WO2024161879A1 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A ground terminal 13A comprises: a holding part 13b which is held by a housing 12 and which is substantially U-shaped; a lower surface 131 of a first part 13a which is provided so as to be continuous with one end 135 of the holding part 13b and which is mounted on a pad 501 of a circuit substrate 50; a lower surface 133 of a second part 13c which is provided so as to be continuous with the other end 136 of the holding part 13b and which is mounted on a pad 502 of the circuit substrate 50; a contact part 13e which is provided so as to face the holding part 13b such that an electrically conductive terminal 23 of a plug connector 20 can be inserted into and removed from a space between the contact part 13e and the holding part 13b and which is brought into contact with the electrically conductive terminal 23; and a base part 13d which extends between the second part 13c and the contact part 13e so as to connect the second part 13c and the contact part 13e, wherein the base part 13d flexes, with the lower surface 133 of the second part 13c as a fulcrum, when the electrically conductive terminal 23 is brought into contact with the contact part 13e.

Description

Electrical Connectors

This disclosure relates to electrical connectors.

Patent Document 1 discloses a surface mount connector that has an insulating housing and male contacts fixed to the insulating housing and is mounted on a printed circuit board. The male contacts have a contact portion that connects with the mating female contact, a support portion that is supported by the housing, and two contact portions that are disposed on either side of the support portion and soldered to pads on the printed circuit board.

JP 2004-103491 A

When the above-mentioned connector is mated with a mating connector, the gap between the above-mentioned support portion and contact portion is pushed apart by the contact of the mating connector. In this case, the movement of the support portion is restricted by contact with the housing, so the pushing force is concentrated on the contact portion.

This disclosure provides an electrical connector that can reduce stress concentration on contacts (terminals).

An electrical connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an insulating housing and a plurality of conductive first terminals arranged in the housing, at least one of the first terminals having a substantially U-shaped retaining portion held by the housing, a first mounting portion provided so as to be continuous with one end of the retaining portion and mounted on a first pad of the wiring board, a second mounting portion provided so as to be continuous with the other end of the retaining portion and implemented on a second pad of the wiring board, a contact portion provided opposite the retaining portion and contacting the second terminal so that a second terminal of a mating connector can be inserted and removed between the retaining portion, and a base extending between the second mounting portion and the contact portion to connect the second mounting portion and the contact portion, and the base flexes with the second mounting portion as a fulcrum when the second terminal contacts the contact portion.

In the electrical connector disclosed herein, when the second terminal of the mating connector is inserted between the holding portion and the contact portion and the second terminal comes into contact with the contact portion, the base that extends to connect the second mounting portion and the contact portion bends, with the second mounting portion mounted on the second pad as a fulcrum. In this way, by the base that is connected to the contact portion bending, it is possible to alleviate stress concentration at the contact portion when the contact portion and the second terminal come into contact.

The base may extend in a direction intersecting the direction in which the contact portion extends. With this configuration, the base can bend to more effectively reduce stress concentration at the contact portion.

The base extends along the surface of the wiring board, and a gap that allows the base to bend may be formed between the base and the surface of the wiring board. With this configuration, the bent base is prevented from hitting the surface of the wiring board, allowing the base to bend more suitably.

The multiple first terminals include one or more ground terminals and one or more signal terminals, and the ground terminal has a holding portion, a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion, a contact portion, and a base portion, and the signal terminal has a holding portion, a first mounting portion, a contact portion, and may have an extension portion extending between the other end of the holding portion and the contact portion. With this configuration, the ground terminal is connected to the pad of the wiring board at two points, the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, so the electrical length of the ground terminal is shortened and crosstalk can be reduced. Furthermore, with the ground terminal, the provision of the second mounting portion can cause a problem of stress concentration at the contact portion, but the bending of the base portion allows the stress applied to the contact portion to be appropriately distributed.

The multiple first terminals may be configured to include at least a pair of ground terminals and one or more signal terminals sandwiched between the pair of ground terminals. By configuring the signal terminal to be sandwiched between the pair of ground terminals, crosstalk can be reduced more effectively.

The length of the gap in the thickness direction of the wiring board may be 0.01 mm or more. With this configuration, sufficient space for the base to bend can be secured, allowing the base to bend more suitably.

The present disclosure provides an electrical connector that can reduce stress concentration on the terminals.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the connector device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the connector device of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 6(a) and 6(b) are perspective views showing a receptacle connector included in the connector device of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the conductive terminal. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the ground terminals and signal terminals included in the plurality of conductive terminals. 9(a) and 9(b) are perspective views showing a plug connector included in the connector device of FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connector device with the shell of the plug connector removed. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a step portion that defines the electrical length adjustment space. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a cross section taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a connection portion between the ground contacts. FIG. 15 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of deflection and the stress applied to the base for each size of the gap in the ground contact. 16A and 16B are graphs showing the resonance points according to the comparative example, and FIGS. 16C and 16D are graphs showing the resonance points according to this embodiment. FIG. 17A is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the comparative example, and FIG. 17B is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the present embodiment. FIG. 18A is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the comparative example, and FIG. 18B is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the present embodiment. FIG. 19A is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the comparative example, and FIG. 19B is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the present embodiment. 20A and 20B are graphs showing the resonance points according to the comparative example, and FIGS. 20C and 20D are graphs showing the resonance points according to this embodiment. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a connector device according to the second embodiment. 22 is a plan view showing the connector device of FIG. 21. FIG. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIII-XXIII in FIG. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIV-XXIV in FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector included in the connector device of FIG. 21. FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing a plug connector included in the connector device of FIG. 21. FIG. FIG. 27 is a perspective view showing the connector device with the shell of the plug connector removed. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a step portion that defines the electrical length adjustment space. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a connection portion between the ground contacts. 30A and 30B are graphs showing the resonance points according to the comparative example, and FIGS. 30C and 30D are graphs showing the resonance points according to this embodiment. Figure 31(a) is an oblique view showing the state before the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, and Figure 31(b) is an oblique view showing the state before the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, seen from a different direction than Figure 31(a). Figure 32(a) is an oblique view showing the state after the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, and Figure 32(b) is an oblique view showing the state after the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, seen from a different direction than Figure 32(a).

Below, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical elements or elements having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations may be omitted. In each drawing, the positive direction of the Z axis may be referred to as "up" and the negative direction of the Z axis may be referred to as "down". Also, in each drawing, the positive direction of the X axis may be referred to as "rear" and the negative direction of the X axis may be referred to as "front". The embodiments of the present disclosure described below are examples for explaining the present invention, and the present invention should not be limited to the contents below.

[First embodiment]

[Connector device]
An overview of a connector device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the connector device 1 includes a receptacle connector 10 and a plug connector 20, which are electrical connectors. The receptacle connector 10 is a mating connector for the plug connector 20. The plug connector 20 is a mating connector for the receptacle connector 10. The receptacle connector 10 is attached to a circuit board 50 and electrically connected to the circuit board 50. The plug connector 20 is attached to an electrical cable 60 (connecting body) and electrically connected to the electrical cable 60.

The receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are configured to be mutually matable and removable along a second direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the main surface 50s (surface, e.g., the XY plane) of the circuit board 50. The receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are electrical connectors that perform vertical mating. When the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated, a conductive path (e.g., wiring, not shown) formed on the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50 is electrically connected to the electrical cable 60. In this way, the connector device 1 is a device for electrically connecting the conductive path and the electrical cable.

The circuit board 50 is a type of board on which electronic circuits and electronic components are mounted, such as a printed wiring board or a flexible printed circuit board. The receptacle connector 10 is mounted on the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50 by soldering or the like.

The electric cable 60 is a wiring used to transmit signals between various circuit boards built into small electronic devices such as mobile phones. When the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated, the electric cable 60 extends along a third direction (e.g., the X-axis direction) that intersects with the second direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the electric cable 60 includes an inner conductor 61 made of a linear metal wire (e.g., a copper wire), an insulator 62 that covers the circumferential surface of the inner conductor 61, an outer conductor 63 made of a cylindrical metal braided wire that covers the circumferential surface of the insulator 62, and a protective coating 64 that covers the circumferential surface of the outer conductor 63.

The electric cable 60 has an inner conductor 61, an insulator 62, an outer conductor 63, and a protective coating 64 exposed in a stepped manner in this order from the tip (terminal portion) where the plug connector 20 is attached to the base end (terminal portion opposite the tip). For example, the electric cable 60 is a coaxial cable. That is, the plug connector 20 may be a connector for a coaxial cable that extends along a first direction (for example, the Y-axis direction) that intersects both the second direction and the third direction.

In the following description, the first direction is described as being along the Y-axis direction, the second direction is described as being along the Z-axis direction, and the third direction is described as being along the X-axis direction.

[Receptacle connector]
The receptacle connector 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4 to 6(a), (b), 7, and 8. The receptacle connector 10 is an elongated connector extending along the Y-axis direction as a whole, and is attached to a main surface 50s (see Figure 1) of a circuit board 50. Therefore, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), one end 10a and the other end 10b of the receptacle connector 10 face each other in the Y-axis direction. As shown in Figure 6(a), the receptacle connector 10 includes a shell 11, a housing 12, and a plurality of conductive terminals 13 (first terminals).

The housing 12 is made of an insulating material containing resin, and holds the multiple conductive terminals 13 while providing insulation between the shell 11 and the conductive terminals 13. As shown in Figures 4 to 6(a) and (b), for example, the housing 12 includes side walls 12a and 12b, a central wall 12c, side walls 12d and 12d, and a bottom wall 12e. The bottom wall 12e is a plate-like body having a substantially rectangular shape. The side walls 12a and 12b, the central wall 12c, and the side walls 12d and 12d are each provided on the bottom wall 12e so as to stand upright from the bottom wall 12e.

The side walls 12a and 12b are located near the long sides of the bottom wall 12e and extend in the Y-axis direction along the long sides. Therefore, the side walls 12a and 12b face each other in the X-axis direction. The side wall 12a is provided so as to accommodate a part of the conductive terminal 13 therein (so as to surround a part of the conductive terminal 13). The outer and inner surfaces of the side wall 12b in the X-axis direction are covered by the side wall 11b (described later) of the shell 11. The side walls 12d and 12d are located near the short sides of the bottom wall 12e and extend in the X-axis direction along the short sides. Therefore, the side walls 12d and 12d face each other in the Y-axis direction. The outer and inner surfaces of the side walls 12d and 12d in the Y-axis direction are covered by the side wall 11c (described later) of the shell 11.

The central wall 12c is located in a space surrounded by the side walls 12a, 12b, 12d, 12d while being spaced apart from the side walls 12a, 12b, 12d, 12d. The central wall 12c extends between the side walls 12a, 12b along the side walls 12a, 12b (in the Y-axis direction, which is the extension direction of the side walls 12a, 12b). Therefore, the central wall 12c faces the side walls 12a, 12b in the X-axis direction. A number of notches 12X are formed on the surface of the central wall 12c facing the side wall 12a to expose the conductive terminals 13.

The housing 12 is composed of side walls 12a, 12b, a central wall 12c, side walls 12d, 12d, and a bottom wall 12e, and has a rectangular ring-shaped concave recess V. The recess V is a space that accommodates the plug connector 20, and has a pair of recesses V1, V2. The recess V1 is formed by a space surrounded by the side wall 12a, the central wall 12c, and the bottom wall 12e, and accommodates the protrusion W1 (see FIG. 9(b)) of the plug connector 20. The recess V2 is formed by a space surrounded by the side wall 12b, the central wall 12c, and the bottom wall 12e, and accommodates the protrusion W2 (see FIG. 9(b)) of the plug connector 20.

The shell 11 is made of, for example, a pressed metal plate member, and has elasticity and conductivity. As shown in Figs. 6(a) and (b), for example, the shell 11 includes side walls 11a, 11b, 11c, 11c, a plurality of protrusions 11e, and connector engagement portions 11g, 11g.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6(a) and (b), the side walls 11a and 11b face each other in the X-axis direction and extend along the Y-axis direction. The side wall 11a is located outward in the X-axis direction from the side wall 12a of the housing 12. The side wall 11a extends upward from the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50 and curves at its upper end toward the side wall 11b (i.e., it is folded back toward the inside in the X-axis direction), so that it is configured to be elastically deformable in the X-axis direction. A plurality of slits 11x are formed in the folded back portion of the side wall 11a (the portion inward in the X-axis direction). This makes the side wall 11a easily flexible in the X-axis direction. The side wall 11b is provided to cover the outer and inner surfaces of the side wall 12b of the housing 12 in the X-axis direction. Side wall 11b extends upward from main surface 50s of circuit board 50 along the outer surface of side wall 12b, and is curved at its upper end toward side wall 11a (i.e., it folds back inward in the X-axis direction and extends downward along the inner surface of side wall 12b), allowing elastic deformation in the X-axis direction. Multiple slits 11y are formed in the folded portion of side wall 11b (the portion inward in the X-axis direction). This makes side wall 11b more flexible in the X-axis direction. The height of side wall 11b (length in the Z-axis direction) is approximately half that of side wall 11a.

As shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the side walls 11c, 11c face each other in the Y-axis direction and extend along the X-axis direction. The side wall 11c is provided so as to cover the outer and inner surfaces of the side wall 12d of the housing 12 in the Y-axis direction. The side walls 11c, 11c are connected to the side walls 11a and 11b. The side wall 11c has a ground contact portion 11z in the center in the X-axis direction. The ground contact portion 11z is a portion that curves from the upper end of the side wall 11c toward the opposing side wall 11c (toward the recess V), and is configured to be elastically deformable in the Y-axis direction. The ground contact portion 11z may have a notch formed therein to make it easier to bend.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6(a) and (b), the multiple protrusions 11e are arranged to protrude outward (opposite the recess V) from the lower ends of the side walls 11a and 11b, and are aligned along the Y-axis direction. The protrusions 11e may also be arranged to protrude outward (opposite the recess V) from the lower ends of the side walls 11c and 11c. The surface of the protrusions 11e that faces the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50 is electrically connected to the conductive path of the circuit board 50 by, for example, solder. In other words, the protrusions 11e include an attachment surface configured to be attached to the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50.

The connector engagement portions 11g, 11g are portions that engage with a locking member (not shown) that is provided to maintain the mated state between the plug connector 20 and the receptacle connector 10 when the locking member (not shown) is attached to the plug connector 20.

The conductive terminals 13 are formed, for example, from a pressed metal plate member, and are elastic and conductive. As shown in FIG. 6(a), the conductive terminals 13 are arranged in the housing 12 along the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 5, each conductive terminal 13 extends along the X-axis direction and includes a first portion 13a, a holding portion 13b, a second portion 13c, a base portion 13d, and a contact portion 13e. Details of the conductive terminals 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first portion 13a is disposed on the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50 and extends along the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. The first portion 13a is located below the side wall 12a of the housing 12. The bottom surface 131 of the first portion 13a is mounted on a pad, which is a conductive path of the circuit board 50, and is connected to the pad, for example, by solder (details will be described later). The first portion 13a is provided so as to be continuous with one end 135 of the holding portion 13b.

The retaining portion 13b is a portion that connects the first portion 13a and the second portion 13c, and is a generally U-shaped portion that is retained in the housing 12. The retaining portion 13b is bent into a U-shape inside the side wall 12a of the housing 12. The retaining portion 13b is continuous with the first portion 13a at one end 135 of the U-shape, and is continuous with the second portion 13c at the other end 136.

The second portion 13c is provided so as to be continuous with the other end portion 136 of the holding portion 13b, and extends along the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. The lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c extends on the same plane as the lower surface 131 of the first portion 13a.

The base 13d extends between the second portion 13c and the contact portion 13e so as to connect the second portion 13c and the contact portion 13e. The base 13d has an inclined portion 13f and a third portion 13g. The inclined portion 13f extends so as to connect the second portion 13c and the third portion 13g, and extends at an angle upward from the portion connected to the second portion 13c to the portion connected to the third portion 13g.

The third portion 13g is provided so as to be continuous with the inclined portion 13f, and extends along the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. The third portion 13g constituting the base 13d extends in a direction intersecting with the rising portion 13h (described later) constituting the contact portion 13e. That is, the third portion 13g extends along the X-axis direction, and the rising portion 13h extends along the Z-axis direction. The third portion 13g extends to the vicinity of the central wall 12c. Here, since the inclined portion 13f is provided, the lower surface 134 of the third portion 13g is formed at a higher position than the lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c. Therefore, a gap G that allows the base 13d to bend is formed between the lower surface 134 of the third portion 13g constituting the base 13d and the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. The length of the gap G in the Z-axis direction (thickness direction of the circuit board 50) may be, for example, 0.01 mm or more, and may be within the range of 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm. The length of the gap G in the Z-axis direction is not limited to the above, and may be long enough to reduce the stress applied to the contact portion 13e when the contact portion 13e contacts the conductive terminal 23 of the plug connector 20 by bending the base portion 13d using the gap G.

The contact portion 13e is provided facing the holding portion 13b so that the conductive terminal 23 (second terminal) of the plug connector 20 can be inserted and removed between the contact portion 13b and the holding portion 13b, and contacts the conductive terminal 23. The contact portion 13e has a rising portion 13h and a protruding portion 13i. The rising portion 13h is a portion that extends upward along the central wall 12c. The protruding portion 13i is provided so as to be continuous with the upper end of the rising portion 13h, and is a portion that protrudes toward the holding portion 13b. As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 13i contacts the conductive terminal 23 of the plug connector 20 when the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated. As shown in FIG. 6(a), a portion of the protruding portion 13i is exposed between the side wall 12a in the recess V (exposed from the notch 12X of the central wall 12c). The contact portion 13e is configured to be elastically deformable in the X-axis direction.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the multiple conductive terminals 13 are configured to include multiple ground terminals 13A and multiple signal terminals 13B. In FIG. 8, a pair of ground terminals 13A, 13A and a pair of signal terminals 13B, 13B included in the multiple conductive terminals 13 are shown. As shown in FIG. 8, the multiple conductive terminals 13 are configured to include at least a pair of ground terminals 13A, 13A and a pair of signal terminals 13B, 13B sandwiched between the pair of ground terminals 13A, 13A. The ground terminal 13A and the signal terminal 13B have the same shape.

In the ground terminal 13A, the lower surface 131 of the first portion 13a functions as a first mounting portion that is mounted on the pad 501 (first pad) of the circuit board 50. The lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c functions as a second mounting portion that is mounted on the pad 502 (second pad) of the circuit board 50. In this way, the ground terminal 13A is two-point mounted on the pad at two points, the lower surface 131 of the first portion 13a and the lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c. As described above, a gap G is formed between the lower surface 134 of the third portion 13g and the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50, so that the base 13d is configured to bend with the lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c, which is the second mounting portion, as a fulcrum when the conductive terminal 23 of the plug connector 20 contacts the protruding portion 13i of the contact portion 13e. As described above, the ground terminal 13A has a holding portion 13b, a first portion 13a that functions as a first mounting portion, a second portion 13c that functions as a second mounting portion, a contact portion 13e, and a base portion 13d.

In the signal terminal 13B, the lower surface 131 of the first portion 13a functions as a first mounting portion that is mounted on the pad 503 of the circuit board 50. On the other hand, the lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c is not mounted on the pad of the circuit board 50. In this way, the signal terminal 13B is a one-point mounting that is mounted on the pad at one point on the lower surface 131 of the first portion 13a. As described above, the signal terminal 13B does not have a configuration that functions as a second mounting portion, and has the holding portion 13b, the first portion 13a that functions as the first mounting portion, the contact portion 13e, and the second portion 13c and base portion 13d that constitute an extension portion that extends between the other end portion 136 of the holding portion 13b and the rising portion 13h of the contact portion 13e.

[Plug connector]
Next, the plug connector 20 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4, 5, 9(a) and 9(b), and 10 to 14. The plug connector 20 is an elongated connector that extends along the Y-axis direction as a whole, is configured to mate with the receptacle connector 10, and is a connector to which an electric cable 60 is connected. As shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), the plug connector 20 includes a shell 21, a housing 22, and a plurality of conductive terminals 23.

The housing 22 is made of an insulating material containing resin, and holds a plurality of conductive terminals 23 while providing insulation between the shell 21 and the conductive terminals 23. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIGS. 9(a) and (b), for example, the housing 22 includes side walls 22a and 22b, side walls 22c and 22c, and a top wall 22d. The top wall 22d (see FIG. 5) is a plate-like body having a substantially rectangular shape. The top surface of the top wall 22d is covered by the top wall 21a (described later) of the shell 21. The side walls 22a and 22b and the side walls 22c and 22c are each provided so as to hang down from the top wall 22d.

The side walls 22a and 22b are located near the long sides of the top wall 22d and extend in the Y-axis direction along the long sides. Therefore, the side walls 22a and 22b face each other in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the side wall 22a is provided with a conductive terminal 23. The outer surface and part of the inner surface of the side wall 22a in the X-axis direction are covered with the conductive terminal 23. The inner surface and outer surface of the side wall 22b in the X-axis direction are covered with the side wall 21b (described later) of the shell 21. The side walls 22c and 22c are located near the short sides of the top wall 22d and extend in the X-axis direction along the short sides. Therefore, the side walls 22c and 22c face each other in the Y-axis direction. The upper end portions of the side walls 22c and 22c are provided with protrusions 22x that protrude further outward in the Y-axis direction from the side walls 22c and 22c (see FIG. 9(b)). The protruding portion 22x functions as a portion on which a locking member (not shown) is placed when the locking member (not shown) is attached to the plug connector 20.

When the plug connector 20 is mated with the receptacle connector 10, the side walls 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22c are accommodated in the recess V of the receptacle connector 10. Therefore, the side walls 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22c as a whole form a protruding convex portion W. The side walls 22a and 22b form a pair of convex portions W1 and W2, which are accommodated in a pair of recesses V1 and V2. That is, the side wall 22a constituting the convex portion W1 is accommodated in the recess V1, and the side wall 22b constituting the convex portion W2 is accommodated in the recess V2 (see Figure 5). As shown in FIG. 5, when the plug connector 20 is mated with the receptacle connector 10, the conductive terminal 23 provided on the side wall 22a (projection W1) comes into contact with the conductive terminal 13 exposed from the notch 12X in the central wall 12c that constitutes the recess V2, forming part of the signal circuit and the ground circuit.

As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 9(a) and (b), the shell 21 is made of, for example, a pressed metal plate member, and has elasticity and conductivity. For example, the shell 21 includes an upper wall 21a, a side wall 21b, and a ground contact portion 21d.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper wall 21a covers the tip of the electric cable 60 and also covers the upper surface of the upper wall 22d of the housing 22. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 9(a), the upper wall 21a extends in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 9(a), the upper wall 21a has a front end 21z that curves at the front end in the X-axis direction and extends downward. In addition, the upper wall 21a has a portion that covers the upper surface of the protrusion 22x (see FIG. 9(b)) and the outer surface (side surface) in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the side wall 21b is provided to cover the side wall 22b of the housing 22. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 9(b), the ground contact portion 21d is provided to cover a part of the outer surface in the Y-axis direction of the side wall 22c of the housing 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the ground contact portion 21d forms part of the ground circuit by coming into contact with the ground contact portion 11z of the receptacle connector 10 when the plug connector 20 and the receptacle connector 10 are mated.

As shown in FIG. 10, the ground circuit is configured such that a ground bar 70 that contacts the outer conductor 63 of each electric cable 60 is provided along the Y-axis direction. A ground member 71 (ground connection object) is formed on the ground bar 70 and extends from the ground bar 70 along the X-axis direction. A plurality of ground members 71 are formed at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction.

The conductive terminals 23 are, for example, made of pressed metal plate members and are conductive. As shown in FIG. 9(b), the conductive terminals 23 are arranged along the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 10, the conductive terminals 23 include a plurality of ground contacts 23A and a plurality of signal contacts 23B. The ground contacts 23A are arranged in the housing 22 along the Y-axis direction. The signal contacts 23B are arranged in the housing 22 along the Y-axis direction. Two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A are arranged in the Y-axis direction to sandwich, for example, two signal contacts 23B, 23B that perform differential transmission. The ground contacts 23A and the signal contacts 23B may have the same shape. In the Y-axis direction, the ground contact 23A is flanked on both sides by signal contacts 23B, and the signal contact 23B is flanked on one side by a ground contact 23A and on the other side by a signal contact 23B.

As shown in FIG. 14, each ground contact 23A includes a first contact portion 23a extending along the X-axis direction and a second contact portion 23c that is continuous with the front end of the first contact portion 23a in the X-axis direction and extends downward. Each signal contact 23B includes a first contact portion 23b extending along the X-axis direction and a second contact portion 23d that is continuous with the front end of the first contact portion 23b in the X-axis direction and extends downward.

10, the first contact portion 23a (first portion, first connection portion) of the ground contact 23A extends along the ground member 71 on the upper wall 22d and is connected to the ground member 71 by solder or the like. The first contact portion 23a has a first contact surface 231, at least a part of the upper surface of which contacts the ground member 71. As shown in FIG. 11, the first contact portion 23a is a portion corresponding to the first contact surface 231, and has a wide portion 230 that is close to the first contact portion 23b of the adjacent signal contact 23B, and a narrow portion 235 that is farther away from the first contact portion 23b of the adjacent signal contact 23B than the wide portion 230. The wide portion 230 is formed longer (wider) in the Y-axis direction than the narrow portion 235. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the narrow portion 235 is formed forward of the wide portion 230. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the second contact portion 23c (second portion, second connection portion) of the ground contact 23A has a second contact surface 238 that contacts (is connected to) the ground terminal 13A (conductive ground member of the mating connector) of the receptacle connector 10 when the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first contact portion 23b (first portion, third connection portion) of the signal contact 23B extends on the upper wall 22d along the internal conductor 61 (signal connection object) at the tip of the electric cable 60 and is connected to the exposed internal conductor 61 by solder or the like. The upper surface of the first contact portion 23b is a first contact surface 241 that contacts the internal conductor 61. As shown in FIG. 11, the first contact portion 23b is a portion corresponding to the first contact surface 241, and has a wide portion 240 that is close to the adjacent first contact portion 23b and a narrow portion 245 that is farther away from the adjacent first contact portion 23b than the wide portion 240. The wide portion 240 is formed longer (wider) in the Y-axis direction than the narrow portion 245. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the narrow portion 245 is formed forward of the wide portion 240. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the second contact portion 23d (second portion, fourth connection portion) of the signal contact 23B has a second contact surface 248 that contacts (is connected to) the signal terminal 13B (conductive signal member of the mating connector) of the receptacle connector 10 when the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated.

Here, in the plug connector 20 according to this embodiment, the portion of the housing 22 between the adjacent conductive terminals 23 is hollowed out to turn the material between the conductive terminals 23 into a resin and air layer, and the dielectric constant is controlled to adjust the characteristic impedance. That is, in the plug connector 20, a space (hereinafter referred to as an "electrical length adjustment space") for adjusting the electrical length of a signal transmitted through the conductive terminals 23 is formed in the region between the adjacent conductive terminals 23 in the housing 22. The electrical length adjustment space may be, for example, concave, or may be formed to completely penetrate the housing 22. Below, examples of electrical length adjustment spaces formed in the housing 22 are described with reference to Figures 11 to 13.

As shown in FIG. 11, the housing 22 has a step portion 221 on the upper wall 22d that is recessed from the first contact surfaces 231, 241 of the first contact portions 23a, 23b of the conductive terminal 23. The step portion 221 is formed in the region between the adjacent signal contacts 23B. The step portion 221 is also formed between the adjacent ground contacts 23A and signal contacts 23B. Such a step portion 221 defines at least a portion (first region) of the concave electrical length adjustment space. That is, in the plug connector 20, a concave electrical length adjustment space is formed in the region between the first contact portions 23b, 23b of the two adjacent signal contacts 23B, and in the region between the first contact portion 23a of the ground contact 23A and the first contact portion 23b of the signal contact 23B that are adjacent to each other.

As an example, the step portion 221 is formed between the wide portions 240 of two adjacent first contact portions 23b, 23b. Note that the shape of the step portion 221 is not limited to the above, and for example, the step portion 221 may be formed not only between two adjacent first contact portions 23b, 23b and between the wide portions 240, but also between the narrow portions 245. As shown in FIG. 11, the step portion 221 is formed so as not to penetrate the region in which it is provided. Instead of such a step portion 221, a through hole may be formed that penetrates the region in which it is provided.

As shown in FIG. 12, a through hole 225 is formed in the side wall 22a of the housing 22, penetrating the area between adjacent conductive terminals 23 in the X-axis direction. The through hole 225 penetrates the area (area of the side wall 22a) between the second contact portions 23d, 23d of adjacent signal contacts 23B in the X-axis direction. The through hole 225 also penetrates the area (area of the side wall 22a) between the second contact portions 23c of adjacent ground contacts 23A and the second contact portions 23d of adjacent signal contacts 23B in the X-axis direction. Such a through hole 225 defines at least a portion of the electrical length adjustment space (a second area different from the first area). That is, in the plug connector 20, a concave electrical length adjustment space is formed in the region between the second contact portions 23d, 23d of two adjacent signal contacts 23B, and in the region between the second contact portion 23c of the ground contact 23A and the second contact portion 23d of the signal contact 23B that are adjacent to each other. Note that instead of the through hole 225, a step portion that does not penetrate the above-mentioned region may be formed. In this case, the step portion is a portion recessed from the second contact surface 248 of the second contact portion 23d.

The through hole 225 is formed at a position different from the second contact surfaces 238, 248 of the second contact portions 23c, 23d in the Z-axis direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the through hole 225 is formed above the position where the second contact surface 238 of the second contact portion 23c contacts the protruding portion 13i of the conductive terminal 13 when the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated. Similarly, the through hole 225 is formed above the position where the second contact surface 248 of the second contact portion 23d contacts the protruding portion 13i of the conductive terminal 13 when the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated.

Here, in the plug connector 20 according to this embodiment, in order to suppress crosstalk, a configuration is provided that connects two adjacent ground contacts 23A arranged to sandwich a signal contact 23B. The configuration that connects two adjacent ground contacts 23A will be described below with reference to FIG. 14.

As shown in FIG. 14, the plug connector 20 has a connecting portion 28 that connects two adjacent ground contacts 23A included in the plurality of conductive terminals 23. The connecting portion 28 has a first connecting portion 28a that connects the first contact portions 23a, 23a of the two adjacent ground contacts 23A. The connecting portion 28 has a second connecting portion 28c that connects the second contact portions 23c, 23c of the two adjacent ground contacts 23A. The first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c are molded integrally with the ground contacts 23A.

The first connecting portion 28a extends along the Y-axis direction so as to connect the portions of the first contact portions 23a, 23a that are closer to the rear ends. The second connecting portion 28c extends along the Y-axis direction so as to connect the portions of the second contact portions 23c, 23c that are closer to the lower ends.

The first contact portion 23b and the second contact portion 23d of the signal contact 23B are surrounded by the two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A and the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c. Specifically, when viewed from the Y-axis direction, the first contact portion 23a of the ground contact 23A is arranged so as to overlap the first contact portion 23b of the signal contact 23B, and the second contact portion 23c of the ground contact 23A is arranged so as to overlap the second contact portion 23d of the signal contact 23B.

As described above, two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A are connected to each other by the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c. The ground contacts 23A include a plurality of sets of ground contact pairs 239, each of which is made up of two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A connected in this way. The first connecting portions 28a, 28a of the two adjacent ground contact pairs 239, 239 are connected to each other, and the second connecting portions 28c, 28c of the two adjacent ground contact pairs 239 are connected to each other. In this manner, the first connecting portions 28a of all the ground contact pairs 239 may be connected to each other, and the second connecting portions 28c may be connected to each other. In this case, one member connecting the first connecting portions 28a to each other may extend along the Y-axis direction, and one member connecting the second connecting portions 28c to each other may extend along the Y-axis direction.

[Action]
As described above, the receptacle connector 10 includes an insulating housing 12 and a plurality of conductive terminals 13 arranged in the housing 12. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the plurality of ground terminals 13A included in the plurality of conductive terminals 13 include a substantially U-shaped holding portion 13b held by the housing 12, a lower surface 131 of a first portion 13a provided so as to be continuous with one end 135 of the holding portion 13b and functioning as a first mounting portion to be mounted on a pad 501 of the circuit board 50, and a lower surface 132 of a first portion 13a provided so as to be continuous with the other end 136 of the holding portion 13b and functioning as a second mounting portion to be implemented on a pad 502 of the circuit board 50. The plug connector 20 has a contact portion 13e that is provided opposite the holding portion 13b and contacts the conductive terminal 23 so that the conductive terminal 23 of the plug connector 20 can be inserted and removed between a lower surface 133 of the functioning second portion 13c and the holding portion 13b, and a base 13d that extends between the second portion 13c and the contact portion 13e so as to connect the second portion 13c and the contact portion 13e, and the base 13d bends with the lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c as a fulcrum when the conductive terminal 23 contacts the contact portion 13e.

In this way, in the receptacle connector 10, when the conductive terminal 23 of the plug connector 20 is inserted between the retaining portion 13b and the contact portion 13e and the conductive terminal 23 comes into contact with the contact portion 13e, the base portion 13d bends with the lower surface 133 of the second portion 13c mounted on the pad 502 as a fulcrum. In this way, by the base portion 13d connected to the contact portion 13e bending, it is possible to alleviate stress concentration in the contact portion 13e when the contact portion 13e and the conductive terminal 23 come into contact.

As shown in FIG. 7, the base 13d may extend in the X-axis direction, which is a direction intersecting the Z-axis direction in which the contact portion 13e extends. With this configuration, the base 13d can be flexed to more effectively relieve stress concentration in the contact portion 13e.

7, the base 13d extends along the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50, and a gap G that allows the base 13d to bend may be formed between the base 13d and the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. With this configuration, the bent base 13d is prevented from hitting the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50, allowing the base 13d to bend more suitably.

Figure 15 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of deflection for each size of gap for the ground terminal 13A and the stress applied to the base 13d. The horizontal axis shows the amount of deflection (mm), and the vertical axis shows the stress applied to the base 13d. As shown in Figure 15, when comparing under the same stress applied to the base 13d, the larger the gap, the greater the amount of deflection. In this way, the larger the gap, the greater the deflection of the base 13d, so that stress concentration at the contact portion 13e can be suitably alleviated. In other words, a gap of 0.01 mm is preferable from the perspective of stress relaxation, a gap of 0.03 mm is preferable from the perspective of stress relaxation to a gap of 0.01 mm, and a gap of 0.05 mm is preferable from the perspective of stress relaxation to a gap of 0.03 mm.

As described above, the ground terminal 13A is connected to the pads 501 and 502 of the circuit board 50 at two points, the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, so that the electrical length of the ground terminal 13A is shortened, thereby reducing crosstalk.

16(a) shows the resonance points of NEXT (Near End Cross Talk) when the ground terminal is connected to the pad at one point, FIG. 16(b) shows the resonance points of FEXT (Far End Cross Talk) when the ground terminal is connected to the pad at one point, FIG. 16(c) shows the resonance points of NEXT when the ground terminal 13A is connected to the pad at two points, and FIG. 16(d) shows the resonance points of FEXT when the ground terminal 13A is connected to the pad at two points. In FIGS. 16(a) to (d), the horizontal axis shows frequency (GHz) and the vertical axis shows the attenuation (dB) of the transmission signal. The configuration of the comparative example in FIGS. 16(a) and (b) is the same as the configuration of this embodiment in FIGS. 16(c) and (d) except for the number of points connected to the pad (one or two points). In the comparative example (one-point mounting) shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b), the resonance point is around 16 GHz for both NEXT and FEXT. In contrast, in the present embodiment (two-point mounting) shown in Figures 16(c) and 16(d), the resonance point is around 21 GHz for both NEXT and FEXT. In this way, by implementing two-point mounting on pads 501 and 502 of circuit board 50 in ground terminal 13A, the resonance point moves to a higher frequency range by about 5 GHz compared to the case of one-point mounting. As is clear from this, by implementing two-point mounting on pads 501 and 502 of circuit board 50 in ground terminal 13A, crosstalk can be reduced.

The conductive terminals 13 may be configured to include at least a pair of ground terminals 13A, 13A and one or more signal terminals 13B sandwiched between the pair of ground terminals 13A, 13A. By configuring the signal terminal 13B to be sandwiched between the pair of ground terminals 13A, 13A, crosstalk can be reduced more effectively.

The length of the gap G in the thickness direction of the circuit board 50 may be 0.01 mm or more. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, sufficient space for the base 13d to bend can be secured, allowing the base 13d to bend more suitably.

Also, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the housing 22 of the plug connector 20 has a concave electrical length adjustment space formed in the region between two adjacent signal contacts 23B. In this way, by forming a space for adjusting the electrical length in the housing 22, it is possible to make the material of the housing 22 (e.g., resin) and an air layer exist between the two adjacent signal contacts 23B, 23B. With this configuration, the dielectric constant can be easily controlled by adjusting the size of the electrical length adjustment space, and the characteristic impedance can be easily adjusted.

10 and 11, each of the signal contacts 23B has a first contact portion 23b including a first contact surface 241 that contacts the internal conductor 61 of the electrical cable 60, and the housing 22 has a step portion 221 that is recessed from the first contact surface 241 of the first contact portions 23b, and the step portion 221 may define at least a portion (first region) of the electrical length adjustment space. In this way, the step portion 221 is formed that is recessed from the first contact surface 241 that contacts the internal conductor 61 of the signal contact 23B, and the step portion 221 defines the electrical length adjustment space, so that the characteristic impedance can be easily adjusted at the location where the internal conductor 61 and the signal contact 23B contact each other.

17(a) is a graph showing the characteristic impedance of the comparative example, and FIG. 17(b) is a graph showing the characteristic impedance of the present embodiment. The configuration of the comparative example is the same as that of the present embodiment, except that the step portion 221 that divides the electrical length adjustment section is not formed. In FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), the horizontal axis is time (ns) and the vertical axis is impedance Z (t). As shown in FIG. 17(a), in the configuration of the comparative example, the characteristic impedance at the connection portion between the signal contact and the internal conductor is 93 ohm. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 17(b), in the configuration of the present embodiment, the characteristic impedance at the first contact portion 23b, which is the connection portion between the signal contact 23B and the internal conductor 61, is 95.5 ohm. In this way, by forming the step portion 221, the characteristic impedance at the connection portion can be increased by about 2.5 ohm.

As shown in FIG. 11, the step portion 221 may be formed between the first contact portions 23b, 23b of two adjacent signal contacts 23B. With this configuration, it is easy to adjust the characteristic impedance between the adjacent first contact portions 23b, 23b.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first contact portion 23b is a portion corresponding to the first contact surface 241, and has a wide portion 240 close to the adjacent first contact portion 23b, and a narrow portion 245 that is farther away from the adjacent first contact portion 23b than the wide portion 240, and the step portion 221 may be formed between the wide portions 240 of the two adjacent first contact portions 23b, 23b. With this configuration, it is possible to easily adjust the characteristic impedance in the vicinity of the adjacent first contact portions 23b, 23b.

As shown in FIG. 12, the housing 22 is formed with a through hole 225 that penetrates the area between the two signal contacts 23B, 23B, and the through hole 225 defines at least a portion (second area) of the electrical length adjustment space. With this configuration, the through hole 225, which can be easily formed, can adjust the characteristic impedance between two adjacent signal contacts 23B, 23B.

18(a) is a graph showing the characteristic impedance of the comparative example, and FIG. 18(b) is a graph showing the characteristic impedance of the present embodiment. The configuration of the comparative example is the same as that of the present embodiment, except that the through hole 225 that divides the electrical length adjustment section is not formed. In FIGS. 18(a) and 18(b), the horizontal axis is time (ns) and the vertical axis is impedance Z (t). As shown in FIG. 18(a), in the configuration of the comparative example, the characteristic impedance at the contact point between the signal contact and the ground terminal of the receptacle connector is 87 ohm. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 18(b), in the configuration of the present embodiment, the characteristic impedance at the second contact portion 23d, which is the contact point between the signal contact 23B and the ground terminal 13A, is 88 ohm. In this way, by forming the through hole 225, the characteristic impedance at the contact point can be increased by about 1 ohm.

As shown in FIG. 12, each of the signal contacts 23B, 23B has a second contact portion 23d including a second contact surface 248 that contacts the ground terminal 13A of the receptacle connector 10, and the through hole 225 is formed between the second contact portions 23d, 23d of two adjacent signal contacts 23B, 23B. With this configuration, it is easy to adjust the characteristic impedance at the point where the signal contact 23B contacts the ground terminal 13A of the receptacle connector 10.

12, the through hole 225 may be formed at a position different from the second contact surface 248 of the second contact portion 23d in the Z-axis direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. This makes it possible to preferably prevent the signal contact 23B, etc. from accidentally entering the through hole 225 during the contact process between the second contact surface 248 and the ground terminal 13A of the receptacle connector 10.

The plug connector 20 has both the step portion 221 and the through hole 225 described above, which allows the electrical length adjustment space to be divided by the step portion 221 and the through hole 225, making it possible to adjust the characteristic impedance over a wider range.

19(a) is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the comparative example, and FIG. 19(b) is a graph showing the characteristic impedance according to the present embodiment. The configuration according to the comparative example here is the same as the configuration according to the present embodiment, except that the step portion 221 and the through hole 225 that divide the electrical length adjustment section are not formed. In FIGS. 19(a) and 19(b), the horizontal axis is time (ns) and the vertical axis is impedance Z (t). As shown in FIG. 19(a), in the configuration according to the comparative example, the characteristic impedance at the connection portion between the signal contact and the internal conductor is 93 ohm. Also, the characteristic impedance at the contact portion between the signal contact and the ground terminal of the receptacle connector is 87 ohm. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 19(b), in the configuration according to the present embodiment, the characteristic impedance at the first contact portion 23b, which is the connection portion between the signal contact 23B and the internal conductor 61, is 96 ohm. In addition, the characteristic impedance of the second contact portion 23d, which is the contact portion between the signal contact 23B and the ground terminal 13A, is 89 ohms. In this way, the formation of the step portion 221 can increase the characteristic impedance of the connection portion by about 3 ohms, and the formation of the through hole 225 can increase the characteristic impedance of the contact portion by about 2 ohms.

As shown in FIG. 5, the receptacle connector 10 and plug connector 20 of this embodiment are configured to be mutually mated and removed along the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the main surface 50s of the circuit board 50. This configuration makes it easy to adjust the characteristic impedance in electrical connectors that perform vertical mating.

14, in the plug connector 20 according to this embodiment, at least one signal contact 23B is sandwiched between two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A, the first contact portions 23a, 23a of the two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A are connected to each other by a first connecting portion 28a, and the second contact portions 23c, 23c of the two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A are connected to each other by a second connecting portion 28c. In this way, for the two ground contacts 23A, 23A sandwiching the signal contact 23B, the first contact portions 23a, 23a and the second contact portions 23c, 23c are connected to each other by two connecting portions, so that crosstalk between at least one signal contact 23B sandwiched between the two ground contacts 23A, 23A and the other signal contacts 23B is effectively suppressed. That is, the portions connected to the grounding member 71 (first contact portion 23a) are connected to each other by the first connecting portion 28a, and the portions connected to the ground terminal 13A of the receptacle connector 10 (second contact portion 23c) are connected to each other by the second connecting portion 28c. This means that the two connection points are both connected by connecting portions, and crosstalk can be effectively suppressed even when the transmission speed is increased.

Figure 20(a) shows the resonance point of NEXT (Near End Cross Talk) for a configuration that does not have the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c, Figure 20(b) shows the resonance point of FEXT (Far End Cross Talk) for a configuration that does not have the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c, Figure 20(c) shows the resonance point of the configuration of this embodiment (configuration having the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c), and Figure 20(d) shows the resonance point of FEXT for the configuration of this embodiment (configuration having the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c). In Figures 20(a) to (d), the horizontal axis shows frequency (GHz) and the vertical axis shows the attenuation (dB) of the transmission signal. The configuration of the comparative example in Figures 20(a) and (b) and the configuration of this embodiment in Figures 20(c) and (d) are similar except for the presence or absence of the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c. In the comparative example shown in Figures 20(a) and (b), the amount of attenuation is large at the resonance point near 27 to 28 GHz. In contrast, as shown in Figures 20(c) and (d), in the configuration of this embodiment, the amount of attenuation at the resonance point can be suppressed in the same vicinity of 27 to 28 GHz. As is clear from this, by providing the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c, crosstalk can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 14, the signal contact 23B has a first contact portion 23b connected to the internal conductor 61 and a second contact portion 23d connected to the signal terminal 13B of the receptacle connector 10, and the first contact portion 23b and the second contact portion 23d are surrounded by two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A and the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c. With this configuration, both the portion of the signal contact 23B connected to the internal conductor 61 and the portion connected to the signal terminal 13B of the receptacle connector 10 are surrounded by the two ground contacts 23A, 23A and the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c, so that crosstalk can be more effectively suppressed.

When viewed from the Y-axis direction, the first contact portion 23a of the ground contact 23A may be arranged to overlap the first contact portion 23b of the signal contact 23B. With this configuration, the ground contact 23A is arranged to overlap the signal contact 23B, and crosstalk can be effectively suppressed.

Two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A may be arranged in the Y-axis direction to sandwich two signal contacts 23B, 23B that perform differential transmission. When differential transmission is performed, high-speed transmission occurs and crosstalk is likely to become a problem. In this regard, by arranging the two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A described above to sandwich the two signal contacts 23B, 23B that perform differential transmission, crosstalk during differential transmission can be effectively suppressed by the two ground contacts 23A, 23A and the first and second connecting portions 28a and 28c.

The first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c may extend along the Y-axis direction. With this configuration, the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28c can be provided at the shortest distance, and the configuration can be simplified.

The ground contacts 23A include multiple sets of ground contact pairs 239, each set consisting of two adjacent ground contacts 23A, 23A, and the first connecting portions 28a of the two adjacent ground contact pairs 239 may be connected to each other, and the second connecting portions 28c of the two adjacent ground contact pairs 239 may be connected to each other. With this configuration, even if the number of ground contacts 23A increases, the configuration can be simplified and a more compact configuration can be achieved.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figs. 21 to 30. Note that in the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. Fig. 21 is a perspective view showing a connector device 100 according to a second embodiment. Fig. 22 is a plan view showing the connector device 100 of Fig. 21. Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIII-XXIII of Fig. 22. Fig. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIV-XXIV of Fig. 22. Fig. 25 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector 110 included in the connector device 100 of Fig. 21. Fig. 26 is a perspective view showing a plug connector 120 included in the connector device 100 of Fig. 21. Fig. 27 is a perspective view showing the connector device 100 excluding the shell 121 of the plug connector 120.

As shown in Figures 21 to 24, the connector device 100 includes a receptacle connector 110 and a plug connector 120. The receptacle connector 110 is attached to a circuit board (not shown) and is electrically connected to the circuit board (not shown). The plug connector 120 is attached to an electrical cable 60 and is electrically connected to the electrical cable 60.

The receptacle connector 110 and the plug connector 120 are configured to be able to be mated and removed from each other in a direction parallel to the main surface of the circuit board. The receptacle connector 110 and the plug connector 120 are electrical connectors that perform horizontal mating.

As shown in Figures 24 and 25, the receptacle connector 110 is an elongated connector that extends along the Y-axis direction as a whole. The receptacle connector 110 includes a shell 111, a housing 112, and a number of conductive terminals 113.

The housing 112 is made of an insulating material containing resin, holds the multiple conductive terminals 113, and insulates the shell 111 from the conductive terminals 113. The housing 112 includes a base 112a and a pair of ends 112b, 112b. The base 112a is a plate-like body having a substantially rectangular shape extending along the Y-axis direction. A front end surface 112c of the base 112a in the X-axis direction is formed with a multiple number of through holes 112d that penetrate the base 112a in the X-axis direction. The multiple through holes 112d are arranged along the Y-axis direction. The through holes 112d are holes into which the conductive terminals 113 are inserted. The conductive terminals 113 inserted from the through holes 112d extend in the X-axis direction along the upper wall 112e of the base 112a (see FIG. 24).

In the region below the through hole 112d in the front end face 112c, a plurality of shell fixing holes 112f are formed penetrating the base 112a in the X direction. The shell fixing holes 112f are formed at a predetermined interval in the Y axis direction. A part of the shell 111 is inserted into the shell fixing holes 112f. As shown in FIG. 24, in the front end face 112c, the upper wall 112e, the through hole 112d, the middle part 112g, the shell fixing hole 112f, and the lower wall 112h are formed in this order in the Z axis direction. In the region sandwiched between the upper wall 112e and the lower wall 112h, an accommodation space AS (see FIG. 24) that accommodates a part of the plug connector 120 is formed. A pair of ends 112b, 112b are provided at both ends of the base 112a in the Y direction. The end 112b is covered by the shell 111.

The shell 111 has an upper wall 111a, a lower wall 111b, and side walls 111c, 111c. The upper wall 111a is a portion that covers the upper wall 112e of the base 112a of the housing 112 from above. The lower wall 111b is a portion that is provided to be placed on the lower wall 112h of the housing 112. The lower wall 111b has multiple protrusions 111d that protrude forward in the X direction at the end in the X direction. Multiple protrusions 111d are provided at predetermined intervals in the Y axis direction. The protrusions 111d are inserted into the shell fixing holes 112f of the housing 112. This fixes the shell 111 to the housing 112. The side walls 111c, 111c are provided to cover the end 112b of the housing 112.

The conductive terminals 113 are arranged in the housing 112 along the Y-axis direction. Each conductive terminal 113 extends along the X-axis direction and includes a first portion 113a, a rising portion 113b, an extending portion 113c, and a contact portion 113d, as shown in FIG. 24.

The first portion 113a is disposed on the main surface of a circuit board (not shown) and extends along the main surface of the circuit board. The first portion 113a is mounted on a pad, which is a conductive path of the circuit board, and is connected to the pad by solder or the like. The rising portion 113b is a portion that is continuous with the first portion 113a and rises upward. The extending portion 113c is a portion that is continuous with the upper end of the rising portion 113b and extends in the X direction. The extending portion 113c extends in the X direction so as to pass through the through hole 112d of the housing 112. The contact portion 113d is provided so as to be continuous with the rear end of the extending portion 113c, and is a portion that contacts the conductive terminal 123 of the plug connector 120. The conductive terminal 113 has a ground terminal 113A and a signal terminal 113B that are the same shape.

As shown in Figures 24, 26, and 27, the plug connector 120 is an elongated connector that extends along the Y-axis direction as a whole. The plug connector 120 includes a shell 121, a housing 122, and a plurality of conductive terminals 123.

The housing 122 is made of an insulating material containing resin, holds a plurality of conductive terminals 123, and insulates between the shell 121 and the conductive terminals 123. The housing 122 includes a base 122a, a central wall 122b, and a pair of ends 122c, 122c. The base 122a is a plate-like body having a substantially rectangular shape extending along the Y-axis direction. A plurality of conductive terminals 123 are arranged along the Y-axis direction on the upper wall 122d of the base 122a. The central wall 122b is provided over the entire area in the Y-axis direction at a substantially central portion in the X-axis direction on the upper wall 122d of the base 122a, and is a portion that rises in the Z-direction. As shown in FIG. 24, the portion of the base 122a forward of the central wall 122b is accommodated (fitted) in the accommodation space AS between the upper wall 112e and the lower wall 112h of the housing 112 of the receptacle connector 110. The central wall portion 122b abuts against the upper end 112x of the upper wall 112e of the housing 112 to position the plug connector 120 that is mated with the receptacle connector 110. A pair of ends 122c, 122c are provided at both ends of the base portion 122a in the Y direction. The end 122c is covered by the shell 121.

The shell 121 has an upper wall 121a and a pull bar cover portion 121b. The upper wall 121a is a portion that covers the upper wall 122d of the housing 122 from above. The upper wall 121a covers the area of the upper wall 122d of the housing 122 that is generally rearward of the central wall portion 122b. The pull bar cover portion 121b is provided to cover a portion of the pull bar 180.

As shown in FIG. 27, the ground circuit is configured such that a ground bar 170 that contacts the outer conductor 63 of each electric cable 60 is provided along the Y-axis direction. A ground member 171 (ground connection object) is formed on the ground bar 170 and extends from the ground bar 170 along the X-axis direction. A plurality of ground members 171 are formed at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction.

The conductive terminals 123 are arranged in the housing 122 along the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 27, the conductive terminals 123 are configured to include a plurality of ground contacts 123A and a plurality of signal contacts 123B. The ground contacts 123A are arranged in the housing 122 along the Y-axis direction. The signal contacts 123B are arranged in the housing 122 along the Y-axis direction. Two adjacent ground contacts 123A, 123A are arranged in the Y-axis direction to sandwich, for example, two signal contacts 123B, 123B that perform differential transmission. The ground contacts 123A and the signal contacts 123B may have the same shape. In the Y-axis direction, the ground contact 123A is adjacent to the signal contact 123B on both sides, and the signal contact 123B is adjacent to the ground contact 123A on one side and the signal contact 123B on the other side.

29, each ground contact 123A includes a first contact portion 123a extending along the X-axis direction and a second contact portion 123c that is continuous with the front end of the first contact portion 123a in the X-axis direction and extends forward in the X-axis direction. Also, the signal contact 123B includes a first contact portion 123b extending along the X-axis direction and a second contact portion 123d that is continuous with the front end of the first contact portion 123b in the X-axis direction and extends forward in the X-axis direction.

27, the first contact portion 123a of the ground contact 123A extends on the upper wall 122d along the ground member 171 extending from the ground bar 170 along the X-axis direction, and is connected to the ground member 171 by solder or the like. At least a portion of the upper surface of the first contact portion 123a is a first contact surface 431 that contacts the ground member 171. In addition, the second contact portion 123c of the ground contact 123A contacts the ground terminal 113A of the receptacle connector 110 when the receptacle connector 110 and the plug connector 120 are mated. The second contact portion 123c is continuous with the front end of the first contact portion 123a in the X-axis direction and extends forward in the X-direction.

27, the first contact portion 123b of the signal contact 123B extends along the internal conductor 61 at the tip of the electric cable 60 on the upper wall 122d and is connected to the exposed internal conductor 61 by solder or the like. The upper surface of the first contact portion 123b is a first contact surface 441 that contacts the internal conductor 61. Also, as shown in FIG. 24, the second contact portion 123d of the signal contact 123B contacts the signal terminal 113B of the receptacle connector 10 when the receptacle connector 10 and the plug connector 20 are mated. The second contact portion 123d is continuous with the front end of the first contact portion 123b in the X-axis direction and extends forward in the X-direction.

In the plug connector 120 according to this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the portion of the housing 122 between the adjacent conductive terminals 123 is hollowed out to create a resin and air layer between the conductive terminals 123, and the dielectric constant is controlled to adjust the characteristic impedance. That is, in the plug connector 120, a concave electrical length adjustment space is formed in the region between the adjacent conductive terminals 123 in the housing 122. The electrical length adjustment space will be described with reference to FIG. 28.

28, the housing 122 has a step portion 421 on the upper wall 122d that is recessed from the first contact surfaces 431, 441 of the first contact portions 123a, 123b of the conductive terminal 123. The step portion 421 is formed in the region between the adjacent signal contacts 123B. The step portion 421 is also formed between the adjacent ground contacts 123A and signal contacts 123B. Such a step portion 421 defines at least a portion (first region) of the concave electrical length adjustment space. That is, in the plug connector 120, a concave electrical length adjustment space is formed in the region between the first contact portions 123b, 123b of the two adjacent signal contacts 123B, and in the region between the first contact portion 123a of the adjacent ground contact 123A and the first contact portion 123b of the adjacent signal contact 123B. The step portion 421 is formed so as not to penetrate the region in which it is provided, as shown in FIG. 28. Instead of such a step portion 421, a through hole that penetrates the region in which it is provided may be formed.

Furthermore, in the plug connector 120 according to this embodiment, in order to suppress crosstalk, a configuration is provided that connects two adjacent ground contacts 123A arranged to sandwich a signal contact 123B. The configuration that connects two adjacent ground contacts 123A is described below with reference to FIG. 29.

As shown in FIG. 29, the plug connector 120 has a connecting portion 128 that connects two adjacent ground contacts 123A included in the plurality of conductive terminals 123. The connecting portion 128 has a first connecting portion 128a that connects the first contact portions 123a, 123a of the two adjacent ground contacts 123A. The connecting portion 128 has a second connecting portion 128c that connects the second contact portions 123c, 123c of the two adjacent ground contacts 123A.

The first connecting portion 128a extends along the Y-axis direction so as to connect the portions of the first contact portions 123a, 123a closer to the rear ends. The second connecting portion 128c extends along the Y-axis direction so as to connect the portions of the second contact portions 123c, 123c closer to the front ends. The signal contact 123B is surrounded by two adjacent ground contacts 123A, 123A, the first connecting portion 128a, and the second connecting portion 128c.

As described above, two adjacent ground contacts 123A, 123A are connected to each other by the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c. The ground contacts 123A include a plurality of sets of ground contact pairs 439, each of which is a set of two adjacent ground contacts 123A, 123A connected in this way. The first connecting portions 128a, 128a of the two adjacent ground contact pairs 439, 439 are connected to each other, and the second connecting portions 128c, 128c of the two adjacent ground contact pairs 439 are connected to each other. In this way, the first connecting portions 128a of all the ground contact pairs 439 may be connected to each other, and the second connecting portions 128c may be connected to each other. In this case, one member connecting the first connecting portions 128a to each other may extend along the Y-axis direction, and one member connecting the second connecting portions 128c to each other may extend along the Y-axis direction.

Figure 30(a) shows the resonance point of NEXT (Near End Cross Talk) for a configuration that does not have the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c, Figure 30(b) shows the resonance point of FEXT (Far End Cross Talk) for a configuration that does not have the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c, Figure 30(c) shows the resonance point of the configuration of this embodiment (configuration having the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c), and Figure 30(d) shows the resonance point of FEXT for the configuration of this embodiment (configuration having the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c). In Figures 30(a) to (d), the horizontal axis shows frequency (GHz) and the vertical axis shows the attenuation (dB) of the transmission signal. The configuration of the comparative example in Figures 30(a) and (b) and the configuration of this embodiment in Figures 30(c) and (d) are similar except for the presence or absence of the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c. In the comparative example shown in Figures 30(a) and (b), the amount of attenuation is large at the resonance point near 17 to 18 GHz. In contrast, as shown in Figures 30(c) and (d), in the configuration of this embodiment, the amount of attenuation at the resonance point can be suppressed in the same vicinity of 17 to 18 GHz. As is clear from this, by providing the first connecting portion 128a and the second connecting portion 128c, crosstalk can be reduced.

The above describes the embodiments of the present disclosure, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the first connecting portion 28a and the second connecting portion 28b that connect adjacent ground contacts 23A have been described with reference to FIG. 14 and the like, but the configuration of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is not limited to this. FIG. 31(a) is a perspective view showing the state before the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, and FIG. 31(b) is a perspective view showing the state before the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, as viewed from a different direction from FIG. 31(a). FIG. 32(a) is a perspective view showing the state after the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, and FIG. 32(b) is a perspective view showing the state after the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion of the modified example are connected to the ground contacts, as viewed from a different direction from FIG. 32(a).

As shown in Figs. 31(a)(b) and 32(a)(b), the first connecting portion 600 and the second connecting portion 500 according to the modified example are made of separate materials from the ground contact 23A and are configured to be detachable from the ground contact 23A. By being made of separate materials in this manner, it is possible to appropriately achieve crosstalk suppression by combining the first connecting portion 600 and the second connecting portion 500 made of separate materials while using, for example, a ground contact that does not have an existing connecting portion. The first connecting portion 600 extends along the Y-axis direction so as to connect the portions of the first contact portions 23a, 23a near the rear ends. The second connecting portion 500 extends along the Y-axis direction so as to connect the portions of the second contact portions 23c, 23c near the lower ends.

The first connecting portion 600 has a first base portion 600x and a plurality of sets of a pair of first protrusions 600y, 600y. The first base portion 600x is a portion extending along the Y-axis direction, which is the arrangement direction of the plurality of ground contacts 23A. For example, the first base portion 600x extends over the entire area in the arrangement direction of the plurality of ground contacts 23A. The pair of first protrusions 600y, 600y is provided corresponding to the position of the first contact portion 23a (first connection portion) of each ground contact 23A, and is provided so as to protrude upward from the first base portion 600x. The pair of first protrusions 600y, 600y contact the first contact portion 23a by sandwiching the tip portion 237a (end portion), which is the rear end portion of the first contact portion 23a.

The second connecting portion 500 has a second base portion 500x and multiple sets of pairs of second protrusions 500y, 500y. The second base portion 500x is a portion extending along the Y-axis direction, which is the arrangement direction of the multiple ground contacts 23A. The second base portion 500x extends, for example, over the entire area in the arrangement direction of the multiple ground contacts 23A. The pair of second protrusions 500y, 500y is provided corresponding to the position of the second contact portion 23c (second connection portion) of each ground contact 23A and is provided to protrude upward from the second base portion 500x. The pair of second protrusions 500y, 500y contact the second contact portion 23c by sandwiching the tip portion 237c, which is the lower end portion of the second contact portion 23c.

With this configuration, even if the first connecting portion 600 and the second connecting portion 500 are made of a separate material from the ground contact 23A, the pair of first protrusions 600y, 600y and the pair of second protrusions 500y, 500y can achieve contact between the ground contact 23A and the first connecting portion 600 and the second connecting portion 500, thereby realizing the above-mentioned crosstalk suppression.

10,110...receptacle connector, 11,111...shell, 12,112...housing, 13,113...conductive terminal, 13A,113A...ground terminal, 13B,113B...signal terminal, 13a...first part, 13b...retaining portion, 13c...second part, 13d...base, 13e...contact portion, 20,120...plug connector, 21,121...shell, 22,122...housing, 23,123...conductive terminal, 23A,123A...ground contact, 23B,123B...signal contact, 23a,23b,123a,123b...first contact portion, 23c,23d,12 3c, 123d...second contact portion, 28, 128...connecting portion, 28a, 128a...first connecting portion, 28c, 128c...second connecting portion, 50...circuit board, 50s...main surface, 60...electrical cable, 61...internal conductor, 221, 421...step portion, 225...through hole, 230, 240...wide portion, 231, 431...first contact surface, 235, 245...narrow portion, 238, 248...second contact surface, 239, 439...ground contact pair, 500...second connecting portion, 500x...second base portion, 500y...second protruding portion, 600...first connecting portion, 600x...first base portion, 600y...first protruding portion, G...gap.

Claims (6)

1. a housing having insulating properties;
   a plurality of conductive first terminals arranged on the housing;
   At least one of the first terminals is
   A substantially U-shaped holding portion held by the housing;
   a first mounting portion provided to be continuous with one end of the holding portion and to be mounted on a first pad of a wiring board;
   a second mounting portion provided to be continuous with the other end of the holding portion and to be mounted on a second pad of the wiring board;
   a contact portion that is provided opposite the holding portion and that contacts the second terminal such that a second terminal of a mating connector can be inserted and removed between the holding portion and the contact portion;
   a base portion extending between the second mounting portion and the contact portion so as to connect the second mounting portion and the contact portion,
   The base portion is
   When the second terminal comes into contact with the contact portion, the electrical connector bends with the second mounting portion as a fulcrum.
2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the base portion extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the contact portion extends.
3. the base portion extends along a surface of the wiring substrate,
   3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein a gap is formed between said base and the surface of said wiring board to allow said base to bend.
4. the first terminals include one or more ground terminals and one or more signal terminals,
   the ground terminal has the holding portion, the first mounting portion, the second mounting portion, the contact portion, and the base portion,
   2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the signal terminal has the retaining portion, the first mounting portion, the contact portion, and an extension portion extending between the other end of the retaining portion and the contact portion.
5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the first terminals include at least a pair of the ground terminals and one or more of the signal terminals arranged between the pair of the ground terminals.
6. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the length of the gap in the thickness direction of the wiring board is 0.01 mm or more.

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