Connector and connector with cable

Abstract

To suppress the variation in characteristic impedance of a connector by providing an alignment portion in a shield structure of a plug, suppress degradation of the shielding effect of the shield structure, and facilitate a manufacture of the shield structure.SOLUTION: A plug body 2 of a plug that is attached to a shielded twisted pair cable includes a shield structure 14 that surrounds terminals and insulated wires arranged in the plug body 2. The shield structure 14 is formed of an upper shield member 15, a lower shield member 29, and a shield reinforcing member 45. The upper shield member has an upper terminal shield portion 16, an alignment portion, and a shield contact piece 26. The lower shield member has a lower terminal shield portion 35, a lower wire shield portion 36, and a shield connection barrel piece 40. The shield reinforcing member has an upper wire shield portion 46, a contact piece 51, a contact protrusion, and a bent plate portion 53.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector for attachment to a cable having a plurality of insulated wires and a shield, and to a connector with such a cable attached. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, shielded cables, such as shielded twisted pair cables, which are equipped with insulated wires and a shield covering the insulated wires, are used to transmit high-frequency signals between electrical and electronic devices. The shield in a shielded cable provides a shielding effect, which is to prevent noise (electromagnetic waves) from entering electrical and electronic devices from the outside and from emitting noise from electrical and electronic devices to the outside.

[0003] Furthermore, many connectors that are attached to shielded cables include terminals to which insulated electric wires of the cable are connected, an insulating member that covers the outer periphery of the terminals, and a shield structure that covers the outer periphery of the insulating member. The shield structure is made of a conductive material and is electrically connected to the shield of the shielded cable. The shield structure provides a shielding effect in the connector.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-37826 (Patent Document 1) describes a connector that is attached to a shielded cable that includes multiple insulated electric wires and a shield that covers the insulated electric wires. The connector includes an outer conductor shell that is formed by combining an outer conductor case and an outer conductor cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-37826 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] For example, as shown in FIG. 5 of JP 2009-37826 A, in a conventional connector attached to a shielded cable, the end portion of the shielded cable to which the connector is attached is subjected to terminal processing, so that the shield is exposed from the end of the sheath, and each insulated electric wire is exposed from the end of the shield. Each terminal is connected to the tip of the insulated electric wire exposed from the shield. The insulating member is formed in a rectangular or cylindrical shape and has holes or grooves for mounting each of the multiple terminals, and each terminal is attached in the hole or groove of the insulating member. If the extension direction of the end portion of the shielded cable attached to the connector is the front-rear direction, the shield structure is formed in a cylindrical shape having an axis extending in the front-rear direction as a whole. The shield structure is arranged so as to cover the end portion of the shield exposed from the sheath, the end portions of the insulated electric wires exposed from the shield, the terminals, and the insulating member. The tip portion of the shield structure is fixed to the insulating member. Moreover, the base end portion of the shield structure is fixed to the portion of the shield exposed from the sheath, and is in contact with the shield and electrically connected to the shield.

[0007] In order to facilitate the manufacture of the shield structure, the shield structure is divided into a lower shield member that covers the end portion of the shield, the end portions of the insulated electric wires, the terminals, and the insulating member from below, and an upper shield member that covers the end portion of the shield, the end portions of the insulated electric wires, the terminals, and the insulating member from above, and is formed into a cylindrical shape by combining the lower shield member and the upper shield member. By dividing the shield structure into the lower shield member and the upper shield member, the lower shield member and the upper shield member can be formed by, for example, simple bending, and the shield structure can be easily manufactured. For example, FIG. 1 of the above publication describes that an outer conductor shell is formed by combining an outer conductor case and an outer conductor cover.

[0008] However, in such conventional connectors, the end portions of each insulated wire exposed from the shield may bend within the shield structure, causing a problem that the characteristic impedance of the connector varies due to this bending of the insulated wires.

[0009] Specifically, in the above conventional connector, the end of the shield exposed from the sheath is disposed at the base end side within the shield structure, and the insulating member is disposed at the tip end side within the shield structure. The end portion of each insulated electric wire exposed from the shield extends between the end of the shield and the insulating member within the shield structure. If the length of the end portion of each insulated electric wire exposed from the shield is excessively longer than the distance between the end of the shield disposed at the base end side within the shield structure and the insulating member disposed at the tip end side within the shield structure, the end portion of each insulated electric wire will bend within the shield structure. The length of the end portion of each insulated electric wire is adjusted taking into account the distance between the end of the shield and the insulating member when performing terminal processing on the shielded cable. If the length of the end portion of each insulated electric wire is shorter than the distance between the end of the shield and the insulating member, the terminal connected to the end of each insulated electric wire will not reach the insulating member, and each terminal will not be able to be attached to the insulating member. Therefore, the length of the end portion of each insulated electric wire is made longer than the distance between the end of the shield and the insulating member. However, the length of the end portion of each insulated electric wire may be longer than necessary, in which case the end portion of each insulated electric wire may bend within the shield structure. When the end portion of each insulated electric wire is bent within the shield structure, the spacing between the multiple insulated electric wires within the shield structure or the spacing between each insulated electric wire and the shield structure may vary. Such variation causes the characteristic impedance of the connector to fluctuate, making it difficult to achieve impedance matching between the connector and the shielded cable.

[0010] Therefore, the inventor of the present invention came up with the idea of ​​forming an alignment portion in a part of an upper shielding member in a shielding structure of a connector, which bundles and aligns the end portions of each insulated electric wire exposed from the shield. Specifically, the alignment portion is formed by bending and plastically deforming a part of the upper shielding member into a cylindrical shape so as to collectively cover the periphery of the end portions of the multiple insulated electric wires. The alignment portion aligns the multiple insulated electric wires in the shielding structure and brings the multiple insulated electric wires very close to each other. As a result, bending of each insulated electric wire in the shielding structure is suppressed, and fluctuations in the characteristic impedance of the connector caused by bending of each insulated electric wire are suppressed.

[0011] However, it has been found that when the connector is used to transmit high-frequency signals having a frequency exceeding 400 MHz, for example, forming an alignment portion in the upper shield member may reduce the shielding effect of the shield structure.

[0012] The cause of the decrease in the shielding effect of the shield structure is believed to be the increase in the non-contact portion between the upper shield member and the lower shield member due to the formation of the alignment portion by bending a part of the upper shield member. That is, in order to increase the shielding effect of the shield structure, it is ideal to completely surround each terminal and the end portion of each insulated electric wire exposed from the shield with the shield structure without any gaps. Even if the shield structure is divided into a lower shield member and an upper shield member, if the non-contact portion between the lower shield member and the upper shield member can be completely eliminated when the lower shield member and the upper shield member are combined, each terminal and each insulated electric wire can be completely surrounded by the shield structure. However, this is difficult in practice. Therefore, the non-contact portion between the lower shield member and the upper shield member is reduced as much as possible, the completeness of the surrounding of each terminal and each insulated electric wire by the shield structure is increased as much as possible, and the decrease in the shielding effect of the shield structure is suppressed. However, by bending a part of the upper shielding member to form the alignment portion, the portion of the upper shielding member where the alignment portion is formed is separated from the lower shielding member, and the non-contact portion between the upper and lower shielding members increases, which reduces the completeness of the enclosure of the terminals and insulated wires by the shield structure, thereby reducing the shielding effect of the shield structure.

[0013] If this is the cause of the reduction in the shielding effect of the shield structure due to the formation of an alignment portion in the upper shielding member, it is believed that the reduction in the shielding effect of the shield structure can be suppressed by bending part of the upper shielding member to form an alignment portion, while reducing the non-contact areas between the upper and lower shielding members and increasing the completeness of the enclosure of each terminal and each insulated wire by the shield structure.

[0014] However, assuming that the shapes of the upper and lower shielding members are not complicated in order to facilitate the manufacture of the shield structure, it is difficult to reduce the non-contact area between the upper and lower shielding members while bending part of the upper shielding member to form an alignment portion, and it is not easy to increase the completeness of the enclosure of each terminal and each insulated wire by the shield structure.

[0015] The present invention has been made in consideration of problems such as those described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a connector with a cable that can suppress fluctuations in the characteristic impedance of the connector by providing an alignment portion in the shield structure, while suppressing a decrease in the shielding effect of the shield structure, and can facilitate the manufacture of the shield structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, the connector of the present invention is a connector that is attached to a cable including a plurality of insulated wires and a shield covering the plurality of insulated wires, and when the extending direction of an end portion of the cable attached to the connector is defined as a front-rear direction, a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is defined as a top-bottom direction, and a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the top-bottom direction is defined as a left-right direction, the connector comprises a plurality of terminals that are attached to front ends of the plurality of insulated wires that are exposed from the shield and extend forward by being subjected to terminal processing, an insulating member that covers the outer periphery of the plurality of terminals, and a shield structure formed of a conductive material, and the shield structure is formed by at least a first shield member, a second shield member, and a third shield member. the first shielding member comprises a terminal shield portion covering the insulating member from above, an alignment portion for bundling and aligning the multiple insulated electric wires exposed from the shield, and a shield connection portion connected to the shield; the second shielding member comprises a terminal shield portion covering the insulating member from below, an electric wire shield portion covering the alignment portion from below, and a shield connection portion connected to the shield; the third shielding member comprises an electric wire shield portion covering the alignment portion from above and a shield connection portion connected to the shield, and the electric wire shield portion of the third shielding member has a first inter-member contact portion in contact with the alignment portion and a second inter-member contact portion in contact with the electric wire shield portion of the second shielding member.

[0017] In the connector of the present invention, the alignment portion of the first shielding member can suppress the bending of the insulated electric wires extending inside the connector. This can suppress the variation in the characteristic impedance of the connector caused by the bending of each insulated electric wire extending inside the connector. In addition, the terminal shielding portion of the first shielding member and the terminal shielding portion of the second shielding member can surround each terminal, the electric wire shielding portion of the second shielding member and the electric wire shielding portion of the third shielding member can surround the alignment portion and each insulated electric wire bundled by the alignment portion, the shield connection portions of the first shielding member, the second shielding member and the third shielding member can electrically connect each of the first shielding member, the second shielding member and the third shielding member to the shield of the cable, the first inter-member contact portion can contact the electric wire shielding portion of the third shielding member and the alignment portion of the first shielding member, and the second inter-member contact portion can contact the electric wire shielding portion of the third shielding member and the electric wire shielding portion of the second shielding member. In this way, the first shielding member, the second shielding member, and the third shielding member that form the shielding structure can cover the entire circumference of each terminal and each insulated electric wire arranged in the connector, and the first inter-member contact portion and the second inter-member contact portion can increase the contact area between the first shielding member, the second shielding member, and the third shielding member, respectively, and generally, the completeness of the surrounding of each terminal and each insulated electric wire by the shielding structure can be improved. Therefore, by providing an alignment portion in a part of the shielding structure, it is possible to suppress the variation in the characteristic impedance of the connector while suppressing the decrease in the shielding effect of the shielding structure. In addition, the first shielding member, the second shielding member, and the third shielding member can each be easily manufactured by simple bending processing, etc., and the shielding structure can be easily manufactured by combining the first shielding member, the second shielding member, and the third shielding member.

[0018] In the connector of the present invention, the first inter-member contact portion may be a contact piece that protrudes downward from the wire shield portion of the third shield member and has a lower end that contacts the alignment portion. Also, in the connector of the present invention, the wire shield portion of the second shield member may have a lower wall, a right wall, and a left wall, the wire shield portion of the third shield member may have an upper wall, a right wall, and a left wall, the wire shield portion of the third shield member is inserted between the right wall and the left wall of the wire shield portion of the second shield member, the right wall of the wire shield portion of the third shield member and the left wall of the wire shield portion of the third shield member are respectively the second inter-member contact portion, the right wall of the wire shield portion of the third shield member contacts the right wall of the wire shield portion of the second shield member, and the left wall of the wire shield portion of the third shield member contacts the left wall of the wire shield portion of the second shield member. In this case, a right surface of the right wall of the wire shield portion of the third shielding member may be provided with a convex portion that contacts a left surface of the right wall of the wire shield portion of the second shielding member, and a left surface of the left wall of the wire shield portion of the third shielding member may be provided with a convex portion that contacts a right surface of the left wall of the wire shield portion of the second shielding member. In the connector of the present invention, when the shield structure is viewed from the right or left, the wire shield portion of the third shielding member may not protrude upward from the wire shield portion of the second shielding member. Furthermore, in the connector of the present invention, the shield connection portion of the first shielding member may be formed in a plate shape and contact an upper portion of the shield, the shield connection portion of the second shielding member may be a barrel piece that is crimped to the shield and the shield connection portion of the first shielding member by being tightened, and the shield connection portion of the third shielding member may be formed in a curved plate shape having a C-shaped cross-sectional shape, contacts the shield connection portion of the second shielding member, and is attached to the shield connection portion of the second shielding member so as to embrace the shield connection portion of the second shielding member.In addition, in the connector of the present invention, the alignment portion may have a bundling piece that is formed in a plate shape and deforms into a cylindrical shape to surround the multiple insulated electric wires exposed from the shield, thereby bundling and aligning the multiple insulated electric wires exposed from the shield.

[0019] A cable-attached connector of the present invention includes a cable including a plurality of insulated electric wires and a shield covering the plurality of insulated electric wires, and the connector of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, by providing an alignment portion in the shielding structure of the plug, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in the characteristic impedance of the connector while preventing a decrease in the shielding effect of the shielding structure, and to facilitate the manufacture of the shielding structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a plug as an embodiment of a connector of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory view showing the plug as viewed from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the plug according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a plug body according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1(A) is an external view showing the plug body in an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the right, and FIG. 1(B) is a cross-sectional view of the plug body in an embodiment of the present invention taken along the cutting line AA in FIG. 1(B). [Diagram 5] 5(A) is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal, an insulating member, an upper shielding member, etc. in an embodiment of the present invention taken along cutting line AA in FIG. 1(B), and FIG. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal, an insulating member, an upper shielding member, etc. in an embodiment of the present invention taken along cutting line DD in FIG. 5(A). [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a terminal, an insulating member, a reinforcing metal fitting, and the like according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an upper shield member according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a terminal, an insulating member, an upper shield member, and the like according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 2 is an external view showing a state in which a terminal, an insulating member, an upper shield member, etc. are viewed from below in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a lower shield member according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an upper shield member, a lower shield member, etc. according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 1A is an oblique view showing a shielding reinforcement member in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is an external view showing the shielding reinforcement member as viewed from above, FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the shielding reinforcement member, and FIG. 1D is an external view showing the shielding reinforcement member as viewed from below. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a plug body in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a plug body in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the plug body taken along the line BB in FIG. 4(A). [Figure 16] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the plug body taken along the line CC in FIG. 4(A). [Figure 17] 1A is a perspective view of the receptacle, FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of the receptacle as viewed from above, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle. [Figure 18] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a plug according to an embodiment of the present invention is fitted into a receptacle. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage form of the plug according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, when describing the directions of front (Fd), back (Bd), top (Ud), bottom (Dd), left (Ld), and right (Rd), please refer to the arrows drawn at the bottom right in Figures 1 to 16, 18, and 19.

[0023] (plug) Fig. 1(A) shows plug 1, an embodiment of a connector of the present invention, as viewed from the front upper right. Fig. 1(B) shows plug 1 as viewed from above. As shown in Fig. 1(A), plug 1 is attached to an end portion of cable 91. In the following description of plug 1, for convenience of explanation, the extension direction of the end portion of cable 91 is defined as the front-rear direction, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is defined as the up-down direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is defined as the left-right direction.

[0024] 2 shows an exploded view of the plug 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the plug 1 includes a plug body 2 and a housing 61.

[0025] (housing) The housing 61 is made of an insulating material such as resin and is formed in a generally cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction. The front part of the housing 61 serves as a fitting part 62 that fits into a receptacle 71 (see FIG. 17(A)), which is a mating connector to be connected to the plug 1, and the rear part of the housing 61 serves as a grip part 63 where the user grips the plug 1 with his / her fingers. A plug body accommodating part 64 that accommodates the plug body 2 is formed inside the housing 61. Fixing pieces 65 for fixing the plug body 2 accommodated in the plug body accommodating part 64 to the housing 61 are provided on the right and left parts of the peripheral wall of the rear part of the housing 61. A locking piece 66 for preventing the plug 1 from coming off the receptacle 71 is provided on the upper part of the housing 61.

[0026] (Plug body) Fig. 3 shows an exploded state of the plug body 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the plug body 2 includes two terminals 3, an insulating member 7, a reinforcing metal fitting 13, an upper shield member 15, a lower shield member 29, and a shield reinforcement member 45. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29, and the shield reinforcement member 45 form a shield structure 14.

[0027] It should be noted that upper shield member 15 is a specific example of a "first shield member", lower shield member 29 is a specific example of a "second shield member", and shield reinforcement member 45 is a specific example of a "third shield member".

[0028] Fig. 4(A) shows the plug body 2 as viewed from the right. Fig. 4(B) shows a cross section of the plug body 2 cut along the cutting line AA in Fig. 1(B) as viewed from the right (bottom in Fig. 1(B)). Fig. 5(A) shows the terminal 3, insulating member 7, and upper shielding member 15 of the plug body 2 in Fig. 4(B). Fig. 5(B) shows a cross section of the terminal 3, insulating member 7, and upper shielding member 15 cut along the cutting line DD in Fig. 5(A) as viewed from above. Figs. 4(A), 4(B), 5(A), and 5(B) will be used in the following explanation of each part of the plug body 2.

[0029] (Terminals, insulating materials, reinforcing metal fittings) Fig. 6 shows the terminal 3, the insulating member 7, and the reinforcing metal fitting 13 together with the end portion of the cable 91. In Fig. 6, the cable 91 is a shielded twisted pair cable. The cable 91 includes two insulated wires 92 twisted together, a shield 95 made of a conductive material and covering the outer periphery of the two insulated wires 92, and a sheath 96 made of an insulating material and covering the outer periphery of the shield 95. In Fig. 6, a part of the sheath 96 is broken to show the shield 95 inside the sheath 96. Also, as shown in Fig. 5(B), each insulated wire 92 is formed by covering the outer periphery of a conductor 93 with an insulator 94.

[0030] In order to attach the plug 1 to the cable 91, the end of the cable 91 is subjected to terminal processing. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the front end portion of the sheath 96 is cut off, and each insulated electric wire 92 and the shield 95 are exposed from the sheath 96 and extend forward. In addition, the front end portion of the shield 95 exposed from the sheath 96 is cut off, and each insulated electric wire 92 is exposed from the shield 95 and extends forward. In addition, of the portion of the shield 95 exposed from the sheath 96, only the front portion is cut off, and the rear portion is left. In the portion of the shield 95 exposed from the sheath 96, the portion that is not cut off and remains is called the "exposed end" of the shield 95 and is denoted by the symbol 95A. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5(B), in each insulated electric wire 92 exposed from the shield 95, the front end portion of the insulator 94 is cut off, and the conductor 93 is exposed from the insulator 94.

[0031] The reinforcing metal fitting 13 is a curved plate piece made of a conductive material, as shown in Fig. 6. The reinforcing metal fitting 13 is attached to the outer periphery of the front end portion of the sheath 96. As shown in Fig. 5(B), the exposed end portion 95A of the shield 95 is folded back so as to cover the front end portion of the sheath 96 to which the reinforcing metal fitting 13 is attached. By attaching the reinforcing metal fitting 13 to the front end portion of the sheath 96, the non-contact portion formed between the shield 95 and a shield connection barrel piece 40 of the lower shield member 29 described later can be reduced, and the reliability of the connection between them can be increased.

[0032] The two terminals 3 are attached to the front ends of the two insulated electric wires 92. Each terminal 3 is made of a conductive material such as metal. As shown in Figs. 5(A) and 6, each terminal 3 has a contact portion 4, a conductor connecting portion 5, and an insulator fixing portion 6. The contact portion 4 comes into contact with the terminal 72 of the receptacle 71 when the plug 1 is connected to the receptacle 71. The conductor connecting portion 5 is crimped to the conductor 93 of the insulated electric wire 92 by being crimped, and connects the terminal 3 and the conductor 93. The insulator fixing portion 6 is crimped to the insulator 94 of the insulated electric wire 92 by being crimped, and connects and fixes the terminal 3 and the insulated electric wire 92.

[0033] The insulating member 7 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape from an insulating material such as resin. As shown in FIG. 5(A), the insulating member 7 has a terminal accommodating hole 8 that opens to the rear. As shown in FIG. 5(B), the insulating member 7 has two terminal accommodating holes 8, which are arranged side by side. The two terminals 3 are accommodated in the two terminal accommodating holes 8, respectively. As a result, the outer periphery of each terminal 3 is covered by the insulating member 7. In addition, two mating terminal insertion holes 9 into which the terminals 72 of the receptacle 71 are inserted when the plug 1 is connected to the receptacle 71 are formed on the front surface of the insulating member 7. The two mating terminal insertion holes 9 are respectively connected to the two terminal accommodating holes 8. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, a first locking recess 11 for locking the upper electric wire shield part 46 of the upper shield member 15 and a second locking recess 12 for locking the lower electric wire shield part 36 of the lower shield member 29 are formed on the right surface of the insulating member 7. Similarly, a first locking recess and a second locking recess 12 are formed on the left surface of the insulating member 7 .

[0034] (Upper shield component) Fig. 7 shows the upper shielding member 15. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the upper shielding member 15 is attached to the end portion of the cable 91 to which the terminal 3 and the insulating member 7 are attached. Fig. 9 shows the insulating member 7, the end portion of the cable 91, and the upper shielding member 15 in Fig. 8 as viewed from below.

[0035] The upper shield member 15 is formed of a conductive material such as metal. As shown in Fig. 7, the upper shield member 15 includes an upper terminal shield part 16, an alignment part 22, and a shield contact piece 26. The upper terminal shield part 16 is disposed at the front part of the upper shield member 15. The alignment part 22 is disposed behind the upper terminal shield part 16 and is connected to the upper terminal shield part 16. The shield contact piece 26 is disposed behind the alignment part 22 and is connected to the alignment part 22.

[0036] The upper terminal shield part 16, together with a lower terminal shield part 35 of a lower shield part 29 described later, is a conductive plate that covers the outer periphery of the insulating member 7 and surrounds the outer periphery of the two terminals 3 housed in the insulating member 7. The upper terminal shield part 16 has an upper wall 17, a right wall 18, and a left wall 19 each formed in a flat plate shape, and has a U-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper terminal shield part 16 covers the insulating member 7 from above. Specifically, the upper wall 17 covers the upper surface of the insulating member 7, the right wall 18 covers the upper part of the right surface of the insulating member 7, and the left wall 19 covers the upper part of the left surface of the insulating member 7. In addition, the right wall 18 and the left wall 19 of the upper terminal shield part 16 are each formed with a locking protrusion 21 for locking the upper terminal shield part 16 to the insulating member 7. Both of the two locking protrusions 21 protrude inward. That is, the right locking protrusion 21 protrudes leftward from the left surface of the right wall 18, and the left locking protrusion 21 protrudes rightward from the right surface of the left wall 19. The right locking protrusion 21 is locked to the first locking recess 11 formed on the right surface of the insulating member 7, and the left locking protrusion 21 is locked to the first locking recess formed on the left surface of the insulating member 7. In addition, protrusions 20 are formed on the right rear and left rear portions of the upper wall 17 of the upper terminal shield part 16. The right protrusion 20 protrudes rightward from the upper wall 17, and the left protrusion 20 protrudes leftward from the upper wall 17. As shown in FIG. 9, in the left-right direction, the position of the right end face of the right protrusion 20 is equal to the position of the right surface of the right wall 18, and the position of the left end face of the left protrusion 20 is equal to the position of the left surface of the left wall 19. It should be noted that upper terminal shield part 16 is a specific example of a "terminal shield part of a first shield member."

[0037] The alignment portion 22 has a function of bundling and aligning the portions of the two insulated wires 92 of the cable 91 that are exposed from the shield 95 and extend inside the plug 1. As shown in Fig. 7, the alignment portion 22 has a bundling piece 23 formed in a plate shape, a connecting portion 24 that connects the bundling piece 23 to the upper terminal shield part 16, and a connecting portion 25 that connects the bundling piece 23 to the shield contact piece 26. The position of the top of the bundling piece 23 is lower than the position of the upper surface of the upper wall 17 of the upper terminal shield part 16 and the position of the upper surface of the shield contact piece 26. Therefore, the connecting portion 24 extends rearward while inclining downward, and the connecting portion 25 extends rearward while inclining upward.

[0038] 8 and 9, the bundling piece 23 is plastically deformed so as to surround two insulated electric wires 92 together, thereby bundling and aligning the two insulated electric wires 92. In this deformed state, the bundling piece 23 has a cylindrical shape elongated in the front-rear direction. The bundling piece 23 is a member similar to a barrel, and can be bent into a cylindrical shape using, for example, a crimping tool.

[0039] The two insulated electric wires 92 exposed from the shield 95 are bundled by the bundling piece 23, so that they are arranged in a straight line, parallel to each other, and very close to each other, as shown in Fig. 5(B), and are maintained in this state. The bundling piece 23 may bundle the two insulated electric wires 92 so that their insulators 94 come into contact with each other. By bundling and aligning the two insulated electric wires 92 in this manner, it is possible to suppress bending of each insulated electric wire 92, and thus to suppress fluctuations in the characteristic impedance of the plug 1 caused by bending of each insulated electric wire 92. This makes it easy to achieve impedance matching between the plug 1 and the cable 91.

[0040] The shield contact piece 26 has a function of electrically connecting the upper shield member 15 to the shield 95 of the cable 91. The shield contact piece 26 is formed in a plate shape, as shown in FIG. 7. The shield contact piece 26 contacts the upper part of the outer circumferential surface of the folded exposed end 95A of the shield 95 of the cable 91, as shown in FIG. 8. This electrically connects the shield contact piece 26 to the shield 95. The shield contact piece 26 is curved to match the curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the exposed end 95A. The shield contact piece 26 is a specific example of a "shield connection portion of the first shield member."

[0041] (Lower shield component) Fig. 10 shows lower shield member 29 as viewed from the upper right front side. Fig. 11 shows lower shield member 29 attached to the end portion of cable 91 to which terminal 3, insulating member 7, and upper shield member 15 are attached as viewed from the upper right rear side.

[0042] The lower shield member 29 is formed of a conductive material such as metal. As shown in FIG. 10, the lower shield member 29 includes a lower terminal shield portion 35, a lower electric wire shield portion 36, and a shield connection barrel piece 40. The lower shield member 29 includes a lower wall 30, a right wall 31, and a left wall 32 each formed in a flat plate shape, and has a U-shaped cross section. The lower terminal shield portion 35 is formed by the front portion of the lower wall 30, the front portion of the right wall 31, and the front portion of the left wall 32. The lower electric wire shield portion 36 is formed by the rear portion of the lower wall 30, the rear portion of the right wall 31, and the rear portion of the left wall 32. The shield connection barrel piece 40 is disposed behind the lower wall 30, the right wall 31, and the left wall 32, and is connected to each of the lower wall 30, the right wall 31, and the left wall 32 via a connecting portion 41. Also, the height of the front portion of the right wall 31 is lower than the height of the rear portion of the right wall 31 , and similarly, the height of the front portion of the left wall 32 is lower than the height of the rear portion of the left wall 32 .

[0043] The lower terminal shield part 35, together with the upper terminal shield part 16 of the upper shield member 15, is a conductive plate that covers the outer periphery of the insulating member 7 and surrounds the outer periphery of the two terminals 3 housed in the insulating member 7. As shown in FIG. 11, the lower terminal shield part 35 is disposed below the upper terminal shield part 16 so as to face the upper terminal shield part 16. The lower terminal shield part 35 also covers the insulating member 7 from below. Specifically, the front part of the lower wall 30 forming a part of the lower terminal shield part 35 covers the lower surface of the insulating member 7. The front part of the right wall 31 forming a part of the lower terminal shield part 35 covers the lower part of the right surface of the insulating member 7. The front part of the left wall 32 forming a part of the lower terminal shield part 35 covers the lower part of the left surface of the insulating member 7. The upper end surface of the front part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29 is very close to the lower end surface of the right wall 18 of the upper terminal shield part 16. Similarly, the upper end surface of the front portion of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29 is very close to the lower end surface of the left wall 19 of the upper terminal shield part 16. Also, the right wall 31 and the left wall 32 are each higher at the rear of the lower terminal shield part 35. The upper end surface of the higher right wall 31 at the rear of the lower terminal shield part 35 is very close to the lower surface of the right protrusion part 20 of the upper terminal shield part 16. Similarly, the upper end surface of the higher left wall 32 at the rear of the lower terminal shield part 35 is very close to the lower surface of the left protrusion part 20 of the upper terminal shield part 16. The lower terminal shield part 35 is a specific example of a "terminal shield part of a second shield member".

[0044] The lower wire shield part 36, together with the upper wire shield part 46 of the shield reinforcement member 45 described below, is a conductor plate that surrounds the outer periphery of the alignment part 22 of the upper shield member 15. The lower wire shield part 36 covers the alignment part 22 from below. As shown in Fig. 11, the alignment part 22 is disposed in a space surrounded by the rear part of the lower wall 30 that forms part of the lower wire shield part 36, the rear part of the right wall 31 that forms part of the lower wire shield part 36, and the rear part of the left wall 32 that forms part of the lower wire shield part 36. The lower wire shield part 36 is a specific example of an "electric wire shield part of a second shield member".

[0045] Further, locking protrusions 37 for locking the lower shielding member 29 to the insulating member 7 are formed on the front parts of the right wall 31 and the left wall 32 of the lower shielding member 29. Both of the two locking protrusions 37 protrude inward. That is, the right locking protrusion 37 protrudes leftward from the left surface of the front part of the right wall 31, and the left locking protrusion 37 protrudes rightward from the right surface of the front part of the left wall 32. The right locking protrusion 37 is locked to the second locking recess 12 formed on the right surface of the insulating member 7, and the left locking protrusion 37 is locked to the second locking recess formed on the left surface of the insulating member 7. Further, two locking holes 38 for locking the shielding reinforcement member 45 to the lower shielding member 29 are formed on the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shielding member 29. In addition, two locking holes 38 for locking the shield reinforcement member 45 to the lower shield member 29 are formed in the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. In addition, fixing parts 39 for fixing the plug body 2 to the housing 61 are formed in the upper part of the rear end of each of the right wall 31 and the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. The right fixing part 39 protrudes rightward from the right surface of the right wall 31, and the left fixing part 39 protrudes leftward from the left surface of the left wall 32. When the plug body 2 is inserted into the plug body accommodating part 64 of the housing 61, each fixing part 39 pushes and moves the fixing piece 65 provided on the housing 61, and is disposed in front of the fixing piece 65 by climbing over the fixing piece 65. After that, even if the plug body 2 is pulled backward with respect to the housing 61, the rear end surface of each fixing part 39 abuts on the front end surface of the fixing piece 65, and the backward movement of the plug body 2 with respect to the housing 61 is prevented. This prevents the plug body 2 from coming off the housing 61.

[0046] The shield connection barrel piece 40 has a function of electrically connecting the lower shield member 29 to the shield 95 of the cable 91, and a function of maintaining the state in which the shield contact piece 26 of the upper shield member 15 is in contact with the shield 95 of the cable 91. As shown in FIG. 10, the shield connection barrel piece 40 is formed in a curved plate shape and has an open barrel shape. By crimping, the shield connection barrel piece 40 is crimped to the exposed end 95A of the shield 95 and the shield contact piece 26 of the upper shield member 15, as shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 4(B) and FIG. 16, the shield connection barrel piece 40 contacts almost the entire outer circumferential surface of the exposed end 95A of the shield 95, except for the portion where the shield contact piece 26 is arranged. In addition, the shield connection barrel piece 40 contacts almost the entire upper surface of the shield contact piece 26. As a result, the shield connection barrel piece 40 is electrically connected to the shield 95 and the shield contact piece 26. In addition, the shield contact piece 26 is sandwiched and fixed between the exposed end 95A of the shield 95 and the shield connecting barrel piece 40. This maintains the shield contact piece 26 in contact with the exposed end 95A of the shield 95. The shield connecting barrel piece 40 is a specific example of the "shield connecting portion of the second shield member."

[0047] (Shield reinforcement material) Fig. 12(A) shows the shielding reinforcement member 45 as viewed from the front upper right. Fig. 12(B) shows the shielding reinforcement member 45 as viewed from above. Fig. 12(C) shows a cross section of the shielding reinforcement member 45 cut along cutting line EE in Fig. 12(B) as viewed from the right (bottom in Fig. 12(B)). Fig. 12(D) shows the shielding reinforcement member 45 as viewed from below. Fig. 13 shows the plug body 2 as viewed from the rear upper right.

[0048] The shield reinforcement member 45 is formed of a conductive material such as metal. As shown in Fig. 12(A), the shield reinforcement member 45 includes an upper electric wire shield portion 46 and a curved plate portion 53. The upper electric wire shield portion 46 is disposed in the front portion of the shield reinforcement member 45. The curved plate portion 53 is disposed behind the upper electric wire shield portion 46 and is connected to the upper electric wire shield portion 46 via a connecting portion 56.

[0049] The upper electric wire shielding part 46 is a conductive plate that surrounds the outer periphery of the alignment part 22 of the upper shielding member 15 together with the lower electric wire shielding part 36 of the lower shielding member 29. The upper electric wire shielding part 46 has an upper wall 47, a right wall 48, and a left wall 49 each formed in a flat plate shape, and has a U-shaped cross section. As shown in FIG. 13, the upper electric wire shielding part 46 is disposed at a position corresponding to the lower electric wire shielding part 36, and covers the alignment part 22 from above. The upper electric wire shielding part 46 blocks most of the upper opening of the lower electric wire shielding part 36. The alignment part 22 is disposed in a space surrounded by the lower electric wire shielding part 36 and the upper electric wire shielding part 46, and the outer periphery of the alignment part 22 is surrounded by the lower electric wire shielding part 36 and the upper electric wire shielding part 46 all around. The upper electric wire shielding part 46 is a specific example of the "electric wire shielding part of the third shielding member".

[0050] Moreover, the upper wire shield part 46 is inserted between the rear part of the right wall 31 and the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. Therefore, the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46 is located to the left of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, and the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 is located to the right of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. Moreover, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), when the plug body 2 (shield structure 14) is viewed from the right or left, the upper wire shield part 46 does not protrude upward from the lower wire shield part 36. Moreover, the position of the upper surface of the upper wall 47 of the upper wire shield part 46 is equal to the position of the upper surface of the upper wall 17 of the upper terminal shield part 16 in the vertical direction.

[0051] 12(A) and 12(B), two locking protrusions 50 for locking the upper electric wire shield part 46 to the lower shield member 29 are formed on the right wall 48 of the upper electric wire shield part 46. Two locking protrusions 50 for locking the upper electric wire shield part 46 to the lower shield member 29 are also formed on the left wall 49 of the upper electric wire shield part 46. These four locking protrusions 50 each protrude outward. That is, the two right locking protrusions 50 protrude rightward from the right surface of the right wall 48, and the two left locking protrusions 50 protrude leftward from the left surface of the left wall 49. The two right locking protrusions 50 are locked to two locking holes 38 formed in the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, respectively. The two left locking protrusions 50 are respectively locked into two locking holes 38 formed in the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29 .

[0052] The upper electric wire shield part 46 has a contact piece 51 that contacts the alignment part 22. As shown in Figs. 12(B) and 12(C), the contact piece 51 protrudes downward from the center in the left-right direction of the upper wall 47 of the upper electric wire shield part 46. The lower end of the contact piece 51 contacts the alignment part 22. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 14, which is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 4(B), the contact piece 51 extends forward while inclining downward from the upper wall 47, and its lower end contacts the connecting part 24 in the alignment part 22. The contact piece 51 may extend backward while inclining downward from the upper wall 47, or the lower end of the contact piece 51 may contact the bundling piece 23 of the alignment part 22. The contact piece 51 has a spring property. When the upper electric wire shield part 46 is engaged with the lower shield member 29, the lower end of the contact piece 51 elastically contacts the upper surface of the alignment part 22. By making the contact pieces 51 elastically contact the alignment portions 22, the contact pieces 51 can be reliably brought into contact with the alignment portions 22. Furthermore, since the alignment portions 22 are located lower than the upper wall 47 of the upper wire shield portion 46 and away from the upper wall 47, the length of the contact pieces 51 can be increased, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in setting the spring force of the contact pieces 51. The contact pieces 51 are a specific example of a "first inter-member contact portion."

[0053] Also, the right wall 48 of the upper electric wire shield part 46 contacts the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, and the left wall 49 of the upper electric wire shield part 46 contacts the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 12(A) and 12(B), two contact protrusions 52 are formed on the right surface (outer surface) of the right wall 48 of the upper electric wire shield part 46. Also, two contact protrusions 52 are formed on the left surface (outer surface) of the left wall 49 of the upper electric wire shield part 46. Each contact protrusion 52 protrudes outward. That is, the two right contact protrusions 52 protrude rightward from the right surface of the right wall 48, and the two left contact protrusions 52 protrude leftward from the left surface of the left wall 49. Fig. 15 shows a cross section of the plug body 2 cut along the cutting line BB in Fig. 4(A) as viewed from the front (left in Fig. 4(A)). 15, when the upper wire shield part 46 is inserted between the rear part of the right wall 31 and the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29 and engaged with the lower shield member 29, the two right contact protrusions 52 contact the left surface of the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, and the two left contact protrusions 52 contact the right surface of the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. In this way, the right wall 48 and the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 contact the right wall 31 and the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29, respectively.

[0054] Note that the configuration in which the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46 is in contact with the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29 and the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 is in contact with the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29 is not limited to this. For example, instead of forming the contact protrusion 52 on the right surface of the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46, a contact protrusion that contacts the right surface of the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46 may be formed on the left surface of the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29. Similarly, instead of forming the contact protrusion 52 on the left surface of the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46, a contact protrusion that contacts the left surface of the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 may be formed on the right surface of the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. Alternatively, no contact protrusion may be formed on either the right surface of the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46 or the left surface of the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, and the right surface of the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46 and the left surface of the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29 may be in direct contact with each other. Similarly, no contact protrusion may be formed on either the left surface of the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 or the right surface of the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29, and the left surface of the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 and the right surface of the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29 may be in direct contact with each other. The right wall 48 and the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 are specific examples of a "second inter-member contact part," and each contact protrusion 52 is a specific example of a "protrusion."

[0055] The curved plate portion 53 has a function of electrically connecting the shield reinforcement member 45 to the shield 95 of the cable 91. As shown in FIG. 12(A) and FIG. 13, the curved plate portion 53 is formed in a curved plate shape having a C-shaped cross section. The curved plate portion 53 is curved so as to follow the curved surface of the outer periphery of the crimped shield connection barrel piece 40. Also, as shown in FIG. 12(C) and FIG. 12(D), two contact protrusions 54 are formed on the left surface (inner surface) of the lower end side portion on the right side of the curved plate portion 53. Also, two contact protrusions 54 are formed on the right surface (inner surface) of the lower end side portion on the left side of the curved plate portion 53. Each contact protrusion 54 protrudes inward. That is, the two right contact protrusions 54 protrude leftward from the left surface of the lower end side portion on the right side of the curved plate portion 53, and the two left contact protrusions 54 protrude rightward from the right surface of the lower end side portion on the left side of the curved plate portion 53. Further, a notch 55 is formed in the front part of the lower end portion on each of the right and left sides of the curved plate part 53. As shown in Fig. 13, the curved plate part 53 is attached to the shield connection barrel piece 40 from above so as to embrace the shield connection barrel piece 40.

[0056] FIG. 16 shows a cross section of the plug body 2 cut along the cutting line CC in FIG. 4(A) as viewed from the front (left in FIG. 4(A)). In FIG. 16, when the curved plate portion 53 is attached to the shield connection barrel piece 40, the shield connection barrel piece 40 is press-fitted between the lower right side and the lower left side of the curved plate portion 53. That is, when the shield connection barrel piece 40 enters between the lower right side and the lower left side of the curved plate portion 53, the curved plate portion 53 is elastically deformed so that the lower right side and the lower left side are separated. The notches 55 formed in the front of the lower end portions of the right and left sides of the curved plate portion 53 have the function of making the curved plate portion 53 easily deformed in this way. In addition, when the shield connection barrel piece 40 enters between the lower right side and the lower left side of the curved plate portion 53, each contact protrusion 54 elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the shield connection barrel piece 40. As a result, the curved plate portion 53 is electrically connected to the shield 95 via the shield connection barrel piece 40. Furthermore, the curved plate portion 53 is fixed to the shield connecting barrel piece 40 by deeply inserting the shield connecting barrel piece 40 between the lower right side and lower left side of the curved plate portion 53. The curved plate portion 53 facilitates the electrical connection of the shield reinforcing member 45 to the shield 95 and the fixing of the rear portion of the shield reinforcing member 45 to the plug body 2 (shield connecting barrel piece 40). The curved plate portion 53 is a specific example of a "shield connecting portion of the third shield member."

[0057] (Shielding effect of shield structure) 13 , in plug body 2, each insulated wire 92 exposed from shield 95 and extending inside plug 1 and alignment portion 22 are surrounded by upper wire shield portion 46 and lower wire shield portion 36. Also, each terminal 3 is surrounded by upper terminal shield portion 16 and lower terminal shield portion 35. Also, contact piece 51 of upper wire shield portion 46 protrudes downward from upper wall 47 of upper wire shield portion 46, and its lower end portion contacts alignment portion 22. Furthermore, the upper electric wire shield part 46 is inserted between the right wall 31 and the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29, the two right contact protrusions 52 of the upper electric wire shield part 46 protrude outward from the right wall 48 of the upper electric wire shield part 46 to contact the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, and the two left contact protrusions 52 of the upper electric wire shield part 46 protrude outward from the left wall 49 of the upper electric wire shield part 46 to contact the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. Furthermore, the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29 and the shield reinforcing member 45 are all electrically connected to the shield 95 of the cable 91. According to the plug body 2 having such a configuration, the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29, and the shield reinforcement member 45 forming the shield structure 14 can cover the entire periphery of each terminal and each insulated electric wire arranged in the plug 1, and the contact piece 51 and each contact protrusion 52 can increase the contact area between the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29, and the shield reinforcement member 45, and generally, the completeness of the surrounding of each terminal 3 and each insulated electric wire 92 by the shield structure 14 can be improved. Therefore, by providing the alignment portion 22 in a part of the shield structure 14, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the shielding effect of the shield structure 14 while suppressing the fluctuation of the characteristic impedance of the plug 1. In addition, the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29, and the shield reinforcement member 45 can each be easily manufactured by simple bending processing, and the shield structure 14 can be easily manufactured by combining the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29, and the shield reinforcement member 45.

[0058] As described later, when the plug 1 is connected to the receptacle 71, the upper terminal shield part 16 is brought into contact with two protruding pieces 77 of the shell 76 of the receptacle 71. The lower terminal shield part 35 is brought into contact with two protruding pieces 78 of the shell 76 of the receptacle 71 and the ground connection member 73. The shell 76 of the receptacle 71 and the ground connection member 73 are connected to the ground of the board 98 (see FIG. 18). In this manner, the upper terminal shield part 16 and the lower terminal shield part 35 are electrically connected to the ground of the board 98, so that a return current in a high-frequency signal transmitted by the plug 1 flows through the shield structure 14. According to the plug 1 of this embodiment, the flow of the return current can be improved by increasing the contact areas between the upper shield member 15, the lower shield member 29, and the shield reinforcement member 45. Therefore, the shield structure 14 can enhance the effect of suppressing the radiation of noise from the plug 1 to the outside.

[0059] (Receptacle) Fig. 17(A) shows receptacle 71 to be connected to plug 1. Fig. 17(B) shows receptacle 71 as viewed from above. Fig. 17(C) shows a cross section of receptacle 71 taken along cutting line FF in Fig. 17(B).

[0060] The receptacle 71 is attached to the board 98 as shown in FIG. 17(C). The receptacle 71 includes two terminals 72, a ground connection member 73, a housing 74, and a shell 76 as shown in FIGS. 17(A) to 17(C). The housing 74 is made of an insulating material and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom. The housing 74 is formed with a fitting hole 75 into which the fitting portion 62 of the plug 1 is fitted. Each terminal 72 and the ground connection member 73 are fixed to the housing 74, and one end of each of the terminals 72 and the ground connection member 73 is located in the fitting hole 75. The other end of each terminal 72 is connected to a circuit provided on the board 98. The other end of the ground connection member 73 is connected to the ground of the board 98. The shell 76 is formed by bending a conductive plate, and covers the upper surface, right surface, and left surface of the housing 74. In addition, two protrusions 77, 78 aligned in the vertical direction are provided on the right wall of the shell 76, and two similar protrusions 77, 78 are provided on the left wall of the shell 76. Each of the protrusions 77, 78 protrudes inward, and the tip of each of the protrusions 77, 78 passes through a through hole formed in the right wall and the left wall of the housing 74, respectively, and is positioned in the fitting hole 75. In addition, the shell 76 has a plurality of board connection parts 79, and each of the board connection parts 79 is connected to the ground of the board 98.

[0061] 18 shows a state in which the receptacle 71 and the plug 1 are connected by fitting the fitting portion 62 of the plug 1 into the fitting hole 75 of the receptacle 71. When the fitting portion 62 of the plug 1 is fitted into the fitting hole 75 of the receptacle 71, each terminal 72 of the receptacle 71 comes into contact with each terminal 3 of the plug 1. At the same time, an upper protrusion 77 provided on the right wall of the shell 76 of the receptacle 71 comes into contact with the right wall 18 of the upper terminal shield part 16 of the plug 1, and an upper protrusion 77 provided on the left wall of the shell 76 of the receptacle 71 comes into contact with the left wall 19 of the upper terminal shield part 16 of the plug 1. At the same time, a lower protrusion 78 provided on the right wall of shell 76 of receptacle 71 contacts the right wall of lower terminal shield part 35 of plug 1 (front part of right wall 31 of lower shield member 29), and an upper protrusion 78 provided on the left wall of shell 76 of receptacle 71 contacts the left wall of lower terminal shield part 35 of plug 1 (front part of left wall 32 of lower shield member 29). At the same time, ground connection member 73 of receptacle 71 contacts the lower wall of lower terminal shield part 35 of plug 1 (front part of lower wall 30 of lower shield member 29). Contact between upper terminal shield part 16 and two upper protrusions 77 provided on the right and left walls of shell 76 causes upper terminal shield part 16 to be electrically connected to the ground of board 98. In addition, the lower terminal shield part 35 is electrically connected to the ground of the substrate 98 through contact between the two lower protrusions 78 provided on the right and left walls of the shell 76 and the lower terminal shield part 35, and through contact between the ground connection member 73 and the lower terminal shield part 35.

[0062] (How the plug is used) There are two usage patterns of the plug 1: a first usage pattern in which the plug 1 is used with the shield reinforcement member 45 attached to the plug body 2 as shown in FIG. 13, and a second usage pattern in which the plug 1 is used without the shield reinforcement member 45 attached to the plug body 2 as shown in FIG. 11.

[0063] By attaching the shield reinforcement member 45 to the plug body 2, the shielding effect of the shield structure 14 is enhanced compared to a case where the shield reinforcement member 45 is not attached to the plug body 2. When the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached to the plug body 2, the noise resistance of the plug 1 can satisfy the noise resistance required for transmitting a high-frequency signal having a frequency exceeding 400 MHz, for example. On the other hand, when the shield reinforcement member 45 is not attached to the plug body 2, the noise resistance of the plug 1 may not satisfy the noise resistance required for transmitting a high-frequency signal having a frequency exceeding 400 MHz, but can satisfy the noise resistance required for transmitting a high-frequency signal having a frequency of 400 MHz or less. The first usage mode of the plug 1 is a usage mode when the plug 1 transmits a high-frequency signal having a frequency exceeding 400 MHz, and the second usage mode of the plug 1 is a usage mode when the plug 1 transmits a high-frequency signal having a frequency of 400 MHz or less.

[0064] Fig. 19(A) shows a state in which the plug body 2 to which the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached is inserted into the housing 61 in order to change the usage mode of the plug 1 to the first usage mode. Fig. 19(B) shows a state in which the plug body 2 to which the shield reinforcement member 45 is not attached is inserted into the housing 61 in order to change the usage mode of the plug 1 to the second usage mode.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 19(A), a distance H1 from the lower surface of the lower wall 30 of the portion of the lower shield member 29 where the lower electric wire shield part 36 is formed to the upper end of the right wall 31 (or left wall) is equal to a distance H2 from the lower surface of the lower wall 30 of the lower shield member 29 to the upper surface of the upper wall 17 of the upper terminal shield part 16. In addition, a vertical dimension H3 of the plug body accommodating part 64 of the housing 61 is set to a value substantially equal to the distance H1 (or the distance H2) (strictly speaking, it is set to a value slightly larger than the distance H1 so that the plug body 2 can be easily inserted into the plug body accommodating part 64 and the plug body 2 fits snugly in the plug body accommodating part 64). In addition, as described above, the upper electric wire shield part 46 of the shield reinforcement member 45 is inserted between the rear part of the right wall 31 and the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29, and the upper electric wire shield part 46 does not protrude upward from the lower electric wire shield part 36 when the plug body 2 (shield structure 14) is viewed from the right or left. In addition, the position of the upper surface of the upper wall 47 of the upper wire shield part 46 is equal to the position of the upper surface of the upper wall 17 of the upper terminal shield part 16 in the vertical direction. Since the plug body 2 (shield structure 14) has such a configuration, as can be seen by comparing Fig. 19(A) with Fig. 19(B), the front part of the plug body 2 fits snugly in the plug body accommodating part 64 of the housing 61 whether or not the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached to the plug body 2. Therefore, the usage mode of the plug 1 can be easily switched from the first usage mode to the second usage mode, or from the second usage mode to the first usage mode, simply by attaching and detaching the shield reinforcement member 45 to and from the plug body 2. For example, there is no need to change the housing in order to switch the usage mode of the plug 1.

[0066] If the upper wire shield part 46 were arranged to cover the lower shield member 29 from above, rather than being inserted between the rear part of the right wall 31 and the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29, then when the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached to the plug body 2, the right wall 48 of the upper wire shield part 46 would be located to the right of the rear part of the right wall 31 of the lower shield member 29, and the left wall 49 of the upper wire shield part 46 would be located to the left of the rear part of the left wall 32 of the lower shield member 29. In this case, the left-right dimension of the part of the plug body 2 that is inserted into the plug body accommodating part 64 of the housing 61 changes depending on whether the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached or not. Also, if the upper electric wire shield part 46 is arranged to protrude upward from the lower electric wire shield part 36 when the plug body 2 (shield structure 14) is viewed from the right or left, the vertical dimension of the part of the plug body 2 inserted into the plug body accommodating part 64 of the housing 61 changes when the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached and when it is not attached. In this way, if the external dimensions of the plug body 2 change depending on the attachment and detachment of the shield reinforcement member 45 to the plug body 2, it becomes impossible to use a common housing 61 when the plug 1 is used in the first usage mode and when it is used in the second usage mode. As a result, the housing must be changed to change the usage mode of the plug 1, making it difficult to switch the usage mode of the plug 1. This does not happen with the plug 1 of this embodiment.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the shield connection barrel piece 40 of the lower shielding member 29 is crimped to the shield 95 of the cable 91 and the shield contact piece 26 of the upper shielding member 15, and the curved plate portion 53 of the shield reinforcement member 45 is attached to the outer periphery of the shield connection barrel piece 40, but the configuration of the shield connection portions of the first shielding member, the second shielding member, and the third shielding member in the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shield connection portion of the first shielding member may be a barrel piece, the shield connection portion of the second shielding member may be formed in a plate shape, and the shield connection portion of the third shielding member may be formed in a curved plate shape, the shield connection portion of the first shielding member may be crimped to the shield of the cable and the shield connection portion of the second shielding member, and the shield connection portion of the third shielding member may be attached to the outer periphery of the shield connection portion of the first shielding member. In addition, the shield connection portion of the first shielding member may be formed in a plate shape, the shield connection portion of the second shielding member may be formed in a curved plate shape, the shield connection portion of the third shielding member may be a barrel piece, the shield connection portion of the third shielding member may be crimped to the shield of the cable and the shield connection portion of the first shielding member, and the shield connection portion of the second shielding member may be attached to the outer periphery of the shield connection portion of the third shielding member.

[0068] Furthermore, the number of insulated wires in the cable may be three or more, and the number of terminals in the plug can be increased according to the number of insulated wires.

[0069] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified as appropriate without going against the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and connectors and cable-attached connectors with such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Plug 2 Plug body 3 Terminal 7 Insulating materials 14 Shield structure 15 Upper shield member (first shield member) 16 Upper terminal shield portion (terminal shield portion of first shield member) 22 Alignment Section 26 Shield contact piece (shield connection part of first shield member) 29 Lower shield member (second shield member) 30 Lower Wall 31 Right wall 32 Left Wall 35 Lower terminal shield part (terminal shield part of second shield member) 36 Lower electric wire shield part (electric wire shield part of the second shielding member) 40 Shield connection barrel piece (shield connection part of second shielding member) 45 Shield reinforcement member (third shield member) 46 Upper electric wire shield part (electric wire shield part of the third shielding member) 47 Upper Wall 48 Right wall (second contact part between components) 49 Left wall (second contact part between components) 51 contact piece (first inter-member contact portion) 52 Contact protrusion (protrusion) 53 Curved plate portion (shield connection portion of third shielding member) 91 Cable 92 Insulated Wire 95 Shield

Claims

1. A connector to be attached to a cable having a plurality of insulated wires and a shield covering the plurality of insulated wires, If the extension direction of the end portion of the cable attached to the connector is defined as the front-rear direction, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is defined as the up-down direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is defined as the left-right direction, a plurality of terminals attached to front ends of the plurality of insulated electric wires that are exposed from the shield and extend forward by being subjected to terminal processing; an insulating member covering an outer circumferential side of the plurality of terminals; a shield structure formed of a conductive material; the shield structure is formed by at least a first shield member, a second shield member, and a third shield member, The first shield member includes: a terminal shield portion that covers the insulating member from above; an alignment unit that aligns the plurality of insulated electric wires exposed from the shield; A shield connection portion is provided to be connected to the shield, The second shield member includes: a terminal shield portion that covers the insulating member from below; a wire shield portion covering the alignment portion from below; A shield connection portion is provided to be connected to the shield, The third shield member includes: a wire shield portion covering the alignment portion from above; A shield connection portion is provided to be connected to the shield, The wire shield portion of the third shield member includes: a first inter-member contact portion that contacts the alignment portion; a second inter-member contact portion that contacts the electric wire shield portion of the second shield member.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the first inter-member contact portion is a contact piece that protrudes downward from the electric wire shield portion of the third shield member and has a lower end that contacts the alignment portion.

3. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the wire shielding portion of the second shielding member has a lower wall, a right wall and a left wall, the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member has an upper wall, a right wall and a left wall, the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member is inserted between the right wall and the left wall of the wire shielding portion of the second shielding member, the right wall of the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member and the left wall of the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member are respectively the second inter-member contact portion, the right wall of the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member contacts the right wall of the wire shielding portion of the second shielding member, and the left wall of the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member contacts the left wall of the wire shielding portion of the second shielding member.

4. The connector described in claim 3, characterized in that a right surface of the right wall of the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member is provided with a convex portion that contacts the left surface of the right wall of the wire shielding portion of the second shielding member, and a left surface of the left wall of the wire shielding portion of the third shielding member is provided with a convex portion that contacts the right surface of the left wall of the wire shielding portion of the second shielding member.

5. 4. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the shield structure is viewed from the right or left, the wire shield portion of the third shield member does not protrude upward from the wire shield portion of the second shield member.

6. the shield connection portion of the first shield member is formed in a plate shape and contacts an upper portion of the shield; the shield connection portion of the second shield member is a barrel piece, and is crimped to the shield and the shield connection portion of the first shield member by being swaged; The connector described in claim 1, characterized in that the shield connection portion of the third shielding member is formed into a curved plate shape having a C-shaped cross-sectional shape, contacts the shield connection portion of the second shielding member, and is attached to the shield connection portion of the second shielding member so as to embrace the shield connection portion of the second shielding member.

7. The alignment unit includes:

2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a bundling piece that is formed in a plate shape and that deforms into a cylindrical shape so as to surround the insulated electric wires exposed from the shield, thereby bundling and aligning the insulated electric wires exposed from the shield.

8. 8. A cable-connector comprising: a cable including a plurality of insulated wires and a shield covering the plurality of insulated wires; and the connector according to claim 1.

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