Connector and connector pair

Abstract

To provide a highly reliable connector and a connector pair that exhibit high strength and achieve a high shielding effect while having a compact and low profile.SOLUTION: A first connector includes a first connector body, a first terminal attached to the first connector body, a first high-frequency terminal attached to the first connector body, and a first shield surrounding an entire circumference of the first connector body, the first connector mating with a second connector. The first shield includes: an outer wall; an inner wall that is essentially parallel to the outer wall, on an inner side of the outer wall; a coupling part that connects an upper end of the outer wall and an upper end of the inner wall; an outwardly extending flange part connected to a lower end of the outer wall; and a housing part with a circumference surrounded by the inner wall, the housing part housing the second connector. The outer wall and the flange part are continuous around the entire circumference of the first connector body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to connectors and connector pairs. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, connectors such as board-to-board connectors have been used to electrically connect a pair of parallel circuit boards. Such connectors are attached to the opposing surfaces of the pair of circuit boards and are fitted together to provide electrical continuity. Also, a technique has been proposed in which a shielding member is provided to reduce the influence of external noise and radio waves and to suppress the emission of noise and radio waves to the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a conventional connector.

[0004] In the figure, 811 denotes a housing of a receptacle connector as a connector mounted on the surface of a first circuit board (not shown), and has a mating recess 812 into which a plug connector mounted on the surface of a second circuit board (not shown) is inserted and mated. The four sides of the mating recess 812, which is rectangular in shape in a plan view, are defined by side wall portions 814. A pair of protrusions 813 protruding from a bottom plate 818 are formed within the mating recess 812. An opening 818a is formed in the bottom plate 818 between the protrusions 813.

[0005] A plurality of terminals 861 are attached to each of the protrusions 813 in a line in the longitudinal direction of the protrusions 813. Each terminal 861 has a contact portion 865 protruding from the inner wall surface of the side wall portion 814, and a tail portion 862 protruding from the protrusion 813 into the opening 818a. The tail portion 862 is soldered to a connection pad formed on the surface of the first circuit board. When the receptacle connector is mated with a plug connector, the contact portion 865 comes into contact with a terminal of the plug connector to establish electrical continuity.

[0006] Furthermore, a conductive shell 851 is attached to the housing 811 so as to entirely cover the outer wall surface of the side wall portion 814. The conductive shell 851 has a plurality of board connection portions 851a, which are soldered to connection pads formed on the surface of the first circuit board. Since the outer peripheral surface of the housing 811 is covered by the conductive shell 851 in this manner, the conductive shell 851 provides an electromagnetic shielding effect to both the receptacle connector and the plug connector that is inserted into and fitted in the fitting recess 812. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-177884 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the conventional connector cannot fully meet the demand for smaller components and faster signals in recent electronic devices. In electronic devices such as laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, digital cameras, music players, game consoles, and navigation devices, there is a demand for smaller and lower profile housings and smaller and lower profile components, as well as a demand for faster signals to cope with the increase in communication data volume and the increase in communication speed and data processing speed. However, the conventional connector cannot fully meet the demand for smaller and lower profile connectors because the dimensions of each part of the housing 811 are large and the strength is insufficient when the dimensions of each part are reduced. Furthermore, various signals are becoming faster and there is a demand for transmitting high-frequency signals, but the conventional connector cannot transmit high-frequency signals because its electromagnetic shielding effect is not high enough.

[0009] The object of this invention is to provide a connector and connector pair which solves the problems of the conventional connectors, and which, while being small and low-profile, exhibits high strength and provides a high shielding effect, and is highly reliable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To this end, the first connector comprises a first connector body, a first terminal attached to the first connector body, a first high-frequency terminal attached to the first connector body, and a first shield surrounding the entire periphery of the first connector body, and is adapted to mate with a second connector, wherein the first shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall inside the outer wall and approximately parallel to the outer wall, a connecting portion connecting an upper end of the outer wall to an upper end of the inner wall, a flange portion connected to the lower end of the outer wall and extending outward, and an accommodating portion surrounded by the inner wall and accommodating the second connector, and the outer wall and flange portion are continuous around the entire periphery of the first connector body.

[0011] In another first connector, the straight portion and the curved portion of the inner wall are further separated by a slit portion.

[0012] In yet another first connector, the connector further includes a shield plate attached to the first connector body, the shield plate extending in the width direction of the first connector between the first terminal and the first high frequency terminal.

[0013] The second connector comprises a second connector body, a second terminal attached to the second connector body, a second high-frequency terminal attached to the second connector body, and a second shield surrounding the entire periphery of the second connector body, and is adapted to mate with a first connector, wherein the second shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall connecting an upper end of the outer wall to an upper end of the inner wall, and a flange portion extending outwardly and connected to the lower end of the outer wall, and the second connector body includes protruding end portions arranged on both longitudinal ends of the second connector, the upper wall covering at least a portion of an upper surface of the protruding end portions, and the inner wall covering at least a portion of an inner wall surface of the protruding end portions.

[0014] In another second connector, the outer wall and the flange portion are continuous around the entire periphery of the second connector body.

[0015] In yet another second connector, the protruding end is further connected to a portion of the outer wall, the inner wall and the upper wall.

[0016] In still another second connector, the second high frequency terminal is attached to the protruding end portion, and the entire periphery of the second high frequency terminal is surrounded by the outer wall and the inner wall.

[0017] The connector pair includes a first connector having a first connector body, a first terminal attached to the first connector body, a first high frequency terminal attached to the first connector body, and a first shield surrounding the entire periphery of the first connector body, and a second connector having a second connector body, a second terminal attached to the second connector body, a second high frequency terminal attached to the second connector body, and a second shield surrounding the entire periphery of the second connector body, and mating with the first connector, wherein the first shield has an outer wall, an inner wall inside the outer wall and approximately parallel to the outer wall, and an upper end of the outer wall and an inner The second shield includes a connecting portion connecting the upper ends of the outer wall and the upper ends of the inner wall, a flange portion extending outwardly and connected to the lower end of the outer wall, and a accommodating portion surrounded by the inner wall, the inner wall including a straight linear portion and a curved curved portion, the second shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall connecting the upper end of the outer wall and the upper end of the inner wall, and a flange portion extending outwardly and connected to the lower end of the outer wall, and is accommodated in the accommodating portion of the first shield, the second connector body including protruding end portions arranged on both longitudinal ends of the second connector, the upper wall covering at least a portion of the upper surface of the protruding end portions, and the inner wall covering at least a portion of the inner wall surface of the protruding end portions.

[0018] In another connector pair, the first connector further includes a shield plate attached to the first connector body, the shield plate extending in the width direction of the first connector between the first terminal and the first high frequency terminal and contacting an inner wall of the second shield. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present disclosure, the connector and connector pair are small and low-profile, while exhibiting high strength and providing a high shielding effect, thereby improving reliability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a first connector and a second connector before they are fitted together in a first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the first connector in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of the first connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 5A is a cross-sectional view of the portion indicated by the arrow AA in FIG. 3; FIG. 5B is an oblique view showing a cross section of the portion indicated by the arrow AA in FIG. 3; and FIG. 5C is an oblique view showing the area around the portion indicated by the arrow AA in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the first connector in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second connector in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the second connector in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second shield in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a top view of the second connector in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a portion viewed from an arrow BB of the second connector in the first embodiment, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view of the portion viewed from an arrow BB in FIG. 9, and (b) is a perspective view showing a cross-section of the portion viewed from an arrow BB in FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a bottom view of the second connector in the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a first connector and a second connector are mated in a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 12A, 12B, and 12C are cross-sectional views of the first and second connectors in the mated state in the first embodiment, where FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 12, FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 12, and FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 13 is a perspective view of a first connector and a second connector according to a second embodiment before they are fitted together. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the first connector in the second embodiment. [Figure 16]11A and 11B are two-sided views of a first connector according to a second embodiment, in which (a) is a top view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in (a). [Figure 17] 13 is a perspective view showing a portion viewed in the direction of an FF arrow of a first connector in a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the first connector in the second embodiment. [Figure 19] 13 is a perspective view showing a solder sheet applied to each board connecting portion of the first connector in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second connector according to the second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the second connector in the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second shield in the second embodiment. [Figure 23] 13A and 13B are two-sided views of a second connector according to a second embodiment, where (a) is a top view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in (a). [Figure 24] 13 is a perspective view showing a portion of a second connector in a direction indicated by arrows GG in the second embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 25] FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the second connector in the second embodiment. [Figure 26] 13 is a perspective view showing a solder sheet applied to each board connecting portion of the second connector in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 27] 11A and 11B are four-sided views showing the state in which the first connector and the second connector are mated in the second embodiment, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the portion viewed from the arrow HH in (a), (c) is a cross-sectional view of the portion viewed from the arrow II in (a), and (d) is a cross-sectional view of the portion viewed from the arrow JJ in (a). [Figure 28] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the first connector and the second connector before mating in the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the first connector in the first embodiment, Fig. 3 is a top view of the first connector in the first embodiment, Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the portion viewed from the arrow AA of the first connector in the first embodiment, and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the first connector in the first embodiment. In Fig. 4, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the portion viewed from the arrow AA in Fig. 3, (b) is a perspective view showing the cross section of the portion viewed from the arrow AA in Fig. 3, and (c) is a perspective view showing the periphery of the portion viewed from the arrow AA in Fig. 3.

[0023] In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a first connector which is one of a pair of board-to-board connectors which are a connector pair in this embodiment. The first connector 1 is a surface-mounted receptacle connector which is mounted on the surface of a first substrate which is a substrate not shown as a mounting member, and is mated with a second connector 101 which is a mating connector. The second connector 101 is the other of the pair of board-to-board connectors, and is a surface-mounted plug connector which is mounted on the surface of a second substrate which is a substrate not shown as a mounting member.

[0024] The first connector 1 and the second connector 101 of the connector pair in this embodiment are preferably used to electrically connect the first and second boards as substrates, but can also be used to electrically connect other members. The first and second boards are, for example, printed circuit boards, flexible flat cables (FFCs), flexible circuit boards (FPCs), etc. used in electronic devices, but may be any type of board.

[0025] In addition, in this embodiment, expressions indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back used to explain the configuration and operation of each part of the first connector 1 and second connector 101 of the connector pair are relative rather than absolute, and are appropriate when each part of the first connector 1 and second connector 101 are in the posture shown in the figure, but if the posture changes, they should be interpreted in a modified manner in accordance with the change in posture.

[0026] The first connector 1 has a first shield 50 as a first outer shield, which is a receptacle shield formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and drawing, and a first housing 11 as a first connector main body integrally formed from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The first housing 11 has a flat bottom plate 18 and first protrusions 13 as a pair of protrusions protruding upward from an upper surface of the bottom plate 18. The first protrusions 13 are located generally inward in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first connector 1 from both side ends of the bottom plate 18.

[0027] Each first protrusion 13 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first connector 1, and a plurality of first terminal accommodating cavities 15 (three in the example shown in the figure) are formed in the longitudinal direction at a predetermined pitch (for example, 0.35 [mm]) from the inner side surface to the upper surface facing each other. The pitch and number of the first terminal accommodating cavities 15 can be changed as appropriate. A plurality of first terminals 61 as terminals accommodated in each of the first terminal accommodating cavities 15 and loaded into the first housing 11 are also arranged at the same pitch on both sides of each first protrusion 13. That is, a plurality of the first terminals 61 are arranged along each first protrusion 13 to form a pair of parallel terminal rows. The first terminal accommodating cavities 15 are formed to penetrate the bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction (Z-axis direction).

[0028] Further, shield plate accommodating slits 13b are formed as slits near both ends of the first protrusion 13 in the longitudinal direction. A shield plate 56 as a first inner shield is accommodated in the shield plate accommodating slits 13b. In the example shown in the figure, the shield plate accommodating slits 13b extend continuously from the upper surface of the first protrusion 13 to the inner and outer surfaces, and are formed so as to penetrate the bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction from the inner and outer surfaces. Note that the bottom plate 18 between the first protrusions 13 has a thick portion 18b that is thicker (dimension in the Z-axis direction) than other portions, but as shown in FIG. 4(c), a shield plate accommodating opening 18a is formed as an opening that penetrates in the plate thickness direction at a position corresponding to the shield plate accommodating slits 13b and in the vicinity thereof in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1.

[0029] Further, an outer recess 13a recessed inward is formed in a range closer to the longitudinal center than the shield plate receiving slit 13b on the outer side of the first connector 1 in the width direction of the first protrusion 13. The outer recess 13a is formed to extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) from the upper surface of the first protrusion 13 to the lower surface of the bottom plate 18, so that the bottom plate 18 is not present on the outer side of the outer recess 13a in the width direction of the first connector 1.

[0030] Further, outside the shield plate accommodating opening 18a in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, first high frequency terminal supporting parts 16 are formed as a pair of supporting parts protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 18. The first high frequency terminal supporting part 16 is a columnar member having a generally U-shaped shape as seen from above, as shown in FIG. 3, and has a first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a as a high frequency terminal accommodating groove extending in the vertical direction. The first high frequency terminal supporting parts 16 are arranged so that the openings of the first high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 16a face in opposite directions, and are arranged so as to be point symmetrical with respect to the center of the first connector 1 as seen from above, i.e., in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 3, and to be offset outward in the width direction away from the center in the width direction of the first connector 1. A first high frequency terminal 71 as a high frequency terminal is accommodated in the first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a. Further, below and in front of the first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a, a first high frequency terminal accommodating opening 16b is formed as an opening penetrating the bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction.

[0031] Furthermore, the bottom plate 18 has a connection end 18c at the outermost end in the longitudinal and width directions of the first connector 1, which is connected to the first shield 50. The first shield 50 is integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. That is, the first housing 11 is molded by filling an insulating material such as synthetic resin into a cavity of a mold in which the first shield 50 has been set beforehand, and the first housing 11 is integrally connected to the first shield 50 at the connection end 18c.

[0032] The first shield 50 is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processes such as punching and drawing, and as shown in Fig. 3, when viewed from above, i.e., in a plan view, is a substantially rectangular frame-like member that surrounds the periphery of the first housing 11. The first shield 50 includes a pair of long sides 50a extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, a pair of short sides 50b extending linearly in the width direction of the first connector 1, and four corners 50c curved at approximately 90 degrees that connect one end of the long sides 50a and one end of the short sides 50b.

[0033] The first shield 50 includes an outer wall 52, an inner wall 51 that is substantially parallel to the outer wall 52 on the inside of the outer wall 52, and a connecting portion 53 that connects and integrates the upper end of the outer wall 52 and the upper end of the inner wall 51. The outer wall 52 is a continuous wall around the entire circumference, whereas the inner wall 51 is separated into a straight portion 51a and a curved portion 51b by slit portions 53a formed at both ends of each corner portion 50c. The straight portion 51a is a straight portion in a plan view, and corresponds to the long side portion 50a and the short side portion 50b. The curved portion 51b is a curved portion in a plan view, and corresponds to the corner portion 50c. The slit portion 53a is a notch that starts from the upper end of the connecting portion 53, extends downward along the inner wall 51, and opens at the lower end of the inner wall 51. Therefore, in the connecting portion 53, a portion adjacent to the outer wall 52 is continuous around the entire circumference, but a portion adjacent to the inner wall 51 is separated by the slit portion 53a into a portion corresponding to the long side portion 50a and the short side portion 50b and a portion corresponding to the corner portion 50c. The space surrounded by the portions of the inner wall 51 corresponding to the long side portion 50a, the short side portion 50b and the corner portion 50c serves as an accommodating portion 50d into which the second connector 101, which is a plug connector, is inserted and accommodated.

[0034] The straight portion 51a of the inner wall 51 has a curved end 51d connected to its lower end and an engagement recess 51c formed above the curved end 51d. The curved end 51d is a portion curved so that its tip faces diagonally downward inward of the accommodating portion 50d, and a connection end 18c of the bottom plate 18 is connected to a part of the curved end 51d. That is, the straight portion 51a is connected to the first housing 11. In contrast, the curved portion 51b does not have the curved end 51d and is not connected to the first housing 11. The engagement recess 51c is a portion that engages with an engagement protrusion 152c formed on an outer wall 152 of a second shield 150 included in the second connector 101 when the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 are fitted together, and extends linearly in the longitudinal direction or width direction of the first connector 1. As described above, each straight portion 51 a is separated from the other portions by the slit portions 53 a at both ends thereof, and therefore has comparative flexibility and can be elastically deformed in the direction approaching or moving away from the outer wall 52 .

[0035] A flange portion 54 as a flat portion extending outward is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 52 via a curved portion 52a curved at approximately 90 degrees. The curved portion 52a and the flange portion 54 are continuously connected to the lower end of the outer wall 52 around the entire circumference. In the example shown in the figure, small notches 54a are formed at multiple locations on the flange portion 54, but the notches 54a can be omitted as appropriate.

[0036] The flange portion 54 functions as a board connection portion, and its lower surface is parallel to the surface of the first board, and is connected to the connection pad on the surface by soldering or the like. The connection pad is typically connected to a ground line. The outer wall 52 is a wall that is continuous around the entire circumference, and its upper end is a continuous part at the connection portion 53, and is connected to a part including a part extending in a direction perpendicular to the outer wall 52 in the cross section shown in FIG. 4(a), and its lower end is a continuous member like the flange portion 54, and is connected to a member extending in a direction perpendicular to the outer wall 52 in the cross section shown in FIG. 4(a), so that it has a relatively high rigidity and is difficult to deform. In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the flange portion 54 is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 52 continuously around the entire circumference, but if a relatively high rigidity is not required, it may be connected to only a part.

[0037] When the first housing 11 is connected to the first shield 50 in the accommodating portion 50d, the accommodating portion 50d is surrounded by the inner wall 51, and the lower portion is defined by the bottom plate 18, forming a first recess 12 for fitting with the second connector 101. Between the pair of first protrusions 13, an inner groove 12a is formed as a part of the first recess 12, which is an elongated recess extending in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1. Furthermore, between each first protrusion 13 and the inner wall 51, an outer groove 12c is formed as a part of the first recess 12, which is an elongated recess extending in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1. Furthermore, fitting recesses 12b are formed as a part of the first recess 12 on the outer sides of both ends of the first protrusion 13 in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1.

[0038] The first terminal 61 is a member formed as a single unit by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and bending, and comprises a held portion 63, a tail portion 62 as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 63, an upper connection portion 65 connected to the upper end of the held portion 63, and a lower connection portion 64 connected to the lower end of the upper connection portion 65.

[0039] The held portion 63 extends in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) and is pressed into and held in the first terminal accommodating cavity 15. Note that the first terminal 61 is not necessarily attached to the first housing 11 by press-fitting, and may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, a case will be described here in which the held portion 63 is pressed into and held in the first terminal accommodating cavity 15.

[0040] The tail portion 62 is bent and connected to the held portion 63, extends in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), i.e., outward in the width direction of the first connector 1, and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace of the first board. The conductive trace may be a power line for supplying power, but is typically a signal line. The signal line is described as not transmitting a high-frequency signal, but transmitting a signal of a normal frequency (for example, a frequency of less than 10 [GHz]) that is lower than a high-frequency signal. The tail portion 62 is visible when viewed from the mating direction of the first connector 1, i.e., when viewed from the mating surface 1a side.

[0041] Furthermore, the upper connection portion 65 is a portion curved by approximately 180 degrees so as to protrude upward (in the positive direction of the Z axis). A lower connection portion 64 extending downward (in the negative direction of the Z axis) is connected to the lower end of the upper connection portion 65 on the opposite side to the held portion 63. It is preferable that the lower portion of the lower connection portion 64 is curved so that the tip faces inward in the width direction of the first connector 1. In addition, a contact portion 65a is formed near the lower end of the upper connection portion 65, the contact portion 65a being curved so as to bulge inward in the width direction of the first connector 1. The contact portion 65a is a portion that comes into contact with a second terminal 161 of the second connector 101.

[0042] The first terminals 61 are press-fitted into the first terminal-accommodating cavities 15 from the mounting surface 1b side, which is the lower surface (Z-axis negative surface) of the first connector 1, and the held portions 63 are sandwiched from both sides by the inner side surfaces of the first terminal-accommodating cavities 15, thereby being fixed to the first housing 11. In this state, i.e., in a state in which the first terminals 61 are loaded into the first housing 11, the contact portions 65a protrude from the inner side surfaces of the first protrusions 13 into the inner groove portions 12a and face each other.

[0043] The first high-frequency terminal 71 is a member formed as an integral part by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and bending, and includes a held portion 73, a tail portion 72 serving as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 73, and an upper connection portion 75 connected to the upper end of the held portion 73.

[0044] The held portion 73 extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and is pressed into and held in the first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a. As described above, the first high frequency terminal supporting portions 16 are arranged such that the openings of the first high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 16a face in opposite directions, so that the first high frequency terminals 71 with the held portions 73 held in the first high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 16a also face in opposite directions. Note that the first high frequency terminal 71 does not necessarily have to be attached to the first housing 11 by press-fitting, and may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, a case where the held portion 73 is pressed into and held in the first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a will be described here.

[0045] Furthermore, the tail portion 72 is bent and connected to the held portion 73, extends in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), i.e., toward the center in the width direction of the first connector 1, and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace of the first board. Note that the conductive trace is described as a signal line that typically transmits a high-frequency signal such as an RF signal (for example, a frequency of 10 GHz or more).

[0046] Furthermore, the upper connection portion 75 is curved in a substantially S-shape when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, and the curved portion bulging toward the center in the width direction of the first connector 1 functions as a contact portion 75a. The contact portion 75a is a portion that comes into contact with a second high-frequency terminal 171 included in the second connector 101.

[0047] The first high frequency terminals 71 are press-fitted from the mounting surface 1b side into the first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a of the first high frequency terminal support portion 16 located in the fitting recess 12b, and the held portions 73 are sandwiched from both sides by the inner side surfaces of the first high frequency terminal accommodating groove 16a, thereby being fixed to the first housing 11. In this state, i.e., in a state in which the first high frequency terminals 71 are loaded into the first housing 11, the contact portions 75a of the pair of first high frequency terminals 71 face in opposite directions to each other.

[0048] The shield plate 56 is a member formed as an integral part by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and bending, and has a central portion 58 and a pair of side portions 57 connected to either side of the central portion 58.

[0049] The central portion 58 has a shape of an inverted Y when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, but does not stand upright in the vertical direction when viewed from the width direction of the first connector 1, and is inclined outward in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1. The central portion 58 includes one curved portion 58b and two inclined legs 58a extending from the lower end of the curved portion 58b so as to branch out. The lower ends of the inclined legs 58a are connected to the adjacent side portions 57. The curved portion 58b bulges outward in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, and is curved so that its tip faces inward in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1. The outer surface of the curved portion 58b bulging outward in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1 functions as a contact portion 58c and comes into contact with an inner wall 151 of a second shield 150 provided in the second connector 101.

[0050] Moreover, the side portions 57 are vertically upright when viewed from the width direction of the first connector 1. Each side portion 57 has an outer portion 57a ​​extending linearly in the vertical direction, an inner portion 57b that is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, and an upper portion 57c that connects the upper end of the outer portion 57a ​​to the upper end of the inner portion 57b. The inner portion 57b includes a connecting portion 57d that extends toward the inside in the width direction of the first connector 1, and the lower end of the inclined leg portion 58a that is inclined outward in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1 is connected to the upper end of the connecting portion 57d that is vertically upright. The space defined by the outer portion 57a, the inner portion 57b, and the upper portion 57c functions as a held recess 57f. The lower ends of the outer portion 57a ​​and the inner portion 57b function as a tail portion 57e, which is a board connection portion, and are connected to a connection pad of the first board by soldering or the like. The connection pad is typically connected to a ground line. The tail portion 57e is not visible when viewed from the mating direction of the first connector 1, i.e., when viewed from the mating surface 1a side.

[0051] The shield plate 56 is press-fitted into the shield plate accommodating slit 13b from the mating surface 1a side, which is the upper surface (the surface in the positive direction of the Z axis) of the first connector 1, and the held recesses 57f hold the side surfaces of the first protrusion 13 from both sides in the shield plate accommodating slit 13b, thereby fixing the shield plate 56 to the first housing 11. In this state, i.e., in a state in which the shield plate 56 is loaded into the first housing 11, the contact portions 58c protrude into the mating recesses 12b from both longitudinal ends of the first protrusion 13, and the vicinity of the lower end of the outer portion 57a ​​is close to the lower end of the curved portion 51b in the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50, with the outer recessed groove portion 12c being sandwiched therebetween. It should be noted that the shield plate 56 does not necessarily have to be attached to the first housing 11 by press-fitting, but may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for the sake of convenience, the following description will be given of the case where the shield plate 56 is pressed into and held in the shield plate accommodating slit 13b.

[0052] The first connector 1 is placed on the surface of the first board with a first solder sheet (not shown) applied to the mounting surface 1b side, and the first solder sheet is heated and melted by a heating furnace or the like, thereby being fixed and mounted on the surface of the first board. Note that the means for connecting the first shield 50, the first terminal 61, the first high frequency terminal 71, the shield plate 56, etc. to the connection pads of the first board are not necessarily limited to soldering, and may be, for example, a conductive adhesive or the like, and even if soldering is performed, it may be by applying a solder paste, transferring a cream solder, dipping, jet soldering, etc., instead of applying a solder sheet. However, for convenience of explanation, a case where a solder sheet is used will be described here.

[0053] The first solder sheet includes a pair of elongated, strip-like long side portions that extend continuously and linearly in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, a plurality of elongated, strip-like short side portions that extend continuously and linearly in the width direction of the first connector 1, and a plurality of rectangular short portions whose long sides extend in the width direction of the first connector 1 and whose short sides extend in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1. It is preferable that both ends of each short side portion are connected to the long side portion. The long side portions and the short side portions do not necessarily need to extend continuously and may be discontinuous, but will be described here as extending continuously.

[0054] The pair of long side portions are attached to the lower surface of flange portion 54 corresponding to long side portion 50a of first shield 50, the pair of short side portions are attached to the lower surface of flange portion 54 corresponding to short side portion 50b of first shield 50, and the other pair of short side portions are attached to the lower surface of tail portion 57e of shield plate 56. In addition, each of the short portions is attached to the lower surface of tail portion 62 of each first terminal 61 and the lower surface of tail portion 72 of each first high-frequency terminal 71, respectively.

[0055] When the first connector 1 is mounted on the surface of the first board by heating and melting the first solder sheet applied in this manner, the curved portion 52a and the flange portion 54, which are connected continuously around the entire circumference to the lower end of the outer wall 52, which is continuous around the entire circumference of the first shield 50, are connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first board without any gaps. Therefore, the strength of the first shield 50 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first board is high, and the strength of the entire first connector 1, the periphery of which is surrounded by the first shield 50, is high. In addition, the electromagnetic shielding effect exerted by the first shield 50 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first board without any gaps is very high, and the first connector 1, the periphery of which is surrounded by the first shield 50, is electromagnetically shielded very effectively. In particular, since the smoothness of the lower surface of the flange portion 54 is high, the strength of the first shield 50 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first board can be extremely high, and since no gaps are generated between the first shield 50 and the connection pads on the surface of the first board, the electromagnetic shielding effect can also be extremely high.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the fitting recess 12b has a generally rectangular planar shape, and three sides of the fitting recess 12b are defined by the long side 50a and short side 50b of the first shield 50, and the remaining side is defined by the shield plate 56, so that the entire periphery is shielded. Therefore, the first high-frequency terminal 71 located in the fitting recess 12b is electromagnetically shielded very effectively. Therefore, the same shielding effect as that of a conventional coaxial connector can be achieved, and high-frequency signals can be transmitted effectively. Note that the shield plate 56 is not a continuous plate-like member when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, and has multiple voids, so that the electromagnetic shielding effect is lower than that of the long side 50a and short side 50b of the first shield 50. However, the size of each void is small, and the intervals between the multiple tail portions 57e connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first board by soldering are narrow, so that a sufficient electromagnetic shielding effect can be achieved in practice. Furthermore, since the vicinity of the lower end of the outer portion 57a ​​is close to the lower end of the curved portion 51b on the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50, the shield plate 56, in cooperation with the first shield 50, can provide a sufficient electromagnetic shielding effect.

[0057] In this way, the first connector 1 has high strength and a high electromagnetic shielding effect, and therefore can transmit high-frequency signals even if it is made small and low-profile. For example, even if the longitudinal, width, and height dimensions of the first connector 1 are set to 3.3 mm or less, 2.3 mm or less, and 0.6 mm or less, the first high-frequency terminal 71 can transmit high-frequency signals of about 60 GHz.

[0058] Next, the configuration of the second connector 101 will be described.

[0059] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the second connector in the first embodiment, Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the second connector in the first embodiment, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the second shield in the first embodiment, Fig. 9 is a top view of the second connector in the first embodiment, Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the portion viewed from the arrow BB of the second connector in the first embodiment, and Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the second connector in the first embodiment. In Fig. 10, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the portion viewed from the arrow BB in Fig. 9, and (b) is a perspective view showing the cross-section of the portion viewed from the arrow BB in Fig. 9.

[0060] The second connector 101 in this embodiment has a second shield 150 as a second outer shield, which is a plug shield formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and drawing, and a second housing 111 as a second connector main body integrally formed from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The second housing 111 has a flat bottom plate 118, a second protruding portion 112 as a protruding portion protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 118 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, and a pair of protruding end portions 122 protruding upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 118 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the second connector 101. The second protruding portion 112 is narrower than the protruding end portion 122 and is located inside the both ends of the protruding end portion 122 in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the second connector 101.

[0061] The second protrusion 112 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, and has a central slit 112b in the shape of a long and narrow groove recessed downward from the upper surface in the center in the width direction, and both left and right sides of the central slit 112b serve as terminal support walls 112a supporting second terminals 161 as mating terminals. The second terminals 161 are arranged on the outer surface of the terminal support wall 112a at a pitch corresponding to the first terminals 61, in a corresponding number. That is, the second terminals 161 are arranged in a plurality along each terminal support wall 112a, forming a pair of parallel terminal group rows (mating terminal group rows).

[0062] Each protruding end 122 includes outer wall surfaces 122a facing the outside in the longitudinal direction and both sides in the width direction of the second connector 101, an upper surface 122b facing the mating surface 101a side of the second connector 101, and an inner wall surface 122c facing the inside in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101. Each protruding end 122 is spaced apart from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second convex portion 112. A second high frequency terminal support portion 116 serving as a support portion is formed on each protruding end 122. The second high frequency terminal support portion 116 has a second high frequency terminal accommodating groove 116a extending in the up-down direction as a high frequency terminal accommodating groove, and has a generally U-shaped shape when viewed from above. The second high frequency terminal support parts 116 are arranged so that the openings of the second high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 116a face in opposite directions, and are arranged so as to be point symmetrical with respect to the center of the second connector 101 when viewed from above, i.e., in a plan view, as shown in Fig. 9, and are arranged so as to be spaced apart from the center in the width direction of the second connector 101 and to be biased outward in the width direction. The second high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 116a accommodate second high frequency terminals 171 as high frequency terminals. Below and in front of the second high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 116a, second high frequency terminal accommodating openings 116b are formed as openings penetrating the bottom plate 118 in the plate thickness direction. Furthermore, in each protruding end 122, in front of the second high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 116a, first high frequency terminal accommodating recesses 116c are formed as counterpart terminal accommodating recesses that extend from the second high frequency terminal accommodating openings 116b to the upper surface 122b and open on the upper surface 122b.

[0063] The second shield 150 is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processes such as punching and drawing, and is a roughly rectangular frame-like member in a plan view, surrounding the periphery of the second housing 111. The second shield 150 includes a pair of long side portions 150a extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, a pair of short side portions 150b extending linearly in the width direction of the second connector 101, and four corner portions 150c curved at approximately 90 degrees that connect one end of the long side portions 150a and one end of the short side portions 150b.

[0064] The second shield 150 includes an outer wall 152, an inner wall 151 as a second inner shield, and an upper wall 153. The outer wall 152 is a continuous wall around the entire periphery. The upper wall 153 is connected to the upper end of the outer wall 152 near each short side portion 150b, corner portions 150c at both ends of the short side portion 150b, and both ends of each long side portion 150a, and is formed so as to cover at least a part, preferably more than half, of the upper surface 122b of the protruding end portion 122. The upper wall 153 is formed with a first radio frequency terminal accommodating opening 153a as an opening corresponding to the first radio frequency terminal accommodating recess 116c. Furthermore, the inner wall 151 is formed so that its upper end is connected to the inner end of the second connector 101 in the longitudinal direction of the upper wall 153, extends downward, and covers at least a part, preferably almost the entire inner wall surface 122c of the protruding end portion 122. The upper end of the inner wall 151 is formed with a curved upper wall connection portion 151a connected to the upper wall 153, and the lower end of the inner wall 151 is connected with a tail portion 151b as a board connection portion curved so that its tip faces the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101. The tail portion 151b has a lower surface parallel to the surface of the second board, and is connected to a connection pad on the surface by soldering or the like. The connection pad is typically connected to a ground line. The space surrounded by the outer wall 152 corresponding to the pair of long side portions 150a and the pair of inner walls 151 is the second recess 113 into which the first protrusion 13 of the first connector 1 is inserted and accommodated.

[0065] A flange portion 154 serving as a flat portion is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 152 via a curved portion 152a curved at approximately 90 degrees. The curved portion 152a and the flange portion 154 are continuously connected to the lower end of the outer wall 152 all around. In the example shown in the figure, small notches 154a are formed at multiple locations on the flange portion 154, but the notches 154a can be omitted as appropriate.

[0066] The flange portion 154 functions as a board connection portion, and its lower surface is parallel to the surface of the second board, and is connected to a connection pad on the surface by soldering or the like. The connection pad is typically connected to a ground line. The outer wall 152 is a wall that is continuous around the entire circumference, and its lower end is a continuous member like the flange portion 154, and is connected to a member that extends in a direction perpendicular to the outer wall 152 in the cross section shown in FIG. 10(a), so that it has a relatively high rigidity and is difficult to deform. In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the flange portion 154 is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 152 continuously around the entire circumference, but if a relatively high rigidity is not required, it may be connected to only a part of it.

[0067] Further, the outer wall 152 corresponding to the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b has an engaging protrusion 152c protruding outward. The engaging protrusion 152c is a portion that engages with an engaging recess 51c formed in an inner wall 51 of a first shield 50 included in the first connector 1 when the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 are fitted together, and extends linearly in the longitudinal direction or width direction of the second connector 101.

[0068] The second shield 150 is integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. That is, the second housing 111 is molded by filling an insulating material such as synthetic resin into a cavity of a mold in which the second shield 150 has been set beforehand, and the second housing 111 is integrally connected to the second shield 150 at the protruding end 122.

[0069] The second terminal 161 is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processes such as punching and bending, and includes a held portion 163, a tail portion 162 as a board connection portion connected to one end of the held portion 163, a lower connection portion 165 connected to the other end of the held portion 163 and extending in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction), and an upper connection portion 164 connected to the upper end of the lower connection portion 165. The second terminal 161 is integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. That is, the second housing 111 is molded by filling an insulating material such as synthetic resin into a cavity of a mold in which the second terminal 161 has been set beforehand.

[0070] As a result, the second terminal 161 is attached integrally to the terminal support wall 112a such that at least a part of the second terminal 161 is embedded in the terminal support wall 112a of the second protrusion 112 of the second housing 111, and a part of the upper connection part 164 and a surface of the lower connection part 165 are exposed to the upper surface and the outer surface of the terminal support wall 112a. The surface of the lower connection part 165 functions as a contact part 165a and contacts the first terminal 61 of the first connector 1. The tail part 162 extends from the terminal support wall 112a toward the outer side in the width direction of the second housing 111 and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace of the second board. The tail part 162 is disposed at a position overlapping the tail part 151b of the inner wall 151 when viewed from the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the second connector 101. The conductive trace may be a power line for supplying power, but is typically a signal line. Further, the signal line will be described as one that does not transmit high-frequency signals, but transmits signals at normal frequencies (eg, frequencies less than 10 [GHz]) that are lower than high-frequency signals.

[0071] In addition, the second terminal 161 does not necessarily have to be integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding, and may be attached to the second housing 111 by press-fitting or the like. However, for the sake of convenience, the following description will be given of the case where the second terminal 161 is integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding.

[0072] The second high-frequency terminal 171 is a member formed as an integral part by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and bending, and includes a held portion 173, a tail portion 172 serving as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 173, and an upper connection portion 175 connected to the upper end of the held portion 173.

[0073] The held portion 173 extends in the vertical direction and is a portion that is pressed into and held in the second high frequency terminal accommodating groove 116a. As described above, the second high frequency terminal supporting portions 116 are arranged such that the openings of the second high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 116a face in opposite directions, so that the second high frequency terminals 171 with the held portions 173 held in the second high frequency terminal accommodating grooves 116a also face in opposite directions. Note that the second high frequency terminal 171 does not necessarily have to be attached to the second housing 111 by press-fitting, and may be integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, a case where the held portion 173 is pressed into and held in the second high frequency terminal accommodating groove 116a will be described here.

[0074] Furthermore, the tail portion 172 is bent and connected to the held portion 173, extends in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), i.e., toward the center of the width direction of the second connector 101, and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace of the second board. Note that the conductive trace is described as a signal line that typically transmits a high-frequency signal such as an RF signal (for example, a frequency of 10 GHz or more).

[0075] Furthermore, the upper connection portion 175 is curved in a substantially S-shape when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, and the curved portion bulging toward the center in the width direction of the second connector 101 functions as a contact portion 175a. The contact portion 175a is a portion that comes into contact with the first high frequency terminal 71 of the first connector 1.

[0076] The second high frequency terminal 171 is press-fitted from the mounting surface 101b side into second high frequency terminal accommodating groove 116a of second high frequency terminal support portion 116 located at protruding end portion 122, and held portion 173 is sandwiched from both sides by the inner side surfaces of second high frequency terminal accommodating groove 116a, thereby being fixed to second housing 111. In this state, i.e., in a state in which second high frequency terminals 171 are loaded into second housing 111, contact portions 175a of the pair of second high frequency terminals 171 face in opposite directions to each other.

[0077] In the example shown in the figure, second high frequency terminal 171 is formed to have the same dimensions and shape as first high frequency terminal 71. Therefore, first high frequency terminal 71 can be used as second high frequency terminal 171.

[0078] The second connector 101 is placed on the surface of the second board with a second solder sheet (not shown) applied to the mounting surface 101b side as a solder sheet, and is fixed and mounted on the surface of the second board by heating and melting the second solder sheet using a heating furnace or the like. Note that the means for connecting the second shield 150, the second terminal 161, the second high frequency terminal 171, etc. to the connection pads of the second board are not necessarily limited to soldering, and may be, for example, a conductive adhesive or the like, and even if soldering is performed, it may be by applying a solder paste, transferring a cream solder, dipping, jet soldering, or the like instead of applying a solder sheet. However, for convenience of explanation, a case where the second solder sheet is used will be described here.

[0079] The second solder sheet includes a pair of elongated, strip-like long side portions that extend continuously and linearly in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, a plurality of elongated, strip-like short side portions that extend continuously and linearly in the width direction of the second connector 101, and a plurality of rectangular short portions whose long sides extend in the width direction of the second connector 101 and whose short sides extend in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101. It is preferable that both ends of each short side portion are connected to the long side portion. The long side portions and the short side portions do not necessarily need to extend continuously and may be discontinuous, but will be described here as extending continuously.

[0080] The pair of long side portions are provided on the lower surface of flange portion 154 corresponding to long side portion 150a of second shield 150, the pair of short side portions are provided on the lower surface of flange portion 154 corresponding to short side portion 150b of second shield 150, and the other pair of short side portions are provided on the lower surface of tail portion 151b of inner wall 151. In addition, each of the short portions is provided on the lower surface of tail portion 162 of each second terminal 161 and the lower surface of tail portion 172 of each second high-frequency terminal 171, respectively.

[0081] When the second connector 101 is mounted on the surface of the second board by heating and melting the second solder sheet applied in this manner, the curved portion 152a and the flange portion 154, which are connected continuously around the entire circumference to the lower end of the outer wall 152, which is continuous around the entire circumference of the second shield 150, are connected to the connection pads on the surface of the second board without any gaps. Therefore, the strength of the second shield 150 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the second board is high, and the strength of the entire second connector 101, the periphery of which is surrounded by the second shield 150, is high. In addition, the electromagnetic shielding effect exerted by the second shield 150 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the second board without any gaps is very high, and the second connector 101, the periphery of which is surrounded by the second shield 150, is electromagnetically shielded very effectively. In particular, since the underside of flange portion 154 is highly smooth, the strength of second shield 150 connected to the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate can be made extremely high, and since no gaps are created between the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate, the electromagnetic shielding effect can also be made extremely high.

[0082] In addition, each of the protruding ends 122 at both longitudinal ends of the second connector 101 has its outer wall surface 122a facing the longitudinal outside and both widthwise sides of the second connector 101 covered by the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150, its upper surface 122b facing the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101 covered by the upper wall 153 of the second shield 150, and its inner wall surface 122c facing the longitudinal inside of the second connector 101 covered by the inner wall 151 of the second shield 150, so that the entire periphery is shielded, and therefore the second high-frequency terminal 171 supported by the second high-frequency terminal support portion 116 formed on the protruding end portion 122 is electromagnetically shielded very effectively.

[0083] In this way, the second connector 101 has high strength and a high electromagnetic shielding effect, so that it can transmit high-frequency signals even if it is made small and low-profile. For example, even if the dimensions of the length, width, and height of the second connector 101 are set to 2.9 mm or less, 1.9 mm or less, and 0.6 mm or less, the second high-frequency terminal 171 can transmit high-frequency signals of about 60 GHz.

[0084] Next, the operation of mating first connector 1 and second connector 101 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

[0085] Fig. 12 is a plan view of the first connector and the second connector in the first embodiment in a mated state, and Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the first connector and the second connector in the first embodiment in a mated state. In Fig. 13, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the CC arrow in Fig. 12, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the DD arrow in Fig. 12, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of the EE arrow in Fig. 12.

[0086] Here, the first connector 1 is surface-mounted on the first board by connecting the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61, the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71, the tail portion 57e of the shield plate 56, and the curved portion 52a and flange portion 54 connected continuously around the entire circumference to the lower end of the outer wall 52 that is continuous around the entire circumference of the first shield 50, to connection pads connected to conductive traces of the first board (not shown) by soldering. Also, the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71 is connected is a signal line that transmits a high-frequency signal like an antenna line connected to an antenna, the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail portion 57e of the shield plate 56 and the curved portion 52a and flange portion 54 of the first shield 50 are connected is a ground line, and the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 is connected is a signal line that transmits a signal of a lower frequency than the high-frequency signal.

[0087] Similarly, the second connector 101 is surface-mounted on the second board by connecting, by soldering, tail portion 162 of second terminal 161, tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171, tail portion 151b of inner wall 151 of second shield 150, and curved portion 152a and flange portion 154 which are continuously connected around the entire circumference to the lower end of outer wall 152 which is continuous around the entire circumference of second shield 150, to connection pads which are coupled to conductive traces of the second board (not shown). In addition, the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail portion 172 of the second high-frequency terminal 171 is connected is a signal line that transmits a high-frequency signal like an antenna wire connected to an antenna, the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail portion 151b of the inner wall 151 of the second shield 150 and the curved portion 152a and flange portion 154 of the second shield 150 are connected is a ground line, and the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail portion 162 of the second terminal 161 is connected is a signal line that transmits a signal of a lower frequency than the high-frequency signal.

[0088] First, the operator positions the mating surface 1a of the first connector 1 and the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101 opposite each other, as shown in FIG. 1, and when the position of the first convex portion 13 of the first connector 1 matches the position of the second concave portion 113 of the second connector 101 and the position of the protruding end portion 122 of the second connector 101 matches the position of the corresponding mating concave portion 12b of the first connector 1, the alignment of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 is completed.

[0089] In this state, when the first connector 1 and / or the second connector 101 is moved in a direction approaching the mating side, i.e., in the mating direction, the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 is inserted into the accommodation portion 50d of the first shield 50 of the first connector 1, the first convex portion 13 of the first connector 1 is inserted into the second concave portion 113 of the second connector 101, and the protruding end portion 122 of the second connector 101 is inserted into the mating concave portion 12b of the first connector 1. Since the connecting portion 53 of the first shield 50 is present on the mating surface 1a of the first connector 1 so as to surround the periphery thereof, and the outer wall 152 and the upper wall 153 of the second shield 150 are present on the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101, the mating surface 1a of the first connector 1 and the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101 come into contact with each other during mating, the mating surface 1a of the first connector 1 and the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101 are not damaged or broken. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, when the mating of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 is completed, the first terminal 61 and the second terminal 161 are brought into electrical continuity, and the first high frequency terminal 71 and the second high frequency terminal 171 are brought into electrical continuity.

[0090] Specifically, the second protrusion 112 of the second housing 111 is inserted into the inner groove 12a of the first housing 11, and as shown in FIG. 13(b), the contact portion 65a of the first terminal 61 protruding from the inner side surface of the first protrusion 13 into the inner groove 12a contacts the contact portion 165a of the second terminal 161 exposed on the outer side surface of the terminal support wall 112a of the second protrusion 112. At this time, the contact portion 65a of the first terminal 61 is elastically displaceable in the width direction of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 because the curved upper connection portion 65 itself is elastically deformable. In addition, the contact portion 165a of the second terminal 161 is elastically displaceable toward the center in the width direction of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 because the interval between the pair of terminal support walls 112a integrated with the lower connection portion 165 can be elastically contracted due to the presence of the central slit 112b formed therebetween. As a result, the contact portion 65a of the first terminal 61 and the contact portion 165a of the second terminal 161 corresponding to each other maintain contact and do not separate even when subjected to shock or vibration, so that a stable conductive state can be maintained. Note that the first terminal 61 and the second terminal 161 corresponding to each other are in a so-called single-contact state, in which they contact only at one point, and no unintended stub or divided circuit is formed in the signal transmission line from the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 to the tail portion 162 of the second terminal 161. Therefore, the impedance of the transmission line is stable, and good SI (signal to interference) characteristics can be obtained.

[0091] Furthermore, the first high frequency terminal support portion 16 located in the fitting recess 12b is inserted into the first high frequency terminal accommodating recess 116c of the protruding end portion 122, and as shown in Fig. 13(c), the contact portion 75a of the first high frequency terminal 71 and the contact portion 175a of the second high frequency terminal 171 come into contact with each other. At this time, the curved upper connecting portions 75 and 175 themselves of the contact portions 75a and 175a of the first high frequency terminal 71 and the second high frequency terminal 171 are elastically deformable, and therefore can be elastically displaced in the width direction of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101. As a result, the corresponding contact portions 75a of the first high frequency terminal 71 and the contact portions 175a of the second high frequency terminal 171 maintain contact and do not separate even when subjected to impact or vibration, and can therefore maintain a stable conductive state. Note that the corresponding first high-frequency terminal 71 and second high-frequency terminal 171 are in a so-called single-contact state, in which they come into contact at only one point, and no unintended stubs or divided circuits are formed in the signal transmission line from tail portion 72 of first high-frequency terminal 71 to tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171. Therefore, the impedance of the transmission line is stable, and good SI characteristics can be obtained.

[0092] Furthermore, when the protruding end 122 is inserted into the fitting recess 12b, the contact portion 58c of the central portion 58 of the shield plate 56 protrudes into the fitting recess 12b, and contacts the inner wall 151 of the second shield 150 covering the inner wall surface 122c of the protruding end 122, as shown in FIG. 13(a). The central portion 58 includes one curved portion 58b and two inclined leg portions 58a extending from the lower end of the curved portion 58b in a branched manner, and the outer surface of the curved portion 58b is the contact portion 58c. Therefore, since the distance from the contact portion 58c functioning as a spring to the lower end of the inclined leg portion 58a, i.e., the spring length, is long, the contact portion 58c can be flexibly and elastically displaced in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101. As a result, contact portion 58c of shield plate 56 and inner wall 151 of second shield 150 maintain contact and do not separate even when subjected to impact or vibration, thereby maintaining a stable equipotential state and providing a high shielding effect.

[0093] In addition, since the spring length of the central portion 58 is long, even if the contact portion 58c is displaced, no force is applied to the tail portion 57e, so that the connection between the tail portion 57e and the connection pad is reliably maintained. Therefore, the shielding effect of the shield plate 56 is not reduced. Although a narrow gap exists between the outer portion 57a ​​of the shield plate 56 and the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50, when the second shield 150 is inserted into the housing portion 50d of the first shield 50, the outer wall 152 of the long side portion 150a of the second shield 150 enters the gap, so that the gap becomes substantially narrower, and the electromagnetic shielding effect of the shield plate 56 is improved.

[0094] In this way, the first high frequency terminal 71 and the second high frequency terminal 171 in contact with each other are surrounded all around by the inner wall 51, the outer wall 52 and the shield plate 56 of the first shield 50, and the inner wall 151 and the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150, and are doubly surrounded, so that they are extremely effectively shielded. Therefore, the impedance of the signal transmission line from the tail portion 72 of the first high frequency terminal 71 to the tail portion 172 of the second high frequency terminal 171 is stabilized, and good SI characteristics can be obtained.

[0095] Furthermore, when the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 is inserted into the receiving portion 50d of the first shield 50 of the first connector 1, the outer surface of the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 comes into contact with or comes close to the inner surface of the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50, and as shown in Figs. 13(a) and 13(b), the engaging protrusion 152c formed on the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 and the engaging recess 51c formed on the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50 are engaged with each other. Note that the straight portion 51a of the inner wall 51 on which the engaging recess 51c is formed is separated from other portions at both ends by the slit portions 53a and has comparative flexibility, so that the engaging state with the engaging protrusion 152c of the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 can be reliably maintained. As a result, the first shield 50 and the second shield 150 are locked, and the mating state between the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 is prevented from being released. Furthermore, the first shield 50 and the second shield 150 are in contact with each other, are electrically connected, and are at the same potential, thereby improving the electromagnetic shielding properties.

[0096] Furthermore, before the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 are mated, the curved end 51d of the first shield 50 is connected to the connection end 18c of the bottom plate 18 formed in the first housing 11, but during mating, the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50 is pressed outward by the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150, so that the curved end 51d formed on the inner wall 51 may be separated from the connection end 18c of the bottom plate 18. By separating the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50, it is possible to follow the second shield 150 and maintain a stable contact state.

[0097] Thus, in this embodiment, the connector pair comprises a first connector 1 having a first housing 11, a first terminal 61 attached to the first housing 11, a first high-frequency terminal 71 attached to the first housing 11, and a first shield 50 surrounding the entire periphery of the first housing 11, and a second connector 101 having a second housing 111, a second terminal 161 attached to the second housing 111, a second high-frequency terminal 171 attached to the second housing 111, and a second shield 150 surrounding the entire periphery of the second housing 111, and mating with the first connector 1. The first connector 1 is attached to the first housing 11 and further includes a shield plate 56 extending in the width direction of the first connector 1 between the first terminal 61 and the first high-frequency terminal 71, and the second connector 101 is attached to the second housing 111 and further includes an inner wall 151 extending in the width direction of the second connector 101 between the second terminal 161 and the second high-frequency terminal 171, and when the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 are mated, the first shield 50 and the second shield 150 come into contact and are conductive, and the shield plate 56 and the inner wall 151 come into contact and are conductive.

[0098] This allows the first terminal 61 and the first high frequency terminal 71, as well as the second terminal 161 and the second high frequency terminal 171 to be attached to the small and low-profile first connector 1 and the second connector 101 which are mounted on the first board and the second board, and while being small and low-profile, they exhibit high strength and provide a high shielding effect, improving reliability.

[0099] In addition, in this embodiment, the first connector 1 comprises a first housing 11, a first terminal 61 attached to the first housing 11, a first high-frequency terminal 71 attached to the first housing 11, and a first shield 50 surrounding the entire periphery of the first housing 11, and is adapted to mate with the second connector 101, and further comprises a shield plate 56 attached to the first housing 11 and extending in the width direction of the first connector 1 between the first terminal 61 and the first high-frequency terminal 71, and the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 is visible from the mating surface 1a side of the first connector 1, and the tail portion 57e of the shield plate 56 is not visible from the mating surface 1a side.

[0100] In this way, the first connector 1 further includes a shield plate 56 attached to the first housing 11, and the shield plate 56 extends in the width direction of the first connector 1 between the first terminal 61 and the first high-frequency terminal 71, thereby effectively shielding the first high-frequency terminal 71.

[0101] Also, while the tail portion 57e of the shield plate 56 is not visible from the mating surface 1a side, the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 is visible from the mating surface 1a side of the first connector 1. Since the tail portion 57e of the shield plate 56 is connected to a connection pad connected to the ground line together with the first shield 50, no problem occurs even if a connection member such as solder for connecting the tail portion 57e to the connection pad comes into contact with or fuses with a connection member for connecting the adjacent first shield 50 to the connection pad. However, the tail portions 62 of the first terminals 61, which are disposed adjacent to each other with a narrow pitch of, for example, 0.35 [mm], are connected to connection pads connected to signal lines transmitting separate signals, and therefore serious problems occur if a connection member such as solder for connecting the tail portion 62 to a connection pad comes into contact with or fuses with a connection member for connecting the tail portion 62 of another adjacent first terminal 61. Therefore, by making the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 visible from the mating surface 1a side of the first connector 1, it becomes possible to confirm whether or not a connecting member such as solder for connecting the tail portion 62 is in contact with or fused to a connecting member for connecting the tail portion 62 of an adjacent other first terminal 61, thereby preventing the occurrence of a situation that could cause serious problems.

[0102] Furthermore, the first shield 50 includes an outer wall 52, an inner wall 51 that is substantially parallel to the outer wall 52 on the inside of the outer wall 52, a connecting portion 53 that connects an upper end of the outer wall 52 to an upper end of the inner wall 51, a flange portion 54 that is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 52 and extends outward, and a housing portion 50d that is surrounded by the inner wall 51 and that houses the second connector 101, the inner wall 51 including a straight portion 51a and a curved portion 51b, and the straight portion 51a is deformable in a direction approaching or moving away from the outer wall 52. Therefore, the first shield 50 can reliably maintain contact with the second shield 150 of the second connector 101, and is not damaged or broken.

[0103] Furthermore, the outer wall 52 and the flange portion 54 are continuous over the entire periphery of the first housing 11. Therefore, the strength and shielding effect of the first shield 50 are improved, and therefore the strength and shielding effect of the first connector 1 are improved.

[0104] Furthermore, the straight portion 51a and the curved portion 51b of the inner wall 51 are separated by a slit portion 53a, and the first housing 11 is connected to the straight portion 51a. Therefore, an external force received by the first shield 50 is prevented from being transmitted to the first housing 11, and the first housing 11 is not damaged or broken.

[0105] In addition, in this embodiment, second connector 101 comprises second housing 111, second terminal 161 attached to second housing 111, second high-frequency terminal 171 attached to second housing 111, and second shield 150 surrounding the entire periphery of second housing 111, and is adapted to fit with first connector 1, and further comprises inner wall 151 attached to second housing 111 and extending in the width direction of second connector 101 between second terminal 161 and second high-frequency terminal 171, and tail portion 151b of inner wall 151 is arranged in a position overlapping with tail portion 162 of second terminal 161 when viewed from the longitudinal direction of second connector 101.

[0106] In this way, the second connector 101 further includes an inner wall 151 attached to the second housing 111, and the inner wall 151 extends in the width direction of the second connector 101 between the second terminal 161 and the second high frequency terminal 171, thereby effectively shielding the second high frequency terminal 171.

[0107] Furthermore, tail portion 151b of inner wall 151 is arranged at a position overlapping with tail portion 162 of second terminal 161 when viewed from the longitudinal direction of second connector 101. Therefore, the entire signal transmission path from second terminal 161 to the signal line connected to the connection pad to which tail portion 162 is connected is shielded from second high frequency terminal 171 by the entire ground potential transmission path from inner wall 151 to the ground line connected to the connection pad to which tail portion 151b is connected. Therefore, second high frequency terminal 171 can be effectively shielded from the influence of the signal transmitted by second terminal 161.

[0108] Furthermore, second shield 150 includes outer wall 152, upper wall 153, and flange portion 154 connected to the lower end of outer wall 152 and extending outward, and second housing 111 includes protruding end portions 122 disposed at both longitudinal ends of second connector 101, and upper wall 153 covers at least a portion of upper surface 122b of protruding end portion 122. Therefore, an external force received by second shield 150 is prevented from being transmitted to second housing 111, and second housing 111 is not damaged or broken.

[0109] Furthermore, the outer wall 152 and the flange portion 154 are continuous around the entire periphery of the second housing 111. Therefore, the strength and shielding effect of the second shield 150 are improved, and therefore the strength and shielding effect of the second connector 101 are improved.

[0110] Furthermore, inner wall 151 is connected to upper wall 153, second high frequency terminal 171 is attached to protruding end portion 122, and the entire periphery of second high frequency terminal 171 is surrounded by outer wall 152 and inner wall 151. Therefore, second high frequency terminal 171 can be effectively shielded.

[0111] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are given to components having the same structure as the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. Also, the description of the same operations and effects as the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0112] Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the first connector and the second connector in the second embodiment before they are fitted together, Fig. 15 is an exploded view of the first connector in the second embodiment, Fig. 16 is a two-sided view of the first connector in the second embodiment, Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing the FF arrow portion of the first connector in the second embodiment, Fig. 18 is a bottom view of the first connector in the second embodiment, and Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing a solder sheet applied to each board connection portion of the first connector in the second embodiment. In Fig. 16, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the FF arrow portion in (a).

[0113] In the first embodiment, a case was described in which the first terminal 61 of the first connector 1 is not integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding, but rather its retained portion 63 is pressed into and retained in the first terminal accommodating cavity 15 formed in the first convex portion 13. However, in the present embodiment, a case is described in which the first terminal 61 of the first connector 1 is integrated with the first convex portion 13 of the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding.

[0114] Accordingly, the shape of the first housing 11 is also partially changed. In the first embodiment, the portions between the first protrusions 13 on the bottom plate 18 are thick portions 18b that are thicker than other portions, but in the present embodiment, the portions between the first protrusions 13 on the bottom plate 18 are intermediate protrusions 18d. The intermediate protrusions 18d have a height slightly higher than the first protrusions 13, and their upper surfaces are flush with the upper surfaces of the first high frequency terminal support parts 16 and are connected to the upper surfaces of the first high frequency terminal support parts 16. A plurality of first terminal accommodating cavities 15 are formed on both side surfaces of the intermediate protrusions 18d in the longitudinal direction, and a portion of each first terminal 61 is accommodated in each first terminal accommodating cavity 15. The inner grooves 12a are formed between both side surfaces of the intermediate protrusions 18d and each first protrusion 13. In the present embodiment as well, a plurality of first terminals 61 are disposed along each first protrusion 13 to form a pair of parallel terminal rows.

[0115] Similarly to the first terminal 61 in the first embodiment, the first terminal 61 in the present embodiment is a member integrally formed by punching, bending, or the like, from a conductive metal plate, and includes a held portion 63, a tail portion 62 as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 63, an upper connection portion 65 connected to the upper end of the held portion 63, and a lower connection portion 64 connected to the lower end of the upper connection portion 65, and a contact portion 65a is formed near the lower end of the upper connection portion 65, and further includes an inner connection portion 66 connected to the tip of the lower connection portion 64. The inner connection portion 66 is bent and connected to the lower connection portion 64, extends upward (in the positive direction of the Z axis), and a curved contact portion 66a is formed near the upper end thereof so as to bulge outward in the width direction of the first connector 1. The contact portion 66a is a portion that comes into contact with the second terminal 161 included in the second connector 101. In other words, the first terminal 61 in this embodiment includes a contact portion 65a of the upper connection portion 65 and a contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66 that face each other, and is configured to make two-point contact with the second terminal 161.

[0116] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the shield plate 56 included in the first connector 1 in the first embodiment is omitted. Accordingly, the shield plate accommodating slit 13b formed in the first protrusion 13 and the shield plate accommodating opening 18a formed in the bottom plate 18 in the first embodiment are also omitted.

[0117] Instead, in this embodiment, the first terminals 61 located at both ends of each terminal row in the longitudinal direction are connected to the ground line and function as first ground terminals 61G as first inner shields. In the example shown in the figure, five first terminals 61 are arranged along each first protrusion 13 to form each terminal row, and two first terminals 61 located at both ends of each terminal row in the longitudinal direction function as first ground terminals 61G, and three first terminals 61 located toward the center of each terminal row in the longitudinal direction transmit signals of a normal frequency. The tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 transmitting signals of a normal frequency is visible when viewed from the mating direction of the first connector 1, that is, when viewed from the mating surface 1a side, whereas the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 functioning as the first ground terminal 61G is invisible when viewed from the mating direction of the first connector 1. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61, which functions as the first ground terminal 61G, has an exposed lower surface, but an upper surface that is covered by the bottom plate 18, which is part of the first housing 11, and is therefore not visible when viewed from the mating surface 1a side.

[0118] Further, in this embodiment, a first solder sheet 91 as shown in FIG. 19 is used as a solder sheet that is a means for connecting the first shield 50, the first terminal 61, the first high frequency terminal 71, etc. to the connection pads of the first board. The first solder sheet 91 includes a pair of elongated strip-shaped long side sheets 91a that extend continuously in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, two pairs of elongated strip-shaped short side sheets 91b that extend continuously in a straight line in the width direction of the first connector 1, and a plurality of rectangular short sheets 91c whose long sides extend in the width direction of the first connector 1 and whose short sides extend in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1. Both ends of each short side sheet 91b are connected to the long side sheet 91a. The long side sheet 91a and the short side sheet 91b do not necessarily need to extend continuously and may be discontinuous, but are described here as extending continuously.

[0119] The pair of long-side sheets 91a is attached to the lower surface of the flange portion 54 corresponding to the long-side portion 50a of the first shield 50, the pair of short-side sheets 91b is attached to the lower surface of the flange portion 54 corresponding to the short-side portion 50b of the first shield 50, and the other pair of short-side sheets 91b is attached to the lower surface of the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 functioning as the first ground terminal 61G. Also, each short-side sheet 91c is attached to the lower surface of the tail portion 62 of the other first terminals 61 and to the lower surface of the tail portion 72 of each first high-frequency terminal 71, respectively.

[0120] When the first connector 1 is mounted on the surface of the first board by heating and melting the first solder sheet 91 thus applied, the curved portion 52a and the flange portion 54 connected continuously around the entire circumference to the lower end of the outer wall 52 that is continuous around the entire circumference of the first shield 50 are connected to the connection pad on the surface of the first board without any gaps, and the tail portion 62 of the first terminal 61 functioning as the first ground terminal 61G is also connected continuously around the connection pad on the surface of the first board without any gaps. Therefore, when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the first connector 1, the first terminal 61 functioning as the first ground terminal 61G is not a continuous plate-like member, but has multiple gaps, so that the electromagnetic shielding effect is lower than that of the long side portion 50a and the short side portion 50b of the first shield 50. However, since it is connected continuously around the connection pad on the surface of the first board by soldering without any gaps, it can exhibit a sufficient electromagnetic shielding effect in practice.

[0121] Other configurations of the first connector 1 in this embodiment are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0122] Next, the configuration of the second connector 101 will be described.

[0123] Fig. 20 is a perspective view of the second connector in the second embodiment, Fig. 21 is an exploded view of the second connector in the second embodiment, Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the second shield in the second embodiment, Fig. 23 is a two-sided view of the second connector in the second embodiment, Fig. 24 is a perspective view showing the portion of the second connector in the second embodiment as viewed in the direction of arrows GG, Fig. 25 is a bottom view of the second connector in the second embodiment, and Fig. 26 is a perspective view showing a solder sheet applied to each board connection portion of the second connector in the second embodiment. In Fig. 23, (a) is a top view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the second connector in the direction of arrows GG in (a).

[0124] As described above, the first terminal 61 in this embodiment has a contact portion 65a of the upper connection portion 65 and a contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66 that face each other, and is configured to make two-point contact with the second terminal 161, so that the second terminal 161 in this embodiment is also configured to make two-point contact with the first terminal 61.

[0125] Specifically, the second terminal 161 in this embodiment is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and bending, similar to the second terminal 161 in the first embodiment, and is integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. Similarly to the second terminal 161 in the first embodiment, the second terminal 161 includes a held portion 163, a tail portion 162 as a board connection portion connected to one end of the held portion 163, a lower connection portion 165 connected to the other end of the held portion 163 and extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and an upper connection portion 164 connected to the upper end of the lower connection portion 165, and the surface of the lower connection portion 165 functions as a contact portion 165a, and further includes an inner connection portion 166 connected to the lower end of the upper connection portion 164 and facing the lower connection portion 165. The inner connection portion 166 extends in the vertical direction, and includes an inner tail portion 166b as a board connection portion that is bent and connected to its lower end and extends inward in the width direction of the second connector 101. The surface of the inner connection portion 166 functions as a contact portion 166a that comes into contact with the first terminal 61. In this manner, the second terminal 161 in this embodiment includes the contact portion 165a of the lower connection portion 165 and the contact portion 166a of the inner connection portion 166 that face in opposite directions, and is configured to make two-point contact with the first terminal 61.

[0126] The shape of the second housing 111 is also partially changed. In the first embodiment, the central slit 112b of the second protrusion 112 is narrow, but in this embodiment, the central slit 112b is wider, and the interval between the terminal support walls 112a on both the left and right sides of the central slit 112b is wider. In the first embodiment, the second terminals 161 are disposed only on the outer surfaces of the terminal support walls 112a, but in this embodiment, they are disposed on the outer and inner surfaces of the terminal support walls 112a. Specifically, in each second terminal 161, the contact portion 165a, which is the surface of the lower connection portion 165, is exposed on the outer surface of each terminal support wall 112a, and the contact portion 166a, which is the surface of the inner connection portion 166, is exposed in the central slit 112b on the inner surface of each terminal support wall 112a.

[0127] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the inner wall 151 included in the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 in the first embodiment is omitted. Accordingly, the first high-frequency terminal accommodating opening 153a formed in the upper wall 153 of the second shield 150 has three sides defined by the upper wall 153, but is a substantially rectangular opening with one side facing inward in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101 being open.

[0128] Instead, in this embodiment, the second terminals 161 located at both ends of each terminal row in the longitudinal direction are connected to the ground line and function as second ground terminals 161G as second inner shields. In the example shown in the figure, five second terminals 161 are arranged along each terminal support wall 112a to form each terminal row, and two second terminals 161 located at both ends of each terminal row in the longitudinal direction function as second ground terminals 161G, and three second terminals 161 located toward the center of each terminal row in the longitudinal direction transmit signals of a normal frequency.

[0129] Further, in this embodiment, a second solder sheet 191 as shown in Fig. 26 is used as a solder sheet that is a means for connecting the second shield 150, the second terminal 161, the second high frequency terminal 171, etc. to the connection pads of the second board, etc. The second solder sheet 191 includes a pair of elongated strip-shaped long side sheets 191a that extend continuously and linearly in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, two pairs of elongated strip-shaped short side sheets 191b that extend continuously and linearly in the width direction of the second connector 101, and a plurality of rectangular short sheets 191c whose long sides extend in the width direction of the second connector 101 and whose short sides extend in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101. Both ends of each short side sheet 191b are connected to the long side sheet 191a. Further, the long side sheet 191a and the short side sheet 191b do not necessarily need to extend continuously and may be discontinuous, but here, they will be described as extending continuously.

[0130] The pair of long-side sheets 191a is attached to the lower surface of the flange portion 154 corresponding to the long-side portion 150a of the second shield 150, the pair of short-side sheets 191b is attached to the lower surface of the flange portion 154 corresponding to the short-side portion 150b of the second shield 150, and the other pair of short-side sheets 191b is attached to the lower surfaces of the tail portion 162 and the inner tail portion 166b of the second terminal 161 functioning as the second ground terminal 161G. Also, each short sheet 191c is attached to the lower surface of the tail portion 162 of the other second terminals 161 and the lower surface of the tail portion 172 of each second high-frequency terminal 171, respectively.

[0131] When the second solder sheet 191 applied in this manner is heated and melted and the second connector 101 is mounted on the surface of the second substrate, the curved portion 152a and flange portion 154 which are continuously connected around the entire circumference to the lower end of the outer wall 152 which is continuous around the entire circumference of the second shield 150 are connected without any gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the second substrate, and the tail portion 162 and inner tail portion 166b of the second terminal 161 which functions as the second ground terminal 161G are also connected without any gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the second substrate. Therefore, when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, the second terminal 161 functioning as the second ground terminal 161G is not a continuous plate-like member, but has multiple gaps, so that the electromagnetic shielding effect is lower than that of the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b of the second shield 150. However, since it is connected continuously without any gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the second substrate by soldering, it can provide a sufficient electromagnetic shielding effect for practical use.

[0132] Other configurations of second connector 101 in this embodiment are similar to those in the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0133] Next, the operation of mating first connector 1 and second connector 101 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described.

[0134] 27 is a four-sided view showing a state in which the first connector and the second connector according to the second embodiment are mated, in which (a) is a plan view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH in (a), (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II in (a), and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line JJ in (a).

[0135] In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, when the mating of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 is completed, the first terminal 61 and the second terminal 161 are electrically connected, and the first high frequency terminal 71 and the second high frequency terminal 171 are electrically connected. Specifically, the terminal support walls 112a on both the left and right sides of the second convex portion 112 of the second housing 111 are inserted into the inner groove portions 12a on both the left and right sides of the first housing 11, respectively, and the contact portion 65a of the first terminal 61 protruding from the inner surface of the first convex portion 13 into the inner groove portion 12a contacts the contact portion 165a of the second terminal 161 exposed on the outer surface of the terminal support wall 112a of the second convex portion 112, and the contact portion 66a curved to bulge outward in the width direction of the first connector 1 from both side surfaces of the intermediate convex portion 18d contacts the contact portion 166a of the second terminal 161 exposed on the inner surface of the terminal support wall 112a of the second convex portion 112.

[0136] At this time, the lower connection portion 64 of the first terminal 61 and its vicinity are elastically deformable with a generally U-shaped shape when viewed from the first connector 1, so that the distance between the contact portions 65a and 66a facing each other can be elastically expanded. Therefore, the distance between the contact portions 65a and 66a is elastically pushed wide by the second terminal 161 inserted therebetween, and as a reaction to this, the second terminal 161 is elastically sandwiched from both sides by the contact portions 65a and 66a. As a result, the corresponding contact portions 65a and 165a of the first terminal 61 and the contact portions 66a of the second terminal 161 maintain contact and do not separate even when subjected to impact or vibration, so that a stable conductive state can be maintained. Furthermore, the first terminal 61 and the second terminal 161 corresponding to each other are in contact at two points, i.e., in a so-called two-point contact state, and even if the contact at one point is released, the contact at the other point is maintained, so that the contact state can be stably maintained.

[0137] Furthermore, when the protruding end 122 is inserted into the fitting recess 12b, the first high frequency terminal support portion 16 located in the fitting recess 12b is inserted into the first high frequency terminal accommodating recess 116c of the protruding end 122, and the contact portion 75a of the first high frequency terminal 71 and the contact portion 175a of the second high frequency terminal 171 come into contact with each other, and the first ground terminal 61G located adjacent to the fitting recess 12b and the second ground terminal 161G located adjacent to the protruding end 122 come into contact with each other and are conductive. Therefore, the first high frequency terminal 71 and the second high frequency terminal 171 in contact with each other are completely surrounded by the inner wall 51, the outer wall 52, and the first ground terminal 61G of the first shield 50, and the outer wall 152 and the second ground terminal 161G of the second shield 150, and are doubly surrounded, so that they are extremely effectively shielded. Therefore, the impedance of the signal transmission line from tail portion 72 of first high frequency terminal 71 to tail portion 172 of second high frequency terminal 171 is stable, and good SI characteristics can be obtained.

[0138] In this manner, in the present embodiment, the upper surface of tail portion 62 of first ground terminal 61G is covered by first housing 11, and the lower surface of tail portion 62 of first ground terminal 61G is exposed. Since first ground terminal 61G is disposed close to first high frequency terminal 71 so that the upper surface of tail portion 62 is covered by a part of first housing 11 such as bottom plate 18, first high frequency terminal 71 can be effectively shielded.

[0139] Moreover, the first ground terminal 61G has the same shape as the first terminal 61. Therefore, the cost of the first ground terminal 61G can be reduced, and therefore the cost of the first connector 1 can be reduced.

[0140] Furthermore, in this embodiment, second ground terminal 161G has the same shape as second terminal 161. Therefore, the cost of second ground terminal 161G can be reduced, and therefore the cost of second connector 101 can be reduced.

[0141] In addition, the operation of mating the first connector 1 and the second connector 101 in this embodiment, as well as other configurations and effects of the first connector 1 and the second connector 101, are the same as those in the first embodiment, so their explanations are omitted.

[0142] The disclosure of this specification describes features related to preferred and exemplary embodiments. Various other embodiments, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will be obvious to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the disclosure of this specification. For example, the staggered arrangement of the terminals does not have to be regular. Also, the arrangement of the terminals does not have to be the same in the left and right halves. Furthermore, the left and right halves do not have to be line-symmetrical. [Industrial Applicability]

[0143] The present disclosure is applicable to connectors and connector pairs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0144] 1 First Connector 1a, 101a mating surface 1b, 101b Mounting surface 11 First Housing 12 First recess 12a Inner groove 12b, 812 Fitting recess 12c Outer groove 13 First protrusion 13a Outer recess 13b Shield plate receiving slit 15 First terminal receiving cavity 16 1st high frequency terminal support part 16a First high frequency terminal receiving groove 16b, 153a First high frequency terminal receiving opening 18, 118, 818 bottom plate 18a Shield plate receiving opening 18b Thick part 18c Connection end 18d Middle convex part 50 First Shield 50a, 150a long side 50b, 150b short side 50c, 150c corner section 50d Storage section 51, 151 Inner wall 51a Straight section 51b Curved section 51c Engagement recess 51d Curved End 52, 152 Exterior wall 52a, 58b, 152a Curved section 53 Connecting part 53a Slit section 54, 154 Flange part 54a, 154a notch 56 Shield plate 57 Lateral part 57a Outer part 57b Inside part 57c Upper part 57d Connection 57e, 62, 72, 151b, 162, 172, 862 Tail section 57f Recessed part to be held 58 Central part 58a Inclined leg 58c, 65a, 66a, 75a, 165a, 166a, 175a, 865 Contact part 61 1st terminal 61G First ground terminal 63, 73, 163, 173 Retained part 64, 165 Lower connection 65, 75, 164, 175 Upper connection 66, 166 Inner connection 71 1st high frequency terminal 91 First solder sheet 91a, 191a long side sheet 91b, 191b short side sheet 91c, 191c short sheet 101 Second Connector 111 Second Housing 112 Second protrusion 112a Terminal support wall 112b Central slit 113 Second recess 116 2nd high frequency terminal support part 116a Second high frequency terminal receiving groove 116b Second high frequency terminal receiving opening 116c First high frequency terminal receiving recess 122 Protruding end 122a Exterior wall surface 122b Top surface 122c Inner wall surface 150 Second Shield 151a Upper wall connection 152c Engagement protrusion 153 Upper Wall 161 2nd terminal 161G Second ground terminal 166b Inner tail 171 2nd high frequency terminal 191 Second solder sheet 811 Housing 813 Convex 814 Side wall 818a opening 851 Conductive Shell 851a PCB connection part 861 Terminal

Claims

1. (a) A first connector comprising: a first connector body; a first terminal attached to the first connector body; a first high-frequency terminal attached to the first connector body; and a first shield surrounding an entire periphery of the first connector body, the first connector being adapted to mate with a second connector; (b) the first shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall inside the outer wall and substantially parallel to the outer wall, a connecting portion connecting an upper end of the outer wall to an upper end of the inner wall, a flange portion connected to a lower end of the outer wall and extending outward, and a housing portion surrounded by the inner wall and housing the second connector, (c) A first connector, characterized in that the outer wall and flange portion are continuous around the entire periphery of the first connector body.

2. 2. The first connector according to claim 1, wherein the straight and curved portions of the inner wall are separated by a slit portion.

3. 3. The first connector according to claim 1, further comprising a shielding plate attached to the first connector body, the shielding plate extending in the width direction of the first connector between the first terminal and the first high frequency terminal.

4. (a) A second connector comprising: a second connector body; a second terminal attached to the second connector body; a second high-frequency terminal attached to the second connector body; and a second shield surrounding an entire periphery of the second connector body, the second connector being adapted to mate with a first connector, (b) the second shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall connecting an upper end of the outer wall and an upper end of the inner wall, and an outwardly extending flange portion connected to a lower end of the outer wall, (c) A second connector, characterized in that the second connector body includes protruding end portions arranged at both longitudinal ends of the second connector, the upper wall covers at least a portion of an upper surface of the protruding end portions, and the inner wall covers at least a portion of an inner wall surface of the protruding end portions.

5. The second connector according to claim 4 , wherein the outer wall and the flange portion are continuous around the entire periphery of the second connector body.

6. The second connector according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the protruding end portion is connected to a portion of the outer wall, the inner wall and the upper wall.

7. 7. The second connector according to claim 4, wherein the second high frequency terminal is attached to the protruding end portion, and the entire periphery of the second high frequency terminal is surrounded by the outer wall and the inner wall.

8. (a) a first connector including a first connector body, a first terminal attached to the first connector body, a first high frequency terminal attached to the first connector body, and a first shield surrounding an entire periphery of the first connector body; (b) a connector pair including a second connector body, a second terminal attached to the second connector body, a second high-frequency terminal attached to the second connector body, and a second shield surrounding the entire periphery of the second connector body, the second connector being configured to mate with the first connector, (c) the first shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall that is substantially parallel to the outer wall on the inside of the outer wall, a connecting portion that connects an upper end of the outer wall to an upper end of the inner wall, a flange portion that is connected to a lower end of the outer wall and extends outward, and a storage portion that is surrounded by the inner wall, the inner wall including a straight portion and a curved portion, (d) the second shield includes an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall connecting an upper end of the outer wall and an upper end of the inner wall, and an outwardly extending flange portion connected to a lower end of the outer wall, and is accommodated in the accommodation portion of the first shield; (e) A connector pair characterized in that the second connector body includes protruding end portions arranged at both longitudinal ends of the second connector, the upper wall covers at least a portion of an upper surface of the protruding end portions, and the inner wall covers at least a portion of an inner wall surface of the protruding end portions.

9. 9. The connector pair as described in claim 8, wherein the first connector further comprises a shield plate attached to the first connector body, the shield plate extending in the width direction of the first connector between the first terminal and the first high frequency terminal and contacting an inner wall of the second shield.

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