Patent ID: 7252525

Claim:
A connector coupling structure comprising a first connector including a housing and a plurality of terminal-inserting holes; a second connector including a housing and a plurality of terminals which are connectable to said plurality of terminal-inserting holes; a raised portion which is formed at a front end side of an inner surface of the second connector housing, wherein, when the first and second connectors are coupled, the raised portion is in contact with an outer surface of the first connector housing such that a clearance is formed between the outer surface of the first connector housing and an inner surface portion other than the raised portion of the second connector housing; an inner case which is slidably received in one of the first connector housing and the second connector housing and which includes one of the plurality of terminal-inserting holes and the plurality of terminals; a projecting portion which is formed on a side of the inner case; and a notching piece which is formed on said one of the first connector housing and the second connector housing and which includes a pawl which contactingly engages the projecting portion during the coupling process; wherein, when the plurality of terminals and the plurality of terminal-inserting holes are connected with one another, the inner case is slid which causes the notching piece to resiliently deform outwardly into the clearance such that, upon completion of sliding the inner case, the pawl and the projecting portion are no longer contactingly engaged; wherein, when the housing of the first connector is mounted to a panel through an opening of the panel, the housing includes a housing body portion, which does not pass through the opening of the panel and said housing body portion is engaged with one surface of the panel, and a plurality of spring pieces, which are resiliently deformable so as to pass through the opening, are resiliently engaged with an other surface of the panel.