A male connector (10) to be covered together with a board (P) by a case (C) with the male connector (10) connected to the board (P). The male connector (10) includes a male housing (11) connectable to a female connector (60) and including a back wall (25A) partitioning between the outside of the case (C) on the side of the female connector (60) and the inside of the case (C) on the side of the board (P) while extending in a vertical direction. The back wall (25A) has an opening (26) open in a connecting direction of the female connector (60) and allowing communication between the outside and inside of the case (C). A step is provided on an edge of the opening (26) so that an upper edge (26A) of the opening (26) is more forward than a lower edge (26B) of the opening (26).

A lever (11) swings from a fitting start position to a fitting completion position on a housing (10) and has a cam groove (68). In the swinging process, a cam follower (21) of a counterpart housing (14) and cam (55) of a moving plate (13) advance a fitting operation between the housings (10) and (14) to move the moving plate (13) from a moving start position to a moving completion position. A detachment regulating portion (69) locks the cam (55) at the fitting start position to regulate detachment of the moving plate (13) from the hood (26). The lever (11) is swung from the fitting start position in an opposite direction of the fitting completion position, and has a detachment allowing position separating the cam (55) from the detachment regulating portion (69) to allow the moving plate (13) to detach from the hood (26).

A plug connector comprises a first plug, a second plug, and a securing device configured to mechanically secure the first plug to the second plug. The second plug has a receptacle with a ramp surface and a locking surface. The securing device has a lever pivotably mounted on the first plug. The lever pivotably bears a connecting element which has a securing cam on a free end of the connecting element. The receptacle of the second plug receives the securing cam and the ramp surface of the receptacle cooperates with the free end of the connecting element to forcibly guide the securing cam behind the locking surface of the receptacle when the first plug and the second plug are plugged together.

Disclosed is a connector assembly having a first connector part and a second connector part. The first connector part includes a lever mounted on a base body of the first connector part for pivotable movement about a pivot axis (C) between first and second positions relative to the base body. The connector assembly can be brought from a ready-to-mate state into a mated state by relative movement of the first and second connector parts towards each other along a connection axis and vice versa. At least one engaging portion of the lever interacts with at least one counter-engaging portion of the second connector part in such a way, that the connector assembly is forcibly brought from the mated to the ready-to-mate state by pivoting the lever from the first position into the second position when the connector assembly is in the mated state.

An electrical connector comprises a first housing, a second housing, a lever adapted to couple the first housing and the second housing with each other, a first interlock member, a second interlock member, a first cam mechanism adapted to mate the first housing and the second housing with each other with movement of the lever in a first direction, and a second cam mechanism. The second interlock member is configured to be mated with the first interlock member to energize an electric circuit. The first cam mechanism limits a moving direction of the lever to a second direction after moving in the first direction. The second cam mechanism is adapted to convert the movement of the lever in the second direction into movement in a mating direction of the first housing and the second housing to mate the first interlock member with the second interlock member.

A female housing (40) is formed with a cam pin (41) having a projecting dimension larger than cam projections (23) of a moving plate (18), and a lever (24) is formed with a cam groove (28) for accommodating the cam projections (23) and the cam pin (41) in the process of connecting/separating both housings (10, 40). An escaping space (31) communicates with the cam groove (28) and is configured to restrict entrance of the cam pin (41) by being shallower than the cam groove (28). In the process of rotating the lever (24) from an initial position to a connection position in a state where the housings (10, 40) are separated and the moving plate (18) is at a protecting position, the cam projections (23) are accommodated into the escaping space (31) while being kept out of contact with the lever (24).

A housing assembly for an electrical connector includes a base element having an opening, a cover for covering the opening, and a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism has a slidable member movable into a locking position in which the locking mechanism locks the cover relative to the base element. The locking mechanism has a transmission element for transmitting force and movement onto the locking mechanism.

A connector position assurance device includes a base portion having a latch receiving cavity provided in a top surface and a pair of resiliently deformable beams extending from the base portion, the beams have free ends spaced from the base portion. A first beam of the pair of resiliently deformable beams has a first camming member provided proximate a free end of the first beam. The first beam has a first lockout projection engagement member provided proximate the free end of the first beam and in-line with the first camming member. A second beam of the pair of resiliently deformable beams has a second camming member provided proximate a free end of the second beam. The second beam has a second lockout projection engagement member provided proximate the free end of the second beam and in-line with the second camming member.

A plug includes: a housing with a plurality of electrical plug contacts that electrically contact complementary plug contacts of a plugging module in a completely plugged-on position; and a slider movably attached to the housing, including first and second gear rack segments, and configured to engage with the plugging module such that, in response to a movement of the slider relative to the housing, a force is transmitted by the slider to the plugging module by which the plug and plugging module move towards each other or away from each other. A lever is rotationally mounted to the housing so that, responsive to a movement of the lever in one direction, the gear meshes with the first gear rack segment moving the slider in a first movement direction, and subsequently meshes with the second gear rack segment moving the slider in a second opposite movement direction.

A connector position assurance device includes a base portion having a latch receiving cavity provided in a top surface and a pair of resiliently deformable beams extending from the base portion, the beams have free ends spaced from the base portion. A first beam of the pair of resiliently deformable beams has a first camming member provided proximate a free end of the first beam. The first beam has a first lockout projection engagement member provided proximate the free end of the first beam and in-line with the first camming member. A second beam of the pair of resiliently deformable beams has a second camming member provided proximate a free end of the second beam. The second beam has a second lockout projection engagement member provided proximate the free end of the second beam and in-line with the second camming member.