Connector and connector pair

Abstract

To provide a highly reliable connector and connector pair, exhibiting high strength while being compact and low-profile, and also capable of achieving high connection reliability and high shielding effects.SOLUTION: The first group of terminals includes mutually facing signal terminals, and the second group of terminals includes high frequency terminals arranged so as to form at least a pair of terminal rows extending in a first axial direction and located at least at both ends of each terminal row. One high frequency terminal is located on each side of each signal terminal in a second axial direction intersecting the first axial direction. Each terminal of the second group includes a body part, an elastically deformable contact part connected to an upper end of the body part, and a substrate connection part connected to a lower end of the body part and connected to a substrate. The substrate connection part extends in the second axial direction on a substrate plane, and the substrate connection part of the second group of terminals of one terminal row extends in a direction opposite to the substrate connection part of the second group of terminals of the other terminal row.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

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

[0003] FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a conventional connector.

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

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

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

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-177884 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the conventional connectors cannot adequately accommodate the miniaturization of components and the increasing signal speeds in recent electronic devices. Electronic devices such as laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, digital cameras, music players, game consoles, and navigation systems require smaller and thinner housings and correspondingly smaller and thinner components. Furthermore, higher signal speeds are also required to accommodate increases in communication data volume and higher communication and data processing speeds. However, the conventional connectors are unable to adequately meet the demand for smaller and thinner connectors because the dimensions of each part of the housing 811 are large, and reducing the dimensions of each part results in insufficient strength. Furthermore, as various signals become faster, the transmission of high-frequency signals is sometimes required. However, the conventional connectors do not provide sufficient electromagnetic shielding, making it impossible to transmit high-frequency signals. Furthermore, the contact reliability between the terminals and the mating terminals of the mating connector is insufficient, resulting in insufficient connection reliability with the mating connector.

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

[0010] To this end, the connector comprises a housing, first and second group terminals held in the housing, and a shield surrounding the housing, wherein the first group terminals include signal terminals facing each other, the second group terminals are arranged to form pairs of terminal rows extending in a first axial direction and include high-frequency terminals located at at least both ends of each terminal row, one high-frequency terminal is located on each side of each signal terminal in a second axial direction intersecting the first axial direction, and each second group terminal includes a main body portion, an elastically deformable contact portion connected to an upper end of the main body portion, and a board connection portion connected to a lower end of the main body portion and connected to a board, the board connection portion extending in the second axial direction on a plane of the board, and the board connection portion of the second group terminals of one terminal row extends in a direction opposite to the board connection portion of the second group terminals of the other terminal row.

[0011] In other connectors, when the connector is mated with a mating connector, the contact portions of each second group terminal elastically deform in the second axial direction, and the contact portions of the second group terminals in one terminal row elastically deform in the opposite direction to the contact portions of the second group terminals in the other terminal row.

[0012] In still another connector, the direction in which the contact portion elastically deforms is opposite to the direction in which the board connecting portion extends.

[0013] In yet another connector, the second group terminals further include ground terminals, which are located between at least one pair of high-frequency terminals in each terminal row, and the first group terminals are arranged in a first axial direction.

[0014] In yet another connector, the contact portion further includes a convex contact that protrudes in the second axial direction.

[0015] In still another connector, a conductive member is further provided between the first group terminals and the second group terminals, and the conductive member includes a board connecting portion that is connected to a board.

[0016] A connector pair includes a connector of the present disclosure and a mating connector that mates with the connector.

[0017] In another connector pair, the mating connector further comprises a mating housing, first and second group terminals held in the mating housing, and a mating shield surrounding the mating housing, and when the mating connector is opposed to the connector, the board connection portions of the second group terminals of the mating connector extend in the same direction as but opposite to the board connection portions of the second group terminals of the connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present disclosure, the connector and connector pair are small and low-profile, yet exhibit high strength, and can achieve high connection reliability and high shielding effect, thereby improving reliability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a first perspective view of a first connector and a second connector before they are mated together in the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a second perspective view of the first connector and the second connector before they are mated together in the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are perspective views of a first connector according to the present embodiment, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are three-sided views of a first connector according to the present embodiment, in which (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, (b) is a first side view, and (c) is a second side view. [Figure 5] 3 is a plan view of the mounting surface side of the first connector in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are perspective views of a first housing of a first connector according to the present embodiment, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are perspective views of the first connector according to the present embodiment, in which terminals and a ground plate are attached to the first housing, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the first connector according to the present embodiment, as viewed from the mating surface side, and FIG. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are two-sided views of the first connector according to the present embodiment, with terminals and a ground plate attached to the first housing, where FIG. 1A is a plan view of the mating surface side, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are two-sided views of the first housing of the first connector in this embodiment, with terminals, a ground plate, a protector, and a first shield attached to the first housing, where (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow B in (a). [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are perspective views of a second connector according to the present embodiment, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are three-sided views of a second connector according to the present embodiment, in which (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, (b) is a first side view, and (c) is a second side view. [Figure 13] 4 is a plan view of the mounting surface side of the second connector in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the second connector according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] 5A and 5B are perspective views of a second housing of a second connector according to the present embodiment, where FIG. 5A is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side. [Figure 16]10A and 10B are perspective views showing a state in which terminals are attached to a second housing of a second connector in the present embodiment, where FIG. 10A is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and FIG. 10B is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side. [Figure 17] 10A and 10B are two-sided views of a state in which terminals are attached to a second housing of a second connector in the present embodiment, where (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow CC in (a). [Figure 18] 10A and 10B are two-sided views showing a state in which terminals and a second shield are attached to a second housing of a second connector in this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow D in (a). [Figure 19] 1A and 1B are perspective views of the state in which the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment have been fully mated, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view seen from the second connector side, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view seen from the first connector side. [Figure 20] 1A and 1B are three-sided views of the state in which the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment have been completely mated, where (a) is a plan view seen from the second connector side, (b) is a first side view, and (c) is a second side view. [Figure 21] 10 is a plan view seen from the first connector side in a state where the first connector and the second connector in the embodiment have been completely mated. FIG. [Figure 22] 20(a) and 20(b) are cross-sectional views of the first set in the state where the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is completed, where (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the EE arrow in FIG. 20(a), and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the FF arrow in FIG. 20(a). [Figure 23] 20(a) and 20(b) are cross-sectional views of the second set in the state where the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is completed, where (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow GG in FIG. 20(a), and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow HH in FIG. 20(a). [Figure 24] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 is a first oblique view of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment before they are mated, Figure 2 is a second oblique view of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment before they are mated, Figure 3 is an oblique view of the first connector in this embodiment, Figure 4 is a three-sided view of the first connector in this embodiment, Figure 5 is a plan view of the mounting surface side of the first connector in this embodiment, Figure 6 is an exploded oblique view of the first connector in this embodiment, Figure 7 is an oblique view of the first housing of the first connector in this embodiment, Figure 8 is an oblique view of the first housing of the first connector in this embodiment with terminals and a ground plate attached, Figure 9 is a two-sided view of the first housing of the first connector in this embodiment with terminals and a ground plate attached, and Figure 10 is a two-sided view of the first housing of the first connector in this embodiment with terminals, a ground plate, a protector and a first shield attached. 3, (a) is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side; in FIG. 4, (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, (b) is a first side view, and (c) is a second side view; in FIGS. 7 and 8, (a) is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side; in FIG. 9, (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (a); and in FIG. 10, (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B in (a).

[0022] In the figures, reference numeral 10 denotes a connector in this embodiment, which is a first connector serving as one of a pair of board-to-board connectors. The first connector 10 is a surface-mount receptacle connector mounted on the surface of a first substrate, which is a substrate (not shown) serving as a mounting member, and is mated with a second connector 101 serving as a mating connector. The second connector 101 is the other of the pair of board-to-board connectors, and is a surface-mount plug connector mounted on the surface of a second substrate, which is a substrate (not shown) serving as a mounting member.

[0023] The first connector 10 and the second connector 101 of the connector pair in this embodiment are preferably used to electrically connect a first substrate and a second substrate as substrates, but can also be used to electrically connect other members. The first substrate and the second substrate are, for example, printed circuit boards, flexible flat cables (FFC), flexible circuit boards (FPC), etc. used in electronic devices, but may be any type of substrate.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the expressions indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, rear, length, width, etc. used to explain the configuration and operation of each part of the first connector 10 and second connector 101 of the connector pair are relative rather than absolute, and are appropriate when each part of the first connector 10 and second connector 101 is in the position shown in the figure, but if the position changes, they should be interpreted differently in accordance with the change in position.

[0025] The first connector 10 has a first shield 50 as a first outer shield, which is a shield formed by processing such as punching and drawing on a conductive metal plate, and a first housing 11 as a housing of the first connector 10, which is integrally formed from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The first housing 11 has a flat bottom plate 18, first protrusions 13 as protrusions protruding upward from the top surface of the bottom plate 18, and corner portions 17 protruding upward from the four corners of the bottom plate 18.

[0026] The corner portions 17 are portions that are connected to the first shield 50 when the first shield 50 is integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. That is, the first housing 11 is molded by filling an insulating material such as synthetic resin into the cavity of a mold in which the first shield 50 has been set beforehand, and the first housing 11 is integrally connected to the first shield 50 at the corner portions 17. Therefore, the first housing 11 and the first shield 50 do not exist separately, but for convenience of explanation, in FIG. 6 , the first housing 11 and the first shield 50 are shown as if they exist separately.

[0027] 6 to 9, each corner portion 17 has a shape similar to one of the quartered cylindrical walls, and includes an upper wall portion 17a having an arc-like shape with a central angle of approximately 90 degrees in plan view, a cylindrical outer wall portion 17b extending downward (in the negative Z-axis direction) from the outer edge of the upper wall portion 17a, a cylindrical inner wall portion 17c extending downward from the inner edge of the upper wall portion 17a, and a pair of planar side wall portions 17d extending downward from the edge of the upper wall portion 17a corresponding to both ends of the arc with a central angle of approximately 90 degrees. The inner wall portion 17c has a shield receiving portion 17e recessed to receive the inner wall 51 at the corner portion 50c of the first shield 50. The lower end of the inner wall portion 17c is connected to the tip of a connecting portion 18a extending outward from each of the four corners of the bottom plate 18. Incidentally, inclined surfaces 17f consisting of inclined planes or curved surfaces are formed at various locations on the mating surface 10a side of the corners 17. As a result, when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, even if the corners 17 come into contact with components of the second connector 101, the relative movement between the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 is smooth, and the mating operation can be completed smoothly.

[0028] The first protrusion 13 is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped member extending in the width direction of the first connector 10 (the Y-axis direction as the first axial direction), and includes a pair of outer protrusions 13a extending in the width direction of the first connector 10 on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the first connector 10 (the X-axis direction as the second axial direction), an inner protrusion 13b extending in the width direction of the first connector 10 at the center in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of slit-shaped first grooves 13c extending in the width direction and formed to separate the outer protrusions 13a on both sides from the inner protrusions 13b. Note that the expressions "longitudinal direction" and "width direction" are not absolute and are merely used to indicate the direction (X-axis direction) and the direction (Y-axis direction) in which the external dimensions of the first connector 10 in the example shown in the figure are relatively long and relatively short, respectively; the first connector 10 may also be configured so that the length in the X-axis direction is shorter than the length in the Y-axis direction. In addition, inclined surfaces 13f consisting of inclined planes or curved surfaces are formed at various locations on the mating surface 10a side of the first protrusion 13. As a result, even if the first protrusion 13 abuts against a member of the second connector 101 when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, the relative movement between the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 is smooth, and the mating operation can be completed smoothly.

[0029] Furthermore, second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a serving as a plurality of outer cavities are formed on a side surface of outer protrusion 13a on the outer side in the X-axis direction, and ground plate contact portion-accommodating cavities 15b serving as a plurality of inner cavities are formed on a side surface of outer protrusion 13a on the inner side in the X-axis direction. In the example shown in the figure, second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a and ground plate contact portion-accommodating cavities 15b are formed to penetrate bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction (Z-axis direction as the third axial direction). Note that bottom plate 18 may have a lower surface 18d, which is the surface on the negative side in the Z-axis direction, formed with a plurality of recessed surfaces 18e recessed further in the positive direction in the Z-axis than lower surface 18d.

[0030] A plurality of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a (three in the illustrated example) are formed side by side in the width direction at a predetermined pitch (e.g., 0.35 mm). The pitch and number of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a can be changed as appropriate. A plurality of second group terminals 71, which are accommodated in each of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a and attached to the first housing 11, are also arranged at the same pitch on both outer sides of each first protrusion 13. That is, a plurality of the second group terminals 71 of the first connector 10 are arranged along each of the mating short-side accommodating recesses 12c to form a second group terminal row as a pair of parallel terminal rows.

[0031] The second group terminals 71 are a high-frequency terminal group and include first high-frequency terminals 71A as high-frequency terminals. The second group terminals 71 may also include a first ground terminal 71B as a ground terminal. In the example shown in the figure, each second group terminal row includes a pair of first high-frequency terminals 71A and one first ground terminal 71B, with the first high-frequency terminals 71A arranged at both ends of the second group terminal row and the first ground terminal 71B arranged between the first high-frequency terminals 71A at both ends. The number and arrangement of the first high-frequency terminals 71A and first ground terminals 71B in each second group terminal row are not limited to the example shown in the figure and can be changed as appropriate.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the first high-frequency terminal 71A and the first ground terminal 71B have the same shape, configuration, and dimensions, and when describing the first high-frequency terminal 71A and the first ground terminal 71B collectively, they will be described as the second group terminals 71.

[0033] A ground plate 85 serving as a first ground is accommodated and held within the ground plate contact portion accommodating cavity 15b. The ground plate 85 is a conductive member integrally formed by punching, bending, or other processes on a conductive metal plate, and as shown in Fig. 6, includes a generally T-shaped central portion 86 and a pair of end portions 87 connected to both ends of the central portion 86. Each end portion 87 is a roughly arch- or fork-shaped member having two legs, with an upper central end connected to an upper connection portion 87a and a tail portion 88 serving as a board connection portion connected to the lower ends of the outer legs in the width direction (Y-axis direction).

[0034] The upper connection portion 87a has a substantially U-shaped shape when viewed from the side (Y-axis direction), is curved by 180 degrees or more, and its tip (lower end) faces diagonally downward toward the end portion 87. The upper connection portion 87a includes a contact portion 87b that is a curved portion that bulges out in a direction away from the end portion 87. The contact portion 87b is a portion that comes into contact with the partition wall 155 of the second shield 150 included in the second connector 101.

[0035] Furthermore, the tail portion 88 is connected to the lower end of the leg portion of the end portion 87 so as to be bent at approximately 90 degrees, and extends in the same direction as the bulging direction of the contact portion 87b. That is, when the ground plate 85 is attached to the first housing 11, the tail portion 88 extends inward in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first connector 10, and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad linked to a conductive trace on the first board. Note that the conductive trace is assumed to be a ground line.

[0036] The ground plate 85 is fixed to the first housing 11 by being press-fitted into the ground plate contact portion-accommodating cavity 15b from the mounting surface 10b, which is the underside (negative surface in the Z-axis direction) of the first connector 10. The ground plate 85 does not necessarily have to be attached to the first housing 11 by press-fitting, but may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, the ground plate 85 is described here as being press-fitted and held in the ground plate contact portion-accommodating cavity 15b. As shown in FIG. 9 , when the ground plate 85 is held in the ground plate contact portion-accommodating cavity 15b, at least the contact portions 87b of the upper connection portions 87a protrude into the first grooves 13c and can come into contact with the partition walls 155 of the second shield 150 that extend into the first grooves 13c.

[0037] Furthermore, a protector 80 is attached to the inner protrusion 13b. The protector 80 is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and bending, and as shown in Fig. 6, has a pair of side plates 81 extending in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13 and a pair of end plates 82 extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13. Each side plate 81 is a flat member extending in the width direction (Y-axis direction) and up-down direction (Z-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13, and a pair of legs 81b extending downward are connected to the vicinity of both ends. Each end plate 82 includes a flat main body portion 82c extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) and up-down direction (Z-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13, a flat upper plate portion 82a extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) and width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13, and a connecting portion 82b curved at approximately 90 degrees to connect the upper end of the main body portion 82c to the outer end of the first protrusion 13 in the width direction on the upper plate portion 82a. The outer end of the first protrusion 13 in the longitudinal direction on the upper plate portion 82a is connected to the upper ends of the side plates 81 near both ends by curved connecting plates 83.

[0038] The inner protrusion 13b is accommodated in an internal space 80a defined on all four sides by the side plates 81 and the end plates 82. The upper part of the internal space 80a is widely open, so that the upper plate portion 82a and the first group of terminals 61 do not overlap each other when viewed from the Z-axis direction. Therefore, even if an excessive load is applied from above to the upper plate portion 82a during a fitting operation or the like, a situation in which the upper plate portion 82a and the first group of terminals 61 come into contact with each other and cause a short circuit is avoided.

[0039] Furthermore, tail portions 84 serving as board connection portions are connected to the lower ends of the main body portion 82c of each end plate 82 near both ends. The tail portions 84 are connected to the lower ends of the main body portion 82c so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, and extend outward in the width direction of the first protrusion 13. That is, when the protector 80 is attached to the first housing 11, the tail portions 84 extend outward in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first connector 10, and are connected by soldering or the like to connection pads linked to conductive traces on the first board. Note that the conductive traces are assumed to be ground lines.

[0040] The protector 80 is fixed to the first housing 11 by being fitted onto the mating surface 10a, which is the top surface (the surface in the positive direction of the Z axis) of the first connector 10, so as to cover at least a portion of the outer surface of the inner protrusion 13b. Note that the protector 80 does not necessarily have to be attached to the first housing 11 by being fitted onto it, and may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for the sake of convenience, the protector 80 will be described here as being fitted onto the outside of the inner protrusion 13b and held thereon. When the protector 80 is attached to the first housing 11, each side plate 81 covers at least a portion of the side wall of the inner protrusion 13b within each first groove 13c, faces the contact portion 87b of the ground plate 85, and can come into contact with the partition wall 155 of the second shield 150 that enters the first groove 13c. Furthermore, the outer end of the inner protrusion 13b in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first connector 10 is covered by the end plate 82, and is therefore protected from damage and deformation.

[0041] Further, on the outer sides of both ends in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13, mating long side accommodating recesses 12b are formed as recesses into which the long side portions 150a of the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 enter, and on the outer sides of both ends in the length direction (X-axis direction) of the first protrusion 13, i.e., on the outer sides of the outer protrusions 13a, mating short side accommodating recesses 12c are formed as recesses into which the short side portions 150b of the second side wall portions 112 and second shield 150 of the second connector 101 enter. In the example shown in the figure, the mating long side accommodating recesses 12b and the mating short side accommodating recesses 12c are formed so as to penetrate the bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction, but they do not necessarily have to penetrate the bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction.

[0042] Long side recesses 18b are formed in the bottom plate 18 on the widthwise outer sides of the first protrusions 13, and short side recesses 18c are formed in the bottom plate 18 on the longitudinal outer sides of the first protrusions 13. This allows the bottom plate 18 to be formed with small dimensions in the widthwise and longitudinal directions.

[0043] Furthermore, first group terminal accommodating recesses 16 are formed near both ends in the width direction of the first protrusion 13. The first group terminal accommodating recesses 16 are through holes formed so as to penetrate the bottom plate 18 in the plate thickness direction (Z-axis direction). In the example shown in the figure, two first group terminal accommodating recesses 16 are formed, one near each end in the width direction of the inner protrusion 13b, for a total of two, but the number and arrangement can be changed as appropriate. First group terminals 61, which are terminals accommodated in each first group terminal accommodating recess 16 and attached to the first housing 11, are also arranged one by one near both ends in the width direction of the inner protrusion 13b, facing each other. The first group terminals 61 are terminals of a signal terminal group including a pair of signal terminals serving as low-frequency terminals facing each other.

[0044] The first group terminal accommodating recess 16 has a roughly rectangular through-hole shape when viewed from above, and has first group terminal accommodating grooves 16a as signal terminal accommodating grooves extending in the vertical direction formed on the inner wall surface at both outer ends in the width direction (Y-axis direction), and contact portion accommodating recesses 16b formed so as to recess into the inner wall surface at both inner ends in the width direction.

[0045] The first shield 50 is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and drawing, and as shown in the figure, is a substantially rectangular frame-like member when viewed from above, i.e., in a plan view, and surrounds the periphery of the first housing 11. The first shield 50 includes a plurality of long side portions 50a (a pair in the example shown in the figure) extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 10, a plurality of short side portions 50b (a pair in the example shown in the figure) extending linearly in the width direction of the first connector 10, and a plurality of corner portions 50c (four in the example shown in the figure) as curved portions curved at approximately 90 degrees and connecting one end of the long side portion 50a with one end of the short side portion 50b.

[0046] The first shield 50 also includes an outer wall 52, an inner wall 51 that is substantially parallel to the outer wall 52 on the inside of the outer wall 52, and a connecting portion 53 that connects and integrates the upper end of the outer wall 52 with the upper end of the inner wall 51. The outer wall 52 is a continuous wall around the entire periphery, whereas the inner wall 51 is separated into a fitting spring portion 51a and a fitting positioning portion 51b by slits 53a formed in portions of the long side portion 50a and the short side portion 50b near the corner portion 50c. The space surrounded by the portions of the inner wall 51 that correspond to the long side portion 50a, the short side portion 50b, and the corner portion 50c forms an accommodating portion 50d into which the second connector 101, which is a plug connector, is inserted and accommodated.

[0047] The mating spring portions 51a are linearly extending portions included within the ranges of the long sides 50a and the short sides 50b, and function as ground springs that elastically contact an outer wall 152 of a second shield 150 of the second connector 101 when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, thereby maintaining electrical continuity between the first shield 50 and the second shield 150. The mating positioning portions 51b are portions where a part of the long side portion 50a and a part of the short side portion 50b are connected to both sides of a curved corner portion 50c, and guide the second connector 101 inserted into the accommodating portion 50d when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated. Specifically, the second connector 101 is inserted into the accommodating portion 50d while the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 is in contact with the mating positioning portions 51b, thereby positioning the second connector 101 relative to the first connector 10.

[0048] The fitting spring portion 51a has an upper end connected to the lower end of the connecting portion 53, and includes an inclined surface portion 51d extending diagonally downward inward of the accommodating portion 50d, an engaging protrusion 51c formed at the lower end of the inclined surface portion 51d and protruding inward of the accommodating portion 50d, and an inner wall lower portion 51e extending substantially vertically downward from the lower end of the engaging protrusion 51c. The engaging protrusion 51c is a portion that engages with an engaging protrusion 152c formed on an outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, and extends linearly in the longitudinal or width direction of the first connector 10. Each fitting spring portion 51a is not connected to the first housing 11, and both ends thereof are separated from other portions by slit portions 53a, so that it is relatively flexible and can be elastically deformed in the direction of approaching or moving away from the outer wall 52.

[0049] Furthermore, the corner portion 50c included in the fitting positioning portion 51b is a portion that is connected to the first housing 11 when the first shield 50 is integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding, and specifically, is a portion that is integrated with the corner portion 17. Note that other portions of the first shield 50 are separated from the first housing 11. Therefore, when the first shield 50 and the first housing 11 are integrated, the outer wall 52 and the connecting portion 53 at the corner portion 50c cover the outer wall portion 17b and the upper wall portion 17a at the corner portion 17. Furthermore, the inner wall 51 at the corner portion 50c is accommodated in a shield accommodating portion 17e formed in the inner wall portion 17c at the corner portion 17.

[0050] This ensures that the corner portion 50c and the corner portion 17 are securely integrated and inseparable. The corner portion 50c is integrated with the corner portion 17 of the first housing 11, and the space defined by at least the outer wall 52, the inner wall 51, and the connecting portion 53 is filled with the insulating material that constitutes the first housing 11. That is, the corner portion 50c is robust because the constituent material of the first housing 11 is filled on its back side. It is desirable that the constituent material of the first housing 11 also be present in the slit portions 53a on both sides of the corner portion 50c. Furthermore, the mating positioning portion 51b, including the corner portion 50c, is highly robust and therefore will not deform or break even if it comes into contact with the portion of the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 near the mating surface 101a.

[0051] A flange portion 54, which serves as a flat board connection portion and extends outward, is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 52 via a curved portion 52a that is curved at approximately 90 degrees. The curved portion 52a and the flange portion 54 are connected continuously around the entire periphery to the lower end of the outer wall 52. In the example shown in the figure, small notches 54a are formed in multiple locations on the flange portion 54, but the notches 54a can be omitted as appropriate.

[0052] The flange portion 54 functions as a board connection portion, its lower surface being parallel to the surface of the first board and connected to a connection pad on the surface by soldering or the like. The connection pad is typically connected to a ground line. The outer wall 52 is a continuous wall around its entire periphery. In addition, its upper end is connected to a portion that is continuous at the connecting portion 53 and includes a portion that extends perpendicular to the outer wall 52 in its cross section. The lower end is a continuous member like the flange portion 54, and is connected to a member that extends perpendicular to the outer wall 52 in the cross section. This provides relatively high rigidity and resistance to deformation. In this embodiment, the flange portion 54 is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 52 continuously around its entire periphery. However, if relatively high rigidity is not required, the flange portion 54 may be connected to only a portion of the outer wall 52.

[0053] When the first housing 11 is connected to the first shield 50 in the accommodating portion 50d, the accommodating portion 50d has a first recess 12 surrounded by an inner wall 51 and defined below by a bottom plate 18, the first recess 12 being adapted to mate with the second connector 101. As described above, a pair of slit-shaped first grooves 13c extending in the width direction are formed between the outer protrusions 13a on both sides of the inner protrusions 13b. Furthermore, as part of the first recess 12, a mating long side accommodating recess 12b is formed as a space between the outer sides of both widthwise ends of the first protrusion 13 and the inner wall 51 of the long side portion 50a, and a mating short side accommodating recess 12c is formed as a space between the outer sides of both longitudinal ends of the first protrusion 13 and the inner wall 51 of the short side portion 50b.

[0054] The first group terminals 61 are members integrally formed by punching, bending, or other processes on a conductive metal plate, and include a held portion 63 as a main body portion, a tail portion 62 as a board connecting portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 63 so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, an outer connecting portion 65 as a curved contact portion connected to the upper end of the held portion 63, and a lower connecting portion 64 with a substantially U-shaped side surface connected to the lower end of the outer connecting portion 65, and a contact portion 65a curved so as to bulge inward in the width direction of the first connector 10 is formed near the lower end of the outer connecting portion 65, and further includes an inner connecting portion 66 as a contact portion connected to the tip of the lower connecting portion 64. The inner connecting portion 66 is bent and connected to the lower connecting portion 64, extends upward (in the positive direction of the Z axis), and a contact portion 66a curved so as to bulge toward the contact portion 65a is formed near its upper end. Like the contact portion 65a of the outer connection portion 65, the contact portion 66a is a portion that comes into contact with the first group terminals 161 of the second connector 101. That is, the first group terminals 61 in this embodiment include the contact portion 65a of the outer connection portion 65 and the contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66 that face each other, and are configured to make two-point contact with the first group terminals 161 of the second connector 101. When the first group terminals 61 are attached to the first housing 11, the contact portion 65a of the outer connection portion 65 and the contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66 face each other within the first group terminal accommodating recess 16.

[0055] The first group terminals 61 are press-fitted into the first group terminal accommodating recesses 16 from the mounting surface 10b side, which is the lower surface (surface in the negative direction of the Z axis) of the first connector 10, and the held portions 63 are sandwiched from both sides by the inner side surfaces of the first group terminal accommodating grooves 16a, thereby being fixed to the first housing 11. Note that the first group terminals 61 do not necessarily have to be attached to the first housing 11 by press-fitting, and may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, a case will be described here in which the held portions 63 are press-fitted and held in the first group terminal accommodating grooves 16a.

[0056] The tail portion 62 is connected to the lower end of the held portion 63 so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, extends outward in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), i.e., the width direction of the first connector 10, and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace on the first board. The conductive trace may be a power line for supplying power, but is typically a signal line. The signal line will be described as one that does not transmit high-frequency signals but transmits low-frequency signals with frequencies lower than high-frequency signals (e.g., frequencies less than 10 GHz). The tail portion 62 is visible when viewed from the mating direction of the first connector 10, i.e., from the mating face 10a side.

[0057] The second group terminals 71 are members integrally formed by punching, bending, or other processes on a conductive metal plate, and include a held portion 73 as a main body, a tail portion 72 as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 73 so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, and an upper connection portion 75 as an elastically deformable contact portion connected to the upper end of the held portion 73. The upper connection portion 75 has a substantially U-shaped shape when viewed from the side (Y-axis direction), is curved at an angle of 180 degrees or more, and its tip (lower end) faces diagonally downward toward the held portion 73. The tail portion 72 has a substantially L-shaped shape when viewed from the side, is curved at an angle of 90 degrees, and extends in an L-shape from one end of the U. The upper connection portion 75 includes a contact portion 75a that is a curved portion that bulges out in a direction away from the held portion 73. The contact portion 75a is a portion that comes into contact with the second group terminals 171 of the second connector 101, and is a convex contact point that protrudes in the X-axis direction. That is, the second group terminals 71 in this embodiment have only one contact portion 75a and are configured to make one-point contact with the second group terminals 171 of the second connector 101.

[0058] The held portions 73 extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and are press-fitted into the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a to be held therein. The second group terminals 71 are press-fitted into the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a from the mounting surface 10b, which is the lower surface (Z-axis negative surface) of the first connector 10, and the held portions 73 are sandwiched from both sides by the inner side surfaces of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a, thereby being fixed to the first housing 11. Note that the second group terminals 71 do not necessarily have to be attached to the first housing 11 by press-fitting, and may be integrated with the first housing 11 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, the case where the held portions 73 are press-fitted into the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a and held therein will be described here.

[0059] As shown in the figures, the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a are formed on the outer side surfaces of the pair of outer protrusions 13a in the X-axis direction, so that the openings of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a formed in one outer protrusion 13a and the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a formed in the other outer protrusion 13a face in opposite directions. Therefore, the second group terminals 71 held in the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a formed in one outer protrusion 13a and the second group terminals 71 held in the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a formed in the other outer protrusion 13a face in opposite directions. Also, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, a protrusion 15a1 is formed near the lower end of the back wall of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 15a, and the held portion 73 is positioned by its back surface abutting against the protrusion 15a1, so that a gap 15a2 is formed on the back side of the held portion 73 near the upper end. This allows the upper connection portion 75 to elastically deform and be displaced inward in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first connector 10 when the contact portion 75a comes into contact with and is pressed against the second group terminals 171 provided on the second connector 101.

[0060] The tail portions 72 are connected to the lower ends of the held portions 73 so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, and extend in the same direction as the bulging direction of the contact portions 75a. That is, when the second group terminals 71 are attached to the first housing 11, the tail portions 72 extend outward in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first connector 10 and are connected by soldering or the like to connection pads connected to conductive traces on the first board. The direction in which the tail portions 72 extend is perpendicular to the direction in which the tail portions 62 of the first group terminals 61 extend, so that the second group terminals 71 are fixed in a clamped state from all sides, preventing rotation. When the second group terminals 71 are first high-frequency terminals 71A, the conductive traces are described as signal lines, typically high-frequency signal lines that transmit high-frequency signals such as RF signals (e.g., frequencies of 10 GHz or higher). Furthermore, when the second group terminals 71 are first ground terminals 71B, the conductive traces are ground lines.

[0061] The first connector 10 is placed on the surface of the first substrate with a solder sheet (not shown) applied to the mounting surface 10b side, and is fixed and mounted on the surface of the first substrate by heating and melting the solder sheet in a heating furnace or the like. Note that the means for connecting the first shield 50, the first group terminals 61, the second group terminals 71, the protector 80, the ground plate 85, etc. to the connection pads, etc. of the first substrate is not necessarily limited to soldering, and may be, for example, a conductive adhesive or the like. Furthermore, even if soldering is performed, instead of applying a solder sheet, application of solder paste, transfer of cream solder, hot-dip soldering, jet soldering, etc. may also be used. However, for convenience of explanation, the case where a solder sheet is used will be described here. The solder sheet is applied to the underside of the flange portion 54 of the first shield 50, the underside of the tail portion 62 of the first group terminals 61, the underside of the tail portion 72 of the second group terminals 71, the underside of the tail portion 84 of the protector 80, and the underside of the tail portion 88 of the ground plate 85.

[0062] When the solder sheet applied in this manner is heated and melted, and the first connector 10 is mounted on the surface of the first substrate, the curved portion 52a and the flange portion 54, which are continuously connected around the entire circumference to the lower end of the outer wall 52, which is continuous around the entire circumference of the first shield 50, are connected without gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate. Therefore, the strength of the first shield 50 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate is high, and ultimately, the strength of the entire first connector 10, whose periphery is surrounded by the first shield 50, is high. Furthermore, the electromagnetic shielding effect exerted by the first shield 50, which is connected without gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate, is extremely high, and the first connector 10, whose periphery is surrounded by the first shield 50, is electromagnetically shielded very effectively. In particular, since the lower surface of the flange portion 54 is highly smooth, the strength of the first shield 50 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate can be extremely high, and since no gaps are generated between the first shield 50 and the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate, the electromagnetic shielding effect can also be extremely high. Furthermore, the direction in which the mating spring portion 51a at the short side portion 50b is displaced is the same as but opposite to the direction in which the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71A extends, so that even when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, the first high-frequency terminal 71A is sandwiched, thereby improving contact reliability.

[0063] Furthermore, in each of a pair of parallel second group terminal rows, the first high-frequency terminals 71A are arranged at both ends, and the first ground terminal 71B is arranged between the first high-frequency terminals 71A at both ends. Therefore, the first high-frequency terminals 71A at both ends in each second group terminal row are effectively shielded by the first ground terminals 71B, preventing crosstalk between the first high-frequency terminals 71A at both ends and improving the SI (Signal Integrity) characteristics of each first high-frequency terminal 71A. Furthermore, the first group terminals 61 are arranged between the first high-frequency terminals 71A at both ends of one second group terminal row and the first high-frequency terminals 71A at both ends of the other second group terminal row, and the undersides of the tail portions 72 of the first high-frequency terminals 71A connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate connected to the high-frequency signal line and the undersides of the tail portions 62 of the first group terminals 61 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the first substrate connected to the low-frequency signal line are arranged in positions that overlap when viewed in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first connector 10. Therefore, the first high-frequency terminals 71A located on both sides of the first group terminal 61 are effectively shielded by the first group terminals 61, preventing crosstalk between the first high-frequency terminals 71A on both sides and improving the SI characteristics of each first high-frequency terminal 71A. Furthermore, since the plurality of ground plates 85 and the side plates 81 of the protector 80 are arranged between the second group terminal rows, the first high-frequency terminals 71A of one second group terminal row and the first high-frequency terminals 71A of the other second group terminal row are effectively shielded, crosstalk between the first high-frequency terminals 71A is prevented, and the SI characteristics of each first high-frequency terminal 71A are improved.

[0064] Furthermore, since the inner protrusion 13b in which the first group terminals 61 are housed is surrounded on all four sides by the protector 80, the low-frequency signals transmitted by the first group terminals 61 do not affect the first high-frequency terminals 71A, improving the SI characteristics of each first high-frequency terminal 71A.

[0065] 5, the distance from the center of the underside of the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71A, which is connected to the connection pad on the surface of the first substrate connected to the high-frequency signal line, to the underside of the flange portion 54 at the long side portion 50a and the short side portion 50b of the first shield 50, which is connected to the connection pad on the surface of the first substrate connected to the ground line, is approximately the same. Also, the distance from the center of the underside of the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71A to the center of the underside of the tail portion 72 of the first ground terminal 71B, which is connected to the connection pad on the surface of the first substrate connected to the ground line, is approximately the same. Furthermore, because tail portion 72 of first high-frequency terminal 71A and tail portion 88 of ground plate 85 extend in opposite directions, the distance from the center of the underside of tail portion 72 of first high-frequency terminal 71A to the center of the underside of tail portion 88 of ground plate 85, which is connected to a connection pad on the surface of the first substrate that is connected to a ground line, becomes longer and becomes approximately equal to the above-mentioned distance. In this way, the distances from the center of the underside of tail portion 72 of first high-frequency terminal 71A, which is connected to a connection pad of a high-frequency signal line, to the undersides of first shield 50, first ground terminal 71B, and ground plate 85, which are members connected to the connection pads of ground lines on all four sides, become approximately equal. Therefore, a configuration similar to a coaxial structure such as a coaxial cable having its center at the underside of tail portion 72 of first high-frequency terminal 71A can be obtained, and the SI characteristics of first high-frequency terminal 71A are further improved.

[0066] Thus, the first connector 10 has high strength and a high electromagnetic shielding effect, and can transmit high-frequency signals even when made small and low-profile. For example, even when the longitudinal, width, and height dimensions of the first connector 10 are set to 3.3 mm or less, 2.3 mm or less, and 0.7 mm or less, the first high-frequency terminal 71A can transmit high-frequency signals of about 60 GHz.

[0067] In particular, in the example shown in the figure, the first connector 10 has four first high-frequency terminals 71A, which can meet the recent demand for faster signal speeds, and further has four configurations that resemble coaxial structures, which can maintain high-frequency performance.

[0068] Next, the configuration of second connector 101 will be described.

[0069] Figure 11 is an oblique view of the second connector in this embodiment, Figure 12 is a three-sided view of the second connector in this embodiment, Figure 13 is a plan view of the mounting surface side of the second connector in this embodiment, Figure 14 is an exploded oblique view of the second connector in this embodiment, Figure 15 is an oblique view of the second housing of the second connector in this embodiment, Figure 16 is an oblique view of the state in which terminals are attached to the second housing of the second connector in this embodiment, Figure 17 is a two-sided view of the state in which terminals are attached to the second housing of the second connector in this embodiment, and Figure 18 is a two-sided view of the state in which terminals and a second shield are attached to the second housing of the second connector in this embodiment. 11, (a) is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side; in FIG. 12, (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, (b) is a first side view, and (c) is a second side view; in FIGS. 15 and 16, (a) is a perspective view seen from the mating surface side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from the mounting surface side; in FIG. 17, (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow CC in (a); and in FIG. 18, (a) is a plan view of the mating surface side, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow D in (a).

[0070] The second connector 101 in this embodiment includes a second shield 150 serving as a second outer shield, which is a mating shield formed by punching, drawing, or the like, from a conductive metal plate, and a second housing 111 serving as a mating housing integrally formed from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. As shown in Fig. 14 , the second housing 111 includes a housing central portion 117 and a housing first side portion 119A and a housing second side portion 119B disposed on both sides of the housing central portion 117 in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction). The housing first side portion 119A and the housing second side portion 119B have the same shape, configuration, and dimensions, and when describing the housing first side portion 119A and the housing second side portion 119B collectively, they will be described as the housing side portions 119.

[0071] The housing side portions 119 are portions that are connected to the second shield 150 when the second shield 150 is integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. That is, the second housing 111 is molded by filling an insulating material such as synthetic resin into the cavity of a mold in which the second shield 150 has been set beforehand, and the second housing 111 is integrally connected to the second shield 150 at the housing side portions 119. Therefore, the second housing 111 and the second shield 150 do not exist separately, but for convenience of explanation, in FIG. 14 , the second housing 111 and the second shield 150 are shown as if they exist separately.

[0072] Each housing side portion 119 has a shape like one of two portions obtained by dividing a roughly rectangular tray in the X-axis direction in plan view, and has a roughly rectangular, flat bottom plate 114 and second side wall portions 112 extending upward (in the negative Z-axis direction) from three outer edges around the bottom plate 114. The outer edges of the bottom plate 114 where the second side wall portions 112 are not present are connected via a housing center portion 117 to the outer edge of the bottom plate 114 of the other housing side portion 119 where the second side wall portions 112 are not present.

[0073] Each second side wall 112 includes a long wall 112a as a convex portion extending in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of second connector 101, a pair of short wall portions 112b extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of second connector 101, and curved wall portions 112c curved at approximately 90 degrees connecting both ends of long wall portion 112a to one end of each short wall portion 112b, and has a roughly U-shape in plan view. In each housing side portion 119, a space defined by second side wall portions 112 and bottom plate 114 forms outer recessed portion 113a into which outer protrusion 13a of first connector 10 is inserted and accommodated. Further, second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a are formed as a plurality of cavities on the inner side surface of the long wall portion 112a in the X-axis direction, and second group terminal accommodating openings 115b communicating with each of the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a are formed in the bottom plate 114. In the example shown in the figure, the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a and the second group terminal accommodating openings 115b are formed to penetrate the bottom plate 114 in the plate thickness direction (Z-axis direction). When the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a and the second group terminal accommodating openings 115b are described collectively, they will be described as second group terminal accommodating recesses 115.

[0074] A plurality of the second group terminal accommodating recesses 115 (three in the example shown in the figure) are formed side by side in the width direction at a predetermined pitch (for example, 0.35 mm). The pitch and number of the second group terminal accommodating recesses 115 can be changed as appropriate. A plurality of second group terminals 171 as fourth group terminals accommodated in each of the second group terminal accommodating recesses 115 and attached to the second housing 111 are also arranged at the same pitch inside each long wall portion 112a. That is, a plurality of the second group terminals 171 of the second connector 101 are arranged along each long wall portion 112a to form a second group terminal row as a pair of parallel terminal rows.

[0075] The second group terminals 171 are a high-frequency terminal group and include second high-frequency terminals 171A as high-frequency terminals. The second group terminals 171 may also include second ground terminals 171B as ground terminals. In the example shown in the figure, each second group terminal row includes a pair of second high-frequency terminals 171A and one second ground terminal 171B, with the second high-frequency terminals 171A arranged at both ends of the second group terminal row and the second ground terminal 171B arranged between the second high-frequency terminals 171A at both ends. The number and arrangement of the second high-frequency terminals 171A and second ground terminals 171B in each second group terminal row are not limited to the example shown in the figure and can be changed as appropriate.

[0076] In the present embodiment, second high-frequency terminal 171A and second ground terminal 171B have the same shape, configuration, and dimensions, and when second high-frequency terminal 171A and second ground terminal 171B are described collectively, they will be described as second group terminals 171.

[0077] The housing central portion 117 includes a flat central bottom plate 117a and connecting portions 117b that connect the central bottom plate 117a to the bottom plates 114 of the housing side portions 119. Second protrusions 116 that protrude upward are formed on both ends of the central bottom plate 117a in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the second connector 101. A first group terminal accommodating groove 116a that serves as a signal terminal accommodating groove extending in the vertical direction is formed on the outer surface of each second protrusion 116, and one first group terminal 161 serving as a third group terminal is accommodated in the first group terminal accommodating groove 116a and attached to the second housing 111. The first group terminals 161 are a signal terminal group consisting of a pair of terminals facing each other and are low-frequency signal terminals.

[0078] Furthermore, on the outer side of the housing center portion 117 in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the second connector 101, there is an inner recess 113b where the second housing 111 is not present. The outer end portion of the first connector 10 in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the inner protrusion 13b covered by the end plate 82 of the protector 80 of the first connector 10 is inserted into and accommodated in the inner recess 113b. When describing the outer recess 113a and the inner recess 113b collectively, they will be described as the second connector recess 113.

[0079] The second shield 150 is a member integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processing such as punching and drawing, and as shown in the figure, is a substantially rectangular frame-like member when viewed from above, i.e., in a plan view, and surrounds the periphery of the second housing 111. The second shield 150 includes a plurality of (a pair of in the example shown in the figure) long side portions 150a extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the second connector 101, a plurality of (a pair of in the example shown in the figure) short side portions 150b extending linearly in the width direction of the second connector 101, and a plurality of (four in the example shown in the figure) corner portions 150c as curved portions curved at approximately 90 degrees and connecting one end of the long side portion 150a with one end of the short side portion 150b.

[0080] The second shield 150 also includes an outer wall 152, an upper plate 153 connected to a portion of the upper end of the outer wall 152, and a pair of partition walls 155 connected to the upper plate 153 as a second ground. Each partition wall 155 is a flat plate-shaped member extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) approximately parallel to the outer wall 152 of the short side portion 150b, and its upper end (the end in the negative Z-axis direction) is located below the upper plate 153 (the positive Z-axis direction). The flat surface of the partition wall 155 functions as a contact plane that comes into contact with the contact portion 87b of the ground plate 85 of the first connector 10. The partition wall 155 is also connected to the diagonal connection portion 153a of the upper plate 153 via curved connection portions 155a that are curved at approximately 90 degrees and are connected to the upper ends of both ends of the partition wall 155. In this way, since the partition wall 155 is connected to the upper plate 153 via the curved connection portion 155a and the diagonal connection portion 153a, the connection strength between the partition wall 155 and the upper plate 153 is improved.

[0081] The upper plate 153 covers only a portion of the edge of the second shield 150 on the mating surface 101a side, so a large opening is formed on the mating surface 101a side of the second shield 150. The space surrounded by the portion of the outer wall 152 corresponding to the long side 150a and the pair of partition walls 155 serves as a central accommodating portion 150d1 into which the inner protrusion 13b covered by the protector 80 of the first connector 10 is inserted and accommodated. The spaces surrounded by the portions of the outer wall 152 corresponding to the long side 150a, the short side 150b, and the corner portion 150c and one of the partition walls 155, and located on both sides of the central accommodating portion 150d1, serve as side accommodating portions 150d2 into which the outer protrusion 13a of the first connector 10 is inserted and accommodated. The central accommodating portion 150d1 is a space corresponding to the inner recess 113b of the second housing 111, and the side accommodating portion 150d2 is a space corresponding to the outer recess 113a of the second housing 111. The partition wall 155 is a member that separates the central accommodating portion 150d1 and the inner recess 113b from the side accommodating portion 150d2 and the outer recess 113a. When the central accommodating portion 150d1 and the side accommodating portion 150d2 are described collectively, they will be described as accommodating portion 150d. The accommodating portion 150d corresponds to the second connector recess 113 of the second housing 111.

[0082] Outwardly bulging engagement protrusions 152c are formed on the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b of the outer wall 152. The size, number, arrangement, etc. of the engagement protrusions 152c can be set as appropriate, but in the example shown in the figure, the engagement protrusions 152c include a first engagement protrusion 152c1 that protrudes outward relatively high and a second engagement protrusion 152c2 that protrudes outward relatively low, with one first engagement protrusion 152c1 disposed in the center of each of the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b, and two second engagement protrusions 152c2 disposed on both sides of the first engagement protrusion 152c1 on each of the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b. When the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, the engaging protrusions 51c of the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50 move along the outer wall 152 while elastically contacting the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150, are elastically displaced when they come into contact with the engaging protrusions 152c, and after moving over the engaging protrusions 152c, elastically restore their original shape and engage with the engaging protrusions 152c. The mating spring portion 51a including the engaging protrusions 51c is an elongated member extending in the extension direction of the long side portions 50a and short side portions 50b of the first shield 50, and therefore the central portion in the extension direction is more flexible, i.e., more susceptible to elastic deformation, than both end portions. Therefore, if a first engaging protrusion 152c1 with a relatively high protruding height is arranged in the center of the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b, and second engaging protrusions 152c2 with a relatively low protruding height are arranged on both sides of it, when the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 are mated, the engaging protrusion 51c of the first shield 50 can smoothly climb over the engaging protrusion 152c and can reliably engage with the engaging protrusion 152c.

[0083] The second side wall 112 and bottom plate 114 of the housing side portion 119 are connected to the second housing 111 when the second shield 150 is integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding, and are integrated with the second shield 150. This ensures that the second shield 150 and the second housing 111 are securely integrated and inseparable. The second side wall 112 and bottom plate 114 that surround the housing side portion 119 are robust because at least a portion of their backsides is filled with the material of the second housing 111. Therefore, they are not deformed or damaged even when a portion near the mating surface 10a of the first shield 50 of the first connector 10 abuts against them. The outer surface of the second side wall 112 has a protruding portion 112d that corresponds to the engaging protrusion 152c. The engaging protrusion 152c is formed by bulging a portion of the flat outer wall 152, and therefore a dimple, i.e., a recess, is formed on the back side thereof. Therefore, when the second housing 111 is molded integrally with the second shield 150 by overmolding or insert molding, the constituent material of the second housing 111 penetrates into the dimple on the back side of the engaging protrusion 152c, forming the bulging portion 112d.

[0084] A flange portion 154 serving as a flat board connection portion extending outward is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 152 via a curved portion 152a that is curved at approximately 90 degrees. The curved portion 152a and the flange portion 154 are connected continuously around the entire periphery to the lower end of the outer wall 152. In the example shown in the figure, small notches 154a are formed in multiple locations on the flange portion 154, but the notches 154a can be omitted as appropriate.

[0085] The flange portion 154 functions as a substrate connection portion, and its lower surface is parallel to the surface of the second substrate and is connected to a connection pad on the surface by soldering or the like. The connection pad is typically connected to a ground line. The outer wall 152 is a continuous wall around its entire periphery. In addition, an upper plate 153 is connected to a portion of its upper end, and both ends of the partition wall 155 are connected to the upper plate 153. This makes the outer wall 152 relatively rigid and resistant to deformation. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the flange portion 154 is connected to the lower end of the outer wall 152 continuously around its entire periphery. However, if relatively high rigidity is not required, the flange portion 154 may be connected to only a portion of the outer wall 152.

[0086] The first group terminals 161 are members integrally formed by subjecting a conductive metal plate to processes such as punching and bending, and include an outer connection portion 165 as a contact portion extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), a tail portion 162 as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the outer connection portion 165, an upper connection portion 164 connected to the upper end of the outer connection portion 165, and an inner connection portion 166 as a contact portion connected to the lower end of the upper connection portion 164 and facing the outer connection portion 165. The second terminals 161 are integrated with the second housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. That is, the second housing 111 is formed by filling an insulating material such as synthetic resin into a cavity of a mold in which the second terminals 161 have been set beforehand.

[0087] As a result, the second terminals 161 are attached integrally to the second protrusion 116 of the second housing 111 such that at least a portion of each second terminal 161 is embedded in the first group terminal accommodating groove 116a of the second protrusion 116, and at least a portion of the surfaces of the outer connection portion 165, the upper connection portion 164, and the inner connection portion 166 are exposed on the outer, upper, and inner surfaces of the second protrusion 116. The surfaces of the outer connection portion 165 and the inner connection portion 166 function as contact portions and come into contact with the first group terminals 61 of the first connector 10. The tail portion 162 extends from the housing center portion 117 outward in the width direction of the second housing 111 and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad coupled to a conductive trace on the second board. The conductive trace may be a power line for supplying power, but is typically a signal line. In addition, the signal line will be described as one that does not transmit high-frequency signals but transmits low-frequency signals having frequencies lower than high-frequency signals (for example, frequencies less than 10 GHz). Note that the tail portion 162 is visible when viewed from the mating direction of the second connector 101, i.e., when viewed from the mating surface 101a side.

[0088] The second group terminals 171 are members integrally formed by punching, bending, or otherwise processing a conductive metal plate, and include a held portion 173 as a main body portion, a tail portion 172 as a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the held portion 173 so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, and an upper connection portion 175 as an elastically deformable contact portion connected to the upper end of the held portion 173. The upper connection portion 175 has a substantially U-shaped shape when viewed from the side (Y-axis direction), is curved by 180 degrees or more, and its tip (lower end) faces diagonally downward toward the held portion 173. The tail portion 172 has a substantially L-shaped shape when viewed from the side, is curved at 90 degrees, and extends in an L-shape from one end of the U. The upper connection portion 175 includes a contact portion 175a that is a curved portion that bulges out in a direction away from the held portion 173. The contact portion 175a is a portion that comes into contact with the second group terminals 71 of the first connector 10, and is a convex contact point that protrudes in the X-axis direction. That is, the second group terminals 171 in this embodiment have only one contact portion 175a and are configured to make one-point contact with the second group terminals 71 of the first connector 10.

[0089] The held portions 173 extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and are press-fitted into the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 115a to be held therein. The second group terminals 171 are press-fitted into the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 115a from the mounting surface 101b side, which is the lower surface (face in the positive direction of the Z-axis) of the second connector 101, and the held portions 173 are sandwiched from both sides by the inner side surfaces of the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 115a, thereby being fixed to the second housing 111. Note that the second group terminals 171 do not necessarily have to be attached to the second housing 111 by press-fitting, and may be integrated with the first housing 111 by overmolding or insert molding. However, for convenience of explanation, a case will be described here in which the held portions 173 are press-fitted into the second group terminal-accommodating cavities 115a to be held therein.

[0090] As shown in the figure, the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a are formed on the inner side surfaces of the pair of long wall portions 112a in the X-axis direction, so that the openings of the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a formed in one long wall portion 112a and the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a formed in the other long wall portion 112a face each other. Therefore, the second group terminals 171 held in the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a formed in one long wall portion 112a and the second group terminals 171 held in the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a formed in the other long wall portion 112a face each other. 18, a protrusion 115a1 is formed near the lower end of the back wall of the second group terminal-accommodating cavity 115a, and the held portion 173 is positioned by its back surface abutting against the protrusion 115a1, so that a gap 115a2 is formed on the back surface side near the upper end of the held portion 173. As a result, when the contact portion 175a comes into contact with and is pressed by the second group terminals 71 included in the first connector 10, the upper connecting portion 175 is elastically deformed and can be displaced outward in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the second connector 101.

[0091] The tail portion 172 is connected to the lower end of the held portion 173 so as to be curved at approximately 90 degrees, and extends in the same direction as the bulging direction of the contact portion 175a. That is, when the second group terminals 171 are attached to the second housing 111, the tail portion 172 extends inward in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the second connector 101 and is connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad coupled to a conductive trace on the second board. Note that when the second group terminals 171 are second high-frequency terminals 171A, the conductive trace is described as a signal line, typically a high-frequency signal line transmitting a high-frequency signal such as an RF signal (e.g., a frequency of 10 GHz or higher). Note that when the second group terminals 171 are second ground terminals 171B, the conductive trace is described as a ground line.

[0092] The second connector 101 is placed on the surface of the second substrate with a solder sheet (not shown) attached to the mounting surface 101b. The solder sheet is heated and melted in a heating furnace or the like, thereby being fixed and mounted on the surface of the second substrate. The means for connecting the second shield 150, the first group terminals 161, the second group terminals 171, etc. to the connection pads of the second substrate is not necessarily limited to soldering. For example, a conductive adhesive may be used. Furthermore, even if soldering is used, solder paste may be applied, solder paste may be transferred, hot-dip soldering may be used, or jet soldering may be used instead of the application of a solder sheet. However, for convenience of explanation, the case where a solder sheet is used will be described here. The solder sheets are applied to the lower surfaces of the flange portion 154 of the second shield 150, the tail portion 162 of the first group terminals 161, and the tail portion 172 of the second group terminals 171, respectively.

[0093] When the solder sheet applied in this manner is heated and melted, and the second connector 101 is mounted on the surface of the second substrate, the curved portion 152a and the flange portion 154, which are continuously connected around the entire periphery to the lower end of the outer wall 152, which is continuous around the entire periphery of the second shield 150, are connected without gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the second substrate. Therefore, the strength of the second shield 150 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the second substrate is high, and ultimately the strength of the entire second connector 101, the periphery of which is surrounded by the second shield 150, is high. Furthermore, the electromagnetic shielding effect exerted by the second shield 150 connected without gaps to the connection pads on the surface of the second substrate is extremely high, and the second connector 101, the periphery of which is surrounded by the second shield 150, is electromagnetically shielded very effectively. In particular, since the underside of the flange portion 154 is highly smooth, the strength of the second shield 150 connected to the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate can be made extremely high, and since no gaps are created between the second shield 150 and the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate, the electromagnetic shielding effect can also be made extremely high.

[0094] Furthermore, in each of a pair of parallel second group terminal rows, second high-frequency terminals 171A are arranged at both ends, and second ground terminals 171B are arranged between the second high-frequency terminals 171A at both ends. Therefore, the second high-frequency terminals 171A at both ends in each second group terminal row are effectively shielded by the second ground terminals 171B, preventing crosstalk between the second high-frequency terminals 171A at both ends and improving the SI characteristics of each second high-frequency terminal 171A. Furthermore, the first group terminals 161 are arranged between the second high-frequency terminals 171A at both ends of one second group terminal row and the second high-frequency terminals 171A at both ends of the other second group terminal row, and the lower surfaces of the tail portions 172 of the second high-frequency terminals 171A connected to the connection pads on the surface of the second board connected to the high-frequency signal line and the lower surfaces of the tail portions 162 of the first group terminals 161 connected to the connection pads on the surface of the second board connected to the low-frequency signal line are arranged in positions that overlap when viewed in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the second connector 101. Therefore, the second high-frequency terminals 171A located on both sides of the first group terminal 161 are effectively shielded by the first group terminals 161, preventing crosstalk between the second high-frequency terminals 171A on both sides and improving the SI characteristics of each second high-frequency terminal 171A. Furthermore, since a plurality of partition walls 155 are arranged between the second group terminal rows, the second high-frequency terminals 171A of one second group terminal row and the second high-frequency terminals 171A of the other second group terminal row are effectively shielded, crosstalk between the second high-frequency terminals 171A is prevented, and the SI characteristics of each second high-frequency terminal 171A are improved.

[0095] Furthermore, since both sides of the inner recess 113b in which the first group terminals 161 are housed are shielded by the partition walls 155, the low-frequency signals transmitted by the first group terminals 161 do not affect the second high-frequency terminals 171A, improving the SI characteristics of each second high-frequency terminal 171A.

[0096] 13, the distance from the center of the lower surface of tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A, which is connected to the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate connected to the high-frequency signal line, to the lower surfaces of flange portions 154 at long side portion 150a and short side portion 150b of second shield 150, which are connected to the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate connected to the ground line, is approximately the same. Also, the distance from the center of the lower surface of tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A to the center of the lower surface of tail portion 172 of second ground terminal 171B, which is connected to the connection pad on the surface of the second substrate connected to the ground line, is approximately the same distance. Furthermore, because tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A extends toward partition wall 155 of second shield 150, the distance from the center of the lower surface of tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A to partition wall 155, which comes into contact with ground plate 85 of first connector 10, becomes longer and becomes approximately equal to the above-mentioned distance. In this way, the distances from the center of the lower surface of tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A, which is connected to the connection pad of a high-frequency signal line, to the lower surfaces of second shield 150 and second ground terminal 171B, which are members connected to the connection pads of ground lines on all four sides, and to partition wall 155, become approximately equal, so that a configuration similar to a coaxial structure such as a coaxial cable centered on the lower surface of tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A can be obtained, and the SI characteristics of second high-frequency terminal 171A are further improved.

[0097] Thus, second connector 101 has high strength and a high electromagnetic shielding effect, and is therefore capable of transmitting high-frequency signals even when made small and low-profile. For example, even when the longitudinal, width, and height dimensions of first connector 10 are set to 2.9 mm or less, 1.9 mm or less, and 0.7 mm or less, second high-frequency terminal 171A can transmit high-frequency signals of approximately 60 GHz.

[0098] Next, the operation of mating the first connector 10 and second connector 101 configured as described above will be described.

[0099] Figure 19 is an oblique view of the state in which the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is complete, Figure 20 is a three-sided view of the state in which the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is complete, Figure 21 is a plan view seen from the first connector side of the state in which the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is complete, Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of the first set of the state in which the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is complete, and Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of the second set of the state in which the mating of the first connector and the second connector in this embodiment is complete. In Figure 19, (a) is an oblique view seen from the second connector side, and (b) is an oblique view seen from the first connector side; in Figure 20, (a) is a plan view seen from the second connector side, (b) is a first side view, and (c) is a second side view; in Figure 22, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in Figure 20(a) and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in Figure 20(a); in Figure 23, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in Figure 20(a) and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH in Figure 20(a).

[0100] Here, the first connector 10 is surface-mounted on the first substrate by soldering the undersides of the curved portion 52a and flange portion 54 of the first shield 50, the undersides of the tail portions 62 of the first group terminals 61, the undersides of the tail portions 72 of the second group terminals 71, the undersides of the tail portions 84 of the protector 80, and the undersides of the tail portions 88 of the ground plate 85 to connection pads linked to conductive traces of the first substrate (not shown). Furthermore, the conductive trace coupled to the connection pad to which the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71A is connected is a signal line that transmits a high-frequency signal such as an RF signal, the conductive trace coupled to the connection pad to which the tail portion 62 of the first group terminals 61 is connected is a signal line that transmits a low-frequency signal that is lower in frequency than the high-frequency signal, and the conductive trace coupled to the connection pad to which the curved portion 52a and flange portion 54 of the first shield 50, the tail portion 72 of the first ground terminal 71B, the tail portion 84 of the protector 80, and the tail portion 88 of the ground plate 85 are connected is a ground line.

[0101] Similarly, the second connector 101 is surface-mounted on a second substrate (not shown) by soldering the lower surfaces of the curved portion 152 a and flange portion 154 of the second shield 150, the lower surface of the tail portion 162 of the first group terminals 161, and the lower surface of the tail portion 172 of the second group terminals 171 to connection pads coupled to conductive traces on the second substrate. The conductive trace coupled to the connection pad to which the tail portion 172 of the second high-frequency terminal 171A is connected is a signal line that transmits a high-frequency signal such as an RF signal, the conductive trace coupled to the connection pad to which the tail portion 162 of the first group terminals 161 is connected is a signal line that transmits a low-frequency signal that is lower in frequency than the high-frequency signal, and the conductive trace coupled to the curved portion 152 a and flange portion 154 of the second shield 150 and the connection pad to which the tail portion 172 of the second ground terminal 171B is connected is a ground line.

[0102] First, the operator positions the mating surface 10a of the first connector 10 and the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101 opposite each other, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and when the positions of the outer convex portion 13a of the first connector 10 and the inner convex portion 13b covered by the protector 80 match the positions of the outer recess 113a and inner recess 113b of the second connector 101, respectively, the alignment of the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 is completed.

[0103] In this state, when the first connector 10 and / or the second connector 101 is moved in a direction approaching the mating side, i.e., in the mating direction, the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 is inserted into the accommodating portion 50d of the first shield 50 of the first connector 10, the first convex portion 13 of the first connector 10 is inserted into the second concave portion 113 of the second connector 101, and the outer convex portion 13a of the first connector 10 and the inner convex portion 13b covered by the protector 80 are inserted into the outer concave portion 113a and inner concave portion 113b of the second connector 101, respectively.

[0104] Since the connecting portion 53 of the first shield 50 surrounds the mating surface 10a of the first connector 10, and the outer wall 152 and upper plate 153 of the second shield 150 exist on the mating surface 101a of the second connector 101, the mating surfaces 10a of the first connector 10 and 101a of the second connector 101 are not damaged or broken even when they come into contact with each other during mating. Furthermore, the inner protrusion 13b of the first connector 10 is covered by the protector 80, and is therefore not damaged or broken during mating.

[0105] Furthermore, in the initial mating state, i.e., when the portion of the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 near the mating surface 101a has slightly entered the accommodating portion 50d of the first shield 50 of the first connector 10, the portion of the outer wall 152 of the corner 150c of the second shield 150 near the mating surface 101a abuts against the inclined surface near the upper end (near the mating surface 10a) of the mating positioning portion 51b at the corner 50c of the first shield 50, and is inserted into the accommodating portion 50d while being guided by the inclined surface. This positions the second connector 101 relative to the first connector 10. The corner 50c included in the mating positioning portion 51b is integrated with the corner 17 of the first housing 11, and is robust because its back side is filled with the insulating material that constitutes the first housing 11. Therefore, fitting positioning portion 51b is highly robust, and will not be deformed or damaged even if a portion of second shield 150 of second connector 101 in the vicinity of fitting surface 101a comes into contact with fitting positioning portion 51b.

[0106] Furthermore, the portions of the outer wall 152 on the long side portion 150a and the short side portion 150b of the second shield 150 near the fitting surface 101a come into contact with the inclined surface portion 51d of the fitting spring portion 51a of the first shield 50, and then move along the inclined surface portion 51d. This reduces damage to the fitting spring portion 51a, and allows the second shield 150 to smoothly enter and be accommodated in the accommodation portion 50d of the first shield 50.

[0107] Next, as shown in Figures 19 to 23, when the mating of the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 is completed, the first group terminals 61 of the first connector 10 and the first group terminals 161 of the second connector 101 become conductive, and the second group terminals 71 of the first connector 10 and the second group terminals 171 of the second connector 101 become conductive.

[0108] Specifically, the pair of second protrusions 116 of the housing center portion 117 of the second housing 111 are inserted into the pair of first group terminal accommodating recesses 16 of the inner protrusion 13b of the first housing 11, and as shown in Figure 23(b), within the first group terminal accommodating recesses 16, the contact portions 65a of the outer connection portions 65 and the contact portions 66a of the inner connection portions 66 of the first group terminals 61, which face each other, come into contact with the outer connection portions 165 and the inner connection portions 166 of the first group terminals 161 exposed on the outer and inner surfaces of the second protrusions 116.

[0109] At this time, the lower connection portion 64 of the first group terminals 61 and its vicinity are generally U-shaped and elastically deformable, so that the gap between the opposing contact portion 65a of the outer connection portion 65 and the contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66 can be elastically expanded. Therefore, the gap between the contact portion 65a of the outer connection portion 65 and the contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66 is elastically expanded by the first group terminals 161 inserted therebetween, and as a reaction to this, the first group terminals 161 are elastically sandwiched from both sides by the contact portion 65a of the outer connection portion 65 and the contact portion 66a of the inner connection portion 66. As a result, the contact portions 65a of the outer connecting portions 65 of the first group terminals 61 and the outer connecting portions 165 of the first group terminals 161, and the contact portions 66a of the inner connecting portions 66 of the first group terminals 61 and the inner connecting portions 166 of the first group terminals 161, which correspond to each other, maintain contact and do not separate even when subjected to impact or vibration, thereby maintaining a stable conductive state. Furthermore, the first group terminals 61 of the first connector 10 and the first group terminals 161 of the second connector 101, which correspond to each other, are in a so-called two-point contact state, and even if the contact at one point is released, the contact at the other point is maintained, so that the contact state can be stably maintained.

[0110] 22, the contact portions 75a of the second group terminals 71 accommodated in the second group terminal accommodating cavities 15a of the outer protrusion 13a come into contact with the contact portions 175a of the second group terminals 171 accommodated in the second group terminal accommodating cavities 115a of the long wall portion 112a. At this time, the contact portions 75a of the second group terminals 71 of the first connector 10 and the contact portions 175a of the second group terminals 171 of the second connector 101 can be elastically displaced in the longitudinal direction of the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 because the curved upper connection portions 75 and 175 themselves are elastically deformable. As a result, the corresponding contact portions 75a of the second group terminals 71 and 175a of the second group terminals 171 maintain contact and do not separate even when subjected to impact or vibration, thereby maintaining a stable electrical connection. Furthermore, the upper connection portions 75 of the second group terminals 71 and 175 of the second group terminals 171 are both substantially U-shaped when viewed from the side. Therefore, even when the second group terminals 71 and 171 come into contact with each other during mating, they do not elastically deform or buckle. This ensures high contact reliability even when the connectors are made small and low-profile. Furthermore, when viewed from the mating direction (Z-axis direction), the tail portions 72 of the second group terminals 71 and 172 of the second group terminals 171 overlap each other. Furthermore, the second group terminals 71 and 171 may all have the same shape. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22, the second group terminals 71 and the second group terminals 171 are rotationally symmetrical with respect to each other when rotated 180 degrees around the Y axis.

[0111] When the second group terminal 71 is the first high-frequency terminal 71A and the second group terminal 171 is the second high-frequency terminal 171A, it is important that the corresponding second group terminal 71, which is the first high-frequency terminal 71A, and the second group terminal 171, which is the second high-frequency terminal 171A, are in contact at only one point, forming a so-called single contact state, and no unintended stubs or divided circuits are formed in the signal transmission line from the tail portion 72 of the first high-frequency terminal 71A to the tail portion 172 of the second high-frequency terminal 171A. This stabilizes the impedance of the transmission line, and good SI characteristics can be obtained.

[0112] Furthermore, a pair of partition walls 155 of second shield 150 are inserted into a pair of first grooves 13c located on both sides of inner convex portion 13b of first housing 11, and as shown in FIG. 23( a), they come into contact with contact portions 87b of each upper connection portion 87a of ground plate 85, thereby establishing electrical continuity. As a result, the electrical conduction distance from contact portions 87b in contact with partition wall 155 to the ground line of the first board via tail portion 88 of ground plate 85 is shorter than the electrical conduction distance from both ends of partition wall 155 to the ground line of the second board via upper plate 153, outer wall 152, and flange portion 154. This makes it possible to achieve potential equalization, making the ground potential of partition wall 155 equal to the ground potential of other components connected to the ground line. This further improves the SI characteristics of first high-frequency terminal 71A and second high-frequency terminal 171A.

[0113] In this way, the first high-frequency terminal 71A and the second high-frequency terminal 171A that are in contact with each other are approximately the same distance from each member connected to the surrounding ground line, so that a configuration that is similar to a coaxial structure such as a coaxial cable can be obtained, the impedance of the signal transmission line from tail portion 72 of first high-frequency terminal 71A to tail portion 172 of second high-frequency terminal 171A is stabilized, and good SI characteristics can be obtained.

[0114] Furthermore, when the second shield 150 of the second connector 101 is inserted into the accommodation portion 50d of the first shield 50 of the first connector 10, the outer surface of the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 abuts or comes close to the inner surface of the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50, and the engaging protrusions 152c formed on the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 engage with the engaging protrusions 51c formed on the inner wall 51 of the first shield 50. Note that the mating spring portion 51a of the inner wall 51 on which the engaging protrusions 51c are formed is separated from other portions at both ends by slits 53a and is relatively flexible, so that the state of engagement with the engaging protrusions 152c of the outer wall 152 of the second shield 150 can be reliably maintained. This locks the first shield 50 and the second shield 150 together, preventing the first connector 10 and the second connector 101 from being disengaged. Furthermore, the first shield 50 and the second shield 150 are in contact with each other, are electrically connected, and are at the same potential, thereby improving the electromagnetic shielding properties.

[0115] As described above, in this embodiment, the first connector 10 includes the first housing 11, the first group of terminals 61 and the second group of terminals 71 held by the first housing 11, and the first shield 50 surrounding the first housing 11. The first group of terminals 61 includes signal terminals facing each other, and the second group of terminals 71 are arranged to form at least one pair of terminal rows extending in the Y-axis direction, and include first high-frequency terminals 71A located at at least both ends of each terminal row, and are arranged in a direction intersecting the Y-axis direction. One first high-frequency terminal 71A is located on each side of each signal terminal in the X-axis direction, and each second group terminal 71 includes a held portion 73, an elastically deformable upper connection portion 75 connected to the upper end of the held portion 73, and a tail portion 72 connected to the lower end of the held portion 73 and connected to the board, the tail portion 72 extending in the X-axis direction on the plane of the board, and the tail portion 72 of the second group terminals 71 in one terminal row extending in the opposite direction to the tail portions 72 of the second group terminals 71 in the other terminal row.

[0116] As a result, first connector 10 has high strength and a high electromagnetic shielding effect, and is therefore able to transmit high-frequency signals even when made small and low-profile. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable first connector 10 that exhibits high strength and has a high shielding effect despite being small and low-profile.

[0117] Furthermore, when the first connector 10 is mated with the second connector 101, the upper connection portions 75 of each second group terminal 71 elastically deform in the X-axis direction, and the upper connection portions 75 of the second group terminals 71 in one terminal row elastically deform in the opposite direction to the upper connection portions 75 of the second group terminals 71 in the other terminal row. Furthermore, the direction of elastic deformation of the upper connection portions 75 is opposite to the direction in which the tail portions 72 extend. Furthermore, the second group terminals 71 include first ground terminals 71B, which are located between at least one pair of first high-frequency terminals 71A in each terminal row, and the first group terminals 61 are arranged in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the upper connection portions 75 include contact portions 75a protruding in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the first connector 10 further includes a ground plate 85 disposed between the first group terminals 61 and the second group terminals 71, and the ground plate 85 includes a tail portion 88 connected to the board.

[0118] In this embodiment, the connector pair includes a first connector 10 and a second connector 101 that mates with the first connector 10. The second connector 101 further includes a second housing 111, first group terminals 161 and second group terminals 171 held by the second housing 111, and a second shield 150 that surrounds the second housing 111, and when the second connector 101 faces the connector 10, the tail portions 172 of the second group terminals 171 of the second connector 101 extend in the same direction as but opposite to the tail portions 72 of the second group terminals 71 of the first connector 10.

[0119] It should be noted that the disclosure herein describes features of preferred and exemplary embodiments, and that various other embodiments, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosure herein. [Industrial Applicability]

[0120] The present disclosure is applicable to connectors and connector pairs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 10 First Connector 10a, 101a mating surface 10b, 101b Mounting surface 11 First Housing 12 First recess 12b Recessed portion on the long side of the other side 12c Recessed portion on opposite short side 13 First convex part 13a Outside convex part 13b Inner convex part 13c First groove 13f, 17f slope 15a, 115a Second group terminal accommodating cavity 15a1, 115a1, 813 convex part 15a2, 115a2 void area 15b Ground plate contact portion accommodating cavity 16 First group terminal receiving recess 16a First group terminal receiving groove 16b Contact portion receiving recess 17 Corner 17a Upper wall 17b Exterior wall 17c Inner wall 17d, 814 side wall section 17e Shield housing 18, 114, 818 bottom plate 18a Connection 18b Long side recess 18c Short side recess 18d Bottom 18e concave part 50 First Shield 50a, 150a long side 50b, 150b short side 50c, 150c corners 50d, 150d storage compartment 51 Inner wall 51a Fitting spring part 51b Fitting positioning portion 51c, 152c Engagement protrusion 51d Slope section 51e Lower inner wall 52, 152 exterior wall 52a, 152a curved section 53, 82b, 117b connection part 53a Slit section 54, 154 flange 54a, 154a notch 61, 161 1st group terminal 62, 72, 84, 88, 162, 172, 862 tail section 63, 73, 173 Retained part 64 Lower connection part 65, 165 Outer connection 65a, 66a, 75a, 87b, 175a, 865 Contact part 66, 166 Inner connection 71, 171 2nd group terminal 71A 1st high frequency terminal 71B First ground terminal 75, 87a, 164, 175 Upper connection 80 Protector 80a interior space 81 Side panel 81b Legs 82 End plate 82a Upper plate 82c Main body 83 Curved connecting plate 85 Ground plate 86 Central part 87 End 101 Second Connector 111 Second Housing 112 Second side wall 112a Long wall section 112b Short wall section 112c curved wall section 112d bulge 113 Second connector recess 113a Outer recess 113b Inner recess 115 Second group terminal receiving recess 115b Second group terminal receiving opening 116 Second convex part 116a First group terminal receiving groove 117 Center of housing 117a Central bottom plate 119 Housing side 119A Housing first side part 119B Housing second side portion 150 Second Shield 150d1 central storage area 150d2 Side storage area 152c1 1st engagement convex part 152c2 Second engagement convex part 153 Upper Plate 153a Diagonal connection 155 Partition Wall 155a Curved connection 171A 2nd high frequency terminal 171B Second ground terminal 811 Housing 812 Fitting recess 818a opening 851 Conductive Shell 851a PCB connection part 861 terminal

Claims

1. (a) A connector comprising a housing, first and second group terminals held in the housing, and a shield surrounding the housing, (b) the first group of terminals includes signal terminals facing each other; (c) the second group terminals are arranged to form a pair of terminal rows extending in the first axial direction, and include high-frequency terminals located at at least both ends of each terminal row; (d) the high-frequency terminals are located on both sides of each signal terminal in a second axis direction intersecting with the first axis direction, (e) A connector characterized in that each second group terminal includes a main body portion, an elastically deformable contact portion connected to the upper end of the main body portion, and a board connection portion connected to the lower end of the main body portion and connected to the board, the board connection portion extending in the second axial direction on the plane of the board, and the board connection portion of the second group terminals of one terminal row extending in the opposite direction to the board connection portion of the second group terminals of the other terminal row.

2. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein when the connector is mated with a mating connector, the contact portions of each second group terminal elastically deform in the second axial direction, and the contact portions of the second group terminals in one terminal row elastically deform in the opposite direction to the contact portions of the second group terminals in the other terminal row.

3. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the direction in which the contact portion elastically deforms is opposite to the direction in which the board connecting portion extends.

4. 2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the second group terminals include ground terminals, the ground terminals being located between at least one pair of high-frequency terminals in each terminal row, and the first group terminals are arranged in a first axial direction.

5. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion includes a convex contact that projects in the second axial direction.

6. 2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a conductive member disposed between the first group terminals and the second group terminals, the conductive member including a board connecting portion connected to a board.

7. A connector pair comprising the connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and a mating connector that mates with the connector.

8. the mating connector includes a mating housing, first and second group terminals held in the mating housing, and a mating shield surrounding the mating housing, 8. The connector pair according to claim 7, wherein when the mating connector is opposed to the connector, the board connection portions of the second group terminals of the mating connector extend in the same direction as but opposite to the board connection portions of the second group terminals of the connector.

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