Connector and connector assembly including the same

Abstract

A receptacle connector (20) is provided. The receptacle connector (20) according to one aspect of the present invention includes a flat bottom portion (510), a pair of outer support wall portions (520) that protrude from the bottom portion (510) and extend side by side along a first direction (X-axis direction), and a pair of inner support wall portions (540) that extend side by side between the pair of outer support wall portions (520), an insulating body (500) that can be placed on a substrate; a plurality of first contacts (600) that are spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of outer support wall portions (520); and a plurality of second contacts (700) that are respectively disposed between the first contacts (600) adjacent to each other in the first direction (X-axis direction) among the plurality of first contacts (600), and the pair of inner support wall portions (540) can be characterized in that they are spaced apart in a second direction (Y-axis direction) so that a part of another connector can enter therebetween.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector, and more specifically, to a connector that can be mounted on a substrate and a connector assembly including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a connector is provided in various electronic devices for electrical connection. For example, the connector is installed in electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, tablet computers, etc., and can electrically connect various components installed in the electronic device to each other. Such a connector has a predetermined insulation property and is composed of an insulating body placed on a substrate and a plurality of contacts arranged side by side along one direction on the insulating body.

[0003] At this time, as a solution for increasing the number of contacts of the connector, it is possible to consider arranging the contacts compactly on the insulating body by increasing the size of the insulating body on which the contacts are placed or by narrowing the distance between the contacts (i.e., the pitch).

[0004] However, when applying the first solution among the above-mentioned solutions to a conventional connector, as the number of contacts increases, the size of the insulating body may become excessively long or large, resulting in problems such as limitations in the degree of freedom of substrate circuit design, occurrence of manufacturing defects due to bending, and reduction in the overall strength of the connector.

[0005] When applying the second solution among the above-mentioned solutions to a conventional connector, since the adjacent contacts become close to the portions where they are coupled to the substrate, the insulation performance between the two contacts cannot be ensured, resulting in a problem that a short circuit may occur.

[0006] Accordingly, there has been an urgent need to develop a connector that can minimize the pitch so as not to cause the above-mentioned insulation problem and to arrange a large number of contacts in a limited space.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention has been devised in consideration of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of minimizing the pitch between contacts and a connector assembly including the same.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of being electrically connected (or contacted) with other connectors with high stability and a connector assembly including the same.

[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a connector having strong rigidity (or strength) and a connector assembly including the same.

[0010] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that can be easily and quickly manufactured in a simple process and a connector assembly including the same.

[0011] The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and still other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains from the following description.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an insulating body 500 including a flat bottom portion 510, a pair of outer support wall portions 520 protruding from the bottom portion 510 and extending side by side along a first direction (X-axis direction), and a pair of inner support wall portions 540 extending side by side between the pair of outer support wall portions 520, which can be placed on a substrate; a plurality of first contacts 600 spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of outer support wall portions 520; and a plurality of second contacts 700 respectively disposed between the first contacts 600 adjacent to each other in the first direction (X-axis direction) among the plurality of first contacts 600, wherein the pair of inner support wall portions 540 are spaced apart in a second direction (Y-axis direction) so that a part of another connector can enter therebetween, and a receptacle connector 20 is provided.

[0013] At this time, the insulating body 500 includes an inner wall portion 550 provided at one end in the extending direction of the pair of inner support wall portions 540 and connecting the one ends of the pair of inner support wall portions 540 to each other. The inner wall portion 550 is provided in a pair and can be respectively disposed at both ends in the extending direction of the pair of inner support wall portions 540.

[0014] At this time, the first contact 600 includes a first outer coupling portion 610 coupled to the outer support wall portion 520 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, a first inner coupling portion 620 connected to the first outer coupling portion 610 and coupled to the inner support wall portion 540 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and a first substrate mounting portion 640 extending between the pair of inner support wall portions 140 from one side portion of the first inner coupling portion 620 and configured to be mounted on the substrate. The first contact 600 is provided as a fixed terminal. The second contact 700 includes a second outer coupling portion 710 coupled to the outer support wall portion 520 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and an elastic contact portion 720 extending on a side surface 544 of the inner support wall portion 540 from one side portion of the second outer coupling portion 710 and configured with a free end so as to be elastically actuated by being pressurized by an external force. The second contact 700 can be provided as a movable terminal.

[0015] At this time, the first contact 600 includes a carrier connection portion 650 that extends from the first outer connection portion 610 in a direction opposite to that of the first substrate mounting portion 640, and a plating layer L is provided such that a side surface 652 in the extending direction is not exposed to the outside, and an end surface 654 in the extending direction may be configured to be exposed to the outside.

[0016] At this time, the second contact 700 may include a second substrate mounting portion 740 that extends from the other side portion of the second outer connection portion 710 in a direction opposite to that of the first substrate mounting portion 640 and is configured to be coupled to the substrate.

[0017] At this time, the coupling space 511 may penetrate the bottom portion 510 such that the first substrate mounting portion 640 can be observed through the coupling space 511.

[0018] At this time, the coupling space 511 may extend along the first direction (X-axis direction) such that at least two or more of the first substrate mounting portions 640 can be observed.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plug connector 10 for coupling to the receptacle connector 20 described above, including a flat bottom portion 110, a pair of outer support wall portions 120 that protrude from the bottom portion 110 and extend side by side along the first direction (X-axis direction), and an inner support wall portion 140 that extends side by side between the pair of outer support wall portions 120, an insulating body 100 that can be placed on a substrate; a plurality of first contacts 200 that are spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of outer support wall portions 120; and a plurality of second contacts 300 that are respectively disposed between the first contacts 200 adjacent to each other in the first direction (X-axis direction) among the plurality of first contacts 200, wherein the inner support wall portion 140 has a shape corresponding to the coupling space 511 of the receptacle connector 20 so as to be coupled between the pair of inner support wall portions 540 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0020] At this time, the first contact 200 includes a first outer coupling portion 210 coupled to the outer support wall portion 120 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and a first substrate mounting portion 220 extending from one side portion of the first outer coupling portion 210 toward the inner support wall portion 140 and configured to be coupled to the substrate. The first contact 200 is provided as a fixed terminal. The second contact 300 includes a second outer coupling portion 310 coupled to the outer support wall portion 120 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and an elastic contact portion 320 extending from one side portion of the second outer coupling portion 310 onto the side surface 142 of the inner support wall portion 140 and configured with a free end so as to be elastically actuated by being pressurized by an external force. The second contact 300 may be provided as a movable terminal.

[0021] At this time, the first outer coupling portion 210 includes a first inner contact portion 214 coupled to the first side surface 122 of the outer support wall portion 120 facing the inner support wall portion 140 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside; a first outer contact portion 212 coupled to the second side surface 124 of the outer support wall portion 120 opposite to the first side surface 122 so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside; and a first outer connection portion 216 connecting the first inner contact portion 214 and the first outer contact portion 212. The first substrate mounting portion 220 may extend from the first inner contact portion 214.

[0022] At this time, at least a part of the first substrate mounting portion 220 is exposed outside the bottom portion 110, and the bottom portion 110 may be provided with an inspection window 111 for allowing a portion of the first substrate mounting portion 220 exposed outside the bottom portion 110 to be viewed.

[0023] At this time, the first contact 200 includes a carrier connection portion 230 extending from the first outer contact portion 212 in a direction opposite to the first substrate mounting portion 220. The carrier connection portion 230 is provided with a plating layer L so that the side surface 232 in the extending direction is not exposed to the outside, and may be configured so that the end surface 234 in the extending direction is exposed to the outside.

[0024] At this time, the second contact 300 may include a second substrate mounting portion 340 configured to extend from the other side portion of the second outer coupling portion 310 in a direction opposite to the first substrate mounting portion 220 so as to be coupled to the substrate.

[0025] At this time, a concave groove 143 recessed inward may be provided on the side surface 142 of the inner support wall portion 140 so as to provide a space in which the elastic contact portion 320 can operate elastically.

[0026] At this time, the first contact 200 provided on any one of the pair of outer support wall portions 120 and the second contact 300 provided on any other one of the pair of outer support wall portions 120 may be arranged side by side in the direction (Y-axis direction) in which the pair of outer support wall portions 120 are arranged.

[0027] According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector assembly 1 formed by coupling a plug connector 10 and a receptacle connector 20 to each other. The plug connector 10 includes a flat plate-shaped first bottom portion 110, a pair of first outer support wall portions 120 that protrude from the first bottom portion 110 and extend side by side along a first direction (X-axis direction), a pair of first hold-down maintenance wall portions 130 provided at both end portions in the extending direction of the pair of first outer support wall portions 120, and a first inner support wall portion 140 that extends side by side between the pair of first outer support wall portions 120, that is, a first insulating body 100; and a plurality of contacts 200, 300 that are spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of first outer support wall portions 120. The receptacle connector 20 includes a second bottom portion 510 that is spaced apart so as to face the first bottom portion 110, a pair of second outer support wall portions 520 that protrude from the second bottom portion 510 and extend side by side along the first direction (X-axis direction), a pair of second hold-down maintenance wall portions 530 provided at both end portions in the extending direction of the pair of second outer support wall portions 520, a pair of second inner support wall portions 540 that extend side by side between the pair of second outer support wall portions 520 and have a coupling space 511 therebetween, and a pair of second inner wall portions 550 provided at both end portions in the extending direction of the pair of second inner support wall portions 540, that is, an insulating body 500; and a plurality of contacts 600, 700 that are spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of outer support wall portions 520. The coupling of the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 20 is characterized in that the first inner support wall portion 140 of the plug connector 10 enters the coupling space 511 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0028] At this time, the plug connector 10 includes a first hold-down structure 400 that covers both side surfaces of the first hold-down maintenance wall portion 130, and the receptacle connector 20 includes a second hold-down structure 800 that covers one side surface of the second hold-down maintenance wall portion 530 facing the second inner wall portion 550 among both side surfaces of the second hold-down maintenance wall portion 530 and one side surface of the second inner wall portion 550 facing the one side surface of the second hold-down maintenance wall portion 530 among both side surfaces of the second inner wall portion 550.

[0029] At this time, the first-direction (X-axis direction) distance d1 between the end face 144 in the extending direction of the first inner support wall portion 140 and one side face 552 of the second inner wall portion 550 facing the end face 144 can be configured to be longer than the first-direction (X-axis direction) distance d2 between one side face 422 facing the second inner wall portion 550 among both side surfaces in the first direction (X-axis direction) of the first hold-down structure 400 and one side face 842 of the second hold-down structure 800 facing the one side face 422 of the first hold-down structure 400.

[0030] At this time, the first-direction (X-axis direction) distance d2 between the one side face 422 of the first hold-down structure 400 and the one side face 842 of the second hold-down structure 800 can be configured to be longer than the first-direction (X-axis direction) distance d3 between the other side face 432 facing the one side face 422 of the first hold-down structure 400 and the other side face 822 of the second hold-down structure 800 facing the other side face 432 of the first hold-down structure 400.

Advantages of the Invention

[0031] For the connectors 10 and 20 according to one aspect of the present invention, the board mounting portions 220 and 640 of the first contacts 200 and 600 and the board mounting portions 340 and 740 of the second contacts 300 and 700 extend in opposite directions to each other, and the distance between the board mounting portions 220, 340, 640, and 740 can be separated in the second direction (Y-axis direction). Therefore, the first-direction (X-axis direction) pitch between the contacts 200, 300, 600, and 700 can be minimized.

[0032] The connectors 10 and 20 according to one aspect of the present invention have inner contact portions (or inner contact parts) and outer contact portions (or outer contact parts) of the contacts 200, 300, 600, and 700 provided on the side surfaces of the support walls 120, 140, 520, and 540), respectively, and can be in double contact with the contacts 200, 300, 600, and 700 of other connectors 10 and 20. Therefore, they can be electrically connected (or contacted) with other connectors 10 and 20 with high stability.

[0033] The connectors 10 and 20 according to one aspect of the present invention are configured such that the contacts 200, 300, 600, and 700 can be respectively mounted on both side portions of the outer support surfaces 120 and 520 and / or the inner support surfaces 140 and 540. Therefore, they can have strong rigidity (or strength) against external forces.

[0034] The connectors 10 and 20 according to one aspect of the present invention are configured such that the carrier connection portions 230 and 650 of the first contacts 200 and 600 and the second substrate mounting portions 340 and 740 of the second contacts 300 and 700 all extend outside the insulating bodies 100 and 500, and the first contacts 200 and 300 and the second contacts 600 and 700 can be provided in one carrier C. Therefore, the insulating bodies 100 and 500 can be formed at one time and can be easily and quickly manufactured in a simple process.

[0035] The connector assembly 1 according to one aspect of the present invention is configured such that the inner support wall portion 140 of the first connector 10 enters while being shape - matched with the coupling space 511 of the second connector 20 and is coupled. Therefore, the contacts 200 and 300 of the first connector 10 and the contacts 600 and 700 of the second connector 20 can stably maintain an electrically connected (or energized) state, and can also have strong rigidity (or strength) against external forces.

[0036] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and the effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains from this specification and the attached drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0037]

Figure 1

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Figure 18

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0038] The words and terms used in this specification and the claims should not be construed in a limited sense to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be construed in a meaning and concept that conforms to the technical idea of the present invention in accordance with the principle that the inventor can define terms and concepts in order to best explain his own invention.

[0039] In this specification, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to describe the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood not to preclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0040] When a certain component is "in front of", "behind", "above", or "below" another component, it includes not only the case where it is immediately in contact with and arranged "in front of", "behind", "above", or "below" the other component without special circumstances, but also the case where there are other components arranged in between. Also, when a certain component is "connected" to another component, it includes not only the case where they are directly connected to each other without special circumstances, but also the case where they are indirectly connected to each other.

[0041] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are perspective views of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from different angles. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a PCB pattern formed between a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention and a substrate. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line I-I of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first contact of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from above. FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective views of a second contact according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from different angles.

[0042] Hereinafter, when looking at the drawings, the first direction is defined as the X-axis direction, the second direction is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the third direction is defined as the Z-axis direction for explanation. At this time, in this specification, the first to third directions and the coordinate axes (XYZ axes) are only introduced to explain the relative positions between components, and do not limit the absolute positions of each component.

[0043] In this specification, extending in a predetermined direction means extending so as to have a component along the said direction. For example, what extends in a direction inclined with the X-axis has a component along the direction parallel to the X-axis, so extending in the X-axis direction includes extending along a direction inclined with the X-axis.

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector according to an embodiment of the present invention can be the plug connector 10. The plug connector 10 is mounted on a substrate (not shown) and can be coupled while being shape-matched with another connector (for example, the receptacle connector 20 (shown in FIG. 7)) mounted on another substrate. Accordingly, the electrical circuit of the substrate on which the plug connector 10 is mounted and the electrical circuit of the other substrate on which the other connector is mounted can be electrically connected (or energized) to each other.

[0045] According to this embodiment, the plug connector 10 can include an insulating body 100, a first contact 200, a second contact 300, and a hold-down structure 400. The insulating body 100 is a structure for providing a base on which other components of the present plug connector 10 can be arranged. At this time, the insulating body 100 can include a material having a predetermined insulation property in order to achieve electrical insulation between other components.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, in this embodiment, the insulating body 100 can include a bottom portion 110, an outer support wall portion 120, a hold-down maintenance wall portion 130, and an inner support wall portion 140.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the bottom portion 110 can be provided as a flat plate-shaped member that extends in the X-axis direction and has a predetermined width in the Y-axis direction. By placing the lower surface of the bottom portion 110 on one surface of the substrate, the present plug connector 10 can be supported as a whole.

[0048] At this time, according to this embodiment, the bottom portion 110 can be provided with inspection windows 111 in the form of holes formed in the Z-axis direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of inspection windows 111 can be provided corresponding to a plurality of first contacts 200.

[0049] And, some of the plurality of inspection windows 111 can be arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the X-axis direction on one side portion of one of the pair of outer support wall portions 140. Similarly, the remaining part of the plurality of inspection windows 111 can be arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the X-axis direction on the side portion of the other outer support wall portion 140. That is, the plurality of inspection windows 111 can be formed in two rows along the X-axis direction corresponding to the arrangement of the first contacts 200 described later.

[0050] Through this, accordingly, when the first substrate mounting portion 220 of the first contact 200 coupled to the outer support wall portion 140 is observed through the inspection window 111, the mounting state between the first substrate mounting portion 220 and the substrate can be inspected.

[0051] And, as will be described later, since the second contact 300 is disposed between the first contacts 200 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, a predetermined distance can be ensured between the inspection windows 111 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, and weakening of the strength of the bottom portion 110 due to the formation of the inspection windows 111 can be minimized.

[0052] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, although the plurality of inspection windows 111 are each configured to be able to confirm one first substrate mounting portion 220, they may be provided in a form extending long in the X-axis direction so that two or more first substrate mounting portions 220 can be confirmed through one inspection window 111.

[0053] And, the bottom portion 110 according to the present embodiment may be provided with corresponding concave grooves 113 formed by being cut open in the Z-axis direction. The corresponding concave grooves 113 can perform a function of relaxing the restraint between the second contact 300 and the insulating body 100 so that the elastic contact portion 320 of the second contact 300 can operate more smoothly.

[0054] For this purpose, the corresponding concave grooves 113 according to the present embodiment may be provided in a plurality corresponding to the number of the plurality of second contacts 300. And, a part of the plurality of second contacts 300 may be spaced apart along the X-axis direction on one side portion of the inner support wall portion 140 described later, and the remaining part may be spaced apart along the X-axis direction on the other side portion of the inner support wall portion 140. That is, the plurality of corresponding concave grooves 113 may be formed in two rows along the X-axis direction corresponding to the arrangement of the second contacts 300 described later.

[0055] More specifically, in the present embodiment, the corresponding concave grooves 113 may be connected to the concave grooves 143 of the inner support wall portion 140 described later. Through this, the corresponding concave grooves 113 can expose (that is, relax the restraint) the portion where the second central connection portion 330 and the elastic contact portion 320 of the second contact 300 are connected to the outside. Along with this, the elastic contact portion 320 of the second contact 300 can be easily elastically operated by an external force.

[0056] Then, as will be described later, since the first contact 200 is disposed between the second contacts 300 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, a predetermined distance can be ensured between the corresponding concave grooves 113 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, and the weakening of the strength of the bottom portion 110 due to the formation of the corresponding concave grooves 113 can be minimized.

[0057] On the other hand, such a form of the corresponding concave groove 113 is not particularly limited as long as it can provide a predetermined space so that the portion where the elastic contact portion 320 and the second central connecting portion 330 are connected does not sink into the bottom portion 110.

[0058] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 again, in this embodiment, an outer support wall portion 120, a hold-down maintaining wall portion 130, and an inner support wall portion 140 may be provided above the bottom portion 110. The outer support wall portion 120 may be configured to support the contacts 200 and 300 described later. For this purpose, although the outer support wall portion 120 protrudes in the positive direction of the Z-axis from the upper surface of the bottom portion 110, it may be extended long along the X-axis direction.

[0059] At this time, a pair of the outer support wall portions 120 according to this embodiment may be provided and spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance in the Y-axis direction. In other words, the pair of outer support wall portions 120 may be provided as a pair of bar-shaped members extending side by side in the X-axis direction.

[0060] Hereinafter, among both side surfaces 122 and 124 of the outer support wall portion 120 in the Y-axis direction, the side surface facing the inner support wall portion 140 described later is defined as the first side surface 122, and the side surface opposite to the first side surface 122 is defined as the second side surface 124.

[0061] On the other hand, according to this embodiment, hold-down maintaining wall portions 130 may be provided at side portions in the X-axis direction of the pair of outer support wall portions 120. The hold-down maintaining wall portion 130 can increase the overall rigidity of the insulating body 100 by supporting the end portions of the outer support wall portion 120. A pair of such hold-down maintaining wall portions 130 may be provided and respectively provided at both side portions in the X-axis direction of the pair of outer support wall portions 120.

[0062] In this embodiment, the hold-down retaining wall portion 130 may be provided as a block-shaped member extending in the Y-axis direction so as to connect the X-axis direction ends of the pair of outer support wall portions 120 to each other.

[0063] Again, referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an inner support wall portion 140 protruding in the positive direction of the Z-axis from the bottom portion 110 may be provided between the pair of outer support wall portions 120 according to this embodiment. By being shaped to fit with a part of another connector coupled to the plug connector 10, the inner support wall portion 140 can perform a function of increasing the coupling force between the two connectors.

[0064] In this embodiment, the inner support wall portion 140 may be provided as a rod-shaped member extending alongside the outer support wall portion 120. At this time, the inner support wall portion 140 may have a length slightly shorter than that of the outer support wall portion 120 in the X-axis direction. Accordingly, the inner support wall portion 140 may be surrounded by the pair of outer support wall portions 120 and the pair of hold-down retaining wall portions 130.

[0065] In this embodiment, the inner support wall portion 140 may be configured to be coupled between a pair of inner support wall portions 540 (shown in FIG. 8) of another connector, for example, a receptacle connector 20 (shown in FIG. 8) described later.

[0066] As an example, the inner support wall portion 140 may be coupled in a shape-fitting manner between a pair of inner support wall portions 540 (shown in FIG. 8) of the receptacle connector 20 (shown in FIG. 8). For this purpose, the inner support wall portion 140 may have a shape corresponding to the coupling space 511 of the receptacle connector 20 (shown in FIG. 8) described later.

[0067] On the other hand, in this embodiment, a concave groove 143 may be provided on a side surface 142 looking in the Y-axis direction of the inner support wall portion 140. Such a concave groove 143 can provide a space in which the elastic contact portion 320 of the second contact 300 can be elastically operated while being protected from the outside by the inner support wall portion 140.

[0068] For this purpose, a plurality of concave grooves 143 may be provided corresponding to a plurality of second contacts 300. And, some of the plurality of concave grooves 143 may be spaced apart along the X-axis direction on either one of the both side surfaces 142, and the remaining part may be spaced apart along the X-axis direction on the other side surface 142. That is, the plurality of concave grooves 143 may be formed in two rows on both side surfaces 142 of the inner support wall portion 140 corresponding to the arrangement of the second contacts 300 described later.

[0069] At this time, in this embodiment, as will be described later, since the first contact 200 is disposed between the second contacts 300 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, a predetermined distance can be ensured between the concave grooves 143 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, and the weakening of the strength of the inner support wall portion 140 due to the formation of the concave grooves 143 can be minimized.

[0070] As shown in the drawing, the concave groove 143 may be formed so as to be recessed inside the inner support wall portion 140. And, the concave groove 143 extends in the Z-axis direction, and both side portions in the extending direction may be open to the outside. However, the shape of the concave groove 143 is not particularly limited as long as it can provide an operating space in which the elastic contact portion 320 can operate and be protected elastically.

[0071] On the other hand, the above-described insulating body 100 may be integrally formed by injection molding, but is not limited thereto. And, the shape of the insulating body 100 is not particularly limited as long as it can provide a base on which other components can be installed, and can be variously deformed as needed, such as being formed so that a part thereof is bent.

[0072] Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the first contact 200 and the second contact 300 of the plug connector 10 according to this embodiment will be described. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the first contact 200 according to this embodiment may be provided as a fixed terminal having a form of a metal pin having electrical conductivity and being bent. At this time, a plurality of the first contacts 200 according to this embodiment may be provided and spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction on a pair of outer support wall portions 120, respectively.

[0073] In this embodiment, the first contact 200 can include a first outer coupling portion 210, a first substrate mounting portion 220, and a carrier coupling portion 230. First, the first outer coupling portion 210 includes a first outer contact portion 212, a first inner contact portion 214, and a first outer connection portion 216, and can be coupled to the outer support wall portion 140 of the insulating body 100.

[0074] According to this embodiment, the first outer contact portion 212 can extend in the Z-axis direction. And the first outer contact portion 212 can be coupled onto the second side surface 124 of the outer support wall portion 140 such that a part of the side surface is exposed to the outside. Similarly, the first inner contact portion 214 extends in the Z-axis direction and can be coupled onto the first side surface 122 of the outer support wall portion 120 such that a part of the side surface is exposed to the outside.

[0075] Thus, the first contact 200 according to this embodiment is configured such that the first inner contact portion 214 and the first outer contact portion 212 are exposed on both side surfaces of the outer support wall portion 120, so that double contact with the contacts of other connectors can be achieved and maintained based on the supporting force of the outer support wall portion 120.

[0076] Next, in this embodiment, the first outer connection portion 216 can connect the upper end portion of the first inner contact portion 214 and the upper end portion of the first outer contact portion 212. At this time, the first outer connection portion 216 can be coupled to the upper surface of the outer support wall portion 120 such that the upper surface is exposed upward.

[0077] On the other hand, in this embodiment, a first substrate mounting portion 220 can be coupled to the first inner contact portion 214. The first substrate mounting portion 220 can extend from the lower end portion of the first inner connection portion 214 toward the inner support wall portion 140.

[0078] As shown in the figure, the first substrate mounting portion 220 can extend along the Y-axis direction. However, if the end portion of the first substrate mounting portion 220 is configured to face the inner support wall portion 140, the extending direction of the first substrate mounting portion 220 is not particularly limited.

[0079] At this time, at least a part of the first substrate mounting portion 220 in this embodiment can be disposed at the inspection window 111 so as to be observable through the inspection window 111 of the bottom portion 110 described above. In the illustrated embodiment, the end portion of the first substrate mounting portion 220 is disposed at the inspection window 111.

[0080] On the other hand, the first substrate mounting portion 220 can be configured to be mounted on the substrate on which the present plug connector 10 is placed. For example, the first substrate mounting portion 220 can be mounted on the substrate by a soldering process or a welding process or the like. In this case, a predetermined PCB pattern for coupling them can be interposed between the first substrate mounting portion 220 and the substrate.

[0081] Next, in this embodiment, a carrier connection portion 230 can be connected to the first outer connection portion 212. The carrier connection portion 230 can extend in a direction opposite to the first substrate mounting portion 220 from the lower end portion of the first outer connection portion 212. In other words, the carrier connection portion 230 can extend outside the insulating body 100.

[0082] As shown in the figure, the carrier connection portion 230 can extend along the Y-axis direction. However, if the end portion of the carrier connection portion 230 is configured to face in a direction opposite to the end portion of the first substrate mounting portion 220, the extending direction of the carrier connection portion 230 is not particularly limited. At this time, a predetermined plating layer L can be provided on the side surface 232 in the extending direction of the carrier connection portion 230. Therefore, the side surface 232 can be prevented from being exposed to the outside. However, since the extending end surface 234 of the carrier connection portion 230 is not provided with the plating layer L, it can be configured to be exposed to the outside.

[0083] This is because the carrier connection portion 230 according to this embodiment can perform a function of connecting the carrier and the first contact 200, but in the manufacturing process of the present plug connector 10, the carrier connection portion 230 can be cut in order to separate the first contact 200 and the carrier from each other.

[0084] At this time, the carrier may mean an intermediate material used to position the contacts 200 and 300 in the manufacturing process of the main plug connector 10. Along with this, an end face 234 of the carrier connecting portion 230 is formed as a cut surface, and such an end face 234 may not be provided with the plating layer L.

[0085] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 5 again, in this embodiment, the width w1 of the first inner contact portion 214 in the X-axis direction may be configured to be longer than the width w2 of the first outer contact portion 212 in the X-axis direction. Along with this, the first inner contact portion 214 can be in contact and strongly coupled with the outer support wall portion 120 through a larger area, and can be electrically connected (or energized) with the contacts of other connectors through a larger area.

[0086] Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 6, in this embodiment, the second contact 300 can be provided as a fully movable terminal in the form of a metal pin formed to have electrical conductivity and bend. At this time, a plurality of the second contacts 300 can be provided and respectively arranged between the first contacts 200 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. In other words, the first contacts 200 and the second contacts 300 can be alternately arranged along the X-axis direction.

[0087] The second contact 300 according to this embodiment can include a second outer coupling portion 310, an elastic contact portion 320, a central coupling portion 330, and a second substrate mounting portion 340. And the second outer coupling portion 310 includes a second outer contact portion 312, a second inner contact portion 314, and a second outer coupling portion 316, and can be coupled to the outer support wall portion 120.

[0088] First, the second outer contact portion 312 according to this embodiment can extend in the Z-axis direction. And the second outer contact portion 312 can be coupled onto the second side surface 124 of the outer support wall portion 140 such that a part of the side surface is exposed to the outside. Similarly, the second inner contact portion 314 extends in the Z-axis direction and can be coupled onto the first side surface 122 of the outer support wall portion 140 such that a part of the side surface is exposed to the outside.

[0089] As described above, since the second contact 300 according to this embodiment is coupled such that the second inner contact portion 314 and the second outer contact portion 312 are exposed on both side surfaces of the outer support wall portion 120, double contact with the contacts of other connectors can be achieved and maintained based on the supporting force by the outer support wall portion 120.

[0090] And a second central connecting portion 330 may be connected to the lower end portion of the second inner contact portion 314. The second central connecting portion 330 extends in the Y-axis direction and may be coupled to the upper surface of the bottom portion 110. At this time, the upper surface of the second central connecting portion 330 may be configured to be exposed above the bottom portion 110, but is not limited thereto. This may act as a portion that is electrically connected (or energized) to the contacts of other connectors.

[0091] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the width w3 of the second outer contact portion 312 in the first direction may be configured to be longer than the width w4 of the second inner contact portion 314 in the first direction. Accordingly, the second outer contact portion 312 may be in contact with the outer support wall portion 120 through a larger area and be strongly coupled, and may be electrically connected (or energized) to the contacts of other connectors through a larger area.

[0092] Referring to FIG. 3 again, considering the positional relationship between the first contact 200 and the second contact 300 described above, the second inner contact portion 314 having a relatively narrow width w4 is disposed between the first inner contact portions 214 having a relatively wide width w1 on the first side surface 122 of the outer support wall portion 120. And the second outer contact portion 314 having a relatively wide width w3 is disposed between the first outer contact portions 212 having a relatively narrow width w2 on the second side surface 124 of the outer support wall portion 120.

[0093] As described above, in the connector according to this embodiment, although the first contact 200 and the second contact 300 having different widths from each other are alternately arranged, the distance between the contacts is constantly separated. Accordingly, while the connector can have a uniform strength as a whole, the strength of the connector can be improved.

[0094] Further, in this embodiment, a second central connecting portion 330 of the second contact 300 is disposed between inspection windows 111 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. By such a second central connecting portion 330, the strength of the portion between adjacent inspection windows 111 can be reinforced.

[0095] Then, a part of the first contact 200 is disposed between corresponding concave grooves 113 and concave grooves 143 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. By such a first contact 200, the strength of the portion between adjacent corresponding concave grooves 113 and concave grooves 143 can be reinforced.

[0096] Next, in the second contact 300 according to this embodiment, an elastic contact portion 320 may be provided at a side end portion of the inner support wall portion 140 of the second central connecting portion 330. The elastic contact portion 320 may be configured with a free end so as to be elastically actuated by an external force.

[0097] For this purpose, the elastic contact portion 320 may include an elastic arm portion 322 extending in the positive direction of the Z-axis from the end portion of the second central connecting portion 330 and a contact arm portion 324 provided at an end portion in the extending direction of the elastic arm portion 322. Then, the elastic arm portion 322 and the contact arm portion 324 may be disposed in the concave groove 143 of the inner support wall portion 140.

[0098] At this time, in this embodiment, the contact arm portion 324 may have a shape bent toward the outer support wall portion 120 side. And the thickness t2 of the central portion of the contact arm portion 324 may be thicker than the thicknesses t1 of both side portions in the X-axis direction. In other words, the central portion of the contact arm portion 324 may protrude further in the bent direction.

[0099] Accordingly, by coming into contact while pressing a part of another connector that has entered between the inner support wall portion 140 and the outer support wall portion 120, a more stable electrical connection (or energization) state can be achieved and maintained.

[0100] After that, in this embodiment, a second substrate mounting portion 340 may be connected to the lower end of the second outer contact portion 312 of the second outer coupling portion 310. At this time, the second substrate mounting portion 340 may extend in a direction opposite to that of the first substrate mounting portion 220. In other words, the second substrate mounting portion 340 may extend to the outside of the insulating body 100. That is, in this embodiment, the second substrate mounting portion 340 and the carrier connecting portion 230 described above may extend in the same direction.

[0101] As shown in the figure, the second substrate mounting portion 340 may extend along the Y-axis direction. However, if the end of the second substrate mounting portion 340 is configured to face in a direction opposite to that of the end of the first substrate mounting portion 220, the extending direction of the second substrate mounting portion 340 is not particularly limited.

[0102] Thus, in this embodiment, since the first substrate mounting portion 220 of the first contact 200 and the second substrate mounting portion 340 of the second contact 300 extend in opposite directions to each other, the first substrate mounting portion 220 and the second substrate mounting portion 340 can be maximally separated in the Y-axis direction to ensure insulation performance, and a short circuit between them can be prevented.

[0103] Then, the mounting portions of the first contact 200 and the second contact 300 adjacent to each other are arranged in a zigzag manner. Accordingly, the connector according to this embodiment can have a smaller pitch than the connector according to the comparative example in which the mounting portions are arranged in a row. Here, the pitch means the distance between connectors adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction.

[0104] For example, the pitch of the connector according to this embodiment may be less than or equal to half of the pitch of the connector according to the comparative example. Therefore, even when the connector according to this embodiment is mounted on a substrate by a PCB pattern, the occurrence of a short circuit between the PCB pattern bridge or adjacent PCB patterns can be prevented.

[0105] On the other hand, the second substrate mounting portion 340 can be configured to be mounted on the substrate on which the main plug connector 10 is placed. For example, the second substrate mounting portion 340 can be mounted on the substrate by a soldering process or the like. Through this, a predetermined PCB pattern for coupling them can be interposed between the second substrate mounting portion 340 and the substrate.

[0106] FIG. 4 shows a PCB pattern PS between the plug connector and the substrate. Such a PCB pattern PS can be composed of a first PCB pattern PS-1 between the second substrate mounting portion 340 and the substrate, a second PCB pattern PS-2 between the first substrate mounting portion 220 and the substrate, and a third PCB pattern PS-3 between the hold-down side substrate mounting portion 450 (to be described later) and the substrate.

[0107] At this time, a predetermined plating layer L can be provided on the side surface 342 in the extending direction of the second substrate mounting portion 340. Therefore, the side surface 342 can be prevented from being exposed to the outside. On the contrary, since the extending end surface 344 of the second substrate mounting portion 340 is not provided with the plating layer L, it can be configured to be exposed to the outside.

[0108] Because in this embodiment, the second substrate mounting portion 340 can perform the function of connecting the carrier and the second contact 300, but the second substrate mounting portion 340 can be cut in order to separate the second contact 300 and the carrier from each other in the manufacturing process of the main plug connector 10. Along with this, the end surface 344 of the second substrate mounting portion 340 can be formed as a cut surface and not provided with the plating layer L.

[0109] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the relative positional relationship between the first contact 200 and the second contact 300 of the plug connector 10 according to this embodiment will be described more specifically. In this embodiment, the first contact 200 disposed on any one of the pair of outer support wall portions 120 can be arranged side by side with the second contact 300 disposed on the other outer support wall portion 120 in the Y-axis direction.

[0110] In other words, the first contacts 200 disposed on either one of the pair of outer support wall portions 120 can be arranged to be displaced from each other in the Y-axis direction with respect to the first contacts 200 disposed on the other outer support wall portion 120.

[0111] Through such an arrangement, the first substrate mounting portions 220 of the first contacts 200 disposed on the different outer support wall portions 120 can be maximally separated from each other in the X-axis direction, ensuring insulation performance and preventing shorts between them. Accordingly, since the pair of outer support wall portions 120 and the contacts 200 and 300 provided thereon can be positioned closer to each other in the Y-axis direction, the plug connector 10 can be configured more compactly.

[0112] Also, in the present embodiment, since both the carrier connection portions 230 of the first contacts 200 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction and the second substrate mounting portions 340 of the second contacts 300 extend outside the insulating body 100, the first contacts 200 and the second contacts 300 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction can be connected together to one carrier.

[0113] Accordingly, since the insulating body 100 can be formed at once by performing an insert injection process using a pair of carriers provided with the first contacts 200 and the second contacts 300, the plug connector 10 according to the present embodiment can be easily and quickly manufactured through a simple process.

[0114] Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3, a hold-down structure 400 can be coupled to the hold-down maintaining wall portion 130 of the plug connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] In the present embodiment, the hold-down structure 400 can perform a function of guiding the coupling of another connector coupled to the present plug connector 10 and protecting the hold-down maintaining wall portion 130 of the insulating body 100 from external impacts and contamination. For this purpose, the hold-down structure 400 can be made of a metal having a predetermined rigidity.

[0116] In this embodiment, the hold-down structure 400 can include an upper surface protection portion 410, an inner surface protection portion 420, an outer surface protection portion 430, a side surface protection portion 440, and a hold-down side substrate mounting portion 450.

[0117] First, the upper surface protection portion 410 is provided as a flat plate-shaped member extending in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and can be configured to cover the upper surface of the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130. At this time, the upper surface protection portion 410 can have a sufficient area to entirely cover the upper surface of the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130.

[0118] And in this embodiment, one side surface of the two side surfaces in the X-axis direction of the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130 facing the inner support wall portion 140 can be covered and protected by a plate-shaped inner surface protection portion 420 extending in the negative Z-axis direction from the upper surface protection portion 410. At this time, the inner surface protection portion 420 can be extended to a length such that the end portion in the extending direction is adjacent to the bottom portion 110 so as to entirely protect the one side surface.

[0119] Next, in this embodiment, the other side surface of the two side surfaces in the X-axis direction of the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130 facing the one side surface can be configured to be covered and protected by a plate-shaped outer surface protection portion 430 extending in the negative Z-axis direction from the upper surface protection portion 410. At this time, the outer surface protection portion 430 can be sufficiently extended in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction so as to entirely protect the other side surface.

[0120] Then, in this embodiment, the two side surfaces in the Y-axis direction of the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130, although extending in the negative Z-axis direction from the upper surface protection portion 410, can be configured to be respectively covered and protected by a pair of plate-shaped side surface protection portions 440. At this time, the side surface protection portions 440 can be sufficiently extended in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction so as to cover a corresponding portion of the side surfaces.

[0121] In this embodiment, at least one of the inner surface protection part 420, the outer surface protection part 430, and the side surface protection part 440 can be connected to the aforementioned hold-down side substrate mounting part 450. Such a hold-down side substrate mounting part 450 can be arranged so as to pass through while penetrating the hold-down maintenance wall part 130. In this way, by mounting a part of the hold-down side substrate mounting part 450 on the hold-down maintenance wall part 130, the hold-down structure 400 and the hold-down maintenance wall part 130 can be strongly coupled to each other.

[0122] And in this embodiment, at least a part of the hold-down side substrate mounting part 450 can be exposed in the downward direction (negative direction of the Z axis) of the hold-down maintenance wall part 130. And the exposed part can be configured to be mountable on the substrate. Along with this, based on the coupling force with the substrate, the hold-down structure 400 can further strongly support the insulating body 100 and reinforce the overall rigidity of the plug connector 10.

[0123] Hereinafter, connectors according to other embodiments of the present invention will be described with different drawings. FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of a connector according to another embodiment of the present invention viewed from different angles. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a connector according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a PCB pattern formed between a connector according to another embodiment of the present invention and a substrate. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line II-II of FIG. 10. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a first contact of a connector according to another embodiment of the present invention viewed from above. FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) are perspective views of a second contact according to another embodiment of the present invention viewed from different angles.

[0124] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, the connector according to another embodiment of the present invention can be a receptacle connector 20. At this time, the receptacle connector 20 according to this embodiment can be configured to be coupled in shape matching with the aforementioned plug connector 10 (illustrated in FIG. 1) and be electrically connected (or energized).

[0125] The receptacle connector 20 according to this embodiment can include an insulating housing 500, a first contact 600, a second contact 700, and a hold-down structure 800. The insulating housing 500 is a structure for providing a base on which other components of this receptacle connector 20 can be arranged. At this time, the insulating housing 500 can include a material having a predetermined insulation property in order to achieve electrical insulation between other components.

[0126] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 10, in this embodiment, the insulating housing 500 can include a bottom portion 510, an outer support wall portion 520, a hold-down maintenance wall portion 530, an inner support wall portion 540, and an inner wall portion 550.

[0127] First, although the bottom portion 510 extends in the X-axis direction, it can be provided as a flat plate-like member having a predetermined width in the Y-axis direction. The lower surface of the bottom portion 510 can be placed on one surface of the substrate and configured to support the entire receptacle connector 20.

[0128] At this time, according to this embodiment, corresponding concave grooves 513 in a form cut open in the Z-axis direction can be provided. The corresponding concave grooves 513 can be configured in a similar structure so as to perform the same function as the corresponding concave grooves 113 (shown in FIG. 3) of the plug connector 10 (shown in FIG. 1) described above.

[0129] Next, an outer support wall portion 520, a hold-down maintenance wall portion 530, an inner support wall portion 540, and an inner wall portion 550 can be provided above the bottom portion 510 according to this embodiment.

[0130] At this time, the outer support wall portion 520 and the hold-down maintenance wall portion 530 according to this embodiment can be similarly configured so as to perform the same function as the outer support wall portion 120 (shown in FIG. 1) and the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130 (shown in FIG. 1) of the plug connector 10 (shown in FIG. 1) described above.

[0131] On the one hand, in this embodiment, a pair of inner support wall portions 540 may be provided between the pair of outer support wall portions 520. The pair of inner support wall portions 540 may be provided by a pair of rod-shaped members extending side by side in the X-axis direction.

[0132] At this time, the pair of inner support wall portions 540 according to this embodiment may be separated by a predetermined distance in the Y-axis direction. Accordingly, a coupling space 511 may be provided between the pair of inner support wall portions 540. In this embodiment, the coupling space 511 may be configured such that a part of another connector enters, so that the present connector 20 and another connector can be coupled to each other.

[0133] For example, the inner support wall portion 140 (illustrated in FIG. 1) of the plug connector 10 (illustrated in FIG. 1) described above may be coupled to the coupling space 511 of the present connector 20. The coupling between such connectors will be described later with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18.

[0134] At this time, according to this embodiment, the coupling space 511 may be formed so as to penetrate the bottom portion 510 of the insulating body 500. Accordingly, the first substrate mounting portion 640 of the first contact 600, which will be described later, can be observed through the coupling space 511. In other words, the coupling space 511 may function as an inspection window for the first substrate mounting portion 640.

[0135] Such a coupling space 511 may be extended along the X-axis direction so as to be able to observe a plurality of first substrate mounting portions 640. Of course, although the coupling space 511 extends in the X-axis direction, the portion where the coupling space 511 penetrates the bottom portion 510 may be formed only in a part of the bottom portion 510, like the inspection window 111 illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0136] Hereinafter, among the both side surfaces 542 and 544 in the Y-axis direction of the inner support wall portion 540, the side surface facing the adjacent inner support wall portion 540 is defined as the first side surface 542, and the side surface facing the first side surface 542 is defined as the second side surface 544.

[0137] On one hand, a concave groove 545 may be provided on the second side surface 544 of the inner support wall portion 540. At this time, the concave groove 545 of the inner support wall portion 540 according to this embodiment may be similarly configured to perform the same function as the concave groove 143 (shown in FIG. 3) of the plug connector 10 (shown in FIG. 1) described above.

[0138] And, inner wall portions 550 may be provided on the side portions in the X-axis direction of the pair of inner support wall portions 540. The inner wall portions 550 can increase the overall rigidity of the insulating body 500 by supporting the ends of the inner support wall portions 540. Such inner wall portions 550 are provided in a pair and may be respectively provided on both side portions in the X-axis direction of the pair of inner support wall portions 540.

[0139] In this embodiment, the inner wall portion 550 may be provided as a block-shaped member extending in the Y-axis direction so as to connect the ends in the X-axis direction of the pair of inner support wall portions 540 to each other.

[0140] Next, referring to FIGS. 9 to 12, the first contact 600 and the second contact 700 of the receptacle connector 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0141] A plurality of the first contacts 600 according to this embodiment are provided and may be spaced apart along the X-axis direction on the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540. And, the second contacts 700 may be respectively arranged between the first contacts 600 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction.

[0142] At this time, the relative positional relationship between the first contact 600 and the second contact 700 according to this embodiment may be similarly configured to exhibit the same effect as the first contact 200 (shown in FIG. 1) and the second contact 300 (shown in FIG. 1) of the plug connector 10 (shown in FIG. 1) described above.

[0143] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the first contact 600 according to this embodiment can include a first outer coupling portion 610, a first inner coupling portion 620, a first central connection portion 630, a first substrate mounting portion 640, and a carrier connection portion 650.

[0144] First, in this embodiment, the first outer coupling portion 610 includes a first outer maintaining portion 612, a first outer contact portion 614, and a first outer connection portion 616, and can be coupled to the outer support wall portion 540 of the insulating body 500 such that at least a part thereof is externally exposed.

[0145] In this embodiment, the first outer maintaining portion 612 can extend in the Z-axis direction. And the first outer maintaining portion 612 can be coupled onto the second side surface 524 of the outer support wall portion 520. At this time, the first outer maintaining portion 612 can be configured such that a part thereof, for example, the outer surface of the upper portion, is externally exposed, but is not limited thereto.

[0146] And the first outer contact portion 614 can extend in the Z-axis direction. At this time, the first outer contact portion 614 can be coupled onto the second side surface 524 of the outer support wall portion 520 such that a part of the side surface is externally exposed.

[0147] Next, in this embodiment, the first outer connection portion 616 can connect the upper end portion of the first outer contact portion 614 and the upper end portion of the first outer maintaining portion 612. At this time, the first outer connection portion 616 can be coupled to the upper surface of the outer support wall portion 520 such that the upper surface is exposed upward, but is not limited thereto.

[0148] On the other hand, the first inner coupling portion 620 of the first contact 600 according to this embodiment includes a first inner maintaining portion 622, a first inner contact portion 624, and a first inner connection portion 626, and can be coupled to the inner support wall portion 540 such that at least a part thereof is externally exposed.

[0149] First, in this embodiment, the first inner maintaining portion 622 extends in the Z-axis direction and can be coupled onto the first side surface 542 of the inner support wall portion 540. At this time, the outer surface of the first inner maintaining portion 622 can be configured to be exposed to the outside, but it is not limited thereto.

[0150] And the first inner contact portion 624 can extend in the Z-axis direction. At this time, the first inner contact portion 624 can be coupled onto the second side surface 544 of the inner support wall portion 540 such that a part of the side surface is exposed to the outside.

[0151] Next, in this embodiment, the first inner connecting portion 626 can connect the upper end portion of the first inner contact portion 624 and the upper end portion of the first inner maintaining portion 622. At this time, the first inner connecting portion 626 can be coupled onto the upper surface of the inner support wall portion 540 such that the upper surface is exposed upward, but it is not limited thereto.

[0152] In this way, the first contact 600 according to this embodiment is configured such that the first outer contact portion 614 and the first inner contact portion 624 are exposed on the opposing side surfaces 522 and 544 of the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540. Therefore, based on the supporting forces of the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540, double contact with the contacts of other connectors can be achieved and maintained.

[0153] At this time, according to this embodiment, the width w6 of the first inner coupling portion 620 in the X-axis direction can be configured to be longer than the width w5 of the first outer coupling portion 610 in the X-axis direction. Accordingly, the first inner coupling portion 620 can be in contact and strongly coupled with the inner support wall portion 540 through a larger area, and can be electrically connected (or energized) with the contacts of other connectors through a larger area.

[0154] Referring again to FIGS. 10 and 11, in this embodiment, a first central connecting portion 630 for connecting the first outer contact portion 614 of the first outer connecting portion 610 and the first inner contact portion 624 of the first inner connecting portion 620 may be provided therebetween. The first central connecting portion 630 extends in the Y-axis direction, and both end portions in the extending direction may be respectively connected to the lower end portion of the first outer contact portion 614 and the lower end portion of the first inner contact portion 624.

[0155] And the first central connecting portion 630 may be coupled to the bottom portion 510 of the insulating body 500. Here, the first central connecting portion 630 may be configured such that its upper surface is exposed above the bottom portion 510 and can be electrically connected (or energized) to the contacts of other connectors, but is not limited thereto.

[0156] On the other hand, in this embodiment, a first substrate mounting portion 640 may be connected to the first inner connecting portion 620. The first substrate mounting portion 640 may be configured to be mounted on the substrate on which the receptacle connector 20 is placed. For this purpose, the first substrate mounting portion 640 may extend from the lower end portion of the first inner maintaining portion 622 of the first inner connecting portion 620 toward the space between the pair of inner support wall portions 540.

[0157] As shown in the figure, the first substrate mounting portion 640 may extend along the Y-axis direction, but the extending direction of the first substrate mounting portion 640 is not particularly limited as long as the end portion of the first substrate mounting portion 640 faces toward the space between the pair of inner support wall portions 540.

[0158] At this time, the first substrate mounting portion 640 may extend between the pair of inner support wall portions 540 of the insulating body 500. At this time, the first substrate mounting portion 640 may be arranged such that at least a part thereof can be observed through the coupling space 511. Accordingly, the mounting state of the first substrate mounting portion 640 can be inspected.

[0159] On the other hand, a carrier connecting portion 650 may be connected to the first outer connecting portion 610. At this time, the carrier connecting portion 650 according to this embodiment may be similarly configured to perform the same function as the carrier connecting portion 230 (shown in FIG. 4) of the plug connector 10 (shown in FIG. 1) described above.

[0160] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, the second contact 700 according to this embodiment may include a second outer coupling portion 710, an elastic contact portion 720, a second central connection portion 730, and a second substrate mounting portion 740. The second outer coupling portion 710 may include a second outer maintaining portion 712, a second outer contact portion 714, a second outer connection portion 716, and a contact protrusion portion 718.

[0161] At this time, in this embodiment, the second outer maintaining portion 712, the second outer contact portion 714, the second outer connection portion 716, the elastic contact portion 720, the second central connection portion 730, and the second substrate mounting portion 740 are the second outer contact portion 312 (illustrated in FIG. 4) of the plug connector 10 (illustrated in FIG. 1) described above, the second inner contact portion 314 (illustrated in FIG. 4), the second outer connection portion 316 (illustrated in FIG. 4), the elastic contact portion 320 (illustrated in FIG. 4), the second central connection portion 330 (illustrated in FIG. 4), and the second substrate mounting portion 340 (illustrated in FIG. 4), and may be similarly configured to perform the same functions respectively.

[0162] At this time, according to this embodiment, the width w7 in the X-axis direction of the second outer coupling portion 710 may be configured to be longer than the width w8 in the X-axis direction of the elastic contact portion 720. Accordingly, the second outer coupling portion 710 may be in contact with the outer support wall portion 520 through a larger area and be strongly coupled, and may be electrically connected (or energized) with the contacts of other connectors through a larger area.

[0163] Referring to FIG. 9 again, considering the positional relationship between the first contact 600 and the second contact 700 described above, on the outer support wall portion 520, the first outer coupling portion 610 having a relatively narrow width w5 is arranged in the X-axis direction between the second outer coupling portions 710 having a relatively wide width w7. And on the inner support wall portion 540, the first inner coupling portion 620 having a relatively wide width w6 is arranged in the X-axis direction between the elastic contact portions 720 having a relatively narrow width w8.

[0164] As described above, in the connector according to this embodiment, although the first contacts 600 and the second contacts 700 having different widths are alternately arranged, the distance between the contacts is constantly separated. Along with this, while the connector cannot have a uniform strength as a whole, the strength of the connector can be improved.

[0165] Furthermore, between the corresponding concave grooves 513 and the concave groove 545 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction in this embodiment, the first inner coupling portion 620 of the first contact 600 is arranged. By such a first inner coupling portion 620, the strength of the portion between the adjacent corresponding concave grooves 513 and the concave groove 545 can be reinforced.

[0166] Then, considering the positional relationship between the first contact 600 and the second contact 700 described above, in this embodiment, on the outer support wall portion 520, the first outer coupling portions 610 having a relatively narrow width w5 are arranged in the X-axis direction between the second outer coupling portions 710 having a relatively wide width w7, and on the inner support wall portion 540, the first inner coupling portions 620 having a relatively wide width w6 are arranged in the X-axis direction between the elastic contact portions 720 having a relatively narrow width w8. Therefore, the first contacts 600 and the second contacts 700 can be strongly coupled to the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540 at a high density.

[0167] On the other hand, the contact protrusion portion 718 according to this embodiment can protrude between the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540 from the side portion of the second outer contact portion 714. By being configured such that another connector that has entered between the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540 can be locked and fixed, stable connection (or contact) of the two connectors can be realized. At this time, the contact protrusion portion 718 can be positioned adjacent to the second outer connection portion 716.

[0168] In this embodiment, the contact protrusion portion 718 can include a first protruding surface 718a whose height increases as it goes in the negative Z-axis direction away from the second outer contact portion 714, and a second protruding surface 718b whose height decreases as it goes in the negative Z-axis direction away from the second outer contact portion 714. At this time, by configuring the second protruding surface 718b to be more inclined with respect to the second outer contact portion 714 than the first protruding surface 718a, the above-described locking function can be effectively performed.

[0169] On the other hand, FIG. 11 shows a PCB pattern RS between the receptacle connector and the substrate. Such a PCB pattern RS can be composed of a first PCB pattern RS-1 between the second substrate mounting portion 740 and the substrate, a second PCB pattern RS-2 between the first substrate mounting portion 640 and the substrate, and a third PCB pattern RS-3 between a hold-down side substrate mounting portion 890 described later and the substrate.

[0170] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9 again, a hold-down structure 800 can be coupled to the insulating body 500 of the receptacle connector 20 according to this embodiment. The hold-down structure 800 is provided in a pair and can be coupled to both side portions in the X-axis direction of the insulating body 500, respectively.

[0171] In this embodiment, the hold-down structure 800 can include an outer wall upper surface protection portion 810, an outer wall inner surface protection portion 820, a central side bottom protection portion 830, an inner wall outer surface protection portion 840, an outer support wall upper surface protection portion 850, an outer support wall inner surface protection portion 860, a side bottom protection portion 870, a locking protrusion 880, and a hold-down side substrate mounting portion 890.

[0172] In this embodiment, the upper surface protection part 810 of the outer wall, the inner surface protection part 820 of the outer wall, the outer surface protection part 840 of the inner wall, the upper surface protection part 850 of the outer support wall, and the inner surface protection part 860 of the outer support wall can be provided as plate-like members configured to cover and protect the upper surface in the positive Z-axis direction of the hold-down maintaining wall part 530, the side surface facing the inner support wall part 540 side of the hold-down maintaining wall part 530, the side surface facing the outside of the first inner space S1 of the inner wall part 550, the upper surface in the positive Z-axis direction of the outer support wall part 520, and the side surface facing the inner support wall part 540 side of the outer support wall part 520, respectively.

[0173] At this time, each of the upper surface protection part 810 of the outer wall, the inner surface protection part 820 of the outer wall, the outer surface protection part 840 of the inner wall, the upper surface protection part 850 of the outer support wall, and the inner surface protection part 860 of the outer support wall can be extended in a predetermined direction so as to entirely cover the surface to be protected, and can include a curved surface with a part bent as needed.

[0174] Referring to FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the bottom part 510 provided between the hold-down maintaining wall part 530 and the inner wall part 550 can be covered and protected by a pair of side bottom protection parts 870 symmetrically provided on both sides in the Y-axis direction of the central side bottom protection part 830 and the central bottom side protection part 830.

[0175] At this time, the central side bottom protection part 830 and the side bottom protection part 870 can be provided as plate-like members so as to cover the central part and both side parts of the upper surface of the bottom part 510 when viewed in the Y-axis direction.

[0176] At this time, in this embodiment, a locking projection 880 protruding in the positive Z-axis direction can be provided on the side part in the Y-axis direction of the side bottom protection part 870. At this time, the locking projection 880 can be configured to be elastically actuated (or moved) in the Y-axis direction.

[0177] Such a locking protrusion 880 can elastically support and position-fix a part of another connector that has entered between the hold-down maintenance wall portion 530 and the inner wall portion 550. At this time, for the smooth operation of the locking protrusion 880, a predetermined groove or hole for providing a space in which the locking protrusion 880 can operate (or move) may be formed on the side surface of the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner surface protection portion 860 of the outer support wall.

[0178] Referring to FIG. 8 again, the hold-down side substrate mounting portion 890 of the hold-down structure 800 according to this embodiment may be configured to have a structure and function similar to those of the hold-down side substrate mounting portion 450 of the hold-down structure 400 of the plug connector 10 described above.

[0179] Hereinafter, a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to different drawings. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line III-III of FIG. 16. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line IV-IV of FIG. 16.

[0180] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the connector assembly 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed by fitting and coupling two connectors to each other. At this time, in this embodiment, the two connectors may be, but are not limited to, the plug connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the receptacle connector 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0181] In this embodiment, the inner support wall portion 140 of the plug connector 10 can enter the coupling space 511 provided between the pair of inner support wall portions 540 of the receptacle connector 20. The outer support wall portion 120 of the plug connector 10 can enter a predetermined space S provided between the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0182] And the hold-down maintaining wall portion 130 of the plug connector 10 can enter between the inner wall portion 550 and the hold-down maintaining wall portion 530 of the receptacle connector 20. In the above process, the hold-down structures 400, 800 can perform the function of protecting the hold-down maintaining wall portions 130, 530 and the bottom portions 110, 510 and guiding the connection of the two connectors 10, 20.

[0183] Thus, in the connector assembly 1 according to this embodiment, the plug connector 10 is provided with the inner support wall portion 140, and the inner support wall portion 140 is configured to be fitted and connected to the connection space 511 of the receptacle connector 20 in shape. Therefore, the coupling force between the two connectors 10, 20 can be increased, and the overall rigidity of the connector assembly 1 can be reinforced.

[0184] Referring to FIG. 15, as shown, the second outer contact portion 312 of the second contact 300 of the plug connector 10 can be electrically connected (or energized) to the first outer contact portion 614 of the first contact 600 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0185] And the second inner contact portion 314 of the second contact 300 of the plug connector 10 can be electrically connected (or energized) to the first inner contact portion 624 of the first contact 600 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0186] And the elastic contact portion 320 of the second contact 300 of the plug connector 10 is pressed by the inner support wall portion 540 of the receptacle connector 20 that enters between the outer support wall portion 120 and the inner support wall portion 140, so that it can be electrically connected (or energized) to the first inner maintaining portion 622 of the first contact 600 of the receptacle connector 20 while operating elastically.

[0187] Thus, the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 20 according to this embodiment can be in contact with each other in many parts and stably maintain electrical connection (or contact).

[0188] Similarly, the second outer contact portion 714 of the second contact 700 of the receptacle connector 20 can be electrically connected (or energized) to the first outer contact portion 212 of the first contact 200 of the plug connector 10.

[0189] And the elastic contact portion 720 of the second contact 700 of the receptacle connector 20 can be elastically actuated while being pressed by the outer support wall portion 120 of the plug connector 10 that comes in between the outer support wall portion 520 and the inner support wall portion 540, and can be electrically connected (or contacted) to the first inner contact portion 214 of the first contact 200 of the plug connector 10.

[0190] In particular, more stable connection (or contact) can be realized by fixing while the outer support wall portion 120 of the plug connector 10 and the first outer coupling portion 210 coupled thereto are locked between the contact protrusion portion 718 and the elastic contact portion 720 of the second contact 700 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0191] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 16, as described above, the hold-down maintenance wall portion 130 of the plug connector 10 can be shape-mated and coupled between the hold-down maintenance wall portion 530 and the inner wall portion 550 of the receptacle connector 20.

[0192] More specifically, in this embodiment, the end face 144 in the extending direction of the inner support wall portion 140 of the plug connector 10 and the one side face 552 in the X-axis direction of the inner wall portion 550 of the receptacle connector 20 can be arranged to face each other.

[0193] And the outer surface 842 in the X-axis direction of the inner wall outer surface protection portion 840 of the receptacle connector 20 and the outer surface 422 in the X-axis direction of the inner surface protection portion 420 of the plug connector 10 can be arranged to face each other.

[0194] At this time, the outer surface 842 of the inner wall outer surface protection portion 840 may mean a surface looking in the negative direction of the X-axis so as to protect the other side surface in the X-axis direction of the inner wall portion 550 of the receptacle connector 20, and the outer surface 422 of the inner surface protection portion 420 may mean a surface looking in the positive direction of the X-axis so as to protect one side surface in the X-axis direction of the hold-down maintaining wall portion 130 of the plug connector 10.

[0195] And the outer surface 822 in the X-axis direction of the outer wall inner surface protection portion 820 of the receptacle connector 20 and the outer surface 432 in the X-axis direction of the outer surface protection portion 430 of the plug connector 10 may be arranged to face each other.

[0196] At this time, the outer surface 822 of the outer wall inner surface protection portion 820 may mean a surface looking in the positive direction of the X-axis so as to protect one side surface in the X-axis direction of the hold-down maintaining wall portion 530 of the receptacle connector 20, and the outer surface 432 of the outer surface protection portion 430 may mean a surface looking in the negative direction of the X-axis so as to protect the other side surface in the X-axis direction of the hold-down maintaining wall portion 130 of the plug connector 10.

[0197] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the X-axis direction distance d1 (hereinafter referred to as the first distance) between the end surface 144 in the extension direction of the inner support wall portion 140 of the plug connector 10 and the one side surface 552 of the inner wall portion 550 of the receptacle connector 20 may be configured to be longer than the X-axis direction distance d2 (hereinafter referred to as the second distance) between the outer surface 842 of the inner wall outer surface protection portion 840 of the receptacle connector 20 and the outer surface 422 of the inner surface protection portion 420 of the plug connector 10.

[0198] And in this embodiment, the second distance d2 may be configured to be longer than the X-axis direction distance d3 (hereinafter referred to as the third distance) between the outer surface 822 of the outer wall inner surface protection portion 820 of the receptacle connector 20 and the outer surface 432 of the outer surface protection portion 430 of the plug connector 10.

[0199] In other words, the first to third distances d1 to d3 may follow the following [Equation 1].

[0200]

Number

[0201] This is because if the first distance d1 is configured to be shorter than the second distance d2 or the third distance d3, the inner support wall portion 140 of the plug connector 10 and the inner wall portion 550 of the receptacle connector 20 are likely to interfere with each other and be damaged during the process of coupling the two connectors 10 and 20.

[0202] Ultimately, one objective of the present connector assembly 1 is to implement an ultra-narrow pitch. For this purpose, after the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 20 are coupled, the gap in the longitudinal direction of the connector (the X-axis direction in the drawing) should be small, and damage must be prevented during the coupling process of the two connectors 10 and 20.

[0203] For this reason, in this embodiment, according to [Number 1], the gap (i.e., the third distance d3) between the outer wall inner surface protection portion 820 of the receptacle connector 20 having a relatively high strength and the outer surface protection portion 430 of the plug connector 10 is set to be the smallest, and the gap (i.e., the first distance d1) between the inner wall portion 550 of the receptacle connector 20 having a relatively low strength and the inner support wall portion 140 of the plug connector 10 can be set to be the largest. Accordingly, damage due to interference between the vulnerable parts can be prevented.

[0204] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the idea of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented in this specification. Those skilled in the art who understand the idea of the present invention can easily propose other embodiments by adding, changing, deleting, adding, etc. components within the scope of the same idea, and it can also be said that this is also within the scope of the idea of the present invention.

Claims

1. An insulating body (500) including a flat bottom portion (510), a pair of outer support wall portions (520) that project from the bottom portion (510) and extend side by side along a first direction (X-axis direction), and a pair of inner support wall portions (540) that extend side by side between the pair of outer support wall portions (520), which can be placed on a substrate; A plurality of first contacts (600) spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) respectively provided on each of the pair of outer support wall portions (520); and A plurality of second contacts (700) respectively disposed between the first contacts (600) adjacent to each other in the first direction (X-axis direction) among the plurality of first contacts (600), The pair of inner support wall portions (540) are Characterized in that they are spaced apart in a second direction (Y-axis direction) so that a coupling space (511) for allowing a part of another connector to enter therebetween is provided, a receptacle connector (20).

2. The insulating body (500) is Including an inner wall portion (550) provided at one end in the extending direction of the pair of inner support wall portions (540) and connecting the one ends of the pair of inner support wall portions (540) to each other, The receptacle connector (20) according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall portion (550) is provided in a pair and is respectively disposed at both ends in the extending direction of the pair of inner support wall portions (540).

3. The first contact (600) is A first outer coupling portion (610) coupled to the outer support wall portion (520) so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, a first inner coupling portion (620) coupled to the inner support wall portion (540) so as to be connected to the first outer coupling portion (610) and at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and a first substrate mounting portion (640) extending between the pair of inner support wall portions (140) from one side portion of the first inner coupling portion (620) and configured to be mountable on the substrate, provided by a fixed type terminal, The second contact (700) is A second outer coupling portion (710) coupled to the outer support wall portion (520) so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and an elastic contact portion (720) extending on a side surface (544) of the inner support wall portion (540) from one side portion of the second outer coupling portion (710) and configured with a free end so as to be elastically actuated by being pressurized by an external force, provided by a movable type terminal, the receptacle connector (20) according to claim 1.

4. The first contact (600) is including a carrier connection part (650) extending from the first outer connection part (610) in the opposite direction to the first substrate mounting part (640), The carrier connection part (650) is The receptacle connector (20) according to claim 3, wherein the plating layer (L) is provided so that the side surface (652) in the extension direction is not exposed to the outside, and the end surface (654) in the extension direction is configured to be exposed to the outside.

5. The second contact (700) is The receptacle connector (20) according to claim 3, including a second substrate mounting part (740) extending from the other side of the second outer connection part (710) in the opposite direction to the first substrate mounting part (640) and configured to be mounted on the substrate.

6. The coupling space (511) is The receptacle connector (20) according to claim 3, wherein the bottom (510) is penetrated so that the first substrate mounting part (640) can be observed through the coupling space (511).

7. The coupling space (511) is The receptacle connector (20) according to claim 6, extending along the first direction (X-axis direction) so that at least two or more of the first substrate mounting parts (640) can be observed.

8. A plug connector (10) for coupling with the receptacle connector (20) according to claim 1, An insulating body (100) including a flat bottom (110), a pair of outer support wall parts (120) protruding from the bottom (110) and extending side by side along the first direction (X-axis direction), and an inner support wall part (140) extending side by side between the pair of outer support wall parts (120), which can be placed on a substrate; A plurality of first contacts (200) spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of outer support wall parts (120); and Including a plurality of second contacts (300) respectively arranged between the first contacts (200) adjacent to each other in the first direction (X-axis direction) among the plurality of first contacts (200), The inner support wall part (140) is The plug connector (10) is characterized in that it has a shape that can be inserted into the coupling space (511) of the receptacle connector (20) so that it can be coupled between the pair of inner support wall parts (540) of the receptacle connector (20).

9. The first contact (200) is A first outer coupling portion (210) coupled to the outer support wall portion (120) so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and a first substrate mounting portion (220) extending from one side portion of the first outer coupling portion (210) toward the inner support wall portion (140) and configured to be mountable on the substrate, provided by a fixed terminal, The second contact (300) is A second outer coupling portion (310) coupled to the outer support wall portion (120) so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside, and an elastic contact portion (320) extending from one side portion of the second outer coupling portion (310) onto the side surface (142) of the inner support wall portion (140) and configured with a free end so as to be elastically actuated by being pressurized by an external force, provided by a movable terminal, the plug connector (10) according to claim 8.

10. The first outer coupling portion (210) is A first inner contact portion (214) coupled so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside on a first side surface (122) of the both side surfaces (122, 124) of the outer support wall portion (120) facing the inner support wall portion (140); A first outer contact portion (212) coupled so that at least a part thereof is exposed to the outside on a second side surface (124) of the both side surfaces (122, 124) of the outer support wall portion (120) facing the first side surface (122); and A first outer connection portion (216) connecting the first inner contact portion (214) and the first outer contact portion (212), The first substrate mounting portion (220) is Extending from the first inner contact portion (214), the plug connector (10) according to claim 9.

11. The first substrate mounting portion (220) is At least a part thereof is exposed outside the bottom portion (110), On the bottom portion (110), An inspection window (111) is provided to enable a view of the portion where the first substrate mounting portion (220) is exposed outside the bottom portion (110), the plug connector (10) according to claim 10.

12. The first contact (200) is A carrier connection portion (230) extending from the first outer contact portion (212) in a direction opposite to the first substrate mounting portion (220), The carrier connection portion (230) is A plating layer (L) is provided on a side surface (232) in the extending direction so as not to be exposed to the outside, and an end surface (234) in the extending direction is configured to be exposed to the outside, the plug connector (10) according to claim 10.

13. The second contact (300) is The plug connector (10) according to claim 9, comprising a second substrate mounting portion (340) configured to extend from the other side portion of the second outer coupling portion (310) in a direction opposite to the first substrate mounting portion (220) and be coupled to the substrate.

14. On the side surface (142) of the inner support wall portion (140), The plug connector (10) according to claim 9, provided with a concave groove (143) recessed inward so as to provide a space in which the elastic contact portion (320) can operate elastically.

15. The first contact (200) provided on any one of the pair of outer support wall portions (120) and the second contact (300) provided on any other one of the pair of outer support wall portions (120) are arranged side by side in the direction (Y-axis direction) in which the pair of outer support wall portions (120) are arranged. The plug connector (10) according to claim 9.

16. A connector assembly (1) in which a plug connector (10) and a receptacle connector (20) are coupled to each other and used, The plug connector (10) is A flat first bottom (110), a pair of first outer support wall portions (120) protruding from the first bottom (110) and extending side by side along a first direction (X-axis direction), and a pair of first hold-down maintaining wall portions (130) respectively provided at both ends in the extending direction of the pair of first outer support wall portions (120), and a first insulating body (100) including a first inner support wall portion (140) extending side by side between the pair of first outer support wall portions (120); and Including a plurality of contacts (200), (300) spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) on each of the pair of first outer support wall portions (120), The receptacle connector (20) is A second bottom portion (510) spaced apart so as to face the first bottom portion (110), a pair of second outer support wall portions (520) protruding from the second bottom portion (510) and extending side by side along a first direction (X-axis direction), a pair of second hold-down maintenance wall portions (530) respectively provided at both ends in the extending direction of the pair of second outer support wall portions (520), a pair of second inner support wall portions (540) extending side by side between the pair of second outer support wall portions (520) and having a coupling space (511) therebetween, and a pair of second inner wall portions (550) respectively provided at both ends in the extending direction of the pair of second inner support wall portions (540); and a plurality of contacts (600, 700) spaced apart from each other along the first direction (X-axis direction) respectively provided on each of the pair of outer support wall portions (520), the coupling of the plug connector (10) and the receptacle connector (20) is characterized in that the first inner support wall portion (140) of the plug connector (10) enters the coupling space (511) of the receptacle connector (20), the connector assembly (1).

17. The plug connector (10) is including a first hold-down structure (400) covering both side surfaces of the first hold-down maintenance wall portion (130), The receptacle connector (20) is including a second hold-down structure (800) covering one side surface of both side surfaces of the second hold-down maintenance wall portion (530) facing the second inner wall portion (550) and one side surface of both side surfaces of the second inner wall portion (550) facing the one side surface of the second hold-down maintenance wall portion (530), the connector assembly (1) according to claim 16.

18. The distance (d1) in the first direction (X-axis direction) between the end face (144) in the extending direction of the first inner support wall portion (140) and one side face (552) of the second inner wall portion (550) facing the end face (144) is the distance in the first direction (X-axis direction) between one side face (422) facing the second inner wall portion (550) among both side faces in the first direction (X-axis direction) of the first hold-down structure (400) and one side face (842) of the second hold-down structure (800) facing the one side face (422) of the first hold-down structure (400), and is configured to be longer than the distance (d2). The connector assembly (1) according to claim 17.

19. The distance (d2) in the first direction (X-axis direction) between the one side face (422) of the first hold-down structure (400) and the one side face (842) of the second hold-down structure (800) is the distance in the first direction (X-axis direction) between the other side face (432) facing the one side face (422) of the first hold-down structure (400) and the other side face (822) of the second hold-down structure (800) facing the other side face (432) of the first hold-down structure (400), and is configured to be longer than the distance (d3). The connector assembly (1) according to claim 18.

Images