Connector mating unit

Abstract

 Disclosed is a connector mating unit capable of improving versatility while preventing the occurrence of mis-mating between a plurality of connectors and a plurality of connector mating portions. A connector mating unit (10) comprises a plurality of connector mating portions (16), a plurality of connectors (12) that are mated respectively to the plurality of connector mating portions (16), and a plurality of mounting components (20) that are mounted respectively on the housings (18) of the plurality of connectors (12), wherein: each connector mating portion (16) has a reference portion (198) and an engaging portion (200) that is provided at a different position from the reference portion (198); each mounting component (20) has a reference assembly portion (130) that is assembled to a reference portion (198), and an engaged portion (132) which is provided at a different position from the reference assembly portion (130), and with which the engaging portion (200) can engage; and each connector (12) is configured to mate with the connector mating portion (16) serving as the proper mating counterpart, by the engaging portion (200) engaging with the engaged portion (132) in a state where the reference assembly portion (130) is assembled to the reference portion (198).

Description

Connector fitting unit

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector fitting unit.

[0002] In FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1, as an example of a connector fitting unit, a connector fitting unit configured by fitting a plurality of connectors provided at a terminal of a wire harness to a plurality of connector fitting portions provided in an electric connection box as an in-vehicle device, respectively, is disclosed. In this arrangement, the connector fitting portions have mutually different shapes so that each connector can be fitted into the correct connector fitting portion to be fitted, and the connectors also have mutually different shapes corresponding to the shapes of the corresponding connector fitting portions. This prevents fitting between a connector and a connector fitting portion that are not correctly paired, thereby preventing the occurrence of incorrect fitting in advance when fitting a plurality of connectors to a plurality of connector fitting portions.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-225416

[0004] However, the structure of Patent Document 1 inherently has the problem that it is necessary to change the shapes of the plurality of connectors so as to match the shapes of the connector fitting portions of the in-vehicle device, resulting in a one-to-one dedicated design and poor versatility.

[0005] Accordingly, the present disclosure discloses a connector fitting unit that can improve versatility while preventing the occurrence of incorrect fitting between a plurality of connectors and a plurality of connector fitting portions.

[0006] The connector mating unit of this disclosure comprises an in-vehicle device provided with a plurality of connector mating portions, a plurality of connectors to be mated to each of the plurality of connector mating portions, and a plurality of mounting parts detachably attached to each of the housings of the plurality of connectors, wherein each of the plurality of connector mating portions has a reference portion and an engagement portion for preventing mis-mating provided at different positions from the reference portion, and each of the plurality of mounting parts has a reference assembly portion to be assembled to the reference portion and an engagement portion for preventing mis-mating provided at different positions from the reference assembly portion to which the engagement portion can engage, and each of the connectors is mated to the connector mating portion, which is the correct mating partner, when the reference assembly portion of the mounting part is assembled to the reference portion of the connector mating portion, the engagement portion engages with the engagement portion.

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector mating unit that can improve versatility while preventing mis-mating of multiple connectors and multiple connector mating parts.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the connector mating unit according to Embodiment 1 with the in-vehicle equipment and each connector mated. Figure 2 is a plan view of the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a rear view of the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the IV-IV cross-section in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along V-V in Figure 2. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along VI-VI in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along VII-VII in Figure 4. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along VIII-VIII in Figure 4. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1 before the in-vehicle equipment and each connector are mated. Figure 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the connector mating unit shown in Figure 9, corresponding to Figure 4. Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view showing one of the connectors constituting the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1 in an exploded state. Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view showing another connector constituting the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1 in an exploded state. Figure 13 is a perspective view of the front housing member constituting the connector shown in Figure 11, viewed from the planar side. Figure 14 is a perspective view of the front housing member shown in Figure 13, viewed from the bottom side. Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV in Figure 13. Figure 16 is a perspective view of the upper retainers constituting each connector shown in Figures 11 and 12. Figure 17 is a perspective view of the lower retainers constituting each connector shown in Figures 11 and 12. Figure 18 is a perspective view of the mounting components constituting the connector shown in Figure 11, viewed from the rear side. Figure 19 is a perspective view of the mounting components shown in Figure 18, viewed from the bottom side. Figure 20 is a perspective view of the extension housing member constituting the connector shown in Figure 12. Figure 21 is a plan view showing the in-vehicle equipment in the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1. Figure 22 is an explanatory diagram for illustrating the state in which the mounting components are mated to the in-vehicle equipment shown in Figure 21. Figure 23 is a perspective view showing the state in which the extension direction of the conductive member to the connector mating portion is changed relative to the connector mating unit shown in Figure 1. Figure 24 is a cross-sectional view of the connector mating unit shown in Figure 23, and corresponds to Figure 8.

[0009] <Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure> First, embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described. The connector mating unit of the Disclosure comprises: (1) an in-vehicle device provided with a plurality of connector mating portions; a plurality of connectors that are mated to the plurality of connector mating portions, respectively; and a plurality of mounting parts that are detachably mounted to the housings of the plurality of connectors, wherein each of the plurality of connector mating portions has a reference portion and an engagement portion for preventing mis-mating provided at different positions from the reference portion; each of the plurality of mounting parts has a reference assembly portion that is assembled to the reference portion and an engagement portion for preventing mis-mating provided at different positions from the reference assembly portion and into which the engagement portion can engage; and each of the connectors is mated to the connector mating portion, which is the correct mating partner, when the reference assembly portion of the mounting part is assembled to the reference portion of the connector mating portion, the engagement portion engages with the engagement portion.

[0010] According to the connector mating unit of this disclosure, each of the multiple connector mating parts provided in an in-vehicle device has a reference part and an engagement part for preventing mis-mating, each located at a different position from the reference part. The mounting component attached to each of the multiple connector housings has a structure in which a reference assembly part assembled to the reference part and a mis-mating prevention engagement part located at a different position from the reference assembly part, into which the engagement part engages. This eliminates the need to make the shapes of the multiple connectors different to correspond to the arrangement of the engagement parts, as in conventional structures, when multiple connector mating parts each have an engagement part for preventing mis-mating at different positions. Instead, the position of the engagement part of the mounting component attached to each connector is set to the position in which the engagement part engages when the reference assembly part is assembled to the reference part of the connector mating part that is to be properly mated. In this way, by providing multiple types of mounting components in which the position of the engagement part of the mounting component is changed, and simply by attaching such mounting components to the housing of a predetermined connector, it is possible to provide multiple connectors with different positions of the engagement part that can be mated to the correct connector mating part. This eliminates the need to modify the shape of multiple connectors to match the shape of the connector mating portion of in-vehicle equipment, thus eliminating the need for a one-to-one custom design. Instead, by simply changing the position of the engaged portion of the mounting component attached to the connector, without changing the shape of the connector itself, multiple connectors can be provided with engaged portions located at the corresponding points on the mating portions of multiple connectors. Therefore, regardless of the shape of the connector mating portion, a connector mating unit can be provided that improves versatility while preventing mis-mating between multiple connectors and multiple connector mating portions, simply by attaching mounting components with different engaged portion positions to the housings of multiple connectors.

[0011] Furthermore, in-vehicle equipment can include any device mounted on a vehicle, such as an electrical junction box or power supply unit. In addition, multiple connectors can include connectors provided on any electrical components or electrical equipment, such as those provided at the ends of electrical components like wire harnesses or busbars.

[0012] (2) In the above (1), it is preferable that each connector includes an annular mounting portion provided on the housing, each connector fitting portion includes an annular hood portion into which the annular mounting portion of the housing is inserted, the mounting component includes an annular assembly portion assembled to the outer circumference of the annular mounting portion of the housing, the reference portion is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion, the engaging portion is provided in the shape of a rib that protrudes radially outward from the annular hood portion and extends axially at a position in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion away from the reference portion, the reference assembly portion is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion, and the engaged portion is provided in the shape of a groove that extends axially from the annular assembly portion at a position in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion.

[0013] A reference portion is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion of the connector mating section, and a rib-shaped engaging portion is provided that protrudes from the outer surface of the annular hood portion and extends axially at a position spaced apart from the reference portion in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion. By changing the arrangement of the engaging portion in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion, multiple connector mating sections can be provided in which the engaging portion for preventing mis-mating is provided at mutually different positions from the reference portion. Furthermore, the connector housing has an annular mounting portion that is inserted into the annular hood portion, and the annular assembly portion of the mounting component is assembled thereto. A reference assembly portion is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion that is assembled to the reference portion, and a groove-shaped receiving portion that extends axially is provided at a position spaced apart from the reference assembly portion. As a result, by changing the position in the circumferential direction of the annular mounting portion, multiple connectors can be easily provided in which the receiving portion is positioned to engage with the engaging portion provided on the connector mating section that is the correct mating partner. This makes it possible to provide a connector mating unit with improved versatility with a small number of parts.

[0014] (3) In (2) above, it is preferable that each connector is provided at the end of the conductive member, the housing of each connector has a positioning locking portion, the mounting component has a plurality of positioning locking portions that can be locked to the positioning locking portion and are provided spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion, and the direction in which the conductive member extends relative to the connector mating portion can be varied by arbitrarily selecting the positioning locking portion to which the positioning locking portion is locked. A plurality of positioning locking portions are provided around the annular assembly portion of the mounting component, spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and the direction in which the conductive member extends relative to the connector mating portion can be varied simply by locking the positioning locking portion provided on the housing of the connector to an arbitrarily selected locking portion. This also improves the degree of freedom in the routing direction of multiple connectors relative to the connector mating unit by utilizing the mounting component mounted on the housing of the connector.

[0015] <Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure> Specific examples of the connector mating units of the Disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the Disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the Claims, as indicated by the Claims.

[0016] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the connector mating unit 10 of Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 24. This connector mating unit 10 is used in vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, and comprises a plurality of connectors 12 provided on the battery side as a power source and an on-board device 14 provided on the motor side as a load. Each of these connectors 12 is mated to the on-board device 14 and electrically connected so that the battery and the on-board device 14 are electrically connected. In the figures, only a part of the on-board device 14 (the part in which each second terminal 190, described later, is held in the second housing 192) is shown, and the second housing 192 may constitute part of the housing of the on-board device, or it may be fixed to the outside of the housing of the on-board device. Each connector 12 and the in-vehicle equipment 14 constituting the connector mating unit 10 can be positioned in any orientation within the vehicle. However, in the following description, "upper" refers to the upper part in Figure 3, "lower" refers to the lower part in Figure 3, "left" refers to the lower part in Figure 2, "right" refers to the upper part in Figure 2, "front" refers to the right in Figure 2, and "rear" refers to the left in Figure 2. Furthermore, in the following description, for multiple identical components, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the components, while the reference numerals for other components may be omitted.

[0017] <Connector Mating Unit 10> The connector mating unit 10 comprises an in-vehicle device 14 provided with a plurality of connector mating portions 16, a plurality of connectors 12 that are each mated to the plurality of connector mating portions 16, and a plurality of mounting parts 20 that are each detachably attached to a first housing 18 which serves as a housing for the plurality of connectors 12. In Embodiment 1, the plurality of connectors 12 include a positive terminal connector 12a and a negative terminal connector 12b, and each of these positive terminal and negative terminal connectors 12a and 12b is mated to a positive terminal connector mating portion 16a and a negative terminal connector mating portion 16b provided on the in-vehicle device 14. In particular, in Embodiment 1, the positive terminal connector 12a and the negative terminal connector 12b are arranged to be separated from each other in the left-right direction, and the positive terminal connector mating portion 16a and the negative terminal connector mating portion 16b in the in-vehicle device 14 are also arranged to be separated from each other in the left-right direction.

[0018] In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between positive and negative terminal components, the letter "a" will be added after the reference numeral for positive terminal components, and the letter "b" will be added after the reference numeral for negative terminal components. For example, the positive terminal connector 12a is equipped with a mounting component 20a that is detachably attached to the first housing 18a. The negative terminal connector 12b is equipped with a mounting component 20b that is detachably attached to the first housing 18b. Since the positive terminal connector 12a and the negative terminal connector 12b have substantially the same structure, the structure of the positive terminal connector 12a will be described first.

[0019] <Connector 12 (Positive terminal connector 12a)> As shown in Figure 11 and other figures, the connector 12a includes the first housing 18a and a conductive member 22 housed in the first housing 18a. The conductive member 22 is equipped with a first terminal 24, and as will be described later, each first terminal 24 and each second terminal 190 in the in-vehicle equipment 14 are fastened together by a fastening bolt 26a for the positive terminal and a fastening bolt 26b for the negative terminal, respectively, in both the positive and negative terminal configurations. In Embodiment 1, the connector 12a is configured to include the fastening bolts 26a in addition to the first housing 18a and the conductive member 22. Furthermore, the conductive member 22 includes an electric wire 104, which will be described later, and since the first terminal 24 is provided at the end of this electric wire 104, it can be understood that the connector 12a is provided at the end of the conductive member 22.

[0020] <Housing (First housing 18a for positive electrode)> In Embodiment 1, the first housing 18a that houses the first terminal 24 is configured to include a front housing member 28a that constitutes the front portion, a rear housing member 30 that constitutes the rear portion, and a joint member 32 that connects the front housing member 28a and the rear housing member 30 in the front-rear direction.

[0021] As shown in Figures 13 to 15, the front housing member 28a has a bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 and a terminal insertion cylinder portion 36, both of which are roughly cylindrical. The bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 is roughly cylindrical in shape and extends in the vertical direction, with the axial direction of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 being vertical. That is, the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 has a roughly cylindrical peripheral wall 38 that extends in the vertical direction, and a bolt fastening hole 40 that penetrates the inner circumference of the peripheral wall 38 in the vertical direction.

[0022] The bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 has an upper opening 42 that opens upward, a lower opening 44 that opens downward, and an intermediate opening 46 that opens in the middle of the vertical direction. In short, the bolt fastening hole 40 communicates with the outside space on both the vertical sides through the upper opening 42 and the lower opening 44. As will be described later, in the state before mating to the connector mating portions 16a and 16b of the in-vehicle equipment 14, the first terminals 24 and intermediate terminals 118a and 118b of each of the positive and negative connectors 12a and 12b are exposed downward through the lower openings 44 of the first housings 18a and 18b.

[0023] In the central part of the bolt fastening cylindrical portion 34 (circumferential wall 38) in the vertical direction, an engaging projection 47 is provided in the front portion that protrudes outward toward the outer circumference. In Embodiment 1, a plurality of engaging projections 47 are provided at predetermined intervals from one another in the front portion of the outer peripheral surface of the circumferential wall 38, over a circumferential dimension of half the circumference. Some of these multiple engaging projections 47 engage with engaging recesses 138 provided in the mounting component 20a and the extension housing member 186 when the first housing 18a (particularly the front housing member 28a) is assembled to the mounting component 20a and the extension housing member 186, which will be described later. The engagement of each of these engaging projections 47 with each of the engaging recesses 138 fixes the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a) to the mounting component 20a and the extension housing member 186.

[0024] Furthermore, the upper and lower ends of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 are provided with a plurality of positioning recesses 48 and locking recesses 50 that penetrate the peripheral wall 38 in the thickness direction (radial direction). These positioning recesses 48 and locking recesses 50 allow the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, the upper retainer 52 and the lower retainer 60 (described later) to be positioned in the circumferential direction and then fixed when assembling them to the upper and lower ends of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, respectively.

[0025] As will be described later, the negative electrode front housing member 28b is obtained by rotating the positive electrode front housing member 28a by 180° around a central axis L (see Figure 5) that extends in the front-rear direction. The negative electrode front housing member 28b also has an upper retainer 52 and a lower retainer 60 assembled to its upper and lower ends, respectively. In other words, it is possible to assemble the lower retainer 60 to the upper end of each front housing member 28a, 28b, and it is also possible to assemble the upper retainer 52 to the lower end. Therefore, the positioning recesses 48 and lock recesses 50 provided at the upper ends of each front housing member 28a, 28b and the positioning recesses 48 and lock recesses 50 provided at the lower ends are each formed at the same position in the circumferential direction on the peripheral wall 38.

[0026] An upper retainer 52 is fitted into the upper end of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 to prevent the fastening bolt 26a from falling out of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34. As shown in Figure 16, the upper retainer 52 is an annular member as a whole, and on the outer circumferential surface of the upper retainer 52, positioning protrusions 54 and locking protrusions 56 are provided at positions corresponding in the circumferential direction to the positioning recesses 48 and locking recesses 50 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, respectively.

[0027] Furthermore, an annular sealing member, a lower sealing rubber 58, and a lower retainer 60, which prevents the lower sealing rubber 58 from falling off the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, are externally fitted to the lower end of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34. As will be described later, when the lower portion (annular mounting portion 66) of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 is inserted into the annular space (insertion space 206) radially between the annular hood portion 202a and the second terminal 190 in the connector fitting portion 16a, the lower sealing rubber 58 is compressed radially between the peripheral wall 38 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 and the annular hood portion 202a, thereby creating a liquid-tight seal between the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 (first housing 18a) and the annular hood portion 202a (connector fitting portion 16a). The lower sealing rubber 58 is externally fitted to the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 from below, and an annular lower retainer 60 is further externally fitted to the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 below the lower sealing rubber 58.

[0028] As shown in Figure 17, on the inner circumferential surface of the lower retainer 60, positioning protrusions 62 and locking protrusions 64 are provided at positions corresponding in the circumferential direction to the positioning recesses 48 and locking recesses 50 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, respectively. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, the annular mounting portion 66 of the first housing 18a (particularly the front housing member 28a) that is inserted into the annular hood portion 202a of the connector fitting portion 16a is formed by the lower portion of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 to which the lower seal rubber 58 and the lower retainer 60 are assembled.

[0029] The terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 is integrally formed with the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, and in the vertically intermediate portion of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, it surrounds the intermediate opening 46 and protrudes rearward from the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34. In other words, the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 is cylindrical in shape extending in the front-rear direction, and has a cylindrical terminal holding wall portion 68 extending in the front-rear direction, and a terminal housing gap 70 that penetrates the inner circumference of the terminal holding wall portion 68 in the front-rear direction, into which the first terminal 24 is inserted and housed, as will be described later. In Embodiment 1, the front-rear dimension of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal housing gap 70) is smaller than the front-rear dimension of the first terminal 24, and the rear portion of the first terminal 24 protrudes rearward from the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal housing gap 70).

[0030] Furthermore, the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36, which extends in the front-rear direction, is connected to the intermediate portion of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, which extends in the up-down direction. That is, the intermediate opening 46, which is the front opening of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal housing gap 70), opens to the inner circumferential surface of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 (circumferential wall 38), and the bolt fastening hole 40 and the terminal housing gap 70 are in communication with each other. The terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 is formed such that the terminal housing gap 70 on the inner circumferential side of the terminal holding wall portion 68 is sized to accommodate the first terminal 24. In Embodiment 1, the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 is configured as a roughly rectangular or oval shape, with the left-right dimension being larger than the up-down dimension.

[0031] The front portion of the joint member 32 is inserted into the rear opening of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 and assembled. Locking claws 72 are provided on both the left and right sides of the rear end of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal holding wall portion 68) and protrude outward in the left and right directions. When assembling the front housing member 28a and the joint member 32, these locking claws 72 are locked into the front locking frame 100, which will be described later and protrudes forward from the joint member 32. In addition, positioning protrusions 74 are provided on both the up and down sides of the rear end of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal holding wall portion 68) and protrude outward in the up and down directions. In Embodiment 1, two positioning protrusions 74, 74 are provided on both the up and down sides of the terminal holding wall portion 68, spaced apart from each other in the left and right directions. Each of these positioning protrusions 74 is inserted into a positioning groove 88, which will be described later, provided at the front end of the rear housing member 30, when the front housing member 28a and the rear housing member 30 are connected by a joint member 32 to form the first housing 18a.

[0032] Furthermore, indicator sections 76a and 76b are provided on both the upper and lower surfaces of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal holding wall portion 68) to indicate whether the front housing member 28a is oriented for the positive or negative terminal. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, etc., in the positive front housing member 28a, the upper surface of the terminal holding wall portion 68 is marked with the character "+" in the indicator section 76a to indicate that it is oriented for the positive terminal. Also, the lower surface of the terminal holding wall portion 68 in the positive front housing member 28a (i.e., the upper surface of the terminal holding wall portion 68 in the negative front housing member 28b) is marked with the character "-" in the indicator section 76b to indicate that it is oriented for the negative terminal. In particular, in Embodiment 1, these indicator sections 76a and 76b are integrally formed with respect to the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal holding wall portion 68), but for example, a piece of paper printed with the character "+" or "-" may be attached.

[0033] <Positioning Locking Part 78> In the front housing member 28a, around the annular mounting portion 66 which is inserted into the annular hood portion 202a of the connector fitting portion 16a (described later), positioning locking parts 78 are provided to position the front housing member 28a and the mounting component 20a or the extension housing member 186 (described later) in the circumferential direction when the front housing member 28a and the mounting component 20a or the extension housing member 186 (described later) are assembled. In Embodiment 1, the annular mounting portion 66 is formed in the lower part of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, and the positioning locking parts 78 are formed behind the circumferential wall 38 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, protruding downward from the lower wall portion of the terminal holding wall portion 68 which is substantially cylindrical and extends in the front-rear direction. In particular, in Embodiment 1, four positioning locking parts 78 having predetermined circumferential dimensions are provided behind the circumferential wall 38 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34, spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction.

[0034] Specifically, each positioning locking portion 78 is substantially rectangular in plan view and protrudes downward from the lower wall portion of the terminal holding wall portion 68 by a predetermined vertical dimension. A projection 80 is provided in the circumferential central portion of the front end surface of each positioning locking portion 78, extending along the entire vertical length of each positioning locking portion 78. As will be described later, these projections 80 fit into recesses 146 in each positioning lockable portion 140 that are locked to each positioning locking portion 78, thereby enabling a higher degree of positioning of the front housing member 28a and the mounting component 20a or extension housing member 186 in the circumferential direction. In Embodiment 1, each projection 80 is formed with a substantially semicircular cross-section.

[0035] Furthermore, of the four positioning locking portions 78, the protruding tip portions (lower ends) of the positioning locking portions 78a at both circumferential ends have locking claw portions 82 that protrude outward in the circumferential direction (i.e., on the side opposite to the side where other positioning locking portions 78 are provided in the circumferential direction for each positioning locking portion 78a). Each of these locking claw portions 82 is designed to lock onto the lower ends of the side walls 148 that constitute the positioning locking portions 140 at both circumferential ends. By locking each locking claw portion 82 onto the lower ends of the side walls 148, the front housing member 28a and the mounting component 20a or extension housing member 186 are fixed to each other in the vertical and circumferential directions.

[0036] As mentioned above, the negative electrode front housing member 28b is formed by rotating the positive electrode front housing member 28a by 180° around a central axis L extending in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the positioning locking portions 78, 78a formed to protrude downward in the negative electrode front housing member 28b are formed to protrude upward from the upper wall portion of the terminal holding wall portion 68 in the positive electrode front housing member 28a. Accordingly, in Embodiment 1, the positioning locking portions 78, 78a are formed to protrude in both the vertical direction from the upper and lower wall portions on both sides of the terminal holding wall portion 68.

[0037] Furthermore, the rear housing member 30 is substantially cylindrical in shape and extends in the front-to-back direction, and the rear portion of the conductive member 22 is inserted through it. Therefore, the rear housing member 30 is provided with a cylindrical wall portion 84 that extends in the front-to-back direction. In Embodiment 1, the front portion of the cylindrical wall portion 84 is configured as a horizontally elongated substantially rectangular or substantially oval shape, substantially corresponding to the first terminal 24 of the conductive member 22, and the rear portion of the cylindrical wall portion 84 is configured as a cylindrical shape, substantially corresponding to the electric wire 104 of the conductive member 22, which will be described later. The rear portion of the joint member 32 is inserted into the front opening of this cylindrical wall portion 84 and assembled. Locking claws 86 that protrude outward in the left-to-right direction are provided on both sides of the front end of the cylindrical wall portion 84, and when assembling the rear housing member 30 and the joint member 32, each of these locking claws 86 is locked to the rear locking frame 101, which will be described later and protrudes rearward from the joint member 32.

[0038] Furthermore, positioning grooves 88 are provided on both the vertical and horizontal sides of the front end of the rear housing member 30 (cylindrical wall portion 84), into which the positioning projections 74 of the front housing member 28a are inserted. Each of these positioning grooves 88 is formed in a notched shape, penetrating both vertical and horizontal portions of the cylindrical wall portion 84 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) and opening forward. When assembling the front housing member 28a and the rear housing member 30, each positioning projection 74 is inserted into each positioning groove 88 from the front.

[0039] Furthermore, a back retainer 112 is assembled to the rear opening of the rear housing member 30 (cylindrical wall portion 84) to prevent the annular rear seal rubber 110, which will be fitted onto the electric wire 104 later, from falling off. Specifically, locking claws 90 that protrude outward in the vertical direction are provided on both the vertical sides of the rear end of the cylindrical wall portion 84, and when the back retainer 112 is assembled to the cylindrical wall portion 84, each of these locking claws 90 is locked into a locking frame 116 that protrudes forward on the back retainer 112.

[0040] As described above, the joint member 32 is a member that connects the front housing member 28a and the rear housing member 30, and is made of synthetic resin. The joint member 32 is a substantially cylindrical or substantially annular member that extends in the front-rear direction as a whole, and the joint member 32 has a base portion 92 in the middle portion in the front-rear direction that has an internal hole that penetrates in the front-rear direction. In Embodiment 1, the first terminal 24 of the conductive member 22 is inserted through the internal hole in the base portion 92. In particular, in Embodiment 1, the joint member 32 has a front cylindrical portion 94 that protrudes forward from the base portion 92 and enters into the terminal insertion cylindrical portion 36 of the front housing member 28a through the rear opening of the terminal insertion cylindrical portion 36, and a rear cylindrical portion 96 that protrudes rearward from the base portion 92 and enters into the cylindrical wall portion 84 of the rear housing member 30 through the front opening. The first terminal 24 of the conductive member 22 is inserted through the internal holes of the base portion 92, the front cylindrical portion 94, and the rear cylindrical portion 96.

[0041] The front cylindrical portion 94 and the rear cylindrical portion 96 are fitted with annular sealing members, a first sealing rubber 98 and a second sealing rubber 99, respectively. Furthermore, on both the left and right sides of the base portion 92, there are a front locking frame 100 that protrudes forward and engages with each locking claw 72 in the terminal insertion cylindrical portion 36, and a rear locking frame 101 that protrudes rearward and engages with each locking claw 86 in the cylindrical wall portion 84.

[0042] When the front housing member 28a and the joint member 32 are assembled, each locking claw 72 is locked to each front locking frame 100, and the front cylindrical portion 94 is inserted into the terminal insertion cylindrical portion 36. At this time, the first sealing rubber 98 is compressed between the terminal insertion cylindrical portion 36 (terminal holding wall portion 68) and the front cylindrical portion 94, and the space between the terminal insertion cylindrical portion 36 (front housing member 28a) and the front cylindrical portion 94 (joint member 32) is liquid-tightly sealed by the first sealing rubber 98. Similarly, when the rear housing member 30 and the joint member 32 are assembled, each locking claw 86 is locked to each rear locking frame 101, and the rear cylindrical portion 96 is inserted into the cylindrical wall portion 84. At that time, the second sealing rubber 99 is compressed between the cylindrical wall portion 84 and the rear cylindrical portion 96, so that the space between the cylindrical wall portion 84 (rear housing member 30) and the rear cylindrical portion 96 (joint member 32) is liquid-tightly sealed by the second sealing rubber 99.

[0043] In Embodiment 1, the joint member 32 is integrally formed with the first terminal 24 of the conductive member 22. That is, when molding the joint member 32, the joint member 32 is molded with the first terminal 24 set in the molding cavity, so that the joint member 32 is formed as an integrally molded product equipped with the first terminal 24.

[0044] <Conductive member 22> The conductive member 22 of Embodiment 1 includes the first terminal 24 as described above. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 and the like, the first terminal 24 has a generally rectangular plate shape as a whole, and is formed of a metal such as copper (including copper alloy) or aluminum (including aluminum alloy) with excellent conductivity. Specifically, the first terminal 24 has a smaller dimension in the width direction (dimension in the left-right direction) at the distal end (front end) than at the base end (rear end), and a circular first bolt insertion hole 102 penetrating through the first terminal 24 in the thickness direction (vertical direction) is formed in the front end portion of the first terminal 24. As described above, the first terminal 24 is integrally provided with the joint member 32, and the joint member 32 is provided at the middle portion in the front-rear direction of the first terminal 24, specifically, at the boundary between the front portion and the rear portion having different dimensions in the width direction.

[0045] Further, an electric wire 104 is fixed to a portion where the dimension in the width direction is increased at the rear end of the first terminal 24. An insulating coating 106 made of synthetic resin is fixed to the rear portion of the electric wire 104. In other words, the insulating coating 106 is stripped off at the front portion of the electric wire 104 to expose the core wire 108, and the exposed core wire 108 is fixed to the rear end of the first terminal 24.

[0046] An annular rear seal rubber 110 that seals the rear opening of the rear housing member 30 (cylindrical wall portion 84) of the first housing 18a is externally fitted and attached to the rear portion of the conductive member 22 (particularly, the electric wire 104). Further, behind the rear seal rubber 110 in the conductive member 22, a back retainer 112 is externally fitted, which prevents the rear seal rubber 110 from falling off from the rear housing member 30 (cylindrical wall portion 84) when the conductive member 22 is fixed to the first housing 18a. A central hole 114 through which the electric wire 104 in the conductive member 22 passes is formed penetrating in the front-rear direction in the central portion of the back retainer 112, and locking frames 116 protruding forward are integrally formed at both ends in the vertical direction of the back retainer 112. In Embodiment 1, both the rear seal rubber 110 and the back retainer 112 are externally fitted to the insulating coating 106 so as to be movable along the length direction (front-rear direction) of the conductive member 22 (particularly, the electric wire 104).

[0047] Furthermore, a relay terminal 118a for the positive electrode is assembled in the first bolt insertion hole 102 of the first terminal 24. As shown in Figure 4 and other figures, the relay terminal 118a has a roughly stepped cylindrical shape that extends vertically as a whole, and a relay through-hole 120 is formed in the central part of the relay terminal 118a that penetrates vertically and communicates with the first bolt insertion hole 102 described above. The relay terminal 118a is formed of, for example, a metal with excellent conductivity, and the material of the relay terminal 118a is selected such that its natural potential is an intermediate value between that of the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 described later. Specifically, for example, if the first terminal 24 is formed of aluminum (including aluminum alloy) and the second terminal 190 is formed of copper (copper alloy), an aluminum-copper alloy (aluminum bronze) can be used as the material for the relay terminal 118a. As a result, even when the potential difference between the metal material constituting the first terminal 24 and the metal material constituting the second terminal 190 is relatively large, corrosion due to a large potential difference between the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 can be prevented by providing an intermediate terminal 118a with an intermediate natural potential between them.

[0048] As described above, the relay terminal 118a has a substantially stepped cylindrical shape extending vertically as a whole, and the outer diameter of the upper portion is smaller than that of the lower portion. The small-diameter cylindrical portion above the relay terminal 118a is the mounting cylinder portion 122 assembled to the inner peripheral surface of the first bolt insertion hole 102 in the first terminal 24. The large-diameter cylindrical portion below the relay terminal 118a is a cylindrical projection 124 projecting downward. When the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 are bolt-fastened by the fastening bolt 26a, the annular surface at the lower end of the cylindrical projection 124 and the annular surface at the upper end of the second terminal 190 are configured to abut against each other. In Embodiment 1, a plurality of press-fitting ribs 126 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylinder portion 122 at predetermined intervals from each other in the circumferential direction. When the relay terminal 118a is assembled to the first terminal 24, the mounting cylinder portion 122 is press-fitted into the first bolt insertion hole 102 while each press-fitting rib 126 is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the first bolt insertion hole 102. In particular, in Embodiment 1, four recesses 128 opening downward are provided on the lower surface of the cylindrical projection 124 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. When the relay terminal 118a is press-fitted into the first terminal 24, pressing each of these recesses 128 with a jig (not shown) can prevent damage to the contact portion (the contact surface facing the second terminal 190).

[0049] <Mounting component 20 (positive-electrode mounting component 20a)> As also shown in FIGS. 18, 19 and the like, the mounting component 20a is an annular member as a whole and is formed of synthetic resin. The mounting component 20a includes: a reference assembling portion 130 assembled to a reference portion 198 (described later) of the connector fitting portion 16a; and an engaged portion 132 for preventing mis-fitting, which is provided at a position different from that of the reference assembling portion 130 and is engageable with an engaging portion 200 (described later) of the connector fitting portion 16a. In Embodiment 1, the mounting component 20a includes an annular assembling portion 134 assembled to the outer peripheral side of an annular mounting portion 66 in the first housing 18a (for the negative electrode, the annular mounting portion 66 provided on the extension housing member 186), and in particular, the annular assembling portion 134 is configured to be assembled to the outer peripheral surface of an annular hood portion 202a (described later) of the connector fitting portion 16a.

[0050] <Reference Assembly Section 130> Specifically, the mounting component 20a is provided with an annular assembly section 134 that is substantially annular in shape. The annular assembly section 134 has an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the annular hood section 202a, and also has a predetermined vertical dimension. In Embodiment 1, a reference section 198 is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular hood section 202a for the positive electrode (to the right in the case of the annular hood section 202a for the positive electrode), and correspondingly, a reference assembly section 130 is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly section 134. In particular, in Embodiment 1, on the right side of the mounting component 20a for the positive electrode, the reference assembly section 130 is formed in the shape of a notch that penetrates the annular assembly section 134 in the thickness direction (radial direction of the annular assembly section 134) and opens downward. This reference assembly section 130 is formed with a predetermined circumferential dimension (front-to-back dimension).

[0051] <Engaged portion 132 for preventing mis-fitting> The engaged portion 132 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall constituting the annular assembly portion 134, at a position separated from the reference assembly portion 130 in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion 134, and is provided in the shape of a recessed groove extending in the axial direction (up and down direction) of the annular assembly portion 134. In Embodiment 1, the engaged portion 132 is formed over substantially the entire length of the annular assembly portion 134 in the vertical direction.

[0052] In Embodiment 1, a cover portion 136 is provided on a part of the circumference of the annular assembly portion 134 (the front portion when assembled to the annular hood portion 202a), protruding upward from the peripheral wall constituting the annular assembly portion 134 and covering the first housing 18a (particularly the front housing member 28a) from the front. This cover portion 136 is formed on the annular assembly portion 134 over a predetermined circumferential dimension, and an engaging recess 138 is formed on the inner surface (rear surface) of the cover portion 136 that engages with each engaging projection 47 on the front housing member 28a. In Embodiment 1, as also shown in Figure 18, a plurality (four) of engaging recesses 138 are provided spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction. The engaging recess 138 may have a circumferential dimension approximately equal to that of the engaging projection 47, so that one engaging projection 47 engages with one engaging recess 138, or it may have a circumferential dimension larger than that of the engaging projection 47 so that multiple engaging projections 47 engage with one engaging recess 138.

[0053] Furthermore, the mounting component 20a has a plurality of positioning locking portions 140 that are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion 134, and can be locked to the positioning locking portions 78, 78a provided on the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a) in a part of the circumference of the annular assembly portion 134. Each of these positioning locking portions 140 is provided on the outer circumference side of the annular assembly portion 134 and is formed over a predetermined circumferential dimension relative to the annular assembly portion 134. Specifically, when the annular assembly portion 134 is assembled to the annular hood portion 202a, each positioning locking portion 140 is formed over, for example, a 1 / 2 circumference area in the rear portion of the annular assembly portion 134. In Embodiment 1, four or more positioning locking portions 140 are provided, and when each positioning locking portion 140 is locked to each positioning locking portion 78, 78a, four of the four or more positioning locking portions 140 are arbitrarily selected and locked to each positioning locking portion 78, 78a.

[0054] More specifically, behind the annular assembly portion 134, an outer peripheral wall portion 142 is provided, covering the annular assembly portion 134 from the outer circumference and forming the outer peripheral wall portion of each positioning locking portion 140. The annular assembly portion 134 and the outer peripheral wall portion 142 are connected at their respective upper ends by an upper wall portion 144. These outer peripheral wall portion 142 and upper wall portion 144 are formed on the outer circumference of the rear portion of the annular assembly portion 134 with a circumferential dimension of approximately half the circumference. As a result, a groove-like space opening downwards is formed by the rear portion of the annular assembly portion 134, the outer peripheral wall portion 142, and the upper wall portion 144, with a circumferential dimension of approximately half the circumference. The positioning locking portions 140 are formed on the upper wall portion 144, which is formed to have a circumferential dimension of approximately half the circumference.

[0055] Each of these positioning locking portions 140 is the same shape as, or slightly larger than, the positioning locking portions 78, 78a provided on the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a) in a plan view, and is formed as a through-hole that penetrates the upper wall portion 144 in the thickness direction (vertical direction). That is, each positioning locking portion 140 is substantially rectangular in a plan view, and a recess 146 is formed in the front portion of the inner surface of each positioning locking portion 140 at the circumferential center portion, through which each projection 80 of each positioning locking portion 78, 78a is inserted. Each recess 146 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape that protrudes forward in a plan view, substantially corresponding to each projection 80.

[0056] Furthermore, each positioning locking portion 140 is provided on the upper wall portion 144, spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and side walls 148 are provided between these positioning locking portions 140 in the circumferential direction, projecting downward from the upper wall portion 144. The vertical dimension of each side wall 148 is formed to be less than the total vertical dimension of the outer peripheral wall portion 142, and when each positioning locking portion 78a, which is provided with each locking claw portion 82, is inserted into each positioning locking portion 140, each locking claw portion 82 is locked to the lower end of each side wall 148. Therefore, the mounting component 20a is superimposed on the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a) from below, and the positioning locking parts 78, 78a are inserted into and locked into the four arbitrarily selected positioning locking parts 140, thereby fixing the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a) and the mounting component 20a to each other in the vertical and circumferential directions.

[0057] <Fastening Bolt 26 (Fastening Bolt 26a for Positive Electrode)> The fastening bolt 26a of Embodiment 1 is composed of multiple members, as shown in Figure 11, etc., and includes a bolt body 154a having a bolt shaft portion 152 with male threads 150 formed on its outer circumference. The bolt body 154a also has a bolt head 156 provided at the upper end of the bolt shaft portion 152. At the lower end of the bolt shaft portion 152, a lower insertion recess 158 is formed that opens downward and has a predetermined depth. The bolt head 156 is substantially disc-shaped, and an engagement shaft portion 160 is provided that protrudes from the central part of the bolt head 156 to the opposite side (upper side) from the bolt shaft portion 152. The engagement shaft portion 160 is substantially cylindrical overall, but an upper insertion recess 162 is formed at the upper end of the engagement shaft portion 160 that opens upward and has a predetermined depth. In Embodiment 1, the outer circumference of the engagement shaft portion 160 is configured as a tapered surface in which the outer diameter gradually increases downward.

[0058] Furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of the engaging shaft portion 160 is provided with engaging projections 164 that protrude outward. The engaging projections 164 are provided at multiple locations on the outer circumferential surface of the engaging shaft portion 160 that are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction and consist of multiple protrusions that extend in the axial direction (up and down direction). Each engaging projection 164 (each protrusion) is provided along the tapered outer circumferential surface of the engaging shaft portion 160 with a substantially constant projection height in the longitudinal direction, and is formed to gradually incline towards the outer circumferential side as it goes downward. In Embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 6 and the like, each engaging projection 164 (each protrusion) is formed with a substantially triangular cross-section.

[0059] In Embodiment 1, an insulating tip cap 166 is assembled to the lower end of the bolt shaft portion 152. The tip cap 166 is a substantially cylindrical member integrally comprising an insertion portion 168 that is inserted into a lower insertion recess 158. In Embodiment 1, the tip cap 166 is attached to the lower end of the bolt shaft portion 152 by press-fitting the insertion portion 168 into the lower insertion recess 158. The tip cap 166 may also be bonded or welded to the bolt shaft portion 152 as needed.

[0060] Furthermore, the outer diameter of the tip cap 166 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the bolt shaft portion 152, so that the tip cap 166 does not cover the outer circumferential surface of the lower end portion of the bolt shaft portion 152. By providing the tip cap 166 at the lower end of the bolt shaft portion 152 in this way, the lower end of the bolt shaft portion 152 can be stably guided into the second bolt insertion hole 194 when fastening the bolts 26a and 26b between the first terminals 24 and the second terminals 190, as described later, and the male thread 150 can be prevented from being damaged by contact with other members (for example, intermediate terminals 118a and 118b). In addition, by covering the lower end surface of the bolt shaft portion 152 with the tip cap 166, it is possible to prevent workers from unintentionally coming into contact with the lower end surface of the bolt shaft portion 152 and receiving an electric shock.

[0061] Furthermore, in the fastening bolt 26a, a finger-proof cap 170 is superimposed on the bolt body 154a from above. This finger-proof cap 170 is a roughly bottomed cylindrical shape that opens downwards as a whole, and is made of synthetic resin separately from the bolt body 154a. The outer shape of the upper end of the finger-proof cap 170 is roughly hexagonal in plan view, and this upper end constitutes an operating part 172 that allows the fastening operation of the fastening bolt 26a to be performed using, for example, a tool not shown.

[0062] Furthermore, in the upper and lower intermediate portion of the outer circumferential surface of the finger-proof cap 170, a displacement restricting portion 176 is formed, protruding outward in an annular shape, which restricts the upward displacement of the upper seal rubber 174, an annular sealing member fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the finger-proof cap 170. Below the displacement restricting portion 176 on the finger-proof cap 170, an annular seal mounting portion 178 is formed, having an outer diameter that is approximately constant in the vertical direction, and onto which the upper seal rubber 174 is fitted. The upper seal rubber 174 fitted onto the annular seal mounting portion 178 is compressed radially between the peripheral wall 38 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 and the annular seal mounting portion 178 when the fastening bolt 26a is inserted through the upper opening 42 into the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 of the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a). Therefore, the space between the first housing 18a and the fastening bolt 26a is sealed liquid-tightly by this upper seal rubber 174.

[0063] The finger-proof cap 170 is superimposed on the engaging shaft portion 160 of the bolt head 156 from above, so that the finger-proof cap 170 covers the outer circumferential surface of the engaging shaft portion 160 and the upper surface of the bolt head 156. In other words, the finger-proof cap 170 is a roughly bottomed cylindrical shape, and a recess 180 is formed inside into which the engaging shaft portion 160 is fitted. This recess 180 is shaped to roughly correspond to the engaging shaft portion 160, and the inner circumferential surface of the recess 180 is configured as a tapered surface that gradually slopes outward towards the outer circumferential side as it goes downward, roughly corresponding to the outer circumferential surface of the engaging shaft portion 160. Furthermore, an engaging groove portion 182 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the recess 180 into which each engaging projection 164 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the engaging shaft portion 160 engages. The engagement of each engagement projection 164 of the engagement shaft portion 160 with each engagement groove 182 of the recess 180 prevents relative rotation between the finger-proof cap 170 and the bolt head 156 (bolt body 154a). The engagement shaft portion 160 may be inserted into the recess 180 with a gap between them, or it may be inserted in a nearly press-fit state.

[0064] In Embodiment 1, each engagement groove 182 opens to the inner circumferential surface and the opening side edge (periphery of the lower opening) of the recess 180, and is provided at multiple locations in the circumferential direction, and is configured as a recessed groove extending in the axial direction. Each engagement groove 182 is provided along the inner circumferential surface of the tapered recess 180 with a substantially constant depth in the longitudinal direction, and is formed to gradually incline towards the outer circumference as it goes downwards. In Embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 6 and the like, each engagement groove 182 is formed with a substantially triangular cross-section, substantially corresponding to each engagement projection 164. As a result, when the finger-touch prevention cap 170 is assembled to the bolt head 156, that is, when the engagement shaft portion 160 is housed in the recess 180, the multiple engagement projections 164 are fitted into the multiple engagement grooves 182, respectively. Note that each engagement projection 164 may be inserted with a gap between it and each engagement groove 182, or it may be inserted in a substantially press-fit state.

[0065] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, an insertion portion 184 is formed on the bottom surface of the inner circumferential surface of the recess 180 (the lower surface of the upper bottom wall portion of the finger-proof cap 170), protruding downward and being inserted into the upper insertion recess 162 of the engagement shaft portion 160 when assembling the finger-proof cap 170 and the bolt head 156 (bolt body 154a). This insertion portion 184 may be inserted with a gap between it and the upper insertion recess 162, or it may be inserted in a substantially press-fit state.

[0066] <Connector 12 (Negative Connector 12b)> As shown in Figure 12, the negative connector 12b can be constructed using the same materials as those that make up the positive connector 12a, but some materials different from those of the positive connector 12a are used. Below, the materials of the negative connector 12b that are different from those of the positive connector 12a will be described, and for materials and parts that are substantially the same as those of the positive connector 12a, the same reference numerals as those of the positive connector 12a will be used in the figure, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0067] The front housing member 28b, which constitutes the first housing 18b for the negative electrode, is obtained by rotating the front housing member 28a, which constitutes the first housing 18a for the positive electrode, by 180° around a central axis L that extends in the front-rear direction. That is, the upper surface of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 (terminal holding wall portion 68) of the front housing member 28b is marked with the character "-" in the display portion 76b.

[0068] In Embodiment 1, with each connector 12a and 12b bolted to the in-vehicle equipment 14, the negative terminal connector 12b is positioned above the positive terminal connector 12a, and the vertical distance from each first terminal 24 to each second terminal 190 (described later) is greater for the negative terminal connector 12b than for the positive terminal connector 12a. In particular, in Embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 3, parts of each connector 12a and 12b overlap each other in the vertical direction. That is, the length dimension of the fastening bolt 26b is larger for the negative terminal connector 12b than for the positive terminal connector 12a, and in Embodiment 1, a fastening bolt 26b with a relatively large length dimension of the bolt shaft portion 152 in the bolt body 154b is used.

[0069] Similarly, in the negative terminal connector 12b, the vertical distance from each first terminal 24 to each second terminal 190 is larger than in the positive terminal connector 12a. Therefore, in the negative terminal connector 12b, the length dimension of the intermediate terminal 118b positioned between the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 is larger than that of the intermediate terminal 118a provided in the positive terminal connector 12a. In Embodiment 1, the vertical dimension of the cylindrical projection 124 of the negative terminal intermediate terminal 118b is larger than that of the positive terminal intermediate terminal 118a. In particular, in Embodiment 1, when the negative terminal connector 12b is assembled, the intermediate terminal 118b protrudes below the bolt fastening cylindrical portion 34 of the front housing member 28b.

[0070] <Mounting component 20 (Mounting component 20b for negative electrode)> Although the mounting component 20b for the negative electrode has the same shape as the mounting component 20a for the positive electrode, it is mirror-symmetric to the mounting component 20a for the positive electrode and is a separate component from the mounting component 20a for the positive electrode. Therefore, although the mounting component 20b for the negative electrode also has an annular assembly portion 134 having a reference assembly portion 130 and an engaged portion 132 for preventing mis-fitting, a notched reference assembly portion 130 is provided on the left side, which is one location in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion 134. Furthermore, the engaged portion 132 is formed as a recessed groove shape extending in the axial direction (up and down direction) of the annular assembly portion 134 at a position separated from the reference assembly portion 130 in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion 134.

[0071] <Extension Housing Member 186> As described above, in the negative terminal connector 12b, the vertical distance between the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 is greater than that of the positive terminal connector 12a. Therefore, in the negative terminal connector 12b, the first housing 18b (front housing member 28b) that holds the first terminal 24 and the mounting component 20b that is assembled to the second terminal 190 (connector mating portion 16b) are connected by an extension housing member 186. Since this extension housing member 186 simply connects the front housing member 28b and the mounting component 20b, the upper part of the extension housing member 186 has the same structure as the upper part of the mounting component 20b, and the lower part of the extension housing member 186 has the same structure as the lower part of the front housing member 28b.

[0072] Specifically, as shown in Figure 20, the extension housing member 186 is a substantially cylindrical shape that extends vertically as a whole and is made of synthetic resin. That is, the extension housing member 186 has an extension cylindrical portion 188 having the same diameter dimensions as the bolt fastening cylindrical portion 34 of the front housing member 28b, and the front portion of the extension cylindrical portion 188 is provided with a cover portion 136 having a plurality of engagement recesses 138, similar in structure to the upper end of the mounting part 20b. In the extension housing member 186, the engagement recesses 138 are formed in the shape of through holes that penetrate the cover portion 136 in the thickness direction. Furthermore, the lower end of the extension cylindrical portion 188 has a plurality of positioning recesses 48 and lock recesses 50, similar in structure to the bolt fastening cylindrical portion 34 of the front housing member 28b, and the lower seal rubber 58 and lower retainer 60 are assembled to the lower end of the extension cylindrical portion 188. Therefore, the lower portion of the extension cylindrical portion 188 also constitutes an annular mounting portion 66, similar to the front housing member 28b.

[0073] Furthermore, the rear portion of the extension tube 188 is provided with a plurality (four) of positioning locking portions 140, similar in structure to the upper end of the mounting component 20b. Specifically, an outer peripheral wall portion 142 is provided on the outer circumference of the rear portion of the extension tube 188, and the upper ends of the extension tube 188 and the outer peripheral wall portion 142 are connected by an upper wall portion 144. Each positioning locking portion 140 is formed by penetrating this upper wall portion 144 in the vertical direction. At the lower end of the outer peripheral wall portion 142, each positioning locking portion 78, 78a is formed, protruding downward, similar in structure to the lower portion of the front housing member 28b.

[0074] When the extension housing member 186 is assembled to the front housing member 28b, the positioning locking portions 78, 78a on the front housing member 28b and the positioning locking portions 78, 78a on the extension housing member 186 are located at approximately equal positions in the circumferential direction of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 and the extension cylinder portion 188. That is, in the extension housing member 186, the positioning locking portions 140 and the positioning locking portions 78, 78a are formed at equal positions in the circumferential direction of the extension cylinder portion 188, and the positioning locking portions 140 and the positioning locking portions 78, 78a are located at positions that overlap in the vertical projection.

[0075] <In-vehicle device 14> The in-vehicle device 14 includes a pair of second terminals 190, 190 to which each first terminal 24 of each connector 12a, 12b is bolted by each fastening bolt 26a, 26b, and a second housing 192 that houses and holds these second terminals 190. The in-vehicle device 14 is provided with a positive connector mating portion 16a and a negative connector mating portion 16b into which the above-mentioned connectors 12a, 12b are mated, and both of these connector mating portions 16a, 16b are formed in the second housing 192.

[0076] The positive terminal 190 and the negative terminal 190 are both the same shape, and as shown in Figure 4, etc., they are generally cylindrical in shape extending in the vertical direction. A second bolt insertion hole 194 is formed in the central part of each of these second terminals 190, penetrating vertically and communicating with the relay through holes 120 in each relay terminal 118a, 118b. On the inner circumferential surface of each second bolt insertion hole 194, at least in the upper part, a female thread 196 is formed over a predetermined vertical dimension, which engages with the male threads 150 of each fastening bolt 26a, 26b. Each of these second terminals 190 is made of a metal with excellent conductivity, such as copper (including copper alloys) or aluminum (including aluminum alloys). In Embodiment 1, each of these second terminals 190 is arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0077] <Connector mating portion 16 (connector mating portion 16a for positive terminal)> As described above, the second housing 192 is provided with connector mating portions 16a and 16b for the positive and negative terminals. Each of these connector mating portions 16a and 16b is provided in the portion where each of the second terminals 190 is arranged, and is provided in the second housing 192 spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each of the connector mating portions 16a and 16b has a reference portion 198 and an engagement portion 200 for preventing mis-mating, which is provided at a different position from the reference portion 198. In Embodiment 1, each of the connector mating portions 16a and 16b includes an annular hood portion 202a for the positive terminal and an annular hood portion 202b for the negative terminal, into which the annular mounting portion 66 of each of the first housings 18a and 18b (annular mounting portion 66 provided on the extension housing member 186 in the case of the negative terminal) is inserted. In particular, in Embodiment 1, each of the reference portions 198 and each of the engaging portions 200 are formed in the respective annular hood portions 202a and 202b. Here, since the connector mating portion 16a for the positive electrode and the connector mating portion 16b for the negative electrode have substantially the same structure, the connector mating portion 16a for the positive electrode will be described first.

[0078] Specifically, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, the second housing 192 is provided with a base plate portion 204 that extends horizontally (in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction), and this base plate portion 204 holds each second terminal 190 that extends vertically and is separated from each other in the left-right direction. The base plate portion 204 is provided in the vertical intermediate portion of each second terminal 190, and each second terminal 190 protrudes from the base plate portion 204 on both the vertical and horizontal sides. In the positive terminal second terminal 190, an annular hood portion 202a for the positive terminal is integrally formed, protruding upward from the base plate portion 204, so as to cover the outer circumference of the portion that protrudes upward from the base plate portion 204. In Embodiment 1, the annular hood portion 202a is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a larger diameter than the second terminal 190.

[0079] <Reference Section 198> As described above, a reference section 198 is provided in each of the annular hood sections 202a and 202b. In Embodiment 1, the annular hood sections 202a and 202b on both the left and right sides are close to each other in their respective left and right inward portions and are connected to each other by the reference section 198. That is, in the annular hood section 202a for the positive electrode, a reference section 198 is provided on the right side, which is one location in the circumferential direction, and in the annular hood section 202b for the negative electrode, a reference section 198 is provided on the left side, which is one location in the circumferential direction. In particular, in Embodiment 1, this reference section 198 is formed with a vertical dimension that is approximately the same as the other parts of each annular hood section 202a and 202b, and is integrally formed protruding upward from the base plate section 204.

[0080] <Engaging portion 200 for preventing mis-fitting> The engaging portion 200 provided on the annular hood portion 202a on the positive electrode side is provided in the shape of a rib that protrudes radially outward from the outer surface of the annular hood portion 202a and extends axially (up and down) at a position separated from the reference portion 198 in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion 202a. Specifically, on the annular hood portion 202a on the positive electrode side, as shown in Figure 21, the reference portion 198 is provided on the right side, and the engaging portion 200 is provided that protrudes outward from the reference portion 198 at a position less than half a turn in a counterclockwise direction in a plan view. In Embodiment 1, this engaging portion 200 is formed along the entire length of the annular hood portion 202a in the vertical direction.

[0081] Furthermore, by providing the annular hood portion 202a with this shape, an annular insertion space 206 is formed radially between the annular hood portion 202a and the second terminal 190. The annular mounting portion 66 of the first housing 18a on the positive terminal side connector 12a is inserted particularly into this insertion space 206 on the inner circumference side of the annular hood portion 202a and engages with the connector mating portion 16a.

[0082] <Connector mating portion 16 (connector mating portion 16b for negative electrode)> As described above, the connector mating portion 16b for the negative electrode also has an annular hood portion 202b having a reference portion 198 and an engaging portion 200. The reference portion 198 is provided to the left of the annular hood portion 202b. The engaging portion 200 provided on the annular hood portion 202b for the negative electrode has the same shape as the engaging portion 200 provided on the annular hood portion 202a for the positive electrode, however, in the annular hood portion 202b for the negative electrode, as shown in Figure 21, the engaging portion 200 is provided at a position less than half a turn clockwise in a plan view relative to the reference portion 198. In other words, in the annular hood portion 202b for the negative electrode, the engaging portion 200 is provided at a position more than half a turn counterclockwise in a plan view relative to the reference portion 198, and the relative positional relationship between the reference portion 198 and the engaging portion 200 in the circumferential direction is different for the annular hood portion 202a for the positive electrode and the annular hood portion 202b for the negative electrode. In Embodiment 1, the engaging portion 200 provided on the annular hood portion 202a for the positive electrode and the engaging portion 200 provided on the annular hood portion 202b for the negative electrode are provided symmetrically with respect to the center line C (see Figure 21) that extends in the front-rear direction from the left-right center of the in-vehicle device 14.

[0083] In other words, only the positive electrode mounting component 20a can be assembled to the positive electrode connector mating portion 16a, and only the negative electrode mounting component 20b can be assembled to the negative electrode connector mating portion 16b. In short, for both the positive and negative electrodes, with the reference assembly portion 130 of each mounting component 20a, 20b assembled to the reference portion 198 of each connector mating portion 16a, 16b, each engaging portion 200 is engaged with each engaged portion 132, thereby allowing each mounting component 20a, 20b to be fitted into the connector mating portion 16a, 16b, which is its proper mating partner.

[0084] Furthermore, in the connector mating portion 16b for the negative terminal, an annular insertion space 206 is formed radially between the annular hood portion 202b and the second terminal 190. In addition, the annular mounting portion 66 of the first housing 18b in the connector 12b on the negative terminal side (i.e., the annular mounting portion 66 of the extension housing member 186) is inserted into the insertion space 206, thereby mating with the connector mating portion 16b.

[0085] The second housing 192, having annular hood portions 202a and 202b shaped in this manner, is formed as an integrally molded product with each second terminal 190 by molding with each second terminal 190 set in the molding cavity of the second housing 192. Multiple collars 208 are provided in a substantially embedded state on the outer circumference of the second housing 192 (base plate portion 204), and the second housing 192, in other words, the on-board equipment 14, can be fixed to the housing of the on-board equipment on the motor side (not shown) by bolts (not shown) that hold each second terminal 190 through the collars 208.

[0086] <Assembly Method of Connector 12 (Positive and Negative Connectors 12a and 12b)> Below, a specific example of the assembly method for the positive connector 12a and the negative connector 12b will be described. Note that the assembly method for each connector 12a and 12b is not limited to the description below.

[0087] When assembling the positive terminal connector 12a, first, the joint member 32 is formed integrally with the first terminal 24, and the first sealing rubber 98 is fixed to the front cylindrical portion 94 of the joint member 32 in an externally fitted state, and the second sealing rubber 99 is fixed to the rear cylindrical portion 96 in an externally fitted state. The core wire 108 of the electric wire 104 is fixed to the rear portion of the first terminal 24 by welding or the like. Then, the conductive member 22 is inserted through the front opening of the rear housing member 30 (cylindrical wall portion 84), and each locking claw 86 is locked to each rear locking frame 101. Subsequently, the rear sealing rubber 110 and back retainer 112, which are externally fitted to the rear portion of the electric wire 104, are moved forward, the rear sealing rubber 110 is inserted into the rear opening of the cylindrical wall portion 84, and the back retainer 112 is assembled. Furthermore, the front portion of the first terminal 24 is inserted through the rear opening of the front housing member 28a, and each locking claw 72 is locked to each front locking frame 100. As a result, the front housing member 28a and the rear housing member 30 are connected by the joint member 32, and the first housing 18a is formed. With the conductive member 22 housed in the first housing 18a, the first bolt insertion hole 102 in the first terminal 24 is located inside the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34. From this state, the intermediate terminal 118a is inserted through the lower opening 44 of the bolt fastening cylinder portion 34 and placed on top of the lower surface of the first terminal 24, and the mounting cylinder portion 122 is press-fitted into the first bolt insertion hole 102 to assemble the intermediate terminal 118a to the first terminal 24.

[0088] Furthermore, the bolt body 154a, the tip cap 166, the finger-proof cap 170, and the upper seal rubber 174 are assembled to form the fastening bolt 26a. Then, the fastening bolt 26a is inserted through the upper opening 42 of the bolt fastening cylinder 34, and the bolt shaft 152 is inserted through the first bolt insertion hole 102 and the intermediate through hole 120. Next, the upper retainer 52 is assembled to the upper opening 42 of the bolt fastening cylinder 34. This prevents the fastening bolt 26a from falling out of the bolt fastening cylinder 34. Furthermore, the lower seal rubber 58 and the lower retainer 60 are assembled to the lower end of the bolt fastening cylinder 34. Then, the positioning locking parts 78, 78a of the front housing member 28a are locked to the positioning locking parts 140 arbitrarily selected on the mounting part 20a, thereby fixing the mounting part 20a to the first housing 18a. At this time, the front housing member 28a and the mounting part 20a are connected so that when the mounting part is assembled to the in-vehicle device 14 (second terminal 190) described later, the first terminal 24 can be assembled to the second terminal 190 for the positive terminal in the desired orientation. This is achieved by selecting any four positioning locking parts 140 from the positioning locking parts 140 provided on the mounting part 20a and locking the positioning locking parts 78, 78a on the front housing member 28a. As a result, the connector 12a for the positive terminal is completed.

[0089] The assembly method for the negative terminal connector 12b is the same as the assembly method for the positive terminal connector 12a. However, the positioning locking parts 78, 78a of the front housing member 28b are further locked to the positioning locking parts 140 of the extension housing member 186 with respect to the lower portion (annular mounting part 66) of the first housing 18b (front housing member 28b) assembled as described above, thereby fixing the extension housing member 186 to the first housing 18b. Subsequently, the positioning locking parts 78, 78a of the extension housing member 186 are locked to the positioning locking parts 140 of the mounting part 20b, thereby fixing the mounting part 20b to the extension housing member 186. At this time, the front housing member 28b and the mounting part 20b are connected so that when the mounting part is assembled to the in-vehicle device 14 (second terminal 190) described later, the first terminal 24 can be assembled to the second terminal 190 in the desired orientation. This is achieved by selecting any four positioning locking parts 140 from the positioning locking parts 140 provided on the mounting part 20b and locking them with the positioning locking parts 78, 78a on the front housing member 28b (in other words, the positioning locking parts 78, 78a on the extension housing member 186). This completes the connector 12b for the negative terminal.

[0090] <Fastening of the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 by fastening bolts 26a and 26b> As described above, the in-vehicle device 14 can be formed as an integrally molded product of a second housing 192 having each second terminal 190. The mounting parts 20a and 20b of each connector 12a and 12b are assembled from above to each annular hood portion 202a and 202b of the in-vehicle device 14 formed in this way. As shown in Figure 22, only the mounting part 20a for the positive electrode can be assembled to the annular hood portion 202a for the positive electrode, and similarly only the mounting part 20b for the negative electrode can be assembled to the annular hood portion 202b for the negative electrode, thereby preventing incorrect assembly of each connector 12a and 12b to each connector mating portion 16a and 16b. In Figure 22, the state in which the mounting parts 20a and 20b are assembled to each annular hood portion 202a and 202b is shown in an excerpt. When the mounting components 20a and 20b are assembled to the respective annular hood portions 202a and 202b, the insertion spaces 206 for the positive and negative electrodes are exposed upward through the inner holes of the annular assembly portions 134 in the respective mounting components 20a and 20b.

[0091] Then, the annular mounting portion 66 of the positive terminal connector 12a is inserted from above into the insertion space 206 of the positive terminal connector mating portion 16a, and the first housing 18a (front housing member 28a) and the mounting component 20a are superimposed. With the first housing 18a and the mounting component 20a superimposed, the tip of the fastening bolt 26a is inserted into the second bolt insertion hole 194, and the male thread 150 provided on the fastening bolt 26a abuts against the female thread 196 provided on the inner circumferential surface of the second bolt insertion hole 194 from above. From this state, the fastening bolt 26a is tightened by operating the operating portion 172 on the fastening bolt 26a, so that the male thread 150 on the fastening bolt 26a and the female thread 196 on the second terminal 190 are screwed together. As the fastening with the fastening bolt 26a progresses, the connector 12a and the in-vehicle equipment 14 move closer together, and the annular surface at the lower end of the relay terminal 118a and the annular surface at the upper end of the second terminal 190 come into contact. This completes the fastening with the fastening bolt 26a, and the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 are fastened together by the fastening bolt 26a. When the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 are bolted together, the front housing member 28a (positive terminal connector 12a) is positioned circumferentially with respect to the mounting part 20a, and the positive terminal connector 12a is extended in the desired extension direction relative to the connector mating portion 16a.

[0092] Subsequently, similar to the positive terminal connector 12a, the negative terminal connector 12b is superimposed on the negative terminal connector mating portion 16b from above. Next, similar to the positive terminal, the negative terminal fastening bolt 26b is fastened, causing the annular surface at the lower end of the intermediate terminal 118b to come into contact with the annular surface at the upper end of the second terminal 190. This completes the fastening with the fastening bolt 26b, and the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 are fastened together by the fastening bolt 26b. When the first terminal 24 and the second terminal 190 are bolted together, the extension housing member 186 (negative terminal connector 12b) is positioned circumferentially with respect to the mounting component 20b, and the negative terminal connector 12b is extended in the desired extension direction relative to the connector mating portion 16b.

[0093] Figures 23 and 24 show the state in which the extension direction of each conductive member 22 (each connector 12a, 12b) relative to each connector mating portion 16a, 16b has been changed from the state shown in Figures 1 to 8. In this way, for both the positive and negative terminals, the extension direction of each connector 12a, 12b can be changed by selecting any four positioning locking portions 140 from among the positioning locking portions 140 of each mounting component 20a, 20b and locking them to the positioning locking portions 78, 78a of each first housing 18a, 18b (each front housing member 28a, 28b).

[0094] According to the connector mating unit 10 of Embodiment 1, which has the structure described above, the mounting component 20a attached to the first housing 18a of the positive terminal connector 12a can only be attached to the positive terminal connector mating portion 16a of the in-vehicle device 14, and the mounting component 20b attached to the first housing 18b of the negative terminal connector 12b can only be attached to the negative terminal connector mating portion 16b of the in-vehicle device 14. Specifically, each connector mating portion 16a, 16b is provided with a reference portion 198 and an engaging portion 200, and each mounting component 20a, 20b is provided with a reference assembly portion 130 and an engaged portion 132. Furthermore, the circumferential relative positional relationship between the reference portion 198 and the engaging portion 200 for the positive electrode is made to correspond to the circumferential relative positional relationship between the reference assembly portion 130 and the engaged portion 132 for the positive electrode, while being different from the circumferential relative positional relationship between the reference portion 198 and the engaging portion 200 for the negative electrode (in short, the circumferential relative positional relationship between the reference assembly portion 130 and the engaged portion 132 for the negative electrode). This prevents mis-mating, such as fitting the connector 12a for the positive electrode into the connector mating portion 16b for the negative electrode.

[0095] In particular, by making the engaging portion 200 a rib shape that protrudes outward from each annular hood portion 202a, 202b and extends vertically, and by making the engaged portion 132 a groove shape that extends vertically in each annular assembly portion 134, stable engagement between the engaging portion 200 and the engaged portion 132 can be achieved.

[0096] Each connector 12a, 12b has first housings 18a, 18b with positioning locking portions 78, 78a, and each mounting component 20a, 20b has a positioning locking portion 140. By selecting any positioning locking portion 140 from among the positioning locking portions 140 and locking it to the positioning locking portions 78, 78a, the direction in which each conductive member 22 (each connector 12a, 12b) extends from each connector mating portion 16a, 16b can be changed. This allows each conductive member 22 to extend from the in-vehicle equipment 14 in a desired direction, and the risk of other components arranged around the in-vehicle equipment 14 interfering with the conductive member 22 can be reduced.

[0097] <Modifications> Although Embodiment 1 has been described in detail above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the purpose of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0098] (1) In the above embodiment 1, the components constituting the positive electrode connector 12a and the negative electrode connector 12b are shared to some extent, for example, the negative electrode front housing member 28b is constructed by inverting the positive electrode front housing member 28a vertically, but the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, the components constituting the positive electrode connector and the negative electrode connector do not need to be shared, and components dedicated to the positive electrode connector or components dedicated to the negative electrode connector may be used. In that case, in the above embodiment, the positioning locking portions 78, 78a protruded from the terminal holding wall portion 68 of the terminal insertion cylinder portion 36 on both the upper and lower sides in each front housing member 28a, 28b, but the positioning locking portions may only protrude downward from the terminal holding wall portion.

[0099] (2) In the above embodiment, four positioning locking portions 78, 78a are provided on each front housing member 28a, 28b and extension housing member 186, each projecting downward and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and five or more positioning locking portions 140 are provided on each mounting part 20a, 20b, spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and the extension direction of the conductive member 22 from each connector fitting portion 16a, 16b is made variable by selecting any four positioning locking portions 140 from the five or more positioning locking portions 140 and locking them to the positioning locking portions 78, 78a, but the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, in order to make the extension direction of the conductive member from the connector fitting portion variable, at least one positioning locking portion and at least two positioning locking portions are provided, and any positioning locking portions can be selected from the plurality of positioning locking portions and locked to the positioning locking portion. In this disclosure, the configuration that allows for variable extension direction of the conductive member from the connector mating portion is not essential, and these positioning locking portions and positioning locking portions may not be provided. Furthermore, even when positioning locking portions and positioning locking portions are provided, their protrusions and indentations may be opposite, and a concave positioning locking portion (e.g., a through hole) may be provided on the front housing member, while a convex positioning locking portion may be provided on the mounting component.

[0100] (3) In the above embodiment, when the connectors 12a and 12b are attached to the in-vehicle equipment 14, a portion of each connector 12a and 12b overlaps with each other in the vertical direction, and an extension housing member 186 is provided to make the vertical positions of these connectors 12a and 12b different. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, when the separation distance of the connector mating portions in the left-right direction is set so that the connectors do not overlap with each other in the vertical direction when the connectors are attached to the in-vehicle equipment, an extension housing member does not need to be provided. In that case, it is possible to use the same shape relay terminal and bolt body for both the positive and negative terminals, and a higher degree of parts commonality can be achieved between the positive and negative terminal connectors. In other words, for example, by providing an extension housing member to one of the connectors, the vertical positions of each connector can be made different when the connectors are attached to the in-vehicle equipment, and a portion of them can overlap in the vertical direction, thereby reducing the left-right dimension of the connector mating unit according to this disclosure.

[0101] (4) In the above embodiment, a reference portion 198 is provided between the left and right annular hood portions 202a and 202b, and engagement portions 200 are provided at different circumferential positions on the outer circumferential surface of each annular hood portion 202a and 202b, so that each connector mating portion 16a and 16b is separate for the positive and negative electrodes, thereby preventing incorrect assembly of each mounting component 20a and 20b, and consequently each connector 12a and 12b, which are assembled to each connector mating portion. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, in this disclosure, it is sufficient that the relative positional relationship between the reference portion and the engagement portion in the circumferential direction is different for the connector mating portions for the positive and negative electrodes. Furthermore, the engagement portion is not limited to being provided at one location in the circumferential direction, but may be provided at multiple locations in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each engaging portion 200 was shaped like a rib extending in the axial direction, and each engaged portion 132 was shaped like a groove extending in the axial direction. However, the embodiment is not limited to this configuration, and the grooves may be reversed, with a groove-shaped engaging portion provided on the annular hood portion of the connector mating portion and a rib-shaped engaged portion provided on the annular assembly portion of the mounting component.

[0102] (5) In the above embodiment, each first housing 18a, 18b was structured such that each front housing member 28a, 28b and each rear housing member 30 were connected by each joint member 32. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and each first housing may be structured such that each front housing member and each rear housing member are integrally formed.

[0103] 10 Connector mating unit 12, 12a, 12b Connector 14 In-vehicle equipment 16, 16a, 16b Connector mating part 18, 18a, 18b First housing (housing) 20, 20a, 20b Mounting parts 22 Conductive member 24 First terminal 26a, 26b Fastening bolt 28a, 28b Front housing member 30 Rear housing member 32 Joint member 34 Bolt fastening cylinder part 36 Terminal insertion cylinder part 38 Peripheral wall 40 Bolt fastening hole 42 Upper opening 44 Lower opening 46 Intermediate opening 47 Engaging projection 48 Positioning recess 50 Lock recess 52 Upper retainer 54 Positioning projection (of upper retainer) 56 Lock projection (of upper retainer) 58 Lower seal rubber 60 Lower retainer 62 Positioning projection (of lower retainer) 64 Locking projection (of lower retainer) 66 Annular mounting portion 68 Terminal holding wall portion 70 Terminal housing gap 72 Locking claw 74 Positioning projection 76a, 76b Indicator portion 78 Positioning locking portion 78a Positioning locking portion (at circumferential end) 80 Protrusion 82 Locking claw portion 84 Cylinder wall portion 86 Locking claw 88 Positioning groove 90 Locking claw 92 Base portion 94 Front cylinder portion 96 Rear cylinder portion 98 First sealing rubber 99 Second sealing rubber 100 Front locking frame 101 Rear locking frame 102 First bolt insertion hole 104 Electric wire 106 Insulation coating 108 Core wire 110 Rear sealing rubber 112 Back retainer 114 Central hole 116 Locking frame 118a, 118b Relay terminal 120 Relay through hole 122 Mounting cylinder part 124 Cylindrical projection 126 Press-fit rib 128 Recess 130 Reference assembly part 132 Engaged part (for preventing mis-fitting) 134 Annular assembly part 136 Cover part 138 Engaged recess 140 Positioning locking part 142 Outer peripheral wall part 144 Upper wall part 146 Recess 148 Side wall 150 Male screw 152 Bolt shaft part 154a,154b Bolt body 156 Bolt head 158 Lower insertion recess 160 Engaging shaft portion 162 Upper insertion recess 164 Engaging projection 166 Tip cap 168 Insertion portion 170 Finger-proof cap 172 Operating portion 174 Upper seal rubber 176 Displacement restricting portion 178 Annular seal mounting portion 180 Recess 182 Engaging groove portion 184 Insertion portion 186 Extension housing member 188 Extension cylinder portion 190 Second terminal 192 Second housing 194 Second bolt insertion hole 196 Female thread 198 Reference portion 200 Engaging portion (for preventing mis-fitting) 202a, 202b Annular hood portion 204 Base plate portion 206 Insertion space 208 Collar C The center line L extending in the front-to-back direction from the left-to-right center of the in-vehicle equipment, the central axis extending in the front-to-back direction in the front housing member,

Claims

1. A connector mating unit comprising: an in-vehicle device provided with a plurality of connector mating portions; a plurality of connectors to be mated to each of the plurality of connector mating portions; and a plurality of mounting parts detachably attached to each of the housings of the plurality of connectors, wherein each of the plurality of connector mating portions has a reference portion and an engagement portion for preventing mis-mating provided at different positions from the reference portion; each of the plurality of mounting parts has a reference assembly portion to be assembled to the reference portion and an engagement portion for preventing mis-mating provided at different positions from the reference assembly portion to which the engagement portion can engage; and each of the connectors is mated to the connector mating portion that is the correct mating partner by engaging the engagement portion with the engagement portion when the reference assembly portion of the mounting part is assembled to the reference portion of the connector mating portion.

2. The connector mating unit according to claim 1, wherein each connector includes an annular mounting portion provided on the housing, each connector mating portion includes an annular hood portion into which the annular mounting portion of the housing is inserted, the mounting component includes an annular assembly portion assembled to the outer circumference of the annular mounting portion of the housing, the reference portion is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion, the engaging portion is provided in a rib shape that protrudes radially outward from the annular hood portion and extends axially at a position in the circumferential direction of the annular hood portion away from the reference portion, the reference assembly portion is provided at one location in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion, and the engaged portion is provided in a groove shape that extends axially from the annular assembly portion at a position in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion away from the reference assembly portion.

3. The connector mating unit according to claim 2, wherein each connector is provided at the end of a conductive member, the housing of each connector has a positioning locking portion, the mounting component has a plurality of positioning locking portions that can be locked to the positioning locking portion and are provided spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the annular assembly portion, and the direction in which the conductive member extends relative to the connector mating portion can be varied by arbitrarily selecting the positioning locking portions to which the positioning locking portions are locked.

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