Connector assembly

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector assembly. In a connector assembly formed by fitting a connector (100) having an insulator (60), signal terminals (41, 42) and a ground terminal (40) disposed in the insulator (60), and a conductive housing (50) with a mating-side connector (200) having a mating-side insulator (90), mating-side signal terminals (71, 72) and a mating-side ground terminal (70) disposed in the mating-side insulator (90), and a conductive mating-side housing (80), the housing (50) has: a frame-shaped portion (510) forming the contour of the connector (100), and an extension portion (54) extending from the frame-shaped portion (51) into the frame. The ground terminal (40) is integrally formed with the extension portion (54) and is elastically deformable. A press-fitting portion (56) of the extension portion (54) is press-fitted into a press-fitting portion (61) of the insulator (60), whereby the insulator (60) is fixed and held in the housing (50).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector assembly formed by opposing and fitting a connector and a mating side connector. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B 、 Figure 2 The following respectively show conventional examples of a connector and a mating side connector that are fitted to each other to form a connector assembly, the connector (referred to as a socket in Patent Document 1) 10 and the mating side connector (referred to as a plug in Patent Document 1) 20 described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2019-121439).

[0003] The connector 10 is formed in a structure in which signal terminals 12, 13, 14 and ground terminals 15, 16 are mounted on a connector housing 11, and in addition, a shell-shaped conductor 17 is mounted. The shell-shaped conductor 17 is integrally mounted on the connector housing 11 by insert molding, and is formed in a substantially rectangular ring shape that is continuous in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral side of the connector housing 11, surrounding the outer periphery of the upper surface and the upper part of the side surface of the connector housing 11.

[0004] The signal terminals 12 to 14 are arranged with the ground terminals 15, 16 interposed therebetween, and the signal terminals 12 to 14 are separated from each other by the ground terminals 15, 16. The ground terminals 15, 16 are formed by stamping a plate material and have the Figure 1B shape shown.

[0005] The connector housing 11 has a fitting portion insertion hole 11a at the center, and the signal terminals 12 to 14 and the ground terminals 15, 16 are exposed in the fitting portion insertion hole 11a. Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B In [ ], 12a to 16a respectively represent the connection ends of the signal terminals 12 to 14 and the ground terminals 15, 16 on the mounting substrate.

[0006] The mating side connector 20 is formed in a structure in which signal terminals 22, 23, 24 are mounted on a connector housing 21, and in addition, a shell-shaped conductor 25 is mounted. The signal terminals 22 to 24 are held by protruding portions 26a to 26c arranged at the center of an insert molding resin portion 26 of the connector housing 21. The shell-shaped conductor 25 has a shape along the peripheral wall portion 27 of the connector housing 21, is insert molded as a part of the connector housing 21, and is integrated with the insert molding resin portion 26. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] As described above, the existing connector 10 and the mating side connector 20 respectively have the shell-shaped conductors 17 and 25 as external shields. In addition, the connector 10 has the ground terminals 15 and 16 that form an internal shield between the shielded signal terminals 12 to 14.

[0009] However, the mating side connector 20 does not have a ground terminal, so it is not formed into a structure that connects the ground terminals of the connectors that are mutually engaged in Reference 1 to each other. In this regard, the ground terminals 15 and 16 of the connector 10 are only formed into a flat plate shape between the simple shielded signal terminals 12 to 14.

[0010] In addition, the ground terminals 15 and 16 that form the internal shield in the connector 10 and the shell-shaped conductor 17 that forms the external shield are separate parts (different fittings), and the ground terminals 15 and 16 are also separate parts. Therefore, correspondingly, the number of fittings increases and the assembly man-hours also increase.

[0011] The present invention is proposed in view of the above situation, and the purpose is to provide a connector assembly. In the structure where both the connector and the mating side connector that make up the connector assembly have a ground terminal and a housing that forms an external shield, the number of fittings can be reduced through the integration of the housing and the ground terminal, and when elastic deformation occurs in order to enable good connection between the integrated ground terminal and the mating side ground terminal, the insulator can also be simply and well configured.

[0012] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0013] In a connector assembly in which one connector is combined with another connector, one connector has an insulator to which signal terminals are fixed and a set of metal fittings. A part of the metal fittings is all or part of the housing, and all or part of the remaining part of the metal fittings is all or part of an extension portion extending from the housing. The extension portion has an elastically deformable ground terminal. The extension portion is press-fitted into the insulator, and as a result, the insulator is fixed to the housing.

[0014] Effects of the invention

[0015] According to the present invention, in the connector assembly formed by the engagement of the connector and the mating side connector, since the ground terminal and the housing are integrally formed in the connector, the number of fittings can be reduced accordingly.

[0016] In addition, although the ground terminal elastically deforms in order to enable good connection with the mating side ground terminal of the mating side connector, since the housing integrated with the ground terminal is fixed by being press-fitted into the insulator, the elastically deformed ground terminal can be simply and well configured in the insulator. Description of the drawings

[0017] Figure 1A It is a perspective view of a connector that constitutes an existing connector assembly.

[0018] Figure 1B It is Figure 1A a cross-sectional view of the connector shown.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a perspective view of a mating-side connector that constitutes an existing connector assembly.

[0020] Figure 3A It is a perspective view observed from above of a connector on one side that constitutes a first embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3B It is observed from below Figure 3A a perspective view of the connector shown.

[0022] Figure 4A It is Figure 3A a front view of the connector shown.

[0023] Figure 4B It is Figure 4A a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of

[0024] Figure 5 It is a perspective view showing a ground terminal integrated with the housing of Figure 3A

[0025] Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing Figure 3A the insulator and the terminals held by the insulator.

[0026] Figure 7A It is a perspective view observed from above of a mating-side connector that constitutes a first embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7B It is observed from below Figure 7A a perspective view of the mating-side connector shown.

[0028] Figure 8A It is Figure 7A a front view of the mating-side connector shown.

[0029] Figure 8B It is Figure 8A a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of

[0030] Figure 9 It is Figure 7A a perspective view of the mating-side housing.

[0031] Figure 10 It is a perspective view showing Figure 7A ​Stereogram of the mating side insulator and the mating side terminals held by the mating side insulator.

[0032] Figure 11A Is a top view showing a first embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 11B Is a front view showing a first embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 11C Is Figure 11B Cross-sectional view taken along line E-E.

[0035] Figure 11D Is Figure 11B Cross-sectional view taken along line F-F.

[0036] Figure 12A Is a stereogram viewed from above one of the connectors constituting the second embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 12B Is viewed from below Figure 12A Stereogram of the shown connector.

[0038] Figure 13 Is showing the Figure 12A Stereogram of the ground terminal integrated with the housing.

[0039] Figure 14A Is a stereogram viewed from above the mating side connector of the second embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 14B Is viewed from below Figure 14A Stereogram of the shown mating side connector.

[0041] Figure 15A Is Figure 14A Front view of the shown mating side connector.

[0042] Figure 15B Is Figure 15A Cross-sectional view taken along line C-C.

[0043] Figure 16A Is a top view showing the second embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 16B Is Figure 16A Cross-sectional view taken along line C-C.

[0045] Explanation of reference numerals

[0046] 10 Connector; 11 Connector housing; 11a Insertion hole for fitting part; 12 - 14 Signal terminals; 12a - 14a Connection ends; 15, 16 Ground terminals; 15a, 16a Connection ends; 17 Shell - shaped conductor; 20 Mating - side connector; 21 Connector housing; 22 - 24 Signal terminals; 25 Shell - shaped conductor; 26 Insert - molded resin part; 26a - 26c Protrusions; 27 Peripheral wall part; 40, 40' Ground terminals; 41 First terminal; 41a Contact piece; 41b Connection part; 42 Second terminal; 42a Contact piece; 42b Connection part; 43 U - shaped part; 43a Leg part; 43b Protrusion; 43c Leg part; 44 Plate part; 48 U - shaped part; 48a Plate surface; 48b Leg part; 49 Contact part; 50 Outer housing; 51 Frame - shaped part; 52, 53 Outer wall parts; 52a, 53a Bending parts; 54 Extension part; 55 Connecting part; 56 Press - in part; 56a Protrusion; 57 Support part; 58 Notch; 60 Insulator; 61 Press - in part; 62 Slit; 70, 70' Mating - side ground terminals; 71 Mating - side first terminal; 71a Connection part; 72 Mating - side second terminal; 72a Connection part; 73 Mating - side plate part; 74 Recess; 75 Protrusion; 76 Connecting part; 77 Extension part; 78 Flat plate part; 78a Plate surface; 80 Mating - side outer housing; 81, 82 Outer wall parts; 81a, 82a Protrusions; 81b Extension part; 82b Protrusion; 83 Connecting part; 84, 85 Notches; 90 Mating - side insulator; 91 Bottom plate part; 92 Side wall; 93 Recess; 100, 100' Connectors; 200, 200' Mating - side connectors. Detailed implementation mode

[0047] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the implementation mode of the present invention will be described using examples.

[0048] [First Embodiment]

[0049] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B 、 Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B Shown is one - side connector 100 of the first embodiment of the connector assembly constituting the present invention. The connector 100 is composed of a first terminal 41, a second terminal 42, a ground terminal 40, an outer housing 50, and an insulator 60. In this example, the ground terminal 40 is integrally formed with the outer housing 50 that constitutes the contour of the connector 100. Figure 5 Shows the details of the integrally - formed ground terminal 40 and outer housing 50, Figure 6 Shows the insulator 60 and the first terminal 41 and second terminal 42 held in the insulator 60.

[0050] The insulator 60 is made of resin and is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. First terminals 41 are respectively installed at both end portions in the length direction of the insulator 60, and two rows of four second terminals 42 in total, two for each row, are installed at the central portion of the insulator 60.

[0051] The first terminal 41 has a pair of contact pieces 41a facing each other, and the second terminal 42 also has a pair of contact pieces 42a facing each other. The first terminal 41 and the second terminal 42 are signal terminals, and the connection portions 41b and 42b with the substrate are located on the bottom surface side of the insulator 60. The two first terminals 41 are used for high-frequency signals (for high-speed transmission) in this example, and the four second terminals 42 are used for low-frequency signals (for low-speed transmission).

[0052] The conductive housing 50 is formed by bending a metal plate and is composed of two main bodies with a U-shaped outer wall to form a quadrilateral frame portion 51. The frame portion 51 is formed by outer wall portions 52 located on opposite sides of the long sides forming the quadrilateral and outer wall portions 53 located on opposite sides of the short sides forming the quadrilateral. At the upper ends of the outer wall portions 52 and 53, bent portions 52a and 53a that slightly protrude and bend inwardly of the frame are respectively formed.

[0053] The housing 50 has: a frame portion 51 that constitutes the contour of the connector 100, and an extension portion 54 formed by extending from the frame portion 51 into the frame. The extension portion 54 is formed by extending from opposite positions of the mutually opposed outer wall portions 52 in a direction approaching each other, and is formed at two positions in the length direction of the outer wall portion 52.

[0054] The extension portion 54 is formed by a connecting portion 55 formed in a shape that bends and extends from the lower end of the outer wall portion 52, a press-fitting portion 56 that bends and stands up from the connecting portion 55, and a support portion 57 that extends from the upper end of the press-fitting portion 56. Between the support portions 57 of the pair of extension portions 54 extending in a direction approaching each other, a ground terminal 40 is formed by extending from the two support portions 57. It should be noted that in the press-fitting portion 56, a pair of protrusions 56a are formed to protrude in the width direction.

[0055] The ground terminal 40 is composed of a plate portion 44 formed by adjacent and coplanar U-shaped portions 43 formed in a shape that opens upward. At the front end side of the U-shaped leg portions 43a of the pair of U-shaped portions 43 adjacent to each other, protrusions 43b are formed to protrude outward from each other. The ground terminal 40 is provided at two positions in the length direction of the housing 50 and is elastically deformable. The mutually outer leg portions 43c of the pair of U-shaped portions 43 are connected and supported by the support portions 57 of the extension portion 54.

[0056] At the lower ends of the outer wall portions 52, two smaller-sized cutouts 58 are formed in the portions sandwiched between the two connecting portions 55. The cutouts 58 are provided corresponding to the positions of the connecting portions 42b of the second terminals 42 held by the insulator 60 and exposed on the bottom surface side of the insulator 60.

[0057] As described above, the housing 50 integrally forming the ground terminals 40 is mounted on the insulator 60 holding the first terminals 41 and the second terminals 42. The mounting is performed by covering the housing 50 from above the insulator 60 and pressing. At this time, the four press-fitting portions 56 having the protrusions 56a of the housing 50 are respectively press-fitted into the press-fitting portions 61 at four positions formed in the insulator 60, whereby the insulator 60 is fixed and held in the housing 50. In addition, the plate portions 44 each formed by a pair of U-shaped portions 43 of the two ground terminals 40 are respectively inserted into the slits 62 of the insulator 60 and are respectively positioned between the first terminal 41 and the second terminal 42 to form a shielding portion, whereby Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B 、 Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B the connector 100 shown is completed.

[0058] Next, the mating-side connector 200 that mates with the above-described connector 100 to form a connector assembly will be described.

[0059] Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B 、 Figure 8A 、 Figure 8B The mating-side connector 200 is shown. The mating-side connector 200 is composed of a mating-side first terminal 71 and a mating-side second terminal 72 forming mating-side signal terminals, a mating-side ground terminal 70, a mating-side housing 80, and a mating-side insulator 90. Figure 9 The details of the mating-side housing 80 are shown, Figure 10 and the state after removing the mating-side housing 80 from the mating-side connector 200 is shown.

[0060] The mating-side insulator 90 is made of resin and has a bottom plate portion 91 and side walls 92 respectively provided at four corners of the bottom plate portion 91. The mating-side first terminals 71 are respectively mounted at both end portions in the length direction of the bottom plate portion 91, and two rows, two in each row, a total of four mating-side second terminals 72 are formed at the central portion of the bottom plate portion 91. In addition, the mating-side ground terminals 70 are respectively mounted between the two mating-side first terminals 71 and the four mating-side second terminals 72.

[0061] The mating-side first terminal 71 is formed in a columnar shape and has a connecting portion 71a for connecting to the substrate at its lower end. The mating-side second terminal 72 is formed in a plate shape and has a connecting portion 72a for connecting to the substrate at its lower end. Two mating-side first terminals 71 are for high-frequency signals, and four mating-side second terminals 72 are for low-frequency signals.

[0062] As Figure 8B shown, the mating-side ground terminal 70 has a mating-side plate portion 73 at the center in the extending direction. The mating-side plate portion 73 is formed in a shape of a pair of protruding portions 75 that form a recess 74 opening upward between them. The pair of protruding portions 75 protrude on the bottom plate portion 91 of the mating-side insulator 90. On the mating-side plate portion 73, a connecting portion 76 connecting the lower ends of the pair of protruding portions 75 is located on the bottom surface side of the mating-side insulator 90 and is exposed. The mating-side ground terminal 70 is formed by the mating-side plate portion 73 having the above structure and extension portions 77 respectively extending from both ends of the connecting portion 76 of the mating-side plate portion 73. The mating-side plate portions 73 of the two mating-side ground terminals 70 are respectively located between the mating-side first terminal 71 and the mating-side second terminal 72 to form a mating-side shielding portion.

[0063] The conductive mating-side housing 80 formed in a quadrilateral frame shape is formed by bending a metal plate. As Figure 9 shown, it has: outer wall portions 81 respectively located on opposite sides of the long sides forming the quadrilateral, outer wall portions 82 respectively located on opposite sides of the short sides forming the quadrilateral, and a pair of connecting portions 83 connecting the upper ends of the outer wall portions 81 and 82. The pair of connecting portions 83 have plate surfaces that respectively slightly block both ends in the long side direction of the quadrilateral frame.

[0064] On the outer side surfaces of the pair of outer wall portions 81, elongated convex portions 81a are respectively formed extending in the side direction. On the outer side surfaces of the pair of outer wall portions 82, elongated convex portions 82a are also respectively formed extending in the side direction. It should be noted that extension portions 81b extending by bending toward the outer wall portion 82 are formed at both ends in the side direction of the pair of outer wall portions 81.

[0065] Two cutouts 84 are formed at the lower ends of each outer wall portion 81. In addition, cutouts 85 are respectively formed on both sides in the side direction of the two cutouts 84. The cutouts 84 are provided corresponding to the positions of the connecting portions 72a of the mating-side second terminals 72 held by the mating-side insulator 90 and exposed on the bottom surface side of the mating-side insulator 90. The cutouts 85 are provided corresponding to the positions of the extension portions 77 of the mating-side ground terminals 70 held by the mating-side insulator 90 and exposed on the bottom surface side of the mating-side insulator 90. At both ends in the side direction of each outer wall portion 82, protrusions 82b protrude outward from each other.

[0066] The mating side housing 80 having the above structure is mounted on the mating side insulator 90 that holds the mating side first terminal 71, the mating side second terminal 72, and the mating side ground terminal 70. The mounting of the mating side housing 80 is performed by covering and pressing in the mating side housing 80 from above the mating side insulator 90. The two outer wall portions 82 having the protrusions 82b straddle the two side walls 92 of the mating side insulator 90 and are respectively pressed into the recesses 93 formed outside the side walls 92, and it is completed Figure 7A , Figure 7B , Figure 8A , Figure 8B the mating side connector 200 shown.

[0067] The above-described connector 100 and mating side connector 200 are formed as a board-to-board connector in which they are respectively mounted and mutually engaged and connected on the mutually opposed surfaces of the mutually opposed boards. In the connector 100, the connecting portions 41b, 42b of the first terminal 41 and the second terminal 42, the portions (the middle portions of the U-shaped portions of the pair of U-shaped portions 43) of the plate portion 44 of the ground terminal 40 that are exposed on the bottom surface of the insulator 60, and the housing 50 are soldered and connected to the corresponding pads and patterns on the board.

[0068] On the other hand, in the mating side connector 200, the connecting portions 71a, 72a of the mating side first terminal 71 and the mating side second terminal 72, the connecting portion 76 and the extension portion 77 of the mating side plate portion 73 of the mating side ground terminal 70, and the mating side housing 80 are soldered and connected to the corresponding pads and patterns on the board.

[0069] Figure 11A , Figure 11B , Figure 11C , Figure 11D shows the connector assembly of the present invention in which the connector 100 and the mating side connector 200 are engaged, and the illustration of the board is omitted.

[0070] By the engagement of the mating side connector 200 and the connector 100, the first terminal 41 and the mating side first terminal 71, and the second terminal 42 and the mating side second terminal 72 are respectively engaged and connected. In addition, the convex portions 81a, 82a provided on the mating side housing 80 are engaged across the bent portions 52a, 53a of the housing 50, whereby the mating side housing 80 is engaged inside the housing 50.

[0071] On the other hand, the plate portion 44 of the ground terminal 40 and the mating side plate portion 73 of the mating side ground terminal 70 have plate surfaces that are parallel to each other and parallel to the engagement direction of the connector 100 and the mating side connector 200, as Figure 11DAs shown, a pair of protruding portions 75 of the mating side plate portion 73 are respectively inserted into and located within the U-shaped portions of a pair of U-shaped portions 43 of the plate portion 44, and the mutually adjacent U-shaped leg portions 43a of the pair of U-shaped portions 43 are respectively inserted into and located within the recessed portions 74 of the mating side plate portion 73. When the adjacent U-shaped leg portions 43a are inserted into the recessed portions 74, they elastically deform in the direction of approaching each other, and the protruding portions 43b provided on the front end side of the leg portions 43a elastically contact the mutually inner side surfaces of the pair of protruding portions 75 by the elastic restoring force of the leg portions 43a. Thus, the plate portion 44 forming the shielding portion between the first terminal 41 and the second terminal 42 and the mating side plate portion 73 forming the mating side shielding portion between the mating side first terminal 71 and the mating side second terminal 72 are electrically connected to each other.

[0072] In this way, in this example, the plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73 are combined to form a shielding body between the first terminal 41 for high-frequency signals and the mating side first terminal 71 and the second terminal 42 for low-frequency signals and the mating side second terminal 72. Figure 11D In the figure, the portion a surrounded by a dashed line indicates the portion forming the shielding body, and electromagnetic interference between terminals (between the high-frequency signal terminal and the low-frequency signal terminal and between the two high-frequency signal terminals) is shielded by using this shielding body.

[0073] The plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73 have the same thickness (plate thickness) in this example, and the ranges where the thicknesses of the plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73 are located are the same, that is, they are combined to form a single plate. The gap between the plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73 and the gap between the adjacent U-shaped leg portions 43a of the plate portion 44 inserted into and located within the recessed portions 74 of the mating side plate portion 73 are smaller than the thicknesses of the above-mentioned plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73. Thus, good shielding performance can be ensured in this example.

[0074] It should be noted that the thickness of the plate portion 44 and the thickness of the mating side plate portion 73 do not necessarily have to be the same. In the case of different thicknesses, the plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73 are combined such that the range where the thickness of one of them is located is within the range where the thickness of the other is located. In this way, in the case where the thickness of the plate portion 44 and the thickness of the mating side plate portion 73 are different, the gap between the plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73 and the gap between the U-shaped leg portions 43a located within the recessed portions 74 are smaller than the smaller thickness of the plate portion 44 and the mating side plate portion 73.

[0075] [Second Embodiment]

[0076] In the above first embodiment, the shielding portion of the ground terminal 40 of the connector 100 located between the first terminal 41 and the second terminal 42 is a plate portion 44 formed by a pair of U-shaped portions 43. In addition, the mating-side shielding portion of the mating-side ground terminal 70 of the mating-side connector 200 located between the mating-side first terminal 71 and the mating-side second terminal 72 is a mating-side plate portion 73 formed in a shape having a pair of protruding portions 75 that form a recess 74 therebetween. However, the above shielding portion may also adopt other structures.

[0077] In the second embodiment, in such a connector and a mating-side connector, the shielding portions of the ground terminal and the mating-side ground terminal have other structures. Figure 12A 、 Figure 12B Reference numeral 100' denotes a connector showing the second embodiment. Figure 13 Reference numeral 40' denotes a ground terminal integrated with the housing 50 of the connector 100'. In addition, Figure 14A 、 Figure 14B 、 Figure 15A 、 Figure 15B Reference numeral 200' denotes a mating-side connector. Figure 16A 、 Figure 16B Reference numerals denote the state after the connector 100' and the mating-side connector 200' are engaged. In the above Figure 12A 、 Figure 12B 、 Figure 13 、 Figure 14A 、 Figure 14B 、 Figure 15A 、 Figure 15B 、 Figure 16A 、 Figure 16B and Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B 、 Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B 、 Figure 8A 、 Figure 8B 、 Figure 9 、 Figure 10 、 Figure 11A 、 Figure 11B 、 Figure 11C 、 Figure 11D For the parts corresponding to the structure of the first embodiment shown in

[0078] In this example, as shown in Figure 15BAs shown, the mating-side shielding portion of the mating-side ground terminal 70' is composed of a flat plate portion 78 formed in a substantially quadrilateral shape. The mating-side ground terminal 70' is formed by this flat plate portion 78 and extension portions 77 respectively extending from both ends of the lower side of the flat plate portion 78. The flat plate portion 78 protrudes on the bottom plate portion 91 of the mating-side insulator 90 and is located between the mating-side first terminal 71 and the mating-side second terminal 72. The lower side of the flat plate portion 78 and the extension portions 77 are located on the bottom surface side of the mating-side insulator 90 and are exposed.

[0079] On the other hand, as Figure 13 shown, the shielding portion formed by the ground terminal 40' is formed by a pair of adjacent U-shaped portions 48. The mutually adjacent U-shaped leg portions of the pair of U-shaped portions 48 are contact portions 49 that elastically displace in the contact direction perpendicular to the plate surface 48a of the U-shaped portion 48, and the contact portion 49 has a shape bent in a < shape. The ground terminal 40' is the same as the ground terminal 40 of the first embodiment and is integrally formed with the housing 50. The mutually outer legs 48b of the pair of U-shaped portions 48 are respectively formed by extending from the extension portion 54 of the housing 50.

[0080] Each pair of U-shaped portions 48 of the two ground terminals 40' are respectively inserted into the slits 62 of the insulator 60 and are respectively located between the first terminal 41 and the second terminal 42.

[0081] In the connector assembly in which the connector 100' and the mating-side connector 200' are fitted and connected, in this example, as Figure 16B shown, the contact portion 49 that can elastically displace in the contact direction perpendicular to the fitting direction elastically contacts the plate surface 78a of the flat plate portion 78 having a plate surface (mating-side plate surface) parallel to the fitting direction, and its contact direction is perpendicular to the plate surface 78a. Thus, the pair of U-shaped portions 48 forming the shielding portion of the ground terminal 40' and the flat plate portion 78 forming the mating-side shielding portion of the mating-side ground terminal 70' are electrically connected to each other and combined, and a shield for electromagnetic interference between the shield terminals is formed between the first terminal 41 and the mating-side first terminal 71 and the second terminal 42 and the mating-side second terminal 72, which is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0082] Above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. In the present invention, in one of the connectors constituting the connector assembly, a ground terminal that elastically deforms is integrally formed on the extension portion of the housing, and the press-fitting portion provided on the extension portion is press-fitted into the press-fitted portion of the insulator. Thus, the housing is mounted on the insulator, and the ground terminal is arranged at the required position inside the insulator.

[0083] The installation of the housing mentioned herein on the insulator, as used in the connector 10 and the mating side connector 20 of Patent Document 1 described above, generally installs the housing on the insulator by insert molding (integral molding). In this way, a ground terminal configured in the insulator is integrally formed in the housing installed by integral molding, and in order to prevent resin from invading the elastically deformed portion of the ground terminal due to the elastic deformation that can occur in the ground terminal, this portion must be blocked by a mold. Moreover, such blocking by the mold inevitably requires a space for the mold to be placed in the insulator, and the existence of the space will correspondingly cause problems such as hindering the miniaturization of the insulator (connector) or instability of the elastic deformation of the ground terminal.

[0084] In this regard, in the present invention, the housing integrally formed with the ground terminal is installed on the insulator by press-fitting, and such problems do not occur.

Claims

1. A connector assembly is formed by fitting a connector with a mating side connector. The connector has an insulator, signal terminals and ground terminals disposed in the insulator, and a conductive housing. The mating side connector has a mating side insulator, mating side signal terminals and mating side ground terminals disposed in the mating side insulator and connected to the signal terminals and the ground terminals respectively, and a conductive mating side housing. The connector assembly is characterized in that the housing has: a frame-shaped portion that constitutes the outline of the connector, and an extension portion that extends inward from the frame-shaped portion; the extension portion is formed by a connecting portion formed to extend by bending from the frame-shaped portion, a pressing portion that stands up by bending from the connecting portion, and a supporting portion that extends from the upper end of the pressing portion; a ground terminal is formed by extending from the two supporting portions between the supporting portions of the pair of extension portions that extend in the direction of approaching each other; in the pressing portion, a pair of protrusions are formed to protrude in the width direction; the ground terminal can be elastically deformed; the insulator is fixed and held in the housing by pressing the pressing portion into the pressed portion of the insulator.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal terminals include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the mating side signal terminals include a mating side first terminal and a mating side second terminal; the connected ground terminal and the mating side ground terminal electromagnetically shield between the connected first terminal and the mating side first terminal and the connected second terminal and the mating side second terminal.

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