Abstract:
A reconfigurable interactive kiosk for producing a printout of a digital image. The interactive kiosk includes: a processor for processing digital images. The processor includes memory, display screen, user input device, updatable stored scalable digital images and a hard copy medium connected to the processor for transferring the combined digital image to a hard copy medium that can be a composite image on a single size/type of medium, or on multiple size/types of medium. A camera captures a digital image and provides the captured image to the processor. At least one of a CD ROM drive, a floppy disk drive and a photo scanner may be connected for adding digital images to the user input. Input devices may include a roller ball, keypad, microphone and joystick and/or laser gun and display screen icons for selecting a desired function represented by the selected icon. The processor displays a menu of operational instructions for a user on the display screen that may be a touch screen, which may include animation to aid the user. The kiosk further includes a web interface providing the owner/operator access in order to facilitate upgrades, maintenance, and for ascertaining operations reports for marketing purposes.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a connector and to a connector assembly provided with a partial connection preventing function. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,542 and FIGS. 21 and 22 herein show a connector used in an airbag circuit of an automotive vehicle and constructed to prevent the connector from being left partly connected during a connecting operation. With reference to FIGS. 21 and 22, the connector has male and female housings  1  and  2  that are connectable with one another. The male housing  1  has a lock arm  3  that is deformed resiliently by a lock  4  of the female housing  2  as the male and female housings  1 ,  2  are being connected. A slider  5  is assembled with the male housing  1  and is biased forwardly by a spring  6 . The deformed lock arm  3  prevents a backward movement of the slider  5 . A rib  7  of the female housing  2  compresses the spring  6  during connection and a biasing force for separating the housings  1 ,  2  is accumulated in the spring  6 . The biasing force in the spring  6  is released if the connecting operation is interrupted with the two connectors  1 ,  2  only partly connected to separate the housings  1 ,  2  forcibly. This prevents the two housings  1 ,  2  from being left partly connected. 
     The lock arm  3  returns resiliently to its original shape and engages the lock  4  when the connectors  1 ,  2  are connected properly. Thus, the lock arm  3  is disengaged from the slider  5 , and the biasing force of the spring  6  is released to move the slider  5  back. At this time, a restricting portion  8  of the slider  5  enters a deformation space above the lock arm  3  and prevents the lock arm  3  from deforming. In this way, the two housings  1 ,  2  are held in a properly connected condition, and the connection reliability of the airbag circuit can be improved. 
     The two housings  1 ,  2  may have to be separated for maintenance or other reason. Separation is achieved by moving the slider  5  forward to retract the restricting portion  8  from the lock arm  3 . The lock arm  3  then is deformed and disengaged from the lock  4  and the male housing  1  is pulled back. 
     The slider  5  must be pushed forward and the male housing  1  must be pulled back in succession to separate the two housings  1 ,  2 . The need to operate the male housing  1  and the slider  5  in completely opposite directions creates difficulties and operational inefficiencies. 
     The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to improve separation operability. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a connector with a housing formed with a resilient lock arm. The housing is connectable with a mating housing formed with a lock. The lock arm deforms and moves onto the lock of the mating housing in the process of connecting the two housings. The lock arm then resiliently returns toward an undeformed condition and engages the lock when the housings are connected properly. A slider is assembled to the housing and is movable forward and back substantially along a connecting direction of the housings between a deformation preventing position where the slider enters a deformation space for the lock arm to prevent deformation of the lock arm and a deformation permitting position where the slider is retracted from the deformation space to permit deformation of the lock arm. At least one curved biasing member is mounted between the slider and the mating housing. 
     The two housings can be aligned with one another for connection with the slider at the deformation permitting position. Connection begins by moving the housings toward one another along the connecting direction. As a result, the lock arm moves onto the lock and deforms. The deformed lock arm engages the slider and prevents the slider from moving forward to the deformation preventing position. Accordingly, the biasing member is compressed between the mating housing and the slider and accumulates a biasing force to separate the housings. The lock arm returns to and undeformed condition and engages the lock when the housings are connected properly. Thus, the slider is freed, and the biasing force accumulated in the biasing member is released to move the slider forward to the deformation preventing position and prevents further deformation of the lock arm. Consequently, the housings are locked firmly together. 
     The connecting operation could be interrupted halfway. In this situation, the biasing force accumulated in the biasing member is released to separate the two housings. This prevents the two connectors from being left partly connected. 
     The biasing member preferably is curved through an arc of over 120°. Thus, the slider is moved forward by the biasing force of the biasing member when the housings are connected properly. Accordingly, the slider is operated in substantially the same direction as the mating housing is separated, thereby making separation operability better. 
     The housings can be separated by moving the slider back from the deformation preventing position to the deformation permitting position. The lock arm then is deformed and the housing is pulled back from the mating housing. 
     Opposite ends of the curved biasing member preferably face forward. One end preferably is received by a receiving portion of the slider and the other end is pushed by a pushing portion of the housing. Thus, the biasing member is compressed between the pushing portion and the receiving portion. 
     The slider preferably comprises a holding arm for engaging a holding portion of the mating housing and preventing the slider from moving forward from the deformation permitting position. At least one of the holding arm and the holding portion has a guide for guiding the holding arm through a resilient deformation to disengage the holding arm from the holding portion when a force of a specified intensity or higher acts on the slider to move the slider forward. 
     The slider can be held at the deformation permitting position until the housings are connected. Thus, the connecting operation can be performed with the slider at the deformation permitting position, thereby improving connection operability. The holding arm is guided through a resilient deformation and disengages automatically from the holding portion when the biasing force of the biasing member moves the slider forward during the connecting operation. As a result the slider moves forward to the deformation preventing position. The holding arm and the holding portion have a semi-locking construction. Hence, operability is better then a case where the holding arm must be deformed separately. 
     The slider preferably has a pushable portion to push the lock arm and to deform the lock arm when the slider is at the deformation permitting position. 
     The pushable portion is operated while the slider is moved back from the deformation preventing position to the deformation permitting position for separating the housings. Thus, the lock arm can be pushed and deformed, and operability is better than a case where the lock arm needs to be pushed after the slider is moved back. 
     The lock arm preferably comprises a disengagement guide that is pushed by the slider as the slider is moved toward the deformation permitting position for separating the housings. The disengagement guide guides the lock arm through a deformation that disengages the lock arm from the lock. Thus, the lock arm is deformed automatically by moving the slider back, and separation operability is improved as compared to a case where an operation of resiliently deforming the lock arm must be performed separately. 
     The slider may have a protecting portion to substantially cover at least part of the lock arm and the holding arm to prevent the lock arm and the holding arm from being inadvertently operated. 
     A seal ring may be mounted on the housing to provide water tightness between the housings. 
     A moving stroke of the slider may be substantially the same as a maximum compression of the biasing member. Accordingly, the biasing member can be returned to the substantially same state as before the connecting operation. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a female housing, a slider and a spring press according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the female housing, slider and spring press. 
     FIG. 3 is a plan view of the female housing, slider and spring press. 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the female housing, slider and spring press. 
     FIG. 5 is a section along  5 — 5  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a section along  6 — 6  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7 is a front view with the slider assembled into the female housing. 
     FIG. 8 is a side view with the slider assembled into the female housing. 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view with the slider assembled into the female housing. 
     FIG. 10 is a rear view with the slider assembled into the female housing. 
     FIGS.  11 (A) and  11 (B) are sections along  11 (A)— 11 (A) and  11 (B)— 11 (B) of FIG. 7 before the female housing is connected with a male housing. 
     FIGS.  12 (A) and  12 (B) are sections similar to FIGS.  11 (A) and  11 (B) showing a front end of a receptacle contacting the spring press during the connection of the two housings. 
     FIG.  13 (A) is a section similar to FIG.  11 (A) showing the housings properly connected and a forward-movement preventing portion disengaged from the slider, and FIG.  13 (B) is a section similar to FIG.  11 (B) showing the housings properly connected and compression coil springs resiliently compressed. 
     FIGS.  14 (A) and  14 (B) are sections similar to FIGS.  11 (A) and  11 (B) showing the slider moved forward to a deformation preventing position. 
     FIG.  15 (A) is a section similar to FIG.  11 (A) showing a pushable piece deforming the lock arm during separation of the two housings, and FIG.  15 (B) is a section similar to FIG.  11 (B) showing the slider at a deformation permitting position and the compression coil springs resiliently compressed. 
     FIG. 16 is a rear view showing a slider assembled into a female housing according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 17 is a plan view with the slider assembled into the female housing. 
     FIG. 18 is a section along  18 — 18  of FIG.  16 . 
     FIG. 19 is a section along  19 — 19  of FIG. 16 with the female housing connected with a male housing and the slider at a deformation preventing position. 
     FIG. 20 is a section along  19 — 19  of FIG. 16 showing the slider moved back to a disengaging position and a lock arm is resiliently deformed. 
     FIGS.  21 (A) and  21 (B) are a section along a lock arm and a section along a spring showing a partly connected state of a prior art connector. 
     FIGS.  22 (A) and  22 (B) are a section along the lock arm and a section along the spring showing a properly connected state of the prior art connector. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A connector according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to  15  and is intended for use in an airbag circuit of an automotive vehicle. This connector includes a male housing  10  connected directly with a piece of equipment and a female housing  20  at ends of unillustrated wires. The male and female housings  10 ,  20  are connectable with each other. In the following description, engaging sides of the two housings  10 ,  20  are referred to as the front and reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 11 concerning the vertical direction. 
     The male housing  10  is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and, as shown in FIG. 11, has a substantially tubular receptacle  11  that projects forward. Four substantially tab-shaped male terminals  12  project from the back wall of the male housing  10  and are surrounded by the receptacle  11 . A lock  13  projects at a substantially widthwise center of the upper surface of the receptacle  11 . The front end surface of the lock  13  slopes up and to the back. 
     The female housing  20  is made e.g. of a synthetic resin and, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, has a terminal accommodating portion  21  that accommodates female terminal fittings (not shown) connected with wires. A fitting groove  22  is formed around a front portion of the terminal accommodating portion  21 , and defines a substantially oblong ring. The receptacle  11  of the male housing  10  is fittable from the front into the fitting groove  22 . 
     Four cavities  23  are formed substantially side-by-side in the terminal accommodating portion  21 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and female terminal fittings are insertable from behind into the cavities  23 . A retainer  24  is mounted sideways into the terminal accommodating portion  21  and enters the respective cavities  23  for engaging and locking the female terminal fittings. A seal ring  25  is fit on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion  21  and is squeezed between the outer peripheral surface of the terminal accommodating portion  21  and the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle  11  to provide a watertight fit between the two housings  10 ,  20 . The retainer  24  is provided before the seal ring  25  to prevent the seal ring  24  from coming out. 
     A support  26  projects substantially at a widthwise center of the upper surface of the terminal accommodating portion  21 , as shown in FIGS. 11 and 5, and a lock arm  27  extends forward and back from the support  26 . The lock arm  27  is resiliently deformable like a seesaw about the support  26 . A portion of the lock arm  27  before the support  26  is displaced out and a portion thereof after the support  26  is displaced in during resilient deformation of the lock arm  27  (see FIG.  12 (A)). A deformation space S is defined above the front of the lock arm  27 , and a similar deformation space is defined below the rear of the lock arm  27 . A backwardly open groove  28  is formed in the lower surface of the lock arm  27 . The groove  28  has a downwardly and backwardly sloped front end surface  28   a  that is engageable with the lock  13 . A projection  29  projects forward and up substantially at a widthwise center of the front end of the lock arm  27 . The projection  29  can move onto the lock  13  prior to other parts of the lock arm  27  in the process of connecting the two housings  10 ,  20 . A forward-movement preventing surface  29   a  is formed at the rear end of the projection  29  (see FIG.  12 (A)). Two upper walls  30  are provided at opposite sides of the outer surface of the terminal accommodating portion  21  and are spaced from the lock arm  27  by a specified distance. 
     Vertically extending straight surfaces are formed at opposite sides of the terminal-accommodating portion  21  behind the fitting groove  22 . Two push-operable portions  31  project laterally from the rear end of the opposite side surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion  21 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and are used to connect the two connectors  10 ,  20 . The outer side surfaces of the push-operable portions  31  are stepped so that the push-operable portions  31  can be pushed easily from behind. Sidewalls  32  project forward from the push-operable portions  31  and are spaced a specified distance to the terminal-accommodating portion  21 . The sidewalls  32  are about half as long as the terminal-accommodating portion  21 . 
     A bottom wall  33  bridges the bottom ends of the two push-operable portions  31  and has opposite side edges that extend along the sidewalls  32 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Opposite sides  33   a  of the bottom wall  33  have front surfaces that substantially align with the front surfaces of the sidewalls  32 . Additionally, a part of the bottom wall  33  corresponding to the terminal accommodating portion  21  has front surface substantially aligned with the front of the terminal-accommodating portion  21 . Stopper walls  34  bulge in at opposite sides of the part of the bottom wall  33  that corresponds to the terminal-accommodating portion  21 , and the fitting groove  22  is immediately inside the stopper walls  34 . An engaging portion  35  projects at a substantially widthwise center of the bottom surface of the terminal-accommodating portion  21  and forms a part of the fitting groove  22  for engaging the front end of the receptacle  11 . 
     Spring accommodating spaces  36  are formed at opposite sides of the female housing  20  and are surrounded by parts of the sidewalls  32 , the terminal-accommodating portion  21 , the push-operable portions  31  and the side ends  33   a  of the bottom wall  33 . The spring accommodating portions  36  accommodate compression coil springs  40  from the front, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, so that the compression coil springs  40  are curved into a substantially U-shape that extends through an arc greater than 120°. Thus, opposite ends of the compression coil springs  40  face substantially forward. Each compression coil spring  40  has upper and lower ends  40   a  and  40   b . A spring press  41  holds the lower end  40   b . Middle portions of the springs  40  extend along curved surfaces  31   a  of the spring accommodating spaces  36  formed at the front of the push-operable portions  31 . 
     A substantially rectangular spring press accommodating space  37  opens rearwardly in the female housing  20  and is surrounded by the bottom wall  33 , the terminal accommodating portion  21  and the push-operable portions  31 , as shown in FIG. 4. A wide spring press  41  is insertable into the spring press accommodating space  37  from behind. Two tapered spring holders  42  project from the rear surface at opposite sides of the spring press  41  and fit into the lower ends  40   b  of the compression coil springs  40 . A short guide  43  extends back from a substantially widthwise middle portion of the spring press  41 . The guide  43  slides in contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall  33  and the lower surface of the engaging portion  35  to guide movements of the spring press  41  with respect to the female housing  20 . Pushable sections  44  extend up at opposite sides of the guide  43  and enter the fitting groove  22  in the female housing  20 , as shown in FIGS.  7  and  11 (A). The pushable sections  44  are pushed by a front end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  of the male housing  10  during connection of the housings  10 ,  20 . The spring press  41  is movable forward and back substantially along a connecting direction CD of the housings  10 ,  20  between an initial position (see FIG. 11) where the front surface contacts the stopper walls  34  and a pushed position (see FIG. 13) located back from the initial position. 
     The connector also includes a substantially rectangular frame-shaped slider  50  with a top section  51 , a bottom section  52  and opposite side sections  53  and  54 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The slider  50  is assembled over the female housing  20  to substantially surround the fitting groove  22 . Thus, the top section  51  of the slider  50  is above the lock arm  27  and the upper walls  30 , the bottom section  52  of the slider  50  is below the bottom wall  33 , and the side sections  53 ,  54  are inwardly of the corresponding side walls  32 . The slider  50  is shorter than the terminal-accommodating portion  21  along the connecting direction CD. Thus, the slider  50  can move forward and back on the terminal-accommodating portion  21  along the connecting direction CD. 
     Two walls project down from the lower surface of the top section  51  of the slider  50 , and a holding arm  55  cantilevers back from the rear end of each wall, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. Each holding arm  55  is resiliently deformable up and down in a direction intersecting the connecting direction CD, and a hook  56  projects from the lower surface of the leading end thereof. The holding arms  55  move along sides of the lock arm  27  as the slider  50  is assembled into the female housing  20  from the front. The hooks  56  engage holding projections  38  on the upper surface of the terminal-accommodating portion  21  when the slider  50  reaches a front-limit position on the female housing  20 , as shown in FIG.  11 (A). At this stage, the top section  51  of the slider  50  is retracted back from the deformation space S for the lock arm  27 , and is in a deformation permitting position that permits resilient deformation of the lock arm  27 . The slider  50  can be moved forward from the deformation permitting position to a deformation preventing position where a deformation preventing portion  51   a  at the front of the top section  51  is in the deformation space S to prevent deformation of the lock arm  27  (see FIG.  14 (A)). A slanted guide surface  56   a  slopes up at the front of each hook  56  and engages the corresponding holding projection  38 . The guide surfaces  56   a  cause the holding arms  55  to deform when a force of a specified intensity or higher acts on the slider  50  to move the slider  50  forward. Thus, the hooks  56  disengage from the holding projections  38   
     Two slits are formed at the rear end of the upper section  51  to provide a cantilevered pushable piece  57  substantially at a widthwise middle position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. A projection  57   a  projects up at the rear end of the pushable piece  57  and can be pressed from above to deform the pushable piece  57  down. The pushable piece  57  is above the lock arm  27  and rearward of the support  26  when the slider  50  is at the deformation permitting position. Thus, the lock arm  27  can be deformed resiliently by pressing and resiliently deforming the pushable piece  57  (see FIG.  15 (A)). 
     Two supporting plates  58  project up from the bottom section  52  of the slider  50  at positions near the sides  53 ,  54 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The supporting plates  58  abut front surfaces of the stopper walls  34  to support the slider  50  and to prevent backward movement from the deformation permitting position. An operable portion  59  projects down at the rear of the bottom section  52  over substantially the entire width and enables the slider  50  to be pulled back. 
     Substantially circular spring insertion recesses  60  are formed in the rear surfaces of the upper parts of the opposite side sections  53 ,  54  of the slider  50 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. The spring insertion recesses  60  closely receive the upper ends  40   a  of the compression coil springs  40 , and terminate at receiving surfaces  60   a  that engage the extreme ends of the compression coil springs  40 . Accommodation recesses  61  are formed in the rear surfaces of the bottom parts of the opposite side sections  53 ,  54  for accommodating the spring press  41  and the lower ends  40   b  of the compression coil springs  40 . The spring press  41  engages the front surface of the accommodation recess  61  for support at its front-limit position. A spring support  62  projects back along part of each side section  53 ,  54  between the recesses  60 ,  61  and has a curved rear surface  62   a . The compression coil springs  40  are held closely between the curved surfaces  62   a  of the spring supports  62  and the curved surfaces  31   a  of the push-operable portion  31  (see FIG.  11 (B)) when the slider  50  is at the deformation permitting position. 
     Insertion holes  63  are formed at parts of the side sections  53 ,  54  outside the spring supports  62  and open forward and back, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The insertion holes  63  are dimensioned to receive the sidewalls  32 . Insertion grooves  64  are formed at the outer peripheries of the insertion holes  63  and receive front-stops  39  that project from the outer side surfaces of the side sections  32 . A front-stop wall  65  is at the rear end of each insertion groove  64  and engages the corresponding front-stop  39  when the slider  50  reaches the deformation preventing position to stop the slider  50  at its front-limit position (see FIG.  14 (A)). The side section  54  at the right side of FIG. 1 has a retainer insertion hole for receiving the retainer  24  (see FIG.  8 ). 
     The female connector is assembled by orienting the spring press  41  and the female housing  20 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and then inserting the spring press  41  from behind to the initial position in the spring press accommodating space  37 . The compression coil springs  40  then are curved into a substantially U-shape and accommodated in the spring accommodating spaces  36 . More particularly, the lower ends  40   b  of the compression coil springs  40  are fit on the spring holding portions  42  of the spring press  41 . The slider  50  then is assembled to the female housing  20  from the front and is moved to the deformation permitting position. In this assembling process, the holding arms  55  move to the sides of the lock arm  27  and the hooks  56  move onto the holding projections  38  to deform the holding arms  55  resiliently up. The hooks  56  move over the holding projections  38  when the slider  50  reaches the deformation permitting position and the holding arms  55  return. Thus, the front surfaces of the hooks  56  engage the rear surfaces of the holding projections  38 , as shown in FIG. 11, to prevent the slider  50  from making any forward movement from the deformation permitting position before the connecting operation is started. At this time, the upper ends  40   a  of the compression coil springs  40  are inserted into the spring accommodation recesses  60  and the front end surfaces thereof contact the receiving portions  60   a . Further, the female terminal fittings, the retainer  24 , the seal ring  25 , etc. are mounted into the female housing  20 . 
     An operator can connect the male and female housings  10 ,  20  along the connecting direction CD by aligning the fitting groove  22  of the female housing  20  with the receptacle  11  of the male housing  10  and pushing the female housing  20 , the slider  50  or both toward the male housing  10 . The projection  29  of the lock arm  27  moves onto the lock  13  and deforms the lock arm  27  resiliently as the receptacle  11  of the male housing  10  fits into the fitting groove  22  of the female housing  20 . At this time, the front end of the lock arm  27  and the projection  29  enter the deformation space S above and the forward-movement preventing portion  29   a  engages the front end surface of the upper section  51  of the slider  50 , as shown in FIG. 12, to prevent the slider  50  from moving forward from the deformation permitting position. As the connecting operation proceeds, the front end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  contacts and pushes back the pushable sections  44  of the spring press  41 , as shown in FIG.  12 . As a result, the spring press  41  is moved back from the initial position to the pushed position. At this time, the receiving portions  60   a  of the slider  50  prevent forward movement of the upper ends  40   a  of the compression coil springs  40 . Thus, the compression coil springs  40  are compressed resiliently between the receiving portions  60   a  and the backward-moving spring press  41  and gradually accumulate biasing forces that could separate the two housings  10 ,  20  (see FIG.  13 (B)). 
     The connecting operation could be interrupted halfway. However, the biasing forces accumulated thus far in the resiliently compressed coil springs  40  are released and the pushable sections  44  of the spring press  41  push the front end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  back to separate the housings  10 ,  20 . This prevents the two housings  10 ,  20  from being left partly connected. 
     The lock  13  enters the groove  28  of the lock arm  27  when the two housings  10 ,  20  are connected to proper depth. Thus, the lock arm  27  resiliently returns and the front-end surface  28   a  of the groove  28  engages the rear surface of the lock  13 , as shown in FIG.  13 . The forward-movement preventing portion  29   a  disengages from the upper section  51  of the slider  50  as the lock arm  27  returns. On the other hand, the lower ends  40   b  of the compression coil springs  40  are received by the spring press  41 , and the spring press  41  is held at the pushed position by the front end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  engaged with the engaging portion  35 . Accordingly, the biasing forces accumulated in the compression coil springs  40  are released and the receiving portions  60   a  are pushed forward by the upper ends  40   a  of the compression coil springs  40 . Thus, a force acts on the slider  50  to move the slider  50  forward toward the deformation preventing position. Upon receiving such a force, the holding arms  55  are guided by the guiding surfaces  56   a  through a resilient deformation and the hooks  56  disengage from the holding projection  38 . Thus, the slider  50  is freed and the biasing forces of the compression coil springs  40  moves the slider  50  forward from the deformation permitting position to the deformation preventing position. 
     The deformation preventing portion  51   a  enters the deformation space S when the slider  50  reaches the deformation preventing position and contacts the projection  29  from above, as shown in FIG.  14 . Thus, the lock arm  27  is engaged with the lock  13  and is prevented from undergoing a resilient deformation. In this way, the two housings  10 ,  20  are held properly connected with each other. A moving stroke of the slider  50  is set to be substantially the same as a maximum degree of compression of the compression coil springs  40 . Thus, the compression coil springs  40  are returned substantially to the state that existed before the connecting operation between the receiving portions  60   a  and the spring press  41  held at the pushed position. Further, the front-stop walls  65  contact the front-stop projections  39  to prevent the slider  50  from moving forward toward the deformation permitting position from the deformation preventing position. In the properly connected state, the seal ring  25  closely contacts the inner peripheral surface of the receptacle  11  and the outer peripheral surface of the terminal-accommodating portion  21  to provide a watertight fit between the housings  10 ,  20 . 
     The housings  10 ,  20  may require separation for maintenance or other reason. In such a case, the operable portions  59  and/or the projection  57   a  of the pushable piece  57  are gripped to pull the slider  50  back. The slider  50  is moved back from the deformation preventing position to the deformation permitting position and the coil springs  40  are compressed. The projection  57   a  of the pushable piece  57  then is pushed down to deform the pushable piece  57 , as shown in FIG.  15 . As a result, the lower surface of the pushable piece  57  pushes the upper surface of the rear part of the lock arm  27 . The lock arm  27  deforms and the front-end surface  28   a  of the groove  28  disengages from the lock  13 . The slider  50  then can be pulled further back to separate the female housing  20  from the male housing  10 . The separating operation could be interrupted halfway. However, the biasing forces of the resiliently compressed coil springs  40  will be released and the pushable sections  44  of the spring press  41  will push the front end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  back to separate the housings  10 ,  20 . As a result, the housings  10 ,  20  will not be left partly connected during the separating operation. An operation of moving the slider  50  back to the deformation permitting position and an operation of separating the housings  10 ,  20  is performed at once by pulling the slider  50 . Further, the lock arm  27  is deformed resiliently by operating the pushable piece  57  following the operation of pulling the slider  50 . 
     As described above, the compression coil springs  40  are curved so that opposite ends of the coil springs  40  face forward. Additionally, the biasing forces of the coil springs  40  are released and move the slider  50  forward when the housings  10 ,  20  are connected properly. Thus, the slider  50  and the female housing  20  are moved in the same direction for separation and operational efficiency during separation is improved. Further, movement of the lock arm  27  is linked with the connecting operation and controls the forward movement of the slider  50 . Thus, the slider  50  is moved at a suitable timing, and the reliability of the partial connection preventing function is improved. Furthermore, the pushable sections  44  of the spring press  41  are pushed by the front-end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  of the male housing  10 . Thus, the construction of the male housing  10  is simpler than a male housing that has a separate pushing portion. 
     The holding arms  55  engage the holding projections  38  to hold the slider  50  at the deformation permitting position. Thus, the connecting operation is performed with the slider at the deformation permitting position, and connection operability is better. Further, the guiding surfaces  56   a  on the hooks  56  engage the holding projections  38  to achieve a semi-locking construction. Therefore, the biasing forces of the compression coil springs  40  automatically disengage the holding arms  55  from the holding projections  38 . Accordingly, operability is better than a case where the holding arms must be deformed separately. 
     The lock arm  27  can be pushed and deformed by pushing the pushable piece  57  of the slider  50  when the housings  10 ,  20  are being separated. Thus, operability is better than a case where the lock arm must be pushed after the slider is moved backward. 
     A second embodiment of the invention is described with reference to FIGS. 16 to  20 . The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the construction of the upper section  51  of the slider  50  and the rear end of the lock arm  27 . Elements of the second embodiment that are similar to the first embodiment are identified by the same numbers. 
     Two disengagement guides  70  project up toward the upper section  51  of the slider  50  from the rear end of the upper surface of the lock arm  27 , as shown in FIGS. 16 and 18. The two disengagement guides  70  are at opposite lateral sides of the lock arm  27  and are spaced from each other along the widthwise direction. Each disengagement guide  70  has a slanted surface  71  sloped up and back, and the upper section  51  of the slider  50  is engageable with the slanted surfaces  71  from front. Further, the upper ends of the disengagement guides  70  are higher than the projection  29 . 
     A disengagement-pushing portion  72  bulges down toward the lock arm  27  from the widthwise middle of the upper section  51  of the slider  50  more than the opposite sides of the upper section  51 , as shown in FIG.  16 . The disengagement-pushing portion  72  can push the disengagement guides  70 . A moderately curved surface  73  extends along the disengagement portion  72  at the rear bottom end of the disengagement-pushing portion  72  for contacting the disengagement guides  70 . Thus, the disengagement guides  70  can be pushed smoothly. The bottom end of the disengagement-pushing portion  72  is lower than the upper ends of the disengagement guides  70  and slightly higher than the upper ends of the projection  29  of the lock arm  27 . 
     In this embodiment, an initial assembled position and a disengaging position are set as the deformation permitting position of the slider  50 . The slider  50  is movable forward and back along the connecting direction CD between these positions. The initial assembled position is the same as the deformation permitting position of the first embodiment and is a position where the slider  50  is assembled with the female housing  20  before the housings  10 ,  20  are connected, as shown in FIG.  18 . At this position, the disengagement-pushing portion  72  is displaced before the disengagement guides  70  so as not to interfere with the disengagement guides  70 . The slider  50  is movable further back from the initial assembled position to the disengaging position (see FIG. 20) where the disengagement-pushing portion  72  engages the disengagement guides  70 . Although unillustrated, the slider  50  is prevented from moving back by engaging the opposite sides  33   a  of the bottom wall  33  and the stopper walls  34  upon reaching the disengaging position. Additionally, a space between the curved surfaces  31   a ,  62   a  of the push-operable portions  31  and the spring supports  62  is wider than in the first embodiment to let the compression coil springs  40  escape when the slider  50  is moved to the disengaging position. 
     An upper operable portion  74  projects at the rear end of the upper section  51  of the slider  50 , as shown in FIGS. 16 to  18 . The upper operable portion  74  is a narrow rib that extends over substantially the entire width of the slider  50 . The slider  50  can be pushed forward and pulled back by operating the upper and/or lower operable portions  74 ,  59 . Further, a substantially flat planar protecting portion  75  extends back at the rear end of the upper section  51  of the slider  50  and the upper operable portion  74 . The protecting portion  75  is above the disengagement guides  70  so as not to interfere with the disengagement guides  70 . The protecting portion  75  has a length and a width to substantially cover the rear ends of the lock arm  27  and the holding arms  55  from above when the slider  50  is at the initial assembled position to prevent the lock arm  27  and the holding arms  55  from being operated inadvertently by external matter. 
     The properly connected housings  10 ,  20  can be separated by gripping the upper and/or lower operable portions  74 ,  59  as shown in FIG. 19, and pulling the slider  50  back from the deformation preventing position toward the deformation permitting position. The slider  50  is retracted from the deformation space S and pulled further back from the initial assembled position (shown by phantom line in FIG.  20 ). As a result, the curved surface  73  of the disengagement pushing portion  72  contacts the slanted surfaces  71  of the disengagement guides  70 . The disengagement pushing portion  72  pushes the disengagement guides  70  as the slider  50  is pushed further back toward the deformation permitting position. This pushing force is translated by the slanted surface  71  to push the rear end of the lock arm  27  and to disengage the front end surface  28   a  of the groove  28  from the rear end of the lock  13 , as shown in FIG.  20 . The slider  50  is pulled further back toward the deformation permitting position in this state, and the female housing  20  is moved back and pulled apart from the male housing  10 . This separating operation could be interrupted halfway. In this situation, the biasing forces of the compressed coil springs  40  are released and the pushable sections  44  of the spring press  41  push the front end surface  10   a  of the receptacle  11  back to forcibly separate the housings  10 ,  20 . As a result, the housings  10 ,  20  are not left partly connected during the separating operation. In this way, an operation of moving the slider  50  back toward the disengaging position as the deformation permitting position and an operation of separating the two housings  10 ,  20  can be performed at once by pulling the slider  50  backward. 
     As described above, the slider  50  is moved from the deformation preventing position toward the deformation permitting position to separate the housings  10 ,  20 . Thus, the disengagement pushing portion  72  of the slider  50  pushes the disengagement guides  70  to deform the lock arm  27  and disengage the lock arm  27  from the lock  13 . The lock arm  27  is deformed by moving the slider  50  back. Thus, separation operability is better as compared to a case where an operation of resiliently deforming the lock arm needs to be performed separately from the operation of the slider. 
     The invention is not limited to the above described embodiment. For example, the following embodiments also are embraced by the invention as defined in the claims. Beside the following embodiments, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. 
     The connector includes the spring press in the foregoing embodiment. However, ends of the springs may be pushed directly by a male housing. 
     The guides are on the holding arms in the foregoing embodiment. However, they may be on the holding projections or may be provided on both. 
     The pushable piece is pushed to deform the lock arm for separating the housings in the foregoing embodiment. However, a guide surface may be provided on either the lock arm or the lock projection. Additionally, the lock arm may be deformed automatically and resiliently to effect unlocking when an operation force of a specified intensity or higher is given by the guiding surface to separate the two housings. Then, operability can be even more improved. 
     Although the slider, the coil springs and the spring press are assembled into the female housing and the spring press is pushed by the male housing in the foregoing embodiment, connectors in which male and female housings have reverse constructions also are embraced by the invention. 
     The compression coil springs are shown as biasing means in the foregoing embodiment. However, leaf springs or the like may be used as such. 
     The connector has a watertight function (seal ring) in the foregoing embodiment, the invention also is applicable to non-watertight connectors.