Electrical connector and electrical connector with circuit board

Abstract

Electrical connectors capable of effectively preventing crosstalk and electrical connectors with circuit boards are provided. The signal transmission path (53) has a signal connection portion (53C) soldered to the signal circuit portion of the circuit board, and the grounding components (54, 55) have ground connection portions (54C, 55C) soldered to the ground circuit portion of the circuit board. The ground connection portions (54C, 55C) are located between the signal connection portions (53C) of the signal transmission paths adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction of the signal transmission path (53). In the above-mentioned electrical connector, in the width direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board and perpendicular to the arrangement direction, the width range (WG) between the two ends of the ground connection portions (54C, 55C) of the grounding components (54, 55) exceeds the width range (WS) of the signal connection portion (53C) of the signal transmission path (53).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to electrical connectors and electrical connectors with circuit boards. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connector mounted on a circuit board, wherein its signal terminals, ground terminals (which serve as grounding components), and grounding plates are held in a housing.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, the electrical connector includes a socket connector mounted on a circuit board and a plug connector mounted on another circuit board as a target-side connector. Electrical signals are transmitted between the two circuit boards by fitting the plug connector into the socket connector. The socket connector and the plug connector have essentially the same structure at the points where they have signal terminals, ground terminals, and ground planes. The signal terminal has a signal connection portion soldered to the circuit board at one end and a signal contact portion that contacts and connects to the signal terminal of the target connector at the other end. The ground terminal and the signal terminal have the same shape and size, with a ground connection portion at one end and a ground contact portion at the other end; furthermore, the ground terminal and the ground plane are electrically connected.

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the signal terminals and ground terminals are formed with the same shape. Two signal terminals form a signal terminal pair that constitutes a transmission path pair, and a ground terminal is located on the same straight line as the line in which the signal terminal pairs are arranged between adjacent signal terminal pairs. Furthermore, multiple terminal rows formed by the signal terminal pairs and ground terminals are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and ground planes are disposed between adjacent terminal rows. The electrical connector of Patent Document 1, with this structure, transmits high-speed operating signals through each signal terminal pair.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-115488

[0006] In the electrical connector of Patent Document 1, when a ground terminal is located between adjacent signal terminal pairs and a high-speed differential signal is transmitted through the signal terminal pairs, it is expected to prevent crosstalk between the two signal terminal pairs. However, in Patent Document 1, the ground terminal has the same shape as one of the two signal terminals constituting the signal terminal pair, and only one is arranged on the same straight line as the signal terminal pair. Therefore, there is a concern that considerable crosstalk may occur as the ground terminal surrounds adjacent signal terminal pairs, and thus there is room for improvement in this regard. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The objective of this invention is to provide an electrical connector and an electrical connector with a circuit board that can further prevent the aforementioned crosstalk.

[0008] According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the electrical connector according to the first invention and the electrical connector with circuit board according to the second invention.

[0009] <First Invention>

[0010] The electrical connector according to the first invention comprises: a plurality of signal transmission paths arranged in a direction parallel to the mounting surface of a circuit board, and soldered to signal circuit portions of a circuit board at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the arrangement direction; and at least one grounding member soldered to a grounding circuit portion of the circuit board, wherein the signal transmission paths have signal connection portions soldered to the signal circuit portions, and the grounding member has ground connection portions soldered to the grounding circuit portions, the grounding connection portions being located between the signal connection portions of the adjacent signal transmission paths in the arrangement direction.

[0011] In this electrical connector, the present invention is characterized in that the grounding connection portion of the grounding member is formed such that, in a width direction that is parallel to the mounting surface and perpendicular to the arrangement direction, the width range between the two ends of the grounding connection portion exceeds the width range of the signal connection portion of the signal transmission path.

[0012] In this invention, since the width between the two ends of the grounding connection portion of the grounding component exceeds the width of the signal connection portion of the signal transmission path, compared to the conventional case where the signal terminals and grounding terminals are formed with the same shape and there is only one grounding terminal connection portion between the signal connection portions of adjacent signal terminals, the width of the grounding connection portion can be made larger than the width of the signal connection portion. As a result, crosstalk such as the interference around the grounding connection portion between adjacent signal connection portions separated by the grounding connection portion can be reduced.

[0013] In the first invention, the signal transmission path can be a single terminal or a pair of terminals spaced apart and adjacent to each other in the above-mentioned arrangement direction.

[0014] In the first invention, the grounding connection portion can be either part of the grounding plate of the grounding component or part of the grounding terminal of the grounding component. Alternatively, multiple grounding connection portions can be arranged between the signal connection portions along the width direction.

[0015] <Second Invention>

[0016] The second invention relates to an electrical connector with a circuit board, characterized in that it comprises: the electrical connector of the first invention; and a circuit board having a signal circuit section for soldering a signal connection section of a signal transmission path in the electrical connector, and a grounding circuit section for soldering a grounding connection section of a grounding component, wherein the electrical connector is mounted on the circuit board.

[0017] In the second invention, a plurality of ground connection portions are arranged between the signal connection portions along the width direction, and the ground circuit portion of the circuit board and the plurality of ground connection portions have a plurality of mounting surfaces located on the mounting surface of the circuit board, and the plurality of ground connection portions are soldered to the mounting surfaces.

[0018] In this invention, since the width range between the two ends of the ground connection portion of the grounding component exceeds the width range of the signal connection portion of the signal transmission path, the width range of the ground connection portion is formed to be larger than the width range of the signal connection portion. As a result, crosstalk such as the ground connection portion surrounding each other between adjacent signal connection portions can be reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the relay connector and the object connector according to the embodiments of the present invention together, representing the state before mating.

[0020] Figure 2 (A) is represented by a monomer. Figure 1 A 3D view of the board for relay connectors. Figure 2 (B) is only shown Figure 2 The front view of the signal terminal pairs and grounding terminals of board (A).

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A bottom view of a portion of the circuit board in the relay connector, magnified to show a part of it.

[0022] Figure 4 (A) is represented by a monomer. Figure 1 A perspective view of the terminal retainer of the object connector. Figure 4 (B) is to Figure 4 A perspective view showing the individual components of the terminal holder of (A) separated.

[0023] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A bottom view of a portion of the terminal retainer in the object connector, magnified to show a part.

[0024] Figure 6 It is a bottom view showing only a portion of the through holes in the circuit board for mounting the object connector.

[0025] Figure 7 (A) is a perspective view of the relay circuit board of the modified relay connector, represented by a single unit. Figure 7 (B) means Figure 7 The front view of the conductive pattern and grounding through hole of the relay circuit board of (A).

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1…Relay connector; 2…Object connector; 3…Object connector; 10…Housing; 22, 122…Linear pair; 23, 123…Linear terminal; 24, 124…Cross pair; 25, 125…Cross terminal; 23A, 123A…Signal connection part; 25A, 124A…Signal connection part; 52…Signal terminal pair (signal transmission path); 53…Object linear terminal (signal transmission path); 53C…Signal connection part; 54…First object ground plane (grounding component); 54C…First ground connection part; 55…Second object ground plane (grounding component); 55C…Second ground connection part; C…Circuit board; VS…Signal through hole; VG…Ground through hole. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the relay connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as "relay connector 1"), which is the first electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the object-side electrical connectors 2 and 3 (hereinafter referred to as "object connector 2" and "object connector 3," respectively), which are the second electrical connectors, representing their state before mating. In this embodiment, the relay connector 1 and the object connectors 2 and 3 constitute a connector assembly for transmitting high-speed differential signals. The object connectors 2 and 3 are electrical connectors for circuit boards, respectively disposed on different circuit boards (not shown), and are mated with the relay connector 1 in a position where the surface of each circuit board is perpendicular to the vertical direction, or in other words, relative to the connector height direction (Z-axis direction). Specifically, the object connector 2 is mated from above (Z1 side) and the connecting object connector 3 is mated from below (Z2 side) relative to the relay connector 1, thereby connecting the object connectors 2 and 3 to each other via the relay connector 1. In this embodiment, the object connectors 2 and 3 are configured as electrical connectors with identical shapes.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the relay connector 1 has a plurality of plates 20 (also refer to) forming a plate shape, described later. Figure 2 (A)), a housing 10 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin that holds and supports multiple plates 20 arranged at predetermined intervals in their thickness direction (X-axis direction), and a connecting member 30 made of two metal plates, which will be described later.

[0031] The housing 10 is formed in a generally cuboid shape with the arrangement direction of the plates 20 (X-axis direction) as the long side direction (hereinafter referred to as the "connector length direction"). The housing 10 has an upper housing 11 that supports the upper part of the plates 20 and a lower housing 12 that supports the lower part of the plates 20. As described later, the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12 are connected via a connecting member 30.

[0032] The upper housing 11 has: a peripheral wall 11A, which is square-shaped when viewed from above, surrounding a plurality of plates 20; and a plurality of intermediate walls (not shown) for positioning the plurality of plates 20 at predetermined intervals along the connector length direction (X-axis direction). The peripheral wall 11A has: two side walls 11B extending along the connector length direction (X-axis direction); and two end walls 11C extending along the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the connector length direction, connecting the ends of the two side walls 11B to each other. The intermediate walls are plate-shaped within the space enclosed by the peripheral wall 11A, having plate surfaces perpendicular to the connector length direction, connecting the inner wall surfaces of the two side walls 11B to each other, and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the connector length direction.

[0033] A slit-like space, formed vertically between adjacent intermediate walls or between an intermediate wall and end wall 11C, constitutes a plate receiving space (not shown) for the upper portion of the receiving plate 20. Additionally, at the lower part of the side wall 11B, a plurality of upper locking holes 11B-1 are formed at predetermined intervals along the connector length direction (X-axis direction), extending through the side wall 11B along its wall thickness direction (Y-axis direction). The upper locking holes 11B-1 can engage with the upper locking tab of the connecting member 30, which will be described later.

[0034] The peripheral wall 11A extends upwards from the upper end of the intermediate wall. The space enclosed by this upwardly extending portion, that is, the space that opens upwards and communicates with the aforementioned plate receiving space, is formed as an upper receiving portion 11D for receiving the object connector 2 from above. With the plate 20 housed within the plate receiving space, as... Figure 1 As shown, the upper side portion of the plate 20 protrudes from the upper opening of the plate receiving space and is located within the upper receiving portion 11D.

[0035] The lower housing 12 has the same shape as the upper housing 11 described above, and is arranged in a vertically symmetrical position relative to the upper housing 11, housing the lower portion of the plate 20 in the slit-shaped plate receiving space (not shown). For the parts of the lower housing 12 that correspond to the parts of the upper housing 11, reference numerals are added to the reference numerals of the upper housing 11 to obtain the reference numerals. Furthermore, for the names of the parts of the lower housing 12, the term "upper" in the names of the parts of the upper housing 11 is replaced with "lower," and the description of the lower housing 12 is omitted.

[0036] The connecting member 30 is manufactured by punching and partially bending a metal plate component. The connecting member 30 extends along the connector length direction (X-axis direction) as its long side, and is positioned such that its plate thickness direction aligns with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). One connecting member 30 is provided on each side of the plate 20 in the connector width direction. At the upper end of the connecting member 30, corresponding to the upper locking hole 11B-1 of the upper housing 11 in the connector length direction, an upper locking piece (not shown) is formed by cutting and erecting a portion of the connecting member 30, which enters the upper locking hole 11B-1 and locks in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Similarly, a lower locking piece (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the connecting member 30, locking in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with the lower locking hole 12B-1 of the lower housing 12.

[0037] Figure 2 (A) is a perspective view of plate 20 represented by a single unit. Figure 2 (B) is only shown in Figure 2 The front view of board 20 (A) with signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 (described later) and ground terminal 26. Figure 2 As shown in (A), the board 20 has: a resin substrate 21 in the form of a plate; a plurality of signal terminal pairs 22, 24 arranged and held on the substrate 21 to form a first transmission path pair as a first signal transmission path; a plurality of ground terminals 26 arranged in the same row as the signal terminal pairs 22, 24 and held on the substrate 21; and a first grounding plate 27 and a second grounding plate 28 (hereinafter, without distinction, collectively referred to as "grounding plates 27, 28") made of metal plate, which are mounted on the plate surfaces (surfaces extending in the YZ direction) on both sides of the substrate 21. Figure 2 In (A), a first grounding plate 27 is shown mounted on the X1 side of the substrate 21. Additionally, in Figure 1 The image shows a second grounding plate 28 mounted on the X2 side of the substrate 21.

[0038] Near the center of each of the two end edges extending vertically along the substrate 21, two supported protrusions 21A are formed. The supported protrusions 21A are supported vertically by steps (not shown) formed on the inner wall surfaces of the side walls 11B of the upper housing 11 and 12B of the lower housing 12. On the substrate 21, at the same location as the grounding terminal 26 in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), and at multiple locations in the vertical direction, retaining protrusions 21B for retaining grounding plates 27, 28 are formed protruding from the sides of the substrate 21. Figure 2 In (A), the retaining protrusion 21B that retains the first grounding plate 27 is shown.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown in (B), the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 and the ground terminal 26 are manufactured by punching and partially bending a metal plate in the thickness direction, forming an overall strip shape extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 have two types: straight pairs 22 and crossed pairs 24. In this embodiment, as... Figure 2 As shown in (B), the straight pairs 22 and cross pairs 24 are alternately arranged in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), and a grounding terminal 26 is arranged at a position between the straight pairs 22 and the cross pairs 24 and at a position outside the arrangement range of the straight pairs 22 and the cross pairs 24. That is, as Figure 2 As shown in (B), grounding terminal 26, cross pair 24, grounding terminal 26 and straight pair 22 are arranged in sequence from the Y1 side, with grounding terminal 26 located at both ends of the terminal row.

[0040] The straight pair 22 has a pair of straight terminals 23 that extend spaced apart from each other across the entire range from one end to the other in the vertical direction. For example... Figure 2 As shown in (B), when viewed in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the linear terminal 23, the pair of linear terminals 23 form a shape that is symmetrical about each other both horizontally and vertically. At both ends of the linear terminal 23 in the vertical direction, there are signal connection portions 23A for connecting to the object linear terminals 53 of the object connectors 2 and 3 (described later).

[0041] The cross pair 24 has a pair of cross terminals 25. Viewed in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the cross terminals 25, the pair of cross terminals 25 are positioned such that they overlap by bending at the midpoint between one end and the other end in the vertical direction, approaching each other in the width direction (Y-axis direction). At this overlapping position, the pair of cross terminals 25 bend in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) and cross without contacting each other. Figure 2 As shown in (B), when viewed in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the cross terminal 25, the pair of cross terminals 25 form a shape that is symmetrical to each other both horizontally and vertically. At both ends of the cross terminal 25 in the vertical direction, there are signal connection portions 25A for connecting to the object straight terminals 53 of the object connectors 2 and 3 (described later).

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown in (B), the grounding terminal 26 is wider than the straight terminal 23 and the cross terminal 25 in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). At both ends of the grounding terminal 26 in the vertical direction, there are grounding connection portions 26A for connecting to the first object grounding plate 54 of the object connectors 2 and 3 (described later).

[0043] Straight pair 22, cross pair 24, grounding terminal 26 and so on Figure 2 The sequential arrangement of (B) is maintained on the substrate 21 by integral molding. With the straight pair 22, cross pair 24, and grounding terminal 26 held on the substrate 21, as... Figure 2 As shown in (A), signal connection portions 23A, 25A and ground connection portion 26A are exposed from the X1 side of the substrate 21, and can contact the object linear terminal 53 of the object connectors 2 and 3 or the first object ground plane 54 through the exposed surface.

[0044] The grounding plates 27 and 28 are mounted to the substrate 21, for example, by ultrasonic welding, in a manner that covers substantially the entire surface of the substrate 21. In this embodiment, the first grounding plate 27 is formed to be slightly shorter than the substrate 21 in the vertical direction, resulting in, as Figure 2 As shown in (A), the signal connection portions 23A and 25A on the upper and lower sides, and the ground connection portion 26A on the lower side, are exposed from the X1 side of the substrate 21. On the other hand, the second ground plane 28 has a length approximately the same as the substrate 21 in the vertical direction; in other words, the second ground plane 28 is formed to be longer than the first ground plane 27, and the upper and lower ends of the second ground plane 28 are located at approximately the same positions as the upper and lower ends of the substrate 21. On the ground planes 27 and 28, at the same position in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as the ground terminal 26, protrusions 27A and 28A are formed in a bent manner, protruding towards the ground terminal 26 in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the plate 20 and extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Electrical conduction is achieved by the protruding tops of these protrusions 27A and 28A contacting the surface of the ground terminal 26. Figure 2 In (A), the protrusion 27A of the first grounding plate 27 is shown. Figure 1 The image shows the protrusion 28A of the second grounding plate 28.

[0045] In the repeater connector 1, multiple plates 20 arranged along the connector's length direction (X-axis direction) are positioned such that adjacent plates 20 are staggered relative to each other along the connector's width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 3 In the image, the middle portion of the connector along its width direction (Y-axis direction) is shown in magnification for the three boards 20. In this embodiment, as... Figure 3 As shown, in each board 20, adjacent signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 are configured to be separated from each other by a distance P. Here, the distance P is the distance between the center positions of the straight terminals 23 in the straight pair 22 and the center positions of the cross terminals 25 in the adjacent cross pair 24.

[0046] In addition, such as Figure 3As shown, the distance between the center position of the ground terminal 26 and the center position of the adjacent signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 is half a spacing P, i.e., 0.5P (half a spacing). In other words, the straight terminal 23, the cross terminal 25, and the ground terminal 26 are arranged at equal intervals, separated by a 0.5P (half a spacing) interval. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 in each board 20 is referred to as a "signal transmission path".

[0047] In this embodiment, in each signal transmission path, straight pairs 22 and cross pairs 24 are alternately configured, thereby reducing far-end crosstalk (FEXT).

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 of one of any two adjacent signal transmission paths along the connector's length direction (X-axis direction) are positioned at the center of the other signal transmission path's signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 along the connector's width direction (Y-axis direction). That is, the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 of one signal transmission path are offset from the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 of the other signal transmission path by an amount of 0.5P (half a pitch).

[0049] For example, in Figure 3 In the three signal transmission paths shown (upper, middle, and lower), when "one side's signal transmission path" is set as the middle layer's signal transmission path and "the other side's signal transmission path" is set as the upper layer's signal transmission path, the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 of the middle layer's signal transmission path are offset relative to the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 of the upper layer's signal transmission path by 0.5P (half a pitch) in the Y2 direction of the connector width.

[0050] For example, focusing on Figure 3 When any one of the signal terminal pairs, i.e., line pair 22 (here referred to as "determined pair S"), is determined in the middle layer signal transmission path, there are two signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 in the upper layer signal transmission path that are close to determined pair S. Here, these two signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 are referred to as "first proximity pair T1" and "second proximity pair T2", respectively. Figure 3 In the diagram, the first proximity pair S, the first proximity pair T1, and the second proximity pair T2 are shown by being enclosed by single-dot dashed lines.

[0051] like Figure 3As shown, the first proximity pair T1 and the second proximity pair T2 are positioned adjacent to each other in the same signal transmission path (the upper-layer signal transmission path). The first proximity pair T1 is positioned offset from the determining pair S by 0.5P (half a pitch) towards the Y1 side in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), and the second proximity pair T2 is positioned offset from the determining pair S by 0.5P (half a pitch) towards the Y2 side in the connector width direction. That is, the determining pair S is located in the center between the first proximity pair T1 and the second proximity pair T2 in the connector width direction. Therefore, the distance between the determining pair S and the first proximity pair T1, and the distance between the determining pair S and the second proximity pair T2 are equal.

[0052] The first proximity pair T1 is a straight pair 22, and the second proximity pair T2 is a cross pair 24. That is, the first proximity pair T1 is the same type as the determined pair S, and the second proximity pair T2 is a different type from the determined pair S. If signals are transmitted through each signal terminal pair 22, 24, the polarity is reversed between signal terminal pairs 22, 24 of different types, and the polarity is not reversed between signal terminal pairs 22, 22 of the same type. That is, for the determined pair S, the polarity is reversed with the second proximity pair T2, and the polarity is not reversed with the first proximity pair T1. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the signal transmission directions of the determined pair S, the first proximity pair T1, and the second proximity pair T2 are opposite, the near-end crosstalk (NEXT) signal from the first proximity pair T1 and the NEXT signal from the second proximity pair T2 arrive at the determined pair S with their waveform peaks staggered. Therefore, peak overlap of the waveforms of the NEXT signals from the first proximity pair T1 and the second proximity pair T2 can be avoided, and correspondingly, near-end crosstalk (NEXT) in the determination pair S can be reduced.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the determined pair S is located in the center between the first proximity pair T1 and the second proximity pair T2 in the connector width direction, and the distance between the determined pair S and the first proximity pair T1 and the distance between the determined pair S and the second proximity pair T2 are equal, the peak values ​​of the waveforms of the NEXT signals from the first proximity pair T1 and the second proximity pair T2 relative to the determined pair S can be staggered to the maximum extent, thereby reducing the NEXT in the determined pair S more effectively.

[0054] Next, the structure of object connectors 2 and 3 will be described. For example... Figure 1 As shown, since object connectors 2 and 3 have identical structures, the following structural description focuses on object connector 3. For object connector 2, the same reference numerals as those for object connector 3 are used, and the description is omitted. Figure 1As shown, the object connector 3 has: a housing 40, which is formed in a cubic shape to fit the lower receiving portion (not shown) of the lower housing 12 of the relay connector 1; a plurality of terminal holders 50, which are arranged and held in the housing 40; and two metal plate fixing members 60, which will be described later.

[0055] The housing 40 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, forming a generally cuboid shape with the arrangement direction of the terminal holders 50 (X-axis direction) as the long side direction (connector length direction). The housing 40 has an upper housing 41 and a lower housing 42 formed by being divided in the vertical direction. The upper housing 41 and the lower housing 42 are connected by a fixing member 60. The housing 40 houses and holds a plurality of terminal holders 50 arranged in the connector length direction.

[0056] The upper housing 41 has: a peripheral wall 41A, which is square-shaped when viewed vertically; and a plurality of intermediate walls 41D extending along the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) in the space enclosed by the peripheral wall 41A. The peripheral wall 41A has: two side walls 41B extending along the connector length direction (X-axis direction); and two end walls 41C extending along the shorter side direction perpendicular to the connector length direction, i.e., the connector width direction, connecting the ends of the two side walls 41B to each other. The plurality of intermediate walls 41D extend along the connector width direction, connecting the inner wall surfaces of the two side walls 41B to each other. At a plurality of positions on the side walls 41B spaced at predetermined intervals along the connector length direction, groove-shaped upper connecting grooves (not shown) extending vertically are formed.

[0057] The lower housing 42 holds a plurality of terminal holders 50 that are equally spaced along the connector length direction (X-axis direction). On the two side walls 42A of the lower housing 42, at the same position as the upper connecting groove of the upper housing 41 along the connector length direction, a groove-shaped lower connecting groove (not shown) is formed that extends in the vertical direction and communicates with the upper connecting groove.

[0058] The fixing member 60 is manufactured by punching a metal plate member extending along the connector length direction (X-axis direction) and bending it in the thickness direction. The fixing member 60 extends throughout the entire area of ​​the terminal holder 50 in the connector length direction and is positioned at both ends of the target connector 3 in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). The fixing member 60 has a side plate portion (not shown) having a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction, and at the same position as the upper connecting groove portion of the upper housing 41 and the lower connecting groove portion of the lower housing 42. The fixing member 60 is held in the housing 40 by pressing the upper connecting groove portion and the lower connecting groove portion from below. In addition, a fixing portion 61 is formed at the lower part of the fixing member 60, which bends in the thickness direction and extends outward in the connector width direction. This fixing portion 61 can be fixed to the corresponding portion of the mounting surface of the circuit board by welding.

[0059] Figure 4 (A) is a perspective view of the terminal retainer 50 of the connector 3, represented by a single unit. Figure 4 (B) is to Figure 4 A perspective view showing the individual components of the terminal holder 50 of (A) separated. Figure 4 As shown in (A) and (B), the terminal retainer 50 includes: a retaining member 51 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin; a plurality of signal terminal pairs 52 made of metal plates, which are arranged in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) and held in the retaining member 51 to form a second transmission path pair as a second signal transmission path; and a first object grounding plate 54 and a second object grounding plate 55 (hereinafter, without distinction between the two, they are collectively referred to as "object grounding plates 54 and 55") made of metal plates, which are mounted on the plate surfaces (surfaces extending in the YZ direction) on both sides of the retaining member 51.

[0060] The retaining member 51 is formed in a plate shape extending throughout the terminal arrangement range in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). The retaining member 51 has retaining protrusions for retaining the target ground planes 54 and 55, and retaining holes 51B. The retaining protrusions are formed from the plate surfaces on both sides of the retaining member 51 at the same positions as the retaining holes 54A-1 and 55A-1 (described later) in the connector width direction. Figure 4 In (B), a retaining protrusion 51A for retaining the first object ground plane 54 is shown. The retaining hole 51B is formed by passing through the retaining member 51 in the X-axis direction at the same position as the retaining protrusions 54A-2 and 55A-2 of the object ground planes 54 and 55, which will be described later, in the connector width direction.

[0061] Multiple signal terminal pairs 52 are second signal terminal pairs corresponding to signal terminal pairs 22, 24, which are first signal terminal pairs provided in the relay connector 1, which is a first electrical connector, and are configured to be spaced apart by a predetermined interval in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). For example... Figure 4 As shown in (B), each signal terminal pair 52 has a pair of target linear terminals 53 constituting a linear pair. The target linear terminals 53 extend spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, covering the entire range from one end to the other. The target linear terminals 53 have: a linear holding portion 53A, which is integrally molded and held in a holding member 51; a signal elastic arm portion 53B, which extends upward from the holding portion 53A; and a signal connection portion 53C, which extends downward from the holding portion 53A.

[0062] like Figure 4 As shown in (B), the signal elastic arm 53B is formed with a terminal width dimension (width dimension in the Y-axis direction) that is wider than the held portion 53A, and can elastically displace in its thickness direction (X-axis direction). At the upper end of the signal elastic arm 53B, a signal contact portion 53B-1 is formed in a curved manner protruding towards the X2 side for contacting the signal connection portion 23A provided in the signal terminal pairs 22, 24 of the repeater connector 1. As shown... Figure 4 As shown in (B), the signal connection portion 53C is formed in a straight line with the same terminal width dimension as the held portion 53A. The signal connection portion 53C is soldered to the signal circuit portion of the circuit board.

[0063] The first grounding plate 54 is mounted on the plate surface of the retaining member 51 on the X1 side, and has: a first base 54A extending along the plate surface; a first grounding elastic arm 54B extending upward from the first base 54A at multiple locations in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction); and a first grounding connection 54C extending downward from the first base 54A at multiple locations in the connector width direction.

[0064] like Figure 4 As shown in (B), in the first base 54A, a retaining hole portion 54A-1 and a retaining protrusion portion 54A-2 are alternately formed at predetermined intervals in the connector width direction. The retaining hole portion 54A-1 is a quadrilateral through hole formed at a position corresponding to the portion between the first grounding elastic arm portion 54B adjacent in the connector width direction. The retaining protrusion portion 54A-2 protrudes quadrilaterally toward the X2 side at both sides of the retaining hole portion 54A-1. The retaining hole portion 54A-1 and the retaining protrusion portion 54A-2 are retained by integral molding in a state of engaging with the retaining protrusion portion 51A and the retaining hole portion 51B of the retaining member 51, respectively.

[0065] like Figure 4As shown in (A) and (B), the first grounding elastic arm 54B extends upward from the upper edge of the first base 54A and is formed to the same length as the signal elastic arm 53B of the target linear terminal 53. Two adjacent and paired first grounding elastic arms 54B are located on either side of a pair of signal elastic arms 53B in the connector width direction. The first grounding elastic arms 54B are capable of elastic displacement in their thickness direction (X-axis direction). At the upper end of the first grounding elastic arm 54B, two first grounding contact portions 54B-1 are formed in a curved manner protruding towards the X2 side for contacting the grounding terminal 26 of the plate 20 of the relay connector 1. Figure 4 As shown in (A), the first grounding contact 54B-1 and the signal contact 53B-1 of a pair of target linear terminals 53 are positioned in the same row in the connector width direction.

[0066] like Figure 4 As shown in (B), the first grounding connection portion 54C extends downward from the lower edge of the first base portion 54A at the same position as the first grounding elastic arm portion 54B in the connector width direction. The first grounding connection portion 54C is located on both sides of the two signal connection portions 53C of the signal terminal pair 52 in the connector width direction (see also...). Figure 5 The first grounding connection part 54C is soldered to the grounding circuit part of the circuit board.

[0067] The second grounding plate 55 is mounted on the plate surface of the retaining member 51 on the X2 side, and has: a second base 55A extending along the plate surface; two second grounding elastic arms 55B extending upward from the second base 55A at multiple locations in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction); and a second grounding connection 55C extending downward from the second base 55A at multiple locations in the connector width direction.

[0068] like Figure 4As shown in (B), in the second base 55A, retaining holes 55A-1 and retaining protrusions 55A-2 are alternately formed at predetermined intervals in the connector width direction. The retaining holes 55A-1 are circular through holes, arranged in two positions in the vertical direction corresponding to the central position of the second grounding elastic arm 55B in the connector width direction. The retaining protrusions 55A-2 protrude in quadrilateral shapes towards the X1 side from both sides of the retaining holes 55A-1. The retaining holes 55A-1 and retaining protrusions 55A-2 are retained by integral molding in a state of engaging with the retaining protrusions (not shown) of the retaining member 51 and the retaining hole 51B, respectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the object ground plates 54 and 55 are held in the holding member 51, the held protrusion 54A-2 of the first object ground plate 54 and the held protrusion 55A-2 of the second object ground plate 55 are in direct contact and can be electrically connected.

[0069] like Figure 4 As shown in (B), the second grounding elastic arm 55B extends upward from the upper edge of the second base 55A. Two adjacent and paired second grounding elastic arms 55B are positioned such that their upper ends are closer to each other than their lower ends, and are connected at two positions in the vertical direction by a connecting portion 55D extending along the connector width direction. The second grounding elastic arms 55B are capable of elastic displacement in their thickness direction (X-axis direction). At the upper end of the second grounding elastic arm 55B, two second grounding contacts 55B-1 are formed, curved in a manner protruding towards the X1 side, for contacting the second grounding plate 28 of the relay connector 1's plate 20. These two second grounding contacts 55B-1 and the signal contacts 53B-1 of a pair of signal elastic arms 53B are located at the same position in both the connector width direction and the vertical direction, as shown in the diagram. Figure 4 As shown in (A), it is opposite to the two signal contact parts 53B-1.

[0070] like Figure 4 As shown in (B), the second grounding connection portion 55C extends downward from the lower edge of the second base portion 55A at a position corresponding to both sides of the pair of second grounding elastic arms 55B in the connector width direction. The second grounding connection portion 55C is located on both sides of the two signal connection portions 53C of the signal terminal pair 52 in the connector width direction, and is located at the same position as the first grounding connection portion 54C of the first object ground plane 54 (see also [reference]). Figure 5 The second grounding connection part 55C is soldered to the grounding circuit part of the circuit board.

[0071] In the terminal retainer 50 disposed in the connector 3, the terminal retainers 50 adjacent to each other in the connector length direction (X-axis direction) are positioned offset from each other in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 5 In the image, the middle portion of the connector in the width direction (Y-axis direction) is shown in magnification, focusing on the three terminal retainers 50. Figure 5 In the diagram, the signal connection portion 53C, the first ground connection portion 54C, and the second ground connection portion 55C, on which solder balls B are installed, are shown with dashed lines. In this embodiment, as... Figure 5 As shown, in each terminal holder 50, adjacent signal terminal pairs 52 are configured to be spaced apart by a distance P. Here, the distance P is the distance between the center positions of the target linear terminals 53 in a signal terminal pair 52 and the center positions of the target linear terminals 53 in the adjacent signal terminal pair 52.

[0072] In addition, such as Figure 5 As shown, the distance between the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C of the grounding plates 54 and 55 at their center and the distance between the center of the signal terminal pair 52 adjacent to the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C is half a pitch P, i.e., 0.5P (half a pitch). In other words, the linear terminals 53 and the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C are arranged at equal intervals, separated by a gap of 0.5P (half a pitch). Similarly to the board 20 of the repeater connector 1 described above, the arrangement of the signal terminal pairs 52 in each terminal holder 50 is referred to as a "signal transmission path".

[0073] like Figure 5 As shown, in each terminal holder 50, two signal terminal pairs 52 in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) are positioned side-by-side with a first ground connection 54C and a second ground connection 55C in the connector length direction; in other words, they are positioned side-by-side in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the terminal holder 50. Furthermore, the first ground connection 54C and the second ground connection 55C are positioned in a line symmetrical manner with respect to the straight line (virtual line extending along the Y-axis direction) in which the signal terminal pairs 52 are arranged. Therefore, as... Figure 5 As shown, in the aforementioned width direction (X-axis direction), the width range WG between the two ends of the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C exceeds the width range WS of the signal connection portion 53C.

[0074] Thus, in this embodiment, since the width range WG of the ground connection portions 54C and 55C exceeds the width range WS of the signal connection portion 53C, compared to the conventional case where the signal terminals and ground terminals have the same shape and there is only one ground terminal between the signal connection portions of adjacent signal terminals, the width range of the ground connection portion can be made larger than the width range of the signal connection portion. As a result, crosstalk such as the interference between adjacent signal connection portions surrounding the ground connection portion can be reduced.

[0075] In addition, in this embodiment, multiple signal terminal pairs 52 in each signal transmission path of the object connector 3 are connected to two types of signal terminal pairs 22 and 24, namely straight pair 22 and cross pair 24, which are alternately arranged in the relay connector 1, thereby reducing far-end crosstalk (FEXT).

[0076] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the signal terminal pair 52 of one of any two adjacent signal transmission paths in the connector length direction (X-axis direction) is positioned at the center of the other signal transmission path's signal terminal pair 52 in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). That is, the signal terminal pair 52 of one signal transmission path is positioned offset from the signal terminal pair 52 of the other signal transmission path by an amount of 0.5P (half a pitch).

[0077] For example, in Figure 5 In the signal transmission paths of the upper, middle, and lower layers shown, when "one side's signal transmission path" is set as the middle layer's signal transmission path and "the other side's signal transmission path" is set as the upper layer's signal transmission path, the signal terminal pair 52 of the middle layer's signal transmission path is positioned offset from the signal terminal pair 52 of the upper layer's signal transmission path by 0.5P (half a pitch) in the Y2 direction of the connector width.

[0078] like Figure 5 As shown, when focusing on any specific signal terminal pair 52 (here referred to as "specific pair Q") in the middle layer signal transmission path, there are two signal terminal pairs 52 in the upper layer signal transmission path that are close to specific pair Q. Here, these two signal terminal pairs 52 are referred to as "first proximity pair R1" and "second proximity pair R2", respectively. Figure 5 In the diagram, the first proximity pair R1 and the second proximity pair R2 are shown by being enclosed by single-dot dashed lines.

[0079] like Figure 5As shown, the first proximity pair R1 and the second proximity pair R2 are positioned adjacent to each other in the same signal transmission path (the upper-layer signal transmission path). The first proximity pair R1 is positioned offset from the determining pair Q by 0.5P (half a pitch) towards the Y1 side in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), and the second proximity pair R2 is positioned offset from the determining pair Q by 0.5P (half a pitch) towards the Y2 side in the connector width direction. That is, the determining pair Q is located in the center between the first proximity pair R1 and the second proximity pair R2 in the connector width direction. Therefore, the distance between the determining pair Q and the first proximity pair R1, and the distance between the determining pair Q and the second proximity pair R2 are equal.

[0080] The system determines whether to connect pair Q to either the straight pair 22 or the cross pair 24 of the repeater connector 1. Furthermore, if the first proximity pair R1 is connected to a pair of the same type as the pair connected to pair Q, then the second proximity pair R2 is connected to a pair of a different type than the pair connected to pair Q. Therefore, for pair Q, the polarity is reversed with the second proximity pair R2, but not reversed with the first proximity pair R1. As a result, in this embodiment, when the signal transmission directions of pair Q, the first proximity pair R1, and the second proximity pair R2 are opposite, the near-end crosstalk (NEXT) signal from the first proximity pair R1 and the NEXT signal from the second proximity pair R2 arrive at pair Q with their signal waveform peaks staggered. Therefore, peak overlap of the NEXT signals from the first proximity pair R1 and the second proximity pair R2 can be avoided, and correspondingly, near-end crosstalk (NEXT) in pair Q can be reduced.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the determined pair Q is located in the center between the first proximity pair R1 and the second proximity pair R2 in the connector width direction, and the distance between the determined pair Q and the first proximity pair R1 and the distance between the determined pair Q and the second proximity pair R2 are equal, the peak values ​​of the waveforms of the NEXT signals from the first proximity pair R1 and the second proximity pair R2 relative to the determined pair Q can be staggered to the maximum extent, thereby reducing the NEXT in the determined pair Q more effectively.

[0082] Figure 6This is a bottom view showing a portion of the through holes in the circuit board C for mounting the target connector 3. The circuit board C has a signal circuit section for connecting to the target linear terminal 53 of the target connector 3, and a ground circuit section for connecting to the target ground planes 54 and 55. The signal circuit section has, on the mounting surface of the circuit board C, a plurality of signal pads (not shown) as mounting surfaces, which are soldered to the signal connection portions 53C of the target linear terminal 53; and a plurality of signal through holes VS, which are located within the thickness of the circuit board C corresponding to each signal pad and are electrically connected to the signal pad. The ground circuit section has, on the mounting surface of the circuit board C, a plurality of ground pads (not shown) as mounting surfaces, which are soldered to the ground connection portions 54C and 55C of the target ground planes 54 and 55; and a plurality of ground through holes VG, which are located within the thickness of the circuit board C corresponding to each ground pad and are electrically connected to the ground pad.

[0083] On the mounting surface of the circuit board C, signal pads and ground pads are each formed into circles and arranged on the mounting surface of the circuit board C in a positional relationship corresponding to the connection portions 53C, 54C, and 55C. The signal through-hole VS and the ground through-hole VG (hereinafter, without distinction between the two, they are collectively referred to as "through-hole VS and VG") are located at the center of the corresponding signal pad and ground pad, respectively, when viewed from the vertical direction, and are formed into cylinders extending vertically within the thickness of the circuit board.

[0084] like Figure 6 As shown, for the through holes VS and VG, the grounding through holes VG, which correspond to a first grounding connection 54C and a second grounding connection 55C respectively, are located side by side in the connector length direction (X-axis direction), that is, in the width direction (X-axis direction) of the terminal holder 50, between the two signal through holes VS that correspond to the two signal connection portions 53C in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction).

[0085] In this embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, adjacent signal through holes VS are arranged to be spaced apart by a distance P in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), as are adjacent signal through holes VS and ground through holes VG. Hereinafter, the arrangement of signal through holes VS corresponding to a terminal holder 50 in the connector width direction will be referred to as a "through hole row". Furthermore, a pair of signal through holes corresponding to signal terminal pairs 52 in each through hole row will be referred to as a "through hole pair".

[0086] The two grounding through-holes VG arranged side-by-side in the aforementioned width direction are positioned in a line symmetrical manner with respect to the straight line (a virtual line extending along the Y-axis) in which the signal through-holes VS are arranged. That is, in the aforementioned width direction (X-axis direction), the width range WVG between the two ends of the two grounding through-holes VG exceeds the width range WVS of the signal connection portion.

[0087] Thus, in this embodiment, since the width range WVG of the grounding through-hole VG exceeds the width range WVS of the signal through-hole VS, compared to the conventional case where the signal through-hole and the grounding through-hole have the same shape and there is only one grounding through-hole between adjacent signal through-holes, the width range of the grounding through-hole can be made larger than the width range of the signal through-hole. As a result, crosstalk such as signal through-holes surrounding the grounding through-hole can be reduced.

[0088] In addition, in this embodiment, multiple pairs of through-holes VS in each through-hole row correspond to two types of signal terminal pairs 22 and 24, namely line pair 22 and cross pair 24, which are alternately arranged in the repeater connector 1, thereby reducing far-end crosstalk (FEXT).

[0089] like Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the through-hole pairs of one of any two adjacent through-hole rows in the connector's length direction (X-axis direction) are positioned at the center of the through-hole pairs of the other through-hole row in the connector's width direction (Y-axis direction). That is, the through-hole pairs of one through-hole row are positioned offset from the through-hole pairs of the other through-hole row by an amount of 0.5P (half a pitch).

[0090] For example, in Figure 6 In the through-hole rows of the upper, middle, and lower layers shown, when "one through-hole row" is set as the through-hole row of the middle layer and "the other through-hole row" is set as the through-hole row of the upper layer, the through-hole pairs of the middle layer through-hole row are positioned offset from the through-hole pairs of the upper layer through-hole row by 0.5P (half the pitch) in the Y2 direction of the connector width.

[0091] like Figure 6 As shown, when focusing on any specific pair of through holes in the middle layer of the through hole array (here referred to as "specific pair M"), there are two through hole pairs in the upper layer of the through hole array that are close to specific pair M. Here, these two through hole pairs are referred to as "first proximity pair N1" and "second proximity pair N2", respectively. Figure 5 In the diagram, the first proximity pair M, the first proximity pair N1, and the second proximity pair N2 are shown by being enclosed by single-dot dashed lines.

[0092] For the through-hole pairs on the circuit board C, compared with those based on Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 The repeater connector 1 and the object connector 3 described herein are identical, as follows: Figure 6 As shown, it is determined that pair M is also located in the center between the first proximity pair N1 and the second proximity pair N2 in the connector width direction, and the distance between pair M and the first proximity pair N1 and the distance between pair M and the second proximity pair N2 are equal.

[0093] Furthermore, for a given pair M, if its polarity is reversed with one of the first proximity pairs N1 and the second proximity pairs N2 (e.g., the first proximity pair N1), its polarity is not reversed with the other (e.g., the second proximity pair N2). As a result, similar to the cases described for relay connector 1 and target connector 3, peak overlap of the NEXT signals from both the first proximity pairs R1 and the second proximity pairs R2 relative to the given pair M can be avoided, and correspondingly, near-end crosstalk (NEXT) in the given pair M can be reduced.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the determined pair M is located in the center between the first proximity pair N1 and the second proximity pair N2 in the connector width direction, and the distance between the determined pair M and the first proximity pair N1 and the distance between the determined pair M and the second proximity pair N2 are equal, the peak values ​​of the waveforms of the NEXT signals from the first proximity pair N1 and the second proximity pair N2 relative to the determined pair M can be staggered to the maximum extent, thereby reducing the NEXT in the determined pair Q more effectively.

[0095] This section describes the connector engagement operation of relay connector 1 and target connectors 2 and 3. First, target connectors 2 and 3 are soldered to different circuit boards (not shown) for installation. Next, as... Figure 1 As shown, the target connector 3 is positioned such that the signal contact 53B-1, ground contact 54B-1, and 55B-1 are located on the upper side, and the relay connector 1 is positioned above the target connector 3.

[0096] Next, move repeater connector 1 downwards (refer to...) Figure 1(As indicated by the arrow), each board 20 is inserted from above into the corresponding terminal holder 50 of the target connector 3 for connection. Once the relay connector 1 and the target connector 3 are properly engaged, the signal connection portions 23A and 25A of the signal terminal pairs 22 and 24 on each board 20, and the ground connection portion 26A of the ground terminal 26, make contact with the signal contact portion 53B-1 of the signal terminal pair 52 and the first ground contact portion 54B-1 of the first target ground plate 54 of the target connector 3, thus achieving electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the second ground plate 28 of each board 20 makes contact with the second ground contact portion 55B-1 of the second target ground plate 55 of the target connector 3, thus achieving electrical conductivity. At this time, the signal contact portion 53B-1 and the ground contact portions 54B-1 and 55B-1 of the target connector 3 are subjected to pressing pressure from the board 20 and elastically displace in the board thickness direction (X-axis direction).

[0097] Next, the object connector 2 is rotated vertically relative to the object connector 3. Figure 1 (as shown in the posture), mating and connecting from above relative to relay connector 1 (refer to...) Figure 1 (The arrow). The method of fitting and connecting object connector 2 is the same as that described for object connector 3.

[0098] Thus, object connectors 2 and 3 are electrically connected via relay connector 1 through the mating connection of object connectors 2 and 3 with relay connector 1.

[0099] In the repeater connector 1 described in this embodiment, a plurality of boards 20 are arranged in the connector's length direction (X-axis direction), and the signal transmission path provided on each board 20 consists of a plurality of terminals, namely straight terminals 23 and cross terminals 25, arranged in the connector's width direction. However, the signal transmission path in this invention is not limited to terminals; for example, as a variation, it may also be... Figure 7 Conductive patterns formed on the relay circuit substrate as shown in (A) and (B).

[0100] Figure 7 (A) is a perspective view of the relay circuit board of the modified example, showing the relay connector as a single unit. Figure 7 (B) means Figure 7 A front view of the conductive pattern and grounding through-hole of the relay circuit substrate (A). In this modified example of the relay connector (not shown), Figure 7 The relay circuit board 120 shown in (A) is housed in a housing (not shown) with multiple of them arranged in the connector length direction (X-axis direction).

[0101] The relay circuit board 120 includes: a substrate 121 made of an electrically insulating material such as resin; conductive patterns (conductive pattern pairs 122 and 124, described below) formed on the substrate 121, constituting a transmission path pair as a signal transmission path; a plurality of grounding through holes 126 located between the conductive pattern pairs 122 and 124; and grounding layers 127 and 128 (first grounding layer 127 and second grounding layer 128, described below), which are formed to cover two sides of the substrate 121 (faces perpendicular to the thickness direction (Z-axis direction)).

[0102] like Figure 7 As shown in (A), two supported protrusions 121A are formed near the center of both end edges of the substrate 121 extending in the vertical direction, and are supported on the housing by these supported protrusions 121A. Furthermore, in the substrate 121, a plurality of conductive patterns extending in the vertical direction in a strip-like pattern are formed in a plurality of conductive patterns (see reference) in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 7 (B)). Multiple conductive patterns have conductive pattern pairs 122 and 124 that serve as transmission path pairs. The conductive pattern pairs 122 and 124 have two types of pairs: straight pairs 122 and intersecting pairs 124. In this embodiment, as... Figure 7 As shown in (B), the straight pair 122 and the cross pair 124 are alternately configured in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction).

[0103] The straight line pair 122 has a pair of straight line patterns 123 that extend at intervals from one end to the other in the vertical direction, covering the entire range. In the thickness direction of the substrate 121 (in... Figure 7 When viewed along the X-axis (perpendicular to the paper surface) in (B), the pair of straight line patterns 123 form a shape that is symmetrical about both sides and vertically. The straight line pattern 123 has a signal connection portion 123A for connection with an object connector (not shown), a plurality of thin strip portions 123B that are divided and extended in the vertical direction, and a plurality of through holes (not shown) for signals that extend along the thickness direction (X-axis direction) within the thickness of the substrate 121.

[0104] like Figure 7 As shown in (B), the signal connection part 123A is located at both ends of the linear pattern 123 in the vertical direction, as follows: Figure 7 As shown in (A), the strip 123B is exposed from the X1 side of the substrate 21. In this embodiment, the strip 123B is formed in two layers throughout the thickness of the substrate 121. Specifically, as shown in (A), the strip 123B is exposed from the X1 side of the substrate 21. Figure 7 As shown in (B), the thin strip 123B is divided into three parts in the vertical direction, having a long thin strip 123B-1 located in the upper and lower regions respectively, and a short thin strip 123B-2 located in the middle region.

[0105] In this embodiment, two elongated strips 123B-1 are formed in the thickness direction of the substrate 121 (in the thickness direction of the substrate 121). Figure 7 (B) The X-axis direction perpendicular to the paper is located on the X1 side (in Figure 7 In the layer (B) near the anterior side), the short, thin strip 123B-2 is formed on the X2 side (in Figure 7 The inner layer of (B).

[0106] Signal through-holes (not shown) extend cylindrically along the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate 121 at the two ends of each of the three portions of the thin strip 123B in the vertical direction. These signal through-holes connect the three portions of the thin strip 123B to each other, as well as the upper and lower ends of the thin strip 123B and the signal connection portion 123A, thereby providing electrical connection. As a result, a signal transmission path is formed by a straight line pattern 123 formed by the signal connection portion 123A, the thin strip 123B, and the signal through-holes.

[0107] In this embodiment, as described above, by including signal through holes extending through both layers in the straight pattern 123, the signal transmission path in the straight pattern 123 is adjusted to be approximately the same length as the signal transmission path in the cross pattern 125 of the cross pair 124, which will be described later.

[0108] The cross pair 124 has a pair of cross patterns 125. The pair of cross patterns 125 are positioned midway down the vertical direction and buckle in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate 121, separating from each other in that direction. Figure 7 As shown in (B), they intersect without touching each other. In the thickness direction of substrate 121 (in... Figure 7 When viewed along the X-axis (perpendicular to the paper surface) in (B), the pair of intersecting patterns 125 form a shape that is asymmetrical both horizontally and vertically. Like the straight pattern 123, the intersecting pattern 125 also has a signal connection portion 125A for connection to an object connector (not shown), a plurality of thin strip portions 125B that are divided and extended in the vertical direction, and a plurality of through holes (not shown) for signals extending along the thickness direction (X-axis direction) within the thickness of the substrate 121.

[0109] Since the structure of the cross pattern 125, except for the thin strip 125B, is the same as that of the previously described straight line pattern 123, the corresponding part of the straight line pattern 123 is marked with a reference numeral "2" and the description is omitted. The thin strip 125B of the cross pattern 125 has two long thin strips 123B-1 and one short thin strip 123B-2 connected by a signal through hole.

[0110] like Figure 7As shown in (B), among the four long thin strips 125B-1 in the pair of cross patterns 125 constituting the cross pair 124, only the long thin strip 125B-1 located on the Y2 side and on the upper side (Z1) is formed to be slightly longer than the other three long thin strips 125B-1. Specifically, the lower end of the aforementioned long thin strip 125B-1 forms an inclined portion 125B-1A extending in a manner inclined towards the Y1 side, which is longer than the other long thin strips 125B-1 by the amount of the inclined portion 125B-1A.

[0111] All the elongated thin strips 125B-1 of a pair of intersecting patterns 125 are formed in the thickness direction of the substrate 121 (in Figure 7 (B) The X-axis direction perpendicular to the paper is located on the X1 side (in Figure 7 The layer (B) near the anterior side). On the other hand, the short, thin strip 125B-2 is formed on the X2 side (in Figure 7 The inner layer of (B).

[0112] In this embodiment, such as Figure 7 As shown in (B), the short, thin strip 125B-2 that connects to the previously described inclined portion 125B-1A extends vertically without inclination and is formed to be shorter than the other short, thin strip 125B-2 described later. On the other hand, when viewed in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate 121, the other short, thin strip 125B-2 extends in a manner that inclines downward toward the Y2 side and intersects with the inclined portion 125B-1A. The aforementioned other short, thin strip 125B-2 is formed to be slightly longer than the inclined portion 125B-1A.

[0113] In a pair of intersecting patterns 125, by making the inclined portion 125B-1A of the long thin strip 125B-1 intersect with the short thin strip 125B-2 of the other side, mutual contact is avoided. Furthermore, by positioning it on the X2 side (in... Figure 7 The layer (B) on the inner side) forms the short strip portion 125B-2 of the above-mentioned side, increasing the number of through holes for signals. As a result, the lengths of the signal transmission paths of the two cross patterns 125 constituting the cross pair 124 become approximately the same.

[0114] like Figure 7As shown in (B), a plurality of grounding through holes 126 are formed in a vertical arrangement between the straight pairs 122 and the cross pairs 124 in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). The grounding through holes 126 are formed as cylinders extending in the thickness direction (X-axis direction) within the thickness of the substrate 121, connecting the first ground layer 127 and the second ground layer 128 (described later). The greater the number of grounding through holes 126 arranged in the vertical direction, the better the effect of reducing crosstalk between adjacent straight pairs 122 and cross pairs 124.

[0115] Ground layers 127 and 128 are formed in a metallic layered manner. The first ground layer 127 is formed to cover the X1 side of the substrate 121, and the second ground layer 128 is formed to cover the X2 side of the substrate 121. Although the ground layers 127 and 128 are formed from the upper end to the lower end of the substrate 121, as... Figure 7 As shown in (A), the portions of the ground layer 127 at its upper and lower ends, corresponding to the signal connection portions 123A and 125A of the conductive pattern pairs 122 and 124 in the connector width direction, are cut off, resulting in the exposure of the signal connection portions 123A and 125A. The uncut portions at the upper and lower ends of the first ground layer 127 constitute a ground connection portion 127A for connection to a grounding component (not shown) of the target connector. On the other hand, neither portion of the upper nor lower ends of the second ground layer 128 is cut off, constituting a ground connection portion 128A for connection to a grounding component (not shown) of the target connector.

[0116] exist Figure 7 In the illustrated variant, multiple relay circuit boards 120 of this structure are arranged along the length of the connector, with adjacent relay circuit boards and based on... Figures 1-6 In the described embodiment, board 20 is similarly offset by half a spacing in the connector width direction, thereby reducing near-end crosstalk (NEXT).

[0117] In this embodiment and its variations, examples of applying the invention to a so-called three-piece connector in which two electrical connectors (object connectors) are electrically connected to each other via a relay connector (relay connector) are described, but the number of connected electrical connectors is not limited to three. For example, the invention can also be applied to a so-called two-piece connector consisting only of two connectors that are interlocked.

[0118] In this embodiment, the linear terminal 23, cross terminal 25, ground terminal 26, and grounding plates 27 and 28 of the relay connector 1 are configured as part of the plate 20 held in the housing 10. Furthermore, in the target connectors 2 and 3, the target linear terminal 53 and the target grounding plates 54 and 55 are configured as part of the terminal holding body 50 held in the housing 40. Additionally, in Figure 7 In the variations shown in (A) and (B), the straight line pattern 123, the cross pattern 125, the grounding through-hole 126, and the grounding layers 127 and 128 are configured as part of the relay circuit board 120 held in the housing. That is, in this embodiment and the variations, the signal transmission path and grounding component in the relay connector and the target connector are indirectly held in the housing, but this method can also be replaced by directly holding the signal transmission path and grounding component in the housing.

[0119] In this embodiment, although the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C of the two object ground planes 54 and 55 are located at the same position in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), they are not necessarily located at the same position. For example, the grounding connection portions of the two ground planes may also be staggered in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) and positioned as a whole in a staggered arrangement.

[0120] Furthermore, in this embodiment, although the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C of the grounding plates 54 and 55 extend downward in a straight line parallel to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), the shapes of the grounding connection portions 54C and 55C are not limited to this. For example, the grounding connection portion may also be formed as a straight line inclined relative to the vertical direction, or it may be formed as a shape that bends at its middle position. In this case, for example, the grounding connection portions of the two grounding plates may be positioned by extending towards the side that is separated from each other. Alternatively, the grounding connection portions of the two grounding plates may be positioned by extending towards the side that is closer to each other, thereby extending the grounding connection portion of one grounding plate towards the side of the other grounding plate.

[0121] In this embodiment, although object ground planes 54 and 55, which serve as grounding components, are provided in object connectors 2 and 3, as a variation, grounding terminals, which also serve as grounding components, may also be provided. For example, by arranging grounding terminals between signal terminal pairs in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), the grounding connection portions of the ground planes and the grounding connection portions of the grounding terminals are arranged side by side in the connector length direction (X-axis direction), which is perpendicular to the connector width direction, and these grounding connection portions form a width range (equivalent to...) Figure 5 (The range of WG in the text). In this variation, corresponding to the increase in the number of grounding connections of the grounding terminal, crosstalk such as that around the grounding connection can be reduced.

[0122] As another variation, the effect of reducing crosstalk is improved by providing multiple grounding connections arranged side-by-side along the length of the connector, or by providing multiple grounding terminals along the length of the connector. Furthermore, in this other variation, providing a ground plane is not mandatory.

[0123] In this embodiment, although two object ground planes, namely a first object ground plane 54 and a second object ground plane 55, are respectively provided as grounding components in object connectors 2 and 3, it is also possible to provide a single object ground plane instead. In this case, for example, the portion of the ground connection of the object ground plane that is soldered to the mounting surface of the circuit board may be formed to extend along the mounting surface, such that the width range (range in the X-axis direction) of this portion exceeds the width range of the connection portion of the signal transmission path.

[0124] In this embodiment, although an example of applying the present invention to an electrical connector in which the signal transmission path is a transmission path pair and transmits high-speed differential signals through the transmission path pair has been described, in the present invention, the signal transmission path being a transmission path pair is not necessary, and it may also be a single transmission path. For example, the signal transmission path may be a single terminal or a single conductive pattern as a single transmission path.

[0125] In this embodiment, although the mounting surface of the circuit board is a pad connected to a through hole, the shape of the mounting surface is not limited to this. For example, it may also be a pad disposed on the mounting surface of the circuit board and connected to a so-called pattern.

[0126] In this embodiment, although an example has been described in which the terminals of each connector 1, 2, 3 and the circuit portion of the circuit board are staggered in the connector width direction in adjacent columns, the present invention can be applied to connectors and circuit boards in which the terminals and circuit portions are disposed in the same position in the connector width direction in adjacent columns.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, have: Multiple signal transmission paths are arranged in a direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board, and soldered to the signal circuit section of the circuit board at multiple positions spaced apart along this arrangement direction; and At least two grounding components are soldered to the grounding circuit section of the circuit board. The signal transmission path has a signal connection portion that is soldered to the signal circuit section. The grounding component has a grounding connection portion that is welded to the grounding circuit portion. The grounding connection is located between the signal connection points of the adjacent signal transmission paths in the arrangement direction. Its features are, The grounding connection portion of the grounding component is formed such that, in a width direction that is parallel to the mounting surface and perpendicular to the arrangement direction, the width range between the two ends of the grounding connection portion of each of the two grounding components located on both sides of the signal transmission path exceeds the width range of the signal connection portion of the signal transmission path.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal transmission path is a single terminal.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal transmission path is a pair of terminals spaced apart and adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction.

4. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The grounding connection is part of the grounding plate of the grounding component.

5. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The grounding connection is part of the grounding terminal of the grounding component.

6. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The grounding connection portions are arranged in multiple ways along the width direction between the signal connection portions.

7. An electrical connector with a circuit board, characterized in that, have: The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and The circuit board includes a signal circuit section for soldering the signal connection portion of the signal transmission path in the electrical connector, and a ground circuit section for soldering the ground connection portion of the grounding component. The electrical connector is mounted on the circuit board.

8. The electrical connector with circuit board according to claim 7, characterized in that, The grounding connection portions are arranged in multiple ways along the width direction between the signal connection portions. The grounding circuit section of the circuit board and the plurality of grounding connection sections have a plurality of mounting surfaces located on the mounting surface of the circuit board. Multiple grounding connection portions are welded to the mounting surface.

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