Abstract:
It is aimed to provide a connector capable of ensuring the integrity of a lock arm and a detector in the process of deflecting the lock arm and enhancing a degree of freedom in designing the lock arm. A detector ( 60 ) movable in a front-back direction between a standby position and a detection position is assembled with a housing ( 10 ). The detector ( 60 ) includes a contact portion ( 78 ) displaceable together with a front end part ( 27 ) of a lock arm ( 23 ) during the interference of the front end part ( 27 ) of the lock arm ( 23 ) and a mating lock ( 44 ) contacting the front part ( 27 ) of the lock arm ( 23 ) in a height direction intersecting with the front-back direction at the standby position. The contact portion ( 78 ) stands up in the height direction from a front end part of the locking arm and then projects forward.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a connector. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-158263 discloses a connector with a first housing connectable to a second housing. A detector is assembled with the first housing and is movable between a standby position and a detection position located before the standby position. The detector has a deflection piece with a locking projection. The first housing has a lock arm with a lock hole, and the mating housing is provided with a lock projection. 
     A front part of the lock arm interferes with the lock projection in the process of connecting the two housings and this interference causes the lock arm to deflect. As a result, the locking projection enters the lock hole and contacts the front end of the lock hole, thereby keeping the detector in a state where a movement to the detection position is regulated. 
     The lock projection fits into the lock hole and pushes out the locking projection when the connection of the two housings is completed and the deflection piece is deflected and deformed as the lock arm returns. As a result, the detector can move to the detection position and the two housings are held in a state where separation of the two housings is regulated. Thus, an ability to move the detector from the standby position to the detection position indicates that the two housings are in a properly connected state. 
     In the above case, a front part of the deflection piece is in contact with the front part of the lock arm from above when the detector is at the standby position. Thus, the front part of the deflection piece can be displaced up together with the front part of the lock arm as the front part of the lock arm and the lock projection interfere with each other. Also, the integrity of the lock arm and the detector can be ensured in the process of deflecting the lock arm. However, the upper surface of an extending portion including the deflection piece is continuous at the same height over the entire length and the extending portion is relatively thick. Thus, opening dimensions of a guide space of the lock arm for receiving the extending portion tend to be large. As a result, there is little space to add a new structure to the lock arm, and there is a low degree of freedom in design. 
     The invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to provide a connector capable of ensuring the integrity of a lock arm and a detector in the process of deflecting the lock arm and enhancing a degree of freedom in design. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention is directed to a connector with a housing and a mating housing that are connectable to one another. A lock arm extends in a front-back direction on the housing and has a lock hole. The mating housing includes a mating lock. A detector is assembled with the housing and is movable in the front-back direction between a standby position and a detection position. A locking arm extends in the front-back direction on the detector and has a locking portion. The mating lock interferes with the front part of lock arm in the process of connecting the two housings and the locking portion is inserted into the lock hole to lock the locking arm to the lock arm, thereby keeping the detector at the standby position in the process of connecting the housings. The mating lock is fit into the lock hole and pushes the locking portion out as the lock arm returns, thereby releasing the locking between the locking arm and the lock arm and permitting a movement of the detector to the detection position. Thus, the two housings are held in a state where separation of the housings is regulated when the connection of the two housings is completed. The detector includes a contact portion that stands up in the height direction from a front part of the locking arm and then projects forward. The contact portion is displaceable together with the front end part of the lock arm during the interference of the front end part of the lock arm and the mating lock caused by contact with the front end part of the lock arm in a height direction at the standby position. 
     The contact portion of the detector engages the front end part of the lock arm in the height direction at the standby position, and hence the contact portion displaces together with the tip part of the lock arm during the interference of the front end part of the lock arm and the mating lock. Thus, the integrity of the lock arm and the detector can be ensured in the process of deflecting the lock arm. Further, the contact portion stands up in the height direction from the front end part of the locking arm and then projects forward. Thus, a part of the lock arm is provided in an area of the detector behind the contact portion, thereby enhancing design freedom of the lock arm. 
     A movement regulating portion may be provided to regulate inadvertent movement of the detector from the detection position to the standby position. The movement regulating portion may be on a rear end part of the lock arm and may be configured to interfere with the detector at the detection position. The movement regulating portion and the contact portion may be arranged at positions overlapping each other in the height direction so that the movement regulating portion does not increase a height of the connector as a whole. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a housing with a detector assembled at a standby position in a connector according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a section along A-A of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view showing a mating housing being connected to the housing. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view showing the mating housing properly connected to the housing. 
         FIG. 5  is section corresponding to  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a section corresponding to  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is a side view in section showing the state while the mating housing is being connected to the housing. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view in section showing a state where the connection further proceeds from the state of  FIG. 7  and a lock arm is deflected and deformed. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view in section showing the state where the mating housing is connected properly to the housing. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of an essential part of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the housing. 
         FIG. 12  is a section along B-B of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a front view of the detector. 
         FIG. 14  is a rear view of the detector. 
         FIG. 15  is a bottom view of the detector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A connector in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a housing  10 , a mating housing  40  that is connectable to the housing  10 , and a detector  60  assembled with the housing  10  for movement between a standby position and a detection position. In the following description, ends of the housings  10 ,  40  that face each other at the start of connection are referred to as front ends concerning a front-back direction, a vertical direction is based on  FIGS. 1, 7 to 11, 13 and 14  and a lateral direction is based on  FIGS. 1, 11, 13 and 14 . The vertical direction is synonymous with a height direction and the lateral direction is synonymous with a width direction. 
     The mating housing  40  is made of synthetic resin and, as shown in  FIG. 7 , includes a tubular receptacle  41  directly connected to a device  90  and projecting forward. Tabs  43  of mating terminal fittings  42  project into the receptacle  41 . Two mating locks  44  project on outer surfaces of both upper and lower walls of the receptacle  41 . The upper mating lock  44  is lockable to a lock arm  23  of the housing  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the mating lock  44  includes a plate-shaped mating lock main body  45  extending along the lateral direction and a plate-shaped projecting piece  46  projecting forward from a lateral central part of the mating lock main body  45  to define a T-shape in a plan view. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the mating lock main body  45  extends substantially vertically, but with the rear surface of the mating lock main body  45  inclined somewhat backward toward the upper end. Further, the projecting piece  46  has a right-triangular shape in a side view with an inclined front edge  47  inclined up toward the back. The front end of the inclined edge  47  is connected to the outer surface of the upper wall of the receptacle  41  and the rear end of the inclined edge  47  is connected to the upper end of the mating lock main body  45 . 
     The housing  10  is made of synthetic resin and includes, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a housing main body  11  long and narrow in the front-back direction, a fitting tube  12  surrounding the housing main body  11  and a radially extending coupling  13  connecting the fitting tube  12  and the housing main body  11 . A front part of the housing main body  11  projects farther forward than the front end of the fitting tube  12 . The receptacle  41  of the mating housing  40  can fit into a space between the housing main body  11  and the fitting tube  12  and forward of the coupling  13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , left and right cavities  14  are provided in the housing main body  11  and are arranged side by side. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a deflectable locking lance  15  projects forward from the fitting tube  12  at the lower surface of the inner wall of the cavity  14 . A terminal fitting  16  is inserted into the cavity  14  of the housing main body  11  from behind. 
     The terminal fitting  16  is made of electrically conductive metal and, as shown in  FIG. 7 , is long and narrow in the front-back direction. The terminal fitting  16  includes a tubular terminal main body  17  on a front end and an open barrel  18  at a rear end. The tab  43  of the mating terminal fitting  42  is inserted into the terminal main body  17  for connection when the two housings  10 ,  40  are connected properly. The barrel  18  is crimped into connection with an end part of a wire  20  and a rubber plug  19 . The locking lance  15  locks terminal main body  17  when the terminal fitting  16  is inserted properly into the cavity  14  so that the terminal fitting  16  is retained in the cavity  14 . Further, the rubber plug  19  closely contacts the inner peripheral surface of a rear end part of the cavity  14  to seal the interior of the cavity  14  in a liquid-tight manner when the terminal fitting  16  is inserted properly, and the wire  20  is drawn out backward from the housing main body  11 . 
     A front retainer  21  is mounted onto the housing main body  11  from the front, as shown in  FIG. 7 . The front retainer  21  enters deflection spaces for the locking lances  15  to regulate the deflection of the locking lances  15  and to achieve redundant retention of the terminal fittings  16  in the cavities  14 . Further, a rubber seal ring  22  is fit on the outer peripheral surface of the housing main body  11 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the seal ring  22  is sandwiched resiliently in a radial direction between the receptacle  41  and the housing main body  11  when the housings  10 ,  40  are connected properly, thereby sealing between the two housings  10 ,  40  in a liquid-tight manner. 
     The lock arm  23  is provided above the housing main body  11 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the lock arm  23  includes a leg  24  standing up from the upper surface of the housing main body  11  and a lock arm main body  25  extending forward and backward from the upper end of the leg  24 . The lock arm main body  25  is pivotally and resiliently displaceable in a seesaw manner with the leg  24  as a support. The rear end of the housing main body  11  is located behind the lock arm main body  25  and an area where the detector  60  is arranged is exposed upward on the upper surface of the rear part of the housing main body  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , a rearwardly open first groove  26  extends in the front-back direction on an upper part of the lock arm main body  25 . The first groove  26  is open upward except at a rear end where the first groove  26  is covered by a movement regulating portion  36 . The front end of the first groove  26  is partitioned by a front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25 . 
     A forwardly open second groove  28  extends in the front-back direction on a lower part of the lock arm main body  25 , as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The rear end of the second groove  28  is partitioned by a lower wall  29  of the lock arm main body  25 . The lower wall  29  of the lock arm main body  25  is located before the leg  24  and defines the lower surface of a front end of the first groove  26 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the lower wall  29  is cut to provide a recess  30  extending backward from the front surface of the lower wall  29 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the recess  30  also is open on the upper surface of the lower wall  29  to face the first groove  26 . The back surface of the recess  30  is inclined back toward the lower end. 
     A lock hole  31  penetrates the lock arm main body  25  vertically at a position facing the front part  27 , as shown in  FIG. 10 , so that the first and second grooves  26 ,  28  communicate with each other. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the mating lock  44  is fit into the lock hole  31  when the two housings  10 ,  40  are connected properly and holds the two housings  10 ,  40  in a state where separation of the two housings  10 ,  40  is regulated. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , a front stop  32  is provided on a front side out of the lock hole  31  of the lock arm main body  25 , and a rear stop  33  is provided on the rear side. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the front stop  32  is the front surface of the lock hole  31  and the rear surface of the front end part  27  of the lock arm main body  25 , thereby closing the front end of the first groove  26 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the rear stop  33  is the rear surface of the lock hole  31  and the front surface of the lower wall  29  of the lock arm main body  25 , thereby closing the rear end of the second groove  28 . Thus, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the front stop  32  and the rear stop  33  are separated at upper and lower parts of the lock arm main body  25  and are at positions displaced vertically from each other. 
     The front and rear stops  32  and  33  (excluding the back surface of the recess  30 ) are arranged vertically. A locking portion  72  of a locking arm  62  contacts the front stop  32  to regulate a forward movement of the detector  60  (see  FIG. 10 ) and contacts the rear stop  33  to regulate a backward movement of the detector  60  (see  FIG. 5 ) when the detector  60  is at the standby position. The front stop  32  is formed by rearwardly removing an unillustrated mold for molding the first groove  26 , and the rear stop  33  is formed by forwardly removing an unillustrated mold for molding the second groove portion  28 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , two side walls  34  are provided on opposite left and right sides of the lock arm main body  25  to partition opposite side surfaces of the first and second grooves  26 ,  28 . Two guide walls  35  are formed on upper parts of the inner surfaces of the side walls  34  facing the first groove  26  and extend in the front-back direction. As shown in  FIG. 7 , each guide wall  35  is a rectangular plate in a side view and extends in the front-back direction from the front end of the lock arm main body  25  to the movement regulating portion  36  and has a substantially constant height over the entire length. The locking arm  62  of the detector  60  is between the guide walls  35  when the detector  60  is assembled with the housing  10  (see  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and the deflection of the locking arm  62  is guided by the guide walls  35 . Note that the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  is a laterally extending block that bridges between front parts of the side walls  34  (see  FIG. 12 ). Further, the lower wall  29  of the lock arm main body  25  is a laterally extending plate that bridges between parts of both side walls  34  near the front ends (see  FIG. 12 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the movement regulating portion  36  is provided on the rear end part of the lock arm main body  25 . The movement regulating portion  36  is a laterally extending plate defining the upper surface of the rear end part of the first groove  26  and bridges between the guide walls  35 . A receiving groove  28  is recessed on the upper surface of the movement regulating portion  36 . The receiving groove  37  extends in the front-back direction and is open on the rear end of the movement regulating portion  36 . The front surface of the receiving groove  37  is inclined somewhat backwardly toward the upper end. An operating arm  66  of the detector  60  is insertable into the receiving groove  37  of the movement regulating portion  36 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 11 , two outer side walls  38  stand at opposite left and right sides of the lock arm  23  on the top of the fitting tube  12 , and a planar ceiling wall  39  bridges between the upper ends of front parts of the outer side walls  38 . A front end of the lock arm  23  is in a space enclosed by the outer side walls  38  and the ceiling wall  39  for protection from external matter. 
     The detector  60  is made of synthetic resin and is arranged in a space enclosed by the housing main body  11 , the outer side walls  38  and the ceiling wall  39 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 . The detector  60  can slide on the upper surface of the lock arm main body  25  and the surface of the first groove  26  between a standby position (see  FIGS. 1 to 3, 5, 7, 8 and 10 ) and a detection position (see  FIGS. 4, 6 and 9 ) behind the standby position. As shown in  FIGS. 13 to 15 , the detector  60  is has a base  61  extending laterally and along the front-back direction, and the locking arm  62  extends forward from a lateral central part of the base  61 . Two extending tubes  63  extend forward from opposite lateral ends of the base  61 , and two standing walls  64  stand up from upper ends of the extending tubes  63  and extend in the front-back direction. Supports  65  couple the operating arm  66  to central parts of the upper ends of the standing walls  64  in the front-back direction. 
     Unillustrated biasing members are accommodated along the front-back direction in the extending tubes  63 . The biasing members may be springs, such as compression coil springs, expandable and compressible in the front-back direction, and front and rear ends thereof are supported on front and rear ends of the extending tubes  63 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , assembling openings  68  are open on the lower surfaces of the extending tubes  63  for inserting the biasing members inside. Further, retaining projections  69  are provided behind the assembling openings  68  on the lower surfaces of the extending tubes  63 . The retaining projections  69  are locked to unillustrated projection receiving portions of the housing  10  when the detector  60  is at the detection position, thereby regulating a backward detachment of the detector  60  from the housing  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the operating arm  66  has a substantially planar pressing portion  70  that is substantially rectangular in a plan view and an engaging projection  71  projects forward from a lateral central part of the front end of the pressing portion  70 . The supports  65  are coupled to left and right sides of a front end of the pressing portion  70  and the operating arm  66  is pivotally displaceable in a seesaw manner about the supports  65 . 
     The engaging projection  71  projects forward from the front end of the pressing portion  70  and then curves down, as shown in  FIG. 7 . The front edge of the engaging projection  71  is inserted into the receiving groove  37  of the movement regulating portion and contacts the front surface of the receiving groove  37  when the detector  60  is at the detection position, thereby regulating a movement of the detector  60  to the standby position. Note that the engaging projection  71  is not shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . 
     The operating arm  66  pivots in a seesaw manner when the pressing portion  70  is pressed down, and the engaging projection  71  separates from the receiving groove  37  to enable the detector  60  to move to the standby position. Thus, an accidental movement of the detector  60  from the detection position to the standby position is prevented. On the other hand, the mating lock  44  is fit into the lock hole  31  of the lock arm main body when the detector  60  is at the detection position and the two housings  10 ,  40  are connected properly. The rear part of the lock arm main body  25  is pressed down when the pressing portion  70  is pressed down, and the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  is lifted up so that locking between the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  and the mating lock  44  is released to make the two housings  10 ,  40  separable. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 13 , the locking arm  62  is a long narrow substantially rectangular column cantilevered forward from the front end of the base  61  and is deflectable and deformable in the vertical direction with the front end of the base  61  as a support. As shown in  FIGS. 13 and 15 , the locking portion  72  is provided on a front end of the locking arm  62 . The locking portion  72  is composed of a tip locking portion  73  integrally continuous with an intermediate part of the locking arm  62  and a locking protrusion  74  projecting down from the tip locking portion  73 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the front surface of the tip locking portion  73  is vertical direction and can contact the front stop  32  of the lock arm main body  25  when the detector  60  is at the standby position. 
     The locking protrusion  74  is rearward of the front surface of the tip locking portion  73 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the locking protrusion  74  is composed of a locking main body  75  that is substantially trapezoidal in a side view and a projection  76  in the form of a rib projecting back from a lateral central part of the rear surface of the locking main body  75 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 10 , when the detector  60  is at the standby position, the locking protrusion  74  is arranged to contact the rear stop  33  of the lock arm main body  25  from behind, thereby regulating a backward movement of the detector  60  to the detection position. The rear surface (except the rear surface of the projecting portion  76 ) of the locking main body  75  is vertical and can contact the rear stop  33  of the lock arm main body  25  at the standby position. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the front surface of the locking main body  75  is a slant inclined back toward the lower end and is arranged to face the second groove  28  and to be exposed forward at the standby position. As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 10 , the locking main body  75  is cut to provide an escaping groove  77  extending back from the front surface. The escaping groove  77  is a slit extending vertically and is open on the lower surface of the locking main body  75 . In the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  40 , the projecting piece  46  of the mating lock  44  can be inserted into escaping groove  77  to escape. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the projection  76  is a rib extending in the front-back direction and has a rear surface inclined somewhat back toward the lower end. When the detector  60  is at the standby position, the projection  76  is inserted in the recess  30  and is arranged that the rear surface of the projection  76  can contact with the back surface of the recess  30 . 
     The detector  60  has a contact portion  78  that stands up from the tip locking portion  73  of the locking arm  62  and then projects forward, as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 13 . The contact portion  78  is a plate continuous with the upper surface of the locking arm  62  via a step and extends in the front-back direction. The lower surface of the contact portion  78  is arranged along the front-back direction substantially at the same height as the upper surface of the locking arm  62  and can face and contact the upper surface of the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  when the detector  60  is at the standby position. The lower surface of the contact portion  78  is at a right angle to the front surface of the tip locking portion  73 , as shown in  FIG. 10 , to forms a substantially L-shaped angular recess  79 . When the detector  60  is at the standby position, an upper corner of the front end  27  of the lock arm main body  25  is fit into the angular recess  79 . The upper surface of the contact portion  78  is arranged along the front-back direction and the rear surface thereof inclines forward from the upper surface of the locking arm  62  to the upper surface of the contact portion  78 . An area of the detector  60  behind the rear surface of the contact portion  78  is open as an escaping space  80 . 
     Prior to the connection of the two housings  10 ,  40 , the detector  60  is inserted into the housing  10  from behind and is assembled at the standby position. In the process of moving the detector  60  to the standby position, the locking arm  62  is inserted into the first groove  26  between the guide walls  35  of the lock arm main body  25  and the locking protrusion  74  contacts the lower wall  29  so that the locking arm  62  is deflected and deformed up. The locking arm  62  resiliently returns when the detector  60  reaches the standby position and, as shown in  FIG. 10 . Additionally, the locking portion  72  is fit into the lock hole  31 , the front surface of the tip locking portion  73  contacts the front stop  32  of the lock arm main body  25  from behind, the lower surface of the contact portion  78  contacts the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  from above and the upper corner of the front end  27  of the lock arm main body  25  is fit into the angular recess  79 . Further, at the standby position, the rear surface (including the rear surface of the projection  76 ) of the locking protrusion  74  contacts the rear stop  33  (including the back surface of the recess  30 ) of the lock arm main body  25  from the front. In this way, the detector  60  is held at the standby position with both forward and backward movements regulated. 
     With the detector  60  held at the standby position with respect to the housing  10 , the movement regulating portion  36  of the lock arm  23  is in the escaping space  80  of the detector  60  and the movement regulating portion  36  and the contact portion  78  overlap each other in the vertical direction (see  FIG. 7 ). Further, at the standby position, the guide walls  35  are opposite to each other to cover the opposite side surfaces of the locking arm  62 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . At this time, the locking arm  62  is entirely covered by the guide walls  35  and is hidden behind the guide wall  35  so as not to be visible in a side view (see  FIG. 7 ). Further, the guide walls  35  are arranged laterally to and in proximity to the locking arm  62  to be deflected and deformed. Thus, the deflection of the locking arm  62  is guided and the locking arm  62  is prevented from swinging laterally. Further, at the standby position, the biasing members are pressed from the front by the mating housing  40  and resiliently compressed. Thus, biasing forces are accumulated and the rear surface of the locking protrusion  74  is pressed tightly against the rear stop portion  33  of the lock arm main body  25 . 
     Subsequently, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the housing main body  11  of the housing  10  is fit into the receptacle  41  of the mating housing  40 . In the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  40 , the inclined edge  47  of the projecting piece  46  of the mating lock  44  slides on the front end part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  and, associated with that, the lock arm main body  25  is deflected and deformed up and the front end part  27  moves onto the inclined edge  47  as shown in  FIG. 8 . At this time, the contact portion  78  contact the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  from above and the upper corner of the front end part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  is fit into the angular recess  79  to substantially integrate the locking arm  62  with the lock arm main body  25 . Thus, the locking arm  62  also is deflected and deformed up with the lock arm  23 . Further, in the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  40 , the projecting piece  46  of the mating lock  44  can be inserted into the escaping groove  77  of the locking protrusion  74  from the front, thereby avoiding the interference of the mating lock  44  with the locking protrusion  74 . Thus, in the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  40 , the locking protrusion  74  is prevented from coming out of the lock hole  31  and a state where the detector  60  is held at the standby position is ensured. 
     When the two housings  10 ,  40  are connected properly, the lock arm  23  resiliently returns and the mating lock main body  45  of the mating lock portion  44  is fit into the lock hole  31  from below. Simultaneously, the locking portion  72  is pushed out by the mating lock  44  and the locking arm  62  is deflected and deformed to separate the locking protrusion  74  from the rear stop  33 , thereby releasing the locking between the locking arm  62  and the lock arm  23 . The biasing forces of the biasing members are released simultaneously with the separation of the locking protrusion  74  from the rear stop  33  and the detector  60  moves back to automatically reach the detection position (see  FIG. 9 ). Further, the mating lock main body  45  of the mating lock  44  is arranged to contact the front stop  32  of the lock arm main body  25  so that the two housings  10 ,  40  are held in the state where the separation of the two housings  10 ,  40  is restricted. 
     The projecting piece  46  of the mating lock  44  escapes into the recess  30  of the lower wall  29  to escape when the detector  60  reaches the detection position. Additionally, the locking arm  62  is inserted into a space behind the lower wall  29  (see  FIG. 6 ), the front end edge of the engaging projection  71  of the operating arm  66  is fit resiliently into the receiving groove  37  of the movement regulating portion  36  (see  FIG. 4 ) and the retaining projection  69  is locked to the unillustrated projection receiving portion of the housing  10 . In this way, the detector  60  is held at the detection position in a state where both forward and backward movements are restricted. Further, at the detection position, the locking arm  62  is maintained in a state entirely covered by both guide walls  35  and is hidden behind the guide wall  35  in a side view (see  FIG. 9 ). 
     On the other hand, if the housings  10 ,  40  are not connected properly, the mating lock  44  does not reach a position to fit into the lock hole  31  and the state where the locking protrusion  74  of the locking arm  62  is in contact with the rear stop  33  of the lock arm main body  25  is maintained. Thus, the detector  60  is kept at the standby position. Therefore, it can be judged that the two housings  10 ,  40  are not connected properly if the detector  60  is at the standby position and that the two housings  10 ,  40  are connected properly if the detector  60  is at the detection position. 
     As described above, the locking portion  72  is inserted into the lock hole  31 , the front surface of the tip locking portion  73  contacts the front stop  32  of the lock arm main body  25  to regulate a forward movement of the detector  60  and the rear surface of the locking protrusion  74  contacts the rear stop  33  of the lock arm main body  25  to restrict a backward movement of the detector  60  when the detector  60  is at the standby position. In this case, since the front stop  32  and the rear stop  33  are arranged at the opposite front and rear sides of the lock hole  31 , forward and backward movements of the detector  60  at the standby position can be regulated by a simple structure by sharing the lock hole  31 . Particularly, the rear surface of the locking protrusion  74  rests in contact with the rear stop  33  of the lock arm main body  25  against the biasing forces of the biasing members for stably maintaining a state where the locking portion  72  is locked to the lock arm main body  25 . 
     In addition, the front stop  32  and the rear stop  33  are displaced from each other in the vertical direction, with the front stop  32  being molded together with the first groove  26  by the mold removed backward and the rear stop  33  is molded together with the second groove  28  by the mold removed forward. Thus, adjustments such as the one of making the height range of the front stop portion  32  (engagement margin with the front surface of the tip locking portion  73 ) larger than that of the rear stop portion  33  (engagement margin with the rear surface of the locking protrusion  74 ) are possible as described above and a degree of freedom in design is high. 
     Further, the contact portion  78  contacts the front part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  from above when the detector  60  is at the standby position. Thus, the contact portion  78  can also move up as the front end part  27  of the lock arm main body  25  interferes with the mating lock portion  44  and moves up and the deflection of the locking arm  62  and the lock arm  23  can be synchronized. Accordingly, the integrity of the lock arm  23  and the detector  60  is ensured. Further, since the contact portion  78  project forward after standing up from the tip locking portion  73  of the locking arm  62 , the movement regulating portion  36  can be inserted into the area of the detector  60  behind the contact portion  78  (escaping space  80 ) as described above. As a result, a degree of freedom in designing the lock arm  23  can be enhanced. In addition, since the movement regulating portion  36  and the contact portion  78  are arranged at the positions overlapping each other in the vertical direction, a height increase of the connector as a whole is avoided. 
     Further, since the interference of the mating lock portion  44  and the locking protrusion  74  can be avoided by the insertion of the projecting piece portion  46  into the escaping groove  77  of the locking protrusion  74  in the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  40 , the locking portion  72  can be prevented from inadvertently coming out of the lock hole  31  and locking between the locking arm  62  and the lock arm  23  can be maintained satisfactorily. As a result, detection reliability by the detector  60  can be improved. Particularly, since the front surface of the locking protrusion  74  is arranged in an exposed state at the position facing the mating lock  44  in the case of this embodiment, there is a high possibility that the front surface of the locking protrusion  74  butts against the inclined edge  47  of the mating lock  44  in the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  40 . Thus, it is significantly beneficial to make the interference between the mating lock  44  and the locking portion  72  avoidable by providing the escaping groove  77  on the locking protrusion  74 . 
     Further, since both guide walls  35  of the lock arm  23  are arranged to cover the opposite side surfaces of the locking arm  62  and can guide the deflection of the locking arm  62  regardless of whether the detector  60  is at the standby position or at the detection position, the locking arm  62  is prevented from swinging laterally (in the width direction) when being deflected. As a result, the locking arm  62  is deflected smoothly and the reliability of connection detection by the detector  60  can be improved. In addition, since the locking arm  62  is made laterally unseeable by the guide walls  35 , it is held in a state protected from external matter by the guide walls  35 . 
     Other embodiments are briefly described below. 
     The detector may move forward from the standby position with respect to the housing to reach the detection position. 
     The biasing members may not be accommodated in the detector and the detector may be manually moved between the standby position and the detection position. 
     A structure other than the movement regulating portion may be provided at a position of the lock arm overlapping the contact portion in the vertical direction. 
     One or both of the front stop and the rear stop may be arranged to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction. 
     The escaping groove may penetrate through the locking protrusion in the front-back direction. 
     The invention is applicable also to a non-waterproof type connector in which a seal ring is not mounted on a housing and a rubber plug is not connected to a terminal fitting. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
           10  . . . housing 
           11  . . . housing main body 
           23  . . . lock arm 
           25  . . . lock arm main body 
           26  . . . first groove 
           27  . . . front end part of lock arm 
           28  . . . second groove 
           31  . . . lock hole 
           32  . . . front stop 
           33  . . . rear stop 
           35  . . . guide wall 
           36  . . . movement regulating portion 
           40  . . . mating housing 
           44  . . . mating lock 
           46  . . . projecting piece portion 
           47  . . . inclined edge 
           60  . . . detector 
           62  . . . locking arm 
           72  . . . locking portion 
           77  . . . escaping groove 
           78  . . . contact portion 
           80  . . . escaping space