Electric connector

Abstract

To provide an electric connector capable of surely increasing the number of cores of a terminal.SOLUTION: A receptacle connector 2 includes: a first terminal 10 that is formed so as to be extended to a short direction X, and is arranged along a long direction Y; and a housing 30 that contains a long wall part 31 that is extended to the long direction so as to hold a plurality of first terminals. The plurality of first terminals is provided so as to be a pair so that it is symmetrically opposite to the short direction. The long wall part is provided in a pair so as to hold the plurality of pair of first terminals. The receptacle connector further includes a second terminal 20 that is formed so as to be extended to the long direction, and is provided to between the plurality of first terminals in a pair and the pair of long wall parts, and the second terminal is provided so as to be opposite in a pair while nipping the pair of the plurality of first terminals in the long direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector having terminals and a housing for retaining the terminals. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various technologies related to electrical connectors having terminals and housings for connecting printed wiring boards, flexible flat cables, etc. have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2020-184459 A) discloses an electrical connector having a plurality of terminals arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction and a housing including a side wall portion extending in the longitudinal direction to hold the plurality of terminals, in which the plurality of terminals are provided in pairs so as to face each other symmetrically in the lateral direction, and a pair of side walls are provided to hold each of the pair of terminals. Furthermore, this electrical connector also has a pair of reinforcing metal fittings arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other across the pair of terminals in the longitudinal direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-184459 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in recent years, electronic devices such as smartphones and mobile terminals have become smaller and more functional, leading to a trend toward higher density mounting of electronic components mounted on printed wiring boards, and there is a demand for miniaturizing the electrical connector itself. On the other hand, there is a demand for increasing the number of cores of terminals such as signal terminals (terminals for transmitting specific electrical signals) applied to electrical connectors in order to handle various types of data, for example. If only the latter demand is considered, the number of cores of the terminal can be easily increased by increasing the size of the electrical connector, but doing so makes it impossible to satisfy the former demand. Therefore, it can be said that it would be good if the number of cores of the terminal could be increased without increasing the size of the electrical connector.

[0005] In addition, in the electrical connector described in the above Patent Document 1, the metal parts provided on a pair of side walls of the housing are simply used as terminals, and there is room for improvement in terms of increasing the number of cores in the terminal.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to accurately increase the number of terminal cores in an electrical connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention has a housing including a plurality of first terminals, each formed to extend in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the mating direction with a mating connector, and arranged along a vertical direction perpendicular to the mating direction and the horizontal direction, and a wall portion extending vertically to hold the plurality of first terminals, wherein the electrical connector has a pair of the plurality of first terminals arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other in the horizontal direction, and a pair of wall portions that respectively hold the pair of the plurality of first terminals, and the electrical connector is further characterized in that it has a second terminal formed to extend vertically, and provided between each of the pair of the plurality of first terminals and the pair of wall portions in the horizontal direction, and has a pair of second terminals arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other across the pair of the plurality of first terminals in the vertical direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the number of terminal cores can be increased appropriately without increasing the size of the electrical connector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention in a pre-mating state; [Diagram 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a receptacle connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 3(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of one reinforcing metal fitting in a receptacle connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3(b) is an enlarged top view of the vicinity of this reinforcing metal fitting. [Figure 4] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] 1 is a side view of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention in a pre-mating state; [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention, taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention, taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all drawings for explaining the embodiment, the same members are generally designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

[0011] [Configuration of connector assembly and electrical connector] First, the configuration of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the connector assembly according to this embodiment in a non-mated state.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the connector assembly 1 according to the present embodiment has a receptacle connector 2 and a plug connector 3, and the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are configured to be fitted together. In the following, when the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are not distinguished from each other, they will be referred to as "connectors 2, 3" or simply "connectors". The connectors 2, 3 are mounted on a substrate (not shown) such as a printed wiring board as an electrically connected mounting target. In FIG. 1, both the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are shown with the mating side (mating surface) facing up and the side mounted on the substrate facing down. The connectors 2, 3 can be used as internal components in small electronic devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, digital cameras, and notebook computers. The receptacle connector 2 is an example of an "electrical connector" in the present invention. The receptacle connector 2 can be mounted on various mounting targets such as flexible flat cables in addition to the above-mentioned substrates, but the following will be an example of mounting the receptacle connector 2 on a substrate.

[0013] Here, in FIG. 1 (as well as in other figures), the short side direction (width direction) of the connector is indicated as "X" (corresponding to the "horizontal direction" in the present invention), the long side direction (depth direction) of the connector is indicated as "Y" (corresponding to the "vertical direction" in the present invention), and the mating direction (up-down direction) of the connector is indicated as "Z". In other words, the axis along the short side direction is defined as the X axis, the axis along the long side direction is defined as the Y axis, and the axis along the mating direction is defined as the Z axis. In addition, in this specification, for a certain connector, the side that receives the mating connector in the mating direction Z is defined as the "upper" or "front", and the side that is attached to the board is defined as the "lower" or "rear". Specifically, in the receptacle connector 2, the direction indicated by "Z1" in the mating direction Z corresponds to the "upper direction", and the direction indicated by "Z2" in the mating direction Z corresponds to the "lower direction". In contrast, in Figure 1, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the plug connector 3 is shown turned upside down from the state in which it is to be mated with the receptacle connector 2, so in reality (i.e., when it is to be mated with the receptacle connector 2), the direction indicated by "Z2" corresponds to the "upward direction" and the direction indicated by "Z1" corresponds to the "downward direction" (see also Figures 4 to 7 below).

[0014] Next, the receptacle connector 2 according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 2 in addition to Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector 2 according to this embodiment.

[0015] 1 and 2, the receptacle connector 2 mainly includes a plurality of first terminals 10 and a plurality of second terminals 20, a reinforcing metal fitting 40, and a housing 30 that holds the first terminals 10, the second terminals 20, and the reinforcing metal fitting 40. The first terminals 10 and the second terminals 20 are each configured as a signal terminal for transmitting a predetermined signal. The housing 30 includes a pair of long wall portions 31 each extending in the longitudinal direction Y and arranged at a distance to face each other in the lateral direction X, a pair of short wall portions 32 each extending in the lateral direction X and arranged at a distance to face each other in the longitudinal direction Y, and a mating protrusion 33 that is substantially rectangular in plan view (top view) and is provided in an internal space surrounded by the pair of long wall portions 31 and the pair of short wall portions 32 and is adapted to be mated with the plug connector 3.

[0016] The multiple first terminals 10 are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction Y, and each first terminal 10 is formed to extend in the lateral direction X. The multiple first terminals 10 are provided in pairs so as to face each other symmetrically in the lateral direction X, and each pair of the multiple first terminals 10 is held by each of a pair of longitudinal walls 31 of the housing 30. The first terminals 10 are provided with a mounting portion 11 at one end in the lateral direction X, specifically, at an end portion positioned so as to face the outside of the receptacle connector 2, and the mounting portion 11 is mounted on the board by soldering.

[0017] Unlike the first terminal 10 extending in the short-side direction X as described above, the second terminal 20 is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction Y, and the receptacle connector 2 has two of these second terminals 20. These two second terminals 20 are provided between the pair of the first terminals 10 and the pair of longitudinal wall portions 31 in the short-side direction X, and are arranged to face each other across the pair of the first terminals 10 in the longitudinal direction Y, and are held by each of the pair of short wall portions 32. One end (tip) of the second terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction Y, specifically an end portion located toward the first terminal 10 side, extends to an edge of the fitting protrusion 33 of the housing 30. In addition, the second terminal 20 has a mounting portion 21 at the other end in the longitudinal direction Y, specifically an end portion located toward the outside of the receptacle connector 2, and is mounted on the board by soldering at this mounting portion 21.

[0018] The first terminal 10 is formed to be able to receive (i.e., be able to be fitted with) the terminal 50 of the plug connector 3, and a portion of the first terminal 10 elastically deforms in the short direction X when the terminal 50 is inserted, while the second terminal 20 is formed to be able to receive (i.e., be able to be fitted with) the terminal 60 of the plug connector 3, and a portion of the second terminal 20 elastically deforms in the longitudinal direction Y when the terminal 60 is inserted. In this case, the fitting protrusion 33 of the housing 30 is formed with a plurality of spaces 33a for receiving the elastically deforming portions of the plurality of first terminals 10 and two spaces 33b for receiving the elastically deforming portions of the two second terminals 20, and the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 are capable of being displaced within the spaces 33a, 33b of the fitting protrusion 33 when the terminal 50 and the terminal 60 of the plug connector 3 are inserted, respectively.

[0019] Furthermore, the receptacle connector 2 has a pair of reinforcing metal fittings 40 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction Y, each extending in the lateral direction X. The pair of reinforcing metal fittings 40 is held by a pair of lateral walls 32 provided to face each other across the pair of first terminals 10, and is provided to surround the second terminal 20. Each of the pair of reinforcing metal fittings 40 has two third terminals 41 as power terminals provided near both ends in the lateral direction X. The two third terminals 41 are each provided near the second terminal 20, but are formed to extend in the lateral direction X, unlike the second terminal 20 which extends in the longitudinal direction Y. As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle connector 2 has a mating recess 2a that is substantially rectangular in plan view and receives the mating protrusion 3a (represented by the broken line in FIG. 1) of the plug connector 3 in a portion surrounded by the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41. The fitting convex portion 3a of the plug connector 3 is formed by a short wall portion 72 (including the terminals 60 and the reinforcing metal fittings 80) which will be described later.

[0020] Here, the fitting recess 2a of the receptacle connector 2 will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 3 in addition to Fig. 1. Fig. 3(a) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of one reinforcing metal fitting 40 in the receptacle connector 2 according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 3(b) is an enlarged top view of the vicinity of this reinforcing metal fitting 40.

[0021] As described above, the receptacle connector 2 has a mating recess 2a that is substantially rectangular in plan view in a portion surrounded by the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41. As shown in Fig. 3(b), when the mating protrusion 3a (shown by a dashed line in the figure) of the plug connector 3 is inserted into such a mating recess 2a, the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41 come into contact with the mating protrusion 3a, specifically, come into contact with three sides of the mating protrusion 3a, and are adapted to be elastically deformed.

[0022] In this case, a portion (arm portion) of the second terminal 20 elastically deforms in the longitudinal direction Y, while a portion (arm portion) of each of the two third terminals 41 elastically deforms in the lateral direction X. In particular, the third terminal 41 elastically deforms in the lateral direction X like the first terminal 10, but the side that elastically deforms in the lateral direction X is different between the first terminal 10 and the third terminal 41. More specifically, in the first terminal 10, a portion (arm portion) on the fitting protrusion 33 side, i.e., the side opposite to the longitudinal wall portion 31, elastically deforms in the lateral direction X, while in the third terminal 41, a portion (arm portion) on the longitudinal wall portion 31 side elastically deforms in the lateral direction X.

[0023] 3 (also see FIG. 2 as appropriate), the reinforcing metal fitting 40 has an upper surface cover part 42 that covers the upper surface at both ends in the longitudinal direction Y of the fitting protrusion 33 of the housing 30, a first side surface cover part 43 that covers parts of the side surfaces at both ends in the longitudinal direction Y of the fitting protrusion 33 (parts on both sides of the second terminal 20 in the short direction X), and a second side surface cover part 44 that covers parts of the side surfaces at both ends in the short direction X of the fitting protrusion 33 (parts near both ends in the longitudinal direction Y). The reinforcing metal fitting 40 receives an elastically deformable part of the second terminal 20 with the upper surface cover part 42, the first side surface cover part 43, and the second side surface cover part 44, and surrounds the space 33b formed in the fitting protrusion 33 of the housing 30. This makes it possible to protect the space 33b.

[0024] Next, the plug connector 3 according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 4 in addition to Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector 3 according to this embodiment.

[0025] 1 and 4, the plug connector 3 mainly has a plurality of terminals 50 and a plurality of terminals 60, a reinforcing metal fitting 80, and a housing 70 that holds the terminals 50, 60 and the reinforcing metal fitting 80. The terminals 50 and 60 of the plug connector 3 are configured to mate with the first terminals 10 and second terminals 20 of the receptacle connector 2, respectively. The terminals 50 and 60 are also configured as signal terminals for transmitting a predetermined signal.

[0026] The housing 70 has a pair of long wall portions 71 each extending in the longitudinal direction Y and spaced apart so as to face each other in the lateral direction X, a pair of short wall portions 72 each extending in the lateral direction X and spaced apart so as to face each other in the longitudinal direction Y, a bottom wall portion 73 extending throughout the longitudinal direction Y and the lateral direction X, and a mating recess 74 provided in an internal space surrounded by the pair of long wall portions 71, the pair of short wall portions 72, and the bottom wall portion 73, and receiving the mating protrusion 33 of the receptacle connector 2 described above.

[0027] The multiple terminals 50 are arranged at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction Y, and each terminal 50 is formed to extend in the lateral direction X. The multiple terminals 50 are provided in pairs so as to face each other symmetrically in the lateral direction X, and each pair of the multiple terminals 50 is held by each of a pair of longitudinal walls 71 of the housing 70. The terminals 50 are provided with a mounting portion 51 at one end in the lateral direction X, specifically, at an end portion positioned so as to face the outside of the plug connector 3, and the terminals 50 are mounted on the board at the mounting portion 51 by soldering.

[0028] Unlike the terminal 50 that extends in the short-side direction X as described above, the terminal 60 is formed to extend in the long-side direction Y, and the plug connector 3 has two such terminals 60. These two terminals 60 are provided between the pair of terminals 50 and the pair of long-side wall portions 71 in the short-side direction X, and are arranged to face each other across the pair of terminals 50 in the long-side direction Y, and are held by each of the pair of short-side wall portions 72. The terminal 60 has a mounting portion 61 at one end in the long-side direction Y, specifically, at an end portion located toward the outside of the plug connector 3, and is mounted on the board at this mounting portion 61 by soldering.

[0029] The receptacle connector 2 is produced by integral molding (typically insert molding) using a conductive member such as a copper alloy that forms the first terminal 10, the second terminal 20, and the reinforcing metal fitting 40, and a resin such as liquid crystal polymer (LCP) that forms the housing 30. Similarly, the plug connector 3 is also produced by integral molding (typically insert molding) using a conductive member such as a copper alloy that forms the terminals 50, 60 and the reinforcing metal fitting 80, and a resin such as a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) that forms the housing 70.

[0030] Next, the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 2 and the terminals 50 and 60 of the plug connector 3 according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. Figure 5 is a side view of the connector assembly 1 according to this embodiment in a state before mating, as viewed along the short direction X. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 1 according to this embodiment, as viewed along the line VI-VI in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly 1 according to this embodiment, as viewed along the line VII-VII in Figure 6.

[0031] 6, a pair of first terminals 10 of the receptacle connector 2 are provided so as to symmetrically face each other in the short direction X. Each first terminal 10 includes legs 12, 14 and an arm 16 each extending in the mating direction Z and spaced apart from each other in sequence along the short direction X, the mounting portion 11 connected to the end of the leg 12 on the downward direction Z2 side and extending in the short direction X, a connecting portion 13 extending in the short direction X and connecting an end of the leg 12 on the upward direction Z1 side to an end of the leg 14 on the upward direction Z1 side, and a connecting portion 15 extending in the short direction X and connecting an end of the leg 14 on the downward direction Z2 side to an end of the arm 16 on the downward direction Z2 side.

[0032] In the first terminal 10, the space surrounded by the leg portion 12, the connecting portion 13, and the leg portion 14 is filled with resin (housing 30), in other words, they are fixed by a longitudinal wall portion 31 of the housing 30. On the other hand, the arm portion 16 is not fixed by the housing 30 and is displaceable in the short direction X within the space 33a of the housing 30. In the first terminal 10, the space surrounded by the leg portion 14, the connecting portion 15, and the arm portion 16 forms a receiving space 10a that receives a terminal 50 of the plug connector 3.

[0033] On the other hand, the terminals 50 of the plug connector 3 are also provided in a pair so as to face symmetrically in the short direction X, and each terminal 50 has legs 52, 54 extending in the mating direction Z and spaced apart along the short direction X, the mounting portion 51 connected to the end of the leg 52 on the downward direction Z1 side and extending in the short direction X, and a connecting portion 53 extending in the short direction X and connecting an end of the leg 52 on the upward direction Z2 side to an end of the leg 54 on the upward direction Z2 side. In the terminal 50, a space surrounded by the leg 52, the connecting portion 53, and the leg 54 is filled with resin (the housing 70), in other words, they are fixed by a longitudinal wall portion 71 of the housing 70.

[0034] Here, when the terminal 50 of the plug connector 3 is inserted into the receiving space 10a of the first terminal 10 of the receptacle connector 2, the terminal 50 comes into contact with the leg 14 and the arm 16 that form the receiving space 10a. Specifically, the leg 14 of the first terminal 10 comes into contact with the leg 52 of the terminal 50 at the contact portion 14a on the outer wall surface facing the receiving space 10a, and the arm 16 of the first terminal 10 comes into contact with the leg 54 of the terminal 50 at the contact portion 16a on the outer wall surface facing the receiving space 10a. In this case, in the first terminal 10, the arm 16 elastically deforms in the short direction X within the space 33a of the housing 30, while the leg 14 is fixed by the longitudinal wall portion 31 of the housing 30 and does not basically deform. Furthermore, when the terminal 50 is inserted into the receiving space 10a of the first terminal 10 as described above, at the same time, the mating convex portion 33 of the receptacle connector 2 is inserted into the mating recess 74 of the plug connector 3, resulting in the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 being mated.

[0035] 7, the receptacle connector 2 has a pair of second terminals 20 that are symmetrically opposed to each other in the longitudinal direction Y. Each second terminal 20 has legs 22, 24 and an arm 26 that extend in the mating direction Z and are spaced apart from each other in sequence along the longitudinal direction Y, the mounting portion 21 that is connected to the end of the leg 22 on the downward direction Z2 side and extends in the longitudinal direction Y, a connecting portion 23 that extends in the longitudinal direction Y and connects the end of the leg 22 on the upward direction Z1 side and the end of the leg 24 on the upward direction Z1 side, and a connecting portion 25 that extends in the longitudinal direction Y and connects the end of the leg 24 on the downward direction Z2 side and the end of the arm 26 on the downward direction Z2 side.

[0036] In the second terminal 20, the space surrounded by the leg portion 22, the connecting portion 23, and the leg portion 24 is filled with resin (housing 30), in other words, they are fixed by a short wall portion 32 of the housing 30. On the other hand, the arm portion 26 is not fixed by the housing 30, and is displaceable in the longitudinal direction Y within the space 33b of the housing 30. In the second terminal 20, the space surrounded by the leg portion 24, the connecting portion 25, and the arm portion 26 forms a receiving space 20a that receives a terminal 60 of the plug connector 3.

[0037] On the other hand, the terminals 60 of the plug connector 3 are also provided in a pair so as to face symmetrically in the longitudinal direction Y, and each terminal 60 has legs 62, 64 extending in the fitting direction Z and spaced apart along the longitudinal direction Y, the mounting portion 61 connected to the end of the leg 62 on the downward direction Z1 side and extending in the longitudinal direction Y, and a connecting portion 63 extending in the longitudinal direction Y and connecting the end of the leg 62 on the upward direction Z2 side and the end of the leg 64 on the upward direction Z2 side. In the terminal 60, a space surrounded by the mounting portion 61, the leg 62, the connecting portion 63, and the leg 64 is filled with resin (the housing 70), in other words, they are fixed by a short wall portion 72 of the housing 70.

[0038] Here, when the terminal 60 of the plug connector 3 is inserted into the receiving space 20a of the second terminal 20 of the receptacle connector 2, the terminal 60 comes into contact with the leg 24 and the arm 26 that form the receiving space 20a. Specifically, the leg 24 of the second terminal 20 comes into contact with the leg 64 of the terminal 60 at the contact portion 24a on the outer wall surface facing the receiving space 20a, and the arm 26 of the second terminal 20 comes into contact with the leg 62 of the terminal 60 at the contact portion 26a on the outer wall surface facing the receiving space 20a. In this case, in the second terminal 20, the arm 26 elastically deforms in the longitudinal direction Y within the space 33b of the housing 30, while the leg 24 is fixed by the short wall portion 32 of the housing 30 and does not basically deform. Furthermore, when the terminal 60 is inserted into the receiving space 20a of the second terminal 20 as described above, the mating convex portion 33 of the receptacle connector 2 is simultaneously inserted into the mating concave portion 74 of the plug connector 3.

[0039] In the receptacle connector 2, the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 have substantially the same shape, as is clear from Figures 6 and 7. Specifically, the mounting portion 11, the leg portion 12, the connecting portion 13, the leg portion 14, the connecting portion 15, the arm portion 16, and the contact portion 16a of the first terminal 10 correspond to the mounting portion 21, the leg portion 22, the connecting portion 23, the leg portion 24, the connecting portion 25, the arm portion 26, and the contact portion 26a of the second terminal 20, respectively, that is, the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 have a plurality of corresponding components, and these corresponding components have substantially the same shape. In addition, in terms of the relationship with the housing 30, in the first terminal 10, the space surrounded by the leg 12, the connecting portion 13, and the leg 14 is filled with the housing 30 (resin), and in the second terminal 20, the space surrounded by the leg 22, the connecting portion 23, and the leg 24 is filled with the housing 30 (resin), and in this respect, too, the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 have a common configuration. Note that, as described above, the filling of the housing 30 (resin) into the spaces of the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 is achieved by insert molding.

[0040] [Action and Effects] Next, the operation and effects of the receptacle connector 2 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0041] In this embodiment, the receptacle connector 2 is formed to extend in the short direction X and has a housing 30 including a plurality of first terminals 10 arranged along the longitudinal direction Y, and a longitudinal wall portion 31 extending in the longitudinal direction Y to hold the plurality of first terminals 10. The receptacle connector 2 has a pair of the plurality of first terminals 10 arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other in the short direction X, and a pair of longitudinal wall portions 31 that respectively hold the pair of the plurality of first terminals 10. The receptacle connector 2 further has second terminals 20 formed to extend in the longitudinal direction Y and provided between the pair of the plurality of first terminals 10 and the pair of longitudinal wall portions 31 in the short direction X, and has a pair of second terminals 20 arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other across the pair of the plurality of first terminals 10 in the longitudinal direction Y.

[0042] According to this embodiment, a pair of second terminals 20 is provided between a pair of a plurality of first terminals 10 in the short direction X and at a position sandwiching the pair of a plurality of first terminals 10 in the longitudinal direction Y, so that the second terminals 20 can be appropriately provided by utilizing the space in the receptacle connector 2 where the plurality of first terminals 10 are not provided. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately increase the number of cores of the terminal without increasing the size of the receptacle connector 2. In particular, according to this embodiment, the second terminals 20 are provided as signal terminals, so that it is possible to appropriately increase the number of cores of the signal terminal.

[0043] In this embodiment, the housing 30 has a mating protrusion 33 that is substantially rectangular in plan view for mating with the plug connector 3 in a portion surrounded by a pair of the multiple first terminals 10 and a pair of second terminals 20, and the tip of each of the pair of second terminals 20 in the longitudinal direction Y extends to an edge of the mating protrusion 33. This allows the second terminals 20 to be accurately provided by utilizing the space within the receptacle connector 2 where the mating protrusion 33 of the housing 30 is not provided.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the receptacle connector 2 further has a pair of third terminals 41 each formed to extend in the short-side direction X, provided near each of the pair of second terminals 20, and arranged at a distance from each other to face each other across the pair of multiple first terminals 10 in the longitudinal direction Y. This makes it possible to appropriately provide another third terminal 41 by further utilizing space within the receptacle connector 2 where the multiple first terminals 10 and second terminals 20 are not provided.

[0045] In this embodiment, each of the pair of third terminals 41 includes two third terminals 41 arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other across the second terminal 20 in the short direction X, and the receptacle connector 2 has a mating recess 2a that is substantially rectangular in plan view for mating with the mating protrusion 3a of the plug connector 3 in a portion surrounded by the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41, and is configured so that when the mating protrusion 3a of the plug connector 3 is inserted into the mating recess 2a, the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41 come into contact with the mating protrusion 3a and elastically deform. In this case, the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41 contact three sides of the mating protrusion 3a of the plug connector 3. This allows the second terminal 20 and the two third terminals 41 to reliably apply an elastic force (contact pressure) to the mating protrusion 3a of the plug connector 3 to be mated.

[0046] In this embodiment, the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 are signal terminals, and the third terminal 41 is a power terminal. This allows the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 to be used as signal terminals, while the third terminal 41, which is provided separately from the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20, can be used as a power terminal.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first terminal 10 forms a receiving space 10a for receiving a terminal 50 of the plug connector 3, and is configured so that when the terminal 50 is inserted into the receiving space 10a, an arm portion 16 of the first terminal 10 forming the receiving space 10a elastically deforms in the short direction X, and the second terminal 20 forms a receiving space 20a for receiving a terminal 60 of the plug connector 3, and is configured so that when the terminal 60 is inserted into the receiving space 20a, an arm portion 26 of the second terminal 20 forming the receiving space 20a elastically deforms in the longitudinal direction Y. In this embodiment, the first terminal 10 and the second terminal 20 that elastically deform in different directions (orthogonal) when mated can be appropriately provided in the receptacle connector 2.

[0048] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the receptacle connector 2 has a pair of second terminals 20 arranged to face each other across a pair of first terminals 10 in the longitudinal direction Y, but in a modified example, a pair of second terminals 20 may be provided. In this case, a plurality of (e.g., two or three) second terminals 20 arranged along the short direction X may be provided on each of a pair of short wall portions 32 in the housing 30 of the receptacle connector 2. This makes it possible to further increase the number of cores of the signal terminal.

[0049] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the third terminal 41 is used as a power supply terminal, but in a modified example, the third terminal 41 may be used as a signal terminal, and in a further modified example, the third terminal 41 may be used as a ground terminal.

[0050] As described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The electrical connector according to the present invention can be used for applications such as connecting boards with a flat cable in electronic devices such as smartphones and mobile phones that transmit electrical signals at high speeds. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Connector Assembly 2 Receptacle connector (electrical connector) 2a Fitting recess 3 Plug Connector 3a Fitting protrusion 10 1st terminal 10a Reception space 11 Mounting section 20 2nd terminal 20a Reception space 21 Mounting section 30 Housing 31 Longitudinal wall 32 Short wall section 33 Fitting protrusion 40 Reinforcement bracket 41 3rd terminal 50 Terminals 60 Terminals 70 Housing X Short direction Y Longitudinal direction Z mating direction

Claims

1. 1. An electrical connector comprising: a plurality of first terminals each extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to a mating direction with a mating connector and arranged in a vertical direction perpendicular to the mating direction and the horizontal direction; a housing including a wall extending in the longitudinal direction to retain the plurality of first terminals; having the electrical connector includes a pair of the first terminals arranged to face each other in the lateral direction and spaced apart from each other, and a pair of the wall portions that respectively hold the pair of the first terminals, The electrical connector further comprises: the first terminals are formed to extend in the vertical direction, and second terminals are provided between the pair of first terminals and the pair of wall portions in the horizontal direction; a pair of the second terminals arranged in the vertical direction to be spaced apart from each other and to face each other with the pair of the first terminals interposed therebetween; 1. An electrical connector comprising:

2. the housing has a mating protrusion having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view in a portion surrounded by the pair of the plurality of first terminals and the pair of the second terminals for mating with the mating connector, The pair of second terminals each have a longitudinal end extending to an edge of the mating protrusion.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

3. The electrical connector further includes a pair of third terminals each formed to extend in the horizontal direction, provided near each of the pair of second terminals, and arranged to be spaced apart from each other and facing each other in the vertical direction with the pair of first terminals interposed therebetween.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

4. each of the pair of third terminals includes two third terminals arranged at a distance from each other so as to face each other across the second terminal in the lateral direction; The electrical connector comprises: a mating recess having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view for mating with a mating protrusion of the mating connector, the mating recess being located in a portion surrounded by the second terminal and the two third terminals; When the mating protrusion of the mating connector is inserted into the mating recess, the second terminal and the two third terminals come into contact with the mating protrusion and are elastically deformed.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3.

5. the first terminal and the second terminal are signal terminals, The third terminal is a power supply terminal or a ground terminal.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 3 or 4.

6. Each of the pair of second terminals includes a plurality of the second terminals arranged along the lateral direction.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

7. the first terminal is configured to form a receiving space for receiving a terminal of the mating connector, and when the terminal of the mating connector is inserted into the receiving space, a portion of the first terminal that forms the receiving space is elastically deformed in the lateral direction; The second terminal is configured to form a receiving space for receiving a terminal of the mating connector, and when the terminal of the mating connector is inserted into the receiving space, a portion of the second terminal that forms the receiving space is elastically deformed in the vertical direction.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

8. The first terminal and the second terminal have substantially the same shape and are integrally formed with the housing by insert molding.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1.

9. 1. A connector assembly comprising: A first connector which is the electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2; A second connector configured to be matable with the first connector; having the second connector has a plurality of terminals electrically connected to the first terminal and the second terminal of the first connector, A connector assembly comprising:

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