Optoelectrical composite connector

Abstract

To provide an optoelectrical composite connector capable of achieving stability of conduction between electrical wires and maintaining the coupling efficiency of the optical coupling between optical fibers.SOLUTION: An optoelectrical composite connector includes a plurality of electrical wires each extending along a first direction, a plurality of optical fibers each extending along the first direction, a housing configured to house the plurality of electrical wires and the plurality of optical fibers, and a pressing part configured to be pressable against at least one of each leading end portion of the plurality of electrical wires or each leading end portion of the plurality of optical fibers along the first direction. Each leading end portion of the plurality of electrical wires and each leading end portion of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed at an end face of the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a combination optical-electrical connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an electrical connector. This electrical connector is configured with a first housing and a second housing. In this electrical connector, a plurality of electric wires held in the second housing are electrically connected to a plurality of electrode pads of a mating unit through a plurality of first terminals and a plurality of second terminals loaded in each housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0004] In the electrical connector described in Patent Document 1, only electric wires are wired, and these electric wires are configured to be connected to the electric wires of the mating connector. In response to this, it has been considered to replace some of the electric wires in the electrical connector with optical fibers to form an optical-electrical composite connector and improve the transmission capacity. However, when an optical-electrical composite connector in which some of the electric wires are simply replaced with optical fibers is fitted to a mating connector, the resistance force received by the tip of the electric wire from the mating connector and the resistance force received by the tip of the optical fiber from the mating connector may differ from each other due to the difference in the connection method between the two. In this case, the load received by the end face of the optical-electrical composite connector from the mating connector becomes uneven over the entire end face. As a result, the conduction between the electric wire of the optical-electrical composite connector and the conductor of the mating connector may become unstable, or the coupling efficiency of the optical coupling between the optical fiber of the optical-electrical composite connector and the optical fiber of the mating connector may decrease.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a composite optical / electrical connector that can ensure stable electrical continuity of electric wires and maintain coupling efficiency in optical coupling of optical fibers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An optical-electrical composite connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing having a plurality of electric wires each extending along a first direction, a plurality of optical fibers each extending along the first direction, a plurality of electric wire storage sections each storing the plurality of electric wires, and a plurality of optical fiber storage sections each storing the plurality of optical fibers, and a pressing section configured to be able to press at least one of the plurality of electric wires and the plurality of optical fibers along the first direction. Each tip of the plurality of electric wires and each tip of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed at an end face of the housing. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an optical / electrical composite connector that can ensure stable electrical continuity of electric wires and maintain coupling efficiency in optical coupling of optical fibers. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a combined optical and electrical connector according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the optical-electrical composite connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a mating connector that is to be mated with the optical-electrical composite connector shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a sub-connector of the optical-electrical composite connector shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a plurality of sub-connectors shown in FIG. [Figure 6]Part (a) of Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a comparative example, and part (b) of Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a first modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a second modified example. [Figure 9] Part (a) of Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a third modified example, part (b) of Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a fourth modified example, part (c) of Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a fifth modified example, and part (d) of Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a sixth modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector and a mating connector according to a seventh modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] An optical-electrical composite connector according to one embodiment includes a housing having a plurality of electric wires each extending along a first direction, a plurality of optical fibers each extending along the first direction, a plurality of electric wire storage sections each storing the plurality of electric wires, and a plurality of optical fiber storage sections each storing the plurality of optical fibers, and a pressing section configured to be able to press at least one of the plurality of electric wires and the plurality of optical fibers along the first direction. Each tip of the plurality of electric wires and each tip of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed at an end face of the housing.

[0010] In this optical-electrical composite connector, the pressing portion is configured to be able to press at least one of the tip ends of the multiple electric wires and the tip ends of the multiple optical fibers along the first direction. With this configuration, it is possible to adjust at least one of the magnitude of resistance that each tip end of the multiple electric wires receives from the mating connector and the magnitude of resistance that each tip end of the optical fibers receives from the mating connector. This makes it possible to adjust the magnitude of each resistance so that the load that each tip end of the multiple electric wires and each tip end of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector is uniform at the end face of the housing. As a result, it is possible for the electric wires of the optical-electrical composite connector to be stably electrically connected to the conductor of the mating connector, and for the optical fiber of the optical-electrical composite connector to be stably optically coupled to the optical fiber of the mating connector.

[0011] [2] In the optical-electrical composite connector of [1] above, the pressing portion may be configured to press at least one of the tips of the multiple electric wires and the tips of the multiple optical fibers along the first direction so that the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the multiple electric wires receives from the mating connector is similar to the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector. In this case, the pressing portion is configured to press at least one of the tips of the multiple electric wires and the tips of the multiple optical fibers along the first direction so that the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the multiple electric wires receives from the mating connector is similar to the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector. According to this configuration, the load that each tip of the multiple electric wires and each tip of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector becomes uniform at the end face of the housing. This allows the electric wires of the optical-electrical composite connector to be stably electrically connected to the conductor of the mating connector, and the optical fibers of the optical-electrical composite connector to be stably optically coupled to the optical fibers of the mating connector.

[0012] [3] In the optical-electrical composite connector of [1] or [2] above, the tips of the optical fibers may form at least one optical fiber row extending along a second direction intersecting with the first direction at the end face of the housing, and the tips of the electric wires may form a plurality of signal line rows extending along the second direction and adjacent to each other in a third direction intersecting with the second direction at the end face of the housing. In this case, the tips of the optical fibers are gathered in a predetermined area at the end face of the housing, and the tips of the electric wires are gathered in another area. This makes it easier to realize a state in which the magnitude of the resistance that the tips of the electric wires receive from the mating connector is similar to the magnitude of the resistance that the tips of the optical fibers receive from the mating connector.

[0013] [4] In the optical-electrical composite connector according to any one of [1] to [3] above, the pressing portion may further include a first pressing portion configured to be capable of pressing the tip ends of the plurality of electric wires in a first direction toward the mating connector. In this case, it is possible to increase the resistance force that the tip ends of the plurality of electric wires receive from the mating connector.

[0014] [5] In the optical-electrical composite connector of [4] above, the pressing portion may further include a second pressing portion configured to be able to press the tip ends of the optical fibers along the first direction toward the mating connector, thereby making it possible to increase the resistance that the tip ends of the optical fibers receive from the mating connector.

[0015] [6] In the optical-electrical composite connector of [5] above, the magnitude of the force with which the first pressing portion presses the tip portions of the multiple electric wires may be different from the magnitude of the force with which the second pressing portion presses the tip portions of the multiple optical fibers. In this case, when the magnitudes of the resistance that each of the tip portions of the multiple electric wires receives from the mating connector are different from the magnitudes of the resistance that each of the tip portions of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector, it is possible to realize a state in which the magnitudes of the resistance that each of the tip portions of the multiple electric wires receives from the mating connector are similar to the magnitudes of the resistance that each of the tip portions of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector.

[0016] [7] In the optical-electrical composite connector of [6] above, the force with which the first pressing portion presses the tip portions of the plurality of electric wires may be greater than the force with which the second pressing portion presses the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers. In this case, when the resistance that each of the tip portions of the plurality of electric wires receives from the mating connector is smaller than the resistance that each of the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers receives from the mating connector, it is possible to realize a state in which the magnitude of the resistance that each of the tip portions of the plurality of electric wires receives from the mating connector is similar to the magnitude of the resistance that each of the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers receives from the mating connector.

[0017] [8] In any one of the optical-electrical composite connectors [5] to [7] above, the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion may be elastic.

[0018] [9] In the optical-electrical composite connector [8] above, the pressing portion may have a first pressing portion provided on each of the tip ends of the multiple electric wires and a second pressing portion provided on each of the tip ends of the multiple optical fibers, and the spring constant of the first pressing portion may be different from the spring constant of the second pressing portion.

[0019]

[10] In the optical-electrical composite connector of any one of [1] to [9] above, the positions of the tips of the multiple electric wires in the first direction may be different from the positions of the tips of the multiple optical fibers in the first direction. In this case, it is possible to separately adjust the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the multiple electric wires receives from the mating connector and the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the multiple optical fibers receives from the mating connector.

[0020]

[11] In the optical-electrical composite connector of any one of [1] to

[10] above, the housing may further include a first sub-connector having a plurality of electric wire storage sections and a second sub-connector having a plurality of optical fiber storage sections. In this case, only the tips of the optical fibers are arranged on the end face of the first sub-connector, and only the tips of the electric wires are arranged on the end face of the second sub-connector. This makes the load received from the mating connector uniform on the end face of the first sub-connector and the end face of the second sub-connector.

[0021]

[12] In the optical-electrical composite connector of any one of [1] to

[11] above, at least one guide hole configured to allow a guide pin to be inserted in order to position the housing may be further provided, and at least one of the electric wire housing sections and the optical fiber housing sections may be a plurality of through holes each extending along the first direction and penetrating the housing. In this case, the respective ends of the electric wires or the respective ends of the optical fibers can be positioned with higher accuracy relative to the mating connector.

[0022]

[13] In any one of the optical-electrical composite connectors [1] to

[12] above, the multiple electric wires may be multiple electric wires of a flexible flat cable.

[0023] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Specific examples of optical-electrical composite connectors according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same elements or elements having the same functions will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0024] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an optical-electrical composite connector 1A according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A shown in Fig. 1. The optical-electrical composite connector 1A is attached to a substrate (not shown) via, for example, an optical-electrical composite connector 1B (described later). The optical-electrical composite connector 1A includes two sub-connectors 2A (second sub-connectors), two sub-connectors 3A (first sub-connectors), and a frame body 6. The sub-connectors 2A and 3A are clamped by the frame body 6.

[0025] The sub-connector 2A includes a plurality of optical fibers 4, a housing 20, and a pair of guide pins 70. The optical fibers 4 include an optical fiber core 4a and a resin coating 4b that covers the optical fiber core 4a. The resin coating 4b of each optical fiber 4 is removed from the middle of the optical fiber 4 in the X direction to the tip 4c, thereby exposing the optical fiber core 4a. When the optical-electrical composite connector 1A is connected to the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, the optical fiber core 4a is optically coupled to the optical fiber core 4a of the optical fiber 4 provided in the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. The distance between the optical fiber cores 4a of two adjacent optical fibers 4 is, for example, 0.6 mm.

[0026] Each optical fiber 4 extends along the X direction. The optical fibers 4 are arranged in the Y and Z directions inside the sub-connector 2A. For example, the optical fibers 4 include 36 optical fibers. Eighteen optical fibers arranged along the X direction are arranged in two rows along the Z direction. The tip portions 4c of the optical fibers 4 form a plurality of optical fiber rows 5 extending along the Y direction on the first surface 21 of the housing 20. Therefore, the optical wiring is arranged in a portion of the first surface 21 of the housing 20.

[0027] The housing 20 is a rectangular parallelepiped member that holds a plurality of optical fibers 4. The material of the housing 20 is formed from a resin such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). The housing 20 has a first surface 21, a second surface 22, a third surface 23, and a fourth surface 24. The first surface 21 and the second surface 22 are surfaces that extend in the Y direction and the Z direction. The second surface 22 is located on the opposite side of the first surface 21 in the X direction. The third surface 23 and the fourth surface 24 are surfaces that extend in the X direction and the Y direction. The fourth surface 24 is located on the opposite side of the third surface 23 in the Z direction.

[0028] The housing 20 further has a plurality of through holes 25 (a plurality of optical fiber storage portions) and a pair of guide holes .

[0029] The through holes 25 are holes that extend along the X direction and penetrate the housing 20. The through holes 25 are open on the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. The multiple through holes 25 each house a multiple number of optical fibers 4. In this embodiment, in the housing 20, eighteen through holes 25 aligned along the Y direction are arranged in two rows along the Z direction. The inner diameter of each through hole 25 is the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the optical fiber core 4a of the optical fiber 4. The optical fiber core 4a of the optical fiber 4 is disposed inside each through hole 25. The tip 4c of the optical fiber core 4a is housed in each through hole 25. Each through hole 25 holds the tip 4c of the optical fiber core 4a. The tip 4c of the optical fiber core 4a of the multiple optical fibers 4 is exposed from each of the multiple through holes 25 on the first surface 21.

[0030] The pair of guide holes 28 are holes penetrating the housing 20 along the X direction. The guide holes 28 are configured to allow the guide pins 70 to be inserted therein. This allows the housing 20 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A to be positioned relative to the housing 20 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. In this embodiment, the shape of the guide holes 28 when viewed from the X direction is circular. A pair of guide pins 70 are inserted into the insides of the pair of guide holes 28, respectively. The pair of guide holes 28 are formed to sandwich the multiple through holes 25 in the Y direction. The inner diameter of the pair of guide holes 28 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of each of the through holes 25.

[0031] The sub-connector 3A includes a plurality of electric wires 7, a housing 20, and a pair of guide pins 70. The plurality of electric wires 7 are integrated by a covering member 13 to form a flexible flat cable (FFC).

[0032] The electric wires 7 are members for transmitting power or electric signals. Each electric wire 7 is either a signal wire 8 or a ground wire 9. In one example, the electric wires 7 have five pairs (ten) of signal wires 8 and four pairs (eight) of ground wires 9. The signal wires 8 have a conductor 8a. The conductor 8a is a metal such as copper. When the optical-electrical composite connector 1A is connected to the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, the conductor 8a is connected to the circuit of the board via a terminal 7b (see FIG. 5) provided on the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. The conductor 8a may be directly connected to an electrode pad provided on the board. The signal wire 8 may be an insulated electric wire in which the conductor 8a is covered with an insulator, or may be a bare electric wire in which the conductor 8a is exposed as it is.

[0033] The ground line 9 has a conductor 9a. The conductor 9a is, for example, a metal such as copper. For example, when the optical-electrical composite connector 1A is connected to the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, the conductor 9a is connected to the ground via a terminal 7b (see FIG. 5) provided on the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. The conductor 9a may be directly connected to an electrode pad provided on the substrate. The ground line 9 may be an insulated electric wire in which the conductor 9a is covered with an insulator, or may be a bare electric wire in which the conductor 9a is exposed as is.

[0034] Each of the electric wires 7 extends along the X direction. The electric wires 7 are arranged in the Y direction inside the sub-connector 3A. In one example, a pair of signal lines 8 and a pair of ground lines 9 are arranged alternately along the Y direction. Adjacent pairs of signal lines 8 carry currents of opposite phases to each other, and transmit signals by differential transmission in which signals are transmitted by the potential difference between the pair of signal lines 8. The distance between the conductors of the electric wires 7 (the distance between the centers) is, for example, 0.6 mm.

[0035] The multiple electric wires 7 are arranged in the sub-connector 3A not only in the Y direction but also in the Z direction. For example, the multiple electric wires 7 include 36 electric wires. Eighteen electric wires arranged in the X direction are arranged in two rows in the Z direction. The end portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 form multiple signal line rows 10 extending in the Y direction on the first surface 21 of the housing 20. The multiple signal line rows 10 are adjacent to each other in the Z direction. Therefore, the arrangement of the metal wiring is concentrated in a portion of the first surface 21 of the housing 20.

[0036] The covering member 13 covers the electric wires 7 except for their tip ends 7a and rear ends. The material of the covering member 13 is, for example, a resin such as polyester. A part of the covering member 13 that covers the tip end 7a of the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the tip end 7a of the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 is removed. In other words, the tip end 7a of the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the tip end 7a of the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 are exposed from the covering member 13.

[0037] The housing 20 of the sub-connector 3A is different from the housing 20 of the sub-connector 2A in that it holds a plurality of electric wires 7. The housing 20 has a plurality of through holes 26 (a plurality of electric wire storage sections) and a pair of guide holes 28. The through holes 26 are holes that extend along the X direction and penetrate the housing 20. The through holes 26 are open on the first surface 21 and the second surface 22. In this embodiment, eighteen through holes 26 aligned along the Y direction are arranged in two rows along the Z direction in the housing 20. The inner diameter of each through hole 26 is equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 and the outer diameter of the conductor 9a of the ground line 9. Either the conductor 8a of the signal line 8 or the conductor 9a of the ground line 9 is disposed inside each through hole 26. The tip of the electric wire 7 is stored in each through hole 26. Each through hole 26 holds the conductor of the tip of the electric wire 7. The ends of the electric wires 7 are exposed from the first surface 21 through the through holes 26, respectively.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an optical-electrical composite connector 1B configured to be able to be fitted to the optical-electrical composite connector 1A shown in FIG. 1. The optical-electrical composite connector 1B includes two sub-connectors 2B (second sub-connectors), two sub-connectors 3B (first sub-connectors), and a frame body 6. The sub-connector 2B differs from the sub-connector 2A in that it does not have a guide pin 70. The sub-connector 3B differs from the sub-connector 3A in that it does not have a guide pin 70 and that each optical fiber 4 has a terminal 7b. In the sub-connector 3B, the terminal 7b is provided on the tip 4c of the optical fiber 4. The tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b is flush with the first surface 21 of the sub-connector 3B (see FIG. 5). The terminal 7b of the sub-connector 3B is configured to be able to be electrically connected to the tip 7a of the electric wire 7 of the sub-connector 3A.

[0039] Each sub-connector 2B and each sub-connector 3B may be provided with a pressing portion that presses the multiple optical fibers 4 and the multiple electric wires 7 along the X direction. The pressing portion may generate a resistance from the optical electrical composite connector 1A to the multiple optical fibers 4 and the multiple electric wires 7 of the optical electrical composite connector 1B when the optical electrical composite connector 1A is mated with the optical electrical composite connector 1B. The pressing portion may have a similar configuration to the pressing portion 40 described below, or may have a different configuration from the pressing portion 40 described below. The pressing portion is, for example, a spring.

[0040] Next, the pressing portion that presses the optical fiber 4 and the electric wire 7 along the X direction will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a sub-connector 2A provided in the optical-electrical composite connector 1A shown in Figure 1. The sub-connector 3A has a similar configuration to the sub-connector 2A shown in Figure 4, except that it holds a plurality of electric wires 7 instead of a plurality of optical fibers 4. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sub-connectors 2A, 3A and the sub-connectors 2B, 3B along the XZ plane.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, in the sub-connector 2A, the through hole 25 has a first hole portion 25a and a second hole portion 25b. The first hole portion 25a opens on the first surface 21. The first hole portion 25a extends from the first surface 21 along the X direction. The shape of the first hole portion 25a when viewed from the X direction is, for example, circular. The second hole portion 25b communicates with the first hole portion 25a in the X direction. The second hole portion 25b extends in the X direction and opens at a hole 25c in the second surface 22. The second hole portion 25b defines an internal space R1. The shape of the second hole portion 25b when viewed from the X direction is, for example, rectangular.

[0042] In the sub-connector 3A, the through hole 26 has a first hole portion 26a and a second hole portion 26b. The first hole portion 26a opens on the first surface 21. The first hole portion 26a extends from the first surface 21 along the X direction. The shape of the first hole portion 26a when viewed from the X direction is, for example, circular. The second hole portion 26b communicates with the first hole portion 26a in the X direction. The second hole portion 26b extends in the X direction and opens at a hole 26c in the second surface 22. The second hole portion 26b defines an internal space R2. The shape of the second hole portion 26b when viewed from the X direction is, for example, rectangular.

[0043] The sub-connector 2A and the sub-connector 3A are provided with a pressing portion 40 that presses the optical fibers 4 and the electric wires 7. The pressing portion 40 has a plurality of pressing members 41 (second pressing portions). The pressing members 41 are each configured to be able to press the tip 4c of the optical fiber 4 toward the sub-connector 2B along the X direction. The pressing members 41 correspond to the tip 4c of the optical fibers 4, respectively. The pressing members 41 are disposed in the internal space R1 of the sub-connector 2A. A front end 41a of the pressing member 41 is connected to the tip 4c of the optical fiber 4. A rear end 41b of the pressing member 41 is connected to the inner surface 22a of the second surface 22 of the sub-connector 2A. The pressing member 41 is, for example, an elastic body, and one example is a spring.

[0044] The pressing portion 40 further includes a pressing member 42 (first pressing portion) that presses the electric wire 7. The pressing member 42 presses each tip 7a of the electric wires 7 toward the sub-connector 3B along the X direction. The pressing members 42 correspond to each tip 7a of the electric wires 7. The pressing member 42 is disposed in the internal space R2 of the sub-connector 3A. The front end 42a of the pressing member 42 is connected to the tip 7a of the electric wire 7. The rear end 42b of the pressing member 42 is connected to the inner surface 22a of the second surface 22 of the sub-connector 2A. The pressing member 42 is, for example, an elastic body, and one example is a spring.

[0045] When the optical-electrical composite connector 1A is mated with the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 receive a resistance force F1 from the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. When the optical-electrical composite connector 1A is mated with the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 receive a resistance force F2 from the terminals 7b of the multiple electric wires 7 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. In this way, the optical-electrical composite connector 1A is provided with multiple sub-connectors 2A, 3A, and is provided with a pressing section 40 having a spring or the like that adjusts the difference in load (resistance force F1 and resistance force F2) of each metal wiring and each optical wiring, thereby making it possible to adjust the resistance force F1 and the resistance force F2.

[0046] The pressing unit 40 is configured to be able to press the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 and the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 along the X direction so that the magnitude of the resistance F1 in the multiple electric wires 7 and the magnitude of the resistance F2 in the multiple optical fibers 4 are similar to each other. That is, one of the mating forces between the optical wirings and the mating force between the metal wirings is matched to the other mating force.

[0047] In the first example, when the pressing portion 40 is not provided, the magnitude of the drag F1 in the multiple optical fibers 4 may be greater than the magnitude of the drag F2 in the multiple electric wires 7. That is, the fitting force between the optical fibers 4 (optical wiring) may be greater than the fitting force between the electric wires 7 (metal wiring). In this case, the pressing portion 40 is provided so that the force with which the pressing member 42 presses the tip end 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 is greater than the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip end 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4, thereby making the magnitude of the drag F1 and the magnitude of the drag F2 approximate each other. Note that "approximate" here means that the magnitude of the drag F1 is the same or almost the same as the magnitude of the drag F2. For example, the ratio of the magnitude of the drag F1 to the magnitude of the drag F2 may be 0.90 or more and 1.10 or less, or 0.95 or more and 1.05 or less, and is 1.00 as an example.

[0048] As an example, when the pressing portion 40 is not provided, the magnitude of the resistance F1 on the optical fiber 4 is 4N, and the magnitude of the resistance F2 on the electric wire 7 is 2N. In this case, the force with which the pressing member 41 presses on each of the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 is set to 1N, so that the magnitude of the resistance F1 is set to 5N. On the other hand, the force with which the pressing member 42 presses on each of the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 is set to 3N, so that the magnitude of the resistance F2 is set to 5N. In this way, the magnitudes of the resistance F1 and the resistance F2 are made to approximate each other.

[0049] In the second example, when the pressing portion 40 is not provided, the magnitude of the resistance F2 on the multiple electric wires 7 may be greater than the magnitude of the resistance F1 on the multiple optical fibers 4. That is, the fitting force between the electric wires 7 (metal wiring) may be greater than the fitting force between the optical fibers 4 (optical wiring). In this case, by providing the pressing portion 40 so that the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 is greater than the force with which the pressing member 42 presses the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7, the magnitudes of the resistance F1 and the resistance F2 are made to approximate each other.

[0050] Therefore, in the first and second examples, the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 42 presses the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 is different from the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4. For example, the spring constant of the pressing member 41 is different from the spring constant of the pressing member 42. As an example, the material forming one of the pressing members 41 and 42 is selected (changed) so that the force (reaction force) with which one of the pressing members 41 and 42 presses the tip portions 7a of the electric wires 7 is larger than the force with which the other of the pressing members 41 and 42 presses the tip portions 7a of the electric wires 7. Also, for example, the length of the second hole portion 25b of the through hole 25 along the X direction is different from the length of the second hole portion 26b of the through hole 26 along the X direction.

[0051] The following describes the effects of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A according to this embodiment. In conventional electrical connectors, multiple electric wires and multiple optical fibers have never been wired in the same connector. However, due to the increasing communication speed in information communication, the expansion of the frequency band used in communication, and the reduction in power consumption in information communication, it is being considered to replace some of the multiple electric wires with optical fibers.

[0052] In such a case, when an optical-electrical composite connector in which a part of the electric wire is simply replaced with an optical fiber is mated with a mating connector, the magnitude of the resistance force that the tip of the electric wire receives from the mating connector and the resistance force that the tip of the optical fiber receives from the mating connector may differ from each other. That is, the necessary mating force may be significantly different between metal wiring and optical wiring. For example, the mating force required for mating optical wiring is greater than the mating force required for mating metal wiring. As a result, in an optical-electrical composite connector in which a part of the electric wire is simply replaced with an optical fiber, the load received from the mating connector becomes uneven over the entire end face. As a result, when multiple electric wires and multiple optical fibers are arranged as in a conventional connector, it may be difficult for the electric wire of the optical-electrical composite connector (multi-pole connector) to be stably electrically connected to the conductor of the mating connector, and it may be difficult for the optical fiber of the optical-electrical composite connector to be stably optically coupled to the optical fiber of the mating connector. That is, the connection of the hybrid connector of the optical fiber and the metal conductor becomes unstable when mated.

[0053] In contrast, in the optical-electrical composite connector 1A according to the present embodiment, the pressing portion 40 is configured to be able to press at least one of the tip portions 7a of the plurality of electric wires 7 and the tip portions 4c of the plurality of optical fibers 4 along the X direction. With this configuration, it is possible to adjust at least one of the magnitude of the drag F2 that each tip portion 7a of the plurality of electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B and the magnitude of the drag F1 that each tip portion 4c of the optical fiber 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. This makes it possible to adjust the magnitudes of the drag F1 and F2 so that the loads that each tip portion 7a of the plurality of electric wires 7 and each tip portion 4c of the plurality of optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B are uniform on the first surface 21 of the housing 20. As a result, the electric wires 7 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A can be stably electrically connected to the electric wires 7 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, and the optical fibers 4 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A can be stably optically coupled to the optical fibers 4 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0054] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the pressing portion 40 is configured to be able to press at least one of the end portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 and the end portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 toward the optical-electrical composite connector 1B along the X direction so that the magnitude of the drag F2 that each end portion 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B and the magnitude of the drag F1 that each end portion 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B are similar to each other. In this case, the load that each end portion 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 and each end portion 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B becomes uniform on the first surface 21 of the housing 20. This allows the optical fiber 4 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A to be stably optically coupled to the optical fiber 4 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, and allows the electric wire 7 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A to be stably electrically connected to the electric wire 7 of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. Therefore, a stable connection can be ensured while simultaneously providing optical fiber wiring and metal wiring in one connector, and the connection reliability of the optical fiber wiring and the metal wiring can be improved.

[0055] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the tips 4c of the optical fibers 4 form at least one optical fiber row 5 extending along the Y direction on the first surface 21 of the housing 20, and the tips 7a of the electric wires 7 form a plurality of signal line rows 10 extending along the Y direction and adjacent to each other in the Z direction on the first surface 21 of the housing 20. In this case, the tips 4c of the optical fibers 4 are collected in a predetermined area on the first surface 21 of the housing 20, and the tips 7a of the electric wires 7 are collected in another area. This makes it easier to realize a state in which the magnitude of the drag F1 that each tip 4c of the optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B and the magnitude of the drag F2 that each tip 7a of the electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B are similar to each other. In addition, as in the optical-electrical composite connector 101A according to the first modified example described later, it becomes possible to press the tips 7a of the electric wires 7 together with one spring member.

[0056] The above-mentioned effects will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the optical-electrical composite connector 100A and the optical-electrical composite connector 100B in the comparative example, and FIG. 6 (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the optical-electrical composite connector 1A and the optical-electrical composite connector 1B in the present embodiment. In the optical-electrical composite connectors 100A and 100B according to the comparative example, the optical fibers 4 are not gathered in one region. The electric wires 7 are not gathered in one region. Therefore, when the resistance between the optical fibers 4 is greater than the resistance between the electric wires 7, the magnitude of the resistance on the first surface 121 varies from position to position. Therefore, the load at each position on the first surface 121 of the housing 120 becomes unstable. In contrast, in the optical-electrical composite connectors 1A and 1B in the present embodiment, the optical fibers 4 are gathered in a predetermined region, and the electric wires 7 are gathered in another region. As a result, even if the resistance between the optical fibers 4 is greater than the resistance between the electric wires 7, the load at each position on the first surface 121 of the housing 120 is stable, making it easy to provide pressing members 41, 42, which are structured to approximate (correct) one of the loads F11 and F12 to the other of the loads F11 and F12.

[0057] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the pressing portion 40 has a pressing member 42 configured to be able to press the tip portions 7a of the plurality of electric wires 7 along the X direction toward the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. In this case, it is possible to increase the resistance F2 that each of the tip portions 7a of the plurality of electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0058] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the pressing section 40 has a pressing member 41 configured to be able to press the tip portions 4c of the plurality of optical fibers 4 along the X direction toward the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. In this case, it is possible to increase the resistance F1 that each of the tip portions 4c of the plurality of optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0059] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 42 presses the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 is different from the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4. In this case, when the magnitude of the resistance F1 that each of the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B is different from the magnitude of the resistance F2 that each of the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, it is possible to realize a state in which the magnitude of the resistance F1 received by the multiple optical fibers 4 and the magnitude of the resistance F2 received by the multiple electric wires 7 are similar to each other.

[0060] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the force with which the pressing member 42 presses the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 is greater than the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4. In this case, when the resistance F2 that each of the tip portions 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B is smaller than the resistance F1 that each of the tip portions 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B, it is possible to realize a state in which the magnitude of the resistance F1 on the multiple optical fibers and the magnitude of the resistance F2 on the multiple electric wires are similar to each other.

[0061] In the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, the housing 20 has a sub-connector 3A having a plurality of through holes 26, and a sub-connector 2A having a plurality of through holes 25. In this case, only the tips 4c of the plurality of optical fibers 4 are arranged on the first surface 21 of the sub-connector 2A, and only the tips 7a of the plurality of electric wires 7 are arranged on the first surface 21 of the sub-connector 3A. This makes the load received from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B uniform on the first surface 21 of the sub-connector 2A and the first surface 21 of the sub-connector 3A.

[0062] The optical-electrical composite connector 1A has at least one guide hole 28 configured to allow a guide pin 70 to be inserted therein in order to position the housing 20. The multiple through holes 25 and the multiple through holes 26 each extend along the X direction and penetrate the housing 20. In this case, the tip ends 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 or the tip ends 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 can be positioned with higher accuracy relative to the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0063] Although the optical-electrical composite connector according to the present disclosure has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be applied to various embodiments and modified examples. Specifically, in the above embodiment, both the pressing member 41 and the pressing member 42 are provided in the optical-electrical composite connector 1A, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the pressing portion 40 is not provided, the magnitude of the drag F2 on the multiple optical fibers 4 may be greater than the magnitude of the drag F1 on the multiple electric wires 7. In this case, it is sufficient to provide only the pressing member 42 that presses each of the multiple electric wires 7. This increases the magnitude of the drag F1 on the multiple electric wires 7, and makes the drag F1 approximate the drag F2.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, when the fitting force between the optical fibers 4 is smaller than the fitting force between the electric wires 7, it is sufficient to provide only the pressing member 41 that presses each of the optical fibers 4. When the pressing portion 40 is not provided, the magnitude of the resistance F1 on the multiple electric wires 7 may be larger than the magnitude of the resistance F2 on the multiple optical fibers 4. In this case, it is sufficient to provide only the pressing member 41 that presses each of the multiple optical fibers 4. This increases the magnitude of the resistance F2 on the multiple optical fibers 4, making it possible to approximate the resistance F2 to the resistance F1.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the pressing members 42 press the electric wires 7, respectively, but one pressing member 142 may press the electric wires 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector 101A according to a first modified example. In the optical-electrical composite connector 101A according to the modified example, the pressing portion 40 may have a pressing member 142 that presses the tip portions 7a of the electric wires 7 toward the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. For example, the second hole portions 26b of the through holes 26 communicate with each other in the Z direction and form a hole portion 126. The hole portion 126 defines an internal space R3. The pressing member 142 is configured to be able to press the tip portions 7a of the two electric wires 7 arranged in the Z direction toward the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. The tip portions 142a of the pressing member 142 are connected to the tip portions 7a of the two electric wires. The rear end 142b of the pressing member 142 is connected to the inner surface 22a of the second surface 22. In this case, the plurality of electric wires 7 can be pressed by one pressing member 142, so that a state in which the magnitude of the drag F1 on the plurality of optical fibers 4 and the magnitude of the drag F2 on the plurality of electric wires 7 are similar to each other can be realized with a simpler configuration. Similarly, although the plurality of pressing members 41 press the plurality of optical fibers 4 respectively, one pressing member 41 may press the plurality of optical fibers 4.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the pressing member 42 presses the tip 7a of the electric wire 7 toward the optical-electrical composite connector 1B in the internal space R2 of the sub-connector 3A, but this is not limited thereto. Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical composite connector 201A according to a second modified example and an optical-electrical composite connector 1B. Parts (a) to (d) of Fig. 9 are schematic cross-sectional views showing optical-electrical composite connectors 301A, 401A, 501A, and 601A according to third to sixth modified examples and an optical-electrical composite connector 101B.

[0067] In the optical-electrical composite connectors 201A, 301A, 401A, 501A, and 601A in parts (a) to (d) of Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, each tip end 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 includes a terminal 7b. The pressing portion 40 has multiple pressing members 242 that press each terminal 7b of the multiple electric wires 7 along the X direction. The pressing members 242 are provided on the tip end surfaces 7c of the terminals 7b of the electric wires 7. The rear end portions 242b of the pressing members 242 are connected to the tip end surfaces 7c. The pressing members 242 extend along the X direction. When the optical-electrical composite connectors 201A, 301A, 401A, 501A, and 601A are mated with the optical-electrical composite connectors 1B, 101B, and 601B, respectively, the tip 242a of the pressing member 242 comes into contact with the optical-electrical composite connectors 1B, 101B, and 601B and presses the terminal 7b of the optical-electrical composite connector 1A and the terminal 7b of the optical-electrical composite connector 1B along the X direction. This allows the pressing member 242 provided between the terminals 7b to increase the resistance F2 that the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0068] 8, in the optical-electrical composite connector 201A, the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b constitutes the bottom surface of the recess 21a formed in the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 201A. By moving the terminals 7b away from each other, the amount of displacement of the pressing member 242 provided between the terminals 7b is reduced, and the force with which the pressing member 242 presses the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 can be reduced. In this way, the attachment position of the sub-connector 3A may be adjusted to move the points where the terminals contact each other away from each other.

[0069] In the optical-electrical composite connector 201A, the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b may protrude from the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 201A. By bringing the terminals 7b closer to each other, the amount of displacement of the pressing member 242 provided between the terminals 7b increases, and the force with which the pressing member 242 presses the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 can be increased. As a result, it is possible to further increase the resistance F2 that the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B. In this way, the attachment position of the sub-connector 3A may be adjusted to bring the points where the terminals contact each other closer to each other.

[0070] 9(a) to 9(d), the optical-electrical composite connectors 301A, 401A, 501A, and 601A differ from the optical-electrical composite connectors 1A, 101A, and 201A in that they do not have sub-connectors 2A and 3A. Similarly, the optical-electrical composite connectors 101B and 601B do not have sub-connectors 2B and 3B. Therefore, the optical-electrical composite connectors 1A, 101A, and 201A do not need to be divided into multiple sub-connectors.

[0071] As shown in part (a) of Fig. 9, in the optical-electrical composite connector 301A, the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b is flush with the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 301A. On the other hand, as shown in parts (b) to (d) of Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, in the optical-electrical composite connectors 201A, 301A, 401A, 501A, and 601A, the position of each tip 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 in the X direction and the position of each tip 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 in the X direction may be different from each other. In this case, it is possible to separately adjust the magnitude of the drag F2 that each tip 7a of the multiple electric wires 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B and the magnitude of the drag F1 that each tip 4c of the multiple optical fibers 4 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0072] In the optical-electrical composite connector 401A in part (b) of FIG. 9, the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b protrudes from the first surface 21 of the sub-connector 3A. This brings the terminals 7b closer to each other. As a result, the amount of displacement of the pressing member 242 provided between the terminals 7b increases, and the force with which the pressing member 242 presses the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 can be increased. As a result, it is possible to further increase the resistance force F2 that the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 1B.

[0073] 9(c), the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b constitutes the bottom surface of the recess 21a formed in the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 501A. By moving the terminals 7b away from each other, the amount of displacement of the pressing member 242 provided between the terminals 7b is reduced, and the force with which the pressing member 242 presses the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 can be reduced.

[0074] In the optical-electrical combination connector 601A in part (d) of FIG. 9, the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b protrudes from the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical combination connector 601A. In the optical-electrical combination connector 601B, the tip surface 7c of the terminal 7b protrudes from the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical combination connector 601B. Therefore, the first surface 21 of the housing 20 of the optical-electrical combination connector 601A and the optical-electrical combination connector 601B is protruded, and the contact points of the terminals 7b are brought closer to each other. As a result, by bringing the terminals 7b closer to each other, the pressing member 242 provided between the terminals 7b can further increase the resistance F2 that the terminals 7b of the electric wire 7 receive from the optical-electrical combination connector 1B.

[0075] In each of the above-mentioned modified examples, the pressing portion 40 may further include a pressing member 43 provided adjacent to the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 on the first surface 21. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical-electrical combination connector 701A according to a seventh modified example. The optical-electrical combination connector 701A does not include the sub-connectors 2A and 3A. The optical-electrical combination connector 701B does not include the sub-connectors 2B and 3B. The rear end 43b of the pressing member 43 is connected to the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical combination connector 701A. When the optical-electrical combination connector 701A is fitted to the optical-electrical combination connector 701B, the front end 43a of the pressing member 43 comes into contact with the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical combination connector 701B. In this way, a spring member that helps increase the load may be provided on the metal side. As a result, the pressing member 43 increases the resistance F3 that the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 701A receives from the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 701B in the vicinity of the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7. As a result, the resultant force of the resistance F3 and the resistance F2 on the electric wire 7 becomes close to the resistance F1 on the optical fiber 4. Therefore, the load that the optical-electrical composite connector 701A receives from the optical-electrical composite connector 701B on the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 701A becomes uniform. The pressing member 43 may be provided adjacent to the terminal 7b of the electric wire 7 on the first surface 21 of the optical-electrical composite connector 701B.

[0076] In the above embodiment and each modified example, the magnitude of the pressing force of the pressing member 42, 242 may be changed by a method other than the above. For example, as long as the size of the housing 20 allows, the structure of the pressing member 42, 242 may be changed so that the force with which the pressing member 42, 242 presses the tip end 7a of the electric wire 7 is increased. For example, if the pressing member 42, 242 is a spring, the width intersecting the direction of expansion and contraction of the spring may be increased, a rib may be provided in the center of the spring, or the spring may be warped.

[0077] In the above embodiment and each modified example, the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip 4c of the optical fiber 4 may be changed by a method other than the above. For example, the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip 4c of the optical fiber 4 may be changed by a method similar to that of the pressing members 42 and 242. Also, for example, the magnitude of the force with which the pressing member 41 presses the tip 4c of the optical fiber 4 may be changed by adjusting the amount of pressing between the optical fibers 4. As an example, the first surface 21 of the housing 20 may be grooved to move the optical fibers 4 away from each other and reduce the amount of pressing between the optical fibers 4. In this case, the drag F1 in the optical fiber 4 is reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1A, 1B... Optical / electrical hybrid connector 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B...Sub-connectors 4…Optical fiber 4a...Optical fiber core 4b…Resin coating 4c...Tip 5…Optical fiber array 6…Frame body 7...Electric wire 7a...Tip 7b…Terminal 7c…Tip surface 8…Signal line 8a…conductor 9…Ground wire 9a…conductor 10...Signal line array 13...Covering material 20. Housing 21...Side 1 21a…recess 22…Second side 22a…Inner surface 23...Third side 24…Side 4 25...Through hole 25a...First hole 25b…Second hole 25c…hole 26...Through hole 26a...First hole 26b…Second hole 26c…hole 28...Guide hole 40...Pressing part 41, 42, 43...Pressing members 41a, 42a...front end 41b, 42b...Rear end 43a...Tip 43b...Rear end 70…Guide pin 100A, 100B, 101A, 101B... Optical / electrical hybrid connector 120…Housing 121...Side 1 126...hole 142...Pressing member 142a…Tip 142b…Rear end 201A...Optical / electrical hybrid connector 242...Pressing member 242a...Tip 242b…Rear end 301A, 401A, 501A, 601B, 701B...Opto-electrical composite connector F1,F2,F3…Drag F11, F12…Load R1,R2,R3…Internal space

Claims

1. A plurality of electric wires each extending along a first direction; a plurality of optical fibers each extending along the first direction; a housing having a plurality of electric wire storage sections for respectively storing the plurality of electric wires and a plurality of optical fiber storage sections for respectively storing the plurality of optical fibers; a pressing unit configured to be able to press at least one of the plurality of electric wires and the plurality of optical fibers along the first direction, an optical-electrical composite connector, wherein each end portion of the plurality of electric wires and each end portion of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed at an end face of the housing;

2. 2. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is configured to press at least one of the tips of the plurality of electric wires and the tips of the plurality of optical fibers along the first direction so that the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the plurality of electric wires receives from the mating connector and the magnitude of the resistance that each tip of the plurality of optical fibers receives from the mating connector are similar to each other.

3. the tip portions of the optical fibers constitute at least one optical fiber row extending along a second direction intersecting the first direction on an end surface of the housing, 3. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1, wherein each end portion of the plurality of electric wires constitutes a plurality of signal line rows on the end face of the housing, the signal line rows extending along the second direction and adjacent to each other in a third direction intersecting the second direction.

4. 3. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion further includes a first pressing portion configured to be capable of pressing each end of the plurality of electric wires along the first direction toward a mating connector.

5. 5. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 4, wherein the pressing portion further includes a second pressing portion configured to be capable of pressing each tip end of the plurality of optical fibers along the first direction toward the mating connector.

6. 6. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 5, wherein the magnitude of the force with which the first pressing portion presses against each tip end of the plurality of electric wires is different from the magnitude of the force with which the second pressing portion presses against each tip end of the plurality of optical fibers.

7. 7. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 6, wherein a force with which the first pressing portion presses the tip ends of the plurality of electric wires is greater than a force with which the second pressing portion presses the tip ends of the plurality of optical fibers.

8. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 5 , wherein the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion are elastic.

9. the pressing portion includes the first pressing portion provided on each of the tip portions of the plurality of electric wires, and the second pressing portion provided on each of the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers, The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 8 , wherein a spring constant of the first pressing portion is different from a spring constant of the second pressing portion.

10. 2 . The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1 , wherein the positions of the tips of the plurality of electric wires in the first direction are different from the positions of the tips of the plurality of optical fibers in the first direction.

11. 2. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a first sub-connector provided with the plurality of electric wire housing portions, and a second sub-connector provided with the plurality of optical fiber housing portions.

12. At least one guide hole configured to allow a guide pin to be inserted therein in order to position the housing, 2. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of electric wire storage sections and the plurality of optical fiber storage sections is a plurality of through holes each extending along the first direction and penetrating the housing.

13. 2. The optical-electrical composite connector according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric wires are a plurality of electric wires of a flexible flat cable.

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