Patent ID: 7396253

Claim:
A connector, comprising a housing connectable with a mating housing of a mating connector (M), the housing including at least one detector to be assembled therein for detecting a connected state of the housing with the mating housing and at least one housing lock arm for locking the housing with the mating housing, the housing lock arm being engageable with an interlocking portion in the mating housing when the housing is connected properly with the mating housing, wherein: the detector is movable in a push-in direction with respect to the housing between a first position and a second position, and has at least one detector lock arm arranged substantially adjacent to the housing lock arm in an assembled state of the detector, the housing is formed with at least one retainer to be engaged with at least one push-in preventing portion push-in on the detector lock arm to prevent movement of the detector from the first position to the second position, the push-in preventing portion engaging the retainer to keep the detector at the first position if an attempt is made to push the detector towards the second position before the housing is connected properly with the mating housing, and the detector lock arm being resiliently deformable by sliding contact with at least one interfering portion in the mating housing if the detector is pushed to the second position when the housing is connected properly with the mating housing, the push-in preventing portion being separated from the retainer and the detector can be moved to the second position as the detector lock arm is deformed, and the detector lock arm is restored to be arranged substantially adjacent to the housing side lock arm and is engageable with the interlocking portion together with the housing side lock arm as the detector reaches the second position.