Patent Publication Number: US-8113871-B2

Title: Connector assembly

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Japanese Patent Application No. JP2009-171594 filed Jul. 22, 2009. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a connector assembly having a mating assistance mechanism using a lever or a slider for mating two connectors with each other, and more particularly to a connector assembly having a detection mechanism operable to accurately detect a mating state of two connectors. 
     For example, a connector assembly having a detection mechanism operable to detect a mating state of two connectors is disclosed in JP-B 3666087 (Patent Document 1), JP-B 3284200 (Patent Document 2), and JP-A 2008-108467 (Patent Document 3). The connector assembly has a mating maintenance mechanism operable to maintain the mating state of the two connectors. The mating maintenance mechanism includes an engagement portion and a lock arm (elastic support) provided on one of the connectors and a stopper provided on the other connector. When the connectors are mated with each other, the lock arm is momentarily bent and then returned to the original state. At that time, the engagement portion engages with the stopper, so that the mating state of the connectors is maintained. The detection mechanism includes two terminals and a short-circuit member for developing a short circuit between the two terminals. The two terminals are provided on the connector that includes the stopper. The short-circuit member is provided on the lock arm near the engagement portion. When the connectors are mated with each other, the lock arm is momentarily bent and then returned to the original state. At that time, the short-circuit member develops a short circuit between the two terminals, so that a mating state of the connector is detected. However, this connector assembly has no function of wiping contacting portions between the terminals and the short-circuit member. Accordingly, a contact failure may arise due to the contamination of the terminals or the like. 
     In contrast, JP-B 3596702 (Patent Document 4) and JP-A 8-241761 (Patent Document 5) disclose a connector assembly with a detection mechanism having a wiping function. In either case, the connector assembly has a short-circuit member provided near an engagement portion of a lock arm, and the short-circuit member is brought into contact with terminals in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the engagement portion supported by the lock arm moves. For example, in a case where the engagement portion moves on the vertical plane parallel to a mating direction, the short-circuit member is brought into contact with the terminals in the horizontal direction. In the connector assembly disclosed in Patent Documents 4 and 5, the width of the short-circuit member in the horizontal direction is set to be greater than the distance between the terminals in the horizontal direction. Thus, when two connectors are mated with each other, the wide short-circuit member is inserted into a narrow space defined between the terminals. Accordingly, the terminals are wiped by the friction produced between the short-circuit member and the terminals. 
     As in the connector assembly of Patent Document 4 or 5, a considerable insertion force is required to insert a relatively wide short-circuit member into a relatively narrow space between terminals. This insertion force employs a restoring force of the lock arm. When the connector assembly is reduced in size and height, the restoring force of the lock arm may also be reduced. If the restoring force of the lock arm is reduced, it may be impossible to press (or insert) the short-circuit member between the terminals. In such a case, movement of the engagement portion is inhibited, so that the mating maintenance mechanism does not work. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a connector assembly capable of wiping terminals of a detection mechanism without inhibiting a function of a mating maintenance mechanism. 
     One aspect of the present invention provides a connector assembly which has a first connector, a second connector matable with the first connector along a mating direction, a mating assistance mechanism, a mating maintenance mechanism, and a detection mechanism. The mating assistance mechanism has an operation member and is operable to mate the second connector with the first connector in accordance with an operation of the operation member. The mating maintenance mechanism includes a stopper, an engagement portion and an elastic support. The engagement portion is configured to be engaged with the stopper in a mating state of the first connector and the second connector so as to maintain the mating state. The elastic support is configured to support the engagement portion. The elastic support is elastically deformed and moves the engagement portion along a direction different from the mating direction when the second connector is mated with the first connector. The detection mechanism is operable to detect the mating state and includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a short-circuit member, The first terminal has a first contacting section extending along the mating direction. The second terminal has a second contacting section extending along the mating direction. The short-circuit member is arranged to establish a short circuit between the first terminal and the second terminal in the mating state. The short-circuit member has a first contact and a second contact which are brought into contact with the first contacting section and the second contacting section in the mating state, respectively. The first contact is directly/indirectly moved by movement and elastic deformation of the elastic support so that the first contact wipes the first contacting section during a mating operation of the first connector and the second connector. The second contact wipes the second contacting section independently of the elastic deformation of the elastic support during the mating operation. 
     An appreciation of the objectives of the present invention and a more complete understanding of its structure may be had by studying the following description of the preferred embodiment and by referring to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a connector assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which the connector assembly includes a first connector (male connector) and two second connectors (female connectors). 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of  FIG. 1  as viewed along another direction. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the first connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a first terminal and a second terminal included in the first connector of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the second connector of  FIG. 1 , in which a short-circuit member has not been incorporated. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the second connector of  FIG. 1  with a partial cross-section. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing a lever of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing the short-circuit member of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view including a cross-section near the short-circuit member of the connector assembly of  FIG. 1 , in which the second connector is being mated with the first connector. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged perspective view including a cross-section near the short-circuit member of the connector assembly of  FIG. 1 , in which the second connector is being mated with the first connector and is in a state closer to a mating state than that of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view including a cross-section near a second pressure receiver in the short-circuit member of the second connector of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged view showing the second connector of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a plan view showing rotation of the lever and movement of the short-circuit member. 
         FIG. 14  is another plan view showing rotation of the lever and movement of the short-circuit member. 
         FIG. 15  is another plan view showing rotation of the lever and movement of the short-circuit member. 
         FIG. 16  is another plan view showing rotation of the lever and movement of the short-circuit member. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view showing part of a first connector included in a connector assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a first terminal and a second terminal provided on the first connector of  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  is an exploded perspective view showing a second connector included in the connector assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view showing a short-circuit member of the second connector of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective view showing the short-circuit member of  FIG. 20  as viewed along another direction. 
         FIG. 22  is an enlarged perspective view partially showing a state in which the short-circuit member has been incorporated in a lever of the second connector of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 23  is an enlarged perspective view showing part of the second connector of  FIG. 19 , in which the short-circuit member has been attached to the lever. The lever has been incorporated in a housing and is the most widely opened. 
         FIG. 24  is a view showing the first terminal, the second terminal, and the short-circuit member as viewed from a rear side of the second connector. A short circuit has been developed between the first terminal and the second terminal by the short-circuit member. 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective view showing a connector assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the connector assembly includes a first connector and a second connector having a slider. 
         FIG. 26  is a perspective view showing the connector assembly of  FIG. 25  as viewed along another direction. 
         FIG. 27  is an exploded perspective view showing the second connector of  FIG. 26 . 
         FIG. 28  is an enlarged perspective view showing the connector assembly of  FIG. 25 . 
         FIG. 29  is a perspective view including a cross-section near an upper surface of the slider in the connector assembly of  FIG. 26 . 
         FIG. 30  is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of a lock arm provided on the second connector of  FIG. 26 . An engagement portion supported by the lock arm is positioned within a recessed portion formed in the slider and is located at an initial vertical position in a vertical direction. 
         FIG. 31  is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the lock arm of  FIG. 30 . The engagement portion supported by the lock arm has been pushed downward by the slider. 
         FIG. 32  is another enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the lock arm of  FIG. 30 . The engagement portion supported by the lock arm is positioned within another recessed portion formed in the slider and has been returned to the initial vertical position in the vertical direction. 
         FIG. 33  is a perspective view including a cross-section near a short-circuit member of the connector assembly of  FIG. 25 . The second connector is being mated with the first connector. 
         FIG. 34  is an enlarged perspective view partially showing the vicinity of the short-circuit member of the connector assembly of  FIG. 33 . 
         FIG. 35  is a view showing a first terminal, a second terminal, and the short-circuit member as viewed from a rear side of the second connector. A short circuit has been developed between the first terminal and the second terminal by the short-circuit member. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A connector assembly according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 35 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a connector assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a first connector  100  and second connectors  200 L and  200 R matable with the first connector  100  along the Y-direction (mating direction). The connector assembly also includes a mating assistance mechanism operable to mate the second connector  200 L or  200 R with the first connector  100  in accordance with operation of a lever (operation member)  300 , a mating maintenance mechanism operable to regulate movement of the lever  300  in a mating state of the first connector  100  and the second connector  200 L or  200 R so as to maintain the mating state, and a detection mechanism operable to detect a mating state of the first connector  100  and the second connector  200 L or  200 R. The connector assembly according to the present embodiment can wipe terminals used for detection in the detection mechanism and can thus conduct self-cleaning. The following description is mainly focused on this wiping function. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the first connector  100  includes an insulative housing  110  for holding a number of male terminals, a first terminal  120 , and a second terminal  130 . The first terminal  120  and the second terminal  130  are held in the housing  110  and used for the detection mechanism. The housing  110  has receptacles  112  formed therein, which respectively receive mating portions  202  of the second connectors  200 L and  200 R along the Y-direction. A recessed portion  114  used for the mating assistance mechanism is formed in each of the receptacles  112 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the first terminal  120  and the second terminal  130  respectively have a first contacting section  124  and a second contacting section  134  extending along the Y-direction. As shown in  FIG. 4 , each of the first contacting section  124  and the second contacting section  134  according to the present embodiment has a roughly rectangular cross-section on the XZ-plane. Furthermore, the first contacting section  124  and the second contacting section  134  are arranged in the Z-direction (vertical direction). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the second connector  200 L includes an insulative housing  220  for holding a number of female terminals, a lever  300  attached to the housing  220 , and a short-circuit member  400  incorporated in the housing  220 . The second connector  200 R has a structure symmetric to that of the second connector  200 L. Therefore, only the second connector  200 L will be described in the present embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the housing  220  has a lever receptacle  230  for receiving the lever  300 , a stopper  240  serving as part of the mating maintenance mechanism, and a holder  250  for holding the short-circuit member  400 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , an axial support  232  is formed in the lever receptacle  230  of this embodiment so as to rotatably support the lever  300 . The axial support  232  projects along the Z-direction from a bottom  230   b  of the lever receptacle  230 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the holder  250  of this embodiment is provided near the stopper  240  so as to permit operation of the short-circuit member  400 , which will be described later. 
     As can be seen from  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  11 , the lever  300  is housed in the lever receptacle  230  and rotatably supported on the axial support  232 . Accordingly, the lever  300  can rotate about the axial support  232  on the XY-plane (horizontal plane). As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the lever  300  has a protrusion  302 , which serves as part of the mating assistance mechanism. The protrusion  302  and the recessed portion  114  of the housing  110  constitute a pinion-rack-based mating assistance mechanism. Specifically, when the lever  300  is rotated in a state in which the second connector  200 L or  200 R is tentatively mated with the first connector  100 , the protrusion  302  of the lever  300  enters the recessed portion  114  of the housing  110  and draws up the housing  110  relative to the second connector  200 L or  200 R. Thus, the second connector  200 L or  200 R is firmly mated with the first connector  100 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a lock arm (elastic support)  310  and an engagement portion  320  are formed on the lever  300  of this embodiment. The lock arm (elastic support)  310  and the engagement portion  320  constitute the mating maintenance mechanism together with the stopper  240  of the housing  220 . The lock arm  310  is cantilevered on the lever  300 . Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the lock arm  310  is formed integrally with the lever  300 . The lock arm  310  extends from a base portion  312 , at which the lock arm  310  is connected to the lever  300 , to an arm operation section  314  as a free end. The lock arm  310  can be bent (i.e., elastically deformed) on the XY-plane by pressure against the engagement portion  320  or operation of the arm operation section  314 . The engagement portion  320  extends outward from a position between the base portion  312  and the arm operation section  314  on the XY-plane. The engagement portion  320  is moved on the XY-plane when the lock arm  310  is bent on the XY-plane by operation of the arm operation section  314 . 
     When the lever  300  is rotated, the lock arm  310  is bent (elastically deformed) by abutment of the engagement portion  320  against a side surface of the stopper  240  until the second connector  200 L or  200 R has been mated with the first connector  100 . Once the second connector  200 L or  200 R has been mated with the first connector  100 , the engagement portion  320  moves frontward (toward the mating portion  202 ) beyond the stopper  240 . This movement releases the bending of the lock arm  310  and thereby recovers the state of the lock arm  310 . Furthermore, this recovery of the lock arm  310  moves the engagement portion  320  to a position at which the engagement portion  320  can engage with the stopper  240 . At that time, the engagement portion  320  is moved in a direction different than the Y-direction (mating direction). The aforementioned configuration of the engagement portion  320  prevents the rotation of the lever  300  in a direction to separate the second connector  200 L or  200 R from the first connector  100  because the engagement portion  320  engages with the stopper  240 . In order to separate the second connector  200 L or  200 R from the first connector  100 , the arm operation section  314  is operated so as to release the engagement of the engagement portion  320  and the stopper  240  and to rotate the lever  300 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the lock arm  310  of this embodiment has a presser portion  330  including a first presser  332  and a second presser  334 . Specifically, the first presser  332  is provided near the base portion  312 , whereas the second presser  334  is provided near the engagement portion  320 . In other words, the second presser  334  is located closer to the engagement portion  320  than the first presser  332 . Furthermore, each of the first presser  332  and the second presser  334  has an island shape projecting from the lock arm  310  in the Z-direction. 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 10 , the short-circuit member  400  of this embodiment is used to develop a short circuit between the first terminal  120  and the second terminal  130  when the first connector  100  and the second connector  200  are mated with each other. Specifically, the first terminal  120 , the second terminal  130 , and the short-circuit member  400  jointly form a detection mechanism operable to detect a mating state of the first connector  100  and the second connector  200 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the short-circuit member  400  includes a base portion  410  held by the holder  250  of the housing  220 , a first arm  420 , and a second arm  430 . As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 8 , the base portion  410  includes a horizontal portion  412  extending parallel to the XY-plane and a vertical portion  414  extending perpendicular to the horizontal portion  412 . The short-circuit member  400  is attached to the housing  220  by pressing the horizontal portion  412  into the holder  250 . The first arm  420  and the second arm  430  extend roughly along the Y-direction when the short-circuit member  400  has been attached to the housing  220 . The first arm  420  has a first contact  422 , and the second arm  430  has a second contact  432 . The first contact  422  and the second contact  432  are in contact with the first contacting section  124  and the second contacting section  134 , respectively, when the first connector  100  and the second connector  200  are mated with each other. The first contact  422  moves according to movement and elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 , which will be described in detail later. The second contact  432  moves independently of elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 . 
     The second arm  430  and the second contact  432  will be described in detail. An initial position of the second contact  432  is determined such that the second contact  432  interferes with the second contacting section  134  when the first connector  100  and the second connector  200 L are mated with each other. Accordingly, the second contact  432  is slid on the second contacting section  134  when the first connector  100  and the second connector  200 L are being mated with each other. Thus, the second contacting section  134  is wiped by the second contact  432 . In this embodiment, since the second contact  432  is slid on a side surface  134   s  of the second contacting section  134 , it is the side surface  134   s  of the second contacting section  134  that is wiped. 
     The short-circuit member  400  of this embodiment includes a first support  442  and a second support  446  extending away from the first arm  420  on the XY-plane. The short-circuit member  400  also includes a first pressure receiver  444  elastically supported by the first support  442  and a second pressure receiver  448  elastically supported by the second support  446 . As can be seen from  FIG. 6 , for example, the first support  442  and the first pressure receiver  444  are located closer to the mating portion  202  of the second connector  200 L matable with the first connector  100  as compared to the second support  446  and the second pressure receiver  448 . 
     In this embodiment, the first pressure receiver  444  is pressed by the first presser  332 , and the second pressure receiver  448  is pressed by the second presser  334 . In this embodiment, the first contact  422  is connected to the first pressure receiver  444  and the second pressure receiver  448  via the first support  442 , the second support  446 , and the first arm  420 . Therefore, the first contact  422  is moved when the first pressure receiver  444  or the second pressure receiver  448  is pressed. Pressing of the first pressure receiver  444  and the second pressure receiver  448  by the first presser  332  and the second presser  334  are carried out in cooperation with movement and elastic deformation of the lock arm  310  caused by rotation of the lever  300 . 
     Specifically, the first presser  332  moves the first contact  422  away from the first contacting section  124  during a first period, which is part of operation of rotation of the lever  300 . The second presser  334  moves the first contact  422  away from the first contacting section  124  during a second period, which is part of operation of rotation of the lever  300 . The second period starts after the first period has started and partially overlaps the first period. 
     In order to meet such operational conditions, the first presser  332  and the second presser  334  of this embodiment are configured as follows. According to rotation of the lever  300  for mating the second connector  200  with the first connector  100 , the first presser  332  passes between the second pressure receiver  448  and the first arm  420 , then presses the first pressure receiver  444  on the XY-plane, and moves away from the first pressure receiver  444 . Meanwhile, the second presser  334  moves along a path similar to that of the engagement portion  320  and then starts to press the second pressure receiver  448  before the first presser  332  separates from the first pressure receiver  444 . 
     When the lever  300  is rotated in the state shown in  FIG. 13 , the first presser  332  first presses the first pressure receiver  444  as shown in  FIG. 14 . When the lever  300  is further rotated, as can be seen from  FIGS. 14 and 15 , the second presser  334  presses the second pressure receiver  448  while the first presser  332  presses the first pressure receiver  444 . When the lever  300  is further rotated, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the first presser  332  separates from the first pressure receiver  444 , so that the only the second presser  334  presses the second pressure receiver  448 . At that time, the first pressure receiver  444  and the second pressure receiver  448  are continuously pressed by at least one of the first presser  332  and the second presser  334 . Thus, the first contact  422  has been moved away from the first contacting section  124 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the second support  446  of this embodiment has a protrusion  450  projecting upward (along the Z-direction). As shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the protrusion  450  is located within the recessed portion  260  formed in an upper surface  230   a  of the lever receptacle  230  when the first contact  422  is located at a position at which the first contact  422  can be brought into contact with the first contacting section  124 . The protrusion  450  is moved outside of the recessed portion  260  when the first contact  422  is moved away from the first contacting section  124 . When the second pressure receiver  448  is pressed by the second presser  334  so that the protrusion  450  is moved outside of the recessed portion  260 , the second support  446  is lowered by a step difference between the recessed portion  260  and the upper surface  230   a  of the lever receptacle  230 . The second presser  448  and the first contact  422  are accordingly lowered. The upper surface  230   a  of the lever receptacle  230 , the recessed portion  260  formed in the upper surface  230   a , and the protrusion  450  provided on the second support  446  jointly serve as a movement mechanism operable to temporarily move the second pressure receiver  448  in the Z-direction until the engagement portion  320  engages with the stopper  240  while the second presser  334  presses the second pressure receiver  448 . 
     When the lever  300  is rotated in a state in which the second pressure receiver  448  is pressed only by the second presser  334 , the engagement portion  320  is slid on a side surface of the stopper  240  and moved beyond the stopper  240  in the Y-direction. Then, as shown in  FIG. 16 , the engagement portion  320  is moved to the front of the stopper  240  by a restoring force of the lock arm  310 . That is, the engagement portion  320  and the second presser  334  provided near the engagement portion  320  are moved in the X-direction (horizontal direction). At that time, the pressure applied to the second pressure receiver  448  by the second presser  334  is eliminated so that the first contact  422  is returned to the initial position by a restoring force of the first arm  420 . Here, the first contacting section  124  is present at a position corresponding to the initial position of the first contact  422  in the mating state of the first connector  100  and the second connector  200 L. Therefore, when the first contact  422  is returned to the initial position by the restoring force of the first arm  420 , it is brought into contact with the first contacting section  124 . In this case, the distance of the movement of the first contact  422  in the Z-direction by the movement mechanism is simultaneously recovered. Specifically, the first contact  422  is returned to its initial position in the Z-direction. Thus, the first contact  422  is also moved in the Z-direction. Therefore, the first contacting section  124  is wiped along the Z-direction by the first contact  422 . At that time, since the first contact  422  is brought into contact with a side surface  124   s  of the first contacting section  124 , it is the side surface  124   s  of the first contacting section  124  that is wiped. 
     As described above, when the second connector  200  is mated with the first connector  100 , the second contact  432  is slid on the second contacting section  134  and is thus electrically connected to the second contacting section  134 . On the other hand, the first contact  422  is not connected to the first contacting section  124  until the second connector  200  has been mated with the first connector  100 . In other words, the first contact  422  is electrically connected to the first contacting section  124  only when the second connector  200  has been mated with the first connector  100 . Accordingly, the short-circuit member  400  develops a short circuit between the first terminal  120  and the second terminal  130  only when the second connector  200  has been mated with the first connector  100 . Therefore, a mating state can be detected by monitoring a state of the first terminal  120  and the second terminal  130 . 
     As described above, in the connector assembly of this embodiment, the first pressure receiver  444  and the second pressure receiver  448  are respectively pressed by the first presser  332  and the second presser  334  in cooperation with movement and elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 . When the pressure receiver portion  440  (the first pressure receiver  444  and the second pressure receiver  448 ) is thus pressed by the presser portion  330  (the first presser  332  and the second presser  334 ), the first contact  422  wipes the first contacting section  124 . Meanwhile, no pressure receiver portion  440  is provided on the second arm  430  on which the second contact  432  is provided. Therefore, the second contact  432  wipes the second contacting section  134  not depending upon movement and elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 , but depending upon the mating state of the second connector  200 L with the first connector  100 . Thus, according to the present embodiment, movements of the two contacts of the short-circuit member  400  are controlled by different methods. Therefore, the wide short-circuit member does not need to be inserted into a narrow space between the terminals, unlike Patent Documents 4 and 5. Accordingly, the first terminal  120  (the first contacting section  124 ) and the second terminal  130  (the second contacting section  134 ) of the detection mechanism can reliably be wiped without inhibiting functions of the mating maintenance mechanism. 
     Particularly, in a case of a connector assembly in which the lock arm  310  is bent on the horizontal plane, an increase of the size of the connector is prevented by separating the presser portion  330  into two elements including the first presser  332  and the second presser  334 , similarly separating the pressure receiver portion  440  into two elements including the first pressure receiver  444  and the second pressure receiver  448 , and moving the first contact  422  through cooperation of those elements. 
     A connector assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 17 to 24 . In the first embodiment, the lock arm is bent on the horizontal plane. In other words, the engagement portion is moved on the horizontal plane. In the present embodiment, however, the lock arm is bent on the vertical plane as with Patent Document 3. In other words, the engagement portion is moved on the vertical plane. The following description is mainly focused on the detection mechanism. The detailed explanation of the mating assistance mechanism and the mating maintenance mechanism will be omitted herein. The mating assistance mechanism and the mating maintenance mechanism of this embodiment are basically the same as those of Patent Document 3. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 17 and 18 , a first connector  100 ′ includes an insulative housing  110 ′ for holding a number of male terminals, a first terminal  120 ′, and a second terminal  130 ′. The first terminal  120 ′ and the second terminal  130 ′ are held in the housing  110 ′ and used for the detection mechanism. As shown in  FIG. 18 , the first terminal  120 ′ and the second terminal  130 ′ respectively have a first contacting section  124 ′ and a second contacting section  134 ′ extending along the Y-direction. Each of the first contacting section  124 ′ and the second contacting section  134 ′ according to the present embodiment has a roughly rectangular cross-section on the XZ-plane. Furthermore, the first contacting section  124 ′ and the second contacting section  134 ′ are arranged in the X-direction. Particularly, the first contacting section  124 ′ is held on the housing  110 ′ so that a side surface  124 ′ s  is exposed. The second contacting section  134 ′ of this embodiment is held on the housing  110 ′ so that only a lower surface  134 ′ b  is exposed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 19 , a second connector  200 L′ includes an insulative housing  220 ′ for holding a number of female terminals, a lever  300 ′ attached to the housing  220 ′, and a short-circuit member  500  incorporated in the housing  220 ′. The lever  300 ′ serves as an operation member of the mating assistance mechanism. The lever  300 ′ is held on the housing  220 ′ so as to be rotatable on the horizontal plane as with the first embodiment. As can be seen from  FIGS. 19 and 23 , a lock arm  310 ′ is formed integrally with the lever  300 ′ and can be bent on the vertical plane. Therefore, a projecting engagement portion  320 ′ provided on the lock arm  310 ′ is also movable on the vertical plane. When the engagement portion  320 ′ of the lock arm  310 ′ engages with a stopper (not shown) provided on the housing  220 ′, the lever  300 ′ is fixed so that a mating state of the first connector  100 ′ and the second connector  200 L′ is maintained. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 20 and 21 , the short-circuit member  500  of this embodiment includes a base portion  510  pressed in and held by the housing  220 ′, a first arm  520 , and a second arm  530 . As shown in  FIGS. 19 ,  22 , and  23 , the short-circuit member  500  is attached to the lever  300 ′. As shown in  FIGS. 20 and 21 , the first arm  520  includes a first contact  522  extending along the horizontal direction from a portion that is parallel to the vertical plane and a pressure receiver  524  that can be pushed downward by the lock arm  310 ′. The second arm  530  includes a second contact  532  projecting in the vertical direction. Specifically, the first contact  522  is elastically supported on the first arm  520 , and the second contact  532  is elastically supported on the second arm  530 . As can be seen from  FIGS. 20 to 23 , the second arm  530  has no pressure receiver  524  unlike the first arm  520 . Accordingly, while the first contact  522  of the first arm  520  is moved in cooperation with movement of the lock arm  310 ′, the second contact  532  of the second arm  530  is moved independently of elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 ′. Furthermore, when the first connector  100 ′ and the second connector  200 L′ are mated with each other, as shown in  FIG. 24 , the first contact  522  is in contact with the side surface  124 ′ s  of the first contacting section  124 ′ while the second contact  532  is in contact with the lower surface  134 ′ b  of the second contacting section  134 ′. 
     With the above configuration, the second contact  532  is slid on the lower surface  134 ′ b  of the second contacting section  134 ′ by operation of closing the lever  300 ′. Thus, the second contact  532  can wipe the lower surface  134 ′ b  of the second contacting section  134 ′. The first contact  522  can wipe the side surface  124 ′ s  of the first contacting section  124 ′ along the Z-direction with deformation and recovery of the lock arm  310 ′. 
     A connector assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 25 to 35 . In the first and second embodiments, the lever is used as an operation member of the mating assistance mechanism. In the present embodiment, however, a slider  600  is used as an operation member as shown in  FIGS. 25 and 26 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 25 ,  26 , and  29 , a first connector  100 ″ includes an insulative housing  110 ″ for holding a number of male terminals, a first terminal  120 ″, and a second terminal  130 ″. The first terminal  120 ″ and the second terminal  130 ″ are held in the housing  110 ″ and used for the detection mechanism. The housing  110 ″ has a side surface with slits  112 ″ that can receive the slider  600 . Guide projections  114 ″ are formed so as to project inward from upper and lower surfaces of the housing  110 ″. As shown in  FIG. 25 , the first terminal  120 ″ and the second terminal  130 ″ respectively have a first contacting section  124 ″ and a second contacting section  134 ″ extending along the Y-direction. As shown in  FIG. 35 , each of the first contacting section  124 ″ and the second contacting section  134 ″ according to the present embodiment has a roughly rectangular cross-section on the XZ-plane. Furthermore, the first contacting section  124 ″ and the second contacting section  134 ″ are arranged in the X-direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 25 to 28 , a second connector  200 ″ includes an insulative housing  220 ″ for holding a number of female terminals, the slider  600  slidably held in the housing  220 ″, and a short-circuit member  700  incorporated in the housing  220 ″. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 27 and 28 , the housing  220 ″ has slots  222  in which the slider  600  can be inserted, guide portions  224  that can guide the guide projections  114 ″ of the first connector  100 ″, and a lock arm  310 ″. As can be seen from  FIGS. 27 and 29 , the slots  222  are formed in a side surface of the housing  220 ″. The slots  222  communicate with a slider insertion spaces extending along the X-direction. There are two slots  222  of an upper slot and a lower slot. The guide portions  224  are defined by grooves extending along the Y-direction. The size of the guide portions  224  in the X-direction is set to be slightly larger than that of the guide projections  114 ″ of the first connector  100 ″. The guide portions  224  communicate with the aforementioned slider insertion spaces. As shown in  FIG. 27 , the lock arm  310 ″ elastically supports the engagement portion  320 ″ so that the engagement portion  320 ″ is movable along the Z-direction. As can be seen from comparison of  FIG. 27  and  FIG. 29 , the engagement portion  320 ″ is located in the slider insertion space. The engagement portion  320 ″ has a roughly mountainous shape on the XZ-plane. Therefore, when the slider  600  is moved along the X-direction and brought into contact with the engagement portion  320 ″, the slider  600  can push the engagement portion  320 ″ downward. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 27 and 29 , the slider  600  has a portion having a hook-shape as viewed along the Y-direction. The hook-shape of the slider  600  includes an upper portion having a rectangular shape and a lower portion having a rectangular shape. The upper portion and the lower portion are opposed to each other in the Z-direction. Two cam portions  610  are formed in each of the upper portion and the lower portion. The cam portions  610  of this embodiment are defined by grooves extending along the Y-direction from edges of the upper portion and the lower portion and then extending along a direction that is oblique to both of the X-direction and the Y-direction. When the slider  600  is moved along the X-direction, the guide projections  114 ″ of the first connector  100 ″ are moved along the Y-direction by the cam portions  610  and the guide portions  224 . Thus, when the slider  600  is pushed along the X-direction in a state in which the second connector  200 ″ is tentatively mated with the first connector  100 ″, then the guide projections  114 ″ are guided along the Y-direction (toward the negative Y-direction), so that the second connector  200 ″ can firmly be mated with the first connector  100 ″. Thus, in the present embodiment, the slider  600  and the guide projections  114 ″ of the first connector  100 ″ serve as a mating assistance mechanism. As described above, the slider  600  serves as an operation member. 
     The slider  600  has two notches of a first notch  620  and a second notch  630 . The first notch  620  is located between the two cam portions  610 . The second notch  630  is located outside of the two cam portions  610 . 
     The first notch  620  is configured such that the guide portions  224  communicate with entries of the cam portions  610  when the engagement portion  320 ″ is positioned within the first notch  620  (see  FIGS. 26 and 28 ). Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 30 , when the engagement portion  320 ″ is positioned within the first notch  620 , the slider  600  is positioned at an initial position. If the slider  600  is pushed into the housing  220 ″ from the initial position along the X-direction, then the engagement portion  320 ″ is pushed downward by an intermediate portion between the first notch  620  and the second notch  630  of the slider  600  as can be seen from  FIGS. 27 ,  29 , and  31 . In other words, the intermediate portion between the first notch  620  and the second notch  630  of the slider  600  serves as a downward pusher  640  operable to push the engagement portion  320 ″ downward. If the slider  600  is further pushed into the housing  220 ″ along the X-direction, the engagement portion  320 ″ is moved upward by a restoring force of the lock arm  310 ″ when the engagement portion  320 ″ reaches the second notch  630  as shown in  FIG. 32 . Thus, the engagement portion  320 ″ is located within the second notch  630 . At that time, the engagement portion  320 ″ located within the second notch  630  prevents the slider  600  from coming off. In other words, the second notch  630  also has the same function as the stopper in the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, with the above configuration, if the slider  600  is pushed into the housing  220 ″ until the engagement portion  320 ″ is located within the second notch  630  when the second connector  200 ″ is tentatively mated with the first connector  100 ″, then the guide projections  114 ″ are guided by the cam portions  610  and the guide portions  224  as described above. Then the first connector  100 ″ and the second connector  200 ″ are brought into a mating state. As can be seen from the above explanation, the fact that the engagement portion  320 ″ is located within the second notch  630  means that a mating operation has been completed, i.e., the first connector  100 ″ and the second connector  200 ″ have been mated with each other. 
     As can be seen from comparison of  FIGS. 28 and 20 , the short-circuit member  700  of this embodiment has the same structure as the short-circuit member  500  of the second embodiment while it slightly differs in shape and location of the pressure receiver. Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 28 , the short-circuit member  700  includes a base portion  710  held by the housing  220 ″, a first arm  720  for elastically supporting a first contact  722 , and a second arm  730  for elastically supporting a second contact  732 . The first arm  720  has a pressure receiver  724 , which is pressed by the lock arm  310 ″ being elastically deformed. The pressure receiver  724  elastically deforms the first arm  720  according to elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 ″ and moves the first contact  722  mainly along the Z-direction on the YZ-plane. On the other hand, the second arm  730  has no pressure receiver. The second contact  732  can move separately from and independently of elastic deformation of the lock arm  310 ″. 
     When a mating operation is performed using the slider  600 , the first contacting section  124 ″ of the first terminal  120 ″ and the second contacting section  134 ″ of the second terminal  130 ″ are moved onto the short-circuit member  700  along the Y-direction as shown in  FIGS. 33 and 34 . At that time, as can be seen from  FIG. 35 , the second contact  732  is elastically supported by the second arm  730  so as to be positioned on a movement path of the second contacting section  134 ″. Therefore, the second contact  732  is slid on a lower surface  134 ″ b  of the second contacting section  134 ″ when the second contacting section  134 ″ is inserted along the Y-direction. Thus, the lower surface  134 ″ b  of the second contacting section  134 ″ is wiped by the second contact  732 . On the other hand, the first contact  722  is moved mainly along the Z-direction on the YZ-plane via the pressure receiver  724  and the first arm  720  by the lock arm  310 ″ that is elastically deformed by the slider  600 . As shown in  FIG. 35 , in consideration of the fact that the first contact  722  is in contact with a side surface  124 ″ s  of the first contacting section  124 ″ when the second connector  200 ″ is mated with the first connector  100 ″, it can be seen that the first contact  722  wipes the side surface  124 ″ s  of the first contacting section  124 ″ at the time of operation of the slider  600 . 
     Thus, in either of the embodiments, two contacts provided on a short-circuit member are separately controlled in movement. Therefore, the detection mechanism can have a wiping function without any problems that would be caused in the prior art. 
     In the present invention, a short-circuit member is brought into contact with two terminals in different methods. Specifically, a contact of the short-circuit member is moved in cooperation with elastic deformation of an elastic support (lock arm), so that the short-circuit member is brought into contact with one of the terminals. Another contact of the short-circuit member is brought into contact with the other terminal by movement that is independent of elastic deformation (e.g., mating operation itself). With such configuration, no insertion force is required to insert the short-circuit member between the terminals (cf. Patent Documents 4 and 5). Thus, according to the present invention, terminals of a detection mechanism can be wiped while a mating maintenance mechanism properly functions. 
     The present application is based on a Japanese patent application of JP2009-171594 filed before the Japan Patent Office on Jul. 22, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     While there has been described what is believed to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such embodiments that fall within the true scope of the invention.