an unassembled 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 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 operator 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 by, for example, detecting that the retainer 29 is not completely attached to the connector housing 3 and floats a predetermined amount when assembling the cover 34 to the connector housing 3, causing interference 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, 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 incompletely fitted) As shown in Figure 15, if the retainer 29 is not completely fitted 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 protruding upward by a certain amount will interfere, and the protrusions 40 on the legs 36 of the cover 34 will not be able to engage with the rail grooves 41. This allows the operator to immediately determine that the retainer 29 is not completely fitted. Therefore, the operator can reassemble the retainer 29 and continue to properly install the cover 34.

[0051] (When the fastening portions 18 are incompletely fastened) As shown in Figure 16, when the fastening portions 18 are not completely fastened to the mating connector terminals 25 of the mating connector 2, the fastening portions 18 protrude upward by a predetermined amount from the top surface of the opening 24. If the cover 34 is slid from the initial position to the closed position in this state, the fastening portions 18 protruding upward by a predetermined amount interfere with the cover 34, and the cover 34 cannot be slid to the closed position. This immediately reveals to the worker that the fastening portions 18 are incompletely fastened. Therefore, the worker can immediately re-tighten the fastening portions 18 and continue to install the cover 34 correctly.

[0052] Effects of the Embodiments The connector 1 of the above embodiment can provide the following effects: (1) The connector 1 includes the connector housing 3 that is mated with the mating connector 2, the wires 4 that are fixed to the mating connector terminals 25 by the fastening portions 18, the retainer 29 that holds the seal member 30 that is attached to the opening 24, and the 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 portions 18 and the 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 indicating 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, in that 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 the initial position when attached to the connector housing 3, and is located in the 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 operated in a linear direction 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 in a linear direction.

[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. According to 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 movement path of the cover 34 in the opening direction on 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 and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0061] The pair of electric wires 4 does not need to be 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 the closed position of the opening 24 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 cover 34 is locked and the detection member 51 is interlocked simultaneously 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, and may be a bundle of multiple conductors. The intermediate 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 exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiment or structure. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and modifications within the scope of equivalents. 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.

[0066] The present disclosure encompasses the following aspects: Note that, for the purpose of facilitating understanding and not limitation, in the following description, reference signs indicating components of the embodiments are placed in parentheses. (Supplementary Note 1) A connector (1) comprising: a connector housing (3) including an opening (24); a fastening portion (18) insertable through the opening and for fixing an electric wire (4) received in the connector housing; a retainer (29) holding a seal member (30) that waterproofs the edge of the opening; and a cover (34) that covers the retainer and closes the opening, wherein the connector housing (3) includes a rail portion (38), and the cover (34) is linearly movable along the rail portion (38) from an initial position where a portion (40) of the cover is inserted into the rail portion (38) through an insertion hole (39) to a closed position where the cover closes the opening (24), and the retainer (29) and the fastening portion (18) each interfere with movement of the cover (34) to the initial position or the movement of the cover (34) to the closed position at an intermediate assembly position.

[0067] (Supplementary Note 2) The connector (1) according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein a part (40) of the cover (34) includes a protrusion (40) that slidably engages with a rail groove (41) of the rail portion (38), and the cover (34) is allowed to move to the initial position when the assembly of the retainer (29) is complete, allowing the protrusion (40) to be inserted into the rail groove (41), and is allowed to move along the rail groove (41) from the initial position to the closed position when the assembly of the retainer (29) and the fastening portion (18) is complete.

[0068] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Connector 2 Mating connector 3 Connector housing 4 Electric wire 5 Opening hole 6 Holder 7 Slit 8 Water-stopping member 9 Cap 10 Locking portion 11 Claw portion 12 Protrusion 14 Insulating coating 15 Core wire 16 Insulating coating 17 Electric wire terminal 18 Fastening portion 19 Hole portion 21 Inner housing 22 Engaging claw 23 Hole portion 24 Opening portion 25 Mating connector terminal 26 Bush 29 Retainer 30 Sealing member 31 Claw portion 32 Protrusion portion 34 Cover 35 Cover body 36 Leg portion 37 Bulging portion 38 Rail portion 39 Insertion hole 40 Protrusion 41 Rail groove 42 Slope 43 Insertion hole 45 Wall portion 46 Rib 47 Notch portion 48 Notch portion 51 Detecting member 52 Main body 53 Groove 54 Protrusion 55 First engagement piece 56 Protrusion 57 Second engagement piece 59 Lock retaining portion 60 Restricting portion 61 Recessed portion 62 Support protrusion 65 Fall-off prevention portion 66 Cover lock mechanism 67 Lock piece 68 Step portion 69 Guide mechanism 70 Protruding 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 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, the connector having 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.

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

3. A connector as described in 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 intermediate assembly position.

4. A connector as described in claim 1, wherein the cover is positioned in an initial position when assembled to the connector housing, and is positioned in a position to close the opening by being operated in a linear direction from the initial position relative to the connector housing.

5. A connector as described in claim 4, wherein 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 come into contact with the bottom surfaces of the rails.

6. A connector according to claim 1, further comprising a cover locking mechanism that holds the cover in the position after the mating operation when the cover is in the position closing the opening.

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

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