Electric connector

Abstract

To provide an electric connector capable of preventing shifting of an upper receptacle assembly inside a shell and improving the contact reliability of the electric connector.SOLUTION: An electric connector 1 includes a lower receptacle assembly 2L, an upper receptacle assembly 2U located above the lower receptacle assembly 2L, a shielding member 3 located between the lower receptacle assembly 2L and the upper receptacle assembly 2U, and a metal shell 4 that holds the lower receptacle assembly 2L, the upper receptacle assembly 2U, and the shielding member 3. The shielding member 3 engages with a cylindrical portion 221 of an upper housing 22U of the upper receptacle assembly 2U.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to electrical connectors used to provide a coaxial connection with a coaxial cable. [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 such a coaxial connection with a coaxial cable, an electrical connector including a contact pin electrically connected to a core wire of the coaxial cable, an insulating housing that holds the contact pin therein, and a metal shell that covers the housing from the outside is widely used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a receptacle-type electrical connector 500 as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the electrical connector 500.

[0004] The electrical connector 500 includes a receptacle assembly 530 including contact pins 510 and an insulating housing 520 that holds the contact pins 510 therein, a metallic shell 540 that holds the receptacle assembly 530 so as to cover it from the outside, and an insulating cover 550 that covers the shell 540 from the outside. The electrical connector 500 is mounted on a circuit board of an arbitrary device, and a terminal portion 511 of the contact pins 510 and a ground terminal 541 of the shell 540 are connected to corresponding terminals, respectively. A plug-type mating connector connected to an end of a coaxial cable is inserted into the electrical connector 500 from the tip side (left side in FIG. 1), and the electrical connector 500 and the mating connector are coupled. When the electrical connector 500 and the mating connector are coupled, the contact portion 512 of the contact pins 510 come into contact with the contact pins of the mating connector, and further, the cylindrical portion 542 of the shell 540 comes into contact with the metallic outer contact of the mating connector. This provides a coaxial connection between a circuit board on which the electrical connector 500 is mounted and a coaxial cable to which the mating connector is connected, via the electrical connector 500 and the mating connector.

[0005] In such electrical connector 500, when a mating connector is inserted into electrical connector 500 from the tip side, the mating connector comes into contact with horizontally extending portion 521 of housing 520, and an external force toward the base end side (the right side in FIG. 1 ) is applied to receptacle assembly 530. At this time, receptacle assembly 530 shifts toward the base end side within shell 540. Such a shift makes the position of contact pin 510 in insertion hole 546 of shell 540 unstable, and reduces the contact reliability of electrical connector 500.

[0006] To address such problems, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a pair of engagement protrusions 544 are provided on inner surfaces 543 of a pair of side walls of shell 540, as shown in Fig. 2. By engaging the pair of engagement protrusions 544 of shell 540 with the outer surfaces of downward extension portion 522 of housing 520, respectively, the holding force of receptacle assembly 530 inside shell 540 can be improved and the above-mentioned shifting of receptacle assembly 530 inside shell 540 can be prevented.

[0007] On the other hand, depending on the specifications of a device in which the electrical connector 500 is used, there are cases where it is desired to set the number of ports of the electrical connector 500, i.e., the number of coaxial cables electrically connected to a circuit board by the electrical connector 500 and a mating connector, to two or more (see the configuration of the electrical connector in Patent Document 2). For example, as shown in Fig. 3, an electrical connector 500 including two or more receptacle assemblies 530, six in the illustrated example, is used. In this case, the shell 540 has six tubular portions 542 corresponding to the six receptacle assemblies 530, respectively, and the six receptacle assemblies 530 are held by the shell 540 so as to be exposed in two upper and lower rows within the cover 550. Hereinafter, each of the three receptacle assemblies 530 held by shell 540 and exposed in the lower row within cover 550 will be referred to as a lower receptacle assembly 530L, and each of the three receptacle assemblies 530 exposed in the upper row within cover 550 will be referred to as an upper receptacle assembly 530U.

[0008] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional perspective view of a shell 540 of such an electrical connector 500. The shell 540 is obtained by molding a metal material. When molding the shell 540, a cylindrical mold for an insertion hole 546 for the upper receptacle assembly 530U must be inserted into a frame mold corresponding to the outer shape of the shell 540 from the direction of dotted arrow A in FIG. 4, and a cylindrical mold for an insertion hole 546 for the lower receptacle assembly 530L must be inserted from the direction of dotted arrow B in FIG. 4. In addition, in order to form an engagement protrusion 544 on the inner surface 543 of a pair of side walls of the shell 540, a mold for the engagement protrusion 544 must be inserted into the frame mold from the direction of dotted arrow C in FIG. 4 (below).

[0009] In order to improve the holding force of the upper receptacle assembly 530U inside the shell 540, it is necessary to realize the engagement between the above-mentioned engagement protrusion 544 of the shell 540 and the outer surface of the downward extension portion 522 of the housing 520 at a position as close as possible to the horizontal extension portion 521 of the housing 520 to which an external force is applied. Therefore, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, it is necessary to provide the engagement protrusion 544 on the upper inner surface 545 of the shell 540 facing the upper part of the downward extension portion 522 of the housing 520. However, as described above, when the shell 540 is molded with a mold, a cylindrical mold is inserted into the frame mold from the direction of the dotted arrow B in FIG. 4, so that the mold for the engagement protrusion 544 inserted from below cannot reach the upper inner surface 545, and the engagement protrusion 544 cannot be formed on the upper inner surface 545. Therefore, when the electrical connector 500 is configured to include an upper receptacle assembly 530U and a lower receptacle assembly 530L, it is not possible to prevent the upper receptacle assembly 530U from shifting inside the shell 540, resulting in a problem that the contact reliability of the electrical connector 500 is reduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Patent application No. 2023-103602 [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-149019 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology, and has an object to provide an electrical connector that includes an upper receptacle assembly and a lower receptacle assembly and is capable of preventing shifting of the upper receptacle assembly inside the shell. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] Such an object can be achieved by the present invention as defined by the following (1). (1) a lower receptacle assembly; an upper receptacle assembly located above the lower receptacle assembly; a shield member positioned between the lower receptacle assembly and the upper receptacle assembly; a metallic shell that holds the lower receptacle assembly, the upper receptacle assembly, and the shield member; Each of the lower receptacle assembly and the upper receptacle assembly includes a contact pin and an insulating housing that holds the contact pin therein; the contact pin includes a horizontal extension portion that extends linearly in a front-rear direction and a downward extension portion that extends downward from a base end of the horizontal extension portion, the housing includes a cylindrical portion that extends linearly in the front-rear direction and has the horizontal extending portion of the contact pin located therein, and a downward extending portion that extends downward from a base end of the cylindrical portion and has the downward extending portion of the contact pin located therein, the shield member is held by the shell so as to be positioned between the downward extensions of the contact pins of the lower receptacle assembly and the downward extensions of the contact pins of the upper receptacle assembly; The electrical connector, wherein the shield member is engaged with the cylindrical portion of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly. Effect of the Invention

[0013] In the electrical connector of the present invention, the shield member pressed into the shell engages with the cylindrical portion of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly, thereby preventing shifting of the upper receptacle assembly inside the shell and improving the contact reliability of the electrical connector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art electrical connector. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shell of the electrical connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an electrical connector including multiple receptacle assemblies. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a shell of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical connector of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electrical connector of the present invention as seen from another angle. [Figure 7] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane including the contact pins of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the YZ plane including the contact pins of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an upper receptacle assembly of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 11]11 is a perspective view of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly shown in FIG. 10 from a different angle. [Figure 12] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a lower receptacle assembly of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 13] 13 is a perspective view of the housing of the lower receptacle assembly shown in FIG. 12 from a different angle. [Figure 14] 10 is a perspective view of the shell shown in FIG. 9 as seen from a different angle. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the shell shown in FIG. [Figure 16] 10 is a perspective view of the cover shown in FIG. 9 as seen from a different angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] 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 "front-rear direction", the Y direction is referred to as the "height direction", and the X direction is referred to as the "width direction".

[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the electrical connector of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electrical connector of the present invention seen from another angle. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in the YZ plane including the contact pins of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view in the YZ plane including the contact pins of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the upper receptacle assembly of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly shown in FIG. 10 seen from another angle. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the lower receptacle assembly of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the housing of the lower receptacle assembly shown in FIG. 12 seen from another angle. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the shell shown in FIG. 9 seen from another angle. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the shell shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the cover shown in FIG. 9 seen from another angle.

[0017] The electrical connector 1 of the present invention is a receptacle connector mounted on a circuit board provided in an arbitrary device. When a mating connector (plug connector) attached to the tip of four coaxial cables, each having a pair of core wires, is inserted into the electrical connector 1 from the tip side and the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector are coupled, an electrical connection is provided between the four coaxial cables and the circuit board via the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector.

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical connector 1 includes two pairs of upper receptacle assemblies 2U and lower receptacle assemblies 2L arranged side by side in the height direction of the electrical connector 1, but the electrical connector 1 is not limited to this and may include at least one pair of upper receptacle assemblies 2U and lower receptacle assemblies 2L arranged side by side in the height direction. For example, the electrical connector 1 may include three pairs of upper receptacle assemblies 2U and lower receptacle assemblies 2L arranged side by side in the width direction as shown in Fig. 3.

[0019] In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical connector 1 has an upper receptacle assembly 2U with a pair of upper contact pins 21U and a lower receptacle assembly 2L with a pair of lower contact pins 21L, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A mode in which each of the two upper receptacle assemblies 2U has one or three or more upper contact pins 21U, and each of the two lower receptacle assemblies 2L has one or three or more lower contact pins 21L is also within the scope of the present invention. Hereinafter, the electrical connector 1 will be described as being an in-vehicle Ethernet multi-pin connector (8-pin connector) including two pairs of upper receptacle assemblies 2U and lower receptacle assemblies 2L arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, each of the upper receptacle assemblies 2U includes a pair of upper contact pins 21U, and each of the lower receptacle assemblies 2L has a pair of lower contact pins 21L.

[0020] As shown in Figures 5 to 9, particularly Figure 9, the electrical connector 1 includes two lower receptacle assemblies 2L, two upper receptacle assemblies 2U each located above and on the base end side of the two lower receptacle assemblies 2L, two shield members 3 located between the lower receptacle assemblies 2L and the upper receptacle assembly 2U, a metal shell 4 that holds the two lower receptacle assemblies 2L, the two upper receptacle assemblies 2U, and the two shield members 3, and a cover 5 attached to a tip portion of the shell 4 to guide connection to the electrical connector 1 of the mating connector.

[0021] The two lower receptacle assemblies 2L and the two upper receptacle assemblies 2U are held by the shell 4 and are respectively connected to corresponding plug assemblies of the mating connector. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, when held by the shell 4, one lower receptacle assembly 2L and one upper receptacle assembly 2U are paired and lined up in the height direction. Also, the upper receptacle assembly 2U is held by the shell 4 so as to be located above and on the base end side of the corresponding lower receptacle assembly 2L.

[0022] The two upper receptacle assemblies 2U have the same configuration, so one upper receptacle assembly 2U will be described in detail below as a representative. As shown in Fig. 10, the upper receptacle assembly 2U includes a pair of upper contact pins 21U that respectively contact the corresponding contact pins of the mating connector, and an insulating upper housing 22U that holds the pair of upper contact pins 21U.

[0023] Each of the pair of upper contact pins 21U is an L-shaped member made of a conductive material such as a copper alloy. When the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector are connected, the upper contact pins 21U come into contact with corresponding contact pins of the mating connector and have a function of providing an electrical connection between the mating connector and the electrical connector 1. Since each of the pair of upper contact pins 21U has the same configuration, the configuration of the upper contact pin 21U located on the +X direction side will be described in detail below as a representative example.

[0024] The upper contact pin 21U comprises a horizontal extension portion 211 extending linearly in the fore-and-aft direction (Z direction), a downward extension portion 212 extending linearly downward from the base end of the horizontal extension portion 211, a contact portion 213 extending linearly from the tip end of the horizontal extension portion 211 toward the tip side, a terminal portion 214 extending linearly downward from the lower end of the downward extension portion 212, and two pairs of protrusions 215 extending in the height direction (Y direction, outward) from the top and bottom surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211.

[0025] The horizontal extension portion 211 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly in the front-rear direction. The downward extension portion 212 is a plate-like portion that extends linearly downward from the base end of the horizontal extension portion 211. As shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, when the upper contact pin 21U is press-fitted into the corresponding insertion hole 223 formed in the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U, the horizontal extension portion 211 is positioned inside the cylindrical portion 221, and further, the downward extension portion 212 is positioned within the downward extension portion 222 of the upper housing 22U.

[0026] 10, the contact portion 213 is a columnar portion extending linearly from the tip of the horizontally extending portion 211 toward the tip side. In addition, when the upper contact pin 21U is held by the upper housing 22U, the contact portion 213 protrudes toward the tip side from the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U and is exposed. When the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector are connected, the contact portion 213 comes into contact with the corresponding contact pin of the mating connector, and an electrical connection between the mating connector and the electrical connector 1 is provided.

[0027] The terminal portion 214 is a generally pyramidal portion formed to protrude downward from the lower end of the downward extension portion 212. When the upper contact pin 21U is held by the upper housing 22U, the terminal portion 214 extends downward from the downward extension portion 222 of the upper housing 22U and is exposed. The terminal portion 214 is connected to a corresponding terminal of a circuit board on which the electrical connector 1 is mounted.

[0028] The two pairs of protrusions 215 are portions that protrude in the height direction (Y direction, outward) from the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211. The two upper protrusions 215 protrude from the upper surface of the horizontal extension portion 211 in the +Y direction, and the two lower protrusions 215 protrude from the lower surface of the horizontal extension portion 211 in the -Y direction. The upper protrusions 215 and the lower protrusions 215 of each pair are formed at positions facing each other via the horizontal extension portion 211. When the upper contact pin 21U is press-fitted into the insertion hole 223 of the upper housing 22U, each of the two pairs of protrusions 215 is strongly pressed by the inner surface of the insertion hole 223, and has a function of increasing the locking force of the upper contact pin 21U in the insertion hole 223 by the friction force.

[0029] Furthermore, the mutually opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the pair of upper contact pins 21U (the +X direction surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the upper contact pin 21U on the -X direction side in Fig. 10 and the -X direction surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the upper contact pin 21U on the +X direction side in Fig. 10) are flat surfaces. With this configuration, the separation distance between the mutually opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the pair of upper contact pins 21U can be made constant, and the transmission characteristics of signals transmitted via the pair of upper contact pins 21U, in particular the transmission characteristics of high-frequency signals, can be improved.

[0030] The upper contact pin 21U as described above is press-fitted into the insertion hole 223 of the upper housing 22U and is held by the upper housing 22U. The upper housing 22U is made of an insulating material having elasticity, such as a resin material (for example, liquid crystal polymer (LCP)). As shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, the upper housing 22U includes a cylindrical portion 221 extending in the front-rear direction (Z direction) and a downward extension portion 222 extending downward from a base end portion of the cylindrical portion 221.

[0031] The cylindrical portion 221 is a cylindrical portion that extends linearly in the front-rear direction. In a plan view from the Z direction, the cylindrical portion 221 has a rectangular planar shape with rounded corners. In a plan view from the Z direction, the length of the cylindrical portion 221 in the width direction (X direction) is greater than the length in the height direction (Y direction). The upper and lower sides of the cylindrical portion 221 are flat surfaces that are spaced apart from each other and extend in the front-rear direction, and both side surfaces in the X direction of the cylindrical portion 221 are curved surfaces that are spaced apart from each other and extend in the front-rear direction.

[0032] The tubular portion 221 includes a pair of insertion holes 223 penetrating the tubular portion 221 in the front-rear direction, four first pressure ribs 224 located on the upper and lower sides of the tubular portion 221, respectively, and extending in the front-rear direction, a pair of second pressure ribs 225 located on both side sides of the tubular portion 221 in the X direction, respectively, and extending in the front-rear direction, a block portion 226 provided on the lower surface of the tubular portion 221 so as to protrude downward, and an engagement recess 227 formed on the block portion 226 so as to open downward.

[0033] The pair of insertion holes 223 are arranged in parallel in the width direction, are spaced apart from each other, and extend linearly in the front-rear direction. Each of the pair of insertion holes 223 penetrates the cylindrical portion 221 in the front-rear direction. The pair of upper contact pins 21U are press-fitted into the pair of insertion holes 223. The insertion holes 223 have a shape corresponding to the horizontal extension portions 211 of the upper contact pins 21U, and have a substantially rectangular planar shape when viewed in the Z direction.

[0034] Each of the four first pressing ribs 224 includes a low back portion 224a located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 221 and a middle back portion 224b extending from a base end of the low back portion 224a toward the base end. The low back portion 224a is a protruding portion located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 221 and extending from the tip toward the base end at a constant height. As shown in Fig. 7, the height (length in the Y direction) of the low back portion 224a is set so that the low back portion 224a does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 when the upper housing 22U is held by the shell 4.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the middle back portion 224b is located on the base end side of the low back portion 224a. The tip end of the middle back portion 224b is an inclined portion whose height gradually increases from the tip end side to the base end side, and the tip surface of the middle back portion 224b is an inclined surface that inclines from the inside to the outside as it moves from the tip end side to the base end side. The tip end of the tip surface is continuous with the base end portion of the low back portion 224a. The part of the middle back portion 224b excluding the tip end portion is a protruding portion that extends toward the base end side at a constant height. The height of the middle back portion 224b (the amount of protrusion in the Y direction) is greater than the height of the low back portion 224a. As shown in FIG. 7, the height (length in the Y direction) of the middle back portion 224b is set so that the outer surface (surface perpendicular to the Y direction) of the middle back portion 224b contacts the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 when the upper housing 22U is held by the shell 4. Further, the base ends of the central back portions 224 b of the two first pressing ribs 224 formed on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 221 are connected to the tip surface of the block portion 226 .

[0036] In a natural state where no external force is applied to the upper housing 22U, the total length of the outer diameter in the height direction (Y direction) of the cylindrical portion 221 and the height (projection amount) of the pair of middle back portions 224b is slightly larger than the inner diameter in the Y direction of the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4. With this configuration, when the cylindrical portion 221 is inserted into the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the middle back portion 224b comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 43 and is pressed inward, so that the upper housing 22U is held by the shell 4. Furthermore, since the upper housing 22U is made of an insulating material having elasticity, the cylindrical portion 221 can be elastically deformed inward. Therefore, when the upper housing 22U is inserted into the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the middle back portion 224b of the four first pressing ribs 224 is pressed inward by the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 43, and as a result, the part of the cylindrical portion 221 where the middle back portion 224b is formed is elastically deformed inward. This allows stronger contact between the inner surface of the insertion hole 223 of the upper housing 22U and the protrusion 215 of the upper contact pin 21U, preventing the upper contact pin 21U from shifting within the insertion hole 223 and coming off from the insertion hole 223.

[0037] The pair of second pressing ribs 225 are formed to prevent the upper contact pin 21U from shifting toward the base end side or from coming off in the insertion hole 223 of the upper housing 22U and to prevent the cylindrical portion 221 from coming off from the insertion hole 223 when the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U is inserted into the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4. The pair of second pressing ribs 225 are protrusions that extend linearly in the front-rear direction while being spaced apart from each other. The pair of second pressing ribs 225 face each other at an angle of 180 degrees via the pair of insertion holes 223. The pair of second pressing ribs 225 are formed on both side surfaces (both side surfaces in the X direction) of the cylindrical portion 221, respectively.

[0038] Each of the pair of second pressing ribs 225 includes a low back portion 225a located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 221 and a high back portion 225b extending from a base end of the low back portion 225a toward the base end side. The low back portion 225a is a protruding portion located at the tip of the cylindrical portion 221 and extending from the tip to the base end side at a certain height. The height (length in the X direction) of the low back portion 225a is set so that the low back portion 225a does not contact the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 when the upper housing 22U is held by the shell 4.

[0039] The high back portion 225b is located closer to the base end than the low back portion 225a. The tip of the high back portion 225b 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 225b 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 225a. The part of the high back portion 225b other than the tip is a protruding portion that extends toward the base end side at a constant height. The height of the high back portion 225b (the amount of protrusion in the X direction) is greater than the height of the low back portion 225a.

[0040] The high back portion 225b is provided to contact the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4 when the upper housing 22U is held by the shell 4, and to prevent the tubular portion 221 of the upper housing 22U from coming off the insertion hole 223. In addition, in a natural state in which no external force is applied to the upper housing 22U, the total length of the outer diameter of the tubular portion 221 in the width direction (X direction) and the height (projection amount) of the pair of high back portions 225b is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 43 in the width direction of the shell 4. With this configuration, when the tubular portion 221 is inserted into the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the high back portion 225b comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 and is pressed inward, so that the upper housing 22U is held by the shell 4. Furthermore, as described above, the tubular portion 221 is elastically deformable inward. Therefore, when the upper housing 22U is inserted into the insertion hole 43, the outer surface of the high back portion 225b comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 223 and is pressed inward, causing the portion of the tubular portion 221 where the high back portion 225b is formed to elastically deform inward. This brings the inner surface of the insertion hole 223 of the upper housing 22U into stronger contact with the upper contact pin 21U, making it possible to prevent the upper contact pin 21U from shifting within the insertion hole 223 and from coming off the insertion hole 223.

[0041] The block portion 226 is a block-shaped portion formed on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 221 so as to protrude downward from the base end portion adjacent to the downward extension portion 222. The tip surface of the block portion 226 is connected to the base end portions of the middle back portions 224b of the two first pressing ribs 224 formed on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 221. Furthermore, the base end surface of the block portion 226 is connected to the downward extension portion 222. The tip surface of the block portion 226 is a flat surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the lower surface of the block portion 226 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. In addition, a recess 2261 is formed on the tip surface of the block portion 226 in a portion adjacent to the base end portions of the middle back portions 224b of the two first pressing ribs 224, allowing the lower end portion of the block portion 226 to elastically deform (flex) in the front-rear direction.

[0042] The engagement recess 227 is a rectangular recess formed on the lower surface of the block portion 226 so as to open downward. As shown in FIG. 11, the engagement recess 227 extends linearly in the width direction (X direction) on the lower surface of the block portion 226. Both ends of the engagement recess 227 in the width direction are not closed and are open toward the outside. The width of the engagement recess 227 in the Z direction is approximately equal to the thickness of the shield member 3. The inner surfaces of the tip end side and the base end side of the engagement recess 227 are flat surfaces perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the upper inner surface of the engagement recess 227 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in a state where the electrical connector 1 is assembled, the upper end of the insertion portion 33 (see FIG. 9) of the shield member 3 is inserted into the engagement recess 227. In this state, the insertion portion 33 contacts the inner surface of the tip end side and the inner surface of the base end side of the engagement recess 227. On the other hand, the insertion portion 33 does not contact the upper inner surface of the engagement recess 227, but faces it through a gap. As will be described later, the shield member 3 is press-fitted into the slit 49 of the shell 4, fixed to the shell 4, and does not move in the front-rear direction. Therefore, by inserting the shield member 3 into the engagement recess 227 and engaging the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U with the shield member 3, it is possible to reliably prevent the upper housing 22U from shifting toward the base end side within the shell 4. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the upper receptacle assembly 2U from shifting within the shell 4, stabilize the position of the upper contact pin 21U within the shell 4, and improve the contact reliability of the electrical connector 1.

[0044] 10 and 11, the downward extension portion 222 is a portion that accommodates the downward extension portion 212 of the upper contact pin 21U inside when the upper contact pin 21U is held by the upper housing 22U. The downward extension portion 222 includes a front plate 2221 extending downward from a lower portion of the base end of the cylindrical portion 221, a pair of side wall portions 2222 extending from both ends in the width direction (X direction) of the front plate 2221 toward the base end, and a central wall portion 2223 that is between the pair of side wall portions 2222 and extends from the center in the width direction of the front plate 2221 toward the base end while being spaced apart from the pair of side wall portions 2222.

[0045] The front plate 2221 is a plate-like portion extending vertically downward from the lower portion of the base end of the cylindrical portion 221. The pair of side wall portions 2222 are plate-like portions extending from both ends of the front plate 2221 in the width direction (X direction) toward the base end. Two internal spaces for accommodating the respective downward extension portions 212 of the pair of upper contact pins 21U are defined by the base end surface of the front plate 2221, the inner surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 2222, and the outer surface of the central wall portion 2223. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the pair of upper contact pins 21U is held by the upper housing 22U, the respective downward extension portions 212 of the pair of upper contact pins 21U are located in the two internal spaces of the downward extension portion 222. The central wall portion 2223 is a plate-like portion extending from the center of the front plate 2221 in the width direction (X direction) toward the base end. The central wall portion 2223 is located between the pair of side wall portions 2222, and faces both of the pair of side wall portions 2222 via a gap. The central wall portion 2223 separates the two internal spaces described above.

[0046] Next, the two lower receptacle assemblies 2L will be described in detail with reference to Figures 12 and 13. The two lower receptacle assemblies 2L have the same configuration, so one lower receptacle assembly 2L will be described in detail below as a representative. As shown in Figure 12, the lower receptacle assembly 2L includes a pair of lower contact pins 21L that respectively contact corresponding contact pins of the mating connector, and an insulating lower housing 22L that holds the pair of lower contact pins 21L.

[0047] Each of the pair of lower contact pins 21L has a configuration similar to that of the aforementioned upper contact pin 21U, except that the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 are shorter in length, and therefore the explanation of the upper contact pin 21U also applies to each of the pair of lower contact pins 21L.

[0048] Similarly to the pair of upper contact pins 21U, the mutually opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the pair of lower contact pins 21L (the +X direction side surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the lower contact pin 21L on the -X direction side in FIG. 12 and the -X direction side surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the lower contact pin 21L on the +X direction side in FIG. 12) are flat surfaces. With this configuration, the separation distance between the mutually opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of the pair of lower contact pins 21L can be made constant, and the transmission characteristics of signals transmitted via the pair of lower contact pins 21L, in particular the transmission characteristics of high-frequency signals, can be improved.

[0049] The lower housing 22L has a similar configuration to the above-described upper housing 22U, except that the lengths of the cylindrical portion 221 and the downward extending portion 222 are shorter, each of the four first pressing ribs 224 further includes a high back portion 224c, the downward extending portion 222 further includes a notch portion 228 and an engaging protrusion 229, and the block portion 226 and the engaging recess 227 are omitted. Below, the differences between the lower housing 22L and the upper housing 22U will be described in detail, and the commonalities between the lower housing 22L and the upper housing 22U will not be described.

[0050] Each of the four first pressing ribs 224 of the lower housing 22L further includes a high back portion 224c. The high back portion 224c is located on the base end side of the middle back portion 224b, extends from the base end of the middle back portion 224b toward the base end side at a certain height, and protrudes outward. The lower end of the tip of the high back portion 224c is continuous with the base end of the middle back portion 224b. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the height (length in the Y direction) of the high back portion 224c is set so that the outer surface (surface perpendicular to the Y direction) of the high back portion 224c does not contact the inner surface of the main body portion 41 of the shell 4 when the lower housing 22L is held by the shell 4. In addition, the base end of the high back portion 224c of the two first pressing ribs 224 formed on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 221 is connected to the tip surface of the front plate 2221 of the downward extension portion 222.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the downward extension 222 of the lower housing 22L further includes a notch 228 and an engagement protrusion 229 formed on the outer surface of each of the pair of side walls 2222. The notch 228 is a recess formed along the front-rear direction in the lower part of the outer surface of each of the pair of side walls 2222. The notch 228 extends from the approximate center in the height direction of the side wall 2222 to the lower end, and also extends from the tip end to the base end of the side wall 2222. The notch 228 includes a first recess 228a formed on the tip side of the notch 228 and a second recess 228b formed on the base end side of the first recess 228a. The first recess 228a and the second recess 228b are separated by the engagement protrusion 229.

[0052] The engaging protrusion 229 is a protrusion that is long in the height direction (Y direction) and is formed on the outer surface of the cutout portion 228 of the pair of side wall portions 2222 between the first recess 228a and the second recess 228b. The engaging protrusion 229 engages with the engaging protrusion 48 (see Figs. 14 and 15) formed on the inner surface of the main body portion 41 of the shell 4, and has a function of locking the lower housing 22L inside the shell 4. The engaging protrusion 229 extends linearly in the vertical direction from the upper end to the lower end of the cutout portion 228. When the cylindrical portion 221 of the lower housing 22L is inserted into the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4, the engaging protrusion 48 is positioned in the second recess 228b and further engages with the engaging protrusion 229. With this configuration, shifting of the lower receptacle assembly 2L inside the shell 4 can be prevented, and the position of the lower contact pin 21L inside the shell 4 can be stabilized, thereby improving the contact reliability of the electrical connector 1.

[0053] 9, each of the two shield members 3 is press-fitted into the slits 49 of the shell 4 from below the shell 4, and has the function of preventing electromagnetic interference between the lower contact pin 21L and the upper contact pin 21U that are adjacent in the front-rear direction. By preventing electromagnetic interference between the lower contact pin 21L and the upper contact pin 21U that are adjacent in the front-rear direction, the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 can be improved.

[0054] 7 and 8, the shield member 3 is a plate-like member made of a metal material, and is press-fitted into the slit 49 and held by the shell 4 so as to be positioned between the downward extension portion 212 of the lower contact pin 21L and the downward extension portion 212 of the upper contact pin 21U. As shown in FIG. 9, the shield member 3 includes a plate-like main body portion 31, a pair of positioning protrusions 32, and an insertion portion 33.

[0055] The main body 31 is a plate-like portion extending in the XY plane. The pair of positioning protrusions 32 are formed on the lower end of both side surfaces in the X direction of the main body 31 so as to protrude outward. When the shielding member 3 is press-fitted into the slit 49 of the shell 4, the pair of positioning protrusions 32 come into contact with a pair of stopper portions 491 (see FIG. 15) formed in the slit 49, and the positioning of the shielding member 3 in the slit 49 is performed. The insertion portion 33 is formed on the upper end surface of the main body 31 so as to protrude upward. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the shielding member 3 is press-fitted into the slit 49 of the shell 4, the upper end of the insertion portion 33 is inserted into the engagement recess 227 of the lower housing 22L. At this time, the insertion portion 33 comes into contact with and engages with the inner surface of the tip end side and the inner surface of the base end side of the engagement recess 227, and thus the shielding member 3 and the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U are engaged with each other. Such engagement prevents shifting of the upper receptacle assembly 2U inside the shell 4 and stabilizes the position of the upper contact pins 21U inside the shell 4, thereby improving the contact reliability of the electrical connector 1.

[0056] 7, when the shielding member 3 is press-fitted into the slit 49 of the shell 4, the distance from the upper end surface of the insertion portion 33 to the lower surface of the horizontally extending portion 211 of the upper contact pin 21U is equal to the distance from the inner surface of the tubular portion 42 of the shell 4 to the lower surface of the horizontally extending portion 211 of the upper contact pin 21U. With this configuration, the distances from the lower surface of the horizontally extending portion 211 of the upper contact pin 21U to the conductive members (shell 4 and shielding member 3) can be made equal, and the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1 can be improved.

[0057] In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical connector 1 includes two shield members 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. An embodiment in which one shield member 3 is configured to be wide in the horizontal direction so as to face the downward extensions 212 of the lower contact pins 21L of two lower receptacle assemblies 2L arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and the downward extensions 212 of the upper contact pins 21U of two upper receptacle assemblies 2U arranged side by side in the horizontal direction is also within the scope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the shield member 3 is a single plate-like member and is located between the downward extensions 212 of the lower contact pins 21L of the two lower receptacle assemblies 2L and the downward extensions 212 of the upper contact pins 21U of the two upper receptacle assemblies 2U, preventing electromagnetic interference between two pairs of lower contact pins 21L and upper contact pins 21U adjacent in the front-rear direction, and improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1. In this case, the shape of the slit 49 of the shell 4 is appropriately changed according to the width of the shield member 3.

[0058] Returning to Fig. 9, 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 between the electrical connector 1 and a ground terminal on a circuit board on which the electrical connector 1 is mounted. As shown in Fig. 14 and Fig. 15, the shell 4 is a box-shaped member made of a metal material.

[0059] The shell 4 includes a main body 41 composed of a front plate 411, a pair of side walls 412, a top plate 413, and a central wall portion 414, four tubular portions 42 extending from the tip surface of the front plate 411 of the main body 41 toward the tip side, four insertion holes 43 for inserting the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L, four ground terminals 44 extending downward from the lower end of the main body 41, a pair of wall portions 45 formed on each of the pair of side walls 412 of the main body 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 surfaces of each of the pair of side walls 412, an engagement wall 47 extending in the height direction within the cover receiving portion 46, four engagement protrusions 48 protruding from the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 412 and both side surfaces of the central wall portion 414, and two slits 49 formed on the lower surface of the main body 41.

[0060] The main body 41 includes a front plate 411, a pair of side walls 412 extending from the widthwise end of the front plate 411 toward the base end, a top plate 413 extending from the upper end of the front plate 411 toward the base end, and a central wall portion 414 located between the pair of side walls 412, and has a box-like shape that is open toward the base end and the bottom. In addition, two storage spaces are formed by the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 412 and both side surfaces of the central wall portion 414. A pair of lower receptacle assemblies 2L and an upper receptacle assembly 2U are stored in one storage space. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in the storage space, the horizontal extension portion 211 of the upper housing 22U is located above the horizontal extension portion 211 of the lower housing 22L, and further, the downward extension portion 212 of the upper housing 22U is located toward the base end side of the downward extension portion 212 of the lower housing 22L.

[0061] 14 and 15, the four cylindrical portions 42 are cylindrical members formed to protrude from the tip surface of the front plate 411 of the main body 41 toward the tip side so as to form a 2×2 matrix. The cylindrical portions 42 function as external conductors that cover the cylindrical portions 221 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L from the outside. When the electrical connector 1 is connected to a mating connector, the cylindrical portions 42 come into contact with the corresponding outer contacts of the mating connector, respectively, to equalize the ground potentials of the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector.

[0062] The four insertion holes 43 are elliptical through holes formed to extend linearly in the front-rear direction, and the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L is inserted into them. Each of the two upper insertion holes 43 is formed to penetrate the main body 41 and the upper cylindrical portion 42 in the front-rear direction. Inside the main body 41, the two upper insertion holes 43 are notched at the lower surface side and open downward. On the other hand, each of the two lower insertion holes 43 is formed to penetrate the lower cylindrical portion 42 in the front-rear direction. The width (length in the X direction) of the inner diameter of each 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 cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 7, when the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L is inserted into the insertion hole 43, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43 contacts the outer surface of the middle back portion 224b of the four first pressing ribs 224 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L. As a result, the outer surfaces of the middle back portion 224b of the four first pressing ribs 224 are pressed inward, and the portion of the cylindrical portion 221 where the middle back portion 224b is formed is elastically deformed inward. Furthermore, when the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L is inserted into the insertion hole 43, the outer surfaces of the high back portion 225b of the pair of second pressing ribs 225 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L are pressed inward by the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 43, and the portion of the cylindrical portion 221 where the high back portion 225b is formed is elastically deformed inward. Such inward elastic deformation of the cylindrical portion 221 enables the upper contact pin 21U or the lower contact pin 21L to be locked in the insertion hole 223 of the upper housing 22U or the lower housing 22L.

[0064] 14 and 15, the four ground terminals 44 are each connected to a corresponding ground terminal of a circuit board on which the electrical connector 1 is mounted. The shell 4 is electrically connected to the ground terminal of the circuit board via the ground terminals 44, so that the ground potential of the electrical connector 1 and the ground potential of the circuit board are equal.

[0065] 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 respectively receiving a pair of protruding pieces 53 (see FIG. 16 ) of the cover 5. 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 faces 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.

[0066] 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 portion 41 and between the pair of wall portions 45, and has a function of receiving a pair of protruding pieces 53 of the cover 5. The cover receiving portion 46 is defined by the outer surfaces of the side walls 412 of the main body portion 41 and the inner surfaces of the pair of wall portions 45. The engagement wall 47 is formed to extend in the height direction within the cover receiving portion 46, and is formed to perform attachment of the cover 5 to the shell 4.

[0067] The four engaging protrusions 48 are protrusions that protrude inward from the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 412 and from both side surfaces of the central wall portion 414 at locations facing the pair of side wall portions 2222 of the downward extending portion 222 of the lower housing 22L. Each engaging protrusion 48 is formed at a position that engages with an engaging protrusion 229 of the downward extending portion 222 of the lower housing 22L when the cylindrical portion 221 of the lower housing 22L is inserted into the insertion hole 43 of the shell 4. The engaging protrusions 48 have a tapered shape whose width in the front-rear direction (Z direction) gradually decreases as they move away from the inner surfaces of the side walls 412 or the side surfaces of the central wall portion 414. When the cylindrical portion 42 of the lower housing 22L is inserted into the insertion hole 43, each engaging protrusion 48 engages with the engaging protrusion 229 while positioned within the second recess 228b of the downward extension portion 222 of the lower housing 22L, thereby improving the holding force of the lower receptacle assembly 2L inside the shell 4.

[0068] The two slits 49 are portions into which the two shielding members 3 are press-fitted. The two slits 49 are formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of side walls 412 and on both side surfaces of the central wall portion 414 so as to extend upward from the lower surface of the main body portion 41. The slits 49 are formed at positions such that, when the shielding members 3 are press-fitted into the slits 49, the shielding members 3 are positioned between the downward extension portion 222 of the upper housing 22U and the downward extension portion 222 of the lower housing 22L. The slits 49 are divided into left and right portions by the storage space of the main body portion 41.

[0069] The slit 49 has a pair of stopper portions 491 that protrude inward from both opposing side surfaces (both side surfaces in the X direction) of the slit 49. The pair of stopper portions 491 protrude inward from both opposing side surfaces of the slit 49 within the slit 49. Therefore, the depth of the portion of the slit 49 where the pair of stopper portions 491 are formed is shallower than the other portions. In addition, the lower end surface of the stopper portion 491 is a flat surface perpendicular to the height direction. Therefore, when the shielding member 3 is press-fitted into the slit 49, the upper surfaces of the pair of positioning protrusions 32 of the shielding member 3 come into contact with the lower surfaces of the pair of stopper portions 491 within the slit 49, and the positioning of the shielding member 3 within the slit 49 is performed.

[0070] Returning to Fig. 9, the cover 5 is attached to the tip side portion of the shell 4, and has a function of guiding the connection between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector. As shown in Fig. 16, the cover 5 includes a square cylindrical main body 51, four insertion holes 52 formed on the base end surface of the main body 51, a pair of protruding pieces 53 extending from the main body 51 to the base end side, and a pair of engaging protrusions 54 extending inward from the base end side edges of the inner surfaces of the pair of protruding pieces 53, respectively.

[0071] The main body 51 has a square cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens at the tip side. The mating connector is inserted into the tip opening of the main body 51, thereby guiding the connection between the electrical connector 1 and the mating connector. Four insertion holes 52 are formed on the base end surface of the main body 51, and are formed to allow the four tubular portions 42 of the shell 4 to pass through, respectively. The cover 5 is attached to the tip side portion of the shell 4 from the tip side so that the four tubular portions 42 of the shell 4 pass through the four insertion holes 52, respectively.

[0072] The pair of protruding pieces 53 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 53 face each other with a gap therebetween. Each of the pair of protruding pieces 53 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 53 are housed in the pair of cover receiving portions 46, respectively.

[0073] The pair of engaging protrusions 54 are formed to engage with engaging walls 47 formed on the shell 4 and to attach the cover 5 to the shell 4. The pair of engaging protrusions 54 are tapered portions that protrude inward from base end edges of the inner surfaces of the pair of projecting pieces 53. The base end side surfaces of the engaging protrusions 54 are inclined surfaces, and the tip end side surfaces of the engaging protrusions 54 are flat surfaces that are perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0074] When the cover 5 is attached to the shell 4, the pair of protruding pieces 53 of the cover 5 are inserted into the pair of cover receiving portions 46 of the shell 4, respectively. When the cover 5 is pressed against the shell 4 in this state, the pair of engagement walls 47 of the shell 4 slide on the base end side surfaces of the pair of protruding pieces 53, and the pair of protruding pieces 53 open outward. When the pair of protruding pieces 53 climb over the pair of engagement walls 47, the pair of protruding pieces 53 elastically return to their original state toward the inside and engage with the pair of engagement walls 47. The cover 5 is fixed to the shell 4 by such a snap fit.

[0075] In this manner, in the electrical connector 1 of the present invention, the shielding member 3 press-fitted into the slit 49 of the shell 4 is inserted into the engagement recess 227 of the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U, and the shielding member 3 and the cylindrical portion 221 of the upper housing 22U are engaged with each other. With this configuration, the shielding member 3 can prevent electromagnetic interference between the lower contact pin 21L and the upper contact pin 21U adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction, and can prevent the upper receptacle assembly 2U from shifting inside the shell 4. Furthermore, in the electrical connector 1 of the present invention, the engagement protrusion 229 of the lower housing 22L engages with the engagement protrusion 48 of the shell 4. With this configuration, the lower receptacle assembly 2L can be prevented from shifting inside the shell 4. Therefore, according to the present invention, the positions of the upper contact pin 21U and the lower contact pin 21L in the shell 4 can be stabilized, and the contact reliability of the electrical connector 1 can be improved.

[0076] Furthermore, in the electrical connector 1 of the present invention, the shield member 3 is located between the downward extensions 222 of the lower contact pins 21L and the downward extensions 222 of the upper contact pins 21U adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction, so that electromagnetic interference between the lower contact pins 21L and the upper contact pins 21U adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction can be prevented, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1. Furthermore, the mutually opposing surfaces of the horizontal extensions 211 and the downward extensions 212 of the pair of upper contact pins 21U of each upper receptacle assembly 2U are flat surfaces. Similarly, the mutually opposing surfaces of the horizontal extensions 211 and the downward extensions 212 of the pair of lower contact pins 21L of each lower receptacle assembly 2L are flat surfaces. With this configuration, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of a pair of upper contact pins 21U of each upper receptacle assembly 2U, and the distance between the opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of a pair of lower contact pins 21L of each lower receptacle assembly 2L can be made constant, thereby improving the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1, in particular the transmission characteristics of high-frequency signals. In this way, in the electrical connector 1 of the present invention, the signal transmission characteristics of the electrical connector 1, particularly the transmission characteristics of high-frequency signals, can be significantly improved by the synergistic effect of preventing electromagnetic interference by the shielding member 3 and maintaining constant the distance between the opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of a pair of upper contact pins 21U of each upper receptacle assembly 2U, and the distance between the opposing surfaces of the horizontal extension portion 211 and the downward extension portion 212 of a pair of lower contact pins 21L of each lower receptacle assembly 2L.

[0077] Although the electrical connector of the present invention has 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] 5 to 16 are merely examples for the purpose of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Within the scope of the principles and intent 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1...electrical connector 2U...upper receptacle assembly 21U...upper contact pin 211...horizontal extension portion 212...downward extension portion 213...contact portion 214...terminal portion 215...projection portion 22U...upper housing 221...tubular portion 222...downward extension portion 2221...front plate 2222...side wall portion 2223...central wall portion 223...insertion hole 224...first pressing rib 224a...low back portion 224b...middle back portion 224c...high back portion 225...second pressing rib 225a...low back portion 225b...high back portion 226...block portion 2261...recess 227...engagement recess 2L...lower receptacle assembly 21L...lower contact pin 22L...lower housing 228...cutout portion 228a...first recess 228b...second recess 229...engagement protrusion 3...shield member 31...main body portion 32...positioning protrusion 33...insertion portion 4...shell 41...main body portion 411...front plate 412...side wall 413...top plate 414...central wall portion 42...tubular portion 43...insertion hole 44...ground terminal 45...wall portion 46...cover receiving portion 47...engagement wall 48...engagement protrusion 49...slit 491...stopper portion 5...cover 51...main body portion 52...insertion hole 53...projecting piece 54...engagement protrusion 500...electrical connector 510...contact pin 511...terminal portion 512...contact portion 520...housing 521...horizontal extension portion 522...downward extension portion 530... receptacle assembly 530L... lower receptacle assembly 530U... upper receptacle assembly 540... shell 541... ground terminal 542... cylindrical portion 543... inner surface 544... engagement protrusion 545... upper inner surface 546... insertion hole 550... cover

Claims

1. a lower receptacle assembly; an upper receptacle assembly located above the lower receptacle assembly; a shield member positioned between the lower receptacle assembly and the upper receptacle assembly; a metallic shell that holds the lower receptacle assembly, the upper receptacle assembly, and the shield member; Each of the lower receptacle assembly and the upper receptacle assembly includes a contact pin and an insulating housing that holds the contact pin therein; the contact pin includes a horizontal extension portion that extends linearly in a front-rear direction and a downward extension portion that extends downward from a base end of the horizontal extension portion, the housing includes a cylindrical portion that extends linearly in the front-rear direction and has the horizontal extending portion of the contact pin located therein, and a downward extending portion that extends downward from a base end of the cylindrical portion and has the downward extending portion of the contact pin located therein, the shield member is held by the shell so as to be positioned between the downward extensions of the contact pins of the lower receptacle assembly and the downward extensions of the contact pins of the upper receptacle assembly; The electrical connector, wherein the shield member engages with the cylindrical portion of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly.

2. the cylindrical portion of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly has an engagement recess on an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion, the engagement recess opening downward; 2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the shield member is inserted into the engagement recess, thereby engaging the shield member with the cylindrical portion of the housing of the upper receptacle assembly.

3. The shield member has a plate-shaped main body and an insertion portion extending upward from an upper end surface of the main body, 3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the insertion portion of the shield member is inserted into the engagement recess and is in contact with an inner surface of the engagement recess on a tip side.

4. The shield member has a plate-like shape, 3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the shell has a slit for inserting the shielding member into the shell from below.

5. 5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the shield member is press-fitted into the slit of the shell.

6. The shield member has a plate-shaped main body and a pair of positioning protrusions extending outward from both side surfaces of the main body, The slit of the shell has a pair of stopper portions protruding inward from opposite side surfaces of the slit, 5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein upper surfaces of the pair of positioning projections of the shield member abut against lower surfaces of the pair of stopper portions of the slit of the shell.

7. The electrical connector comprises: two said lower receptacle assemblies arranged side by side in a lateral direction; two of the upper receptacle assemblies arranged side by side in the lateral direction; one of the upper receptacle assemblies is located above one of the lower receptacle assemblies, 2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the other of said upper receptacle assemblies is located above the other of said lower receptacle assemblies.

8. The electrical connector includes two of the shield members, one of the shield members is held by the shell so as to be positioned between the downward extension portion of the contact pin of the one of the lower receptacle assemblies and the downward extension portion of the contact pin of the one of the upper receptacle assemblies; 8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the other shield member is held by the shell so as to be positioned between the downward extension of the contact pin of the other lower receptacle assembly and the downward extension of the contact pin of the other upper receptacle assembly.

9. the shield member is a single plate-like member, 8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the shielding member is configured to face the downward extensions of the two lower receptacle assemblies arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and the downward extensions of the two upper receptacle assemblies arranged side by side in the horizontal direction.

Images