Electric connector and manufacturing method for contact pin of electric connector

Abstract

To stabilize the signal transmission characteristics of an electric connector by maintaining a constant separation distance between a pair of contact pins of the electric connector.SOLUTION: An electric connector 1 includes a pair of contact pins 2. Each of the pair of contact pins 2 is formed from a wire material having a rectangular cross-section. The contact pin 2 has a body 21 having a rectangular cross-section. Inner surfaces of the bodies 21 of the pair of contact pins 2 facing each other are flat surfaces. Each of the pair of contact pins 2 further has a recess 271 formed in a predetermined part of an outer surface facing the inner surface of the body 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector and a method for manufacturing contact pins of the electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector used to provide a coaxial connection with a coaxial cable and a method for manufacturing contact pins of the electrical connector. [Background technology]

[0002] A combination of a receptacle connector and a plug connector is widely used to provide an electrical connection between an electronic device and another electronic device via a cable. In addition, with the recent improvement in the processing power of electronic devices, the amount of data transmitted from an electronic device to another electronic device via a cable is increasing. In order to transmit a large amount of data in a short time, it is necessary to transmit a high-frequency signal via a cable, and there is a need to improve the signal transmission characteristics of the cable, particularly the signal transmission characteristics of the cable in the high-frequency band. In response to such needs, a coaxial cable having high signal transmission characteristics in the high-frequency band is widely used. As is well known, a coaxial cable has a coaxial structure in which a core wire for transmitting a signal, an inner insulating layer covering the core wire, an outer conductor layer (braided layer) covering the insulating layer, and an outer insulating layer covering the outer conductor layer are concentrically arranged.

[0003] In order to provide a coaxial connection with such a coaxial cable, an electrical connector including a contact pin electrically connected to a core wire of the coaxial cable and an insulating housing that covers the contact pin is widely used. For example, Patent Document 1 shows a pair of contact pins 10 and a housing 11 shown in FIG. 1, which are typically used in such an electrical connector. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a work-in-progress of the contact pin 10. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the contact pin 10 taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 1.

[0004] 1, the contact pin 10 includes a main body 101, a contact portion 102 that protrudes from one end of the main body 101 toward the tip side and contacts a corresponding contact pin of a mating contact, a terminal portion 103 that extends downward from the other end of the main body 101 and is connected to a corresponding terminal of a circuit board, and a plurality of cut marks 104 that protrude outward from the main body 101. The housing 11 includes a cylindrical portion 111 that houses a portion of the contact pin 10 that extends in the front-rear direction (Z direction) of the main body 101, and a wall portion 112 that extends in the front-rear direction within the cylindrical portion 111 to separate the pair of contact pins 10 in the X direction. The pair of contact pins 10 are housed inside the cylindrical portion 111 of the housing 11 in a state insulated from each other.

[0005] Next, the manufacturing process of the contact pin 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. First, a cutter is pressed against a metal plate from the +X direction, and a punching process is performed to punch out a predetermined shape, thereby obtaining a work-in-progress of a plurality of contact pins 10 as shown in FIG. 2. At the stage of the work-in-progress, the plurality of contact pins 10 are connected to each other via a plurality of carriers 105. In this state, a cutting process is performed on each of the locations shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2, and the plurality of contact pins 10 are separated from the carrier 105, thereby obtaining a plurality of contact pins 10. After such cutting process, a portion of the carrier 105 remaining on the main body 101 is a cut mark 104.

[0006] In this way, the contact pin 10 can be obtained by punching and cutting a single metal plate. However, it is known that such punching crushes the corners of the punched surface (YZ surface) of the contact pin 10. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view (horizontal cross-sectional view) of the main body 101 of the contact pin 10 along the line AA shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the contact pin 10 has a first surface 106 extending on the YZ plane and located in the punching start direction (right side in FIG. 3), a second surface 107 facing the first surface 106 and located in the punching end direction (left side in FIG. 3), a third surface 108 extending on the XZ plane and located on the upper side of FIG. 3, and a fourth surface 109 facing the third surface 108 and located on the lower side of FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the length of the first surface 106 is indicated as L1, the length of the second surface 107 is indicated as L2, the length of the third surface 108 is indicated as L3, and the length of the fourth surface 109 is indicated as L4.

[0007] In order to improve the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector in the high frequency band, it is most preferable that the length L1 of the first surface 106 and the length L2 of the second surface 107 are equal (L1=L2). However, as shown in FIG. 3, when the contact pin 10 is obtained by punching a metal plate, the corner (corner of the first surface 106) in the punching start direction is crushed, and the corner is deformed into a shape as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 (the shape shown by the dotted line is an ideal cross-sectional shape without crushing of the corner due to the punching process). As a result, the length L1 of the first surface 106 becomes significantly smaller than the length L2 of the second surface 107, and a large difference occurs between the length L1 of the first surface 106 and the length L2 of the second surface 107. In addition, because the corner of the first surface 106 is crushed, the third surface 108 and the fourth surface 109 are not parallel to each other and are not perpendicular to the first surface 106. Such a change in the shape of the main body 101 causes a problem of deteriorating the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector, particularly in the high frequency band. In particular, if the length L1 and the length L2 in the cross-sectional shape do not match, the areas of the inner faces of the pair of contact pins 10 facing each other do not match, and this significantly deteriorates the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector in the high frequency band.

[0008] In order to improve the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector in the high frequency band, it is most preferable that the length L1 of the first surface 106 and the length L2 of the second surface 107 are equal to the length L3 of the third surface 108 and the length L4 of the fourth surface 109 (L1, L2 = L3, L4). As shown in Fig. 3, when a metal plate is punched, the corners (corners of the first surface 106) of the punched surface are crushed. Considering the deterioration of the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector due to the crushing of the corners caused by the punching, the design value of the width of the contact pin 10 in the direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the punching direction (X direction) (referred to as the "punching width") needs to be 1.5 times or more the thickness of the metal plate. Specifically, the design value of the width of contact pin 10 in the Y direction (i.e., the "punch width", which is the length L2 of second surface 107 without crushed corners in FIG. 3) needs to be 1.5 times or more the length in the X direction of the shape shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3 (i.e., the "thickness of the metal plate"). In this way, when contact pin 10 is obtained by punching and cutting as in the conventional method, the punch width of contact pin 10 is limited by the thickness of the metal plate. Therefore, it is not possible to make length L1 of first surface 106 and length L2 of second surface 107 equal to length L3 of third surface 108 and length L4 of fourth surface 109. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Patent application 2023-011653 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and has as its object to prevent crushing of the corners of the main body of each of the pair of contact pins and to prevent a difference in length between the first and second sides of the main body in the cross-sectional shape of the main body by pressing a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape rather than by pressing a metal plate and punching out the specified shape, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector.

[0011] A further object of the present invention is to obtain each of a pair of contact pins of an electrical connector by pressing a wire having a rectangular cross section, rather than by pressing a metal plate to form a predetermined shape, thereby setting the lengths of the first, second, third and fourth faces of the contact pins to lengths more suitable for the signal transmission characteristics, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector.A further object of the present invention is to stabilize the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector by keeping the distance between the pair of contact pins of the electrical connector constant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] Such an object can be achieved by the present invention, which is defined by the following (1) and (2).

[0013] (1) An electrical connector that can be connected to a mating connector that is inserted from the front end, A pair of contact pins; an insulating housing that houses the pair of contact pins in a mutually insulated state; Each of the pair of contact pins is formed from a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, Each of the pair of contact pins has a body portion having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, The pair of contact pins each have a flat inner surface, 2. An electrical connector comprising: a contact pin body having a first end and a second end, the contact pin body having a first end and a second end, the contact pin body having a first end and a second end, the contact pin body having a second end and a second end, the contact pin body having a first ...

[0014] (2) A method for manufacturing a contact pin used in an electrical connector that includes a pair of contact pins and an insulating housing that houses the pair of contact pins in a mutually insulated state, the electrical connector being connectable to a mating connector that is inserted from the tip side, the method comprising the steps of: a pressing step of pressing both ends of a wire rod having a rectangular cross section to form a main body having a rectangular cross section, a contact portion extending from one end of the main body, and a terminal portion extending from the other end of the main body, The pair of contact pins each have a flat inner surface, A method of manufacturing a contact pin, wherein each of the pair of contact pins has a recess formed in a predetermined portion of an outer surface of the body portion opposite the inner surface of the body portion. Effect of the Invention

[0015] In the present invention, each of the pair of contact pins is formed from a wire material having a rectangular cross section, and therefore, unlike contact pins obtained by punching a metal plate, the corners of the main body are not crushed during the manufacturing process of the contact pins. This makes it possible to prevent a difference in the length of the first surface and the length of the second surface of the main body from occurring in the cross section of the main body, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector.

[0016] Furthermore, in the present invention, since each of the pair of contact pins is formed from a wire material having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, unlike contact pins obtained by punching a metal plate, the punching width of the contact pin is not limited by the thickness of the metal plate and can be freely set within the range of the thickness and cross-sectional shape of the wire material that can be procured. Therefore, the length of the first surface of the contact pin, the length of the second surface, the length of the third surface, and the length of the fourth surface are formed to be approximately equal, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector.

[0017] Furthermore, in the present invention, the opposing inner surfaces of the main bodies of the pair of contact pins are flat. With this configuration, the distance between the pair of contact pins can be kept constant. By keeping the distance between the pair of contact pins constant, the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector can be stabilized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a housing and contact pins typically used in a conventional electrical connector. [Diagram 2] 2 is a plan view showing the in-process contact pin shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main body of the contact pin taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector of the present invention, a circuit board on which the electrical connector of the present invention is mounted, and a mating connector to be coupled with the electrical connector of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 5 is a perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4, seen from a different angle. [Figure 7] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane including an insertion hole of a housing of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 9]FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is an XY plan view of the main body of the contact pin taken along line BB shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining press-fitting of contact pins into a housing. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the shell seen from a different angle. [Figure 15] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector taken along line CC in FIG. 5 and a partially enlarged view of an engaging protrusion of a housing and an engaging protrusion of a shell. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the cover seen from a different angle. [Figure 18] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing the electrical connector of the present invention. [Figure 19] 4 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a contact pin of an electrical connector according to the present invention. [Figure 20] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane including the contact pins in a state in which the electrical connector and the mating connector are connected to each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The electrical connector of the present invention will be described below based on a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. The drawings referred to below are schematic diagrams prepared for the purpose of describing the present invention. The dimensions (length, width, thickness, etc.) of each component shown in the drawings do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or corresponding components in each drawing. In the following description, the positive direction of the Z axis in each drawing is referred to as the "tip side" or "front side", the negative direction of the Z axis is referred to as the "base end side" or "rear side", the positive direction of the Y axis is referred to as the "upper side", the negative direction of the Y axis is referred to as the "lower side", the positive direction of the X axis is referred to as the "front side", and the negative direction of the X axis is referred to as the "rear side". In addition, the Z direction is referred to as the "insertion / removal direction of the mating connector", the Y direction is referred to as the "height direction", and the X direction is referred to as the "width direction".

[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the electrical connector of the present invention, a circuit board on which the electrical connector of the present invention is mounted, and a mating connector to be connected to the electrical connector of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4 seen from another angle. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane including the insertion hole of the housing of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a contact pin. FIG. 10 is an XY plan view of the main body of the contact pin along the line BB shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the housing. FIG. 12 is a perspective view for explaining the press-fitting of the contact pin into the housing. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the shell. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the shell seen from another angle. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector along the line CC shown in FIG. 5 in the XZ plane and a partially enlarged view of the engagement protrusion of the housing and the engagement protrusion of the shell. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the cover. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the cover seen from another angle.

[0021] 4, the electrical connector 1 of the present invention is a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board 100 provided in an arbitrary device. When a mating connector (plug connector) 200 attached to the tip of a coaxial cable 300 is inserted into the electrical connector 1 from the tip side and the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are coupled, an electrical connection is provided between the coaxial cable 300 and the circuit board 100 via the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200.

[0022] The coaxial cable 300 has a structure in which a pair of core wires (center conductors) 310, a pair of inner insulating layers 320 respectively covering the pair of core wires 310, a first outer insulating layer 330 covering the pair of inner insulating layers 320, an outer conductor layer (braided layer) 340 covering the first outer insulating layer 330, and a second outer insulating layer 350 further covering the outer conductor layer 340 are concentrically arranged. Although omitted in FIG. 4, the other end of the coaxial cable 300 is connected to a device other than the device including the circuit board 100. Therefore, when the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are connected to each other, signal communication between the device including the circuit board 100 and the other device is possible via the coaxial cable 300. Typically, the device equipped with the circuit board 100 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the operation of an automobile, and other devices to which the other end of the coaxial cable 300 is connected are in-vehicle devices such as in-vehicle network communication devices used for in-vehicle Ethernet, car navigation systems, car audio systems, in-vehicle cameras, in-vehicle GPS, in-vehicle TVs, and in-vehicle radios. By connecting the electrical connector 1 to the mating connector 200, high-speed signal communication between the in-vehicle device and the ECU via the coaxial cable 300 including two core wires (center conductors) 310 is possible. In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical connector 1 is a two-pin connector for providing a coaxial connection with the coaxial cable 300 including two core wires 310, but may be a multi-pin connector (for example, a four-pin connector (HSD connector)) that provides a coaxial connection of two or more pairs of coaxial cables 300 including two or more pairs of core wires 310. Hereinafter, a description will be provided assuming that the electrical connector 1 is a two-pin connector that provides a coaxial connection of the coaxial cable 300 including two or more core wires 310.

[0023] As shown in Figures 5 to 8, particularly Figure 8, the electrical connector 1 includes a pair of contact pins 2 that each contact corresponding contact pins 230 (see Figure 20) of the mating connector 200, a housing 3 that holds the pair of contact pins 2, a metal shell 4 that holds the housing 3, and a cover 5 attached to the tip side of the shell 4.

[0024] Each of the pair of contact pins 2 is an L-shaped member made of a conductive material such as a copper alloy, and is obtained by pressing and bending a wire material having a rectangular cross section. When the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are connected, the contact pin 2 comes into contact with the corresponding contact pin 230 of the mating connector 200, and has a function of providing an electrical connection between the mating connector 200 and the electrical connector 1. The pair of contact pins 2 are press-fitted into a pair of insertion holes 33 (see FIG. 8) formed in the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3, respectively. FIG. 9 shows the pair of contact pins 2 shown in FIG. 8. Since each of the pair of contact pins 2 has the same configuration, the configuration of the contact pin 2 located on the +X direction side will be described in detail below as a representative example.

[0025] As shown in Figure 9, the contact pin 2 comprises a main body portion 21 having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, a contact portion 22 extending from the tip end of the main body portion 21 and having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape (more specifically, a circle with the +Y direction side and the -Y direction side portions cut out), and a terminal portion 23 extending from the base end of the main body portion and having a substantially hexagonal cross-sectional shape. The main body 21 comprises a horizontal extension portion 24 extending linearly in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200, a connection portion 25 bent downward from the base end of the horizontal extension portion 24, a downward extension portion 26 extending linearly downward from the lower end of the connection portion 25, two pairs of protrusions 27 extending from the horizontal extension portion 24 in the height direction (Y direction, outward) of the contact pin 2 perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200, and a pair of tip protrusions 28 extending in the height direction of the contact pin 2 from the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214 of the tip of the horizontal extension portion 24.

[0026] Each of the horizontal extension portion 24, the connection portion 25, and the downward extension portion 26 includes a first surface 211 and a second surface 212 that extend away from each other, and a third surface 213 and a fourth surface 214 that extend away from each other and are perpendicular to the first surface 211 and the second surface 212. The first surface 211 of each of the horizontal extension portion 24, the connection portion 25, and the downward extension portion 26 is a side surface on the +X direction side perpendicular to the X direction, and the second surface 212 of each of the horizontal extension portion 24, the connection portion 25, and the downward extension portion 26 is a side surface on the -X direction side perpendicular to the X direction. The third surface 213 of the horizontal extension portion 24 is a side surface on the +Y direction side perpendicular to the Y direction, and the fourth surface 214 of the horizontal extension portion 24 is a side surface on the -Y direction side perpendicular to the Y direction. The third surface 213 of the connection portion 25 is a curved surface located on the outer side when viewed from the center of curvature of the connection portion 25, and the fourth surface 214 of the connection portion 25 is a curved surface located on the inner side when viewed from the center of curvature of the connection portion 25. The third surface 213 of the downward extension portion 26 is a side surface on the -Z direction side perpendicular to the Z direction, and the fourth surface 214 of the downward extension portion 26 is a side surface on the +Z direction side perpendicular to the Z direction.

[0027] FIG. 10 shows the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24 (cross-sectional shape along line BB in FIG. 9). The cross-sectional shapes of the connection portion 25 and the downward extension portion 26 are similar to the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24, and therefore the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 10, the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24 is rectangular, more specifically, rectangular or square. In FIG. 10, the length of the height direction (Y direction) of the first surface 211 is indicated by L1, the length of the height direction of the second surface 212 is indicated by L2, the length of the width direction (X direction) of the third surface 213 is indicated by L3, and the length of the width direction of the fourth surface 214 is indicated by L4. The first surface 211 and the second surface 212 are substantially parallel, and the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214 are substantially parallel. Furthermore, the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212 are approximately equal. Specifically, in the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24, the ratio of the length L1 of the first surface 211 to the length L2 of the second surface 212 (L1 / L2 or L2 / L1) satisfies a relationship of 0.9 to 1.1. Furthermore, in the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24, the length L3 of the third surface 213 and the length L4 of the fourth surface 214 are approximately equal. Specifically, in the cross-sectional shape of the horizontal extension portion 24, the ratio of the length L3 of the third surface 213 to the length L4 of the fourth surface 214 (L3 / L4 or L4 / L3) satisfies a relationship of 0.9 to 1.1.

[0028] The above-mentioned ratio relationship between the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212, and the above-mentioned ratio relationship between the length L3 of the third surface 213 and the length L4 of the fourth surface 214 are satisfied over the entire length of the main body portion 21 (throughout the horizontal extension portion 24, the connection portion 25, and the downward extension portion 26). Each of the angle θ1 of the angle (first angle) between the first surface 211 and the third surface 213, the angle θ2 of the angle (second angle) between the first surface 211 and the fourth surface 214, the angle θ3 of the angle (third angle) between the second surface 212 and the third surface 213, and the angle θ4 of the angle (fourth angle) between the second surface 212 and the fourth surface 214 is a substantially right angle, and more specifically, each of the angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 is within a range of 85° to 95°.

[0029] As described above, contact pin 2 of the present invention is obtained by pressing and bending wire having a rectangular cross section, and therefore, unlike conventional contact pins obtained by punching and cutting a metal plate, the corners (first corner, second corner, third corner, and fourth corner) of main body 21 (horizontal extension 24, connection 25, and downward extension 26) are not crushed in the manufacturing process, and the shape of main body 21 does not change or such change is very small. Particularly, in contact pin 2 of the present invention, in the cross section of main body 21, length L1 of first surface 211 and length L2 of second surface 212 are approximately equal, and further, third surface 213 and fourth surface 214 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to first surface 211 and second surface 212. Thus, in the present invention, unlike the prior art, it is possible to prevent a difference between the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212 from occurring during the manufacturing process of the contact pin 2, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1.

[0030] In addition, as described above, when a metal plate is punched, the corners of the punched surface are crushed. Therefore, when a contact pin is obtained by punching and cutting as in the conventional method, the width of the contact pin in the direction perpendicular to the punching direction (called the "punching width") is limited to the thickness of the metal plate. Specifically, in consideration of the deterioration of the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector due to the crushing of the corners caused by the punching, the punching width of the contact pin needs to be 1.5 times or more the thickness of the metal plate. For example, assume that the contact pin 2 is obtained by punching and cutting as in the conventional method. In this case, if the X direction in FIG. 10 is the punching direction, the lengths L1 and L2 of the contact pin 2 in the Y direction (i.e., the "punching width") need to be 1.5 times or more the lengths L3 and L4 of the contact pin 2 in the X direction (i.e., the "thickness of the metal plate"). However, in order to improve the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1, there are cases where it is desired to make the lengths L1, L2 of the contact pins 2 in the Y direction less than 1.5 times the lengths L3, L4 of the contact pins 2 in the X direction.

[0031] As described above, the contact pin 2 of the present invention is obtained by pressing and bending a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Therefore, the lengths L1 and L2 of the contact pin 2 in the Y direction are not limited to the lengths L3 and L4 of the contact pin 2 in the X direction. The lengths L1, L2, L3 and L4 of the contact pin 2 depend on the thickness and cross-sectional shape of the wire to be pressed and bent, and wires having various thicknesses and cross-sectional shapes can be procured in the market. Therefore, the lengths L1, L2, L3 and L4 of the contact pin 2 of the present invention are not limited as described above and can be freely set within the range of the thickness and cross-sectional shape of the procurable wire. Therefore, in the present invention, the lengths L1 and L2 of the contact pin 2 in the Y direction can be less than 1.5 times the lengths L3 and L4 of the contact pin 2 in the X direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the contact pin 2 is formed so that the lengths L1 and L2 are less than 1.5 times the lengths L3 and L4. Specifically, the contact pins 2 are formed so that the lengths L1, L2, L3, and L4 are approximately equal (for example, within a range of ±10%). With this configuration, the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 can be improved.

[0032] Returning to FIG. 9, the mutually opposing inner surfaces (the second surface 212 of the contact pin 2 in the +X direction and the first surface 211 of the contact pin 2 in the -X direction) of the main body 21 of the pair of contact pins 2 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the X direction. With this configuration, the distance between the pair of contact pins 2 in the X direction can be kept constant. By keeping the distance between the pair of contact pins 2 in the X direction constant, the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 can be stabilized. In addition, in the electrical connector 1 of the present invention, in the cross-sectional shape of the main body 21, the length L2 of the second surface 212 of the contact pin 2 in the +X direction and the length L1 of the first surface 211 of the contact pin 2 in the -X direction are approximately equal. Therefore, the areas of the mutually opposing inner surfaces (the second surface 212 of the contact pin 2 in the +X direction and the first surface 211 of the contact pin 2 in the -X direction) of the pair of contact pins 2 are approximately equal. As described in the section on the prior art, a mismatch in the areas of the opposing inner surfaces of a pair of contact pins 2 deteriorates the signal transmission characteristics, particularly in the high frequency band, of the electrical connector 1. In the contact pin 2 of the present invention, the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212 are approximately equal, and the areas of the opposing inner surfaces of the pair of contact pins 2 are also approximately equal, so that the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1, particularly in the high frequency band, can be improved.

[0033] The contact portion 22 is a substantially cylindrical portion extending linearly from the tip of the horizontal extension portion 24 to the tip side. More specifically, the contact portion 22 has a substantially cylindrical shape with the +Y direction side portion and the -Y direction side portion cut out parallel to the XZ plane. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, in a state in which the contact pin 2 is held by the housing 3, the contact portion 22 protrudes from the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 to the tip side and is exposed. When the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are connected, the contact portion 22 comes into contact with the corresponding contact pin 230 of the mating connector 200, and an electrical connection between the mating connector 200 and the electrical connector 1 is provided (see FIG. 20). The contact portion 22 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by pressing a pair of molds against a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape from both sides (for example, the side of the first surface 211 and the side of the second surface 212) and performing press processing. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the contact portion 22 is substantially circular.

[0034] Returning to Fig. 9, the terminal portion 23 is a generally pyramidal portion formed to protrude downward from the lower end of the downward extension portion 26 of the main body portion 21. When the contact pin 2 is held by the housing 3, the terminal portion 23 extends downward from the contact pin 2 and is exposed. The terminal portion 23 is connected to a corresponding terminal 120 (see Fig. 4) of the circuit board 100. The terminal portion 23 is formed into a generally pyramidal shape (the illustrated form) by pressing a pair of molding dies against a wire material having a rectangular cross section from both sides (for example, the side of the first surface 211 and the side of the second surface 212) and performing press working.

[0035] The horizontal extension portion 24 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. When the pair of contact pins 2 are press-fitted into the pair of insertion holes 33 of the housing 3, respectively, the horizontal extension portion 24 is located inside the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3. In particular, as shown in FIG. 7 , the horizontal extension portion 24 is held within the insertion holes 33, whereby the contact pins 2 are held by the housing 3.

[0036] Returning to FIG. 9, the connection portion 25 is an L-shaped portion that connects the horizontal extension portion 24 and the downward extension portion 26. The connection portion 25 is bent downward from the base end portion of the horizontal extension portion 24. One end portion (the end portion facing the +Z direction) of the connection portion 25 is continuous with the base end portion of the horizontal extension portion 24, and the other end portion (the end portion facing the -Y direction) of the connection portion 25 is continuous with the upper end portion of the downward extension portion 26. The connection portion 25 is formed by bending a wire having a rectangular cross section. The downward extension portion 26 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly downward from the lower end portion of the connection portion 25. As shown in FIG. 7, in a state in which the contact pin 2 is held by the housing 3, the downward extension portion 26 is located within the downward extension portion 32 of the housing 3.

[0037] The two pairs of protrusions 27 are portions that protrude in the height direction (Y direction, outward) of the contact pin 2 from the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214 of the horizontal extension portion 24. The two upper protrusions 27 protrude in the +Y direction from the third surface 213, and the two lower protrusions 27 protrude in the -Y direction from the fourth surface 214. The upper protrusions 27 and the lower protrusions 27 of each pair are formed at positions facing each other via the horizontal extension portion 24. When the contact pin 2 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3, each of the two pairs of protrusions 27 is pressed inward by the inner side surface of the insertion hole 33, and has the function of increasing the locking force of the contact pin 2 in the insertion hole 33. In the illustrated embodiment, two pairs of protrusions 27 are formed on the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214, but the number and positions of the protrusions 27 formed on the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214 are not limited to this, and one, two, three, or five or more protrusions 27 may be formed on the third surface 213 or the fourth surface 214. Since each of the two pairs of protrusions 27 has the same configuration, the configuration of the pair of protrusions 27 located on the +Z direction side will be described in detail below as a representative example.

[0038] Each of the pair of protrusions 27 protrudes outward (Y direction) and has a semicircular shape in a plan view from the X direction. Such a shape is obtained by pressing a forming die from one side of a wire material having a rectangular cross section to perform press working. Specifically, in the case of the contact pin 2 in the +X direction of FIG. 9, a press working is performed in which a forming die is pressed against a predetermined portion of the first surface 211, and in the case of the contact pin 2 in the -X direction of FIG. 9, a press working is performed in which a forming die is pressed against a predetermined portion of the second surface 212 (side surface on the -X direction side) to form the pair of protrusions 27.

[0039] 9, a recess 271 is formed by pressing the mold against a predetermined portion of the first surface 211 (outer surface in the X direction) against which the mold is pressed to form the pair of protrusions 27, and the first surface 211 (outer surface in the X direction) at the portion where the recess 271 is formed is located in the -X direction relative to other portions of the first surface 211. On the other hand, no recess 271 is formed in a corresponding portion of the second surface 212 (inner surface in the X direction facing the other contact pin 2) that faces the predetermined portion of the first surface 211 against which the mold is pressed, and the corresponding portion is a flat surface that is continuous with the other portions of the second surface 212. 9, a recess 271 is formed in a predetermined portion of the second surface 212 against which the mold is pressed, and the second surface 212 (the outer surface in the X direction) where the recess 271 is formed is located in the +X direction further than the other portions of the second surface 212, and further, the recess 271 is not formed in a corresponding portion of the first surface 211 facing the predetermined portion of the second surface 212, and the corresponding portion is a flat surface continuous with the other portions of the first surface 211. In both the contact pin 2 in the +X direction and the contact pin 2 in the -X direction in FIG. 9, the pair of protrusions 27 protrude outward from portions adjacent to the recess 271 on both surfaces in the Y direction (the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214), corresponding to the recess 271.

[0040] Since the pair of protrusions 27 have the same configuration, the upper protrusion 27 formed on the third surface 213 of the horizontal extension portion 24 will be described in detail as a representative example. The upper protrusion 27 is a semicircular protrusion in a plan view from the X direction, and protrudes upward from the third surface 213. The outer surface (surface in the +Y direction) of the upper protrusion 27 is a curved surface that protrudes upward. Both side surfaces (surfaces in the X direction) of the upper protrusion 27 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the X direction. When the contact pin 2 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3, the upper protrusion 27 is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 33 (see FIG. 7).

[0041] Returning to FIG. 9, the pair of tip protrusions 28 are the tips of the horizontal extension 24 and are portions that protrude from the third surface 213 and the fourth surface 214 in the height direction (Y direction, outward) of the contact pin 2. The pair of tip protrusions 28 are formed by pressing a forming die against a wire rod having a rectangular cross section from four directions (both sides, above and below) and performing press processing. Each of the pair of tip protrusions 28 has the same configuration, so the upper tip protrusion 28 formed on the third surface 213 of the horizontal extension 24 will be described in detail as a representative example. The tip protrusion 28 is a rectangular protrusion in plan view from the X direction that protrudes upward from the third surface 213. The outer surface (surface in the +Y direction) of the tip protrusion 28 is a flat surface perpendicular to the Y direction. Both side surfaces (surfaces in the X direction) of the tip protrusion 28 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the X direction.

[0042] The contact pin 2 as described above is press-fitted into the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3 and is held by the housing 3. The housing 3 is made of an elastic insulating material such as a resin material (e.g., liquid crystal polymer (LCP)). As shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, the housing 3 includes a tubular portion 31 extending in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200, and a downward extension portion 32 extending downward from the base end of the tubular portion 31.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 11, the cylindrical portion 31 is a cylindrical portion extending linearly in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. The cylindrical portion 31 has a rectangular planar shape with rounded corners in a plan view seen from the Z direction. In a plan view seen from the Z direction, the length of the cylindrical portion 31 in the width direction (X direction) is greater than the length of the cylindrical portion 31 in the height direction (Y direction). The upper and lower sides of the cylindrical portion 31 are flat surfaces that are spaced apart from each other and extend in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200, and both side surfaces of the cylindrical portion 31 in the X direction are curved surfaces that are spaced apart from each other and extend in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200. The outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 31 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 43 formed in the main body portion 41 of the shell 4.

[0044] The tubular portion 31 is provided with four first pressure ribs 311 located on the upper and lower sides of the tubular portion 31 and extending in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200, a pair of second pressure ribs 312 located on both side sides of the tubular portion 31 in the X direction and extending in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200, a pair of insertion holes 33 that penetrate the tubular portion 31 in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200, and a wall portion 34 that separates the pair of insertion holes 33.

[0045] The four first pressing ribs 311 are protrusions protruding outward from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 31. The four first pressing ribs 311 are formed to prevent the contact pins 2 from shifting toward the base end side in the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3 or from coming off from the insertion hole 33, and to prevent the housing 3 from coming off from the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4. The four first pressing ribs 311 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the cylindrical portion 31 at positions corresponding to the two pairs of protrusions 27 of the pair of contact pins 2, respectively, and are protrusions extending linearly in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. Two of the four first pressing ribs 311 are located on the upper surface of the cylindrical portion 31, and the remaining two are located on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 31. The two upper first pressing ribs 311 face the two lower first pressing ribs 311 via a pair of insertion holes 33 in the cylindrical portion 31. The two upper first pressing ribs 311 are provided spaced apart from each other on the upper side surface of the cylindrical portion 31. The two lower first pressing ribs 311 are provided spaced apart from each other on the lower side surface of the cylindrical portion 31.

[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, the four first pressing ribs 311 are formed symmetrically, two on the upper side surface and two on the lower side surface of the cylindrical portion 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, one, two, three, or five or more first pressing ribs 311 may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 31.

[0047] Each of the four first pressing ribs 311 has a low back portion 311a located at the tip of the tubular portion 31, a middle back portion 311b extending from the base end of the low back portion 311a toward the base end, and a high back portion 311c extending from the base end of the middle back portion 311b toward the base end.

[0048] The low-back portion 311a is located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 31 and is a protrusion that extends at a constant height from the tip toward the base end. As shown in Fig. 7, the height (length in the Y direction) of the low-back portion 311a is set so that the low-back portion 311a does not come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4 when the housing 3 is held by the shell 4.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 11, the middle back portion 311b is located between the low back portion 311a and the high back portion 311c. The tip of the middle back portion 311b is an inclined portion whose height gradually increases from the tip side to the base end side, and the tip surface of the middle back portion 311b is an inclined surface that inclines from the inside to the outside as it moves from the tip side to the base end side. The tip of the tip surface is continuous with the base end portion of the low back portion 311a. The part of the middle back portion 311b other than the tip portion is a protruding portion that extends toward the base end side at a constant height. Furthermore, the base end portion of the middle back portion 311b is continuous with the tip portion of the high back portion 311c. The height of the middle back portion 311b (the amount of protrusion in the Y direction) is greater than the height of the low back portion 311a and less than the height of the high back portion 311c. As shown in FIG. 7, when the housing 3 is held by the shell 4, the height (length in the Y direction) of the middle back portion 311b is set so that the outer surface (surface perpendicular to the Y direction) of the middle back portion 311b contacts the inner surface of the tubular portion 42 of the shell 4 and the inner surface of the insertion hole 43.

[0050] In a natural state where no external force is applied to the housing 3, the distance in the Y direction between the outer surface of the middle back portion 311b on the upper side of the cylindrical portion 31 and the outer surface of the middle back portion 311b on the lower side of the cylindrical portion 31 is slightly larger than the inner diameter in the Y direction (height direction) of the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4. With this configuration, when the cylindrical portion 31 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the middle back portion 311b comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43, and is pressed inward, so that the housing 3 is held by the shell 4. Furthermore, since the housing 3 is made of an insulating material having elasticity, the cylindrical portion 31 can be elastically deformed inward. Therefore, when the housing 3 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43, the outer surfaces of the center back portions 311b of the four first pressing ribs 311 are pressed inward by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43, and as a result, the portion of the cylindrical portion 31 where the center back portions 311b are formed is elastically deformed inward. This makes it possible to bring the inner surface of the insertion hole 33 into stronger contact with the protruding portion 27 of the contact pin 2, thereby preventing the contact pin 2 from shifting within the insertion hole 33 and from coming out of the insertion hole 33.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 11, the high back portion 311c is located on the base end side of the middle back portion 311b, extends from the base end of the middle back portion 311b toward the base end side at a certain height, and protrudes outward. The lower end of the tip of the high back portion 311c is continuous with the base end of the middle back portion 311b. As shown in FIG. 7, the height (length in the Y direction) of the high back portion 311c is set so that the outer surface (surface perpendicular to the Y direction) of the high back portion 311c does not contact the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 when the housing 3 is held by the shell 4. In addition, the base ends of the high back portions 311c of the two first pressing ribs 311 formed on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 31 are connected to the tip surface of the front plate 321 of the downward extension portion 32.

[0052] The pair of second pressing ribs 312 are formed to prevent the contact pins 2 from shifting toward the base end side or coming off in the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3 and to prevent the cylindrical portion 31 from coming off from the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 in a state in which the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4. Furthermore, the pair of second pressing ribs 312 are formed to improve the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 by stably maintaining a constant separation distance in the width direction (X direction) between the pair of contact pins 2 respectively held in the pair of insertion holes 33 of the housing 3.

[0053] 11, the pair of second pressing ribs 312 are protrusions that extend linearly in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200 while being spaced apart from each other. The pair of second pressing ribs 312 face each other at an angular interval of 180 degrees via the pair of insertion holes 33 and a wall portion 34 formed between the pair of insertion holes 33. The pair of second pressing ribs 312 are formed on both side surfaces (both side surfaces in the X direction) of the tubular portion 31, respectively.

[0054] Each of the pair of second pressing ribs 312 includes a low back portion 312a located at the tip end of the cylindrical portion 31, and a high back portion 312b extending from the base end of the low back portion 312a toward the base end side.

[0055] The low back portion 312a is a protrusion located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 31 and extending at a certain height from the tip toward the base end. The height (length in the X direction) of the low back portion 312a is set so that the low back portion 312a does not come into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4 when the housing 3 is held by the shell 4.

[0056] The high back portion 312b is located closer to the base end than the low back portion 312a. The tip of the high back portion 312b is an inclined portion whose height gradually increases from the tip side to the base end side, and the tip surface of the high back portion 312b is an inclined surface that inclines from the inside to the outside as it moves from the tip side to the base end side. The tip of the tip surface is continuous with the base end of the low back portion 312a. The part of the high back portion 312b excluding the tip portion is a protruding portion that extends toward the base end side at a constant height. The height of the high back portion 312b (the amount of protrusion in the X direction) is greater than the height of the low back portion 312a.

[0057] The high back portion 312b is provided to contact the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 and prevent the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 from coming off the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 when the housing 3 is held by the shell 4. The height (length in the X direction) of the high back portion 312b is greater than the height of the low back portion 312a. In addition, in a natural state in which no external force is applied to the housing 3, the total length of the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 31 in the width direction (X direction) and the height (projection amount) of the pair of high back portions 312b is slightly greater than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 in the width direction. With this configuration, when the cylindrical portion 31 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the high back portion 312b comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 and is pressed inward, so that the housing 3 is held by the shell 4. Furthermore, as described above, the cylindrical portion 31 is elastically deformable inwardly. Therefore, when the housing 3 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the high back portion 312b comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 and is pressed inwardly, so that the portion of the cylindrical portion 31 where the high back portion 312b is formed is elastically deformed inwardly.

[0058] The downward extension portion 32 is a portion that accommodates the downward extension portion 26 of the contact pin 2 when the contact pin 2 is held by the housing 3. As shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, the downward extension portion 32 includes a front plate 321 extending downward from a lower portion of the base end of the cylindrical portion 31, a pair of side wall portions 322 extending from both ends in the width direction (X direction) of the front plate 321 toward the base end, a central wall portion 323 that is between the pair of side wall portions 322 and extends from the center in the width direction of the front plate 321 toward the base end while being spaced apart from the pair of side wall portions 322, notches 35 formed on the outer surfaces of each of the pair of side wall portions 322, and an engagement protrusion 36 formed to separate the pair of notches 35 in the front-rear direction.

[0059] The front plate 321 is a plate-like portion extending vertically downward from the lower portion of the base end of the tubular portion 31. As shown in Fig. 7, when the insertion of the tubular portion 31 of the housing 3 from the base end side into the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 is completed, the tip surface of the front plate 321 abuts against the inner surface of the main body portion 41 of the shell 4.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the pair of side walls 322 are plate-like portions extending from both ends of the front plate 321 in the width direction (X direction) toward the base end side. As shown in FIG. 12, the base end surface of the front plate 321, the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 322, and the outer surface of the central wall 323 define two internal spaces for accommodating the respective downward extensions 26 of the pair of contact pins 2. When the pair of contact pins 2 is held by the housing 3, the respective downward extensions 26 of the pair of contact pins 2 are located in the two internal spaces of the downward extensions 32 of the housing 3. The central wall 323 is a plate-like portion extending from the center of the width direction (X direction) of the front plate 321 toward the base end side. The central wall 323 is located between the pair of side walls 322 and faces both of the pair of side walls 322 with a gap therebetween. The central wall 323 separates the two internal spaces described above.

[0061] 11, the pair of insertion holes 33 are arranged in parallel in the width direction (X direction), and extend in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200, separated from each other via the wall portion 34. Each of the pair of insertion holes 33 penetrates the tubular portion 31 in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. As described above, the pair of contact pins 2 are press-fitted into the pair of insertion holes 33, respectively. The insertion holes 33 have a shape corresponding to the horizontal extension portions 24 of the contact pins 2, and have a substantially rectangular planar shape when viewed in a plan view from the Z direction.

[0062] The wall portion 34 is located between the pair of insertion holes 33. The wall portion 34 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly from the tip end to the base end of the tubular portion 31 along the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200 inside the tubular portion 31 so as to separate a pair of adjacent insertion holes 33 in the width direction.

[0063] The cutout portion 35 is a recess formed in a lower portion on the outer surface of each of the pair of sidewall portions 322 along the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200 of each of the pair of sidewall portions 322. The cutout portion 35 extends from an approximate center portion in the height direction of the sidewall portion 322 to the lower end, and also extends from the tip end to the base end of the sidewall portion 322. The cutout portion 35 includes a first recess 351 formed on the tip side of the cutout portion 35 and a second recess 352 formed on the base end side of the first recess 351. The first recess 351 and the second recess 352 are separated by an engagement protrusion 36.

[0064] The first recess 351 is a hollowed-out portion for preventing each of a pair of side wall portions 322 of the housing 3 from contacting an engaging protrusion 49 (see FIG. 15) formed on the inner surface of the shell 4, which will be described later, when the housing 3 is inserted into the shell 4. As shown in FIG. 15, when the housing 3 is stored inside the shell 4, the outer surface of the first recess 351 faces the inner surface of the shell 4 with a gap therebetween and is not in contact with the inner surface of the shell 4.

[0065] The second recess 352 is a recess for accommodating the engaging protrusion 49 (see FIG. 15) of the shell 4 when the housing 3 is accommodated inside the shell 4. As shown in FIG. 15, when the housing 3 is accommodated inside the shell 4, the outer surface of the second recess 352 faces the inner surface of the shell 4 excluding the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 via a gap and is not in contact with the inner surface of the shell 4.

[0066] 11 and 12, the engaging protrusion 36 is a protrusion that is long in the height direction (Y direction) and is formed on the outer surface of the cutout portion 35 of the pair of side wall portions 322, between the first recess 351 and the second recess 352. The engaging protrusion 36 engages with the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 and has the function of locking the housing 3 inside the shell 4. The engaging protrusion 36 extends linearly in the vertical direction from the upper end to the lower end of the cutout portion 35. The outer surface (the surface in the X direction) of the engaging protrusion 36 is located on the same plane as the outer surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 322, and is located outside the outer surfaces of the cutout portions 35. The engagement protrusion 36 includes a front inclined portion 361 that protrudes from the outer surface of the side wall portion 322 and gradually increases the amount of outward protrusion from the tip side to the base end, a rear inclined portion 362 that protrudes from the outer surface of the side wall portion 322 on the base end side of the front inclined portion 361 and gradually decreases the amount of outward protrusion from the tip side to the base end, and a flat portion 363 that extends linearly in the insertion / removal direction of the mating connector 200 between the front inclined portion 361 and the rear inclined portion 362.

[0067] The front inclined portion 361 protrudes from the outer surface of the first recess 351 and has an inclined structure in which the amount of protrusion outward (in the X direction) gradually increases from the tip side to the base end side. The tip of the front inclined portion 361 is continuous with the outer surface of the first recess 351. The outer surface of the front inclined portion 361 is an inclined surface that inclines outward from the tip side to the base end side. When the housing 3 is inserted into the shell 4, the front inclined portion 361 advances in the tip direction while sliding on the base end surface (a second inclined surface 492 described later, see FIG. 15) of the engagement protrusion 49 of the shell 4.

[0068] The rear inclined portion 362 is a portion that protrudes from the outer surface of the second recess 352 on the base end side of the front inclined portion 361, and has an inclined structure in which the amount of outward protrusion gradually decreases from the tip end side to the base end side. The base end of the rear inclined portion 362 is continuous with the outer surface of the second recess 352. The outer surface of the rear inclined portion 362 is an inclined surface that inclines inward from the tip end side to the base end side. As shown in FIG. 15, when the housing 3 is stored inside the shell 4, the outer surface of the rear inclined portion 362 is in contact with the tip end surface (first inclined surface 491 described later) of the engagement protrusion 49 of the shell 4.

[0069] 11, the flat portion 363 extends linearly from the base end of the front inclined portion 361 to the tip end of the rear inclined portion 362, and has a constant height from the tip end to the base end. The outer surface of the flat portion 363 is a flat surface perpendicular to the X direction. As shown in FIG. 15, when the housing 3 is stored inside the shell 4, the outer surface of the flat portion 363 does not contact the inner surface of the shell 4.

[0070] In the illustrated embodiment, the engaging protrusion 36 is on each of the outer surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 322 of the downward extending portion 32, and extends from approximately the center of each of the pair of side wall portions 322 in the height direction (Y direction) to the lower end, but the length of the engaging protrusion 36 in the Y direction is not limited to this. As long as the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3 can engage with the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 and lock the housing 3 in the storage portion 48 in a state in which the housing 3 is stored in the storage portion 48 of the shell 4, the length of the engaging protrusion 36 in the Y direction may be smaller or larger than that in the illustrated embodiment. For example, the engaging protrusion 36 may extend from the upper end to the lower end of the side wall portion 322.

[0071] Returning to Fig. 8, the shell 4 functions as a housing for accommodating each component of the electrical connector 1, and also functions as an electrical path for electrically connecting the ground terminal 110 on the circuit board 100. As shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, the shell 4 is a box-shaped member made of a metal material.

[0072] The shell 4 includes a main body 41 including a front plate 411, a pair of side walls 412, and a top plate 413, a cylindrical portion 42 extending from the tip end surface of the front plate 411 of the main body 41 toward the tip end, a pair of positioning protrusions 421 formed on the tip end surface of the front plate 411 of the main body 41 at locations adjacent to the upper and lower portions of the base end of the cylindrical portion 42, an insertion hole 43 penetrating the front plate 411 of the main body 41, and four ground terminals extending downward from the lower end of the main body 41. The cover receiving portion 46 includes a cover receiving portion 44, a pair of wall portions 45 formed on each of a pair of side walls 412 of the main body portion 41 so as to extend in the Z direction and be spaced apart from each other, a cover receiving portion 46 formed on the outer surface of each of the pair of side walls 412, an engagement wall 47 formed at the base end of the cover receiving portion 46, a storage portion 48 defined by the front plate 411, the pair of side walls 412, and the inner surfaces of the top plate 413, and an engagement protrusion 49 protruding inward from the inner surface of the storage portion 48.

[0073] The main body 41 includes a front plate 411, a pair of side walls 412 extending from the widthwise ends of the front plate 411 toward the base end, and a top plate 413 extending from the upper end of the front plate 411 toward the base end, and has a box-like shape that is open toward the base end and the bottom. The cylindrical portion 42 is a cylindrical member formed to protrude toward the tip end from the tip end surface of the front plate 411 of the main body 41, and communicates with the insertion hole 43. The cylindrical portion 42 functions as an external conductor that covers the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 from the outside. In addition, when the mating connector 200 is connected to the electrical connector 1, the cylindrical portion 42 contacts the corresponding outer contacts 240 (see FIG. 20) of the mating connector 200, respectively, to equalize the ground potentials of the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200.

[0074] 13, the pair of positioning protrusions 421 are formed so as to protrude from the tip surface of the front plate 411 of the main body 41 toward the tip side, and extend outward (in the Y direction) from the upper and lower surfaces of the base end of the cylindrical portion 42. The upper end surface of the upper positioning protrusion 421 is located on the same plane as the upper surface of the top plate 413. The pair of positioning protrusions 421 are provided to execute positioning of the cover 5 relative to the shell 4. The pair of positioning protrusions 421 are formed in positions and shapes corresponding to a pair of positioning recesses 52 (see FIG. 17) of the cover 5 described later.

[0075] 14, the insertion hole 43 is formed to penetrate the front plate 411 of the main body 41 in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. Furthermore, the width (length in the X direction) of the inner diameter of the insertion hole 43 is larger than the height (length in the Y direction) of the inner diameter of the insertion hole 43 and corresponds to the rounded rectangular planar shape of the tubular portion 31 of the housing 3.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 7, the insertion hole 43 includes a tip portion having a shape substantially equal to that of the hollow portion of the cylindrical portion 42 and a base end portion formed wider than the tip portion, and a step portion 431 is formed between the tip portion and the base end portion. The tip portion of the insertion hole 43 has a shape similar to that of the hollow portion of the cylindrical portion 42 and communicates with the hollow portion of the cylindrical portion 42, and the base end portion of the insertion hole 43 communicates with the storage portion 48. The step portion 431 has an inclined structure in which the height gradually decreases from the tip side toward the base end side. As shown in FIG. 7, when the housing 3 is stored inside the shell 4, the step portion 431 is separated from the tip surface of the high back portion 311c of the first pressing rib 311 of the housing 3 via a gap.

[0077] 7 and 8, when the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 is inserted into the shell 4, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 come into contact with the outer surfaces of the middle back portions 311b of the four first pressing ribs 311 of the housing 3. As a result, the outer surfaces of the middle back portions 311b of the four first pressing ribs 311 of the housing 3 are pressed inward, and the portion of the cylindrical portion 31 where the middle back portions 311b are formed is elastically deformed inward. Furthermore, when the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4, the outer surfaces of the high back portions 312b of the pair of second pressing ribs 312 of the housing 3 are pressed inward by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43, and the portion of the cylindrical portion 31 where the high back portions 312b are formed is elastically deformed inward. Such inward elastic deformation of the cylindrical portion 31 enables the contact pin 2 to be locked in the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3 .

[0078] 13 and 14, the four ground terminals 44 are each connected to a corresponding ground terminal 110 (see FIG. 4) of the circuit board 100. The shell 4 is electrically connected to the ground terminal 110 via the ground terminal 44.

[0079] The pair of walls 45 are provided on the pair of side walls 412 of the main body 41 to form a pair of cover receiving portions 46 for receiving the pair of protruding pieces 54 of the cover 5, respectively. One of the pair of walls 45 is formed on the upper side (+Y direction) of each of the pair of side walls 412, and the other is formed on the lower side (-Y direction) of each of the pair of side walls 412, and they face each other via the pair of cover receiving portions 46. The inner surfaces (inner surfaces in the Y direction) of each of the pair of walls 45 are connected by an engagement wall 47 to define the base end surface of the cover receiving portion 46. Each of the pair of walls 45 extends from the tip end on the outer surface of the side wall 412 to the base end side, and the width (length in the Y direction) gradually increases from the tip end side to the base end side. The inner surface of each of the pair of walls 45 is a flat inclined surface that inclines from the tip end side toward the engagement wall 47 on the base end side.

[0080] Each of the pair of cover receiving portions 46 is formed on the outer surfaces of the pair of side walls 412 of the main body 41, between the pair of wall portions 45, and has the function of receiving a pair of protruding pieces 54 of the cover 5. The cover receiving portion 46 is defined by the outer surfaces of the side walls 412 of the main body 41, the inner surfaces of the pair of wall portions 45, and the tip surface of the engagement wall 47. The opening width of the cover receiving portion 46 in the Y direction gradually decreases from the tip side toward the base end side. With this configuration, the attachment of the cover 5 to the shell 4 can be guided.

[0081] The engagement wall 47 is formed at the base end of the cover receiving portion 46, and is formed to perform attachment of the cover 5 to the shell 4. Furthermore, the tip surface of the engagement wall 47 is an inclined surface that extends obliquely from the outer surface of the side wall 412 of the main body portion 41 outward and toward the base end side (see FIG. 13). The base end surface of the engagement wall 47 is a flat surface that is perpendicular to the outer surface of the cover receiving portion 46 (see FIG. 14). The engagement wall 47 is located between the pair of wall portions 45, extends in the up-down direction (Y direction), and connects the pair of wall portions 45.

[0082] The storage section 48 is an internal space of the main body 41 defined by the front plate 411, the pair of side walls 412, and the inner surfaces of the top plate 413, and is a recess that opens toward the base end side and downward. The components of the electrical connector 1 are stored inside the storage section 48. The storage section 48 has guide portions 481 formed on the inner surfaces of each of the two side surfaces of the storage section 48.

[0083] The guide portions 481 are recesses located on the inner surfaces of both side surfaces of the storage portion 48 and formed to extend linearly in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. The guide portions 481 are formed at positions corresponding to the pair of second pressing ribs 312 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tubular portion 31. When the tubular portion 31 of the housing 3 is inserted into the storage portion 48 from the base end side of the main body portion 41, the pair of second pressing ribs 312 are inserted into the corresponding guide portions 481. With this configuration, the insertion of the housing 3 into the shell 4 is guided.

[0084] 14 and 15, the engaging protrusion 49 is a protrusion protruding inward from the inner surface of each of both side surfaces (i.e., a pair of side walls 412) of the storage section 48. As shown in FIG. 15, the engaging protrusion 49 has a tapered shape in which the width in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200 gradually decreases as the engaging protrusion 49 moves away from the inner surface of the storage section 48. The engaging protrusion 49 has a function of engaging with the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3 and locking the housing 3 in the storage section 48 when the housing 3 is stored in the storage section 48 of the shell 4. The engaging protrusion 49 has a first inclined surface 491 located on the tip side (+Z direction side) and a second inclined surface 492 located on the base end side (-Z direction side) of the first inclined surface 491. When the housing 3 is stored in the storage portion 48 , the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 is located closer to the base end than the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3 .

[0085] The first inclined surface 491 is an inclined surface that inclines from the outside to the inside from the tip side to the base end side. The tip portion of the first inclined surface 491 is continuous with the inner side surface of the storage portion 48. As shown in FIG. 15 , when the housing 3 is stored in the storage portion 48, the first inclined surface 491 of the engagement protrusion 49 is in contact with the base end surface of the rear inclined portion 362 of the engagement protrusion 36 of the housing 3.

[0086] The second inclined surface 492 is an inclined surface that inclines from the inside to the outside from the tip side to the base end side. The tip end of the second inclined surface 492 is continuous with the base end of the first inclined surface 491, and the outer surface of the connection portion (top of the engagement protrusion 49) of the first inclined surface 491 and the second inclined surface 492 is curved. The base end of the second inclined surface 492 is continuous with the inner surface of the storage section 48. As shown in FIG. 14, when the housing 3 is not stored in the storage section 48, the first inclined surface 491 faces the front plate 411, and the second inclined surface 492 faces the outside. Also, as shown in FIG. 15, when the housing 3 is stored in the storage section 48, a part of the first inclined surface 491 contacts the rear inclined portion 362, and the other part of the first inclined surface 491 faces the front plate 411. Furthermore, when the housing 3 is stored in the storage portion 48, the entire second inclined surface 492 faces the outside of the storage portion 48 on the -Z direction side.

[0087] As described above, the first inclined surface 491 comes into contact with the base end surface of the rear inclined portion 362 of the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3, whereby the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3 and the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 engage with each other. Therefore, even if an external force in the -Z direction is applied to the housing 3 when the mating connector 200 is inserted into the electrical connector 1, the housing 3 is locked in the storage section 48 of the shell 4 by the engagement between the engaging protrusion 36 and the engaging protrusion 49. In order to increase the locking force of the housing 3 in the storage section 48, the inclination of the first inclined surface 491 with respect to the inner side surface of the storage section 48 is formed to be greater than the inclination of the second inclined surface 492 with respect to the inner side surface of the storage section 48.

[0088] Thus, in the present invention, the housing 3 is provided with the engaging protrusions 36 that protrude outward from the outer surfaces of each of the pair of side wall portions 322 of the downward extending portion 32, and the shell 4 is provided with the engaging protrusions 49 that protrude inward from the inner surfaces of each of both side surfaces of the storage portion 48. When the housing 3 is stored in the storage portion 48 of the shell 4, the engaging protrusions 36 and the engaging protrusions 49 engage with each other, thereby locking the housing 3 within the storage portion 48.

[0089] In order to mount the electrical connector 1 on the circuit board 100, a reflow soldering process is performed, but the heat generated during the reflow soldering process causes stress relaxation of the housing 3. If the housing 3 is held in the shell 4 only by the frictional force at the press-fit surface between the housing 3 and the shell 4 as in the conventional case, the holding force of the housing 3 in the shell 4 is rapidly reduced due to stress relaxation of the housing 3. On the other hand, in the present invention, the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3 engages with the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 to lock the housing 3 in the shell 4. The holding force of the housing 3 in the shell 4 provided by the engagement between the engaging protrusion 36 of the housing 3 and the engaging protrusion 49 of the shell 4 is not reduced by the heat generated during the reflow soldering process. Therefore, even after the reflow soldering process, the holding force of the housing 3 in the shell 4 is not reduced. As a result, even when the mating connector 200 is inserted into the electrical connector 1 from the tip side, the mating connector 200 comes into contact with the tubular portion 31 of the housing 3, and an external force toward the base end is applied to the housing 3, the housing 3 can be prevented from shifting toward the base end within the shell 4, and the contact reliability of the electrical connector 1 can be maintained.

[0090] Returning to Fig. 8, the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4 and has a function of guiding the connection between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200. As shown in Fig. 16 and Fig. 17, the cover 5 includes a square cylindrical main body 51 that opens at the tip side and the base side, a pair of positioning recesses 52 formed on the base end surface of the main body 51, two protrusions 53 formed on the bottom surfaces (surfaces perpendicular to the Z direction) of the pair of positioning recesses 52, a pair of protruding pieces 54 extending from the main body 51 to the base end side, and an engaging protrusion 55 extending inward from each of the base end side edges on the inner surfaces of the pair of protruding pieces 54.

[0091] The main body 51 has a square cylindrical shape that opens at the tip and base ends. The mating connector 200 is inserted into the tip opening of the main body 51, thereby guiding the connection between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200. The main body 51 further includes a base opening 511 that opens at the base end and through which the tubular portion 42 of the shell 4 is inserted from the base end side.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 17, each of the pair of positioning recesses 52 is a recess formed on the base end surface of the main body 51. The pair of positioning recesses 52 has a function of accommodating the pair of positioning protrusions 421 of the shell 4 when the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4. One of the pair of positioning recesses 52 extends in the width direction along the upper end of the base end opening 511, and the other of the pair of positioning recesses 52 extends in the width direction along the lower end of the base end opening 511. The pair of positioning recesses 52 are formed by cutting out the base end surface of the main body 51 on the tip side at positions and shapes corresponding to the pair of positioning protrusions 421 of the shell 4 described above. The positioning of the cover 5 with respect to the shell 4 is performed by inserting the pair of positioning protrusions 421 into the pair of positioning recesses 52, respectively. Two protrusions 53 protruding toward the base end are formed on the bottom surface of each of the pair of positioning recesses 52. That is, in the illustrated embodiment, a total of four protrusions 53 are formed. When the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4, the two upper protrusions 53 abut against the upper positioning protrusions 421 of the shell 4, and the two lower protrusions 53 abut against the lower positioning protrusions 421 of the shell 4. With this configuration, the positioning of the cover 5 with respect to the shell 4 can be stably performed.

[0093] The pair of protruding pieces 54 are plate-like portions extending from the base ends of a pair of opposing side surfaces (wall portions) in the X direction of the main body portion 51 toward the base end side. The pair of protruding pieces 54 face each other with a gap therebetween. Each of the pair of protruding pieces 54 has a shape corresponding to each of the pair of cover receiving portions 46 of the shell 4 described above, and when the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4, the pair of protruding pieces 54 are housed in the pair of cover receiving portions 46, respectively.

[0094] The pair of engaging protrusions 55 are formed to engage with the engaging walls 47 formed on the shell 4 and to attach the cover 5 to the shell 4. The pair of engaging protrusions 55 are tapered portions that protrude inward from the base end side edges of the inner surfaces of the pair of projecting pieces 54, respectively.

[0095] Each of the pair of engagement protrusions 55 includes an inclined portion 551 located on the base end side and a flat portion 552 extending linearly from the tip end of the inclined portion 551. The base end surface of the inclined portion 551 is continuous with the base end of the protruding piece 54, and the height (length in the X direction) gradually increases from the base end side to the tip end side. The inner surface of the inclined portion 551 is an inclined surface that inclines inwardly from the base end side to the tip end side. When the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4, the inclined portion 551 slides on the tip end surface of the engagement wall 47 of the shell 4, and the protruding piece 54 is gradually elastically deformed outward. The flat portion 552 extends linearly from the tip end of the inclined portion 551, and the height is constant from the base end side to the tip end side. The tip end surface of the flat portion 552 is a flat surface perpendicular to the Z direction. The tip surface of the flat portion 552 abuts against and engages with the base end surface of the engagement wall 47 , whereby the cover 5 is attached to the tip portion of the shell 4 .

[0096] The receiving portion 56 is formed on the upper surface of the main body 51, and has the function of receiving the positioning protrusion 220 (see FIG. 4) of the case 210 of the mating connector 200. The receiving portion 56 is provided with an opening 561 for inserting the positioning protrusion 220 of the case 210 of the mating connector 200, a pair of guide portions 562 for sliding the positioning protrusion 220 of the mating connector 200 and guiding the connection between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200, and a locking portion 563 for locking the positioning protrusion 220 of the case 210 of the mating connector 200.

[0097] The opening 561 is a rectangular opening that opens in the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200. The mating connector 200 is inserted into the electric connector 1 in such a position that the positioning protrusion 220 of the case 210 of the mating connector 200 is inserted into the opening 561, thereby performing positioning of the mating connector 200 with respect to the electric connector 1. The pair of guide parts 562 are plate-like parts that extend upward from the upper surface of the main body part 51 and face each other. The positioning protrusion 220 of the case 210 of the mating connector 200 slides on the inner surfaces of the pair of guide parts 562, thereby guiding the connection of the mating connector 200 to the electric connector 1. The locking part 563 is a plate-like part that connects the base ends of the pair of guide parts 562 to each other. The locking portion 563 is a flat surface perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction (Z direction) of the mating connector 200, and when the tip of the positioning protrusion 220 of the case 210 of the mating connector 200 abuts the locking portion 563, the insertion of the mating connector 200 into the electrical connector 1 is restricted.

[0098] Next, a method S100 for manufacturing the electrical connector 1 and a method (step S110) for manufacturing the contact pins 2 of the electrical connector 1 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 18 and 19. Figure 18 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the electrical connector of the present invention. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the contact pins of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0099] The manufacturing method S100 shown in FIG. 18 is executed by an assembly robot or an assembly worker for the electrical connector 1. First, in step S110, the contact pin 2 is manufactured. As shown in FIG. 19, in step S111 (pressing step), the contact pin 2 is manufactured by pressing both ends of a wire rod having a rectangular cross section to form a main body portion 21 having a rectangular cross section, a contact portion 22 extending from one end of the main body portion 21, and a terminal portion 23 extending from the other end of the main body portion 21. Furthermore, a portion of the wire rod corresponding to a predetermined portion of the main body portion 21 is pressed to form two pairs of protrusions 27 protruding outward (Y direction) from the main body portion 21. Furthermore, a portion of the wire rod corresponding to a tip end of the main body portion 21 is pressed to form a pair of tip protrusions 28 protruding outward (Y direction) from the main body portion 21. The press working for forming the contact portion 22 and the terminal portion 23 may be performed simultaneously with the press working for forming the contact portion 22 and the terminal portion 23, or may be performed at different times.

[0100] Next, in step S112 (bending step), a portion of main body 21 is bent to form, in main body 21, horizontal extension 24 extending linearly in the extension direction of mating connector 200, connecting portion 25 extending in a curved downward direction from the base end of horizontal extension 24, and downward extension 26 extending linearly downward from the lower end of connecting portion 25. When contact portion 22, terminal portion 23, horizontal extension 24, connecting portion 25, and downward extension 26 are formed as described above, step S110 of manufacturing contact pin 2 is completed.

[0101] Thus, in the present invention, a pair of contact pins 2 is obtained by pressing (step S111) and bending (step S112) a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, rather than by punching and cutting a metal plate as in the conventional method. This makes it possible to prevent changes in the shape of the main body 21 of each of the pair of contact pins 2, in particular, crushing of the corners of the first surface 211 or the second surface 212, and to prevent a difference in the cross-sectional shape of the main body 21 between the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212 of the main body 21, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1.

[0102] Furthermore, in the manufacturing method (step S110) of the contact pin 2 of the present invention, there are no cut marks that are formed in the main body 21 of the contact pin 2 when the contact pin 2 is conventionally obtained by punching and cutting a metal plate. Therefore, the contact pin 2 of the present invention can be made to have a simpler shape than a conventional contact pin obtained by pressing a metal plate and punching it into a predetermined shape. In the flow chart shown in Fig. 19, step S112 (bending step) is performed after step S111 (pressing step), but this order may be reversed.

[0103] 18, next, in step S120, an appropriate press-fitting tool is used to press-fit the pair of contact pins 2 into the pair of insertion holes 33 of the housing 3. The press-fitting of the pair of contact pins 2 into the pair of insertion holes 33 of the housing 3 is performed by the same procedure, so below, a procedure for press-fitting one contact pin 2 into one of the insertion holes 33 of the housing 3 will be representatively described.

[0104] First, the contact portion 22 of the contact pin 2 is inserted into the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3. Next, the connection portion 25 of the contact pin 2 is pressed toward the tip side, and the contact pin 2 is press-fitted into the insertion hole 33 of the housing 3. When the tip surface of the downward extension portion 26 of the contact pin 2 abuts against the base end surface of the front plate 321, the press-fitting of the contact pin 2 into the insertion hole 33 is completed. The other contact pin 2 is press-fitted into the other insertion hole 33 by a similar procedure.

[0105] Next, in step S130, the housing 3 into which the pair of contact pins 2 are press-fitted is inserted from the base end side into the storage portion 48 of the shell 4, and then into the insertion hole 43. The insertion of the housing 3 into the insertion hole 43 is completed when the tubular portion 31 is inserted into the tubular portion 42 of the shell 4 and further the tip end surface of the front plate 321 of the housing 3 comes into contact with the base end surface of the front plate 411 of the shell 4.

[0106] In step S130, when the cylindrical portion 31 of the housing 3 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4, the front inclined portions 361 of the pair of engaging protrusions 36 of the housing 3 slide on the second inclined surfaces 492 of the pair of engaging protrusions 49 of the shell 4. As the downward extension portion 32 advances toward the tip end side in the storage portion 48, the pair of side wall portions 322 elastically deform inward. When the front inclined portions 361 of the engaging protrusions 36 pass the tops of the engaging protrusions 49, the tops of the engaging protrusions 49 slide on the flat portions 363 of the engaging protrusions 36 as the downward extension portion 32 advances toward the tip end side in the storage portion 48. When the flat portions 363 pass the tops of the engaging protrusions 49, the side wall portions 322 elastically restore outward, and the engaging protrusions 36 engage with the engaging protrusions 49 by snap-fit. 15, in this state, the outer surface of the rear inclined portion 362 of the engaging protrusion 36 contacts and engages with the first inclined surface 491 of the engaging protrusion 49. With this configuration, the housing 3 is locked in the storage portion 48 of the shell 4, and the housing 3 can be prevented from coming off the shell 4 toward the base end side.

[0107] In addition, when the insertion of the housing 3 into the shell 4 is completed, the middle portions 311b of the four first pressing ribs 311 formed on the cylindrical portion 31 and the outer surfaces of the high portions 312b of the pair of second pressing ribs 312 contact the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 42 and the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43. Therefore, the cylindrical portion 31 is fixed inside the cylindrical portion 42 and the insertion hole 43.

[0108] Finally, in step S140, the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4 from the tip side. Specifically, the tip side portion of the shell 4 is press-fitted to the base end side of the cover 5 in such a manner that the pair of protruding pieces 54 of the cover 5 are inserted into the pair of cover receiving portions 46 of the shell 4, respectively. At this time, the inclined portions 551 of the pair of protruding pieces 54 slide on the tip end surface of the engagement wall 47 of the shell 4, and as the shell 4 is inserted into the cover 5, the pair of protruding pieces 54 elastically deform outward and open. When the pair of engagement protrusions 55 exceed the base end surface of the engagement wall 47, the pair of protruding pieces 54 elastically return to their original shape inward and engage by snap-fit. By such snap-fit ​​engagement, the attachment of the cover 5 to the tip side portion of the shell 4 is completed. When the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4 as described above, the manufacturing method S100 of the electrical connector 1 is completed.

[0109] 20 is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane including the contact pin 2 in a state where the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are coupled. As shown in FIG. 20, the mating connector 200 is inserted into the electrical connector 1 from the tip side, and the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are coupled. In this state, the contact portion 22 of the contact pin 2 of the electrical connector 1 contacts the corresponding contact pin 230 of the mating connector 200. The contact pin 230 of the mating connector 200 is connected to the corresponding core wire 310 of the coaxial cable 300. Therefore, in a state where the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are coupled, the contact pin 2 of the electrical connector 1 is electrically connected to the corresponding core wire 310 of the coaxial cable 300 via the corresponding contact pin 230 of the mating connector 200.

[0110] Furthermore, the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4 of the electrical connector 1 comes into contact with the corresponding outer contact 240 of the mating connector 200. The outer contact 240 of the mating connector 200 is connected to the outer conductor layer 340 of the coaxial cable via the conductor parts 250, 260. Therefore, in a state in which the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector 200 are coupled together, the cylindrical portion 42 of the shell 4 of the electrical connector 1 is electrically connected to the outer conductor layer 340 of the coaxial cable 300 via the corresponding outer contact 240 of the mating connector 200.

[0111] As described above, each of the pair of contact pins 2 of the electrical connector 1 of the present invention is obtained by performing press processing (step S111) and bending processing (step S112) on a wire material having a rectangular cross section. Therefore, unlike contact pins obtained by performing punching and cutting on a metal plate, the corners (first corner, second corner, third corner, and fourth corner) of the first surface 211 or the second surface 212 of the main body 21 are not crushed in the manufacturing process of the contact pin 2, and the shape of the main body 21 does not change. In particular, in the cross-sectional shape of the main body 21 of the contact pin 2, the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212 are approximately equal. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a difference between the length L1 of the first surface 211 and the length L2 of the second surface 212 of the main body 21 from occurring in the cross-sectional shape of the main body 21, and the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 can be improved.

[0112] Furthermore, in the present invention, each of the pair of contact pins 2 of the electrical connector 1 is obtained by pressing a wire having a rectangular cross section rather than by pressing a metal plate to form a predetermined shape, so that the length L1 of the first surface 211, the length L2 of the second surface 212, the length L3 of the third surface 213, and the length L4 of the fourth surface 214 of the contact pin 2 can be set to lengths more suitable for the signal transmission characteristics, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1. For example, in the present invention, the lengths L1 and L2 of the contact pin 2 can be set to less than 1.5 times the lengths L3 and L4, as necessary.

[0113] Furthermore, in the present invention, the mutually opposing inner surfaces (the second surface 212 of the contact pin 2 in the +X direction and the first surface 211 of the contact pin 2 in the -X direction) of the main body 21 of the pair of contact pins 2 of the electrical connector 1 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the X direction. With this configuration, the distance between the pair of contact pins 2 in the X direction can be kept constant. By keeping the distance between the pair of contact pins 2 constant, the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 can be stabilized.

[0114] Although the electrical connector and the method for manufacturing the contact pins of the electrical connector according to the present invention have been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. Each component of the present invention can be replaced with any component that can exert a similar function, or any component can be added to each component of the present invention.

[0115] Those skilled in the art in the field and technology to which the present invention pertains will be able to modify the configuration of the described electrical connector of the present invention without significantly departing from the principles, concepts, and scope of the present invention, and electrical connectors having modified configurations are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0116] In addition, the number and types of components of the electrical connector shown in Figs. 4 to 17 and 20 are merely examples for explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Within the scope of the present invention, any embodiment in which any component is added or combined, or any component is deleted, is also within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the number and types of steps in the manufacturing method for the electrical connector and the manufacturing method for the contact pins of the electrical connector shown in Figs. 18 and 19 are merely examples for explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Within the scope of the present invention, any embodiment in which any process is added or combined for any purpose, or any process is deleted, is also within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1...electrical connector 2...contact pin 21...main body 211...first surface 212...second surface 213...third surface 214...fourth surface 22...contact portion 23...terminal portion 24...horizontal extension portion 25...connection portion 26...downward extension portion 27...projection portion 271...recess 28...tip projection portion 3...housing 31...tubular portion 311...first pressing rib 311a...low back portion 311b...middle back portion 311c...high back portion 312...second pressing rib 312a...low back portion 312b...high back portion 32...downward extension portion 321...front plate 322...side wall portion 323...central wall portion 33...insertion hole 34...wall portion 35...notch portion 351...first recess 352...second recess 36...engagement protrusion 361...front inclined portion 362...rear inclined portion 363...flat portion 4...shell 41...main body portion 411...front plate 412...side wall 413...top plate 42...tubular portion 421...positioning protrusion 43...insertion hole 431...step portion 44...ground terminal 45...wall portion 46...cover receiving portion 47...engagement wall 48...storage portion 481...guide portion 49...engagement protrusion 491...first inclined surface 492...second inclined surface 5...cover 51...main body portion 511...base end opening 52...positioning recess 53...projection 54...projecting piece 55...engagement protrusion 551...inclined portion 552...flat portion 56...receiving portion 561...opening 562...guide portion 563... retaining portion 100... circuit board 110... ground terminal 120... terminal 200... mating connector 210... case 220... positioning protrusion 230... contact pin 240... outer contact 250... conductor part 260... conductor part 300... coaxial cable 310... core wire 320... inner insulating layer 330... first outer insulating layer 340... outer conductor layer 350... second outer insulating layer 10... contact pin 101... main body 102... contact portion 103... terminal portion 104... cut mark 105... carrier 106... first surface 107... second surface 108... third surface 109... fourth surface 11... housing 111... cylindrical portion 112... wall portion θ1, θ2, θ3, θ4... angles S100... manufacturing method S110, S120, S130, S140...Process S111, S112...Process L1, L2, L3, L4...Length

Claims

1. An electrical connector that can be connected to a mating connector that is inserted from the tip side, A pair of contact pins; an insulating housing that houses the pair of contact pins in a mutually insulated state; Each of the pair of contact pins is formed from a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, Each of the pair of contact pins has a body portion having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, The pair of contact pins each have a flat inner surface, 2. An electrical connector comprising: a pair of contact pins each further comprising a recess formed in a predetermined portion of an outer surface of the body portion opposite the inner surface of the body portion.

2. 2. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein each of the pair of contact pins further includes a pair of protrusions formed to protrude outward from the main body portion in correspondence with the recess formed in the specified portion of the outer surface of the main body portion.

3. each of the pair of contact pins further includes a contact portion extending from one end of the body portion and a terminal portion extending from the other end of the body portion; the main body portion of each of the pair of contact pins has a first surface and a second surface opposed to each other, and a third surface and a fourth surface opposed to each other, the third surface and the fourth surface of the body are perpendicular to the first surface and the second surface of the body, 2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein in the cross-sectional shape of the main body, the ratio of the length of the first surface to the length of the second surface satisfies a relationship of 0.9 to 1.1, and the third surface and the fourth surface are parallel to each other.

4. 4. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein the first surface and the second surface of the body are parallel.

5. the main body portion includes a horizontal extending portion extending in a direction in which the mating connector is inserted and removed, a connecting portion bending downward from a base end portion of the horizontal extending portion, and a downward extending portion extending linearly downward from a lower end portion of the connecting portion, The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein each of the horizontal extension portion, the connection portion, and the downward extension portion is configured such that, in its cross-sectional shape, the ratio of the length of the first surface to the length of the second surface satisfies the relationship of 0.9 to 1.1, and the third surface and the fourth surface are parallel.

6. the housing has a pair of insertion holes for inserting the pair of contact pins, the body portion of each of the pair of contact pins further includes a pair of protrusions protruding outward from the third surface and the fourth surface of the body portion, respectively; 4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein the pair of protrusions of the contact pin engage with inner surfaces of the corresponding insertion holes of the housing, thereby locking the contact pin within the corresponding insertion holes of the housing.

7. 4. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein the length of the first side and the length of the second side are less than 1.5 times the length of the third side and the length of the fourth side.

8. A method for manufacturing a contact pin used in an electrical connector that includes a pair of contact pins and an insulating housing that houses the pair of contact pins in a mutually insulated state, the electrical connector being connectable to a mating connector that is inserted from a tip side, the method comprising the steps of: a pressing step of pressing both ends of a wire rod having a rectangular cross section to form a main body having a rectangular cross section, a contact portion extending from one end of the main body, and a terminal portion extending from the other end of the main body, The pair of contact pins each have a flat inner surface, A method for manufacturing a contact pin, wherein each of the pair of contact pins has a recess formed in a predetermined portion of an outer surface of the body portion opposite the inner surface of the body portion.

9. 9. The method for manufacturing a contact pin as described in claim 8, further comprising a bending process for bending a portion of the main body portion after the pressing process to form in the main body portion a horizontal extension portion that extends linearly in the extension direction of the mating connector, a connection portion that extends in a curved manner downward from a base end of the horizontal extension portion, and a downward extension portion that extends linearly downward from a lower end of the connection portion.

10. In the pressing step, a press working is performed on a portion of the outer surface of the wire rod that faces the inner surface of the main body portion and corresponds to the predetermined portion, thereby forming a pair of protrusions that protrude outward from the main body portion, The method for manufacturing a contact pin according to claim 8 , wherein the recess is formed in the predetermined portion of the outer surface of the main body.

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