Connector and connector set

Abstract

To improve signal transmission performance.SOLUTION: A first predetermined terminal 21 includes: a contact part including a contact point that comes into contact with a counterpart designated terminal 61; a circuit board connection part 213 configured to be connected to a circuit board B1; and a connecting part 214 that connects the contact part and the circuit board connection part 213. The connecting part 214 includes: a separation part 2161 that is separated from a side wall 310 of a shield 3 in a front-to-back direction and is connected to the rear end of the circuit board connection part 213; and a proximal part 2162 connected to the separation part 2161 and is arranged to be closer to the side wall 310 of the shield 3 than the separation part 2161 and covers a part of a housing 1 from the front facing the side wall 310 of the shield 3, being interposed by a gap G1. In the front-to-back direction, the distance between the side wall 310 of the shield 3 and the contact part is greater than the distance between the side wall 310 of the shield 3 and the proximal part 2162.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a connector, a connector set, and more particularly to a connector that is connected to a mating connector, and a connector set that includes the connector and the mating connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector device including a connector and a mating connector.

[0003] The connector includes terminals, a housing that holds the terminals, and an outer shield that surrounds the terminals. The mating connector includes mating terminals, a housing that holds the mating terminals, and an outer shield that surrounds the mating terminals. The connector and the mating connector are connected to each other by moving at least one of them toward the other in the vertical direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-111598 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a connector set such as the connector device described in Patent Document 1, it is desired to improve the performance of transmitting signals between a predetermined terminal of a connector and a mating predetermined terminal of a mating connector.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to improve signal transmission performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a circuit board and connected to a mating connector. The connector comprises a plurality of terminals, a housing, and a shield. The plurality of terminals includes a predetermined terminal located furthest forward in the front-to-rear direction. The housing holds the plurality of terminals. The shield is held by the housing. The shield surrounds the predetermined terminal. The shield has a side wall located forward of the predetermined terminal. The mating connector comprises a plurality of mating terminals electrically connected to the plurality of terminals. The plurality of mating terminals includes a predetermined mating terminal electrically connected to the predetermined terminal. The predetermined terminal has a contact portion, a board connection portion, and a linking portion. The contact portion includes a contact that contacts the predetermined mating terminal. The board connection portion is configured to be connected to the circuit board. The linking portion links the contact portion and the board connection portion. The linking portion has a separation portion and a proximity portion. The separation portion is separated from the side wall of the shield in the front-to-rear direction. The separation portion is linked to the rear end of the board connection portion. The proximity portion is connected to the separation portion. The proximity portion is disposed closer to the side wall of the shield than the separation portion. The proximity portion faces the side wall of the shield across a gap. The proximity portion covers a portion of the housing from the front. In the front-to-rear direction, the distance between the side wall of the shield and the contact portion is greater than the distance between the side wall of the shield and the proximity portion.

[0008] A connector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is connected to a mating connector. The connector includes a predetermined terminal and a housing. The housing holds the predetermined terminal. The mating connector includes a mating predetermined terminal electrically connected to the predetermined terminal. The predetermined terminal has a first contact portion, a second contact portion, a board connection portion, and a linking portion. The first contact portion includes a first contact that contacts the mating predetermined terminal. The second contact portion includes a second contact that contacts the mating predetermined terminal. The board connection portion is configured to be connected to a circuit board. The linking portion links the first contact portion, the second contact portion, and the board connection portion. The linking portion is configured to be elastically deformable so that the first contact portion moves in the left-right direction in which the first contact portion and the second contact portion are aligned. The second contact portion is fixed to the housing. The first contact is formed on the surface of the first contact portion opposite the surface facing the second contact portion. The second contact is formed on a surface of the second contact portion opposite to an opposing surface that faces the first contact portion.

[0009] A connector set according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the connector and the mating connector. The mating terminal has a first mating contact portion, a second mating contact portion, a mating board connecting portion, and a mating coupling portion. The first mating contact portion is fixed to the mating housing. The first mating contact portion contacts the first contact portion. The second mating contact portion is fixed to the mating housing. The second mating contact portion contacts the second contact portion. The mating board connecting portion is configured to be connected to a mating circuit board. The mating coupling portion couples the first mating contact portion, the second mating contact portion, and the mating board connecting portion. When the connector and the mating connector are connected, the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the connector are located between the first mating contact portion and the second mating contact portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present disclosure has the advantage of being able to improve signal transmission performance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a connector set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a connected state in which a connector and a mating connector are connected. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connector set as viewed from above in a disconnected state where the connector and the mating connector are separated. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connector as viewed from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a top view of the connector. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first predetermined terminal, a second predetermined terminal, and a guard provided in the connector, as viewed from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mating connector as viewed from below. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the mating connector as viewed from below. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the mating connector. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a top view of the mating connector. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a top view of the connector set in the connected state. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line XIII-XIII in FIG. 11 in a disconnected state of the connector set. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. 11 in a connected state of the connector set. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view of the portion corresponding to line XIV-XIV in FIG. 11 in a connected state of the connector set, with the housing and the mating housing omitted. [Figure 15] 15 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line XVI-XVI in FIG. 11 in a disconnected state of the connector set. [Figure 16]16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 11 in a connected state of the connector set. [Figure 17] 17 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 11 in a disconnected state of the connector set. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 11 in a connected state of the connector set. [Figure 19] 19 is a cross-sectional view of the portion corresponding to the line XX-XX in FIG. 11 in the disconnected state of the connector set. [Figure 20] 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX-XX of FIG. 11 in a connected state of the connector set. [Figure 21] 21 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line XIII-XIII in FIG. 11 in a state where the mating connector is inclined relative to the connector in the connector set. [Figure 22] 22 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 11 in a state where the mating connector is inclined relative to the connector in the connector set. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the connector set of the same embodiment in a state where the mating connector is inclined relative to the connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A connector, a mating connector, and a connector set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment described below can be modified in various ways depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Furthermore, each diagram described in the embodiment described below is a schematic diagram, and the ratios of the sizes and thicknesses of the components in the diagram do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional ratios.

[0013] (1) Implementation form (1.1) Overview of the connector set As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a connector set C100 of this embodiment includes a connector C1 (socket) and a mating connector C2 (header) connected to the connector C1.

[0014] The connector set C100 is used, for example, to electrically connect multiple boards mounted on a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. The connector C1 is attached to a circuit board B1 (see FIGS. 12, 13, 15 to 20). The mating connector C2 is attached to a mating circuit board B2 (see FIGS. 12, 13, 15 to 20). The connector set C100 mechanically and electrically connects the circuit board B1 and the mating circuit board B2 by connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 to each other. The connector set C100 may also be used in electronic devices other than mobile terminals, such as a camera module. Furthermore, the connector set C100 is not limited to applications for electrically connecting multiple boards, and may also be used for applications for electrically connecting multiple components, such as between a board and a display, or between a board and a battery.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the connector C1 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having a width, length, and thickness. As shown in Fig. 7, the mating connector C2 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having a width, length, and thickness. As shown in Fig. 2, the connector C1 is connected to the mating connector C2 from one side in one direction. In a connected state where the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected (see Fig. 1), the connector set C100 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having a width, length, and thickness.

[0016] For convenience, the following description will be given with reference to the connection state shown in FIG. 1 and with reference to the three axes (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis) of a right-handed three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system for the connector set C100. Specifically, the Z-axis direction is the direction in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 face each other when they are connected, and is the direction along the thickness of the connector set C100. The X-axis direction is the direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and along the length of the connector set C100. The Y-axis direction is the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and Z-axis directions and along the width of the connector set C100. For convenience, the Z-axis direction is the up-down direction, and the side of the connector C1 where the mating connector C2 is located (the positive direction of the Z-axis) is referred to as "up" and the opposite side as "down." The X-axis direction is the front-rear direction, and the positive direction of the X-axis is referred to as "front" and the opposite side as "rear." The Y-axis direction is the left-right direction, with the positive direction of the Y-axis being "left" and the opposite direction being "right." However, the definitions of axes and directions in this disclosure merely indicate the relative positional relationships between the components of the connector set C100 and do not limit the orientation of the connector set C100 when in use, etc. The dimension of the connector set C100 in the front-to-rear direction (length direction) in the connected state is, for example, about several millimeters.

[0017] (1.2) Connector As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the connector C1 includes a housing 1, a plurality of terminals 2, a shield 3, and a guard 4. The housing 1 has a plurality of terminals 2, a shield 3, and a guard 4. As shown in FIGS.

[0018] (1.2.1) Housing The housing 1 is made of an insulating resin material and is formed into a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long from front to back as shown in Fig. 3. The housing 1 has a shape that is two-fold rotationally symmetric about an axis A1 (see Fig. 2) that passes through the center of the housing 1 and runs in the up-down direction. The housing 1 holds a plurality of terminals 2, a shield 3, and a guard 4.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 1 integrally includes a bottom wall 11, an outer wall 12, a pair of side wall portions 13, a central wall portion 14, one end wall portion (hereinafter also referred to as the "first end wall portion") 15, and another end wall portion (hereinafter also referred to as the "second end wall portion") 16.

[0020] The bottom wall 11 is a plate-like member having a thickness extending in the vertical direction. The bottom wall 11 includes an inner bottom wall 111 and a pair of outer bottom walls 112, which are integral with each other.

[0021] The inner bottom wall 111 has a rectangular plate shape when viewed from above.

[0022] The pair of outer bottom walls 112 are connected to both front and rear ends of the inner bottom wall 111. Each of the pair of outer bottom walls 112 is rectangular when viewed from above and is a plate-like shape with a larger left-right dimension than the inner bottom wall 111. The center of the front end of the front outer bottom wall 112 is recessed rearward. The center of the rear end of the rear outer bottom wall 112 is recessed forward.

[0023] On the left and right sides of the bottom wall 11, there is a step at the joint between the inner bottom wall 111 and the outer bottom wall 112. As a result, the housing 1 has a notch 17 in the center in the front-to-rear direction on both the left and right sides, and is formed in an H-shape when viewed from above.

[0024] The outer wall 12 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 11. The outer wall 12 is provided on the peripheral edge of the pair of outer bottom walls 112. The outer wall 12 has four partial wall portions 121 provided on each of the four sides of the bottom wall 11. Each partial wall portion 121 integrally has a first portion 1211 extending along the long side of the bottom wall 11 (a side along the front-rear direction) and a second portion 1212 extending along the short side of the bottom wall 11 (a side along the left-right direction).

[0025] The pair of side walls 13 protrude upward from the bottom wall 11. The pair of side walls 13 are provided on the peripheral edges (left and right edges) of the inner bottom wall 111. The side walls 13 are shaped like walls that are long in the front-rear direction.

[0026] The central wall 14 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 11. The central wall 14 is an island-like wall that is long in the front-to-rear direction. The central wall 14 is formed between the pair of side wall portions 13 on the upper surface of the bottom wall 11. A pair of recesses 18 are formed along the front-to-rear direction between the pair of side wall portions 13 and the central wall portion 14. The pair of side wall portions 13 may be (partially) connected to the central wall portion 14.

[0027] 4, a plurality of recesses 141 (here, three on the left side and three on the right side, for a total of six) are provided lined up in the front-to-rear direction on the left and right side surfaces of the central wall portion 14. A plurality of (here, six) through-holes 1110 are formed in the inner bottom wall 111, penetrating vertically, so as to be connected to the plurality of recesses 141 of the central wall portion 14, respectively.

[0028] A pair of storage grooves 142 are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the front end and rear end (portions of the central wall 14 that are provided on the outer bottom wall 112) of the central wall 14. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, a storage hole 1121 that is long in the left-right direction is formed on the underside of the outer bottom wall 112 so as to connect to the pair of left and right storage grooves 142 of the central wall 14.

[0029] 3 and 4, the first end wall portion 15 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 11. The first end wall portion 15 protrudes upward in an island shape from the front outer bottom wall 112 of the pair of outer bottom walls 112. The first end wall portion 15 is provided at the front end of the front outer bottom wall 112 in the center in the left-right direction.

[0030] The first end wall portion 15 is E-shaped when viewed from above. More specifically, the first end wall portion 15 has a first partition wall 151, a second partition wall 152, a third partition wall 153, and a connecting wall 154. The second partition wall 152 is a wall extending in the left-right direction along the front end of the front outer bottom wall 112. The connecting wall 154 connects the center portion in the left-right direction of the rear surface of the second partition wall 152 to the front end of the central wall portion 14. The first partition wall 151 is a wall extending rearward from the left end of the second partition wall 152. The third partition wall 153 is a wall extending rearward from the right end of the second partition wall 152. That is, the front end of the first partition wall 151 is connected to one end (left end) of the second partition wall 152 in the left-right direction, and the front end of the third partition wall 153 is connected to one end (right end) of the second partition wall 152 in the left-right direction. The first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152 are arranged in an L-shape when viewed from above. The third partition wall 153 and the second partition wall 152 are arranged in an L-shape when viewed from above. The first partition wall 151 is located between the first portion 1211 of the partial wall portion 121 on the left front side of the outer wall 12 and the connecting wall 154 in the left-right direction. The third partition wall 153 is located between (here, approximately midway between) the first portion 1211 of the partial wall portion 121 on the right front side of the outer wall 12 and the connecting wall 154 in the left-right direction.

[0031] A recess 1541 is formed in the left side surface of the connecting wall 154 so as to be recessed to the right. A through-hole 1122 is formed in the front outer bottom wall 112, penetrating vertically, so as to connect to the recess 1541 of the connecting wall 154. The recess 1541 of the connecting wall 154 and the through-hole 1122 of the outer bottom wall 112 form a rectangular space 159 in the housing 1 when viewed from above. Note that the connecting wall 154 does not have to be connected to the central wall portion 14. In other words, the first end wall portion 15 may be separated from the central wall portion 14 with the bottom wall 11 in between.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the second end wall portion 16 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 11. The second end wall portion 16 protrudes upward from the rear outer bottom wall 112 of the pair of outer bottom walls 112. The second end wall portion 16 is provided at the rear end of the rear outer bottom wall 112 in the center in the left-right direction. The second end wall portion 16 has a shape that is two-fold rotationally symmetric with the first end wall portion 15 around the axis A1. Therefore, a detailed description of the second end wall portion 16 will be omitted. The second end wall portion 16 has a first partition wall 161, a second partition wall 162, a third partition wall 163, and a connecting wall 164 that correspond to the first partition wall 151, the second partition wall 152, the third partition wall 153, and the connecting wall 154 of the first end wall portion 15, respectively. A recess 1641 recessed to the left is provided on the right side surface of the connecting wall 164 so as to connect to the through-hole 1122 formed in the rear outer bottom wall 112. The recess 1641 in the connecting wall 164 and the through-hole 1122 in the outer bottom wall 112 form a rectangular space 169 in the housing 1 when viewed from above.

[0033] (1.2.2) Terminals As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the connector C1 has a plurality of (eight in this example) terminals 2. The terminals 2 are made of metal. The plurality of terminals 2 are held in a housing 1. In a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected, the plurality of terminals 2 are electrically connected to a plurality of mating terminals 6 provided in the mating connector C2.

[0034] Here, the multiple terminals 2 include a first predetermined terminal 21, a second predetermined terminal 22, and multiple (here, six) connection terminals 23. The first predetermined terminal 21 and the second predetermined terminal 22 are, for example, high-frequency terminals for transmitting relatively high-frequency signals. The multiple connection terminals 23 are, for example, low-frequency terminals for transmitting relatively low-frequency signals with respect to the predetermined terminals 21, 22. The multiple connection terminals 23 may include power supply terminals.

[0035] (1.2.2.1) Predetermined terminal The first predetermined terminal 21 is disposed at the frontmost position in the front-rear direction among the plurality of terminals 2. The first predetermined terminal 21 is held by the first end wall portion 15 of the housing 1.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the first predetermined terminal 21 integrally includes a first contact portion 211, a second contact portion 212, a board connecting portion 213, and a linking portion 214.

[0037] The first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 are portions of the first predetermined terminal 21 that come into contact with the first predetermined mating terminal 61 of the mating connector C2 when the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. The first contact portion 211 includes a first contact 2110 that comes into contact with the first predetermined mating terminal 61. The second contact portion 212 includes a second contact 2120 that comes into contact with the first predetermined mating terminal 61. In this way, the contact portions (the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212) include contacts (the first contact 2110 and the second contact 2120) that come into contact with the first predetermined mating terminal 61. The first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

[0038] The first contact portion 211 is plate-shaped with a thickness along the left-right direction. In the width direction (front-rear direction), the center portion of the first contact portion 211 is thicker than both ends (front and rear ends). The first contact portion 211 is curved in a C-shape so as to protrude to the left. The first contact 2110 includes a portion of the first contact portion 211 that protrudes to the left. The first contact 2110 is formed on the surface (left surface) of the first contact portion 211 opposite the opposing surface (right surface) that faces the second contact portion 212.

[0039] The second contact portion 212 is plate-shaped with a thickness direction along the left-right direction. The second contact portion 212 is flat. The second contact 2120 includes the right surface (flat surface) of the second contact portion 212. That is, the second contact 2120 is formed on the surface (right surface) of the second contact portion 212 opposite to the opposing surface (left surface) that faces the first contact portion 211.

[0040] The board connection portion 213 is configured to be connected to the circuit board B1. The board connection portion 213 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction aligned with the up-down direction. The board connection portion 213 is flat. The board connection portion 213 is fixed to and electrically connected to a pad on the circuit board B1 by, for example, soldering.

[0041] The connecting portion 214 connects the contact portions (first contact portion 211 and second contact portion 212) to the board connecting portion 213. The connecting portion 214 connects the first contact portion 211, the second contact portion 212, and the board connecting portion 213. Note that the contact portion may be at least one of the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting portion 214 has a first connecting portion 215 and a second connecting portion 216.

[0043] 5, the first connecting portion 215 has a flat portion 2151 and a curved portion (first curved portion) 2152. The first connecting portion 215 further has a second curved portion 2153, a joint portion 2154, and a third curved portion 2155.

[0044] The flat portion 2151 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction aligned with the up-down direction. The flat portion 2151 is flat. The upper surface of the flat portion 2151 is a flat surface 2150 extending in the left-right direction. In this way, the flat portion 2151 includes a flat surface 2150 extending in the left-right direction. The thickness direction of the flat portion 2151 intersects (here, is perpendicular to) the thickness direction of the second contact portion 212.

[0045] The flat portion 2151 is connected to the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212. The first contact portion 211 is connected to the left end of the flat portion 2151, and the second contact portion 212 is connected to the right end of the flat portion 2151. More specifically, the left end of the flat portion 2151 is connected to the lower end of the first contact portion 211 via an R-shaped second curved portion 2153, a connecting portion 2154, and the first curved portion 2152. The right end of the flat portion 2151 is connected to the upper end of the second contact portion 212 via an R-shaped third curved portion 2155.

[0046] The connecting portion 2154 is in the shape of a plate that extends vertically. The upper end of the connecting portion 2154 is connected to the left end of the flat portion 2151 via a second curved portion 2153 that is curved in an R shape. The lower end of the connecting portion 2154 is connected to the first end (upper right end) of the first curved portion 2152.

[0047] The first curved portion 2152 is in the form of a U-shaped plate. The first curved portion 2152 is connected to the first contact portion 211 and is curved so as to protrude downward. A first end of the first curved portion 2152 is connected to the lower end of the connecting portion 2154. A second end (upper left end) of the first curved portion 2152 is connected to the lower end of the first contact portion 211. Because the first curved portion 2152 is U-shaped, the dimension in the left-right direction can be reduced, and also, the elastic restoring force with which the first curved portion 2152 returns to its original shape when elastically deformed is improved.

[0048] The first contact portion 211 is movable in the left-right direction relative to the flat portion 2151 as a result of the first curved portion 2152 elastically deforming. The first contact portion 211 is also movable in the left-right direction relative to the flat portion 2151 as a result of the second curved portion 2153 elastically deforming. That is, the first connecting portion 215 is elastically deformable at two locations, the first curved portion 2152 and the second curved portion 2153. This improves the elastic restoring force with which the first connecting portion 215 returns to its original shape when elastically deformed, compared to a structure in which the first connecting portion elastically deforms at one location. Furthermore, the first connecting portion 215 is less likely to undergo plastic deformation.

[0049] The second connecting portion 216 connects the first connecting portion 215 and the board connecting portion 213. In this way, the second connecting portion 216 connects the contact portions (the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212) and the board connecting portion 213. The second connecting portion 216 is connected to the front end of the flat portion 2151.

[0050] 5, the second connecting portion 216 has two curved portions and an intermediate portion 2163 connecting the two curved portions. As shown in FIG. 19, one of the two curved portions of the second connecting portion 216 is relatively far from the side wall 310 of the shield 3 (the outer wall 3121 and the extension portion 3122 of the outer shield 31) in the front-to-rear direction, and the other of the two curved portions of the second connecting portion 216 is disposed relatively close to the side wall 310 of the shield 3 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, hereinafter, for convenience, one of the two curved portions of the second connecting portion 216 that is relatively far from the side wall 310 of the shield 3 will be referred to as the "separate portion 2161," and the other that is relatively close to the side wall 310 of the shield 3 will be referred to as the "proximal portion 2162."

[0051] The spaced portion 2161 is spaced from the side wall 310 of the shield 3 in the front-to-rear direction. The spaced portion 2161 is connected to the rear end of the board connecting portion 213. The spaced portion 2161 curves upward in an R-shape from the rear end of the board connecting portion 213 and extends diagonally forward. Since the first predetermined terminal 21 has the spaced portion 2161, the capacitance of the electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21 with respect to the ground (the second outer shield 312) can be reduced. As a result, when a high-frequency signal is transmitted via an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21, the signal transmission performance can be improved.

[0052] The proximity portion 2162 is disposed closer to the side wall 310 of the shield 3 than the separation portion 2161. However, the proximity portion 2162 is not in contact with the side wall 310 of the shield 3, but faces the side wall 310 of the shield 3 across a gap G1 (see FIG. 19). The proximity portion 2162 is connected to the front end of the flat portion 2151 of the first connecting portion 215. The proximity portion 2162 curves downward in an R-shape from the front end of the flat portion 2151 and extends diagonally rearward.

[0053] 5, the proximity portion 2162 is located forward of the contact portions (the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212). Therefore, in the front-to-rear direction, the distance between the side wall 310 of the shield 3 and the contact portions is greater than the distance between the side wall 310 of the shield 3 and the proximity portion 2162.

[0054] The intermediate portion 2163 connects the separated portion 2161 and the adjacent portion 2162. The intermediate portion 2163 is plate-shaped, and in this example, is flat. The intermediate portion 2163 extends diagonally upward and forward from the separated portion 2161 and is connected to the adjacent portion 2162. This minimizes the length of the conductive path between the separated portion 2161 and the adjacent portion 2162. As a result, signal transmission performance is improved when transmitting a high-frequency signal via an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21. The thickness direction of the intermediate portion 2163 intersects with the thickness direction of the flat portion 2151 but is not perpendicular thereto. Furthermore, the thickness direction of the intermediate portion 2163 intersects with the thickness direction of the board connecting portion 213 but is not perpendicular thereto. The portion including the flat portion 2151, the second connecting portion 216, and the board connecting portion 213 is formed in an S-shape (or Z-shape) when viewed from the side (either left or right).

[0055] 5, second connecting portion 216 is located between first contact portion 211 and second contact portion 212 in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. The distance between second connecting portion 216 and first contact portion 211 in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction is greater than the distance between second connecting portion 216 and second contact portion 212. This improves the elastic force of the curved portions (first curved portion 2152 and second curved portion 2153) that connect first contact portion 211 and second connecting portion 216.

[0056] As described above, the second connecting portion 216 connects the first connecting portion 215 and the substrate connecting portion 213. Therefore, the separated portion 2161, the adjacent portion 2162, and the intermediate portion 2163 of the second connecting portion 216 form a conductive path between the substrate connecting portion 213 and the contact portions (the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212). In particular, the intermediate portion 2163, which forms the conductive path between the separated portion 2161 and the adjacent portion 2162, diagonally connects the separated portion 2161 and the adjacent portion 2162, thereby minimizing the length of the conductive path.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the first predetermined terminal 21 is held by the first end wall portion 15 of the housing 1.

[0058] The flat portion 2151 is fixed to the housing 1. The flat portion 2151 is partially embedded in the connecting wall 154 of the first end wall portion 15 so that a flat surface 2150, which is the upper surface, is exposed upward from the housing 1. The upper surface (flat surface 2150) of the flat portion 2151 is located higher than the upper surface of the connecting wall 154 of the first end wall portion 15. Because the flat surface 2150 is exposed upward, a probe can be brought into contact with the flat surface 2150 from the outside. This makes it easy to check the conductivity between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the circuit board B1 when the first predetermined terminal 21 is fixed to the circuit board B1 by soldering or the like.

[0059] 4, the left end of the flat portion 2151 protrudes from the connecting wall 154 into the space 159 of the housing 1. The second curved portion 2153, the connecting portion 2154, the first curved portion 2152, and the first contact portion 211 are disposed within the space 159. Therefore, the first connecting portion 215 is elastically deformable in the left-right direction within the space 159, and the first contact portion 211 is movable in the left-right direction within the space 159. In this way, the connecting portion 214 (the first connecting portion 215 of the connecting portion 214) is configured to be elastically deformable so that the first contact portion 211 moves in the left-right direction in which the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 are aligned.

[0060] 4, the second contact portion 212 is fixed to the housing 1. The second contact portion 212 is partially embedded in the connecting wall 154 of the first end wall portion 15 so that the right surface including the second contact 2120 is exposed to the right from the connecting wall 154. The right surface of the second contact portion 212 is located to the right of the right surface of the connecting wall 154 of the first end wall portion 15.

[0061] The proximal portion 2162 is fixed to the housing 1. As shown in FIG. 19 , the proximal portion 2162 is partially embedded in the second partition wall 152 of the first end wall portion 15 so that the upper surface and front end surface of the proximal portion 2162 are exposed from the housing 1. The upper surface of the proximal portion 2162 is located higher than the upper surface of the second partition wall 152 of the first end wall portion 15. In the front-to-rear direction, the front end of the proximal portion 2162 is located at the same position as the front surface of the second partition wall 152 of the first end wall portion 15. It can be said that the proximal portion 2162 (partially) covers the second partition wall 152 of the housing 1 from the front.

[0062] The spaced portion 2161 is fixed to the housing 1. As shown in Fig. 19, the spaced portion 2161 is embedded in the housing 1. Here, the entire spaced portion 2161 is embedded in the connecting wall 154 of the first end wall portion 15. By embedding the spaced portion 2161 in the housing 1, deformation of the first predetermined terminal 21 (spaced portion 2161) is prevented.

[0063] The intermediate portion 2163 is fixed to the housing 1. As shown in Fig. 19, the intermediate portion 2163 is embedded in the housing 1. Here, the entire intermediate portion 2163 is embedded in the first end wall portion 15. By embedding the intermediate portion 2163 in the housing 1, deformation of the first predetermined terminal (intermediate portion 2163) is prevented.

[0064] 6, the underside of the board connection portion 213 is exposed from the housing 1. As shown in Fig. 19, the underside of the board connection portion 213 is at the same position as the underside of the housing 1 in the up-down direction or is lower than the underside of the housing 1 (lower in this embodiment). The front end of the board connection portion 213 protrudes forward from the front end of the outer bottom wall 112 on the front side of the housing 1.

[0065] 4, the second predetermined terminal 22 is arranged at the rearmost position in the front-rear direction among the plurality of terminals 2. The second predetermined terminal 22 is held by the second end wall portion 16 of the housing 1.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 5, the second predetermined terminal 22 has a shape obtained by rotating the first predetermined terminal 21 by 180 degrees around the axis A1 (see FIG. 2) set in the housing 1. Therefore, a detailed description of the second predetermined terminal 22 will be omitted. The second predetermined terminal 22 has a first contact portion 221, a second contact portion 222, a board connecting portion 223, and a connecting portion 224 corresponding to the first contact portion 211, the second contact portion 212, the board connecting portion 213, and the connecting portion 214 of the first predetermined terminal 21, respectively. The first contact portion 221 includes a first contact 2210, and the second contact portion 222 includes a second contact 2220. The connecting portion 224 has a first connecting portion 225 and a second connecting portion 226. The first connecting portion 225 has a flat portion 2251 having a flat surface 2250, a curved portion (first curved portion 2252), a second curved portion 2253, a joining portion 2254, and a third curved portion 2255. The second connecting portion 226 has a distant portion 2261, a proximal portion 2262, and an intermediate portion 2263.

[0067] (1.2.2.2) Connection terminal 2 to 4 and 6, the plurality of connection terminals 23 are located between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the second predetermined terminal 22 in the front-rear direction. The plurality of connection terminals 23 are held by a pair of side wall portions 13 of the housing 1. Here, six connection terminals 23 are held by each pair of side wall portions 13, three terminals per side wall portion 13, lined up in the front-rear direction.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 3, each connection terminal 23 integrally includes a third contact portion 231, a fourth contact portion 232, a board connection portion 233, a first linking portion 234, and a second linking portion 235.

[0069] The third contact portion 231 and the fourth contact portion 232 are portions of the connection terminal 23 that come into contact with the mating connection terminal 63 of the mating connector C2 when the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. The third contact portion 231 includes a third contact 2310 that comes into contact with the mating connection terminal 63. The fourth contact portion 232 includes a fourth contact 2320 that comes into contact with the mating connection terminal 63. The third contact portion 231 and the fourth contact portion 232 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

[0070] The third contact portion 231 is plate-shaped with its thickness aligned with the left-right direction. The third contact portion 231 is flat. The third contact 2310 is formed on the opposing surface of the third contact portion 231 that faces the fourth contact portion 232.

[0071] The fourth contact portion 232 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction aligned with the left-right direction. The fourth contact portion 232 is curved in a C-shape so as to protrude toward the third contact portion 231. The fourth contact portion 232 faces the third contact portion 231. The fourth contact 2320 includes a portion of the fourth contact portion 232 that protrudes toward the third contact portion 231. The fourth contact 2320 is formed on the opposing surface of the fourth contact portion 232 that faces the third contact portion 231.

[0072] The board connection portion 233 is configured to be connected to the circuit board B1. The board connection portion 233 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction aligned with the up-down direction. The board connection portion 233 is flat. The board connection portion 233 is fixed to and electrically connected to a pad on the circuit board B1 by, for example, soldering.

[0073] The first connecting portion 234 connects the third contact portion 231 and the fourth contact portion 232. The first connecting portion 234 is a U-shaped plate that connects the lower end of the third contact portion 231 and the lower end of the fourth contact portion 232.

[0074] The second connecting portion 235 connects the third contact portion 231 and the board connecting portion 233. The second connecting portion 235 is a J-shaped plate that connects the upper end of the third contact portion 231 and the board connecting portion 233.

[0075] The connection terminal 23 is fixed to the housing 1. The connection terminal 23 is held by the housing 1 in a state in which a part of the first connecting portion 234 (the part connected to the third contact portion 231) and a part (lower end) of the second connecting portion 235 are embedded in the side wall portion 13.

[0076] The third contact portion 231 is fixed to the housing 1. On the other hand, the fourth contact portion 232 is disposed in the recess 18 of the housing 1 and is movable in the left-right direction within the recess 18 (particularly within the space including the through-hole 1110).

[0077] As shown in Fig. 6, the underside of the board connection portion 233 is exposed from the housing 1. As shown in Fig. 15, the underside of the board connection portion 233 is at the same position as the underside of the housing 1 in the vertical direction or lower than the underside of the housing 1 (lower in this embodiment). Furthermore, the underside of the board connection portion 233 is at the same position as the underside of the board connection portion 213 of the first predetermined terminal 21 and the underside of the board connection portion 223 of the second predetermined terminal 22 in the vertical direction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the board connection portion 233 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the inner bottom wall 111 of the housing 1.

[0078] (1.2.3) Shield As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6, the shield 3 includes an outer shield 31 and an inner shield 32. As shown in FIGS.

[0079] (1.2.3.1) Outer Shield The outer shield 31 contains a metal as a main material or as a material for plating or the like that forms the surface. Here, as an example, the outer shield 31 is formed with a metal as a main material.

[0080] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer shield 31 integrally includes a pair of first outer shields 311 and a pair of second outer shields 312.

[0081] 3 and 4, the pair of first outer shields 311 are formed on the left and right sides of the housing 1, elongated in the front-rear direction. The pair of first outer shields 311 are arranged facing each other in the left-right direction. The first predetermined terminal 21, the second predetermined terminal 22, and a plurality of connection terminals 23 are arranged between the pair of first outer shields 311. In this way, the pair of first outer shields 311 are arranged facing each other in the left-right direction, with the first predetermined terminal 21 and the second predetermined terminal 22 sandwiched between them.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 3, the first outer shield 311 has an outer wall 3111 , a first extension portion 3112 , a pair of second extension portions 3113 , and a flange portion 3114 .

[0083] The outer walls 3111 are walls that face each other over the entire front-rear direction of the housing 1. The outer walls 3111 are disposed outward in the left-right direction relative to the outer wall 12 of the housing 1 (more specifically, the first portion 1211 of the partial wall portion 121).

[0084] The first extension portion 3112 curves inward and extends downward from the upper end of the central portion in the front-to-rear direction of the outer wall 3111. The first extension portion 3112 is formed facing the side wall portion 13 of the housing 1 over the entire length of the side wall portion 13 in the front-to-rear direction. The first extension portion 3112 faces the side wall portion 13 of the housing 1 in the left-to-right direction.

[0085] Both front-rear direction ends of the first extension portions 3112 of the pair of first outer shields 311 are press-fitted into a pair of notches 17 (see FIG. 3) of the housing 1, whereby the outer shields 31 are held in the housing 1.

[0086] The pair of second extension portions 3113 curve inward and extend downward from the upper ends of the front and rear portions of the outer wall 3111. In the front-rear direction, the first extension portion 3112 is located between the pair of second extension portions 3113. However, the first extension portion 3112 and the second extension portion 3113 are not connected in the front-rear direction, and a gap 3115 is located between the first extension portion 3112 and the second extension portion 3113.

[0087] 12, the bottom end of the second extension portion 3113 is located above the top end of the outer wall 12 of the housing 1. The bottom end of the second extension portion 3113 overlaps in the vertical direction with the top end of the outer wall 12 of the housing 1 (more specifically, the first portion 1211 of the partial wall portion 121) via a gap G10.

[0088] The flange 3114 extends outward from the lower end of the outer wall 3111. The flange 3114 is a portion of the outer shield 31 that is connected to the circuit board B1. The flange 3114 is fixed and electrically connected to the ground pattern of the circuit board B1 by, for example, soldering.

[0089] Of the pair of first outer shields 311, the left first outer shield 311 is aligned in the left-right direction with the first partition wall 151 of the first end wall portion 15. Of the pair of first outer shields 311, the right first outer shield 311 is aligned in the left-right direction with the third partition wall 153 of the first end wall portion 15.

[0090] 3 and 4, the pair of second outer shields 312 are formed to be long in the left-right direction on the front and rear sides of the housing 1. The pair of second outer shields 312 are arranged opposite each other in the front-rear direction.

[0091] Of the pair of second outer shields 312, the front second outer shield 312 is disposed forward of the first predetermined terminal 21 and faces the first end wall portion 15 and the first predetermined terminal 21. In this manner, the shield 3 has a side wall 310 located forward of the first predetermined terminal 21. The side wall 310 includes an outer wall 3121 and an extension portion 3122 of the front second outer shield 312.

[0092] Of the pair of second outer shields 312, the rear second outer shield 312 is disposed rearward relative to the second predetermined terminal 22 and faces the second end wall portion 16 and the second predetermined terminal 22. In this manner, the shield 3 has a side wall located rearward relative to the second predetermined terminal 22. The side wall includes an outer wall 3121 and an extension portion 3122 of the rear second outer shield 312. Each of the pair of second outer shields 312 is connected to the pair of first outer shields 311.

[0093] The second outer shield 312 has an outer wall 3121 , an extension 3122 , and a flange 3123 .

[0094] The outer walls 3121 are walls that face each other across the entire left-right direction of the housing 1. The outer walls 3121 are disposed outwardly of the outer wall 12 of the housing 1 (more specifically, the second portion 1212 of the partial wall portion 121) in the front-rear direction.

[0095] The extension 3122 curves inward and extends downward from the upper end of the outer wall 3121 .

[0096] 18, the bottom end of the extension 3122 is located above the top end of the outer wall 12 of the housing 1. The bottom ends of both left and right ends of the extension 3122 overlap in the vertical direction with the top end of the outer wall 12 of the housing 1 (more specifically, the second portion 1212 of the partial wall portion 121) via a gap G10.

[0097] The flange 3123 extends outward from the lower end of the outer wall 3121. The flange 3123 is a portion of the outer shield 31 that is connected to the circuit board B1. The flange 3123 is fixed and electrically connected to the ground pattern of the circuit board B1 by, for example, soldering.

[0098] Of the pair of second outer shields 312, the front second outer shield 312 is aligned in the front-rear direction with the second partition wall 152 of the first end wall portion 15. Of the pair of second outer shields 312, the rear second outer shield 312 is aligned in the front-rear direction with the second partition wall 162 of the second end wall portion 16.

[0099] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the end of the first outer shield 311 and the end of the second outer shield 312 are connected, so that the outer shield 31 is formed into a rectangular frame surrounding a hollow space when viewed from above. A plurality of terminals 2 are located inside the rectangular frame-shaped outer shield 31. In other words, the outer shield 31 surrounds the plurality of terminals 2. It can also be said that the shield 3 surrounds the plurality of terminals 2. This improves electromagnetic shielding.

[0100] The outer surface of the outer shield 31 is seamless all around the circumference. "Seamless" means that there are no seams or discontinuities.

[0101] (1.2.3.2) Inner Shield The shield 3 includes two inner shields 32. The inner shields 32 contain metal as a main material or as a material such as plating that forms the surface. Here, as an example, the inner shields 32 are formed with metal as a main material.

[0102] In this embodiment, the two inner shields 32 have the same shape. The inner shields 32 are plate-shaped with their thickness direction along the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 3, the inner shield 32 integrally includes a base 321 and a plurality of (pairs of) protrusions 322.

[0103] The base 321 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction.

[0104] The protrusions 322 protrude upward from the base 321. The pair of protrusions 322 are provided at the upper end of the base 321 at positions symmetrical in the left-right direction.

[0105] As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the inner shield 32 is held in the housing 1 by having the base 321 accommodated in the accommodation hole 1121 of the outer bottom wall 112 of the housing 1 and the pair of protrusions 322 pressed into the pair of accommodation grooves 142 of the central wall 14.

[0106] 4, the first predetermined terminal 21 is surrounded by the outer shield 31 (a pair of first outer shields 311 and a front-side second outer shield 312) and the front-side inner shield 32. The second predetermined terminal 22 is surrounded by the outer shield 31 (a pair of first outer shields 311 and a rear-side second outer shield 312) and the rear-side inner shield 32. In this way, the first predetermined terminal 21 is surrounded by the shield 31, and the second predetermined terminal 22 is surrounded by the shield 3.

[0107] The inner shield 32 is connected to the circuit board B1. A base 321 of the inner shield 32 is fixed and electrically connected to the ground pattern of the circuit board B1 by, for example, soldering, etc. This causes the outer shield 31 and the inner shield 32 to have the same potential.

[0108] (1.2.4) Guard As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the guard 4 includes a first guard member 41, a second guard member 42, a third guard member 43, and a fourth guard member 44, which are separate members from one another.

[0109] The first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 contain metal as the main material or as a material for plating or the like that forms the surface. Here, as an example, the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 are formed with metal as the main material. That is, the guard 4 (the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44) is made of metal. The guard 4 is formed by stamping or bending a metal plate.

[0110] The guard 4 (first guard member 41 to fourth guard member 44) is electrically insulated from the shield 3 (outer shield 31 and inner shield 32) and the plurality of terminals 2. In other words, the first guard member 41 to fourth guard member 44 are not in contact with or electrically connected to the shield 3 or the plurality of terminals 2.

[0111] The guard 4 is held by the housing 1. The first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 are held by the housing 1. The first guard member 41 and the second guard member 42 are held by a first end wall portion 15 of the housing 1. The third guard member 43 and the fourth guard member 44 are held by a second end wall portion 16 of the housing 1.

[0112] The first guard member 41 covers at least a portion of the first end wall portion 15. As shown in Fig. 4, the first guard member 41 is disposed in the left front portion of the first end wall portion 15, and covers the connecting portion (including the corner portion) of the first end wall portion 15 between the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 5, the first guard member 41 has a first portion 411, a second portion 412, a corner portion 413, and a board connection portion 414.

[0114] The first portion 411 is plate-shaped with a thickness direction along the left-right direction. The first portion 411 covers the left side surface of the first partition wall 151 of the first end wall portion 15. The first portion 411 covers at least the upper end portion of the left side surface of the first partition wall 151, and in this embodiment, covers it from the upper end to the lower end. The first portion 411 faces one of the pair of first outer shields 311 (the left first outer shield 311) in the left-right direction (see FIG. 4).

[0115] In this embodiment, the first portion 411 covers the first partition wall 151 from the top to the bottom. Specifically, the topmost end of the first portion 411 and the topmost end on the left side surface of the first partition wall 151 are at the same height in the up-down direction (see FIGS. 2 and 12). The topmost end of the first portion 411 may be higher or slightly lower in the up-down direction than the topmost end on the left side surface of the first partition wall 151. Furthermore, the first portion 411 covers the left side surface of the first partition wall 151 from the front end to the rear end. Specifically, the rearmost end of the first portion 411 and the rearmost end on the left side surface of the first partition wall 151 are at the same position in the front-to-rear direction (see FIGS. 2 and 4). The rearmost end of the first portion 411 and the rearmost end on the left side surface of the first partition wall 151 may be at different positions in the front-to-rear direction.

[0116] The second portion 412 is plate-shaped with a thickness extending along the front-rear direction. The second portion 412 covers the front side surface of the left end portion of the second partition wall 152 of the first end wall portion 15. The second portion 412 covers at least the upper end portion of the front side surface of the second partition wall 152, and in this embodiment, covers it from the upper end to the lower end. The second portion 412 faces the front-rear direction of the second outer shield 312 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 5, the second portion 412 has a protrusion 415 at one end (right side) of the second portion 412 in the left-right direction that protrudes to the right and is embedded in the housing 1.

[0117] In this embodiment, the second portion 412 covers the left end portion of the second partition wall 152 from the top to the bottom. Specifically, the top end of the second portion 412 and the top end of the front side surface of the second partition wall 152 are at the same height in the up-down direction (see FIGS. 2 and 17). The top end of the second portion 412 may be higher or slightly lower in the up-down direction than the top end of the left end portion of the second partition wall 152 on the front side surface.

[0118] In this way, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) is disposed between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the shield 3 (outer shield 31) when viewed from above, and covers at least a portion of the first end wall portion 15. In addition, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) covers at least a portion of at least one of the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152.

[0119] Furthermore, the guard 4 (first portion 411 of the first guard member 41) faces the pair of first outer shields 311 in the left-right direction. The guard 4 (first portion 411 of the first guard member 41) is disposed between one of the pair of first outer shields 311 (the left first outer shield 311) and the first predetermined terminal 21 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the guard 4 (second portion 412 of the first guard member 41) faces the second outer shield 312 in the front-rear direction.

[0120] Also, as shown in Figure 4, the front end of the guard 4 (the front end of the second portion 412 of the first guard member 41) is at the same position as the front end of the first specified terminal 21 (the front end of the proximity portion 2162) in the front-to-back direction, or is further forward than the front end of the first specified terminal 21 (here, it is at the same position).

[0121] 5, the corner portion 413 is in the shape of an R-curved plate. The front end of the first portion 411 and the second portion 412 are arranged in an L-shape when viewed from above. The corner portion 413 connects the first portion 411 and the second portion 412. The corner portion 413 connects the front end of the first portion 411 and the left end (one end in the left-right direction) of the second portion 412. The corner portion 413 covers at least the upper end portion of the corner connecting the first partition wall 151 and the second partition wall 152.

[0122] The board connecting portion 414 is a portion of the first guard member 41 that is fixed to the circuit board B1. The board connecting portion 414 is configured to be connected to the circuit board B1.

[0123] The substrate connection portion 414 has a first substrate connection portion 4141 and a second substrate connection portion 4142 .

[0124] The first board connection portion 4141 is plate-shaped with its thickness aligned in the up-down direction. The first board connection portion 4141 is connected to the lower end of the second part 412 via a curved portion that is curved in an R-shape. A portion that connects the second part 412 and the curved portion is embedded in the housing 1 so as to penetrate the housing 1. The first board connection portion 4141 is fixed to the circuit board B1, for example, by soldering. As shown in FIG. 4, the first board connection portion 4141 protrudes forward beyond the front end of the housing 1 and is exposed in the region between the housing 1 and the outer shield 31 when viewed from above. Therefore, it is possible to visually check whether the first board connection portion 4141 is fixed to the circuit board B1 (whether soldering has been performed), for example.

[0125] The second board connection portion 4142 is plate-shaped and extends downward from the lower end of the first part 411. The portion connecting the first part 411 and the second board connection portion 4142 is embedded in the housing 1 so as to penetrate the housing 1. The thickness direction of the second board connection portion 4142 is along the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 6 , the second board connection portion 4142 is exposed on the lower surface of the housing 1. The tip surface of the second board connection portion 4142 is fixed to the circuit board B1 by, for example, soldering. Since the board connection portion 414 has the second board connection portion 4142, the first guard member 41 can be firmly fixed to the circuit board B1.

[0126] Here, the first guard member 41 is not connected to the ground pattern of the circuit board B1 or the circuit patterns for signal transmission and power supply. That is, the first board connection portion 4141 of the first guard member 41 is fixed to a fixing pad of the circuit board B1 by soldering, but the fixing pad is not connected to the electrical circuit (conductive pattern) formed on the circuit board B1. That is, the board connection portion 414 of the first guard member 41 is fixed to the circuit board B1 by soldering or the like only for the purpose of physically connecting the first guard member 41 to the circuit board B1. When the connector C1 is mounted on the circuit board B1, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) is electrically insulated from the terminal 2 and the shield 3. The guard 4 (first guard member 41) is in a so-called floating state. Since the guard 4 is electrically insulated from the terminal 2 and the shield 3, signal transmission performance can be improved when transmitting a high-frequency signal through an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21.

[0127] The second guard member 42 covers at least a portion of the first end wall portion 15. As shown in Fig. 4, the second guard member 42 is disposed in a right front portion of the first end wall portion 15 and covers a connecting portion (including a corner portion) of the first end wall portion 15 between the second partition wall 152 and the third partition wall 153. The second guard member 42 is disposed apart from the first guard member 41 in the left-right direction. At least a portion of the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 is disposed between the first guard member 41 and the second guard member 42 in the left-right direction.

[0128] The second guard member 42 has a shape symmetrical to the first guard member 41 in the left-right direction. Therefore, a detailed description of the second guard member 42 will be omitted. The second guard member 42 has a first portion 421, a second portion 422, a corner portion 423, a board connection portion 424 (a first board connection portion 4241 and a second board connection portion 4242), and a protrusion 425, which correspond to the first portion 411, the second portion 412, the corner portion 413, the board connection portion 414 (a first board connection portion 4141 and a second board connection portion 4142), and the protrusion 415 of the first guard member 41, respectively.

[0129] The third guard member 43 covers at least a portion of the second end wall portion 16. As shown in Fig. 4, the third guard member 43 is disposed in a right rear portion of the second end wall portion 16, and covers the connecting portion (including the corner portion) of the second end wall portion 16 between the first partition wall 161 and the second partition wall 162.

[0130] The third guard member 43 has a shape obtained by rotating the first guard member 41 by 180 degrees around the axis A1 (see FIG. 2). Therefore, a detailed description of the third guard member 43 will be omitted. The third guard member 43 has a first portion 431, a second portion 432, a corner portion 433, a board connection portion 434 (a first board connection portion 4341 and a second board connection portion 4342), and a protrusion 435, which correspond to the first portion 411, the second portion 412, the corner portion 413, the board connection portion 414 (a first board connection portion 4141 and a second board connection portion 4142), and the protrusion 415 of the first guard member 41, respectively.

[0131] The fourth guard member 44 covers at least a portion of the second end wall portion 16. As shown in Fig. 4, the fourth guard member 44 is disposed in the left rear portion of the second end wall portion 16, and covers the connecting portion (including the corner) of the second end wall portion 16 between the first partition wall 161 and the third partition wall 163.

[0132] The fourth guard member 44 has a shape symmetrical to the first guard member 41 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, a detailed description of the fourth guard member 44 will be omitted. The fourth guard member 44 has a first portion 441, a second portion 442, a corner portion 443, a board connection portion 444 (a first board connection portion 4441 and a second board connection portion 4442), and a protrusion 445, which correspond to the first portion 411, the second portion 412, the corner portion 413, the board connection portion 414 (a first board connection portion 4141 and a second board connection portion 4142), and the protrusion 415 of the first guard member 41, respectively.

[0133] (1.3) Mating connector As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the mating connector C2 includes a mating housing 5, a plurality of mating terminals 6, and a mating shield .

[0134] (1.3.1) Mating Housing The mating housing 5 is made of an insulating resin material and is formed into a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction as shown in Fig. 8. The mating housing 5 has a shape that is two-fold rotationally symmetric about an axis A2 (see Fig. 7) that passes through the center of the mating housing 5 and runs in the up-down direction. The mating housing 5 holds a plurality of mating terminals 6 and a mating shield 7.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 8, the mating housing 5 integrally includes a mating bottom wall 51, a pair of mating side wall portions 52, and a pair of mating holding wall portions 53.

[0136] The mating bottom wall 51 is a plate-like member having a thickness extending in the vertical direction. The mating bottom wall 51 integrally includes a mating inner bottom wall 511 and a pair of mating outer bottom walls 512.

[0137] The mating inner bottom wall 511 is a rectangular plate when viewed from below.

[0138] The pair of mating outer bottom walls 512 are connected to both front and rear ends of the mating inner bottom wall 511. Each of the pair of mating outer bottom walls 512 is rectangular when viewed from below and is a plate-like shape whose left-right dimension is larger than that of the mating inner bottom wall 511.

[0139] On the left and right side surfaces of the mating bottom wall 51, there is a step at the joint between the mating inner bottom wall 511 and the mating outer bottom wall 512. As a result, the mating housing 5 has a mating recess 54 in the center in the front-to-rear direction on both the left and right side surfaces, and is formed in an H-shape when viewed from below.

[0140] The pair of mating side walls 52 protrude downward from the mating bottom wall 51. The pair of mating side walls 52 are provided on the peripheral portions (left and right edges) of the mating inner bottom wall 511. The mating side walls 52 are wall-shaped and long in the front-to-rear direction. A mating recess 55 is formed so as to be surrounded by the mating inner bottom wall 511 and the pair of mating side walls 52.

[0141] The pair of mating retaining wall portions 53 protrude downward from the mating bottom wall 51. One of the pair of mating retaining wall portions 53 is provided on the front mating outer bottom wall 512. The other of the pair of mating retaining wall portions 53 is provided on the rear mating outer bottom wall 512.

[0142] Each of the pair of mating holding walls 53 has two mating wall portions 531. The two mating wall portions 531 face each other with a gap in the left-right direction. The two mating wall portions 531 are connected to the pair of mating side walls 52 in the front-rear direction, respectively.

[0143] A holding recess 5310 is formed in the center of the lower surface of the mating portion wall portion 531 so as to be recessed upward.

[0144] Further, a first mating accommodating groove 5311 is formed on each of the two mating portion wall portions 531 on surfaces facing each other in the left-right direction. A mating outer bottom wall 512 is formed in the mating outer bottom wall 512 so as to connect the first mating accommodating grooves 5311 of the two mating portion wall portions 531. Further, a second mating accommodating groove 5312 is formed on each of the two mating portion wall portions 531 on the outer side surface in the left-right direction.

[0145] (1.3.2) Mating terminal As shown in Figures 7 to 10, the mating connector C2 has a plurality of (eight in this example) mating terminals 6. The mating terminals 6 are made of metal. The plurality of mating terminals 6 are held in a mating housing 5. In a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected, the plurality of mating terminals 6 are electrically connected to the plurality of terminals 2 of the connector C1.

[0146] The plurality of mating terminals 6 here include a first predetermined mating terminal 61, a second predetermined mating terminal 62, and a plurality (six here) of mating connection terminals 63. The first predetermined mating terminal 61 and the second predetermined mating terminal 62 are, for example, high-frequency terminals for transmitting relatively high-frequency signals. The plurality of mating connection terminals 63 are, for example, low-frequency terminals for transmitting relatively low-frequency signals.

[0147] (1.3.2.1) Mating terminal The first predetermined mating terminal 61 is disposed at the frontmost position in the front-rear direction among the plurality of mating terminals 6. The first predetermined mating terminal 61 is connected to the first predetermined terminal 21 of the connector C1.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 8, the first mating predetermined terminal 61 integrally includes a first mating contact portion 611, a second mating contact portion 612, a mating board connecting portion 613, and a mating coupling portion 614.

[0149] The first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 are portions of the first mating predetermined terminal 61 that come into contact with the first predetermined terminal 21 of the connector C1 when the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. The first mating contact portion 611 includes a first mating contact 6110 that comes into contact with a first contact 2110 of the first predetermined terminal 21. The second mating contact portion 612 includes a second mating contact 6120 that comes into contact with a second contact 2120 of the first predetermined terminal 21. The first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The first mating contact portion 611 is located on the left side, and the second mating contact portion 612 is located on the right side.

[0150] The first mating contact portion 611 is plate-shaped with its thickness extending in the left-right direction. The first mating contact portion 611 is flat. The first mating contact 6110 includes the right surface (flat surface) of the first mating contact portion 611. That is, the first mating contact 6110 is formed on the opposing surface (right surface) of the first mating contact portion 611 that faces the second mating contact portion 612.

[0151] The second mating contact portion 612 is plate-shaped with its thickness extending in the left-right direction. The second mating contact portion 612 is flat. The second mating contact 6120 includes the left surface (flat surface) of the second mating contact portion 612. That is, the second mating contact 6120 is formed on the opposing surface (left surface) of the second mating contact portion 612 that faces the first mating contact portion 611.

[0152] The mating board connection portion 613 is configured to be connected to the mating circuit board B2. The mating board connection portion 613 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction aligned with the up-down direction. The mating board connection portion 613 is flat. The mating board connection portion 613 is fixed to and electrically connected to a pad on the mating circuit board B2, for example, by soldering.

[0153] The mating coupling portion 614 couples the first mating contact portion 611, the second mating contact portion 612, and the mating board connecting portion 613 together.

[0154] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the mating connection portion 614 has a first mating connection portion 615 and a second mating connection portion 616.

[0155] The first mating connection portion 615 connects the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612. As shown in Fig. 8, the first mating connection portion 615 is in the shape of a plate whose thickness direction is along the up-down direction.

[0156] A first end (left end) of first mating linking portion 615 is connected to the upper end of first mating contact portion 611 via an R-shaped curved portion. A second end (right end) of first mating linking portion 615 is connected to the upper end of second mating contact portion 612 via an R-shaped curved portion. First mating contact portion 611, second mating contact portion 612, and first mating linking portion 615 form a U-shape.

[0157] The second mating coupling portion 616 couples the first mating coupling portion 615 and the mating board connection portion 613. That is, the second mating coupling portion 616 couples the mating contact portions (the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612) and the mating board connection portion 613. The second mating coupling portion 616 is shaped like a curved plate, and couples the front end of the left-right central portion of the first mating coupling portion 615 to the rear end of the mating board connection portion 613 so that the mating board connection portion 613 is positioned diagonally above and in front of the first mating coupling portion 615.

[0158] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the first predetermined mating terminal 61 is embedded in the front outer bottom wall 512 and the mating holding wall portion 53 of the mating housing 5 and is held by the mating housing 5.

[0159] The first mating contact portion 611 is fixed to the mating housing 5. The first mating contact portion 611 is in contact with one (left) mating portion wall portion 531 on an outer surface (left surface) opposite to the surface on which the first mating contact 6110 is formed. The first mating contact portion 611 is partially embedded in the left mating portion wall portion 531 of the front mating holding wall portion 53 so that the right surface including the first mating contact 6110 is exposed.

[0160] The second mating contact portion 612 is fixed to the mating housing 5. The second mating contact portion 612 is in contact with the other (right) mating portion wall portion 531 on its outer surface (right surface) opposite to the surface on which the second mating contact 6120 is formed. The second mating contact portion 612 is partially embedded in the right mating portion wall portion 531 of the front mating holding wall portion 53 so that the left surface including the second mating contact 6120 is exposed.

[0161] In this way, the mating housing 5 has a pair of mating portion walls 531 that contact the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612, respectively, on the outside of the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 in the left-right direction.

[0162] The mating connecting portion 614 is embedded in the front mating outer bottom wall 512. A recess is formed in the center of the underside of the mating outer bottom wall 512, and the central portion in the left-right direction of the underside of the mating connecting portion 614 is exposed through the recess.

[0163] 9 and 10, the mating board connecting portion 613 protrudes forward from the front end of the mating housing 5. The upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 613 is exposed from the mating housing 5. As shown in FIG. 19, the upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 613 is at the same position as the upper surface of the mating housing 5 in the vertical direction or is higher than the upper surface of the mating housing 5 (higher in this embodiment).

[0164] 7, the second predetermined mating terminal 62 is arranged at the rearmost position in the front-rear direction among the plurality of mating terminals 6. The second predetermined mating terminal 62 is connected to the second predetermined terminal 22 of the connector C1.

[0165] The second mating predetermined terminal 62 has a shape obtained by rotating the first mating predetermined terminal 61 by 180 degrees around the axis A2 (see FIG. 7) set in the mating housing 5. Therefore, a detailed description of the second mating predetermined terminal 62 will be omitted. The second mating predetermined terminal 62 has a first mating contact portion 621, a second mating contact portion 622, a mating board connecting portion 623, and a mating connecting portion 624 (a first mating connecting portion 625 and a second mating connecting portion 626) corresponding to the first mating contact portion 611, the second mating contact portion 612, the mating board connecting portion 613, and the mating connecting portion 614 (a first mating connecting portion 615 and a second mating connecting portion 616) of the first mating predetermined terminal 61, respectively.

[0166] (1.3.2.2) Mating terminal 7 to 10, the plurality of mating connection terminals 63 are located in the front-rear direction between the first predetermined mating terminal 61 and the second predetermined mating terminal 62. The plurality of mating connection terminals 63 are connected to the plurality of connection terminals 23 of the connector C1, respectively.

[0167] The plurality of mating connection terminals 63 are held by a pair of mating wall portions 52 of the mating housing 5. Here, six mating connection terminals 63 are held by a pair of mating wall portions 52, three on each side, lined up in the front-to-rear direction.

[0168] As shown in FIG. 8, the mating connection terminal 63 integrally includes a third mating contact portion 631, a fourth mating contact portion 632, a mating board connecting portion 633, and a mating linking portion 634.

[0169] The third mating contact portion 631 and the fourth mating contact portion 632 are portions of the mating connection terminal 63 that come into contact with the connection terminal 23 of the connector C1 in a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. The third mating contact portion 631 includes a third mating contact 6310 that comes into contact with a third contact 2310 of the connection terminal 23. The fourth mating contact portion 632 includes a fourth mating contact 6320 that comes into contact with a fourth contact 2320 of the connection terminal 23. The third mating contact portion 631 and the fourth mating contact portion 632 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

[0170] The third mating contact portion 631 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction along the left-right direction. The third mating contact portion 631 is flat. The third mating contact 6310 is formed on the surface of the third mating contact portion 631 opposite to the surface facing the fourth mating contact portion 632. The third mating contact portion 631 has a protrusion 6311 on the surface facing the fourth mating contact portion 632. The third mating contact 6310 includes the protrusion 6311.

[0171] The fourth mating contact portion 632 is plate-shaped with its thickness extending along the left-right direction. The fourth mating contact portion 632 is flat. The fourth mating contact portion 632 is located more inward than the third mating contact portion 631 in the left-right direction. The fourth mating contact 6320 is formed on the surface of the fourth mating contact portion 632 opposite to the surface facing the third mating contact portion 631. The fourth mating contact portion 632 has a recess 6321 on the surface opposite to the surface facing the third mating contact portion 631. The fourth mating contact 6320 includes the recess 6321.

[0172] The mating board connection portion 633 is configured to be connected to the mating circuit board B2. The mating board connection portion 633 is plate-shaped with its thickness direction aligned with the up-down direction. The mating board connection portion 633 is flat. The mating board connection portion 633 is fixed to and electrically connected to a pad on the mating circuit board B2, for example, by soldering. The mating board connection portion 633 is connected to the upper end of the third mating contact portion 631 via a curved portion.

[0173] The mating coupling portion 634 couples the third mating contact portion 631 and the fourth mating contact portion 632. The mating coupling portion 634 is a U-shaped plate that couples the lower end of the third mating contact portion 631 and the lower end of the fourth mating contact portion 632.

[0174] The mating connection terminal 63 is fixed to the mating housing 5. The mating connection terminal 63 is held by the mating housing 5 so as to straddle the left and right side surfaces of the mating side wall portion 52 of the mating housing 5.

[0175] The third mating contact portion 631 is fixed to the mating housing 5. The third mating contact portion 631 has a third mating contact 6310 arranged in a mating recess 54 and is held by the mating wall portion 52. The fourth mating contact portion 632 is fixed to the mating housing 5. The fourth mating contact portion 632 has a fourth mating contact 6320 arranged in a mating recess 55 and is held by the mating wall portion 52.

[0176] As shown in Fig. 10, the upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 633 is exposed from the mating housing 5. As shown in Fig. 15, the upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 633 is at the same position as the upper surface of the mating housing 5 in the vertical direction or higher than the upper surface of the mating housing 5 (higher in this embodiment). Also, the upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 633 is at the same position as the upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 613 of the first predetermined mating terminal 61 and the upper surface of the mating board connecting portion 623 of the second predetermined mating terminal 62 in the vertical direction. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the mating board connecting portion 633 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the mating inner bottom wall 511 of the mating housing 5.

[0177] (1.3.3) Opponent's Shield 7 to 10, the mating shield 7 includes a mating outer shield 71 and a mating inner shield 72. In a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected, the mating shield 7 is electrically connected to the shield 3 included in the connector C1.

[0178] (1.3.3.1) Mating outer shield The mating outer shield 71 contains a metal as a main material or a material such as plating that forms the surface. Here, as an example, the mating outer shield 71 is formed with a metal as a main material.

[0179] The mating outer shield 71 is connected to the outer shield 31 of the connector C1 in a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected.

[0180] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the mating outer shield 71 integrally includes a pair of first mating outer shields 711 and a pair of second mating outer shields 712.

[0181] 8 and 9, the pair of first mating outer shields 711 are formed on the left and right sides of the mating housing 5, elongated in the front-rear direction. The pair of first mating outer shields 711 face each other in the left-right direction. The first mating predetermined terminal 61, the second mating predetermined terminal 62, and a plurality of mating connection terminals 63 are arranged between the pair of first mating outer shields 711. In this way, the pair of first mating outer shields 711 are arranged facing each other in the left-right direction, with the first mating predetermined terminal 61 and the second mating predetermined terminal 62 sandwiched between them.

[0182] As shown in FIG. 8, the first mating outer shield 711 has a mating outer wall 7111 , a pair of mating extensions 7112 , a pair of additional extensions 7113 , and a mating flange 7114 .

[0183] The mating outer walls 7111 are wall-like and face each other over the entire front-rear direction of the mating housing 5. The mating outer walls 7111 are disposed outward relative to the mating housing 5 in the left-right direction.

[0184] The pair of mating extensions 7112 are arranged on both sides of the mating outer wall 7111 in the front-to-rear direction. The pair of mating extensions 7112 are L-shaped and curve inward from the lower ends of the front and rear parts of the mating outer wall 7111. The part between the pair of mating extensions 7112 in the front-to-rear direction is a part (central part in the front-to-rear direction) that corresponds to the mating inner bottom wall 511 of the mating housing 5. There is a gap between the pair of mating extensions 7112 in the front-to-rear direction, as no mating extensions 7112 are formed therebetween.

[0185] The pair of additional extensions 7113 curve inward in an L-shape and extend upward from the inner ends in the front-to-rear direction of each of the pair of mating extensions 7112. The additional extensions 7113 are inserted into retaining recesses 5310 formed in the underside of the mating partial wall portion 531 of the mating retaining wall portion 53 of the mating housing 5. The total of four additional extensions 7113 provided on the mating outer shield 71 are press-fitted into the total of four retaining recesses 5310 provided on the mating housing 5, thereby retaining the mating outer shield 71 in the mating housing 5. Since the mating outer shield 71 includes the additional extensions 7113, positioning of the mating outer shield 71 relative to the mating housing 5 can be easily performed.

[0186] The mating flange 7114 extends outward from the upper end of the mating outer wall 7111. The mating flange 7114 is a portion of the mating outer shield 71 that is connected to the mating circuit board B2. The mating flange 7114 is fixed and electrically connected to the ground pattern of the mating circuit board B2, for example, by soldering.

[0187] Here, the first mating outer shield 711 is longer in the front-to-rear direction than the mating housing 5. Therefore, the front and rear ends of the first mating outer shield 711 do not overlap with the mating housing 5 in the up-down direction. That is, the first mating outer shield 711 has non-overlapping portions 7119 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) at both ends in the front-to-rear direction that do not overlap with the mating housing 5 in the up-down direction. The non-overlapping portion 7119 of one first mating outer shield 711 faces the non-overlapping portion 7119 of the other first mating outer shield 711 across a space S1 when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0188] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the pair of second mating outer shields 712 are formed on the front and rear sides of the mating housing 5 and are elongated in the left-right direction. The pair of second mating outer shields 712 are arranged facing each other in the front-to-rear direction. Of the pair of second mating outer shields 712, the front second mating outer shield 712 is arranged forward with respect to the first predetermined mating terminal 61. The front second mating outer shield 712 is connected to the front end of the pair of first mating outer shields 711. Of the pair of second mating outer shields 712, the rear second mating outer shield 712 is arranged rearward with respect to the second predetermined mating terminal 62. The rear second mating outer shield 712 is connected to the rear end of the pair of first mating outer shields 711.

[0189] As shown in FIG. 8, the second mating outer shield 712 has a mating outer wall 7121 , a mating extension portion 7122 , and a mating flange portion 7123 .

[0190] The mating outer walls 7121 are wall-shaped and face each other across the entire left-right direction of the mating housing 5. The mating outer walls 7121 are disposed outward relative to the mating housing 5 in the front-rear direction.

[0191] The mating extension portion 7122 curves inward from the lower end of the mating outer wall 7121 .

[0192] The mating flange 7123 extends outward from the upper end of the mating outer wall 7121. The mating flange 7123 is a portion of the mating outer shield 71 that is connected to the mating circuit board B2. The mating flange 7123 is fixed and electrically connected to the ground pattern of the mating circuit board B2, for example, by soldering.

[0193] 9 and 10, the second mating outer shield 712 does not entirely overlap with the mating housing 5 in the vertical direction. The front second mating outer shield 712 faces the front end of the mating housing 5 across a space S1 when viewed from the vertical direction. The rear second mating outer shield 712 faces the rear end of the mating housing 5 across a space S1 when viewed from the vertical direction.

[0194] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the end of the first mating outer shield 711 and the end of the second mating outer shield 712 are connected, so that the mating outer shield 71 is formed into a rectangular frame shape surrounding a hollow space when viewed from below. Multiple mating terminals 6 are located inside the rectangular frame-shaped mating outer shield 71. In other words, the mating outer shield 71 surrounds the multiple mating terminals 6. The mating shield 7 also surrounds the multiple mating terminals 6. This improves electromagnetic shielding.

[0195] The outer surface of the mating outer shield 71 is seamless over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction.

[0196] (1.3.3.2) Mating inner shield The mating shield 7 includes two mating inner shields 72. The mating inner shields 72 contain metal as a main material or as a material such as plating that forms the surface. Here, as an example, the mating inner shield 72 is formed with metal as a main material.

[0197] In this embodiment, the two mating inner shields 72 have the same shape. The mating inner shields 72 are plate-shaped with their thickness direction along the front-rear direction. As shown in Fig. 8, the mating inner shield 72 integrally includes a mating base 721, a plurality (a pair) of first mating protrusions 722, and a plurality (a pair) of second mating protrusions 723.

[0198] The mating base portion 721 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction.

[0199] The first mating protrusions 722 protrude downward from the mating base 721. The pair of first mating protrusions 722 are provided at the lower end of the mating base 721 at positions symmetrical in the left-right direction.

[0200] The second mating protrusions 723 protrude downward from the mating base 721. The second mating protrusions 723 are located further outward in the left-right direction than the first mating protrusions 722. The pair of second mating protrusions 723 are provided at the lower end of the mating base 721 at positions symmetrical in the left-right direction.

[0201] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the mating inner shield 72 is held in the mating housing 5 by having the mating base 721 accommodated in the mating accommodating hole 5120 in the mating outer bottom wall 512 of the mating housing 5, the pair of first mating protrusions 722 accommodated in the pair of first mating accommodating grooves 5311 in the mating retaining wall portion 53, and the pair of second mating protrusions 723 pressed into the pair of second mating accommodating grooves 5312 (see Figure 8) in the mating retaining wall portion 53.

[0202] 9, the first mating predetermined terminal 61 is surrounded by the mating outer shield 71 (a pair of first mating outer shields 711 and a front second mating outer shield 712) and the front mating inner shield 72. The second mating predetermined terminal 62 is surrounded by the mating outer shield 71 (a pair of first mating outer shields 711 and a rear second mating outer shield 712) and the rear mating inner shield 72. In this way, the first mating predetermined terminal 61 is surrounded by the mating shield 71, and the second mating predetermined terminal 62 is surrounded by the mating shield 71.

[0203] In particular, the front mating inner shield 72 is aligned in the left-right direction with the front additional extension 7113 of one first mating outer shield 711 and the front additional extension 7113 of the other first mating outer shield 711. More specifically, the front additional extension 7113 of the left first mating outer shield 711, the front mating inner shield 72, and the front additional extension 7113 of the right first mating outer shield 711 are aligned on a straight line. This improves the electromagnetic shielding properties of the shield 3. Furthermore, the rear mating inner shield 72 is aligned in the left-right direction with the rear additional extension 7113 of one first mating outer shield 711 and the rear additional extension 7113 of the other first mating outer shield 711. More specifically, the rear additional extension 7113 of the left first mating outer shield 711, the rear mating inner shield 72, and the rear additional extension 7113 of the right first mating outer shield 711 are aligned on a straight line. This improves the electromagnetic shielding properties of the shield 3.

[0204] The mating inner shield 72 is connected to the mating circuit board B2. A mating base 721 of the mating inner shield 72 is fixed and electrically connected to the ground pattern of the mating circuit board B2, for example, by soldering, etc. This makes the mating outer shield 71 and the mating inner shield 72 at the same potential.

[0205] (1.4) Connecting a connector to a mating connector The connection between the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 12 to 20. FIG.

[0206] As shown in Figures 12, 15 to 20, the connector C1 is mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board B1. The mating connector C2 is mounted on the lower surface of the mating circuit board B2. In this state, for example, as shown in Figures 2, 12, 15, 17, and 19, the connector C1 is disposed below the mating connector C2 (a non-connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are not connected). Then, by moving the connector C1 upward and / or moving the mating connector C2 downward, the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are electrically and mechanically connected (a connected state of the connector C1 and the mating connector C2) as shown in Figures 1, 13, 16, 18, and 20.

[0207] 12 and 13, when transitioning from the non-connected state to the connected state, the first contact portion 211 of the first predetermined terminal 21 is pressed by the first mating contact portion 611 of the first mating predetermined terminal 61, causing the first linking portion 215 (specifically, the first curved portion 2152 and the second curved portion 2153) of the first predetermined terminal 21 to elastically deform. As a result, the first contact portion 211 moves to the right. Then, in the connected state, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 of the first predetermined terminal 21 come into contact with the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 of the first mating predetermined terminal 61, respectively, thereby electrically connecting the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61. At this time, the first contact 2110 of the first contact portion 211 elastically contacts the first mating contact 6110 of the first mating contact portion 611 due to an elastic restoring force that causes the first connecting portion 215 to return to its original shape.

[0208] 13 and 14, in the connected state, the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 of the first predetermined terminal 21 of the connector C1 are located between the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 of the first mating predetermined terminal 61 of the mating connector C2. Two conduction paths are formed between the board connection portion 213 of the first predetermined terminal 21 and the mating board connection portion 613 of the first mating predetermined terminal 61: a first path passing through the first contact portion 211 and the first mating contact portion 611, and a second path passing through the second contact portion 212 and the second mating contact portion 612. Note that the housing 1 and the mating housing 5 are not shown in FIG. 14.

[0209] Similarly, when transitioning from the non-connected state to the connected state, the first linking portion 225 of the second predetermined terminal 22 elastically deforms. Then, in the connected state, the first contact portion 221 and the second contact portion 222 of the second predetermined terminal 22 come into contact with the first mating contact portion 621 and the second mating contact portion 622 of the second mating predetermined terminal 62, respectively, thereby electrically connecting the second predetermined terminal 22 and the second mating predetermined terminal 62.

[0210] As shown in FIG. 12 , in a disconnected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are not connected, the first mating coupling portion 615 of the first mating predetermined terminal 61 of the mating connector C2 extends in the left-right direction. The first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 extend linearly in the up-down direction. When transitioning from the disconnected state to the connected state, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 , the second mating contact portion 612 contacts the second contact portion 212, causing the curved portion between the first mating coupling portion 615 and the second mating contact portion 612 to elastically deform. When transitioning from the disconnected state to the connected state, the right mating portion wall portion 531 in contact with the second mating contact portion 612 deforms outward in conjunction with the deformation of the second mating contact portion 612. Because the second mating contact portion 612 and the mating portion wall portion 531 deform in this manner, problems such as damage to the first mating predetermined terminal 61 can be suppressed. 13 and 14, in the connected state, the first mating contact portion 611 extends linearly in the vertical direction, while the second mating contact portion 612 extends obliquely relative to the vertical direction. The position of the second mating contact portion 612 relative to the first mating linking portion 615 in the connected state (see FIG. 13) is located outward in the left-right direction from the position of the second mating contact portion 612 relative to the first mating linking portion 615 in the non-connected state (see FIG. 12).

[0211] 15 and 16 , when transitioning from the non-connected state to the connected state, the fourth contact portion 232 of the connection terminal 23 is pressed by the fourth mating contact portion 632 of the mating connection terminal 63, causing the first linking portion 234 of the connection terminal 23 to elastically deform. As a result, the fourth contact portion 232 moves inward in the left-right direction. In the connected state, as shown in FIG. 16 , the third contact portion 231 and the fourth contact portion 232 of the connection terminal 23 come into contact with the third mating contact portion 631 and the fourth mating contact portion 632 of the mating connection terminal 63, respectively, thereby electrically connecting the connection terminal 23 and the mating connection terminal 63. At this time, the fourth contact 2320 of the fourth contact portion 232 elastically comes into contact with the fourth mating contact 6320 of the fourth mating contact portion 632 due to an elastic restoring force that attempts to return the first linking portion 234 to its original shape.

[0212] Furthermore, when transitioning from the unconnected state to the connected state, the first extension portion 3112 and the second extension portion 3113 of the first outer shield 311 come into contact with the mating outer wall 7111 of the first mating outer shield 711, as shown in Figures 12, 13, 15, and 16. Furthermore, when transitioning from the unconnected state to the connected state, the extension portion 3122 of the second outer shield 312 comes into contact with the mating outer wall 7121 of the second mating outer shield 712, as shown in Figures 17 to 20. As a result, in the connected state, the outer shield 31 and the mating outer shield 71 are electrically connected.

[0213] Furthermore, when transitioning from the unconnected state to the connected state, the pair of protrusions 322 of the inner shield 32 contacts the pair of first mating protrusions 722 of the mating inner shield 72. As a result, in the connected state, the inner shield 32 and the mating inner shield 72 are electrically connected.

[0214] Here, when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2, it is desirable that the connectors C1 and C2 be connected to each other in a state where they face each other directly (see FIGS. 12, 15, 17, and 19). However, because the connector set C100 is a very small component, having a length of about a few millimeters, the mating connector C2 may be connected to the connector C1 in a state where it is tilted relative to the connector C1. If the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a state where it is tilted relative to the connector C1, for example, the mating outer shield 71 of the mating connector C2 may come into contact with the first contact portion 211 or the second contact portion 212 of the first predetermined terminal 21 of the connector C1, which may cause a malfunction such as damage to the first contact portion 211 or the second contact portion 212.

[0215] In the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the housing 1 of the connector C1 includes a first end wall portion 15 having a first partition wall 151, a second partition wall 152, and a third partition wall 153. Therefore, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while tilted leftward as shown in Fig. 21, tilted rightward opposite to Fig. 21, or tilted forward as shown in Fig. 22, the mating outer shield 71 is less likely to come into contact with the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2.

[0216] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the connector C1 includes a guard 4 (first guard member 41 and second guard member 42) that covers at least a portion of the first end wall portion 15. That is, the guard 4 covers and protects at least a portion of the first end wall portion 15. Therefore, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while tilted leftward as shown in FIG. 21 , tilted rightward opposite to FIG. 21 , or tilted forward as shown in FIG. 22 , the mating outer shield 71 is less likely to come into contact with the first end wall portion 15. This makes it possible to prevent problems such as damage to the first end wall portion 15 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2. By preventing damage to the first end wall portion 15, damage to the contact portions (first contact portion 211 and second contact portion 212) is also prevented.

[0217] More specifically, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) has a first portion 411 that is disposed between the first outer shield 311 and the first predetermined terminal 21 and faces the first outer shield 311 in the left-right direction. This makes it difficult for the mating outer shield 71 to come into contact with the first end wall portion 15, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while tilted leftward, as shown in FIG. 21 . Furthermore, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) has a second portion 412 that faces the second outer shield 312 in the front-rear direction. This makes it difficult for the mating outer shield 71 to come into contact with the first end wall portion 15, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while tilted forward, as shown in FIG. 22 . Furthermore, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) has a corner portion 413 that connects the first portion 411 and the second portion 412. As a result, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a tilted state, the mating outer shield 71 is less likely to come into contact with the first end wall portion 15. In addition, the guard 4 includes a first guard member 41 and a second guard member 42 that are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction. As a result, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a tilted state to the opposite side (rightward) from that in FIG. 21 in the left-right direction, the mating outer shield 71 is less likely to come into contact with the first end wall portion 15.

[0218] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the guard 4 (the first guard member 41 or the second guard member 42) is disposed between one of the pair of first outer shields 311 and the first predetermined terminal 21 in the left-right direction. As a result, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while tilted left or right, the mating outer shield 71 contacts the guard 4 before the first predetermined terminal 21, making it less likely for the mating outer shield 71 to contact the first predetermined terminal 21. As a result, it is possible to prevent malfunctions such as damage to the first predetermined terminal 21 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2. Furthermore, since the mating outer shield 71 is less likely to contact the contact portions (the first contact portion 221 and the second contact portion 222), it is possible to prevent malfunctions such as damage to the contact portions of the first predetermined terminal 21.

[0219] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the front end of the guard 4 (the front end of the second portion 412 of the first guard member 41) is located at the same position in the front-rear direction as the front end of the first predetermined terminal 21 (the front end of the proximity portion 2162). As a result, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a tilted forward state, the mating outer shield 71 contacts the first predetermined terminal 21 (the proximity portion 2162) or the guard 4 before the first end wall portion 15. Furthermore, since it is less likely that the mating outer shield 71 will contact the guard 4 before the first predetermined terminal 21, it is less likely that the mating outer shield 71 will contact the first predetermined terminal 21. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the first end wall portion 15 and the first predetermined terminal 21 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2.

[0220] The front end of the guard 4 (the front end of the second portion 412 of the first guard member 41) may be located forward of the front end of the first predetermined terminal 21 (the front end of the proximity portion 2162) in the front-rear direction. This allows the mating outer shield 71 to come into contact with the guard 4 before the first predetermined terminal 21, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a tilted forward state. This makes it less likely that the mating outer shield 71 will come into contact with the contact portions (the first contact portion 221 and the second contact portion 222) of the first predetermined terminal 21. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the first end wall portion 15 and the first predetermined terminal 21 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2.

[0221] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the guard 4 (first guard member 41) has a board connecting portion 414. This allows the guard 4 to be firmly fixed to the circuit board B1. This prevents problems such as damage to the guard 4 and the housing 1 when the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are inserted or removed from each other.

[0222] In the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the housing 1 includes the second end wall portion 16, and the guard 4 includes the third guard member 43 and the fourth guard member 44. Therefore, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a state tilted backward, opposite to that shown in Fig. 22, the mating outer shield 71 is less likely to come into contact with the first contact portion 221 and the second contact portion 222 of the second predetermined terminal 22. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the first contact portion 221 and the second contact portion 222 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2.

[0223] In the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the guard 4, the first end wall portion 15, and the second end wall portion 16 can also prevent problems from occurring when disconnecting the mating connector C2 from the connector C1.

[0224] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the first predetermined terminal 21 has a proximity portion 2162 that covers a part of the housing 1 (the first end wall portion 15) from the front. This makes it difficult for the mating outer shield 71 to come into contact with the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 in a tilted forward state. This further reduces the occurrence of problems when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22.

[0225] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the first predetermined terminal 21 covers the upper surface of a portion (first end wall portion 15) of the housing 1. As a result, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while positioned relatively rearward as shown in FIG. 23 , the second mating outer shield 712 can be moved forward while sliding along the upper surface of the first predetermined terminal 21, thereby guiding the second mating outer shield 712 into the gap G1 between the second outer shield 312 and the first predetermined terminal 21. This improves the reliability of the connection between the connector C1 and the mating connector C2. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22.

[0226] (1.5) Connection status In a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected (see FIGS. 1, 11, 13, 16, 18, and 20), for example, a relatively high-frequency signal can be transmitted between the circuit board B1 and the mating circuit board B2 via the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61. Also, a relatively high-frequency signal can be transmitted via the second predetermined terminal 22 and the second mating predetermined terminal 62. Also, a relatively low-frequency signal can be transmitted via the connection terminal 23 and the mating connection terminal 63.

[0227] 14, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, in the connected state, two conduction paths are formed between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61: a first path passing through the first contact portion 211 and the first mating contact portion 611, and a second path passing through the second contact portion 212 and the second mating contact portion 612. As a result, even if a conduction failure or the like occurs in one of the first path or the second path, conduction can be maintained in the other path, thereby improving the reliability of conduction. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22 and the second mating predetermined terminal 62.

[0228] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the first contact portions 211 are movable relative to the housing 1 and come into elastic contact with the first predetermined mating terminals 61. This improves the contact reliability between the first predetermined terminals 21 and the first predetermined mating terminals 61, thereby improving signal transmission performance. Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the second contact portions 212 are fixed to the housing 1, which makes it possible to reduce the left-right size of the connector set C100 in the connected state compared to a case in which both the first contact portions and the second contact portions are movable. The same applies to the second predetermined terminals 22.

[0229] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, in the connected state, the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 of the connector C1 are located between the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612 of the mating connector C2. In other words, the first contact portion 211 elastically contacts the first mating contact portion 611 from the inside. This improves the contact reliability between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61, compared to when the first contact portion elastically contacts the first mating contact portion from the outside, thereby improving signal transmission performance. Furthermore, the horizontal size of the connector set C100 in the connected state can be reduced. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22.

[0230] In the connector set C100 of this embodiment, in the connected state, the third mating contact portion 631 and the fourth mating contact portion 632 of the mating connector C2 are located between the third contact portion 231 and the fourth contact portion 232 of the connector C1.

[0231] As shown in FIG. 11 , in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the second mating outer shield 712 does not entirely overlap with the mating housing 5 in the vertical direction. As a result, in the connected state, no resin member (such as a housing) is present in the area between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61 and the second outer shield 312 and the second mating outer shield 712 when viewed from the vertical direction, resulting in a large proportion of empty space. Therefore, the capacitance of the electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61 with respect to ground (the second outer shield 312 and the second mating outer shield 712) can be reduced compared to when a resin member is present. As a result, signal transmission performance can be improved when transmitting high-frequency signals through the electrical path including the first predetermined terminal and the first mating predetermined terminal. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22 and the second mating predetermined terminal 62.

[0232] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the first predetermined terminal 21 has a separation portion 2161 that is spaced from the side wall 310 of the outer shield 31 in the front-to-rear direction. This increases the shortest distance between the first predetermined terminal 21 and ground (the outer shield 31), thereby reducing the capacitance of the electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21 with respect to ground (the outer shield 31). As a result, signal transmission performance is improved when transmitting high-frequency signals through an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal. In particular, as shown in FIG. 20 , in the connected state, it is preferable that the distance between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the outer shield 31 and the mating outer shield 71 is approximately the same as the distance between the first predetermined terminal 21 and the inner shield 32 and the mating inner shield 72. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22.

[0233] 20 , in the connected state, the mating side wall 710 of the mating shield 7 (the mating outer side wall 7121 and mating extension portion 7122 of the front second mating outer shield 712) is located forward of and away from the first predetermined terminal 21. In the connected state, the separating portion 2161 of the first predetermined terminal 21 is farther from the mating side wall 710 than the adjacent portion 2162. This improves the signal transmission performance when transmitting a high-frequency signal through an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal. The same applies to the second predetermined terminal 22.

[0234] In addition, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the first guard member 41 and the second guard member 42 are separate bodies, so the area of the guard 4 that faces the outer shield 31 can be made smaller than when the first guard member and the second guard member are connected, thereby improving signal transmission performance. The same applies to the third guard member 43 and the fourth guard member 44.

[0235] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, the guard 4 (first guard member 41 to fourth guard member 44) is not in contact with the shield 3 and the mating shield 7 in the connected state. In this way, the guard 4 (first guard member 41 to fourth guard member 44) is electrically insulated from the mating shield 7 in the connected state. This prevents the guard 4 from coming into contact with the mating shield 7 and becoming at the same potential as the shield 3 when the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. As a result, it is possible to improve the signal transmission performance when transmitting a high-frequency signal through an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first mating predetermined terminal 61.

[0236] Furthermore, in the connector set C100 of this embodiment, in the connected state, the guard 4 does not overlap the mating shield 7 in the vertical direction. This prevents the guard 4 from coming into contact with the mating shield 7 and becoming at the same potential as the shield 3 when the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected. As a result, it is possible to improve the signal transmission performance when transmitting a high-frequency signal through an electrical path including the first predetermined terminal 21 and the first predetermined mating terminal 61.

[0237] (2) Variations The above embodiment is merely one of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above embodiment can be modified in various ways depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Modifications of the embodiment are listed below. The above embodiment and the modifications described below can be applied in appropriate combinations. In the following description of each modification, the description of the same configuration as the above embodiment may be omitted as appropriate.

[0238] In one modified example, at least a portion of at least one of the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 may be made of resin. The resin used to make the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 is preferably stronger than the resin used to make the housing 1. When the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 are made of resin, the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 may be formed integrally with the housing 1 by two-color molding. When the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44 are made of resin, they may be in contact with the terminals 2.

[0239] In one modification, the guard 4 may have at least one of the first guard member 41 to the fourth guard member 44.

[0240] In one modification, the first guard member 41 may have at least one of the first portion 411 and the second portion 412. The same applies to the second guard member 42 to the fourth guard member 44.

[0241] In one variant, the connector C1 may include a metal fitting instead of the outer shield 31. The metal fitting may be electrically isolated from the ground and the plurality of terminals 2. The metal fitting may also be used as a power terminal.

[0242] In one modification, the mating connector C2 may include a mating metal fitting instead of the mating outer shield 71. The mating metal fitting may be electrically insulated from the ground and the plurality of mating terminals 6. The mating metal fitting may be used as a power terminal.

[0243] In one modified example, the outer shield 31 does not necessarily have to seamlessly surround the plurality of terminals 2 in the circumferential direction, but may be divided with gaps in the circumferential direction. The same applies to the mating outer shield 71.

[0244] In one modified example, the intermediate portion 2163 does not have to extend diagonally upward and forward from the separation portion 2161, and may have a shape in which, for example, a portion extending linearly in the vertical direction and a portion extending linearly in the front-to-rear direction are connected in a side view, such as an L-shape.

[0245] (3) Mode As is clear from the above-described embodiments and modifications, the present specification discloses the following aspects.

[0246] A connector (C1) of a first aspect is mounted on a circuit board (B1) and connected to a mating connector (C2). The connector (C1) includes a plurality of terminals (2), a housing (1), and a shield (3). The plurality of terminals (2) includes a predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) located furthest forward in the front-to-rear direction. The housing (1) holds the plurality of terminals (2). The shield (3) is held by the housing (1). The shield (3) surrounds the predetermined terminal. The shield (3) has a side wall (310) located forward of the predetermined terminal. The mating connector (C2) includes a plurality of mating terminals (6) electrically connected to the plurality of terminals (2). The plurality of mating terminals (6) includes a mating predetermined terminal (first mating predetermined terminal 61) electrically connected to the predetermined terminal. The predetermined terminal has a contact portion (first contact portion 211 or second contact portion 212), a board connection portion (213), and a connecting portion (214). The contact portion includes a contact (first contact 2110 or second contact 2120) that comes into contact with a mating predetermined terminal. The board connection portion (213) is configured to be connected to the circuit board (B1). The connecting portion (214) connects the contact portion and the board connection portion (213). The connecting portion (214) has a separation portion (2161) and a proximity portion (2162). The separation portion (2161) is separated from the side wall (310) of the shield (3) in the front-to-rear direction. The separation portion (2161) is connected to the rear end of the board connection portion (213). The proximity portion (2162) is connected to the separation portion (2161). The proximity portion (2162) is disposed closer to the side wall (310) of the shield (3) than the separation portion (2161). The proximity portion (2162) faces the side wall (310) of the shield (3) across a gap (G1). The proximity portion (2162) covers a part (first end wall portion 15) of the housing (1) from the front. In the front-rear direction, the distance between the side wall (310) of the shield (3) and the contact portion is greater than the distance between the side wall (310) of the shield (3) and the proximity portion (2162).

[0247] According to this aspect, the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) has a separation portion (2161), which reduces the capacitance of the electrical path including the predetermined terminal relative to the ground (shield 3). As a result, signal transmission performance is improved when transmitting signals through an electrical path including the predetermined terminal. Furthermore, according to this aspect, the predetermined terminal has a proximity portion (2162) that covers a portion of the housing (1) (first end wall portion 15) from the front. Therefore, even if the mating connector (C2) approaches the connector (C1) while tilted forward, components of the mating connector (C2) (such as the mating outer shield 71) are less likely to come into contact with the housing (1). This makes it possible to prevent problems such as damage to the housing (1) when connecting the connector (C1) and the mating connector (C2).

[0248] In the second aspect of the connector (C1), in the first aspect, the separation portion (2161) and the proximity portion (2162) form a conductive path between the board connection portion (213) and the contact portion (first contact portion 211 or second contact portion 212).

[0249] According to this aspect, the signal transmission performance can be improved.

[0250] In the third aspect of the connector (C1), in the second aspect, the intermediate portion (2163) that connects the separated portion (2161) and the adjacent portion (2162) and forms part of the conductive path extends diagonally forward and upward from the separated portion (2161) and is connected to the adjacent portion (2162).

[0251] According to this aspect, it is possible to minimize the length of the conductive path between the distant portion (2161) and the close portion (2162), thereby improving the signal transmission performance when transmitting a signal through an electrical path including the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21).

[0252] In the connector (C1) of the fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, the intermediate portion (2163) connecting the separated portion (2161) and the adjacent portion (2162) is embedded in the housing (1).

[0253] According to this embodiment, deformation of the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) is prevented.

[0254] In the connector (C1) of the fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the separating portion (2161) is embedded in the housing (1).

[0255] According to this embodiment, deformation of the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) is prevented.

[0256] In a connector (C1) of a sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) has a first contact portion (211) and a second contact portion (212) aligned in the left-right direction. The contact portions are the first contact portion (211) and the second contact portion (212). The connecting portion (214) has a flat portion (2151) connected to the first contact portion (211) and the second contact portion (212). The flat portion (2151) includes a flat surface (2150) extending in the left-right direction. The flat surface (2150) protrudes upward from the housing (1).

[0257] According to this embodiment, it is possible to bring a probe into contact with the flat surface (2150), making it easy to check the continuity between the circuit board (B1) and the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21).

[0258] In a connector (C1) of a seventh aspect, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) has a first contact portion (211) and a second contact portion (212) aligned in the left-right direction. The contact portions are the first contact portion (211) and the second contact portion (212). The connecting portion (214) has a first connecting portion (215) connecting the first contact portion (211) and the second contact portion (212) and a second connecting portion (216) connecting the first connecting portion (215) and the board connecting portion (213).

[0259] According to this aspect, the signal transmission performance can be improved.

[0260] In the connector (C1) of the eighth aspect, in the seventh aspect, the second connecting portion (216) is located between the first contact portion (211) and the second contact portion (212) in the left-right direction.

[0261] According to this aspect, the signal transmission performance can be improved.

[0262] The connector C1 of a ninth aspect is the connector of any one of the first to eighth aspects, further comprising a guard 4. The guard 4 is held by the housing 1 and is electrically insulated from the shield 3 and the plurality of terminals 2. In the front-to-rear direction, the front end of the guard 4 is at the same position as the front end of the proximate portion 2162 of the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) or is further forward than the front end of the proximate portion 2162 of the predetermined terminal.

[0263] According to this aspect, when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2, the components of the mating connector C2 (such as the mating outer shield 71) are less likely to come into contact with the predetermined terminals (first predetermined terminals 21). As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the housing 1 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2.

[0264] A connector (C1) of a tenth aspect is connected to a mating connector (C2). The connector (C1) includes a predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) and a housing (1). The housing (1) holds the predetermined terminal. The mating connector (C2) includes a mating predetermined terminal (first mating predetermined terminal 61) electrically connected to the predetermined terminal. The predetermined terminal has a first contact portion (211), a second contact portion (212), a board connection portion (213), and a linking portion (214). The first contact portion (211) includes a first contact (2110) that contacts the mating predetermined terminal. The second contact portion (212) includes a second contact (2120) that contacts the mating predetermined terminal. The board connection portion (213) is configured to be connected to a circuit board (B1). The connecting portion (214) connects the first contact portion (211), the second contact portion (212), and the board connection portion (213). The connecting portion (214) is configured to be elastically deformable so that the first contact portion (211) can move in the left-right direction in which the first contact portion (211) and the second contact portion (212) are aligned. The second contact portion (2112) is fixed to the housing (1). The first contact (2110) is formed on the surface of the first contact portion (211) opposite the surface facing the second contact portion (212). The second contact (2120) is formed on the surface of the second contact portion (212) opposite the surface facing the first contact portion (211).

[0265] According to this embodiment, the first contact portion (211) elastically contacts the mating terminal (first mating terminal) from the inside in the left-right direction. This improves the contact reliability between the terminal (first terminal 21) and the mating terminal, thereby improving signal transmission performance. It also makes it possible to reduce the left-right size of the connector (C1).

[0266] In the connector (C1) of the eleventh aspect, in the tenth aspect, the connecting portion (214) has a flat portion (2151) including a flat surface (2150) extending in the left-right direction. The flat surface (2150) is exposed upward from the housing (1).

[0267] According to this embodiment, it is possible to bring a probe into contact with the flat surface (2150), making it easy to check the continuity between the circuit board (B1) and the predetermined terminal (21).

[0268] In the connector (C1) of the twelfth aspect, in the tenth or eleventh aspect, the connecting portion (214) has a curved portion (first curved portion 2152). The curved portion is connected to the first contact portion (211). The curved portion is curved so as to protrude downward.

[0269] According to this embodiment, the curved portion (first curved portion 2152) is U-shaped, which reduces the dimension in the left-right direction and improves the elastic force when the curved portion is elastically deformed. As a result, the contact reliability between the first contact portion (211) and the mating terminal (first mating terminal 61) is improved, and signal transmission performance is improved.

[0270] The connector (C1) of a thirteenth aspect is the same as any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, and further includes a connection terminal (23) held in the housing (1). The mating connector (C2) further includes a mating connection terminal (63) electrically connected to the connection terminal (23). The connection terminal (23) has a third contact portion (231) and a fourth contact portion (232). The third contact portion (231) includes a third contact (2310) that contacts the mating connection terminal. The fourth contact portion (232) includes a fourth contact (2320) that contacts the mating connection terminal. The fourth contact portion (232) faces the third contact portion (231). The third contact (2310) is formed on a surface of the third contact portion (231) that faces the fourth contact portion (232). The fourth contact point (2320) is formed on a surface of the fourth contact point portion (232) facing the third contact point portion (231).

[0271] According to this aspect, the signal transmission performance can be improved.

[0272] The connector (C1) of a fourteenth aspect is the connector of any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects, further comprising a shield (3). The shield (3) is held by the housing (1). The shield (3) surrounds the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21).

[0273] According to this aspect, the electromagnetic shielding properties are improved.

[0274] In a connector (C1) of a fifteenth aspect, in the fourteenth aspect, the housing (1) has a bottom wall (11) and an outer wall (12) protruding upward from the periphery of the bottom wall (11). The shield (3) has outer walls (3111, 3121) and extensions (second extensions 3113, extensions 3122). The outer wall is disposed outward from the outer wall (12). The extensions curve inward from the upper end of the outer wall and extend downward. The lowermost end of the extensions overlaps the uppermost end of the outer wall (12) of the housing (1) in the vertical direction via a gap (G10).

[0275] According to this aspect, the signal transmission performance can be improved.

[0276] The connector (C1) of a sixteenth aspect is the connector of any one of the tenth to fifteenth aspects, further including a first guard member (41) and a second guard member (42). The first guard member (41) and the second guard member (42) are held by the housing (1). The first guard member (41) and the second guard member (42) are electrically insulated from the shield (3) and the plurality of terminals (2). The first guard member (41) and the second guard member (42) are spaced apart in the left-right direction. A first contact portion (211) and a second contact portion (212) are located between the first guard member (41) and the second guard member (42) in the left-right direction.

[0277] According to this aspect, even if the mating connector C2 approaches the connector C1 while tilted to the left or right, the components of the mating connector C2 (such as the mating outer shield 71) are less likely to come into contact with the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 when connecting the connector C1 and the mating connector C2.

[0278] A connector set (C100) of a seventeenth aspect includes a connector (C1) of any one of the tenth to sixteenth aspects and a mating connector (C2). The mating predetermined terminal (first mating predetermined terminal 61) has a first mating contact portion (611), a second mating contact portion (612), a mating board connecting portion (613), and a mating coupling portion (614). The first mating contact portion (611) is fixed to the mating housing (5). The first mating contact portion (611) contacts the first contact portion (211). The second mating contact portion (612) is fixed to the mating housing (5). The second mating contact portion (612) contacts the second contact portion (212). The mating board connecting portion (613) is configured to be connected to a mating circuit board (B2). The mating coupling portion 614 couples the first mating contact portion 611, the second mating contact portion 612, and the mating board connection portion 613. In a connected state in which the connector C1 and the mating connector C2 are connected, the first contact portion 211 and the second contact portion 212 of the connector C1 are located between the first mating contact portion 611 and the second mating contact portion 612.

[0279] According to this embodiment, the first contact portion (211) elastically contacts the mating predetermined terminal (first mating predetermined terminal 61) from the inside in the left-right direction, thereby improving the contact reliability between the predetermined terminal (first predetermined terminal 21) and the mating predetermined terminal, and as a result, improving the signal transmission performance.

[0280] The connector set (C100) of the eighteenth aspect is the same as that of the seventeenth aspect, in which the mating housing (5) has a pair of mating portion walls (531) that are in contact with the first mating contact portion (611) and the second mating contact portion (612) respectively on the outer sides of the first mating contact portion (611) and the second mating contact portion (612) in the left-right direction. The position of the second mating contact portion (612) relative to the mating coupling portion (614) in the connected state is located outward in the left-right direction from the position of the second mating contact portion (612) relative to the mating coupling portion (614) in the non-connected state in which the connector (C1) and the mating connector (C2) are not connected.

[0281] According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects such as damage to the mating predetermined terminal (first mating predetermined terminal 61) due to deformation of the second mating contact portion (612) and the mating housing (5). [Explanation of symbols]

[0282] C100 Connector Set C1 Connector C2 Mating Connector 1. Housing 11 Bottom wall 12 Exterior Wall 15 First end wall portion (part of housing) 2 terminals 21 First predetermined terminal (predetermined terminal) 211 First contact part (contact part) 2110 First contact (contact) 212 Second contact part (contact part) 2120 Second contact (contact) 213 PCB connection part 214 Connecting part 215 1st connection part 2150 flat surface 2151 Flat area 2152 First curved section (curved section) 216 2nd connection part 2161 Separation part 2162 Proximal 2163 Middle section 23 Connection terminal 231 Third contact part 2310 Third Contact 232 Fourth contact part 2320 4th Contact 3 Shield 310 Side wall 3111 External wall 3113 Second extension (extension) 3121 External wall 3122 Extension 4 Guard 41 First guard member 42 Second guard member 5 Mating housing 6 Mating terminal 61 First mating terminal (mating terminal) 611 First mating contact part 612 Second mating contact part 613 Mating board connection part 614 Mating connection part 63 Mating connection terminal B1 Circuit Board B2 Mating circuit board G1 void G10 gap

Claims

1. A connector mounted on a circuit board and connected to a mating connector, The connector comprises: a plurality of terminals including a predetermined terminal disposed most forward in the front-rear direction; a housing for holding the plurality of terminals; a shield held by the housing, surrounding the predetermined terminal, and having a side wall positioned forward of the predetermined terminal; the mating connector includes a plurality of mating terminals electrically connected to the plurality of terminals, including a mating predetermined terminal electrically connected to the predetermined terminal; The predetermined terminal is a contact portion including a contact that comes into contact with the mating terminal; a board connection portion configured to be connected to the circuit board; a connecting portion that connects the contact portion and the board connection portion, The connecting portion is a separation portion that is separated from the side wall of the shield in the front-rear direction and is connected to a rear end of the board connection portion; a proximity portion that is connected to the separation portion, that is disposed closer to the side wall of the shield than the separation portion, that faces the side wall of the shield across a gap, and that covers a part of the housing from the front, a distance between the side wall of the shield and the contact portion in the front-rear direction is greater than a distance between the side wall of the shield and the proximity portion; connector.

2. the separated portion and the adjacent portion form a conductive path between the board connection portion and the contact portion; The connector according to claim 1 .

3. an intermediate portion that connects the separated portion and the adjacent portion and constitutes a part of the conductive path extends obliquely upward and forward from the separated portion and is connected to the adjacent portion; The connector according to claim 2 .

4. an intermediate portion connecting the distant portion and the adjacent portion is embedded in the housing; The connector according to claim 1 .

5. The spaced portion is embedded in the housing. The connector according to claim 1 .

6. the predetermined terminal has a first contact portion and a second contact portion aligned in the left-right direction, the contact portions being the first contact portion and the second contact portion; the connecting portion has a flat portion that includes a flat surface extending in the left-right direction and is connected to the first contact portion and the second contact portion, The flat surface projects upward from the housing. The connector according to claim 1 .

7. the predetermined terminal has a first contact portion and a second contact portion aligned in the left-right direction, the contact portions being the first contact portion and the second contact portion; The connecting portion is a first connecting portion connecting the first contact portion and the second contact portion; a second connecting portion that connects the first connecting portion and the board connecting portion, The connector according to claim 1 .

8. the second connecting portion is located between the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the left-right direction; The connector according to claim 7.

9. a guard carried by the housing and electrically insulated from the shield and the plurality of terminals; In the front-rear direction, a front end of the guard is at the same position as a front end of the proximal portion of the predetermined terminal, or is further forward than a front end of the proximal portion of the predetermined terminal. The connector according to claim 1 .

10. A connector to be connected to a mating connector, The connector comprises: A predetermined terminal; a housing for holding the predetermined terminal, the mating connector includes a mating predetermined terminal electrically connected to the predetermined terminal, The predetermined terminal is a first contact portion including a first contact that comes into contact with the mating terminal; a second contact portion including a second contact that comes into contact with the mating terminal; a board connection portion configured to be connected to a circuit board; a connecting portion that connects the first contact portion, the second contact portion, and the board connecting portion, the connecting portion is configured to be elastically deformable so that the first contact portion moves in a left-right direction in which the first contact portion and the second contact portion are aligned, the second contact portion is fixed to the housing, the first contact is formed on a surface of the first contact portion opposite to an opposing surface facing the second contact portion, The second contact is formed on a surface of the second contact portion opposite to an opposing surface facing the first contact portion. connector.

11. the connecting portion has a flat portion including a flat surface extending in the left-right direction, The flat surface projects upward from the housing. The connector of claim 10.

12. The connecting portion has a curved portion that is connected to the first contact portion and curved so as to protrude downward. The connector of claim 10.

13. Further, a connection terminal is held by the housing, the mating connector further includes a mating connection terminal electrically connected to the connection terminal, The connection terminal is a third contact portion including a third contact that comes into contact with the mating connection terminal; a fourth contact portion that includes a fourth contact that comes into contact with the mating connection terminal and faces the third contact portion, the third contact is formed on an opposing surface of the third contact portion that faces the fourth contact portion, The fourth contact is formed on an opposing surface of the fourth contact portion that faces the third contact portion. The connector of claim 10.

14. a shield held by the housing and surrounding the predetermined terminal; The connector of claim 10.

15. The housing has a bottom wall and an outer wall protruding upward from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall, The shield is an outer wall disposed outwardly relative to the outer wall; an extension portion that curves inward and extends downward from the upper end of the outer wall, a lowermost end of the extension portion overlaps with an uppermost end of the outer wall of the housing via a gap in the vertical direction; The connector of claim 14.

16. a first guard member and a second guard member held by the housing and electrically insulated from the shield and the plurality of terminals; The first guard member and the second guard member are disposed apart from each other in the left-right direction, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are located between the first guard member and the second guard member in the left-right direction; The connector of claim 10.

17. A connector according to any one of claims 10 to 16 and the mating connector, The mating predetermined terminal is a first mating contact portion fixed to a mating housing and in contact with the first contact portion; a second mating contact portion fixed to the mating housing and in contact with the second contact portion; a mating board connection portion configured to be connected to a mating circuit board; a mating connecting portion that connects the first mating contact portion, the second mating contact portion, and the mating board connecting portion, In a connected state in which the connector and the mating connector are connected, the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the connector are located between the first mating contact portion and the second mating contact portion. Connector set.

18. the mating housing has a pair of mating partial wall portions that are in contact with the first mating contact portion and the second mating contact portion, respectively, on the outer sides of the first mating contact portion and the second mating contact portion in the left-right direction, a position of the second mating contact portion relative to the mating coupling portion in the connected state being located outward in the left-right direction than a position of the second mating contact portion relative to the mating coupling portion in a non-connected state in which the connector and the mating connector are not connected; 18. The connector set of claim 17.

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