connector

Abstract

This invention provides a connector that suppresses impedance mismatch and floats smoothly. The connector 100's socket unit 93 includes multiple contacts 3-jj=1 to K, which are mounted between a fixed housing 1 and a floating housing 2. Each contact has a support portion 36 supported by the fixed housing 1, a support portion 37 supported by the floating housing 2, and an elastically deformable portion 38 sandwiched between these two support portions 36 and 37. The elastically deformable portion 38 has two straight portions 381 and 382 and a flexible portion 380 between the upper ends of the two straight portions 381 and 382. These two straight portions 381 and 382 extend along wall portions 12 and 22 in the fixed housing 1 and floating housing 2, respectively, toward the movable space 102. The portions of wall portions 12 and 22 opposite to the flexible portion 380 are bent in accordance with the shape of the flexible portion 380.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to connectors with a floating mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Most high-speed transmission connectors are formed by pressing multiple contacts side-by-side into an opening in a housing made of electrically insulating resin. In such connectors, if the contacts are shaped like an L-shape or an arc formed by bending a piece of metal, an impedance mismatch will occur between the bent portion and the straight portion. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for suppressing this impedance mismatch in connectors. The substrate connection connector disclosed in Patent Document 1 consists of a first connector of the socket type and a second connector of the plug type embedded in the first connector. The first connector of this document 1 has a fixed housing, a floating housing, and multiple contacts disposed between these housings. The contacts of the first connector have a first spring portion and a second spring portion extending in an inverted V-shape, and a reverse bending portion sandwiched between their upper ends. A partition member made of electrically insulating synthetic resin material is disposed between the reverse bending portions of adjacent contacts. According to the technology in Patent Document 1, by using the partition member disposed between the inverted bending portions, the impedance difference between the inverted bending portions and the other straight-line extending portions is narrowed, thereby suppressing impedance mismatch.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-045739 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in the case of the technology in Patent Document 1, there is a problem as follows: although impedance mismatch can be suppressed, the relative movement of the two when the second connector is inserted into the first connector is restricted by the partition member between the reverse bending portion of the adjacent contact, making it difficult to float smoothly, that is, to absorb the error of the installation position of the two connectors.

[0008] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object is to provide a connector that suppresses impedance mismatch and is capable of smooth floating.

[0009] Methods for solving problems

[0010] To address the aforementioned issues, a preferred embodiment of the connector of the present invention comprises a socket unit mounted on a first substrate and a plug unit mounted on a second substrate and connected to the socket unit. The socket unit and the plug unit are connected to electrically connect the first substrate and the second substrate. The connector is characterized in that the socket unit comprises: a fixed housing fixed to the substrate and having an opening extending vertically through the fixed housing; a floating housing housed within the opening of the fixed housing in a manner that separates a movable space; and a plurality of contacts disposed between the fixed housing and the floating housing, each contact having a first support portion supported by the fixed housing, a second support portion supported by the floating housing, and an elastically deformable portion sandwiched between the two support portions and capable of elastic deformation. The elastically deformable portion has two straight portions and a flexible portion between the upper ends of the two straight portions. The two straight portions extend along walls of the fixed housing and the floating housing toward the movable space, and a portion of the wall opposite the flexible portion bends in accordance with the shape of the flexible portion.

[0011] In this configuration, the contact member may have a terminal portion connected to the first support plate portion and a contact portion connected to the second support plate portion. The fixed housing may have a first wall portion facing each other in a manner that surrounds the opening. The floating housing may have a socket for inserting the plug unit. The floating housing may have a through hole extending from the bottom surface toward the socket. The contact member may cause the contact portion to protrude into the socket through the through hole. The contact member may be pressed into the fixed housing and the floating housing by housing the elastic deformable portion in the movable space.

[0012] Alternatively, a plurality of first slits may be provided in the first wall portion, and the first support piece of the contact member may be housed in the first slits and supported thereon.

[0013] Alternatively, the floating housing may have a second wall portion forming the inner circumferential surface of the socket, and a plurality of second slits may be provided in the second wall portion, and the second support piece portion of the contact member may be housed in the second slits and supported thereon.

[0014] Alternatively, the two grounding contacts and the two signal contacts in each column can be grouped together, and arranged in a sequence in which the two signal contacts are housed between the two grounding contacts. A conductive resin component that connects the grounding contacts to each other is fixed at the bottom of the floating housing.

[0015] Alternatively, a conductive resin component may be provided on the bottom surface of the aforementioned floating shell.

[0016] Alternatively, the conductive resin component may have a lower plate portion and a protrusion extending upward from the center of the lower plate portion, the protrusion engaging with a groove provided on the bottom surface of the floating housing.

[0017] Alternatively, the lower plate may have a shape in which the four corners of the cuboid protrude outwards in the left and right directions, and a column that rises upwards is provided at the front end of the part that protrudes outwards. The column contacts the two grounding contacts in the left column and the two grounding contacts in the right column.

[0018] Alternatively, brackets may be provided at the front and rear ends of the outer side of the first wall portion, and anchor plates may be installed on the brackets.

[0019] The effects of the invention

[0020] The present invention provides a connector comprising a socket unit mounted on a first substrate and a plug unit mounted on a second substrate and connected to the socket unit, wherein the socket unit and the plug unit are connected to electrically connect the first substrate and the second substrate. The socket unit comprises: a fixed housing fixed to the substrate and having an opening extending vertically through the fixed housing; a floating housing housed within the opening of the fixed housing in a manner that separates a movable space; and a plurality of contacts disposed between the fixed housing and the floating housing, each contact having a first support portion supported by the fixed housing, a second support portion supported by the floating housing, and an elastically deformable portion sandwiched between the two support portions and capable of elastic deformation. The elastically deformable portion has two straight portions and a flexible portion between the upper ends of the two straight portions. The two straight portions extend along walls of the fixed housing and the floating housing toward the movable space, and portions of the walls opposite the flexible portions are bent in accordance with the shape of the flexible portions. Therefore, the walls of the fixed housing and the floating housing are positioned opposite the flexible portion to cover it, thereby reducing the impedance difference between the flexible portion of the contact and the other portions. Furthermore, the movement of the floating housing is not restricted by the portions of the fixed housing and the floating housing that are opposite the flexible portion. Thus, a connector that suppresses impedance mismatch in the contacts and allows for smooth floating is provided. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 (A) is a perspective view of the socket unit 93 of the connector 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 (B) is a perspective view of the plug unit 97 of connector 100.

[0022] Figure 2Viewed from the opposite side Figure 1 A perspective view of socket unit 93 in (A).

[0023] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the structure formed by fitting the socket unit 93 and the plug unit 97 together.

[0024] Figure 4 (A) and Figure 4 Diagram (B) shows the floating motion of the socket unit 93 in the X direction. Figure 4 The diagram in (C) shows the floating shape of the socket unit 93 in the Y direction.

[0025] Figure 5 The diagram in (A) is a view of socket unit 93 from the +Z side. Figure 5 The middle (B) diagram is a view of the socket unit 93 from the +Y side. Figure 5 The middle (C) diagram is a view of the socket unit 93 from the -Z side. Figure 5 The middle (D) diagram is a view of the socket unit 93 from the -X side.

[0026] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Sectional view along line A-A in (B).

[0027] Figure 7 (A) is a perspective view of the mounting housing 1 of the socket unit 93. Figure 7 (B) is Figure 7 Sectional view along line A-A in (A).

[0028] Figure 8 Image (B) is a perspective view of the floating housing 2 of the socket unit 93. Figure 8 (B) is Figure 8 Sectional view along line A-A in (A).

[0029] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of contact element 3-j of socket unit 93.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a three-dimensional view of the anchor plate 4 of the socket unit 93.

[0031] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the conductive resin component 5 of the socket unit 93.

[0032] Figure 12 The middle (A) diagram shows the plug unit 97 viewed from the +Z side. Figure 12 The middle (B) diagram shows the plug unit 97 viewed from the +Y side. Figure 12 The middle (C) diagram is a view of the plug unit 97 from the -Z side. Figure 12 The middle (D) diagram is a view of the plug unit 97 from the -X side.

[0033] Figure 13 (A) is Figure 12 Sectional view along line D-D in (B) Figure 13 (B) is Figure 13 Enlarged view within box G in (A).

[0034] Figure 14 yes Figure 12 Enlarged view within box F of (B).

[0035] Figure 15 (A) is Figure 12 A sectional view of the H-H line section in (A). Figure 15 (B) is Figure 15 Enlarged view within box J in (A).

[0036] Figure 16 yes Figure 12 Enlarged view within box K in (C).

[0037] Figure 17 Image (A) is a perspective view of the housing 6 of the plug unit 97. Figure 17 (B) is Figure 17 Sectional view along line A-A in (A).

[0038] Figure 18 This is a perspective view of contact 7-j of plug unit 97.

[0039] Figure 19 This is a three-dimensional view of the anchor plate 8 of the plug unit 97. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Hereinafter, a connector 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The connector 100 includes a socket unit 93 and a plug unit 97. The socket unit 93 is mounted on an electronic substrate serving as a first substrate. The plug unit 97 is mounted on an extension substrate serving as a second substrate. The head 62 of the plug unit 97 is fitted into the socket 20 of the socket unit 93. By connecting the socket unit 93 and the plug unit 97, the K contacts 7-j (j = 1 to K, for example, 144) of the plug unit 97 are electrically connected to the K contacts 3-j (j = 1 to K) of the socket unit 93, thereby enabling high-speed differential transmission at speeds up to several Gbps based on PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation).

[0041] In the following description, the direction in which the plug unit 97 engages with the socket unit 93 is appropriately referred to as the Z direction, a direction orthogonal to the Z direction is appropriately referred to as the X direction, and a direction orthogonal to both the Z and Y directions is appropriately referred to as the Y direction. Additionally, there are cases where the +Z side is referred to as the upper side, the -Z side as the lower side, the +X side as the front side, the -X side as the rear side, the +Y side as the left side, and the -Y side as the right side. Furthermore, the text markings (G) on the differential transmission grounding contacts 3-j (j=1 to K) of the socket unit 93 and the contacts 7-j (j=1 to K) of the plug unit 97, as well as the text markings (S) on the signal contacts 3-j and 7-j, are used to distinguish between the two.

[0042] like Figure 1 (A) Figure 2 , Figure 5 (A) Figure 5 (B) Figure 5 (C) and Figure 5 As shown in (D), the socket unit 93 has: a fixed housing 1, a floating housing 2, contact 3-j (j = 1 to K), an anchor plate 4, and a conductive resin component 5.

[0043] like Figure 7 As shown, the fixed housing 1 has an opening 10 that extends vertically through the fixed housing 1, and a first wall portion, namely wall portion 11 and 12, surrounding the opening 10. Wall portion 11 is opposite to wall portion 12 in the X direction across the opening 10, and wall portion 12 is opposite to wall portion 12 in the Y direction across the opening 10.

[0044] The upper and left and right edges of the outer surfaces of the front and rear walls 11 of the fixed housing 1 protrude outward as protrusions 111. A middle plate 112 extending vertically is located in the center of the outer surface of the wall 11. A positioning protrusion 113 is provided in the center of the lower surface of the wall 11. This positioning protrusion 113 is inserted into the positioning hole of the electronic substrate when the socket unit 93 is fixed to the electronic substrate.

[0045] The front and rear ends of the outer surfaces of the left and right wall portions 12 of the fixed housing 1 are provided with brackets 121 for mounting the anchor plate 4. The lower end of the two brackets 121 on the outer surface of the wall portion 12 protrudes outward as a protrusion 122.

[0046] On the lower side of the inner surface of the left and right walls 12 of the fixed housing 1, there are rows of K / 2 slits 17-j arranged in a front-to-back pattern. On the upper side of the inner surface of the left and right walls 12, there is a curved portion 14 that curves inward in a four-part arc shape, and there is an inner edge portion 15 that is parallel to the inner surface.

[0047] like Figure 8(A) and Figure 8 As shown in (B), the floating housing 2 has a socket 20 for inserting the head 62 of the floating housing 2, and a second wall portion, namely wall portions 21 and 22, constituting the inner peripheral surface of the socket 20. Wall portions 21 are opposite each other in the X direction across the socket 20, and wall portions 22 are opposite each other in the Y direction across the socket 20. The floating housing 2 has dimensions for being housed in the opening 10 of the fixed housing 1.

[0048] The upper and left and right edges of the outer surfaces of the front and rear walls 21 of the floating shell 2 protrude outward as protrusions 211. The lower left and right ends of the protrusions 211 protrude outward as well.

[0049] The inner surfaces of the left and right walls 22 of the floating shell 2 form stepped surfaces where the lower surface protrudes relative to the upper surface. K / 2 rows of slits 26-j are arranged sequentially on the lower side of the inner surfaces of the left and right walls 22 of the floating shell 2. On the upper side of the outer surfaces of the left and right walls 22, there are curved portions 24 that curve outward in a four-part arc shape, with an outer edge 25 parallel to the outer surface.

[0050] like Figure 5 (A) Figure 5 (C) and Figure 8 As shown in (B), a bottom 23 forming the bottom of the insertion port 20 is provided between the lower ends of the front and rear walls 21 in the floating hull 2. The bottom 23 extends in a straight line from front to back. Figure 8 As shown in (B), there is a through hole 220 between the bottom 23 and the inner surfaces of the walls 22 on the left and right sides. The through hole 220 extends from the bottom surface toward the insertion port 20. A conductive resin component 5 is provided on the bottom surface of the floating housing 2. A groove 230 for fixing the conductive resin component 5 is provided on the bottom surface of the bottom 23 of the floating housing 2.

[0051] Contact elements 3-j (j = 1 to K) form columns of K / 2 contact elements 3-j on each side. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the contact 3-j has a terminal portion 31 extending in a left-right direction at one end, a contact portion 32 extending in a up-down direction at the other end, a support piece portion 36 connected to the terminal portion 31, a support piece portion 37 connected to the contact portion 32, and an elastically deformable portion 38 sandwiched between the two support pieces 36 and 37.

[0052] The front end of the contact portion 32 is bent in a U-shape. Outwardly protruding claw portions 361 and 371 are present on the sides of the support plate portion 36 and the support plate portion 37.

[0053] The elastic deformation section 38 has a semi-circular flexible section 380, two straight sections 381 and 382 extending downward from both ends of the flexible section 380, a connecting section 386 that bends at the lower end of the straight section 381 toward the support plate section 36 and connects to the upper end of the support plate section 36, and a connecting section 387 that bends at the lower end of the straight section 382 toward the support plate section 37 and connects to the lower edge of the support plate section 37. The elastic deformation section 38 is capable of elastic deformation in the front, back, left, and right directions.

[0054] like Figure 10 As shown, the anchor plate 4 has a main body 41 and a protrusion 42 that protrudes downward from the lower edge of the main body 41. A convex portion 411 extending laterally is present on the upper edge of the side surface of the main body 41. Below the convex portion 411 on the side surface of the main body 41, a claw portion 412 protrudes outward. An elongated hole 421 is provided in the protrusion 42.

[0055] like Figure 11 As shown, the conductive resin component 5 has a lower plate portion 51 that protrudes outwards from the four corners of the cuboid in the left and right directions, a protrusion 53 that protrudes upwards from the center of the upper surface of the lower plate portion 51, and a column portion 59 that rises upwards from the outwardly protruding front end of the lower plate portion 51. The left and right widths of the protrusion 53 are approximately the same as the left and right widths of the groove 230 in the bottom 23 of the floating housing 2.

[0056] The fixed housing 1, the floating housing 2, the contact element 3-j (j = 1 to K), the anchor plate 4, and the conductive resin component 5 are assembled as follows.

[0057] like Figure 5 (A) Figure 5 (C) and Figure 6 As shown, the floating shell 2 is housed in the opening 10 of the fixed shell 1. Two rows of contact members 3-j are provided between the floating shell 2 and the fixed shell 1. A conductive resin component 5 is installed in the groove 230 of the bottom 23 of the floating shell 2. An anchor plate 4 is installed on the bracket 121 of the fixed shell 1.

[0058] Here, in Figure 5 In the middle (C), in order to represent the groove 230, the number of conductive resin parts 5 is 6, but in fact, conductive resin parts 5 are installed on the entire lower surface of the bottom 23.

[0059] like Figure 5As shown in (A), a movable space 101 for allowing the floating shell 2 to float back and forth is provided between the wall 11 of the fixed shell 1 and the wall 21 of the floating shell 2 in the opening 10. A movable space 102 for allowing the floating shell 2 to float left and right is provided between the wall 12 of the fixed shell 1 and the wall 22 of the floating shell 2. Contacts 3-j (j = 1 to K) are grouped into sets of two contacts 3-j (G) and two contacts 3-j (S), arranged in a sequence in which two signal contacts are housed between the two grounding contacts.

[0060] like Figure 6 As shown, contact 3-j has its contact portion 32 protruding into the socket 20 through the through hole 220, housing the elastically deformable portion 38 in the movable space 102, and being pressed into the fixed housing 1 and the floating housing 2 from below. The support portion 36 of contact 3-j is housed in the slit 17-j and supported. The support portion 37 of contact 3-j is housed in the slit 26-j and supported.

[0061] The connecting portion 387 of contact 3-j is connected to the lower surface of the floating housing 2. The terminal portion 31 of contact 3-j protrudes to the lower side of the lower surface of the fixed housing 1. The terminal portion 31 of contact 3-j is soldered to the pads of the electronic substrate and fixed thereto. There are no electrically insulating components separating adjacent contacts 3-j, only an air layer exists.

[0062] like Figure 6 As shown, a gap 120 is provided between the inner edge 15 of the fixed housing 1 and the outer edge 25 of the floating housing 2. On the lower side of the gap 120 in the movable space 102, the curved portion 14 of the wall portion 12 and the curved portion 24 of the wall portion 22 are bent in the shape of the flexible portion 380 of the elastic deformation portion 38.

[0063] The protrusion 53 of the conductive resin component 5 is embedded in the groove 230 of the bottom 23 of the floating housing 2. The two pillars 59 on the left side of the conductive resin component 5 contact the two contacts 3-j(G) on the left side. The two pillars 59 on the right side of the conductive resin component 5 contact the two contacts 3-j(G) on the right side. The four contacts 3-j(G) are electrically connected via the conductive resin component 5. The protrusion 42 of the anchor plate 4 mounted on the bracket 121 extends to the lower side of the lower surface of the fixed housing 1.

[0064] like Figure 1 (B) Figure 12 (A) Figure 12 (B) Figure 12 (C) and Figure 12 As shown in (D), the plug unit 97 has a housing 6, contacts 7-j (j = 1 to K) and an anchor plate 8.

[0065] like Figure 17 (A) and Figure 17 As shown in (B), the housing 6 has a head 62 and a base 63.

[0066] The head 62 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the base 63. K / 2 rows of slits 66-j are respectively provided on the left and right outer sides of the head 62.

[0067] The left slit 66-j forms a U-shaped cross-section surrounded by the right, front, and rear peripheral walls. The right side of the left slit 66-j is open, with the front and rear peripheral walls facing each other. The right slit 66-j forms a U-shaped cross-section surrounded by the left, front, and rear peripheral walls. The left side of the right slit 66-j is open, with the front and rear peripheral walls facing each other.

[0068] like Figure 17 As shown in (B), grooves 661 are provided on the three peripheral walls of the slits 66-j on the left and right sides. The groove 661 on the front peripheral wall is recessed to the front side, the groove 661 on the rear peripheral wall is recessed to the rear side, the groove 661 on the left peripheral wall is recessed to the left side, and the groove 661 on the right peripheral wall is recessed to the right side.

[0069] A positioning protrusion 613 is provided at the center of the front and rear ends of the upper surface of the base 63. The positioning protrusion 613 is embedded in the positioning hole of the expansion substrate when the plug unit 97 is fixed to the expansion substrate. The upper edge of the front and rear sides of the base 63 extends outward as an outer edge 631. A bracket 632 for mounting the anchor plate 8 is provided on the outer edge 631.

[0070] K / 2 through holes 67-j are arranged in a row on the left and right sides of the center in the Y direction of the base 63. The through holes 67-j penetrate the base 63 vertically. The through hole 67-j on the left communicates with the slit 66-j on the left, and the through hole 67-j on the right communicates with the slit 66-j on the right.

[0071] The through holes 67-j on the left and right sides form a rectangular cross-sectional shape enclosed by the left peripheral wall, right peripheral wall, front peripheral wall, and rear peripheral wall. The left peripheral wall and right peripheral wall, as well as the front peripheral wall and rear peripheral wall, of the through holes 67-j on the left and right sides are respectively opposite each other. The peripheral wall of the through hole 67-j is connected to the peripheral wall of the slit 66-j.

[0072] like Figure 15 As shown in (A), two retaining parts 679 and 678 that are necked inward are provided at the upper and lower ends of the through hole 67-j on the left and right sides, respectively.

[0073] like Figure 17As shown in (B), grooves 672 are provided on the four peripheral walls of the left and right through holes 67-j, excluding the two retaining portions 679 and 678. The groove 672 on the front peripheral wall is recessed to the front, the groove 672 on the rear peripheral wall is recessed to the rear, the groove 672 on the left peripheral wall is recessed to the left, and the groove 672 on the right peripheral wall is recessed to the right. The orientation and depth of the groove 672 in the through hole 67-j are the same as the orientation and depth of the groove 661 in the slit 66-j.

[0074] Contact elements 7-j (j = 1 to K) form rows of K / 2 contact elements 7-j on each side. For example... Figure 18 As shown, the contact member 7-j has a straight portion 72 extending in the up-down direction at one end, a terminal portion 79 extending in the left-right direction at the other end, and a connecting portion 80 sandwiched between them.

[0075] A claw portion 720 protrudes outward at a position on the side of the straight portion 72 where it separates from the lower end upwards. The upper end of the straight portion 72 is slightly thicker than the portion below it. In addition, an elongated hole 721 is provided in this thicker portion.

[0076] like Figure 19 As shown, the anchor plate 8 has two rectangular plates 81, a mounting portion 40 between the lower ends of the two rectangular plates 81, and a protrusion 83 protruding upward from the upper edge of the two rectangular plates 81. Claw portions 812 protruding outward are present on the sides of the two rectangular plates 81.

[0077] The housing 6, contacts 7-j (j = 1 to K), and anchor plate 8 are assembled as follows. Contacts 7-j (j = 1 to K) are pressed into the housing 6 from above. The straight portion 72 of contact 7-j is inserted into the through hole 67-j, with its front end penetrating the through hole 67-j and held by the slit 66-j. The terminal portion 79 of contact 7-j protrudes to the upper side of the upper surface of the housing 6. The terminal portion 79 of contact 7-j is soldered to the pads of the extension substrate and fixed thereto.

[0078] An anchor plate 8 is mounted on the bracket 632 of the housing 6. The protrusion 83 of the anchor plate 8 extends to the upper side of the upper end of the housing 6. The straight portion 72 of the contact member 7-j extends in a straight line along the through hole 67-j and the slit 66-j. A portion of the claw portion 720 of the straight portion 72 is supported by the lower retaining portion 678, and the upper end of the straight portion 72 with its width and thickness is supported by the upper retaining portion 679.

[0079] like Figure 3 As shown, if the head 62 of the plug unit 97 is engaged with the socket 20 of the socket unit 93, then the straight portion 72 of the contact member 7-j of the plug unit 97 will contact the contact portion 32 of the contact member 3-j of the socket unit 93.

[0080] like Figure 4 (A) and Figure 4 As shown in (B), when the relative positions of the plug unit 97 and the socket unit 93 are offset in the front-rear direction, the contact member 3-j is twisted to tilt the straight portions 381 and 382 to opposite sides, thereby moving the socket unit 93 forward or backward within the opening 10. This eliminates the front-rear positional offset.

[0081] In addition, such as Figure 4 As shown in (C), when the relative positions of the plug unit 97 and the socket unit 93 are offset in the left and right directions, the left and right contact members 3-j twist in such a way that the straight portion 381 and the straight portion 382 of one side expand and the straight portion 381 and the straight portion 382 of the other side narrow, so that the socket unit 93 moves to the left or right within the opening 10.

[0082] The above is a detailed description of the structure of this embodiment. The socket unit 93 of the connector 100 in this embodiment includes: a fixed housing 1, which is fixed to a substrate and has an opening 10 that extends vertically through the fixed housing 1; a floating housing 2, which is housed in the opening 10 of the fixed housing 1 to separate the movable space 101 and the movable space 102; and a plurality of contacts 3-j (j = 1 to K), which are disposed between the fixed housing 1 and the floating housing 2 and have a support piece 36 supported by the fixed housing 1, a support piece 37 supported by the floating housing 2, and an elastically deformable part 38 sandwiched between the two support pieces 36 and 37 and capable of elastic deformation. The elastic deformation portion 38 has two straight portions 381 and 382 and a flexible portion 380 between the upper ends of the two straight portions 381 and 382. These two straight portions 381 and 382 extend along wall portions 12 and 22 in the fixed housing 1 and floating housing 2, respectively, towards the movable space 102. The portions of wall portions 12 and 22 opposite to the flexible portion 380 are bent in accordance with the shape of the flexible portion 380. Therefore, wall portions 12 and 22 cover and oppose the flexible portion 380, thereby reducing the impedance difference between the flexible portion 380 of the contact 3-j and other portions. Furthermore, the movement of the floating housing 2 is not restricted by the portions of wall portions 12 and 22 opposite to the flexible portion 380. Therefore, a connector 100 that suppresses impedance mismatch in the contact 3-j and allows for smooth floating is provided.

[0083] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the following modifications may be made to these embodiments.

[0084] (1) In the above embodiment, the columns of contacts 3-j (j = 1 to K) of the socket unit 93 can be formed into one column, or more than three columns can be formed.

[0085] (2) In the above embodiment, separate conductive resin components 5 may also be provided in the left column and the right column of the contact 3-j (j = 1 to K). In this case, one conductive resin component 5 may also contact two contact 3-j (G) sandwiching two contact 3-j (S) to electrically connect these two grounding contact 3-j (G) to each other.

[0086] (3) In the above embodiments, the number of anchor plates 4 does not need to be 4; it can be 1 to 3 or more.

[0087] (4) In the above embodiments, the number K of contact elements 3-j can be more than 145 or less than 143.

[0088] Symbol explanation:

[0089] 1…Fixed shell; 2…Floating shell; 3…Contact; 4…Anchor plate; 5…Conductive resin component; 6…Shell; 7…Contact; 8…Anchor plate; 10…Opening; 11…Wall; 12…Wall; 14…Bend; 15…Inner edge; 17…Slit; 20…Socket; 21…Wall; 22…Wall; 23…Bottom; 24…Bend; 25…Outer edge; 26…Slit; 31…Terminal; 32…Contact; 36…Support plate; 37…Support plate; 38…Elastic deformation; 40…Frame; 41…Main body; 42…Protrusion; 43…Protrusion; 51…Lower plate; 53…Raft; 59…Column; 62…Head; 63…Base; 66…Slit; 67…Through Hole; 72…Straight section; 79…Terminal section; 80…Connecting section; 81…Rectangular plate section; 93…Socket unit; 97…Plug unit; 100…Connector; 101…Movable space; 102…Movable space; 111…Protrusion; 112…Middle plate; 113…Protrusion; 120…Gap; 121…Bracket; 122…Protrusion; 220…Through hole; 230…Slot; 361…Claw section; 380…Flexible section; 381…Straight section; 386…Connecting section; 387…Connecting section; 411…Protrusion; 412…Claw section; 421…Elongated hole; 613…Protrusion; 631…Outer edge; 632…Bracket; 661…Slot; 672…Slot; 720…Claw section; 721…Elongated hole; 812…Claw section.

Claims

1. A connector comprising a socket unit mounted on a first substrate and a plug unit mounted on a second substrate and connected to the socket unit, wherein the socket unit and the plug unit are connected to electrically connect the first substrate and the second substrate. The connector is characterized in that, The socket unit includes: A fixed housing, which is fixed to a base plate and has an opening extending through the fixed housing from top to bottom; A floating shell, wherein the floating shell is housed within the opening of the fixed shell in a manner that separates the movable space; and Multiple contact elements are provided, which are mounted between the fixed housing and the floating housing, and each contact element has a first support plate supported by the fixed housing, a second support plate supported by the floating housing, and an elastically deformable portion sandwiched between the two support plates. The elastic deformation portion has two straight portions and a flexible portion between the upper ends of the two straight portions, the two straight portions extending along the wall portion of the fixed housing and the floating housing toward the movable space. The portion of the wall opposite the flexible portion is bent in accordance with the shape of the flexible portion. The outer straight section of the two straight sections is opposite to the wall of the fixed housing, and the inner straight section of the two straight sections is opposite to the wall of the floating housing.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact element has a terminal portion connected to the first support plate portion and a contact portion connected to the second support plate portion. The fixed housing has a first wall portion that is opposed to the opening. The floating housing has a socket for the plug unit to be inserted. The floating shell has a through hole extending from the bottom surface toward the socket. The contact element causes the contact portion to protrude into the socket through the through hole, and is pressed into the fixed housing and the floating housing by housing the elastic deformable portion in the movable space.

3. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, A plurality of first slits are provided in the first wall portion. The first support portion of the contact element is housed within the first slit and supported.

4. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The floating shell has a second wall portion forming the inner circumferential surface of the socket, and a plurality of second slits are provided in the second wall portion. The second support portion of the contact element is housed within the second slit and supported.

5. The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The contacts in each column are grouped into two grounding contacts and two signal contacts, arranged in a sequence where the two signal contacts are placed between the two grounding contacts. A conductive resin component is fixed to the bottom of the floating hull to connect the grounding contacts to each other.

6. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, A conductive resin component is provided on the bottom surface of the floating hull.

7. The connector according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conductive resin component has a lower plate portion and a protrusion that protrudes upward from the center of the lower plate portion. The protrusion engages with a groove located on the bottom surface of the floating shell.

8. The connector according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lower plate has a shape that causes the four corners of the cuboid to protrude outwards in the left and right directions. A column that rises upward is provided at the front end of the portion that protrudes outward. The column makes contact with two grounding contacts in the left column and two grounding contacts in the right column.

9. The connector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Supports are provided at the front and rear ends of the outer surface of the first wall portion. Anchor plates are installed on the bracket.

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