Harness-side connector and connector connection structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a harness-side connector and a connector connection structure that make it possible to easily perform positioning with respect to a device-side connector even when a fitting part is difficult to see or when handling high voltages.　A harness-side connector 1 comprises a first connection end part 10 having: a first terminal 11; a first connector housing 12 in which the first terminal 11 is fixed and disposed; and a first housing cover 13 which is disposed around the first connector housing 12. The first connection end part 10 of the harness-side connector 1 is fitted with and connected to a second connection end part 20 of a device-side connector 2. The first housing cover 13 has an extending shape so as to partition a gap between the first housing cover 13 and an outer surface of the second connector housing 22. The first connector housing 12 has a protruding tip end 14 that protrudes further outward than the tip end position of the first housing cover 13.

Description

Harness-side connector and connector connection structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a harness-side connector and a connector connection structure.

[0002] Electrical equipment installed in automobiles and other vehicles is connected to other electrical equipment and power supplies via wire harnesses, which are bundles of insulated electric wires, to form electrical circuits. In this case, the wire harness and the electrical equipment, power supply, and other devices are connected by mating the harness-side connector and device-side connector attached to each device.

[0003] As an example of such a harness-side connector and device-side connector, Patent Document 1 discloses a waterproof connector comprising: a terminal-attached electric wire having a terminal attached to the end of the electric wire, the terminal having a terminal connection portion whose mating direction is a direction intersecting the electric wire; an L-shaped cylindrical connector housing having, at both ends, an electric wire lead-out opening from which the electric wire is led out and a housing mating opening into which a mating connector is mated; an annular seal surface formed on the inner wall surface at the opening end of the electric wire lead-out opening, with an inner peripheral seal surface against which the outer peripheral seal surface of a seal member whose inner peripheral seal surface is in close contact with the outer periphery of the electric wire; and a rib formed between a plurality of recesses formed on the inside corner side of the cylindrical portion of the connector housing on the electric wire lead-out opening side, and extending parallel to the opening axis of the opening end.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-204641

[0005] However, with the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, when mating a harness-side connector with an equipment-side connector connected to equipment located below the automobile, there is a risk that the mating point may be difficult to see.

[0006] In particular, connectors used in places that handle high voltages, such as automobile battery packs, have thick wires and strong reaction forces, making them difficult to handle, and because they must be mated to the device connector with one hand, there was room for improvement in making it easier to position them relative to the device connector.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a harness-side connector and a connector connection structure that can be easily positioned relative to the equipment-side connector even when the mating point is difficult to see or when high voltages are used.

[0008] The inventor discovered that by configuring the first connection end of the harness side connector so that a first terminal to which an electric wire is connected is fixedly positioned in a first connector housing and a first housing cover is positioned around the first connector housing, and so that the first housing cover has an extending shape that defines a gap between it and the outer surface of the connector housing, and so that the first connector housing has a protruding tip that protrudes outward beyond the tip position of the first housing cover, it is possible to easily position the first connector housing relative to the equipment side connector even when the mating point is difficult to see, and thus completed the present invention.

[0009] That is, the gist of the present invention is as follows: (1) A harness-side connector including a first connecting end portion having first terminals to which electric wires are connected, a first connector housing in which the first terminals are fixedly disposed, and a first housing cover disposed around the first connector housing, wherein the first connecting end portion of the harness-side connector is mated and connected to a second connecting end portion of an equipment-side connector including a second connecting end portion having second terminals to which the first terminals are connected, a second connector housing in which the second terminals are fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover disposed around the second connector housing, the first housing cover having an elongated shape that defines a gap between the first housing cover and an outer surface of the first connector housing, and the first connector housing has a protruding tip portion that protrudes outward beyond a tip position of the first housing cover. (2) The harness-side connector according to (1), wherein the gap between the first housing cover and the first connector housing is formed so that a tip portion of the second housing cover of the equipment-side connector can be inserted when the first connecting end of the harness-side connector and the second connecting end of the equipment-side connector are mated and connected. (3) The harness-side connector according to (1) or (2), wherein the first connector housing has an electric wire lead-out opening through which the electric wire is led out and a housing fitting opening into which the device-side connector is fitted, and the housing fitting opening has an L-shaped cylindrical shape positioned in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the electric wire. (4) The harness-side connector according to (3), wherein the electric wire is a shielded wire having a core portion in which a conductor is covered with an insulating layer, a shield layer arranged on the outer periphery of the core portion, and an outer sheath covering the outer periphery of the shield layer, and the first connector housing is electrically connected to the shield layer. (5) The harness-side connector according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the first connector housing has a connector housing main portion in which the first terminal is fixedly disposed, and a connector housing tip portion that is fitted and connected to the connector housing main portion and forms at least a part of the protruding tip portion.(6) A connector connection structure including a harness-side connector having a first connecting end portion including a first terminal to which an electric wire is connected, a first connector housing in which the first terminal is fixedly disposed, and a first housing cover disposed around the first connector housing, and an equipment-side connector having a second connecting end portion including a second terminal to which the first terminal is connected, a second connector housing in which the second terminal is fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover disposed around the second connector housing, wherein the first connecting end portion of the harness-side connector is matingly connected to the second connecting end portion of the equipment-side connector, the first housing cover has an elongated shape that defines a gap between itself and an outer surface of the first connector housing, and the first connector housing has a protruding tip portion that protrudes outward beyond a tip position of the first housing cover. (7) The connector connection structure described in (6) above, wherein the second housing cover has a notch in at least one side of an outer surface of the first housing cover of the harness-side connector, and is configured to cover at least three sides of the outer surface of the first housing cover of the harness-side connector. (8) The connector connection structure according to (7) above, wherein the cutout portion of the second housing cover has a shape that prevents the first electric wire connected to the terminal of the harness-side connector from hitting the second housing cover. (9) The connector connection structure according to any one of (6) to (8) above, wherein the harness-side connector is a female connector and the device-side connector is a male connector. (10) The connector connection structure according to any one of (6) to (9) above, wherein the device-side connector is provided on the outside of the electrical device. (11) The connector connection structure according to any one of (6) to (10) above, wherein the harness-side connector further includes a switching lever that switches between maintaining connection and releasing connection with the device-side connector.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a harness-side connector and a connector connection structure that make it easy to position the harness-side connector relative to the equipment-side connector even when the mating point is difficult to see or when high voltages are used.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a connector connection structure in a state where the harness-side connector and the device-side connector are separated, as seen from the harness-side connector side. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a connector connection structure in a state where the harness-side connector and the device-side connector are separated, as seen from the device-side connector side. Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the harness-side connector as seen from above. Fig. 4(a) is a schematic front view of the first connector housing as seen from the back side, and Fig. 4(b) is a schematic side view of the first connector housing as seen from the right side. Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a connector connection structure in a state where the harness-side connector and the device-side connector are separated, as seen from the device-side connector side, in an embodiment where the first connector housing is composed of multiple members.

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A harness-side connector and a connector connection structure according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a connector connection structure in a state where the harness-side connector 1 and the device-side connector 2 are separated, as viewed from the harness-side connector 1 side. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a connector connection structure in a state where the harness-side connector 1 and the device-side connector 2 are separated, as viewed from the device-side connector 2 side. Fig. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the harness-side connector 1 as viewed from the upper side Hu. In Fig. 3, a portion of the shielding layer 34 is exposed to clarify the structure of the wire harness 3.

[0014] 1 and 2 , a harness-side connector 1 according to this embodiment includes a first connecting end 10 having a first terminal 11 to which an electric wire 30 is connected, a first connector housing 12 in which the first terminal 11 is fixedly disposed, and a first housing cover 13 disposed around the first connector housing 12. In this harness-side connector 1, the first connecting end 10 is mated and connected to a second connecting end 20 of an equipment-side connector 2 having a second connecting end 20 having a second terminal 21 to which the first terminal 11 is connected, a second connector housing 22 in which the second terminal 21 is fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover 23 disposed around the second connector housing 22, the first housing cover 13 having an extending shape that defines a gap between the first housing cover 13 and the outer surface of the second connector housing 22, and the first connector housing 12 has a protruding tip 14 that protrudes outward beyond the tip position of the first housing cover 13.

[0015] As a result, the protruding tip 14 protrudes outward beyond the tip position of the first housing cover 13, so when positioning the harness side connector 1 to connect it to the equipment side connector 2, the protruding tip 14 at the tip of the first connector housing 12 can be used to find the position of the surface of the second connection end 20 of the equipment side connector 2, making it possible to align the position of the harness side connector 1 with the equipment side connector 2 without visual inspection, and the harness side connector 1 can be connected to the equipment side connector 2 while these positions remain aligned.

[0016] In particular, when the harness side connector 1 is a connector used in a location that handles high voltages, such as an automobile battery pack, the electric wire 30 connected to the harness side connector 1 is thick, so it may be necessary to handle the electric wire 30 with one hand while connecting the harness side connector 1 to the equipment side connector 2 with the other hand.However, even in such a case, it is possible to easily position the harness side connector 1 relative to the equipment side connector 2.

[0017] [Harness-Side Connector] First, a harness-side connector 1 that constitutes a connector connection structure 4 when connected to a device-side connector 2 that is assembled to a housing 6 of a device such as a motor mounted on an automobile or the like will be described.

[0018] The harness-side connector 1 includes a first connecting end 10 having a first terminal 11 , a first connector housing 12 , and a first housing cover 13 .

[0019] The first terminal 11 is connected to an electric wire (shielded electric wire) 30, and as shown in FIG. 3, is composed of an electric wire connection portion 111 connected to an end of the upper side Hu of the shielded electric wire 30, and a terminal connection portion 112.

[0020] When the terminal connection portion 112 is mated with the device-side connector 2 described later, the second terminal 21 of the device-side connector 2 is adjacent to and electrically connected to the terminal connection portion 112. In this case, the terminal connection portion 112 may be formed by a pair of side walls opposing each other in the width direction W, as shown in Fig. 3, and further, when the terminal connection portion 112 is mated with the device-side connector 2, the second terminal 21 may enter a gap between the pair of side walls and be electrically connected.

[0021] A shield shell 7 may be housed inside the harness-side connector 1. The shield shell 7 has a box-like shape tapering to a tip, and is integrally formed of a cylindrical harness insertion portion 71 and a box-shaped terminal holding portion 72 provided on an upper side Hu of the harness insertion portion 71. The shield shell 7 is made of a conductive material, and houses the first terminal 11 therein and is conductively connected to the shield layer 34 of the shielded electric wire 30 to provide a shielding function.

[0022] The first connector housing 12 is configured to fixedly arrange the first terminals 11. The first connector housing 12 may have, for example, a box-like shape with openings on a lower side Hd and a rear side Db. More specifically, the first connector housing 12 preferably has an L-shaped cylindrical shape having an electric wire lead-out opening 121 that opens on the lower side Hd and through which the electric wires 30 are led out, and a housing fitting opening 122 that opens on the rear side Db and into which the device-side connector 2 is fitted, with the housing fitting opening 122 positioned in a direction (depth direction D in FIG. 3 ) perpendicular to the extension direction of the electric wires 30 (height direction H in FIG. 3 ). On the other hand, the shape of the first connector housing 12 can be set depending on the direction in which the electric wires 30 are led out and the space in which the harness-side connector 1 is arranged. Therefore, the shape of the first connector housing 12 is not limited to the L-shaped cylindrical shape shown in Figure 3, but may have other shapes, for example, an I-shaped cylindrical shape in which the wire outlet opening 121 is located on one side in the extension direction of the wire and the housing fitting opening 122 is located on the other side in the extension direction of the wire.

[0023] Here, the electric wire 30 is preferably a shielded wire having a core portion 31 in which a conductor wire 32 is covered with an insulating layer 33, a shield layer 34 arranged on the outer periphery of the core portion 31, and an outer sheath 35 covering the outer periphery of the shield layer 34. In this case, the conductive conductor wire 32, the insulating layer 33, the shield layer 34 formed by braiding metal wires such as copper wires, and the insulating outer sheath 35 are arranged in this order from the center toward the outer diameter. The wire harness 3 may also be configured with the above-mentioned first terminal 11 and the electric wire 30 connected to the first terminal 11.

[0024] At this time, it is preferable that the first connector housing 12 is electrically connected to the shielding layer 34 of the electric wire 30. This allows the first connector housing 12 to accommodate the first terminals 11 housed in the shielding shell 7 as needed, and also to provide a shielding function.

[0025] At the end of the upper side Hu, the outer jacket 35 of the electric wire 30 is peeled off to expose the shielding layer 34, which is electrically connected to the first connector housing 12 as described above. The shielding layer 34 is not limited to being made of braided metal wires, and may be made of metal foil or the like.

[0026] The first connector housing 12 has an insertion hole 123 that penetrates from the wire outlet opening 121 in the height direction H, a locking connection portion 124 provided on the outer surface of the front side Df, and a locking shaft portion 125 provided on both side surfaces in the width direction W.

[0027] The insertion holes 123 are rectangular holes in bottom view that are longer in the depth direction D than in the width direction W. For example, in Fig. 4, two insertion holes 123 are arranged in parallel in the width direction W. The two insertion holes 123 arranged in parallel in the width direction W are separated by a partition wall 126.

[0028] The locking connection portion 124 has a generally box-like shape with an open lower side Hd, and is formed so that a part of the switching lever 5 (described later) can be inserted from the lower side Hd to lock the switching lever 5 .

[0029] The locking shaft portion 125 is a support portion that rotatably supports the switching lever 5 described later, and has an approximately cylindrical portion that protrudes outward in the width direction W from both side surfaces of the first connector housing 12 in the width direction W.

[0030] In addition, the first connector housing 12 has a box-like shape with openings on the lower side Hd and the rear side Db, and is composed of a housing bottom portion 127 arranged on the front side Df along the height direction H, and a housing side wall portion 128 standing upright from the housing bottom portion 127.

[0031] The housing bottom surface portion 127 is formed in a substantially square shape when viewed from the back side Db. The housing bottom surface portion 127 is disposed on the front side Df of the first connector housing 12.

[0032] A housing side wall portion 128 extends from the outer edge of the housing bottom portion 127 toward the rear side Db, and as shown in Figure 4, the housing side wall portion 128 of the first connector housing 12 forms a double-wall structure with the first housing cover 13, which will be described later, and is arranged outside the first connector housing 12.

[0033] The first connector housing 12 has a protruding tip 14 that protrudes outward from the tip of the first housing cover 13. This protruding tip 14 is not covered by the first housing cover 13 and protrudes outward from the tip of the first housing cover 13. Therefore, when positioning the harness-side connector 1 to the device-side connector 2 for connection, the protruding tip 14 can be used to touch a corresponding location on the surface of the second connecting end 20, making it easier to find the position of the surface of the second connecting end 20 of the device-side connector 2.

[0034] Here, the shape of the protruding tip portion 14 is not particularly limited. One example is a cylindrical shape that is rectangular when viewed in a plane including the width direction W and the height direction H, as shown in FIG. 2 . In this case, from the viewpoint of making it easier to insert the second connection end portion 20 of the device-side connector 2 into the cylindrical opening of the protruding tip portion 14 by widening the cylindrical opening of the protruding tip portion 14, it is preferable that the entire cylindrical outer surface of the protruding tip portion 14 is adjacent to the first housing cover 13 when viewed in a plane including the width direction W and the height direction H. Furthermore, it is preferable that the corners of the rectangle of the cylindrical shape forming the protruding tip portion 14 when viewed in a plane including the width direction W and the height direction H are formed by curved surfaces. Furthermore, the protruding tip portion 14 may be formed by a plurality of rectangles when viewed in a plane including the width direction W and the height direction H. In this case, the number of rectangles forming the protruding tip portion 14 may be the same as or less than the number of first terminals 11.

[0035] 2 to 4, the protruding tip 14 can be formed by a portion of the housing side wall 128 of the first connector housing 12 that protrudes from the first housing cover 13. In addition, the protruding tip 14 may form a part or all of the housing fitting opening 122 of the first connector housing 12.

[0036] The first housing cover 13 is configured to be disposed around the first connector housing 12. The first housing cover 13 has an extending shape that defines a gap S between it and the outer surface of the first connector housing 12, particularly between it and the outer surface of the housing side wall portion 128 of the first connector housing 12. This allows the tip of the second housing cover 23 of the device-side connector 2 to be inserted into the gap S formed between the first connector housing 12 and the first housing cover 13 when mating the harness-side connector 1 with the device-side connector 2.

[0037] The first housing cover 13 has a rectangular shape that is approximately one size smaller than the rectangular shape formed by the housing side wall portion 128 of the first connector housing 12. As a result, a space that is approximately rectangular and annular in shape when viewed from the front is formed between the first housing cover 13 and the housing side wall portion 128.

[0038] The first connecting end 10 having these first terminals 11, first connector housing 12, and first housing cover 13 is configured to be mated and connected to the second connecting end 20 of the device-side connector 2, which has second terminals 21 to which the first terminals 11 are connected, a second connector housing 22 to which the second terminals 21 are fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover 23 disposed around the second connector housing 22. This allows electrical connection between the harness-side connector 1 and the device-side connector 2.

[0039] Here, the gap S between the first housing cover 13 and the first connector housing 12 is preferably formed so that the tip end portion of the second housing cover 23 of the device-side connector 2 can be inserted when the first connecting end portion 10 of the harness-side connector 1 and the second connecting end portion 20 of the device-side connector 2 are mated and connected. In this case, the first connector housing 12 is mated with the device-side connector 2 by aligning the outer surface of the protruding tip portion 14 of the first connector housing 12 so that it abuts against the inner surface of the tip end portion of the second housing cover 23 of the second connecting end portion 20 of the device-side connector 2, and then fitting the first connecting end portion 10 of the harness-side connector 1 toward the second connecting end portion 20 of the device-side connector 2 so that the tip end portion of the second housing cover 23 of the device-side connector 2 is inserted into the gap between the first housing cover 13 and the first connector housing 12. This makes it possible to bring the outer surface of the protruding tip 14 into contact with any location on the inner surface of the tip of the second housing cover 23 of the equipment side connector 2, and then slide the position of the outer surface of the protruding tip 14 along the inner surface of the tip of the second housing cover 23, thereby aligning the outer surface of the protruding tip 14 to a predetermined position on the inner surface of the tip of the second housing cover 23, thereby making it possible to connect the harness side connector 1 to the equipment side connector 2 more efficiently.

[0040] The harness-side connector 1 preferably further includes a switching lever 5 for switching between maintaining and disconnecting the harness-side connector 1 from the device-side connector 2, which will be described later. The switching lever 5 fixes the connected state of the harness-side connector 1 to the device-side connector 2, thereby preventing the harness-side connector 1 from unintentionally coming off from the device-side connector 2.

[0041] The switching lever 5 may be, for example, generally gate-shaped in plan view, generally U-shaped in plan view, and generally L-shaped in side view. Such a switching lever 5 can be disposed in the first connector housing 12 by assembling it to the locking shaft 125, for example.

[0042] In the harness-side connector 1, the first connector housing 12 is described as being formed of a single member, but this is not limited thereto and may be formed of multiple members. For example, as shown in the harness-side connector 1A in FIG. 5 , the first connector housing 12A of the first connection end 10A preferably includes at least a connector housing main body 161 to which the first terminals 11 are fixedly disposed, and a connector housing front end portion 162 that is mated with and connected to the connector housing main body 161 and forms at least a part of the protruding front end portion 14A. In this case, the connector housing front end portion 162 is preferably configured to protrude outward as the protruding front end portion 14A beyond the front end position of the first housing cover 13. Furthermore, the protruding front end portion 14A preferably has a larger diameter than the front end portion of the connector housing main body 161 adjacent to the protruding front end portion 14A. In particular, because the first connector housing 12A is made up of multiple members and the protruding tip portion 14A has a larger diameter than the tip portion of the connector housing main body 161, other components such as the waterproof seal 15 can be easily attached near the protruding tip portion 14A of the first connector housing 12A and the waterproof seal 15 and other components can be made less likely to fall off from the first connector housing 12A. For example, even if an annular waterproof seal 15 is provided on the outer surface of the first connector housing 12A near the protruding tip portion 14A, as shown in Fig. 5, the waterproof seal 15 attached to the connector housing main body 161 is locked by the protruding tip portion 14A, making it less likely that the waterproof seal 15 will fall off from the first connector housing 12A.

[0043] 5, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those of the harness-side connector shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the first connector housing shown in FIG.

[0044] [Connector Connection Structure] The connector connection structure 4 includes a harness-side connector 1 and an equipment-side connector 2 that mates with the harness-side connector 1. Here, as described above, the harness-side connector 1 includes a first connection end 10 having first terminals 11 to which electric wires 30 are connected, a first connector housing 12 in which the first terminals 11 are fixedly disposed, and a first housing cover 13 that is disposed around the first connector housing 12. The equipment-side connector 2 includes a second connection end 20 having second terminals 21 to which the first terminals 11 are connected, a second connector housing 22 in which the second terminals 21 are fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover 23 that is disposed around the second connector housing 22. In this connector connection structure 4, the first connection end 10 of the harness-side connector 1 is mated and connected to the second connection end 20 of the equipment-side connector 2, the first housing cover 13 has an extending shape that defines a gap between it and the outer surface of the first connector housing 12, and the first connector housing 12 has a protruding tip 14 that protrudes outward beyond the tip position of the first housing cover 13. The connector connection structure 4 is a connection structure that electrically connects, for example, a harness-side connector 1 to which a wire harness 3 bundling electric wires 30 is attached, and an equipment-side connector 2 provided on equipment such as a motor equipped in an automobile or the like, by fitting them together.

[0045] Here, it is preferable that the harness-side connector 1 is a female connector and the device-side connector 2 is a male connector. On the other hand, the harness-side connector 1 may be a male connector and the device-side connector 2 may be a female connector.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the device-side connector 2 includes a second connecting end portion 20 having second terminals 21 , a second connector housing 22 , and a second housing cover 23 .

[0047] The second terminal 21 is a rectangular metal flat plate that is elongated in the depth direction D, and is electrically connected to an electrical component main body (not shown) disposed inside the housing 6. Two second terminals 21 are provided such that their main surfaces extending along the depth direction D and height direction H face each other at a predetermined distance in the width direction W.

[0048] The second connector housing 22 is configured so that the second terminals 21 are fixedly disposed therein. At this time, the second terminals 21 are accommodated in the second connector housing 22.

[0049] The second housing cover 23 is configured to be disposed around the second connector housing 22. The second housing cover 23 serves to hold the second terminals 21 therein and also to fix the second terminals 21 and the second connector housing 22 to the housing 6 of the electrical device, which will be described later.

[0050] Here, the second housing cover 23 preferably has a notch 24 cut out at the tip portion on at least one side (the left side Wl, the lower side Hd, and the right side Wr in FIG. 1 ), and is configured to cover at least three sides (the left side Wl, the upper side Hu, and the right side Wr in FIG. 1 ) of the outer surface of the first housing cover 13 of the harness-side connector 1. Since the harness-side connector 1 is allowed to be tilted when inserting the harness-side connector 1 into the device-side connector 2, the harness-side connector 1 can be more easily inserted into the device-side connector 2.

[0051] In particular, the notch 24 of the second housing cover 23 preferably has a shape that prevents the electric wire 30 connected to the first terminal 11 of the harness-side connector 1 from hitting the second housing cover 23. This allows the electric wire 30 connected to the first terminal 11 to be routed toward the notch 24 of the second housing cover 23. At the same time, when the protruding tip 14 at the tip of the first connector housing 12 is used to find the position of the surface of the second connection end 20 of the device-side connector 2, the protruding tip 14 can pass through the notch 24 and hit the outer surface of the tip of the second housing cover 23, making it easier to align the protruding tip 14.

[0052] The second housing cover 23 is for holding the second terminal 21 inside, and includes a fixed base 231 that is fixed to the housing 6 described later, and a hood portion 232 that stands upright from the fixed base 231.

[0053] The fixed base 231 is a plate-like body that is generally rectangular in front view when viewed from the insertion direction (the near side Df) of the harness-side connector 1 into the device-side connector 2. The hood portion 232 is an annular wall that extends from the fixed base 231 toward the near side Df so as to surround the central portion of the fixed base 231.

[0054] The device-side connector 2 configured by holding the second terminals 21 inside the hood portion 232 of the second housing cover 23 described above is mounted to the housing 6 of a device such as a motor or a battery pack mounted in an automobile or the like, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. In other words, the device-side connector 2 is preferably provided on the outside of the electrical device.

[0055] In addition, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventionally known knowledge without departing from the gist of the present invention, and as long as such modifications still provide the configuration of the harness-side connector and connector connection structure of the present invention, they will of course be included in the scope of the present invention.

[0056] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1A Harness side connector 10, 10A First connection end 11 First terminal 111 Wire connection portion 112 Terminal connection portion 12, 12A First connector housing 121 Wire outlet opening 122 Housing fitting opening 123 Insertion hole 124 Locking connection portion 125 Locking shaft portion 126 Partition wall 127 Housing bottom surface portion 128 Housing side wall portion 13 First housing cover 14, 14A Protruding tip portion 15 Waterproof seal 161 Connector housing main body portion 162 Connector housing tip portion 2 Device side connector 20 Second connection end 21 Second terminal 22 Second connector housing 23 Second housing cover 30 Wire (shielded wire) 31 Core portion 32 Conductor 33 Insulating layer 34 Shield layer 35 Outer jacket 4 Connector connection structure 6 Housing 7 Shield shell 71 Harness insertion portion 72 Terminal holding portion D Depth direction Df Front side Db Back side W Width direction Wl Left side Wr Right side H Height direction Hu Upper side Hd Lower side S Gap

Claims

1. A harness-side connector having a first connecting end portion including a first terminal to which an electric wire is connected, a first connector housing in which the first terminal is fixedly disposed, and a first housing cover disposed around the first connector housing, wherein the first connecting end portion of the harness-side connector is mated and connected to a second connecting end portion of an equipment-side connector having a second connecting end portion including a second terminal to which the first terminal is connected, a second connector housing in which the second terminal is fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover disposed around the second connector housing, wherein the first housing cover has an extending shape that defines a gap between itself and the outer surface of the first connector housing, and the first connector housing has a protruding tip portion that protrudes outward beyond the tip position of the first housing cover.

2. A harness-side connector as described in claim 1, wherein the gap between the first housing cover and the first connector housing is formed so that the tip of the second housing cover of the equipment-side connector can be inserted when the first connection end of the harness-side connector and the second connection end of the equipment-side connector are mated and connected.

3. A harness-side connector as described in claim 1, wherein the first connector housing has an electric wire outlet opening through which the electric wires are led out and a housing mating opening into which the equipment-side connector is mated, and the housing mating opening has an L-shaped cylindrical shape positioned in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the electric wires.

4. The harness-side connector according to claim 3, wherein the electric wire is a shielded wire having a core portion in which a conductor is covered with an insulating layer, a shielding layer disposed on the outer periphery of the core portion, and an outer jacket covering the outer periphery of the shielding layer, and the first connector housing is electrically connected to the shielding layer.

5. A harness side connector as described in claim 1, wherein the first connector housing has a connector housing main body portion in which the first terminal is fixedly arranged, and a connector housing tip portion that is mated and connected to the connector housing main body portion and constitutes at least a part of the protruding tip portion.

6. A connector connection structure including: a harness-side connector having a first connection end portion having a first terminal to which an electric wire is connected, a first connector housing in which the first terminal is fixedly disposed, and a first housing cover disposed around the first connector housing; and an equipment-side connector having a second connection end portion having a second terminal to which the first terminal is connected, a second connector housing in which the second terminal is fixedly disposed, and a second housing cover disposed around the second connector housing, wherein the first connection end portion of the harness-side connector is matingly connected to the second connection end portion of the equipment-side connector, the first housing cover has an extending shape that defines a gap between it and the outer surface of the first connector housing, and the first connector housing has a protruding tip portion that protrudes outward beyond the tip position of the first housing cover.

7. A connector connection structure as described in claim 6, wherein the second housing cover has a notch cut out at the tip portion on at least one side, and is configured to cover at least three sides of the outer surface of the first housing cover of the harness side connector.

8. A connector connection structure as described in claim 7, wherein the cutout portion of the second housing cover has a shape that prevents the electric wire connected to the first terminal of the harness side connector from hitting the second housing cover.

9. The connector connection structure according to claim 6, wherein the harness-side connector is a female connector and the device-side connector is a male connector.

10. The connector connection structure according to claim 6, wherein the device-side connector is provided on the outside of the electrical device.

11. The connector connection structure according to claim 6, wherein the harness-side connector further comprises a switching lever for switching between maintaining and releasing the connection with the device-side connector.

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