Electric connector

Abstract

To provide an electric connector that can achieve both miniaturization and prevention of an increase in transmission loss.SOLUTION: An electric connector comprises: a plurality of first electric wires having first signal lines and first ground lines connected to the ground, extending along a first direction and arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction; a housing having a first holding part holding leading ends of the plurality of first electric wires; and a first ground plate having a plate body part provided on the housing. The first holding part holds conductors at the leading ends of the plurality of first electric wires. The first ground plate has an elastic part extending from the plate body part toward the conductors of the first ground lines. The elastic part is configured to be in elastic contact with the conductors of the first ground lines.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electrical connectors. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A known electrical connector to be connected to a mating electrical connector includes a plurality of electric wires and a housing that holds the plurality of electric wires (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-069166 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the electrical connectors described above, as the signal transmission speed increases, noise is more likely to occur in the wires. In order to reduce such noise, it is possible to connect the conductor of any of the multiple wires to ground. In order to suppress the increase in transmission loss, it is desirable to further reduce such noise. On the other hand, it is desirable to miniaturize such electrical connectors.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electrical connector that is capable of suppressing an increase in transmission loss while also being miniaturized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector, comprising: a first signal line and a first ground line connected to a ground, a plurality of first electric wires each extending along a first direction and arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction; a housing having a first holding portion for holding each end of the plurality of first electric wires; and a first ground plate having a plate body portion provided on the housing. In this electrical connector, the first holding portion holds each conductor at each end of the plurality of first electric wires, and the first ground plate has an elastic portion extending from the plate body portion toward the conductor of the first ground line, and the elastic portion is configured to elastically contact the conductor of the first ground line. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an electrical connector that is capable of suppressing an increase in transmission loss while also being miniaturized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view showing a sub-connector included in the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the sub-connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of the sub-connector shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) An electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of first electric wires each having a first signal line and a first ground line connected to a ground, the plurality of first electric wires extending along a first direction and arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction, a housing having a first holding portion for holding each end of the plurality of first electric wires, and a first ground plate having a plate main body provided on the housing. In this electrical connector, the first holding portion holds each conductor at each end of the plurality of first electric wires, and the first ground plate has an elastic portion extending from the plate main body toward the conductor of the first ground line, the elastic portion being configured to elastically contact the conductor of the first ground line.

[0010] This electrical connector has a first ground wire connected to the ground and a first ground plate, and the first ground plate is in contact with the conductor of the first ground wire. This makes it possible to further reduce noise generated in the electrical connector. Furthermore, in this electrical connector, the first ground plate is in elastic contact with the conductor of the first ground wire by an elastic portion extending from the plate body. This makes it possible to miniaturize the electrical connector, since there is no need to use a terminal or the like for connecting the first ground plate to the ground, even when such a first ground plate is provided. Therefore, this electrical connector makes it possible to suppress an increase in transmission loss and to miniaturize the electrical connector at the same time.

[0011] (2) In the electrical connector of (1) above, the first holding portion may include a plurality of through holes penetrating the housing along the first direction, and the tip portions of the plurality of first electric wires may be housed in the plurality of through holes, respectively. In this case, the first holding portion that holds the plurality of first electric wires can be easily formed. Furthermore, the first holding portion can stably hold the plurality of first electric wires.

[0012] (3) In the electrical connector of (1) or (2) above, the housing may have a first surface and a second surface located on the opposite side to the first surface in the first direction, the first holding portion may be open on the first surface and the second surface, and each tip of the plurality of first electric wires may be exposed from the first holding portion on the first surface. The housing may have a step portion protruding from the second surface along the first direction, and the conductor of the first ground line may be sandwiched between the step portion and the elastic portion. In this case, the elastic portion can be in more reliable contact with the conductor of the first ground line, and the contact of the elastic portion with the conductor of the first ground line can be stably maintained for a long period of time.

[0013] (4) In the electrical connector of (3), the step may include a groove that supports the conductor of the first ground line, and the elastic portion may have a shape that protrudes toward the conductor of the first ground line. In this case, the elastic portion can be in more reliable contact with the conductor of the first ground line, and the contact of the elastic portion with the conductor of the first ground line can be stably maintained for a long period of time.

[0014] (5) Any of the electrical connectors described in (1) to (4) above may further include a plurality of second electric wires each having a second signal wire and a second ground wire connected to the ground, each extending along the first direction and arranged along the second direction, and a second ground plate, and the housing may have a second holding portion for holding each tip of the plurality of second electric wires. The plurality of second electric wires may be arranged in a line with the plurality of first electric wires along a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction, and the second ground plate may be located between the plurality of first electric wires and the plurality of second electric wires. In this case, since the electrical connector further includes a plurality of second electric wires, the amount of signal transmission can be increased. Furthermore, since the second ground plate is located between the plurality of first electric wires and the plurality of second electric wires, it is possible to suppress noise generated in the first electric wire from entering the second electric wire and noise generated in the second electric wire from entering the first electric wire.

[0015] (6) The electrical connector according to any one of (1) to (5) above may further include a covering member that covers at least a portion of the first electric wires excluding the respective tips, and the first electric wires may be integrated together. In this case, the first electric wires can be easily held in the first holding portion of the housing.

[0016] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the electrical connector according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is intended to include all modifications within the scope of the claims and meaning equivalent thereto. In the following description, the same elements in the description of the drawings will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector 1 shown in FIG. 1. The electrical connector 1 is attached to a board (not shown), for example, via a mating connector (not shown). The electrical connector 1 includes sub-connectors 2, 3, 4, 5 and a frame body 6. The sub-connectors 2 to 5 are clamped by the frame body 6. The sub-connectors 3, 4, 5 have the same configuration as the sub-connector 2. Therefore, hereinafter, the details of the sub-connector 2 will be described, and descriptions of the sub-connectors 3, 4, 5 may be omitted.

[0018] The sub-connector 2 includes a plurality of first electric wires 7, a plurality of second electric wires 10, a housing 20, ground plates 30, 40, 50, a plurality of shielding members 60, and a pair of guide pins 70. The plurality of first electric wires 7 are integrated together by a covering member 13 to form a flexible flat cable (FFC). Similarly, the plurality of second electric wires 10 are integrated together by a covering member 14 to form an FFC cable.

[0019] The first electric wires 7 are members for transmitting power or electric signals. Each of the first electric wires 7 is either a signal wire (first signal wire) 8 or a ground wire (first ground wire) 9. In one example, the first electric wires 7 have five pairs (ten) of signal wires 8 and four pairs (eight) of ground wires 9. The signal wires 8 have a conductor 8a. The conductor 8a is a metal such as copper. When the electrical connector 1 is connected to a mating connector, the conductor 8a is connected to a circuit of the board via a terminal provided on the mating connector. The conductor 8a may be directly connected to an electrode pad provided on the board. The signal wire 8 may be an insulated wire in which the conductor 8a is covered with an insulator, or may be a bare wire in which the conductor 8a is exposed as it is. The ground wire 9 has a conductor 9a. The conductor 9a is a metal such as copper. When the electrical connector 1 is connected to a mating connector, the conductor 9a is connected to ground via a ground terminal provided on the mating connector. The conductor 9a may be directly connected to an electrode pad provided on the substrate. The ground line 9 may be an insulated wire in which the conductor 9a is covered with an insulator, or may be a bare wire in which the conductor 9a is exposed as is. When the ground line 9 is an insulated wire, a part of the insulator of the insulated wire is removed to expose the conductor 9a so that the elastic portion 32 of the ground plate 30 contacts the conductor 9a as described later.

[0020] The multiple first electric wires 7 each extend along the X direction. The multiple first electric wires 7 are arranged along the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. In one example, a pair of signal lines 8 and a pair of ground lines 9 are arranged alternately along the Y direction. Adjacent pairs of signal lines 8 carry currents of opposite phases to each other, and transmit signals by differential transmission in which signals are transmitted by the potential difference between the pair of signal lines 8. The distance between each conductor of the multiple first electric wires 7 (the distance between the centers) is, for example, 0.6 mm.

[0021] The second electric wires 10 are members for transmitting electric power or electric signals. Each of the second electric wires 10 is either a signal wire (second signal wire) 11 or a ground wire (second ground wire) 12. In one example, the second electric wires 10 have four pairs (eight wires) of signal wires 11 and five pairs (ten wires) of ground wires 12. The signal wires 11 have a conductor 11a. The conductor 11a is a metal such as copper. When the electrical connector 1 is connected to a mating connector, the conductor 11a is connected to a circuit of the board via a terminal provided on the mating connector. The conductor 11a may be directly connected to an electrode pad provided on the board. The signal wire 11 may be an insulated wire in which the conductor 11a is covered with an insulator, or may be a bare wire in which the conductor 11a is exposed as it is. The ground wire 12 has a conductor 12a. The conductor 12a is a metal such as copper. When the electrical connector 1 is connected to a mating connector, the conductor 12a is connected to the ground via a ground terminal provided on the mating connector. The conductor 12a may be directly connected to an electrode pad provided on the substrate. The ground wire 12 may be an insulated wire in which the conductor 12a is covered with an insulator, or may be a bare wire in which the conductor 12a is exposed as is. When the ground wire 12 is an insulated wire, a part of the insulator of the insulated wire is removed to expose the conductor 12a so that an elastic portion (not shown) of the ground plate 50 contacts the conductor 12a as described below.

[0022] The second electric wires 10 each extend along the X direction. The second electric wires 10 are arranged in a line along the Y direction. The second electric wires 10 are arranged in a line along the Z direction perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction, along with the first electric wires 7. In one example, a pair (two) of signal lines 11 and a pair (two) of ground lines 12 are arranged alternately along the Y direction. Adjacent pairs of signal lines 11 carry currents of opposite phases to each other, and transmit signals by differential transmission, which transmits signals by the potential difference between the pair of signal lines 11. The distance between the conductors of the second electric wires 10 (the distance between the centers) is, for example, 0.6 mm.

[0023] The pair of signal lines 11 are aligned with the pair of ground lines 9 along the Z direction. The pair of ground lines 12 are aligned with the pair of signal lines 8 along the Z direction. That is, in the sub-connector 2, the pair of signal lines 8 and the pair of signal lines 11 are arranged in a staggered pattern, and the pair of ground lines 9 and the pair of ground lines 12 are arranged in a staggered pattern different from the arrangement of each pair of signal lines 8, 11.

[0024] The covering member 13 covers the portions of the first electric wires 7 except for their leading and trailing ends. The material of the covering member 13 is, for example, a resin such as polyester. A portion of the covering member 13 that covers the leading end of the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the leading end of the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 has been removed. In other words, the leading end of the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the leading end of the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 are exposed from the covering member 13.

[0025] The covering member 14 covers the portions of the second electric wires 10 except for their front and rear ends. The material of the covering member 14 is, for example, a resin such as polyester. A part of the covering member 14 that covers the front end of the conductor 11a of the signal line 11 and the front end of the conductor 12a of the ground line 12 has been removed. In other words, the front end of the conductor 11a of the signal line 11 and the front end of the conductor 12a of the ground line 12 are exposed from the covering member 14.

[0026] The housing 20 is a rectangular parallelepiped member that holds a plurality of first electric wires 7 and a plurality of second electric wires 10. The material of the housing 20 is formed from a resin such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). The housing 20 has a first surface 21, a second surface 22, a third surface 23, and a fourth surface 24. The first surface 21 and the second surface 22 are surfaces that extend in the Y direction and the Z direction. The second surface 22 is located on the opposite side of the first surface 21 in the X direction. The third surface 23 and the fourth surface 24 are surfaces that extend in the X direction and the Y direction. The fourth surface 24 is located on the opposite side of the third surface 23 in the Z direction.

[0027] The housing 20 further has a plurality of first through holes 25 (first holding portions), a plurality of second through holes 26 (second holding portions), a step portion 27, and a pair of guide holes 28.

[0028] The first through hole 25 is a hole penetrating the housing 20 along the X direction. The first through hole 25 is open on the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. The shape of the first through hole 25 when viewed from the X direction is, for example, circular. In this embodiment, eighteen first through holes 25 are formed in the housing 20. The multiple first through holes 25 are lined up along the Y direction. The inner diameter of each first through hole 25 is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the outer diameter of the conductor 9a of the ground line 9. Either the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 or the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 is disposed inside each first through hole 25. The tip of the first electric wire 7 is housed in each first through hole 25. Each first through hole 25 holds the conductor of the tip of the first electric wire 7. The ends 7a (see FIG. 5) of the first electric wires 7 are exposed from the first through holes 25 on the first surface 21, respectively.

[0029] The second through hole 26 is a hole penetrating the housing 20 along the X direction. The second through hole 26 is open on the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. The shape of the second through hole 26 when viewed from the X direction is, for example, circular. In this embodiment, eighteen second through holes 26 are formed in the housing 20. The second through holes 26 are aligned along the Y direction. The second through holes 26 are aligned with the first through holes 25 along the Z direction. The inner diameter of each second through hole 26 is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the conductor 11a of the signal line 11 and the outer diameter of the conductor 12a of the ground line 12. Either the conductor 11a of the signal line 11 or the conductor 12a of the ground line 12 is disposed inside each second through hole 26. The tip of the second electric wire 10 is housed in each second through hole 26. Each second through hole 26 holds the conductor of the tip of the second electric wire 10. The ends 10a (see FIG. 5) of the second electric wires 10 are exposed from the second through holes 26 on the first surface 21, respectively.

[0030] The step portion 27 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the sub-connector 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the sub-connector 2 shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, the covering members 13 and 14 are omitted from illustration. The step portion 27 is provided on the second surface 22. The step portion 27 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The step portion 27 protrudes from the second surface 22 along the X direction. The step portion 27 is located between the first electric wires 7 and the second electric wires 10 along the Z direction. A plurality of first grooves 27a are formed on the surface of the step portion 27, and a plurality of second grooves 27b are formed on the back surface of the step portion 27.

[0031] The first groove 27a extends along the X direction. The first groove 27a is an end surface 27c of the step portion 27, and opens at an end surface 27c located on the opposite side from the second surface 22 along the X direction. The shape of the first groove 27a when viewed from the X direction is, for example, semicircular, but may be V-shaped. In this embodiment, eighteen first grooves 27a are formed in the step portion 27. The multiple first grooves 27a are lined up along the Y direction. Each first groove 27a communicates with each first through hole 25. The inner diameter of each first groove 27a is the same as the inner diameter of the first through hole 25. Either the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 or the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 is disposed inside each first groove 27a. Each conductor at the tip of the first electric wire 7 is in contact with each first groove 27a. Each first groove 27a supports each conductor at the tip of the first electric wire 7.

[0032] The second groove 27b extends along the X direction. The second groove 27b opens at an end surface 27c of the step portion 27. The second groove 27b is located on the opposite side of the first groove 27a. The shape of the second groove 27b when viewed from the X direction is, for example, a semicircular shape facing in the opposite direction to the first groove 27a, but may be a V-shape facing in the opposite direction. In this embodiment, eighteen second grooves 27b are formed in the step portion 27. The multiple second grooves 27b are lined up along the Y direction. Each second groove 27b communicates with each second through hole 26. The inner diameter of each second groove 27b is the same as the inner diameter of the second through hole 26. Either the conductor 11a of the signal line 11 or the conductor 12a of the ground line 12 is disposed inside each second groove 27b. Each conductor at the tip of the second electric wire 10 contacts each second groove 27b. Each second groove 27b supports a conductor at the tip of the second electric wire 10.

[0033] The covering member 13 is removed, for example, at a position overlapping the end face 27c of the step portion 27 in the X direction. That is, the position of the front end face (not shown) of the covering member 13 in the X direction is approximately the same as the position of the end face 27c of the step portion 27 in the X direction. If the first electric wire 7 is an insulated electric wire, the insulation is removed at the same position, and the conductors of the first electric wire 7 (the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the conductor 9a of the ground line 9) are exposed. The covering member 14 is removed, for example, at a position overlapping the end face 27c of the step portion 27 in the X direction. That is, the position of the front end face (not shown) of the covering member 14 in the X direction is approximately the same as the position of the end face 27c of the step portion 27 in the X direction. If the second electric wire 10 is an insulated electric wire, the insulation is removed at the same position, and the conductors of the second electric wire 10 (the conductor 11a of the signal line 11 and the conductor 12a of the ground line 12) are exposed.

[0034] The pair of guide holes 28 are holes penetrating the housing 20 along the X direction. The shape of the guide hole 28 when viewed from the X direction is circular. A pair of guide pins 70 are inserted into the inside of the pair of guide holes 28, respectively. The pair of guide holes 28 are formed to sandwich the multiple first through holes 25 and second through holes 26 in the Y direction. The inner diameter of the pair of guide holes 28 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of each of the first through holes 25 and each of the second through holes.

[0035] The ground plate 30 (first ground plate) is a member for reducing noise generated in the electrical connector 1. The ground plate 30 is made of a conductive material such as an alloy of beryllium copper. The ground plate 30 has a plate main body 31, a plurality of elastic portions 32, and a plurality of elastic portions 33. The plate main body 31, the plurality of elastic portions 32, and the plurality of elastic portions 33 are integrally formed by, for example, pressing.

[0036] The plate main body 31 is provided on the third surface 23 of the housing 20. The plate main body 31 is fixed to the third surface 23 by, for example, an adhesive. The plate main body 31 is a flat plate that is elongated in the Y direction, and is located above the multiple first through holes 25. The plate main body 31 may be fixed to the third surface 23 of the housing 20 by a mechanical engagement means.

[0037] The number of the elastic portions 32 is four pairs (eight), which is the same as the number of the ground lines 9. The number of the elastic portions 33 is five pairs (ten), which is the same as the number of the signal lines 8. The elastic portions 32 and the elastic portions 33 are aligned along the Y direction. Pairs of elastic portions 32 and pairs of elastic portions 33 are aligned alternately along the Y direction. The elastic portions 32 are aligned along the ground lines 9 in the Z direction, and the elastic portions 33 are aligned along the signal lines 8 in the Z direction.

[0038] The elastic portion 32 and the elastic portion 33 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of the sub-connector 2 shown in FIG. 3. Each elastic portion 32 is a portion for electrically connecting the plate main body portion 31 and the conductor 9a of each ground line 9. Each elastic portion 32 extends from the plate main body portion 31 toward the conductor 9a of each ground line 9, and is bent so as to be folded back at a portion where the elastic portion 32 contacts the conductor 9a. The elastic portion 32 has a shape that protrudes toward the conductor 9a of the ground line 9. When viewed from the Y direction, the elastic portion 32 has a V-shape that protrudes toward the conductor 9a of each ground line 9. Each elastic portion 32 has elasticity and is configured to elastically contact the conductor 9a. The elastic portion 32 faces the first groove 27a of the step portion 27 so as to sandwich the conductor 9a. The conductor 9a of the ground line 9 is sandwiched between the step portion 27 and the elastic portion 32. The elastic portion 32 is in contact with the conductor 9a above the first groove 27a.

[0039] Each elastic portion 33 is a portion for electrically connecting the plate body portion 31 and the conductor of the ground line of another electrical connector (not shown) arranged on the plate body portion 31. Each elastic portion 33 extends from the plate body portion 31 toward the opposite side of the conductor 8a of each signal line 8, and is bent so as to be folded back midway. When viewed from the Y direction, the shape of the elastic portion 33 is a V-shape that faces in the opposite direction to the elastic portion 32. Each elastic portion 33 has elasticity. Each elastic portion 33 is configured not to come into contact with the conductor 8a of each signal line 8. The elastic portion 33 faces the first groove 27a of the step portion 27 across the conductor 8a. In other words, the step portion 27 faces the elastic portion 33 across the conductor 8a.

[0040] Returning to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the ground plate 40 (second ground plate) is a member for reducing noise generated in the electrical connector 1. The material of the ground plate 40 is a conductive material formed of an alloy such as beryllium copper. The ground plate 40 is a flat plate long in the Y direction. The ground plate 40 is located in a through hole (not shown) penetrating the housing 20 along the X direction. The ground plate 40 is located between the first electric wires 7 and the second electric wires 10. A part of the ground plate 40 is located inside the step portion 27 and between the first grooves 27a and the second grooves 27b. The ground plate 40 is larger than the plate body portion 31 of the ground plate 30 by the step portion 27. The ground plate 40 may have an elastic portion like the ground plate 30, and the elastic portion may be in elastic contact with the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 or the conductor 12a of the ground line 12. Alternatively, the elastic portion may be configured to contact the ground plate 30. Alternatively, the elastic portion may be configured to contact the guide pin 70. In this case, the material of the guide pin 70 is metal, and the guide pin 70 contacts the ground or the like on the board side. The ground plate 40 does not need to be connected to the ground.

[0041] The ground plate 50 is a member for reducing noise generated in the electrical connector 1. The material of the ground plate 50 is a conductive material formed of an alloy such as beryllium copper. The ground plate 50 is provided on the fourth surface 24 of the housing 20. The ground plate 50 is fixed to the fourth surface 24 by, for example, an adhesive. The ground plate 50 may be fixed to the fourth surface 24 of the housing 20 by a mechanical engagement means. The ground plate 50 has an elastic portion (not shown) like the ground plate 30. The elastic portion is in elastic contact with the conductor 12a of the ground line 12. The ground plate 50 may be provided in the sub-connector 3 adjacent to the sub-connector 2.

[0042] The shielding members 60 are members for reducing noise generated in the electrical connector 1. The material of the shielding members 60 is a conductive material formed of an alloy such as beryllium copper. Each shielding member 60 is located outside the first electric wires 7 in the Y direction, outside the second electric wires 10 in the Y direction, between adjacent signal wires 8 and ground wires 9, and between adjacent signal wires 11 and ground wires 12. The shielding members 60 may be connected to the ground. An end of the shielding member 60 may be formed in a spring shape, and the end may be in contact with the ground plate 30, the ground plate 40, or the ground plate 50. The shielding members 60 may not be connected to the ground.

[0043] The pair of guide pins 70 are pins extending along the X direction. The material of the guide pins 70 is, for example, a metal such as stainless steel. Each guide pin 70 is located in each guide hole 28. The pair of guide pins 70 are provided so as to sandwich the first through holes 25 and the second through holes 26 in the Y direction. The pair of guide pins 70 are inserted into a pair of guide holes (not shown) provided in the mating connector, thereby positioning each signal line, etc., when the sub-connector 2 is mated with the mating connector.

[0044] The sub-connector 2 configured as above, and the sub-connectors 3 to 5 each having the same configuration as the sub-connector 2, are stacked in the Z direction and sandwiched by a frame 6. The frame 6 is an annular member. The frame 6 is made of a resin such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), etc. The stacked sub-connectors 2 to 5 are located inside the frame 6. The frame 6 is in contact with a plate main body 31 of the ground plate 30. The ground plate 30 is sandwiched between the frame 6 and the third surface 23 of the housing 20.

[0045] As described above, the sub-connector 2 according to this embodiment has the ground line 9 connected to the ground and the ground plate 30, and the ground plate 30 is in contact with the conductor 9a of the ground line 9. This makes it possible to further reduce noise generated in the sub-connector 2. Furthermore, in the sub-connector 2, the ground plate 30 is in elastic contact with the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 by the elastic portion 32 extending from the plate body portion 31. This makes it possible to miniaturize the sub-connector 2 because there is no need to use a terminal or the like for connecting the ground plate 30 to the ground even when the ground plate 30 is provided. Therefore, the sub-connector 2 can be miniaturized while suppressing an increase in transmission loss.

[0046] The sub-connector 2 includes a plurality of first through holes 25 penetrating the housing 20 along the X direction. This makes it possible to easily form the plurality of first through holes 25 that hold the plurality of first electric wires 7. Furthermore, the plurality of first through holes 25 can stably hold the plurality of first electric wires 7.

[0047] In the sub-connector 2, the housing 20 has a first surface 21 and a second surface 22 located on the opposite side of the first surface 21 in the X direction, the multiple first through holes 25 open on the first surface 21 and the second surface 22, and the respective ends of the multiple first electric wires 7 are exposed from the multiple first through holes 25 on the first surface 21. The housing 20 has a step portion 27 protruding from the second surface 22 along the X direction, and the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9 is sandwiched between the step portion 27 and the elastic portion 32. This allows the elastic portion 32 to be in more reliable contact with the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9, and also allows the contact of the elastic portion 32 with the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9 to be stably maintained for a long period of time.

[0048] In the sub-connector 2, the step portion 27 includes a first groove 27a that supports the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9, and the elastic portion 32 has a shape that protrudes toward the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9. This allows the elastic portion 32 to more reliably contact the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9, and also allows the contact of the elastic portion 32 with the conductor 9a of the ground wire 9 to be stably maintained for a long period of time.

[0049] The sub-connector 2 includes a signal line 11 and a ground line 12 connected to the ground, and includes a plurality of second electric wires 10 each extending along the X direction and arranged along the Y direction, and a ground plate 40. The housing 20 includes a plurality of second through holes 26 for holding the respective ends of the plurality of second electric wires 10. The plurality of second electric wires 10 are arranged in line with the plurality of first electric wires 7 along the Z direction, and the ground plate 40 is located between the plurality of first electric wires 7 and the plurality of second electric wires 10. Since the sub-connector 2 includes a plurality of second electric wires 10, the amount of signal transmission can be increased. Furthermore, since the ground plate 40 is located between the plurality of first electric wires 7 and the plurality of second electric wires 10, it is possible to suppress noise generated in the first electric wires 7 from entering the second electric wires 10 and to suppress noise generated in the second electric wires 10 from entering the first electric wires 7.

[0050] The sub-connector 2 includes a covering member 13 that covers at least the first electric wires 7 except for their respective tips, and the first electric wires 7 are integrated together. This makes it easier to hold the first electric wires 7 in the first through holes 25 of the housing 20.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be applied to various embodiments. For example, in the above embodiments, the first holding portion and the second holding portion are through holes, but it is sufficient that the first holding portion and the second holding portion are capable of holding the first electric wire 7 and the second electric wire 10, respectively. As an example, the first holding portion and the second holding portion may be grooves.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the elastic parts 32 and 33 have a V-shape, but may have other shapes. As an example, the elastic parts 32 and 33 may have a smooth curved shape protruding toward the conductor of the ground line, or may have a straight shape.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the sub-connector 2 has the step portion 27, but the sub-connector 2 does not have to have the step portion 27. In this case, the elastic portion 32 may be in elastic contact with the ground wire 9 with an elastic force that does not cause the ground wire 9 to deform.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the number of ground wires 9 and the number of elastic portions 32 are the same, and one elastic portion 32 is in contact with the conductor 9a of one ground wire 9, but the number of ground wires 9 and the number of elastic portions 32 may be different. In this case, for example, one elastic portion 32 may be in contact with two adjacent ground wires 9.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the electrical connector 1 includes a plurality of sub-connectors 2 to 5, but it is sufficient to include at least one sub-connector (for example, the sub-connector 2). In this case, one sub-connector constitutes an electrical connector. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1...Electrical connector 2,3,4,5...Sub-connectors 6…Frame body 7…First wire 7a…Tip 8...Signal line (first signal line) 8a…conductor 9…Ground wire (first ground wire) 9a…conductor 10…Second electric wire 10a...Tip 11...Signal line (second signal line) 11a…conductor 12...Ground wire (second ground wire) 12a…Conductor 13...Covering material 14…Covering material 20. Housing 21...Side 1 22…Second side 23...Third side 24…Side 4 25...First through hole (first holding part) 26...Second through hole (second holding part) 27...Dan section 27a…1st groove 27b…Second groove 27c...end face 28...Guide hole 30…Ground plate (first ground plate) 31…Plate body 32...Elastic part 33...Elastic part 40…Ground plate (second ground plate) 50…Ground plate 60...Shielding material 70…Guide pin

Claims

1. a plurality of first electric wires each including a first signal line and a first ground line connected to a ground, the first electric wires extending along a first direction and arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction; a housing having a first holding portion that holds each tip end of the plurality of first electric wires; a first ground plate having a plate body portion provided on the housing; Equipped with the first holding portion holds each conductor at each tip of the first electric wires, the first ground plate has an elastic portion extending from the plate body toward the conductor of the first ground line, The elastic portion is configured to elastically contact the conductor of the first ground line.

2. the first holding portion includes a plurality of through holes penetrating the housing along the first direction, Each of the first electric wires is housed in one of the through holes.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

3. The housing has a first surface and a second surface located opposite to the first surface in the first direction, the first holding portion is open at the first surface and the second surface, a tip end of each of the first electric wires is exposed from the first holding portion on the first surface, the housing has a step portion protruding from the second surface along the first direction, the conductor of the first ground line is sandwiched between the step portion and the elastic portion.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the step portion includes a groove that supports the conductor of the first ground line, the elastic portion has a shape that protrudes toward the conductor of the first ground line.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3.

5. a plurality of second electric wires each including a second signal line and a second ground line connected to a ground, the second electric wires each extending along the first direction and arranged along the second direction; A second ground plate, the housing has second holding portions that respectively hold tip ends of the second electric wires, the second electric wires are arranged side by side with the first electric wires along a third direction intersecting both the first direction and the second direction, The second ground plate is located between the first electric wires and the second electric wires.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The first electric wire further includes a covering member that covers at least a portion of the first electric wires except for the tip portions thereof, The plurality of first electric wires are integrated together.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2.

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