Electrical connector assembly

Abstract

To provide an electrical connector assembly that suppresses sudden changes in impedance at the contact position between signal terminals and easily ensures good contact between the signal terminals.SOLUTION: An arm portion 43 of a signal terminal 40 includes a first contact portion 43A and a second contact portion 43B, and the mating arm portion 83 of the mating signal terminal 80 includes a first mating contact portion 83A and a second mating contact portion 83B, and the first contact portion 43A and the first mating contact portion 83A are elastically displaceable in the thickness direction, and the second contact portion 43B and the first mating contact portion 83A can come into contact with each other, and the second mating contact portion 83B and the first contact portion 43A can come into contact with each other, and the second contact portion 43B is formed with a thickness dimension smaller than the thickness dimension of the first contact portion 43A, and the second mating contact portion 83B is formed with a thickness dimension smaller than the thickness dimension of the first mating contact portion 83A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly having an electrical connector and a mating connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connector assembly in which two identically shaped male and female connectors are mated and connected. In each connector, a plurality of terminals (bent terminals) formed by bending a metal strip in the thickness direction are arranged and held in a housing. The terminals of one connector and the other connector have the same shape. The terminals have an elastically deforming portion and a contact portion at one end in the longitudinal direction. The elastically deforming portion extends in the mating direction of the connectors and is elastically deformable in the thickness direction. The contact portion is bent to protrude in the thickness direction, and its protruding apex can contact the mating terminal. In other words, the terminals contact each other at two points. Furthermore, the contact portion is formed with a terminal width smaller than the elastically deforming portion (see Figure 12 of Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-018688 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly that suppresses a sudden change in impedance at the contact position between signal terminals and easily ensures good contact between the signal terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] (1) The electrical connector assembly of the present invention is an electrical connector assembly having an electrical connector and a mating connector, wherein the electrical connector has a shape in which a metal plate member is bent in the thickness direction, and has a plurality of signal terminals arranged with one direction parallel to the plate surface as the arrangement direction, and a housing that holds the signal terminals, and the mating connector has a shape in which a metal plate member is bent in the thickness direction, and has a plurality of mating signal terminals arranged so that one direction parallel to the plate surface coincides with the arrangement direction of the signal terminals, and a mating housing that holds the mating signal terminals, and the electrical connector and the mating connector are mated and connected with a mating direction that is perpendicular to the arrangement direction.

[0006] In such an electrical connector assembly, the signal terminal has an arm portion on the mating side with the mating connector, and the arm portion has a first contact portion extending along the mating direction and a second contact portion protruding in the plate thickness direction on the mating side further than the first contact portion; the mating signal terminal has a mating arm portion on the mating side with the electrical connector, and the mating arm portion has a first mating contact portion extending along the mating direction and a second mating contact portion protruding in the plate thickness direction on the mating side further than the first mating contact portion; the first contact portion and the first mating contact portion are elastically displaceable in the plate thickness direction, and the second contact portion and the first mating contact portion are capable of contacting each other, and the second mating contact portion is capable of contacting each other; the second contact portion is formed with a plate thickness dimension smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the first contact portion; and the second mating contact portion is formed with a plate thickness dimension smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the first mating contact portion.

[0007] In the signal terminal, the second contact portion is formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first contact portion. That is, the second contact portion is thinner than the first contact portion. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second contact portion and the first mating contact portion of the mating signal terminal, i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the second contact portion and the first mating contact portion, is smaller than when the second contact portion is not thinner than the first contact portion. As a result, a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second contact portion and the first mating contact portion is suppressed, and therefore a sudden change in impedance at this contact position is suppressed.

[0008] Furthermore, in the mating signal terminal, the second mating contact portion is formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first mating contact portion. That is, the second mating contact portion is thinner than the first mating contact portion. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second mating contact portion and the first contact portion of the signal terminal, i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the second mating contact portion and the first contact portion, is smaller than in a case where the second mating contact portion is not thinner than the first mating contact portion. As a result, a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second mating contact portion and the first contact portion is suppressed, and therefore a sudden change in impedance at this contact position is suppressed.

[0009] Furthermore, by making the second contact portion and the second mating contact portion thinner than the first contact portion and the second mating contact portion, a sudden change in impedance at the contact position between the signal terminal and the mating signal terminal can be suppressed, so there is no need to make the second contact portion and the second mating contact portion thinner, i.e., to reduce the terminal width as in the past. Therefore, the second contact portion and the second mating contact portion can be ensured to have a sufficiently large terminal width for contact with the mating contact portion (the first mating contact portion and the first contact portion). As a result, even if the relative positions of the signal terminals (signal terminal and mating signal terminal) are misaligned in the terminal width direction, it is easier to ensure good contact between the signal terminals.

[0010] Furthermore, the first contact portion and the first mating contact portion are elastically displaceable in the plate thickness direction. Therefore, the first contact portion and the first mating contact portion can contact the second mating contact portion and the second mating contact portion in an elastically displaced state. As a result, the occurrence of settling of the first contact portion and the first mating contact portion can be effectively avoided compared to a configuration in which the first contact portion and the first mating contact portion are not elastically displaced.

[0011] (2) In the invention of (1), the second contact portion may be formed with a thickness dimension that is 1 / 2 or more and 3 / 4 or less of the thickness dimension of the first contact portion, and the second mating contact portion may be formed with a thickness dimension that is 1 / 2 or more and 3 / 4 or less of the thickness dimension of the first mating contact portion.

[0012] (3) In the invention of (1) or (2), the second contact portion may be formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first mating contact portion, and the second mating contact portion may be formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first contact portion.

[0013] The second contact portion is formed thin with a thickness smaller than that of the first mating contact portion. In other words, the first mating contact portion is formed thicker than the second contact portion. By forming the first mating contact portion thick in this manner, it is less likely to undergo excessive elastic deformation. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the second mating contact portion from separating from the first contact portion and becoming out of contact due to excessive elastic deformation of the first mating contact portion. Furthermore, the second mating contact portion is formed thin with a thickness smaller than that of the first contact portion. In other words, the first contact portion is formed thicker than the second mating contact portion. By forming the first contact portion thick in this manner, it is less likely to undergo excessive elastic deformation. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the second contact portion from separating from the first mating contact portion and becoming out of contact due to excessive elastic deformation of the first contact portion.

[0014] (4) In any of the inventions (1) to (3), the second contact portion may be formed with a thickness that is 1 / 2 or more and 3 / 4 or less of the thickness of the first mating contact portion, and the second mating contact portion may be formed with a thickness that is 1 / 2 or more and 3 / 4 or less of the thickness of the first contact portion.

[0015] (5) In any one of the inventions (1) to (4), the arm portion and the mating arm portion may have the same shape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] It is possible to provide an electrical connector assembly that suppresses sudden changes in impedance at the contact position between the signal terminals and that makes it easy to ensure good contact between the signal terminals. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly according to an embodiment, showing a state immediately before the electrical connector and the mating connector are mated and connected; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1 at the position of a terminal in the terminal arrangement direction. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing some terminals of the electrical connector. [Figure 4] 1A is a side view of some terminals of an electrical connector as viewed in the terminal arrangement direction, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. [Figure 5] 1A is a perspective view of a signal terminal alone, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a ground terminal alone. [Figure 6] 1A is a front view of some terminals of an electrical connector as viewed in the connector width direction, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mating terminal of a mating connector. [Figure 8] 1A is a side view of some mating terminals of a mating connector as viewed in the terminal arrangement direction, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. [Figure 9]1A is a perspective view of the mating signal terminal alone, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the mating ground terminal alone. [Figure 10] 1A is a front view of some mating terminals of a mating connector as viewed in the connector width direction, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector assembly at the position of a terminal in the terminal arrangement direction, showing the mated connection state. [Figure 12] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an arm portion of the terminal and a mating arm portion of the mating terminal in FIG. 9. [Figure 13] 10(A) to 10(D) are graphs showing the results of measuring impedance when signals are transmitted through a plurality of types of terminals with different shapes and mating terminals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] 1 and 2, in this embodiment, an electrical connector assembly is made up of an electrical connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as "connector 1") and a mating connector 2 that is mated and connected to connector 1. Connector 1 and mating connector 2 are electrical connectors for circuit boards that are mounted on different circuit boards (not shown). In this embodiment, connector 1 and mating connector 2 are used to transmit differential signals.

[0020] The connector 1 is mounted on a circuit board (not shown) having a mounting surface perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The mating connector 2 is mounted on another circuit board (not shown) having a mounting surface perpendicular to the vertical direction. The two connectors 1, 2 are mated with each other, with the mounting surfaces of the circuit board and the other circuit board facing each other in the vertical direction, and the vertical direction is the connector mating direction. Specifically, as shown by the arrows in Figures 1 and 2, the mating connector 2 is mated from above the connector 1. In other words, the upper side (Z1 side) of the connector 1 is the mating side with the mating connector 2. The lower side (Z2 side) of the mating connector 2 is the mating side with the connector 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "mating mating side").

[0021] The connector 1 has a housing 10 extending in one direction (Y-axis direction) parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board as its longitudinal direction, a plurality of signal terminals 40 and a plurality of ground terminals 50 arranged and held in the housing 10 with the longitudinal direction being the terminal arrangement direction, and two fixing brackets 60 held in the housing 10.

[0022] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the signal terminals 40 and the ground terminals 50, for convenience of explanation, they will be collectively referred to as "terminals 40, 50." As shown in FIG. 2, the terminals 40, 50 are arranged in the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) to form two terminal rows facing each other in the connector width direction (X-axis direction). The two terminal rows have the same number of arranged terminals 40, 50, and are arranged in the same range in the terminal arrangement direction. In each terminal row, terminals 40, 50 are mixed, with the signal terminals 40 in one terminal row facing the ground terminals 50 in the other terminal row, and the ground terminals 50 in one terminal row facing the signal terminals 40 in the other terminal row. The arrangement of the terminals 40, 50 in the terminal rows will be described in detail below.

[0023] The housing 10 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, and has a fixed housing 20 that is attached to a circuit board via terminals 40, 50, and a movable housing 30 that is a separate member from the fixed housing 20 and is movable relative to the fixed housing 20. In this embodiment, the terminals 40, 50 are provided to bridge between the fixed housing 20 and the movable housing 30, and elastic displacement of the terminals 40, 50 allows the movable housing 30 to move relative to the fixed housing 20 (floating).

[0024] The fixed housing 20 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape extending longitudinally in the terminal arrangement direction, and has a rectangular frame-like peripheral wall with an internal space 23 penetrating vertically. As shown in Fig. 1, the peripheral wall of the fixed housing 20 has two fixed-side side walls 21 extending in the terminal arrangement direction and two fixed-side end walls 22 extending in the connector width direction and connecting the ends of the fixed-side side walls 21.

[0025] 1, the fixed side wall 21 has an intermediate wall 21A extending over the terminal arrangement range, and restricting portions 21B located on both outer sides of the intermediate wall 21A and capable of restricting upward movement of the movable housing 30. The lower surfaces of the restricting portions 21B are located higher than the lower surface of the intermediate wall 21A.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the lower part of the intermediate wall 21A is formed with a plurality of fixed-side narrow holding portions 21C for mounting the signal terminals 40 and a fixed-side wide holding portion 21D for mounting the ground terminals 50. FIG. 2 shows the fixed-side narrow holding portion 21C formed on the intermediate wall 21A on the X2 side and the fixed-side wide holding portion 21D formed on the intermediate wall 21A on the X1 side. The fixed-side narrow holding portion 21C and the fixed-side wide holding portion 21D are formed as grooves that extend vertically from the inner surface of the lower part of the intermediate wall 21A. The fixed-side wide holding portion 21D is larger in the terminal arrangement direction than the fixed-side narrow holding portion 21C, i.e., is wider.

[0027] 1, the fixed-side end wall 22 has a fitting holding portion 22A at its lower portion for holding the fixing fitting 60. The fitting holding portion 22A is formed in the shape of a groove that extends in the vertical direction and penetrates the fixed-side end wall 22, and is configured to press-fit and hold the fixing fitting 60.

[0028] 1 and 2, the movable housing 30 has a mating portion 31 for mating with the mating connector 2, and an extension wall 36 and a central wall 37 (see FIG. 2) extending downward from the mating portion 31. The lower part of the movable housing 30 is accommodated in the internal space 23 of the fixed housing 20. The mating portion 31 has two movable-side side walls 32 extending in the terminal arrangement direction, two movable-side end walls 33 extending in the connector width direction and connecting the ends of the movable-side side walls 32, and a bottom wall 34 closing the lower end of the internal space of the mating portion 31. The internal space of the mating portion 31, i.e., the space surrounded by the movable-side side walls 32, the movable-side end walls 33, and the bottom wall 34 and opening upward, is formed as a receiving portion 35 for receiving a part of the mating connector 2.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, the movable-side sidewall 32 is formed with a plurality of narrow accommodating grooves 32A capable of accommodating a portion of the signal terminals 40, and a plurality of wide accommodating grooves 32B capable of accommodating a portion of the ground terminals 50. Fig. 2 shows the narrow accommodating grooves 32A formed in the movable-side sidewall 32 on the X2 side, and the wide accommodating grooves 32B formed in the movable-side sidewall 32 on the X1 side. The narrow accommodating grooves 32A and the wide accommodating grooves 32B are recessed from the inner surface of the movable-side sidewall 32 except for the lower portion of the movable-side sidewall 32, and extend in the vertical direction. The wide accommodating grooves 32B are wider in width than the narrow accommodating grooves 32A, i.e., are formed larger in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0030] 1, the outer surface of the movable-side side wall 32 is flat over its entire area, but as a modified example, a plurality of grooves extending in the vertical direction may be formed and arranged in the terminal arrangement direction on the outer surface of the movable-side side wall 32. By forming such grooves, it is possible to prevent the movable-side side wall 32 from warping and deforming in the wall thickness direction (connector width direction) during molding of the movable housing 30.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2 , the movable-side sidewall 32 and the bottom wall 34 are formed with a movable-side narrow holding portion 38 for mounting the signal terminals 40 and a movable-side wide holding portion 39 for mounting the ground terminals 50. FIG. 2 shows the movable-side narrow holding portion 38 formed on the movable-side sidewall 32 on the X2 side and the movable-side wide holding portion 39 formed on the movable-side sidewall 32 on the X1 side. The movable-side narrow holding portion 38 and the movable-side wide holding portion 39 are groove-shaped and extend vertically, recessed from the lower side surface of the movable-side sidewall 32, and penetrate the bottom wall 34. The movable-side wide holding portion 39 is larger in the terminal arrangement direction than the movable-side narrow holding portion 38, i.e., wider. The movable-side narrow holding portion 38 communicates with the narrow housing groove 32A, and the movable-side wide holding portion 39 communicates with the wide housing groove 32B. The movable-side narrow holding portion 38 receives and press-fits a portion of the signal terminal 40 to hold it therein, and the inner surface of the groove supports the plate surface of that portion (the surface perpendicular to the connector width direction). The movable-side wide holding portion 39 receives and press-fits a portion of the ground terminal 50 to hold it therein, and the inner surface of the groove supports the plate surface of that portion (the surface perpendicular to the connector width direction).

[0032] 1, the extension wall 36 extends downward from the movable-side end wall 33. A restricted portion 36A protruding in the connector width direction is provided at the lower part of the extension wall 36. The restricted portion 36A is located directly below the restricting portion 21B of the fixed housing 20 and can abut against the restricting portion 21B from below. When the restricted portion 36A abuts against the restricting portion 21B from below, the upward movement of the movable housing 30 is restricted by more than a predetermined amount.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, the central wall 37 extends downward from the bottom wall 34. The central wall 37 extends from the lower surface of the bottom wall 34 in the central region of the bottom wall 34 in the connector width direction to the lower end positions of the extension walls 36. The central wall 37 also extends over the entire range between the extension walls 36 in the terminal arrangement direction, connecting the extension walls 36 together. As shown in Fig. 2, the central wall 37 separates the signal terminals 40 and the ground terminals 50, which face each other in the connector width direction.

[0034] The terminals 40, 50 are so-called bent terminals formed by bending a metal strip in the thickness direction, and are arranged so that the terminal width direction coincides with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). In each terminal row, a plurality of terminal groups, each consisting of two signal terminals 40 and two ground terminals 50, are arranged. As shown on the X2 side in FIG. 3, each terminal group has a signal terminal pair made up of two adjacent signal terminals 40 and capable of transmitting differential signals, and a ground terminal 50 arranged on each side of the signal terminal pair. By arranging the ground terminals 50 on both sides of the signal terminal pair in this way, crosstalk between adjacent signal terminal pairs is effectively suppressed.

[0035] 3, on the X1 side, ground terminals 50 are arranged opposite signal terminals 40 on the X2 side, and signal terminals 40 are arranged opposite ground terminals 50 on the X2 side. By arranging the signal terminals 40 and the ground terminals 50 opposite each other in the connector width direction in this manner, crosstalk between the signal terminals 40 in the terminal row on the X1 side and the signal terminals 40 in the terminal row on the X2 side is effectively suppressed.

[0036] In addition to the multiple terminal groups, each terminal row also includes one signal terminal 40 at one end in the terminal arrangement direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , in the X1-side terminal row, the signal terminal 40 is located at the Y1-most position in the terminal arrangement direction, and in the X2-side terminal row, the signal terminal 40 is located at the Y2-most position in the terminal arrangement direction. In other words, the terminals 40, 50 in the two terminal rows are arranged point-symmetrically when viewed vertically. The signal terminal 40 located at the Y1-most position in the X1-side terminal row and the signal terminal 40 located at the Y2-most position in the X2-side terminal row are used to transmit signals other than differential signals. Alternatively, these signal terminals 40 may be used as ground terminals.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the signal terminal 40 has a connection portion 41 formed at one end located downward, a fixed side held portion 42 extending upward from the connection portion 41, an arm portion 43 formed at the other end located above the connection portion 41 and inward in the connector width direction, a movable side held portion 44 extending downward from the arm portion 43, and an exposed portion 45 connecting the fixed side held portion 42 and the movable side held portion 44.

[0038] 2, connecting portion 41 extends outward in the connector width direction directly below intermediate wall 21A and is adapted to be soldered to a corresponding circuit portion (e.g., a pad) on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown). Fixed-side held portion 42 is bent at a right angle at the inner end (the inner end in the connector width direction) of connecting portion 41 and extends upward, and is press-fitted and held within fixed-side narrow holding portion 21C of fixed housing 20.

[0039] 2, the arm portion 43 extends vertically along the narrow accommodating groove portion 32A of the movable housing 30, is disposed so as to face the receiving portion 35, and is elastically deformable in the plate thickness direction, i.e., the connector width direction. The arm portion 43 is capable of contacting a mating signal terminal 80 provided on the mating connector 2, with the plate surface located on the inside in the connector width direction serving as the contact surface (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

[0040] 2 to 6, the arm portion 43 has a first contact portion 43A and a second contact portion 43B for contacting the mating signal terminal 80, and a guide portion 43C for guiding the mating signal terminal 80. The first contact portion 43A extends linearly in the up-down direction, specifically, slightly inclined inward in the connector width direction as it extends upward. As shown in FIGS. 3, 5(A), and 6(A), the first contact portion 43A has an intermediate portion 43A-1 in the up-down direction that has a smaller terminal width than the other portions, i.e., is narrower.

[0041] The second contact portion 43B is bent and protrudes inward in the connector width direction above the first contact portion 43A. The guide portion 43C extends from the upper end of the second contact portion 43B and inclines outward in the connector width direction as it extends upward. As shown in FIG. 6A, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are formed with a terminal width slightly smaller than that of the intermediate portion 43A-1. Furthermore, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are crushed in the thickness direction and, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, are formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first contact portion 43A. In other words, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are thinner than the first contact portion 43A. In this embodiment, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are formed with a thickness between ½ and ¾ of that of the first contact portion 43A.

[0042] Also, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are formed with a thickness smaller than the thickness of the first mating contact portion 83A formed on the mating signal terminal 80 (see FIG. 12). In other words, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A.

[0043] In this embodiment, the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are formed with a thickness that is at least ½ and not more than ¾ of the thickness of the first mating contact portion 83A. By making the thickness of the second contact portion 43B at least ½ of the thicknesses of the first contact portion 43A and the first mating contact portion 83A, it becomes easier to ensure strength that can withstand contact pressure when in contact with the first mating contact portion 83A. Furthermore, by making the thickness of the second contact portion 43B not more than ¾ of the thickness of the first contact portion 43A, it becomes easier to sufficiently reduce the cross-sectional area at the contact position between the second contact portion 43B and the first mating contact portion 83A, and to sufficiently suppress a sudden change in impedance at this contact position. Furthermore, by making the plate thickness dimension of the second contact portion 43B 3 / 4 or less of the plate thickness dimension of the first mating contact portion 83A, in other words, by making the plate thickness dimension of the first mating contact portion 83A 4 / 3 or more of the plate thickness dimension of the second contact portion 43B, the first mating contact portion 83A can be made sufficiently thick relative to the second contact portion 43B, making it easier to avoid excessive elastic displacement of the first mating contact portion 83A.

[0044] 2, the exposed portion 45 extends between the fixed housing 20 and the movable housing 30 and is exposed from the fixed housing 20 and the movable housing 30, and connects the upper end of the fixed-side held portion 42 and the lower end of the movable-side held portion 44. The exposed portion 45 has a first elastic portion 45A, a second elastic portion 45B, and a third elastic portion 45C, and is generally crank-shaped when viewed in the terminal arrangement direction. The exposed portion 45 is elastically displaceable in the connector width direction (X-axis direction), the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction), and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction).

[0045] The first elastic portion 45A is bent at a right angle at the upper end of the fixed-side held portion 42 and extends linearly inward in the connector width direction. The second elastic portion 45B is bent at a right angle at the lower end of the movable-side held portion 44 and extends linearly outward in the connector width direction. The third elastic portion 45C extends in the up-and-down direction between the inner end of the first elastic portion 45A and the outer end of the second elastic portion 45B. Specifically, the third elastic portion 45C extends linearly, slightly inclined outward in the connector width direction as it extends upward from the inner end of the first elastic portion 45A, and connects the inner end of the first elastic portion 45A to the outer end of the second elastic portion 45B.

[0046] As shown in Figures 5(A) and 6(B), convex portions 45D and concave portions 45E are alternately formed on the entire range of both side edges of the exposed portion 45 extending in the extension direction of the exposed portion 45. In other words, each side edge of the exposed portion 45 is formed by a plurality of convex portions 45D and a plurality of concave portions 45E. As shown in Figure 5(A), one convex portion 45D is formed on both side edges of the first elastic portion 45A and the second elastic portion 45B, and a plurality of convex portions 45D and a plurality of concave portions 45E are formed on both side edges of the third elastic portion 45C. In addition, concave portions 45E are formed on both side edges of the bent portion at the boundary position between the first elastic portion 45A and the third elastic portion 45C and the bent portion at the boundary position between the first elastic portion 45A and the second elastic portion 45B.

[0047] The protrusions 45D on both side edges and the recesses 45E on both side edges are at the same position in the extension direction. That is, the exposed portion 45 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to a center line that extends in the extension direction at the center position in the terminal width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 6(B) shows a state in which the third elastic portion 45C of the exposed portion 45 is line-symmetrical with respect to the center line C1.

[0048] In the exposed portion 45, a wide portion 45F is formed in a range corresponding to the convex portion 45D in the extension direction, and a narrow portion 45G having a terminal width smaller than that of the wide portion 45F is formed in a range corresponding to the concave portion 45E in the extension direction. Therefore, the wide portion 45F and the narrow portion 45G are alternately provided over the entire range in the extension direction of the exposed portion 45. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, one wide portion 45F is formed in each of the first elastic portion 45A and the second elastic portion 45B, and multiple wide portions 45F and multiple narrow portions 45G are formed in the third elastic portion 45C. Narrow portions 45G are also formed in the bent portions at the boundary positions between the first elastic portion 45A and the third elastic portion 45C and the bent portions at the boundary positions between the first elastic portion 45A and the second elastic portion 45B. Both side edges of the wide portion 45F and the narrow portion 45G are linear and extend in the extension direction.

[0049] In two adjacent exposed portions 45 of a signal terminal pair, the wide portions 45F and the narrow portions 45G are located at the same position in the extension direction. Therefore, the side edges of the opposing wide portions 45F are close to each other, which increases the electrical coupling strength between the signal terminals 40 within the wide portions 45F. In addition, in this embodiment, the distance between the side edges of the wide portions 45F is set to be equal to or less than the plate thickness of the exposed portion 45. By placing the wide portions 45F close to each other at such a narrow distance, the electrical coupling strength between the signal terminal pairs can be further improved.

[0050] Because the exposed portion 45 is exposed to air, the impedance of the exposed portion 45 is likely to increase. However, in this embodiment, the provision of the wide portion 45F with a large terminal width in the exposed portion 45 makes the impedance likely to decrease, thereby suppressing the increase in impedance. Furthermore, the proximity of the wide portions 45F in the signal terminal pair increases the electrical coupling strength, but also further reduces the impedance. In this embodiment, the exposed portion 45 includes not only the wide portion 45F but also the narrow portion 45G. Because the terminal width is small within the narrow portion 45G and the spacing between the opposing side edges is larger than the spacing between the wide portions 45F, the impedance is likely to increase. Thus, in this embodiment, the exposed portion 45 includes not only the wide portion 45F but also the narrow portion 45G. Even if the side edges of the wide portions 45F are close to each other, the degree of impedance reduction in the exposed portion 45 as a whole can be mitigated. Therefore, excessive reduction in impedance in the exposed portion 45 can be effectively suppressed.

[0051] The ground terminals 50 are arranged so that the terminal width direction coincides with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). The ground terminals 50 have a shape similar to that of the signal terminals 40, but larger in the terminal width direction, i.e., wider.

[0052] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the ground terminal 50 has a connection portion 51 formed at one end located downward, a fixed side held portion 52 extending upward from the connection portion 51, an arm portion 53 formed at the other end located above the connection portion 51 and inward in the connector width direction, a movable side held portion 54 extending downward from the arm portion 53, and an exposed portion 55 connecting the fixed side held portion 52 and the movable side held portion 54.

[0053] The ground terminal 50 has almost the same shape as the signal terminal 40 when viewed in the terminal width direction, but is wider than the signal terminal 40 and the shapes of the arm portion 53 and exposed portion 55 are different from the shapes of the arm portion 43 and exposed portion 45 of the signal terminal 40.

[0054] The arm portion 53 has a first contact portion 53A and a second contact portion 53B for contacting a mating ground terminal 90 provided on the mating connector 2, and a guide portion 53C for guiding the mating ground terminal 90. The first contact portion 53A has the same shape as the first contact portion 43A of the signal terminal 40 when viewed in the terminal width direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5(B), and 6(A), the first contact portion 53A has a vertically narrower middle portion 53A-1 than the other portions. As shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), the second contact portion 53B and the guide portion 53C are not flattened and have the same thickness as the first contact portion 53A. In this respect, the second contact portion 53B and the guide portion 43C differ in shape from the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C of the signal terminal 40. In other words, the arm portion 53 has the same thickness throughout its entire length.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4A, and 5B, the exposed portion 55 has a first elastic portion 55A, a second elastic portion 55B, and a third elastic portion 55C, and has the same shape as the exposed portion 45 of the signal terminal 40 when viewed in the terminal width direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a first slit 55H is formed in the bent portion of the exposed portion 55 at the connecting position between the first elastic portion 55A and the third elastic portion 55C, penetrating the bent portion in the thickness direction at the central region in the terminal width direction. A first thin strip portion 55I is formed on each side of the first slit 55H in the terminal width direction. A second slit 55J is formed in the bent portion of the exposed portion 55 at the connecting position between the second elastic portion 55B and the third elastic portion 55C, penetrating the bent portion in the thickness direction at the central region in the terminal width direction. A second thin strip portion 55K is formed on each side of the second slit 55J in the terminal width direction. In this way, the exposed portion 55 has the first slit 55H, the first strip portion 55I, the second slit 55J, and the second strip portion 55K formed therein, which makes it different from the exposed portion 45 of the signal terminal 40. Each bent portion of the exposed portion 55 can be elastically displaced by the first strip portion 55I and the second strip portion 55K, and therefore is more susceptible to elastic displacement than when the first slit 55H and the second slit 55J are not formed.

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 5(B) and 6(B), convex portions 55D and concave portions 55E are alternately formed on the entire range of both side edges of the exposed portion 55 extending in the extension direction. In other words, each side edge of the exposed portion 55 is formed by a plurality of convex portions 55D and a plurality of concave portions 55E. As shown in FIG. 5(B), one convex portion 55D is formed on both side edges of the first elastic portion 55A and the second elastic portion 55B, and a plurality of convex portions 55D and a plurality of concave portions 55E are formed on both side edges of the third elastic portion 55C. In addition, concave portions 55E are formed on both side edges of the bent portion at the boundary position between the first elastic portion 55A and the third elastic portion 55C and the bent portion at the boundary position between the first elastic portion 55A and the second elastic portion 55B.

[0057] The protrusions 55D on both side edges and the recesses 55E on both side edges are at the same position in the extension direction. That is, the exposed portion 55 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to the center line C2 at the center position in the terminal width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 6(B) shows a state in which the third elastic portion 55C of the exposed portion 55 is line-symmetrical with respect to the center line C2.

[0058] In the exposed portion 55, a wide portion 55F is formed in a range corresponding to the convex portion 55D in the extension direction, and a narrow portion 55G having a terminal width smaller than that of the wide portion 55F is formed in a range corresponding to the concave portion 55E in the extension direction. The wide portion 55F and the narrow portion 55G are alternately provided over the entire range in the extension direction of the exposed portion 55. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(B), one wide portion 55F is formed in each of the first elastic portion 55A and the second elastic portion 55B, and multiple wide portions 55F and multiple narrow portions 55G are formed in the third elastic portion 55C. Narrow portions 55G are also formed in the bent portions at the boundary positions between the first elastic portion 55A and the third elastic portion 55C and the bent portions at the boundary positions between the first elastic portion 55A and the second elastic portion 55B. Both side edges of the wide portion 55F and the narrow portion 55G are linear and extend in the extension direction.

[0059] The protrusions 55D and recesses 55E have the same position and shape in the extension direction as the protrusions 45D and recesses 45E of the signal terminals 40. In other words, the side edges of the exposed portion 55 of the ground terminal 50 have the same shape as the side edges of the exposed portion 45 of the signal terminal 40. Therefore, in adjacent ground terminals 50 and signal terminals 40, the side edges of the facing wide portions 55F and 45F are close to each other, thereby improving the electrical coupling strength between the ground terminals 50 and signal terminals 40 within the range of the wide portions 55F and 45F. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the distance between the side edges of the wide portions 55F and 45F is set to be equal to or less than the plate thickness of the exposed portions 55 and 45F. By arranging the wide portions 55F and 45F close to each other with such a narrow distance, the electrical coupling strength between the ground terminals 50 and signal terminals 40 can be further improved.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 1, the fixing bracket 60 is made by bending a metal plate member in the thickness direction, and has a held plate portion 61 that is press-fitted and held in the bracket holding portion 22A of the fixed-side end wall 22, and a fixing leg portion 62 that is fixed to the circuit board. The held plate portion 61 is a flat plate with a plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and is held by being press-fitted into the bracket holding portion 22A at both side edges extending in the vertical direction. The fixing leg portion 62 is bent at a right angle at the lower end of the held plate portion 61 and is plate-shaped and extends outward in the terminal arrangement direction. The fixing leg portion 62 is fixed by being soldered to a corresponding portion, such as a pad, formed on the mounting surface of the circuit board.

[0061] The connector 1 is manufactured as follows. First, the manufacturing process of the signal terminal 40 will be described. The signal terminal 40 is made by stamping a metal plate member, crushing a portion of the resulting metal strip, and then bending the metal strip in the thickness direction. Specifically, first, the plate surface of the metal plate member placed on a die (not shown) of a punching mold is pressed with a stripper (not shown). Next, a portion of the metal plate member corresponding to one side edge of the signal terminal 40 is punched in the thickness direction with a punch (not shown) (first punching process), and then a portion corresponding to the other side edge is punched (second punching process). As a result, a metal plate strip is obtained. Next, the portions of the metal strip corresponding to the second contact portion 43B and the guide portion 43C are crushed in the thickness direction to make these portions thinner than the other portions. Next, the metal strip is bent in the thickness direction to obtain the signal terminal 40.

[0062] The ground terminal 50 is manufactured by processing a metal plate member having the same thickness as the metal plate member used to manufacture the signal terminal 40. The manufacturing process for the ground terminal 50 is the same as that for the signal terminal 40 except that no crushing process is performed, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0063] In this embodiment, the terminals 40, 50 have wide portions 45F, 55F with a large terminal width, so that the terminal width dimension and therefore the area of ​​the plate surface that can be pressed with a stripper can be secured large during the second punching process of the terminals 40, 50. Therefore, shear deformation of the third elastic portions 45C, 55C during punching is less likely to occur, and the formation of a twisted metal strip can be avoided. As a result, it is easier to produce terminals 40, 50 with a regular shape by bending the metal strip.

[0064] In addition, in this embodiment, the side edges of the exposed portion 45 of the signal terminal 40 and the side edges of the exposed portion 55 of the ground terminal 50 have the same shape. Therefore, the same punching die can be used in the manufacturing process of both the signal terminal 40 and the ground terminal 50, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the terminals 40, 50.

[0065] Next, we will explain the assembly process of the connector 1. First, the movable-side held portions 44 of the signal terminals 40 and the movable-side held portions 54 of the ground terminals 50 are press-fitted from below into the movable-side narrow holding portions 38 and the movable-side wide holding portions 39 of the movable housing 30, thereby holding the terminals 40, 50 in the movable housing 30.

[0066] Next, the fixed-side held portions 42 of the signal terminals 40 and the fixed-side held portions 52 of the ground terminals 50 are press-fitted from below into the fixed-side narrow holding portions 21C and wide holding portions 21D of the fixed housing 20, thereby holding the terminals 40, 50 in the fixed housing 20. Next, the held plate portions 61 of the fixing bracket 60 are press-fitted from above into the bracket holding portion 22A of the fixed housing 20, thereby holding the fixing bracket 60 in the fixed housing 20. By attaching the terminals 40, 50 and the fixing bracket 60 to the housing 10 in this manner, the connector 1 is completed. Note that the fixing bracket 60 may be attached to the fixed housing 20 before the terminals 40, 50, or may be attached to the fixed housing 20 simultaneously with the terminals 40, 50.

[0067] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mating connector 2 has a mating housing 70 extending in one direction (Y-axis direction) parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board (not shown) as its longitudinal direction, a plurality of mating signal terminals 80 and a plurality of mating ground terminals 90 (hereinafter referred to as "mating terminals 80, 90" when there is no need to distinguish between them) arranged and held in the mating housing 70 with the longitudinal direction being the terminal arrangement direction, and two fixing brackets 100 held in the mating housing 70.

[0068] The following describes the configuration of the mating connector 2 when it is in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. Therefore, in the mating connector 2, the Z1 side that is mounted on the circuit board is referred to as the "upper side," and the Z2 side that is mated with the connector 1 is referred to as the "lower side." The mating housing 70 is made of an electrically insulating material such as resin, and has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape extending longitudinally in the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). The mating housing 70 has a rectangular frame-shaped peripheral wall that is open both upward and downward, a partition wall 73 that divides the internal space of the peripheral wall in two in the vertical direction, and an insertion wall 74 that extends downward from the underside of the partition wall 73.

[0069] 1, the peripheral wall of mating housing 70 has two mating side walls 71 extending in the terminal arrangement direction and two mating end walls 72 extending in the connector width direction and connecting the ends of mating side walls 71. As shown in FIG. 2, a space located below partition wall 73 in the internal space of the peripheral wall and accommodating fitting wall 74 forms a mating receiving portion 77 for receiving a part of connector 1 from below.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 2, the upper portion of the mating side wall 71 is formed with a plurality of narrow end holding portions 71A for mounting the mating signal terminals 80 and a wide end holding portion 71B for mounting the mating ground terminals 90. FIG. 2 shows the narrow end holding portions 71A formed on the X2-side mating side wall 71 and the wide end holding portion 71B formed on the X1-side mating side wall 71. The narrow end holding portions 71A and the wide end holding portions 71B are groove-shaped and recessed from the upper surface of the mating side wall 71. The wide end holding portions 71B are larger in the terminal arrangement direction than the narrow end holding portions 71A, i.e., wider. The narrow end holding portions 71A receive and press-fit a portion of the mating signal terminals 80 to hold them, and the wide end holding portions 71B receive and press-fit a portion of the mating ground terminals 90 to hold them.

[0071] 1, the mating end wall 72 has a fitting holding portion 72A at its upper portion for holding the fastening fitting 100. The fitting holding portion 72A is formed in the shape of a groove that extends in the vertical direction and penetrates the mating end wall 72, and is designed to press-fit and hold the fastening fitting 100.

[0072] The bulkhead 73 and the insertion wall 74 are formed with a plurality of narrow other-end holding portions 75 for mounting the mating signal terminals 80 and wide other-end holding portions 76 for mounting the mating ground terminals 90. FIG. 2 shows the narrow other-end holding portions 75 formed on the X2 side and the wide other-end holding portions 76 formed on the X1 side. The narrow other-end holding portions 75 and the wide other-end holding portions 76 are groove-shaped and extend vertically, recessed from the upper side surface of the insertion wall 74, and penetrate the bulkhead 73. The wide other-end holding portions 76 are larger in the terminal arrangement direction than the narrow other-end holding portions 75, i.e., wider. The narrow other-end holding portions 75 receive and press-fit portions of the mating signal terminals 80 to hold them, and the inner surfaces of the grooves support the plate surface of the portion (the surface perpendicular to the connector width direction). The other-end wide holding portion 76 receives and press-fits a portion of the mating ground terminal 90, and supports the plate surface of the portion (the surface perpendicular to the connector width direction) with the inner surface of the groove.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 2, the fitting wall 74 extends downward from the underside of the partition wall 73 in the central region of the partition wall 73 in the connector width direction and extends across the terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction. The fitting wall 74 is island-shaped, and the annular space surrounding the fitting wall 74 serves as a mating receiving portion 77. A plurality of narrow accommodating grooves 74A capable of accommodating portions of the mating signal terminals 80 and a plurality of wide accommodating grooves 74B capable of accommodating portions of the mating ground terminals 90 are formed on the side surface of the fitting wall 74 (a surface perpendicular to the connector width direction). FIG. 2 shows the narrow accommodating grooves 74A formed on the X2 side and the wide accommodating grooves 74B formed on the X1 side. As shown in FIG. 2, the narrow accommodating grooves 74A and the wide accommodating grooves 74B are recessed from the side surface of the fitting wall 74 and extend vertically in a range excluding the upper portion of the fitting wall 74. The wide accommodating groove portion 74B has a wider groove width than the narrow accommodating groove portion 74A, i.e., is formed larger in the terminal arrangement direction. The narrow accommodating groove portion 74A communicates with the other-end narrow holding portion 75, and the wide accommodating groove portion 74B communicates with the other-end wide holding portion 76.

[0074] The mating terminals 80, 90 are so-called bent terminals formed by bending a metal strip in the thickness direction, and are arranged so that the terminal width direction coincides with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). As shown in Figure 2, the mating terminals 80, 90 are arranged in two mating terminal rows facing each other in the connector width direction (X-axis direction) in the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). In each mating terminal row, the mating signal terminals 80 are positioned corresponding to the signal terminals 40 of the connector 1, and the mating ground terminals 90 are positioned corresponding to the ground terminals 50 of the connector 1. Therefore, a mating ground terminal 90 is positioned on both sides of a mating signal terminal pair consisting of two adjacent mating signal terminals 80, thereby suppressing crosstalk between the adjacent mating signal terminal pairs. Furthermore, the mating signal terminals 80 and the mating ground terminals 90 are positioned opposite each other in the connector width direction, thereby suppressing crosstalk between the mating signal terminals 80 in the mating terminal row on the X1 side and the mating signal terminals 80 in the mating terminal row on the X2 side.

[0075] As shown in Figures 2 and 7 to 10, the mating signal terminal 80 has a connecting portion 81 formed at one end located at the top, a one-end retained portion 82 extending from the connecting portion 81 toward the inside in the connector width direction, a mating arm portion 83 formed at the other end located below the connecting portion 81 and toward the inside in the connector width direction, an other-end retained portion 84 extending upward from the mating arm portion 83, and an exposed portion 85 connecting the one-end retained portion 82 and the other-end retained portion 84.

[0076] 2, connecting portion 81 extends outward in the connector width direction at the upper end of mating side wall 71 and is adapted to be soldered to a corresponding circuit portion (e.g., a pad) on the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown). One-end-side held portion 82 is bent into a crank shape at the inner end (the inner end in the connector width direction) of connecting portion 81 and extends inward in the connector width direction, and is press-fitted and held within one-end-side narrow holding portion 71A of mating housing 70.

[0077] 2, the mating arm 83 extends vertically along the narrow receiving groove 74A of the mating housing 70, is positioned so as to face the mating receiving portion 77, and is elastically deformable in the plate thickness direction, i.e., the connector width direction. The mating arm 83 is capable of contacting the arm 43 of the signal terminal 40 of the connector 1, with the outer plate surface in the connector width direction serving as the contact surface (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

[0078] The mating arm portion 83 has the same shape as the arm portion 43 of the signal terminal 40. Specifically, the mating arm portion 83 has a first mating contact portion 83A and a second mating contact portion 83B for contacting the arm portion 43, and a mating guide portion 83C for guiding the signal terminal 40. The first mating contact portion 83A extends linearly in the vertical direction, specifically, slightly inclined outward in the connector width direction as it extends downward. As shown in Figures 7, 9(A), and 10(A), the first mating contact portion 83A has an intermediate portion 83A-1 in the vertical direction that has a smaller terminal width than the other portions, i.e., is narrower.

[0079] The second mating contact portion 83B is bent downward from the first mating contact portion 83A and protrudes outward in the connector width direction. The mating guide portion 83C extends downward from the lower end of the second mating contact portion 83B, slanting inward in the connector width direction. As shown in FIG. 10A, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C have a terminal width slightly smaller than that of the intermediate portion 83A-1 of the first mating contact portion 83A. Furthermore, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C are crushed in the thickness direction and, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, have a thickness smaller than that of the first mating contact portion 83A. In other words, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C are thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A. In this embodiment, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating side guide portion 83C are formed with a thickness that is at least 1 / 2 and at most 3 / 4 of the thickness of the first mating contact portion 83A.

[0080] Furthermore, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C are formed with a thickness smaller than the thickness of the first contact portion 43A of the signal terminal 40 (see FIG. 12). In other words, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C are thinner than the first contact portion 43A. In this embodiment, the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C are formed with a thickness between ½ and ¾ of the thickness of the first contact portion 43A.

[0081] By making the thickness of the second mating contact portion 83B at least half the thickness of the first mating contact portion 83A and the first contact portion 43A, it becomes easier to ensure strength sufficient to withstand contact pressure when the second mating contact portion 83B comes into contact with the first contact portion 43A. Furthermore, by making the thickness of the second mating contact portion 83B at most three-quarters the thickness of the first mating contact portion 83A, it becomes easier to sufficiently reduce the cross-sectional area at the contact position between the second mating contact portion 83B and the first contact portion 43A, thereby making it easier to sufficiently suppress a sudden change in impedance at this contact position. Furthermore, by making the thickness of the second mating contact portion 83B at most three-quarters the thickness of the first contact portion 43A, in other words, by making the thickness of the first contact portion 43A at least four-thirds the thickness of the second mating contact portion 83B, it becomes possible to make the first contact portion 43A sufficiently thick relative to the second mating contact portion 83B, which makes it easier to avoid excessive elastic displacement of the first contact portion 43A.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 2 , the exposed portion 85 extends from the mating housing 70 within an internal space 78 formed above the partition wall 73 in the mating housing 70, connecting the inner end of the one-end retained portion 82 and the upper end of the other-end retained portion 84. The exposed portion 85 has a horizontal portion 85A and a vertical portion 85B, and is generally L-shaped when viewed in the terminal arrangement direction. The horizontal portion 85A is bent at a right angle at the upper end of the other-end retained portion 84 and extends outward in the connector width direction along the upper surface of the partition wall 73. The vertical portion 85B extends linearly upward from the outer end of the horizontal portion 85A along the inner surface of the mating side wall 71 and is connected to the inner end of the one-end retained portion 82. The vertical portion 85B is slightly inclined outward in the connector width direction as it extends upward.

[0083] As shown in Figures 9(A) and 10(B), the exposed portion 85 has alternating convex portions 85C and concave portions 85D formed along the entire range of both side edges of the vertical portion 85B extending in the extension direction. In other words, each side edge of the vertical portion 85B is formed by a plurality of convex portions 85C and a plurality of concave portions 85D. The convex portions 85C and the concave portions 85D on both side edges are located at the same position in the extension direction. In other words, the exposed portion 85 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to a center line extending in the extension direction at the center position in the terminal width direction (Y-axis direction). Figure 10(B) shows that the vertical portions 85B of the exposed portion 85 are line-symmetrical with respect to the center line C3.

[0084] In the vertical portion 85B, a wide portion 85E is formed in a range corresponding to the protrusion 85C in the extension direction, and a narrow portion 85F having a terminal width smaller than that of the wide portion 85E is formed in a range corresponding to the recess 85D in the extension direction. Both side edges of the wide portion 85E and the narrow portion 85F are linear and extend in the extension direction.

[0085] In the two adjacent vertical portions 85B of the mating signal terminal pair, the wide portions 85E and the narrow portions 85F are at the same position in the extension direction. Therefore, the side edges of the opposing wide portions 85E are close to each other, which increases the electrical coupling strength between the mating signal terminals 80 within the range of the wide portions 85E. In addition, in this embodiment, the distance between the side edges of the wide portions 85E is set to be equal to or less than the plate thickness of the exposed portion 85. By bringing the wide portions 85E close to each other with such a narrow distance, the electrical coupling strength between the mating signal terminal pair can be further improved.

[0086] Because the exposed portion 85 is exposed to air, the impedance is likely to increase in the exposed portion 85. However, in this embodiment, the provision of the wide portion 85E in the exposed portion 85, which has a large terminal width, makes the impedance likely to decrease, thereby suppressing the increase in impedance. Furthermore, the proximity of the wide portions 85E in the mating signal terminal pair increases the electrical coupling strength, but also further reduces the impedance. In this embodiment, the exposed portion 85 includes not only the wide portion 85E but also the narrow portion 85F. Because the terminal width is small within the narrow portion 85F and the spacing between the opposing side edges is larger than the spacing between the wide portions 85E, the impedance is likely to increase. Thus, in this embodiment, the exposed portion 85 includes not only the wide portion 85E but also the narrow portion 85F. Therefore, even if the side edges of the wide portions 85E are close to each other, the degree of impedance reduction in the exposed portion 85 as a whole can be mitigated. Therefore, excessive impedance reduction in the exposed portion 85 can be effectively suppressed.

[0087] The mating ground terminals 90 are arranged so that the terminal width direction coincides with the terminal arrangement direction (Y-axis direction). The mating ground terminals 90 have a shape similar to that of the mating signal terminals 80, but larger in the terminal width direction, i.e., wider.

[0088] As shown in Figures 2 and 7 to 10, the mating ground terminal 90 has a connecting portion 91 formed at one end located at the top, a one-end retained portion 92 extending from the connecting portion 91 toward the inside in the connector width direction, a mating arm portion 93 formed at the other end located below the connecting portion 91 and toward the inside in the connector width direction, an other-end retained portion 94 extending upward from the mating arm portion 93, and an exposed portion 95 connecting the one-end retained portion 92 and the other-end retained portion 94.

[0089] The mating ground terminal 90 has almost the same shape as the mating signal terminal 80 when viewed in the terminal arrangement direction, but is wider than the mating signal terminal 80 and the shape of the mating arm 93 is different from the shape of the mating arm 83 of the mating signal terminal 80.

[0090] The mating arm portion 93 has a first mating contact portion 93A and a second mating contact portion 93B for contacting the arm portion 53 of the ground terminal 50, and a mating guide portion 93C for guiding the arm portion 53. The first mating contact portion 93A has the same shape as the first mating contact portion 83A of the mating signal terminal 80 when viewed in the terminal width direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 7, 9(B), and 10(A), the first mating contact portion 93A has a vertically narrower middle portion 93A-1 than the other portions. As shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B), the second mating contact portion 93B and the mating guide portion 93C are not flattened and have the same thickness as the first mating contact portion 93A. In this respect, their shapes differ from those of the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C of the mating signal terminal 80. In other words, the mating arm portion 93 has the same thickness throughout its entire length.

[0091] As shown in FIGS. 7, 8A, and 9B, the exposed portion 95 has a horizontal portion 95A and a vertical portion 95B and has the same shape as the exposed portion 85 of the mating signal terminal 80 when viewed in the terminal width direction. As shown in FIGS. 9B and 10B, the exposed portion 95 has alternating convex portions 95C and concave portions 95D formed along the entire length of both side edges of the vertical portion 95B. In other words, each side edge of the vertical portion 95B is formed with multiple convex portions 95C and multiple concave portions 95D. The convex portions 95C and the concave portions 95D on both side edges are aligned in the extension direction. In other words, the exposed portion 95 is symmetrical about a center line C4 extending in the extension direction at the center of the terminal width direction (Y-axis direction). FIG. 10B illustrates the vertical portions 95B of the exposed portion 95 being symmetrical about the center line C4.

[0092] In the vertical portion 95B, a wide portion 95E is formed in a range corresponding to the protrusion 95C in the extension direction, and a narrow portion 95F having a terminal width smaller than that of the wide portion 95E is formed in a range corresponding to the recess 95D in the extension direction. Both side edges of the wide portion 95E and the narrow portion 95F are linear and extend in the extension direction.

[0093] The protrusions 95C and recesses 95D have the same positions and shapes in the extension direction as the protrusions 85C and recesses 85D of the mating signal terminal 80. In other words, the side edges of the vertical portions 95B of the mating ground terminal 90 have the same shape as the side edges of the vertical portions 85B of the mating signal terminal 80. Therefore, the side edges of the opposing wide portions 95E and 85E are close to each other, which increases the electrical coupling strength between the mating ground terminal 90 and the mating signal terminal 80 within the range of the wide portions 95E and 85E. In addition, in this embodiment, the distance between the side edges of the wide portions 95E and 85E is set to be equal to or less than the plate thickness of the exposed portions 95 and 85E. By arranging the wide portions 95E and 85E close to each other with such a narrow distance, the electrical coupling strength between the mating ground terminal 90 and the mating signal terminal 80 can be further improved.

[0094] As shown in Fig. 1, the fixing bracket 100 is made by bending a metal plate member in the thickness direction, and has a held plate portion 101 that is press-fitted into the bracket holding portion 72A of the mating end wall 72 and a fixing leg portion 102 that is fixed to the circuit board. The held plate portion 101 is a flat plate with a plate surface perpendicular to the terminal arrangement direction, and is held by being press-fitted into the bracket holding portion 72A at its side edge extending in the vertical direction. The fixing leg portion 102 is bent at a right angle at the upper end of the held plate portion 101 and is a plate-like portion that extends outward in the terminal arrangement direction. The fixing leg portion 102 is soldered to and fixed to a corresponding portion, such as a pad, formed on the mounting surface of the circuit board.

[0095] The mating connector 2 is manufactured as follows. First, the manufacturing process of the mating signal terminal 80 will be described. The mating signal terminal 80 is manufactured by processing a metal plate member having the same thickness as the metal plate member used to manufacture the terminals 40 and 50. The mating signal terminal 80 is manufactured by punching the metal plate member, crushing a portion of the resulting metal strip, and then bending the metal strip in the thickness direction. Specifically, first, the plate surface of the metal plate member placed on a die (not shown) of a punching mold is pressed with a stripper (not shown). Next, a portion of the metal plate member corresponding to one side edge of the mating signal terminal 80 is punched in the thickness direction with a punch (not shown) (first punching process), and then a portion corresponding to the other side edge is punched (second punching process). As a result, a metal plate strip is obtained. Next, the portions of the metal strip corresponding to the second mating contact portion 83B and the mating guide portion 83C are crushed in the thickness direction to make these portions thinner than the other portions. Next, the metal strip is bent in the thickness direction to obtain the mating signal terminal 80.

[0096] The mating ground terminal 90 is manufactured by processing a metal plate member having the same thickness as the metal plate member used to manufacture the terminals 40, 50 and the mating signal terminal 80. The manufacturing process for the mating ground terminal 90 is the same as that for the mating signal terminal 80 except that no crushing process is performed, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted.

[0097] In this embodiment, the mating terminals 80, 90 have wide portions 85E, 95E with a large terminal width, so that the terminal width dimension and therefore the area of ​​the plate surface that can be pressed with a stripper can be secured large during the second punching process of the mating terminals 80, 90. Therefore, shear deformation of the vertical portions 85B, 95B during punching is unlikely to occur, and the formation of a twisted metal strip can be avoided. As a result, it is easier to produce a mating terminal 80, 90 with a regular shape by bending the metal strip.

[0098] In this embodiment, the side edges of the vertical portions 85B of the mating signal terminal 80 and the vertical portions 95B of the mating ground terminal 90 have the same shape. Therefore, the same punching die can be used in both the manufacturing process of the mating signal terminal 80 and the manufacturing process of the mating ground terminal 90, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the mating terminals 80, 90.

[0099] Next, the assembly process of the mating connector 2 will be described. First, the one-end held portions 82 of the mating signal terminals 80 and the one-end held portions 92 of the mating ground terminals 90 are press-fitted from above into the one-end narrow holding portion 71A and one-end wide holding portion 71B of the mating housing 70. At the same time, the other-end held portions 84 of the mating signal terminals 80 and the other-end held portions 94 of the mating ground terminals 90 are press-fitted from above into the other-end narrow holding portion 75 and the other-end wide holding portion 76 of the mating housing 70. As a result, the mating terminals 80, 90 are held in the mating housing 70.

[0100] Next, the retained plate portion 101 of the fixing bracket 100 is press-fitted from below into the bracket retaining portion 72A of the mating housing 70, thereby holding the fixing bracket 100 in the mating housing 70. By attaching the mating terminals 80, 90 and the fixing bracket 100 to the mating housing 70 in this manner, the mating connector 2 is completed. Note that the fixing bracket 100 may be attached to the mating housing 70 before the mating terminals 80, 90, or may be attached to the mating housing 70 simultaneously with the mating terminals 80, 90.

[0101] Next, the mating connection operation between the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 will be described. First, the connector 1 is mounted by soldering to the mounting surface of a circuit board (not shown), and the mating connector 2 is mounted by soldering to the mounting surface of another circuit board (not shown). Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector 1 is placed with the receiving portion 35 opening upward, and the mating connector 2 is placed above the connector 1 with the mating receiving portion 77 opening downward. Then, the mating connection with the connector 1 is initiated by moving the mating connector 2 downward.

[0102] During the connector mating process, the mating portion 31 of the connector 1 enters the mating receiving portion 77 of the mating connector 2 from below. At the same time, the mating wall 74 of the mating connector 2 enters the receiving portion 35 of the connector 1 from above. As a result, the mating guide portion 83C of the mating signal terminal 80 abuts against the guide portion 43C of the signal terminal 40, elastically displacing the first contact portion 43A outward in the connector width direction. At the same time, the mating guide portion 83C receives a reaction force from the guide portion 43C, causing the first mating contact portion 83A to elastically displace inward in the connector width direction. Furthermore, the mating guide portion 93C of the mating ground terminal 90 abuts against the guide portion 53C of the ground terminal 50, elastically displacing the first contact portion 53A outward in the connector width direction. At the same time, the mating guide portion 93C receives a reaction force from the guide portion 53C, causing the first mating contact portion 93A to elastically displace inward in the connector width direction.

[0103] In this manner, the first contact portions 43A, 53A of the arms 43, 53 and the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A of the mating arms 83, 93 are elastically displaced, allowing the mating connector 2 to move further downward. As shown in Fig. 11, the arms 43, 53, excluding the second contact portions 43B, 53B, are accommodated in the accommodating grooves 32A, 32B. The mating arms 83, 93, excluding the second mating contact portions 83B, 93B, are accommodated in the accommodating grooves 74A, 74B.

[0104] As the connector mating process progresses, when the mating portion 31 of connector 1 mates with the mating receiving portion 77 of the mating connector 2 as shown in Fig. 11, the connector mating operation is completed and connector 1 and mating connector 2 enter a mated and connected state. In the mated and connected state, the elastically displaced states of arm portions 43 and 53 of terminals 40 and 50 and mating arm portions 83 and 93 of mating terminals 80 and 90 are maintained, and arm portion 43 and mating arm portion 83 come into contact with contact pressure, and arm portion 53 and mating arm portion 93 come into contact with contact pressure. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 12, second contact portion 43B comes into contact with intermediate portion 83A-1 of first mating contact portion 83A, and second contact portion 53B comes into contact with intermediate portion 93A-1 of first mating contact portion 93A. Further, the second mating contact portion 83B contacts the intermediate portion 43A-1 of the first contact portion 43A, and the second mating contact portion 93B contacts the intermediate portion 53A-1 of the first contact portion 53A. This contact between the arm portions 43, 53 and the mating arm portions 83, 93 establishes electrical continuity between the terminals 40, 50 and the mating terminals 90, 100.

[0105] In this embodiment, the first contact portions 43A, 53A and the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A are elastically displaceable in the plate thickness direction. Therefore, the first contact portions 43A, 53A and the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A can contact the second mating contact portions 83B, 93B and the second contact portions 43B, 53B in an elastically displaced state. As a result, the first contact portions 43A, 53A and the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A can be effectively prevented from becoming worn, compared to a case in which the first contact portions and the first mating contact portions are not elastically displaced.

[0106] Immediately before mating the connectors 1, 2 or in the mated connection state, the mating positions of the connector 1 and the mating connector 2 are not necessarily correct in the terminal arrangement direction and the connector width direction, and misalignment may occur in these directions. In this embodiment, misalignment between the connectors 1, 2 is absorbed by so-called floating, in which the exposed portions 45, 55 of the terminals 40, 50 elastically displace the movable housing 30 in the direction of the misalignment.

[0107] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the third elastic portions 45C, 55C of the terminals 40, 50 are symmetrical with respect to the center lines C1, C2. Therefore, bias in the elastic displacement toward one side and the other side in the terminal width direction, i.e., the terminal arrangement direction, is unlikely to occur. In other words, the third elastic portions 45C, 55C can be elastically displaced equally toward both sides, thereby achieving good floating of the movable housing 30 in the terminal arrangement direction.

[0108] When the movable housing 30 floats in the terminal arrangement direction, the third elastic portions 45C, 55C of the terminals 40, 50 are elastically displaced so as to tilt in the terminal arrangement direction. In this embodiment, both side edges of the wide portions 45F, 55F and both side edges of the narrow portions 45G, 55G are linear, so the distance between the side edges of adjacent third elastic portions 45C, 55C can be maintained approximately constant before and after the elastic displacement of the third elastic portions 45C, 55C. Therefore, when the third elastic portions 45C, 55C are elastically displaced, the side edges of adjacent third elastic portions 45C, 55C can be effectively prevented from abutting against each other.

[0109] In the present embodiment, the second contact portion 43B of the signal terminal 40 is formed thinner than the first contact portion 43A. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second contact portion 43B and the first mating contact portion 83A of the mating signal terminal 80, i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the second contact portion 43B and the first mating contact portion 83A, is smaller than when the second contact portion 43B is not thinner than the first contact portion 43A. As a result, a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second contact portion 43B and the first mating contact portion 83A is suppressed, and therefore a sudden change in impedance at this contact position is suppressed.

[0110] Furthermore, in the mating signal terminal 80, the second mating contact portion 83B is formed thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A. Therefore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second mating contact portion 83B and the first contact portion 43A of the signal terminal 40, i.e., the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the second mating contact portion 83B and the first contact portion 43A, is smaller than in a case where the second mating contact portion 83B is not thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A. As a result, a sudden change in the cross-sectional area of ​​the signal transmission path at the contact position between the second mating contact portion 83B and the first contact portion 43A is suppressed, and therefore a sudden change in impedance at this contact position is suppressed.

[0111] Furthermore, by making the second contact portion 43B thinner than the first contact portion 43A and the second mating contact portion 83B thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A, a sudden change in impedance at the contact position between the signal terminal 40 and the mating signal terminal 80 can be suppressed, so there is no need to make the second contact portion 43B and the second mating contact portion 83B thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A, as in the past. Therefore, the second contact portion 43B and the second mating contact portion 83B can have a sufficiently large terminal width dimension for contact with the first mating contact portion 83A and the first contact portion 43A. As a result, even if the relative positions of the signal terminal 40 and the mating signal terminal 80 are misaligned in the terminal width direction when the connectors are mated and connected, good contact between the signal terminal 40 and the mating signal terminal 80 can be easily ensured.

[0112] In this embodiment, the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A of the mating terminals 80, 90 are formed thicker than the second contact portions 43B, 53B of the terminals 40, 50, making them less susceptible to excessive elastic deformation. This effectively prevents the second mating contact portions 83B, 93B from moving away from the first contact portions 43A, 53A and becoming out of contact due to excessive elastic deformation of the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A. Furthermore, the first contact portions 43A, 53A of the terminals 40, 50 are formed thicker than the second mating contact portions 83B, 93B of the mating terminals 80, 90, making them less susceptible to excessive elastic deformation. This effectively prevents the second contact portions 43B, 53B from moving away from the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A and becoming out of contact due to excessive elastic deformation of the first contact portions 43A, 53A.

[0113] In this embodiment, the arm portions 43, 53 of the signal terminals 40, 50 and the mating arm portions 83, 93 of the mating terminals 80, 90 have the same shape. Therefore, the contact pressure when the second contact portions 43B, 53B of the arm portions 43, 53 contact the first mating contact portions 83A, 93A of the mating arm portions 83, 93 can be made equal to the contact pressure when the second mating contact portions 83B, 93B of the mating arm portions 83, 93 contact the first contact portions 43A, 53A of the arm portions 43, 53. This effectively reduces deviations in the postures of the arm portions 43, 53 and the mating arm portions 83, 93 in the elastically deformed state.

[0114] In this embodiment, the second contact portion 43B of the arm portion 43 of the signal terminal 40 is formed thinner than the first contact portion 43A. Also, the second mating contact portion 83B of the mating arm portion 83 of the mating signal terminal 80 is formed thinner than the first mating contact portion 83A. By thinning the second contact portion 43B and the second mating contact portion 83B in this way without thinning the first contact portion 43A and the first mating contact portion 83A, a sudden change in impedance at the contact position between the signal terminal 40 and the mating signal terminal 80 can be effectively suppressed.

[0115] 13(A) to 13(D) are graphs showing impedance measurement results when signals are transmitted through terminals and mating terminals of three different shapes, each with an arm portion and a mating arm portion of different thicknesses. Specifically, FIG. 13(A) is a graph showing the measurement results for a terminal and a mating terminal whose entire arm portion and mating arm portion are thick, with the measurement results indicated by dashed lines. FIG. 13(B) is a graph showing the measurement results for a terminal and a mating terminal whose entire arm portion and mating arm portion are thin, with the measurement results indicated by dashed lines. FIG. 13(C) is a graph showing the measurement results for the signal terminal 40 and mating signal terminal 80 of this embodiment, i.e., the second contact portion 43B and guide portion 43C of the arm portion 43, and the second mating contact portion 83B and mating guide portion 83C of the mating arm portion 83, which are thin, with the measurement results indicated by solid lines. FIG. 13(D) is a graph showing the measurement results of FIGS. 13(A) to 13(C) superimposed on each other. 13(A) to 13(D), the horizontal axis represents time (ns) and the vertical axis represents impedance (Ω). In addition, in Figures 13(A) to 13(D), the reference impedance value is indicated as "R".

[0116] When the entire arm and the entire counterpart arm are made thick, as shown in FIG. 13(A), the impedance values ​​at the lower peaks P1 and P2 are significantly lower than the reference impedance R. In other words, the impedance is excessively low at the lower peaks P1 and P2. When the entire arm and the entire counterpart arm are made thin, the impedance values ​​are always higher than the reference impedance R, as shown in FIG. 13(B). In other words, the impedance is always excessively high.

[0117] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13(C), the lower peaks P3 and P4 have higher values ​​than the lower peaks P1 and P2 in FIG. 13(A). In other words, excessive decreases in impedance are suppressed at the lower peaks P3 and P4. Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13(C), the impedance value as a whole fluctuates within a range close to the reference impedance R and does not become excessively large. This is also clear from FIG. 13(D), which shows the measurement results superimposed. As such, according to this embodiment, the impedance value can be made closer to the reference impedance R compared to when the entire arm and the opposing arm are made thick and when the entire arm and the opposing arm are made thin. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1 connector 2 Mating connector 10. Housing 20 Fixed Housing 30 Movable housing 40 signal terminal 43 Arm 43A First contact part 43B Second contact part 45 Exposed part 45D convex part 45E recess 45F wide section 45G narrow part 70 Mating Housing 80 Mating signal terminal 83 Opponent's arm 83A First mating contact part 83B Second mating contact part 85 Exposed part 85C convex part 85D recess 85E wide part 85F narrow section

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly having an electrical connector and a mating connector, The electrical connector has a shape in which a metal plate member is bent in a plate thickness direction, and includes a plurality of signal terminals arranged in one direction parallel to the plate surface, and a housing for holding the signal terminals, The mating connector has a shape in which a metal plate member is bent in the plate thickness direction, and includes a plurality of mating signal terminals arranged so that one direction parallel to the plate surface coincides with the arrangement direction of the signal terminals, and a mating housing for holding the mating signal terminals, In the electrical connector assembly, the electrical connector and the mating connector are mated and connected in a mating direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, the signal terminal has an arm portion on the mating side with the mating connector, the arm portion has a first contact portion extending along the fitting direction and a second contact portion protruding in a plate thickness direction on the fitting side relative to the first contact portion, the mating signal terminal has a mating arm portion on a mating mating side that is a mating side with the electrical connector, the mating arm portion has a first mating contact portion extending along the mating direction and a second mating contact portion protruding in a plate thickness direction on the mating mating side more than the first mating contact portion, the first contact portion and the first mating contact portion are elastically displaceable in a plate thickness direction, the second contact portion and the first mating contact portion are capable of contacting each other, and the second mating contact portion and the first contact portion are capable of contacting each other, the second contact portion is formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first contact portion, 10. An electrical connector assembly according to claim 9, wherein the second mating contact portion is formed to have a thickness smaller than that of the first mating contact portion.

2. The second contact portion is formed with a plate thickness that is equal to or greater than ½ and equal to or less than ¾ of the plate thickness of the first contact portion, 2. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the second mating contact portion has a thickness that is at least 1 / 2 and at most 3 / 4 of the thickness of the first mating contact portion.

3. the second contact portion is formed with a thickness smaller than that of the first mating contact portion, 2. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein the second mating contact portion is formed to have a thickness smaller than that of the first contact portion.

4. the second contact portion is formed with a plate thickness that is equal to or greater than ½ and equal to or less than ¾ of the plate thickness of the first mating contact portion, 4. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein the second mating contact portion has a thickness that is at least 1 / 2 and at most 3 / 4 of the thickness of the first contact portion.

5. 5. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein said arm portion and said mating arm portion have the same shape.

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