Connector assembly with coaxial connector

Abstract

To provide a coaxial connector which is connected to a substrate by a new method other than soldering.SOLUTION: A connector assembly 12 comprises a coaxial connector 14 including an outer terminal 26 and a central terminal 20 and a plate 40 in which a tilted part 44 extending to a rear end while being tilted downward is formed on a top face. The outer terminal 26 includes an end face 32 and a protruding part 33 protruding forward from the end face 32. The protruding part 33 includes a suppression part 36 which is located in the lower end thereof. The central terminal 20 includes a contact part 22. In a state before the coaxial connector 14 is connected to a substrate 16, at least a portion of the contact part 22 is positioned on a front side of the end face 32 and positioned on a lower side of the suppression part 36. In a state where the coaxial connector 14 is fixed and connected to the substrate 16 (the state shown in Fig. 9), the suppression part 36 suppresses a top face 72 of the substrate 16 from an upper side, and the contact part 22 is pressed to and in contact with a signal line 78 of the substrate 16 from an upper side of the tilted part 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coaxial connector that is connected to a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses this type of coaxial connector.

[0003] 11, the coaxial connector 90 of Patent Document 1 is fixed to a housing 94. A substrate 96 is provided inside the housing 94. A transmission path (signal line) 98 is formed on the substrate 96. The coaxial connector 90 includes a terminal portion (center terminal) 92. The center terminal 92 is electrically connected to the signal line 98 of the substrate 96. Such an electrical connection is usually made by soldering the center terminal 92 to the signal line 98. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-064588 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a demand for a coaxial connector to be electrically connected to a board without being soldered.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coaxial connector that can be connected to a board by a new method other than soldering. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a first connector assembly, A connector assembly including a coaxial connector to be connected to a substrate, a plate, and a fixing member, the substrate extends along a horizontal plane, and a signal line is formed on an upper surface of the substrate in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the signal line extending in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; The coaxial connector includes an outer terminal, a center terminal, and an insulating member, the insulating member insulates the outer terminal and the center terminal from each other, The outer terminal has a protrusion and an end surface, The protruding portion protrudes forward from the end surface and has a pressing portion, The holding portion is located at the lower end of the protruding portion, the center terminal has a contact portion, The plate has an inclined portion, the inclined portion is formed on an upper surface of the plate and extends downwardly while inclining toward a rear end of the plate, In a pre-connection state before the coaxial connector is connected to the board, at least a portion of the contact portion is located in front of the end face and below the pressing portion, In a connected state in which the coaxial connector is fixed to and connected to the board, the fixing member fixes the protrusion and the plate to each other such that the board is sandwiched between the protrusion and the plate in the up-down direction, In the connected state, the front end of the contact portion is located above the inclined portion of the plate and is located at a position not exceeding the front end of the inclined portion in the front-rear direction, the pressing portion presses the upper surface of the board from above, and at least a part of the contact portion is pressed against and contacts the signal line of the board. A connector assembly is provided.

[0008] The present invention provides a second connector assembly comprising a first connector assembly, The outer terminal has a mounting hole formed therein, The center terminal is attached to the attachment hole so as to extend along the front-rear direction, The mounting hole has a front hole and a rear hole, The rear hole extends along the front-rear direction, The front hole extends forward and upward from the front end of the rear hole and opens forward. A connector assembly is provided.

[0009] The present invention provides a third connector assembly, which is the first or second connector assembly, The protrusion has two side protrusions; the two side protrusions are spaced apart from each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and are fixed to the board in the connected state; The contact portion is located between the two side protrusions in the lateral direction. A connector assembly is provided.

[0010] The present invention provides a fourth connector assembly, which is the first or second connector assembly, A screw hole is formed in the protrusion, The plate has a fixing hole formed therein, a passage hole is formed in the substrate, the fixing member is a screw, In the connected state, the protrusion and the plate are fixed to each other by a screw that passes through the fixing hole of the plate and the through hole of the substrate and is screwed into the screw hole of the protrusion. A connector assembly is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, in the pre-connection state, the contact portion of the center terminal is located below the retaining portion of the plate. Furthermore, in the connected state, the front end of the contact portion is located above the inclined portion of the plate. With this structure, in the connected state, the upper surface of the board is pressed down from above by the retaining portion, and the contact portion is pressed against the signal line while elastically deforming so as to extend along the inclined portion, thereby making contact. In other words, the present invention provides a coaxial connector that can be connected to a board by a new method other than soldering. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] The present invention relates to a coaxial cable connector assembly, a coaxial connector for a substrate, and a coaxial cable for a printed circuit board. [Figure 2] 2 is a front view of the coaxial connector of the connector assembly of FIG. 1, with the outline of a hidden screw hole drawn in dashed lines. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coaxial connector taken along line III-III of FIG. 2. The outline of the coaxial cable is schematically depicted by a dashed line. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part (a part surrounded by a two-dot chain line A) of the coaxial connector of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the structure of Figure 1. The connector assembly of the structure is in a connected state in which the coaxial connector is connected to the substrate. The outline of the coaxial cable is schematically drawn with a dashed line. [Figure 6] 6 is a top view of the structure of FIG. 5, with the hidden contact portion of the center terminal partially outlined in dashed lines. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a side view showing the structure of FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 6 is a front view of the structure of FIG. 5, with hidden screw holes, fixing holes, and through holes outlined in dashed lines. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of Fig. 8 taken along line IX-IX, with cross sections of the coaxial cable and the mating connector schematically depicted by dashed lines. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a part (a part surrounded by a two-dot chain line B) of the structure of Fig. 9. The outline of the contact part of the central terminal in the pre-connection state is drawn by a dashed line. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a coaxial connector, a housing, and a substrate disclosed in Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, a structure 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a connector assembly 12 and a substrate 16. The structure 10 of this embodiment is an antenna structure. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various structures. The structure 10 may further include other members in addition to the members described above.

[0014] The connector assembly 12 of this embodiment includes a coaxial connector 14, a metal plate 40, and two metal fixing members (screws) 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the connector assembly 12 may further include other members in addition to the above-mentioned members. The plate 40 and the fixing members 60 may each be part of a single member formed integrally with each other.

[0015] 1 together with FIG. 5, the substrate 16 of this embodiment extends along a horizontal plane. The coaxial connector 14 is connected to the substrate 16. Specifically, the coaxial connector 14 is connected to the rear end of the substrate 16 in the front-rear direction parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0016] The horizontal plane in this embodiment is the XY plane, and the front-to-rear direction in this embodiment is the X direction. In this embodiment, "forward" is the +X direction, and "rear" is the -X direction. Terms such as horizontal plane and front-to-rear direction do not indicate absolute positional relationships with respect to the ground, but merely indicate relative positional relationships when the plane on which the board 16 extends when it is not bent at all is defined as the horizontal plane, and the position of the connector assembly 12 with respect to this board 16 is defined as the front.

[0017] The substrate 16 of this embodiment will now be described.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate 16 of this embodiment is a flexible substrate and includes a base 70 formed from a thin film-like insulator. The substrate 16 of this embodiment includes only the base 70, excluding various conductive patterns formed on the base 70. The substrate 16 formed in this manner is flexible and can be flexibly placed in a narrow space inside a device (not shown). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the substrate 16 may be provided with electronic components in addition to the base 70 and the conductive patterns.

[0019] The substrate 16 has an upper surface 72 and a lower surface 74 in the vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The upper surface 72 and the lower surface 74 are located at the upper end and the lower end, respectively, of the base body 70. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the Z direction. In this embodiment, "upper" is the +Z direction, and "lower" is the -Z direction.

[0020] Two through holes 76 are formed in the substrate 16. Each of the through holes 76 penetrates the substrate 16 in the up-down direction. Each of the through holes 76 has a circular shape in the horizontal plane. As will be described later, the through holes 76 formed in this manner are used when screwing the coaxial connector 14 to the substrate 16. The two through holes 76 are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction, which is perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and are located at the same position as each other in the front-rear direction. The lateral direction in this embodiment is the Y direction.

[0021] The through holes 76 in this embodiment are formed as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shape of each of the through holes 76 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the number of through holes 76 may be one, or may be three or more. When the number of through holes 76 is three or more, two of the through holes 76 may be spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction or may be located at the same position as each other in the front-rear direction.

[0022] A signal line 78, which is a conductive pattern, is formed on the upper surface 72 of the substrate 16. The signal line 78 extends in the front-rear direction, which is perpendicular to the up-down direction, and is located between the two through holes 76 in the horizontal direction. A ground layer (not shown), which is a conductive pattern, is formed on the lower surface 74 of the substrate 16 so as to cover the entire lower surface 74.

[0023] The signal line 78 is connected, for example, to an antenna formed at the front end of the substrate 16 (not shown). The coaxial connector 14 connected to the substrate 16 transmits a signal to the antenna via the signal line 78. The transmitted signal is then transmitted from the antenna. Furthermore, a signal received by the antenna is transmitted to the coaxial connector 14 via the signal line 78. The structure 10 of this embodiment is used, for example, as described above. However, the use of the structure 10 of the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0024] The substrate 16 of this embodiment has the above-described structure. However, the structure of the substrate 16 can be modified depending on the application of the structure 10. For example, a ground layer (not shown) may be partially formed on the lower surface 74.

[0025] The coaxial connector 14 of this embodiment will now be described.

[0026] 1 and 5, the coaxial connector 14 of this embodiment is a so-called SMA (Sub Miniature Type A) connector. However, the present invention is not limited to SMA connectors and can be applied to various coaxial connectors.

[0027] The coaxial connector 14 is attached to a coaxial cable 80 and connected to a substrate 16. The coaxial connector 14 in Fig. 5 is in a connected state in which the coaxial connector 14 is fixed to and connected to the substrate 16. On the other hand, the coaxial connector 14 in Fig. 1 is in a pre-connection state in which the coaxial connector 14 has not yet been connected to the substrate 16.

[0028] 3 together with FIG. 9, a coaxial cable 80 shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3 and FIG. 9 is a typical coaxial cable, and includes a core wire 84 made of a conductor, an inner insulator 85 made of an insulator and covering the core wire 84, a shield 86 made of a conductor and covering the inner insulator 85, and an outer jacket 87 made of an insulator and covering the shield 86. In this embodiment, the number of core wires 84 is one. However, the structure of coaxial cable 80 in the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0029] The coaxial cable 80 is attached to the rear end of the coaxial connector 14. According to this embodiment, the coaxial cable 80 is attached to the rear end of the coaxial connector 14 via a mating connector 89 attached to the coaxial cable 80. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the coaxial cable 80 may be attached directly to the rear end of the coaxial connector 14.

[0030] 3 together with FIG. 1, the coaxial connector 14 of this embodiment includes a center terminal 20 made of a conductor, an insulating member 25 made of an insulator, and an outer terminal 26 made of a conductor. The coaxial connector 14 of this embodiment includes only the above-mentioned components. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the coaxial connector 14 may further include other components in addition to the above-mentioned components.

[0031] The outer terminal 26 of this embodiment includes a front conductive member 27 and a rear conductive member 28. The front conductive member 27 is combined with the rear conductive member 28 and is located in front of the rear conductive member 28. The front conductive member 27 is in contact with the rear conductive member 28. The outer terminal 26 of this embodiment includes the two members described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the structure of the outer terminal 26 can be modified in various ways. For example, the front conductive member 27 and the rear conductive member 28 may be integral members. The outer terminal 26 may further include another member in addition to the front conductive member 27 and the rear conductive member 28.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 9, the outer terminal 26 has a receiving portion 39. In this embodiment, the receiving portion 39 is a space formed inside the rear conductive member 28. The receiving portion 39 extends in the front-rear direction and opens rearward. According to this embodiment, a mating connector 89 to which a coaxial cable 80 is attached is mated with the receiving portion 39 in the front-rear direction, whereby the coaxial cable 80 is indirectly received in the receiving portion 39 via the mating connector 89. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the coaxial cable 80 may be directly received in the receiving portion 39.

[0033] When the coaxial cable 80 is received in the receiving portion 39, the rear conductive member 28 of the outer terminal 26 is electrically connected to the shield 86 of the coaxial cable 80. The outer terminal 26 and the shield 86, which are connected to each other, have the same ground potential.

[0034] The central terminal 20 of this embodiment extends straight in the front-to-rear direction in the pre-connection state. The central terminal 20 has a main portion 21, a contact portion 22, and a connecting portion 23. In this embodiment, the main portion 21, the contact portion 22, and the connecting portion 23 are integrally formed with one another. In other words, the main portion 21, the contact portion 22, and the connecting portion 23 are each part of a single central terminal 20.

[0035] The main portion 21 is located in the middle of the center terminal 20 in the front-rear direction. The connection portion 23 has a socket shape. The main portion 21 extends straight in the front-rear direction from the connection portion 23 to the contact portion 22. The contact portion 22 extends forward from the main portion 21. The center terminal 20 of this embodiment has the above-mentioned parts. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the center terminal 20 may be formed by connecting two members formed separately from each other. Furthermore, the center terminal 20 may have other parts in addition to the above-mentioned parts.

[0036] The main portion 21 of this embodiment has a circular shape in a vertical plane (YZ plane) perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The contact portion 22 is elastically deformable. Specifically, the contact portion 22 of this embodiment has a circular shape in the YZ plane that is smaller than the rear portion of the main portion 21, and is easily elastically deformed by any force along the YZ plane. The center terminal 20 of this embodiment has the shape described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shape of the contact portion 22 in the YZ plane may be elliptical or polygonal.

[0037] The connecting portion 23 is connected to the coaxial cable 80. More specifically, when the coaxial cable 80 is received in the receiving portion 39, the connecting portion 23 is electrically connected to the core wire 84 of the coaxial cable 80. The connecting portion 23 may be indirectly connected to the core wire 84 via a pin terminal of the mating connector 89, or may be directly connected to the core wire 84. The center terminal 20 and the core wire 84, which are connected to each other, transmit signals between each other.

[0038] In this embodiment, the insulating member 25 surrounds the main portion 21 of the center terminal 20 in the YZ plane. The outer terminal 26 surrounds the connection portion 23 at a distance in the YZ plane. The outer terminal 26 also surrounds the main portion 21 in the YZ plane via the insulating member 25. That is, the insulating member 25 is located between the center terminal 20 and the outer terminal 26 in the YZ plane, and insulates the outer terminal 26 and the center terminal 20 from each other.

[0039] As described above, the center terminal 20 of this embodiment is covered with the insulating member 25. The center terminal 20 and the insulating member 25 extend straight in the front-rear direction. In addition, a mounting hole 272 is formed in the front conductive member 27. That is, the mounting hole 272 is formed in the outer terminal 26 of this embodiment.

[0040] The mounting hole 272 extends generally along the front-to-rear direction and opens forward and rearward from the front conductive member 27. With this structure, the coaxial connector 14 can be assembled as follows: First, the center terminal 20 and the rear conductive member 28 are connected to the coaxial cable 80. Next, the center terminal 20 and the insulating member 25 are inserted into the mounting hole 272 along the front-to-rear direction. The center terminal 20 thus inserted is received and attached in the mounting hole 272 so as to extend along the front-to-rear direction.

[0041] The above-described assembly method makes it easy to assemble the coaxial connector 14. In particular, the center terminal 20 and the insulating member 25 have a point-symmetric structure in the YZ plane, which makes it easy to assemble the coaxial connector 14. However, the structure of the center terminal 20 can be modified as needed.

[0042] 3 and 4, the mounting hole 272 in this embodiment has a front hole 274 and a rear hole 276. The rear hole 276 extends along the front-rear direction and opens rearward from the front conductive member 27. The rear hole 276 is completely surrounded by the front conductive member 27 of the outer terminal 26 in the YZ plane. On the other hand, the front hole 274 extends forward and upward from the front end of the rear hole 276 and opens forward from the front conductive member 27. More specifically, the front hole 274 has a cylindrical shape centered on an imaginary center line CL that intersects obliquely with the front-rear direction. The front hole 274 is completely surrounded by the front conductive member 27 of the outer terminal 26 in a predetermined plane perpendicular to the center line CL.

[0043] The center line CL intersects with a horizontal line HL extending parallel to the front-rear direction at an intersection angle θ. In this embodiment, the intersection angle θ is approximately 10°. However, the intersection angle θ in the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, the intersection angle θ may be 5° or more.

[0044] The center terminal 20, the insulating member 25, and the outer terminal 26 of this embodiment are arranged as described above. In the center terminal 20 of this embodiment, the main portion 21 is a portion covered by the insulating member 25, and the contact portion 22 and the connection portion 23 are portions exposed from the insulating member 25. However, the structures and arrangements of the center terminal 20, the insulating member 25, and the outer terminal 26 of the present invention are not particularly limited.

[0045] 1 to 3, outer terminal 26 has a protrusion 33 and an end face 32. In this embodiment, end face 32 is the front surface of front conductive member 27 and is a rectangular plane parallel to the YZ plane. Protrusion 33 is located in the middle of end face 32 in the up-down direction and extends across the entire end face 32 in the lateral direction.

[0046] The protrusion 33 protrudes forward from the end face 32. More specifically, the protrusion 33 in this embodiment has an intermediate protrusion 34 and two side protrusions 35. The intermediate protrusion 34 is located in the middle of the protrusion 33 in the lateral direction and protrudes forward from the end face 32. The two side protrusions 35 are located on both sides of the intermediate protrusion 34 in the lateral direction. Each of the side protrusions 35 protrudes forward from the end of the protrusion 33 in the lateral direction beyond the front end of the intermediate protrusion 34. In other words, the two side protrusions 35 are separated from each other in the lateral direction and protrude forward from the end face 32.

[0047] The protrusion 33 in this embodiment has the above-described structure, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible to the structure of the protrusion 33. For example, the intermediate protrusion 34 and the side protrusions 35 may be provided as needed.

[0048] The two side protrusions 35 in this embodiment have mirror-symmetric shapes with respect to an orthogonal plane (XZ plane). That is, the two side protrusions 35 are located at the same position in the up-down direction. Each of the protrusions 33 has a flat plate shape parallel to the horizontal plane, and has upper and lower surfaces parallel to the horizontal plane. The number of side protrusions 35 in this embodiment is two. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of side protrusions 35 may be one, or three or more.

[0049] 1 and 2, two screw holes 37 are formed in the protrusion 33 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the two screw holes 37 are formed in each of the side protrusions 35. In this embodiment, each of the screw holes 37 penetrates the side protrusion 35 in the up-down direction. The screw holes 37 are provided at positions corresponding to the passage holes 76 of the substrate 16 in the horizontal plane. That is, the two screw holes 37 are separated from each other in the lateral direction and are at the same position as each other in the front-to-back direction. In this embodiment, the number of screw holes 37 is two. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the number of side protrusions 35 is one, the number of screw holes 37 may be one. Furthermore, when the number of side protrusions 35 is three or more, the number of screw holes 37 may be three or more. Each of the screw holes 37 may be a hole with a ceiling.

[0050] The protruding portion 33 has a pressing portion 36. The pressing portion 36 is located at the lower end of the protruding portion 33. In this embodiment, the pressing portion 36 is a plane parallel to the horizontal plane including the lower surfaces of the two side protruding portions 35.

[0051] 1 to 3, the outer terminal 26 of this embodiment has a central hole 38. The central hole 38 is a hole formed at the lower end of the intermediate protrusion 34. The central hole 38 is located at the middle of the intermediate protrusion 34 in the lateral direction and has a semicircular shape in the YZ plane. That is, the central hole 38 is recessed upward from the lower end of the intermediate protrusion 34 and opens downward. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the central hole 38 extends forward and upward from the front end of the front hole 274 and opens forward. Specifically, the central hole 38 has a semicylindrical shape centered on the center line CL.

[0052] 1 to 3, the two side projections 35 are located on either side of the end face 32 in the horizontal direction, with the central hole 38 between them. The contact portion 22 of the center terminal 20 in this embodiment extends to the front end of the central hole 38 without exceeding it. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the contact portion 22 may extend forward through the central hole 38.

[0053] 4, the contact portion 22 has a front contact portion 222. The front contact portion 222 is located in front of the end face 32 in the pre-connection state. In other words, the front contact portion 222 is the portion of the contact portion 22 that is located in front of the end face 32 in the pre-connection state.

[0054] In this embodiment, the end face 32, the pressing portion 36, and the contact portion 22 are arranged as follows: In the pre-connection state, the front contact portion 222 is located below the pressing portion 36. That is, according to this embodiment, the front end of the contact portion 22 in the pre-connection state is located in front of the end face 32 and below the pressing portion 36. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the pre-connection state, the entire contact portion 22 may be located in front of the end face 32, or may be located below the pressing portion 36. That is, in the pre-connection state, at least a portion of the contact portion 22 may be located in front of the end face 32 and below the pressing portion 36.

[0055] The plate 40 (see FIG. 1) and the fixing member 60 (see FIG. 1) of this embodiment will be described below in this order.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 1, the plate 40 of this embodiment has a rectangular flat plate shape parallel to a horizontal plane. More specifically, the plate 40 has two long sides extending laterally and two short sides extending in the front-to-rear direction on the horizontal plane. The plate 40 has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface of the plate 40 is a flat surface parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0057] The plate 40 has a pressed portion 42 and an inclined portion 44. As will be described later, the pressed portion 42 is a portion that is pressed against the substrate 16 in the connected state (see FIG. 9 ), and the inclined portion 44 is a portion that allows the contact portion 22 of the center terminal 20 to elastically deform in the connected state. According to this embodiment, a front portion of the upper surface of the plate 40 functions as the pressed portion 42, and a rear portion of the upper surface of the plate 40 functions as the inclined portion 44. That is, the pressed portion 42 and the inclined portion 44 are each formed on the upper surface of the plate 40.

[0058] The pressed portion 42 is a plane parallel to the horizontal plane. The inclined portion 44 is a plane obliquely intersecting the vertical direction and parallel to the horizontal direction. The pressed portion 42 is located behind the front end 46 of the inclined portion 44. The inclined portion 44 extends from the rear end (i.e., the front end 46) of the pressed portion 42 toward the rear end of the plate 40 while sloping downward. Referring to FIG. 1 together with FIG. 4, it is preferable that the inclination angle of the inclined portion 44 with respect to the horizontal line HL is designed to match the intersection angle θ.

[0059] 1, two fixing holes 48 are formed in the plate 40 of this embodiment. Each of the fixing holes 48 penetrates the plate 40 in the up-down direction. Each of the fixing holes 48 has a circular shape in the horizontal plane. The fixing holes 48 are provided at positions corresponding to the passage holes 76 of the substrate 16 in the horizontal plane. In other words, the two fixing holes 48 are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction and are at the same position as each other in the front-to-rear direction.

[0060] The plate 40 of this embodiment has the structure described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shape of each of the fixing holes 48 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the number of fixing holes 48 may be one, or may be three or more.

[0061] The two fixing members 60 in this embodiment have the same shape. More specifically, each of the fixing members 60 in this embodiment is a screw 60. That is, each of the fixing members 60 has a head 62 and a threaded portion 64 on which a screw (not shown) is threaded. The fixing members 60 are provided corresponding to the respective through holes 76 of the substrate 16. That is, the number of fixing members 60 in this embodiment is two. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of fixing members 60 may be one. Furthermore, three or more fixing members 60 having different shapes may be provided.

[0062] 1 together with FIG. 5, the coaxial connector 14 of this embodiment is connected to the substrate 16 by the connection method described below. However, the connection method described below is merely an example and can be modified as needed.

[0063] First, the screw hole 37 of the coaxial connector 14, the passing hole 76 of the board 16, and the fixing hole 48 of the plate 40 are aligned in the same position on the horizontal plane, and the protrusion 33 of the coaxial connector 14, the board 16, and the plate 40 are arranged in this order from above. Next, the fixing members 60 are screwed into the screw holes 37 through the fixing holes 48 and the passing holes 76.

[0064] 5, 7, and 8, as a result of the above-described screwing, the board 16 is sandwiched between the protrusion 33 and the plate 40 of the coaxial connector 14 in the vertical direction. More specifically, the protrusion 33 is pressed against the board 16 from above, and the plate 40 is pressed against the board 16 from below. At this time, the coaxial connector 14 is in a connected state (the state shown in FIGS. 5 to 10). That is, in the connected state, the fixing member 60 fixes the protrusion 33 and the plate 40 to each other such that the board 16 is sandwiched between the protrusion 33 and the plate 40 in the vertical direction.

[0065] 9, in the connected state, plate 40 is located below substrate 16. In the connected state, head 62 of fixing member 60 is pressed against the lower surface of plate 40, which is parallel to the horizontal plane, and applies pressure to plate 40 upward. Pressed portion 42, which is parallel to the horizontal plane of pressed plate 40, presses substrate 16 against retaining portion 36, which is parallel to the horizontal plane of protruding portion 33. As a result, even if substrate 16 is a flexible substrate that is easily bent, it is sandwiched between protruding portion 33 and plate 40 while maintaining a state in which it extends parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0066] 10 , the size in the front-to-rear direction of the portion of the contact portion 22 of the center terminal 20 that extends forward beyond the end face 32 (i.e., the front contact portion 222) is smaller than the size in the front-to-rear direction of the inclined portion 44 of the plate 40. Furthermore, in the connected state, the rear end of the plate 40 abuts against the end face 32 of the outer terminal 26. Therefore, in the connected state, the front end 46 of the contact portion 22 is located above the inclined portion 44 of the plate 40 and does not extend beyond the front end 46 of the inclined portion 44 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0067] With the above-described arrangement, in the connected state, the portion of the contact portion 22 near the front end is pressed against the inclined portion 44 of the plate 40 via the substrate 16. As a result, the front contact portion 222 presses the substrate 16 against the inclined portion 44 while elastically deforming so as to extend along the inclined portion 44.

[0068] 6 and 8, the contact portion 22 is located directly above the signal line 78 of the board 16 in the connected state. Referring to FIG. 10, in the connected state, the pressing portion 36 presses down on the upper surface 72 of the board 16 from above, and the front contact portion 222 of the contact portion 22 is pressed against and contacts the signal line 78 of the board 16. According to this embodiment, in the connected state, only a portion of the contact portion 22 (particularly, only a portion near the front end of the contact portion 22) is pressed against and contacts the signal line 78 of the board 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the entire contact portion 22 may be pressed against and contacts the signal line 78. That is, in the connected state, at least a portion of the contact portion 22 may be pressed against and contacts the signal line 78.

[0069] To summarize the above, according to this embodiment, in the pre-connection state (see FIG. 4 ), the contact portion 22 of the center terminal 20 is located below the retaining portion 36 of the plate 40. Furthermore, in the connected state (see FIG. 10 ), the front end of the contact portion 22 is located above the inclined portion 44 of the plate 40. With this structure, in the connected state, the upper surface 72 of the board 16 is pressed from above by the retaining portion 36, and the contact portion 22 elastically deforms to extend along the inclined portion 44. At this time, the rear end of the board 16 is also pressed by the elastically deformed contact portion 22 and extends along the inclined portion 44. The restoring force generated by the elastic deformation presses the contact portion 22 against the signal line 78 from above, ensuring reliable contact. In other words, this embodiment provides a coaxial connector 14 that can be connected to the board 16 by a new method other than soldering. In other words, the coaxial connector 14 can be reliably connected to the board 16 without soldering.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 8 , according to this embodiment, the two side protrusions 35 are fixed to the substrate 16 in the connected state. Furthermore, the contact portion 22 is located between the two side protrusions 35 in the horizontal direction. With this structure, the contact portion 22 stably contacts the signal line 78. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only one side protrusion 35 with a screw hole 37 formed therein may be provided. In this case, the side protrusion 35 may be located near the contact portion 22 in the horizontal direction. In this case, only one passing hole 76 may be formed in the substrate 16, and only one fixing hole 48 may be formed in the plate 40.

[0071] According to this embodiment, in the connected state, the protrusion 33 and the plate 40 are fixed to each other by the screw 60 that passes through the fixing hole 48 of the plate 40 and the through hole 76 of the board 16 and is screwed into the screw hole 37 of the protrusion 33. That is, according to this embodiment, by screwing the fixing member 60, which is the screw 60, into the side protrusion 35 to press the plate 40 against the board 16, the pressed portion 42 can be stably pressed against the board 16 in a simple manner. In addition, the contact portion 22 of the center terminal 20 can be easily elastically deformed.

[0072] The above-described connection method can further improve the contact reliability between the center terminal 20 and the signal wire 78. Furthermore, the coaxial connector 14 and the plate 40 can be separated from the board 16 simply by removing the screws 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the method of connecting the connector assembly 12 to the board 16 can be modified in various ways, as described below.

[0073] Each of the side protrusions 35 may have a pressing portion 36, but may not have a screw hole 37. In this case, the coaxial connector 14 may have two fixed portions in addition to the side protrusions 35. Each of the fixed portions may have a screw hole 37, but may not have a pressing portion 36.

[0074] Each of the fixing members 60 does not have to be a screw 60. For example, each of the fixing members 60 may be a press-fit portion provided on the plate 40. That is, each of the fixing members 60 may be a part of the plate 40. In this case, each of the press-fit portions may extend upward from the pressed portion 42 of the plate 40. A press-fit hole may be formed in the protruding portion 33 of the coaxial connector 14 instead of the screw hole 37. Each of the press-fit portions may pass through the through hole 76 and be press-fitted into the press-fit hole.

[0075] 9, in a connected state, the outer terminal 26 is grounded to a ground layer (not shown) on the lower surface 74 of the substrate 16 via the protrusion 33, the fixing member 60, and the plate 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the method of grounding the outer terminal 26 to the ground layer can be modified as needed. For example, the rear end of the plate 40 may be provided with an abutment portion that reliably abuts against the end surface 32 of the outer terminal 26.

[0076] 10 , the insulating member 25 of this embodiment does not extend beyond the rear end of the front hole 274. Therefore, the main portion 21 of the center terminal 20 covered by the insulating member 25 does not extend beyond the rear end of the front hole 274. That is, when the coaxial connector 14 is in a connected state, the contact portion 22 of the center terminal 20 is exposed to the outside from the front end of the insulating member 25 and extends inside the front hole 274 along the center line CL. As a result, the contact portion 22 is completely surrounded by the outer terminal 26 having ground potential in a plane perpendicular to the center line CL. Furthermore, the contact portion 22 inside the front hole 274 extends near the center line CL.

[0077] According to the above-described structure, the contact portion 22 has a predetermined characteristic impedance similar to that of the main portion 21. That is, according to this embodiment, it is easy to reduce mismatch in characteristic impedance. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastically deformed contact portion 22 does not need to extend along the center line CL as long as it does not contact the wall surface of the front hole 274.

[0078] The elastically deformed contact portion 22 does not extend completely along the inclined portion 44 of the plate 40. That is, a predetermined error angle α occurs between the direction in which the elastically deformed contact portion 22 extends and the direction in which the inclined portion 44 extends. Therefore, in order to make the elastically deformed contact portion 22 extend along the center line CL, it is preferable to set the intersection angle θ of the center line CL to be within a range of ±α with respect to the inclination angle of the inclined portion 44.

[0079] According to this embodiment, the contact portion 22 does not extend beyond the front end of the center hole 38. As a result, when the coaxial connector 14 is in a connected state, the front contact portion 222 of the contact portion 22 exposed from the front hole 274 is surrounded by a ground layer (not shown) formed on the inner wall surface of the center hole 38 and the underside 74 of the substrate 16 in a plane perpendicular to the center line CL. This structure more reliably reduces mismatch in characteristic impedance. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the contact portion 22 may extend forward beyond the front end of the center hole 38.

[0080] 8 together with FIG. 4, according to this embodiment, since the intermediate protrusion 34 is provided, mismatch in characteristic impedance can be easily reduced by the central hole 38. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the intermediate protrusion 34 may be provided as needed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 10 Structure 12 Connector assembly 14 Coaxial Connector 16 boards 20 center terminal 21 Main Section 22 Contact part 222 Front contact part 23 Connection 25 Insulating material 26 Outer terminal 27 Front conductive member 272 Mounting hole 274 Anterior foramen 276 Posterior foramen 28 Rear conductive member 32 End face 33 Protrusion 34 Intermediate protrusion 35 Side protrusion 36 Retaining part 37 screw holes 38 center hole 39 Receptor 40 plates 42 Pressed part 44 Slope 46 Front end 48 Fixed hole 60 Fixing member (screw) 62 Head 64 Threaded part 70 Substrate 72 Top surface 74 Bottom surface 76 Passing hole 78 Signal Line 80 Coaxial Cable 84 core wires 85 Internal insulator 86 Shield 87 Outer cover 89 Mating Connector CL center line HL horizontal line

Claims

1. A connector assembly including a coaxial connector to be connected to a substrate, a plate, and a fixing member, the substrate extends along a horizontal plane, and a signal line is formed on an upper surface of the substrate in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, the signal line extending in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; The coaxial connector includes an outer terminal, a center terminal, and an insulating member, the insulating member insulates the outer terminal and the center terminal from each other, The outer terminal has a protrusion and an end surface, The protruding portion protrudes forward from the end surface and has a pressing portion, The holding portion is located at the lower end of the protruding portion, the center terminal has a contact portion, The plate has an inclined portion, the inclined portion is formed on an upper surface of the plate and extends downwardly while inclining toward a rear end of the plate, In a pre-connection state before the coaxial connector is connected to the board, at least a portion of the contact portion is located in front of the end face and below the pressing portion, In a connected state in which the coaxial connector is fixed to and connected to the board, the fixing member fixes the protrusion and the plate to each other such that the board is sandwiched between the protrusion and the plate in the up-down direction, In the connected state, the front end of the contact portion is located above the inclined portion of the plate and is located at a position not exceeding the front end of the inclined portion in the front-rear direction, the pressing portion presses the upper surface of the board from above, and at least a part of the contact portion is pressed against and contacts the signal line of the board. Connector assembly.

2. 2. The connector assembly of claim 1, The outer terminal has a mounting hole formed therein, the center terminal is attached to the attachment hole so as to extend along the front-rear direction, The mounting hole has a front hole and a rear hole, The rear hole extends along the front-rear direction, The front hole extends forward and upward from the front end of the rear hole and opens forward. Connector assembly.

3. 3. The connector assembly according to claim 1 or 2, The protrusion has two side protrusions; the two side protrusions are spaced apart from each other in a lateral direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and are fixed to the board in the connected state; The contact portion is located between the two side protrusions in the lateral direction. Connector assembly.

4. 3. The coaxial connector according to claim 1, A screw hole is formed in the protrusion, The plate has a fixing hole formed therein, a passage hole is formed in the substrate, the fixing member is a screw, In the connected state, the protrusion and the plate are fixed to each other by a screw that passes through the fixing hole of the plate and the through hole of the substrate and is screwed into the screw hole of the protrusion. Connector assembly.

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