Heat path connector

Abstract

To provide a heat path connector substrate structure having a heat radiation function.SOLUTION: A heat path connector substrate structure includes a heat dissipation device B and a first substrate B1 provided with a first heat path connector, wherein the first heat path connector includes a plurality of first contacts C made of a conductive material, a first housing D made of an insulating material and holding the plurality of first contacts C side by side, and a first heat path shell 4090 provided to surround the first housing D and having conductivity and heat transfer property. The first substrate B1 is provided with the first wiring pattern to which the first lead portions of the plurality of first contacts C are joined, the first shell joining pattern S to which the first ground portion of the first heat path shell 4090 is joined, and the first heat transfer path 100 connecting the first shell joining pattern S and the heat radiation device B, so that heat can be transferred from the first heat path shell 4090 having the first ground portion joined to the first shell joining pattern S to the heat radiation device B through the first heat transfer path 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat path connector used for electrical connection. [Background technology]

[0002] As electronic devices become more sophisticated and smaller, heat generated by electronic components mounted on printed circuit boards inside the electronic devices has become a problem. Conventionally, electrical connectors used for connections on such printed circuit boards have been known, such as those described in Patent Document 1, which have holes in part of the connector for heat dissipation. The connector in Patent Document 1 has a fixed housing fixed to the board and a movable housing, and the movable housing has a heat dissipation section in the housing space that houses the terminals, which dissipates heat within the housing space to the outside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-202042 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, connectors with this type of configuration only dissipate heat that has been transferred to the connector, and are not effective in dissipating heat by conducting heat from the board to the connector. In order to efficiently dissipate heat under limited volume conditions, a new configuration is needed that conducts heat from the heat source to a part with heat dissipation function and dissipates it.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a connector that has the function of conducting heat on a board to the connector and dissipating that heat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the heat path connector of the first invention is a connector that is attached to a board and can be mated with a mating connector, and comprises contacts, a housing that holds the contacts, and a shell formed from a highly conductive material and attached around the housing, wherein the shell is configured to have a mounting portion for joining the connector to the board and a heat dissipation portion with heat dissipation function, and the board has a shell joint for joining the mounting portion, so that heat from a heat-generating portion on the board is transferred to the shell joint, and when the mounting portion is joined to the shell joint and the shell is attached to the board, the heat transferred to the shell joint can be transferred from the mounting portion to the heat dissipation portion and dissipated.

[0007] In the heat path connector of the first invention, it is preferable that the heat dissipation portion has an uneven portion formed by plating the surface of the shell, so as to increase the surface area of ​​the shell.

[0008] In addition, in the heat pass connector of the first invention of the present invention, it is preferable that the shell has a smooth portion with a smooth surface at the mating portion that mates with the mating connector, and is configured so that the contact area between the shell and the shell of the mating connector is large.

[0009] In addition, in the heat path connector of the first invention, it is preferable that the substrate has a heat transfer path for transferring heat from the heat generating portion to the shell joint, and that the heat transfer path is formed by a conductive wiring pattern.

[0010] In the heat path connector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the mount portion preferably has conductive legs that are elastically deformable while still joined to the shell joining portion.

[0011] In the heat path connector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the leg portions preferably have an L-shaped bend extending outward from the shell.

[0012] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the heat path connector of the second invention is a connector that is attached to a board when used and can be mated with a mating connector, and comprises a heat sink formed from a highly conductive material, contacts that are positioned on the board outside the heat sink when attached to the board, and a housing that holds the contacts and the heat sink, and the heat sink is configured to have a mounting portion for joining to the board and a heat sink portion with heat dissipation function, and the board has a heat sink joint portion for joining the mounting portion, so that heat from a heat-generating portion on the board is transferred to the heat sink joint portion, and when the mounting portion is joined to the heat sink joint portion and the heat sink is attached to the board, the heat transferred to the heat sink joint portion can be transferred from the mounting portion to the heat sink portion and dissipated.

[0013] In the heat path connector of the second invention, it is preferable that the heat dissipation portion has an uneven portion formed by plating the surface of the heat dissipation plate, so as to increase the surface area of ​​the heat dissipation plate.

[0014] In addition, in the heat pass connector of the second invention, it is preferable that the heat sink has a smooth portion with a smooth surface at the mating portion that mates with the mating connector, and is configured so that the contact area between the heat sink and the heat sink of the mating connector is large.

[0015] In addition, in the heat path connector of the second invention, it is preferable that the substrate has a heat transfer path for transferring heat from the heat generating portion to the heat sink joint, and that the heat transfer path is formed by a conductive wiring pattern.

[0016] In the heat path connector according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the contacts are preferably configured to have a heat dissipation function on their surfaces.

[0017] In addition, in the heat path connector of the first or second invention, it is preferable that the contact has an uneven portion formed by applying a plating process to the surface, so as to increase the surface area of ​​the contact.

[0018] In addition, in the heat path connector of the first or second invention, the substrate has a heat transfer path for transferring heat from the heat generating portion to the joint between the substrate and the contacts in some of the contacts when the contacts are attached to the substrate, and it is preferable that the heat transfer path is formed by a conductive wiring pattern.

[0019] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the heat pass connector of the third invention is a connector that is attached to a substrate and used, and can be mated with a mating connector, and is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of contacts and a housing that holds the plurality of contacts, and the contacts are configured with a heat dissipation function on their surfaces, and heat transferred from the substrate to the contacts can be dissipated by the heat dissipation function.

[0020] In addition, in the heat path connector of the third invention, it is preferable that the contact has an uneven portion formed by plating the surface, so that the surface area of ​​the contact is increased. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] The heat pass connector of the first invention can transfer heat from a heat generating portion on a circuit board to the shell joint, then conduct it to the shell via a mount made of a highly conductive material, and dissipate it from the heat dissipation portion. Also, heat can be conducted from a connector mounted on a circuit board with a heat generating portion to a mating connector, and dissipated from the heat dissipation portion of the shell of the mating connector.

[0022] Furthermore, in the heat path connector having the above configuration, the heat dissipation portion is configured to have uneven portions formed by plating, which increases the surface area of ​​the heat dissipation portion and improves the heat dissipation effect.

[0023] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, the mating portion that mates with the mating connector has a smooth portion, and is configured to have a large contact area with the mating shell, thereby improving the thermal conductivity at the mating portion and increasing the amount of heat dissipation in the mating connector, further improving the heat dissipation effect of the connector as a whole.

[0024] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, a heat transfer path for transmitting heat from the heat generating portion to the shell joint is configured as a wiring pattern on the substrate, which enables heat conduction to the heat dissipation portion, which has a high heat dissipation effect, thereby further enhancing the heat dissipation effect.

[0025] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, the mounting portion has conductive feet that can elastically deform while remaining joined to the shell joint, so that even in the case of a connector that has a part that can move relatively to the joint between the connector and the board when the connector is joined to the board, such as a floating connector, the mounting portion can remain joined and follow the relative movement due to the elastic deformation of the feet, making it possible to apply the heat path connector.

[0026] Furthermore, in the heat path connector having the above configuration, the legs are bent in an L-shape outward from the shell, which makes it even easier to elastically deform.

[0027] The heat path connector according to the second aspect of the present invention transfers heat from a heat generating portion on a circuit board to the heat sink joint of the heat sink located inside the contacts, and then conducts the heat to the heat sink via a mount made of a highly conductive material, allowing the heat to be dissipated from the heat sink. It also allows heat to be conducted from a connector mounted on a circuit board with a heat generating portion to a mating connector, where it can be dissipated from the heat sink of the mating connector.

[0028] Furthermore, in the heat path connector having the above configuration, the heat dissipation plate is configured to have uneven portions formed by plating, thereby increasing the surface area of ​​the heat dissipation portion and improving the heat dissipation effect.

[0029] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, by having a smooth portion at the mating portion that mates with the mating heat sink, the contact area with the mating heat sink is increased, thereby improving the thermal conductivity at the mating portion, thereby increasing the amount of heat dissipation in the mating connector and further improving the heat dissipation effect of the connector as a whole.

[0030] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, the heat transfer path for transferring heat from the heat generating portion to the heat sink joint is configured as a wiring pattern on the board, which enables heat conduction to the heat sink in the heat sink, further enhancing the heat dissipation effect. In this case, by configuring the contacts to be located on the outside of the heat sink, it is possible to secure the heat transfer path to the heat sink joint on the board while also securing the wiring pattern area for the contacts.

[0031] Furthermore, in the heat path connector described above, the contacts are configured with a heat dissipation function on their surfaces, so that in addition to heat dissipation from the heat dissipation portions of the shell and heat sink, heat transferred from the board to the contacts can also be dissipated from the contact heat dissipation portion. This allows for heat dissipation from the contacts even when the connector is small and the shell itself is unavoidably small. Furthermore, for example, when using the above-described shell, a shell joint and heat transfer path, which are the connection points between the shell and the board, must be located outside the connection points between the contacts and the board. This creates constraints, such as the need to form wiring patterns on the board that connect to the contacts by avoiding the shell joint and heat transfer path. Even if it is not possible to secure sufficient surface area for the shell's heat dissipation portion or mounting portion, some of the heat generated near the connector can be dissipated from the contacts.

[0032] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, the contacts have uneven portions formed by plating the surface of the contacts, which increases the surface area of ​​the contacts and thereby improves the heat dissipation effect of the contacts.

[0033] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, some of the contacts have heat transfer paths that transfer heat from the substrate, and by configuring these contacts exclusively for heat dissipation, heat can be dissipated efficiently from the contacts.

[0034] According to the heat pass connector of the present invention, the connector includes a plurality of contacts and a housing for holding the contacts, and the contacts have a heat dissipation function on their surfaces. This allows heat transferred from the board to the connector to be dissipated from the contacts. The heat transferred to the contacts can also be conducted to the mating connector, where it can be dissipated from the contacts of the mating connector.

[0035] Furthermore, in the heat path connector of the above configuration, the contacts have uneven portions formed by plating the surface of the contacts, which increases the surface area of ​​the contacts and thereby improves the heat dissipation effect of the contacts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism of a heat path connector according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a partially enlarged schematic view illustrating the mechanism of a heat path connector according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a connector device having a heat path connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a mated state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow VV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plug connector of the connector device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the plug connector. [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrows VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] 1A is a perspective view of the plug-side shell, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the left side of the shell when disassembled. [Figure 9] 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the plug connector is joined to a board, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the receptacle connector. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrows VII-VII in FIG. [Figure 13] 1A is a perspective view of the receptacle-side shell, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the right side of the receptacle-side shell when the receptacle-side shell is disassembled into left and right sides. [Figure 14] 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which the receptacle connector is joined to a board, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state. [Figure 15] 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a plug connector and a receptacle connector before mating in a connector device equipped with a heat pass connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a plug-side heat sink and a receptacle-side heat sink before mating of a connector device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 16 is a perspective cross-sectional view taken along dashed line VIII-VIII in FIG. 15, showing a connector device including a heat path connector according to an embodiment of the present invention when mated. [Figure 18] 1 is a perspective view of a plug-side heat sink and a receptacle-side heat sink when a connector device equipped with a heat path connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is mated; [Figure 19] 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed line VIII-VIII in FIG. 15, showing a connector device including a heat path connector according to an embodiment of the present invention when mated. [Figure 20] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the mechanism of a heat path connector according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] (First embodiment) The heat pass connector according to the present invention is a connector that has an improved effect of dissipating heat on a circuit board. The heat dissipation mechanism in the connector device 1 according to the first embodiment, which is equipped with such a heat pass connector, will be described. First, the configuration of the connector device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Specific details of the connector device 1 will be described in the following embodiments.

[0038] The connector device 1 comprises a plug connector 2a mounted on a first substrate B1 and a receptacle connector 2b mounted on a second substrate B2, which are mated to each other. The connectors 2a and 2b each comprise a contact C, a housing D that accommodates the contact C, and a shell 40 or 90 that surrounds the housing D. The shells 40 and 90 are joined to shell joints S formed on the substrates B1 and B2, respectively. The shell of the plug connector 2a will be referred to as the plug-side shell 40, and the shell of the receptacle connector 2b will be referred to as the receptacle-side shell 90. Each shell 40 or 90 is molded using a highly conductive material. The housing D is molded using an electrically insulating material such as synthetic resin. The contacts C, housing D, mounting portion M, and heat sink K of the connector device 1 are described using the same symbols to indicate components that have the same function, but have different configurations and shapes.

[0039] An electronic component A, which serves as a heat-generating body, is mounted on the second substrate B2, and a heat-generating portion H is generated on the substrate near the electronic component A due to the heat generated by the electronic component A. A heat transfer path 100 is formed between the heat-generating portion H and a shell joint S of the connector joined to the second substrate B2. A heat dissipation member B for heat dissipation is mounted on the first substrate B1, and a heat transfer path 100 is also formed between the shell joint S of the connector joined to the first substrate B1 and the heat dissipation member B. The shell joint S and the heat transfer path 100 are formed of a conductive material, which can effectively conduct heat between the heat-generating portion H and the connector device 1, or between the heat dissipation member B and the connector device 1. The shell joint S is formed, for example, by a substrate pattern (wiring pattern).

[0040] The heat transfer path 100 is provided on the substrate using a conductive material. The heat transfer path 100 may be configured by a wiring pattern provided on the substrate, or may be configured by a highly thermally conductive metal that directly connects a heat generating element such as electronic component A to the connector, or from heat dissipation member B to the connector. Alternatively, heat may be guided to the connector using a heat exchange member such as a vapor chamber.

[0041] The plug-side shell 40 and the receptacle-side shell 90 each include a mount portion M for joining to a board and a heat dissipation portion K for dissipating heat.

[0042] The mount portion M is provided below the shells 40, 90 and is soldered to a shell joint portion S formed on the substrate, thereby joining the shells 40, 90 to the substrate.

[0043] The surfaces of the shells 40, 90 are configured with a heat dissipation portion K, which is formed with numerous concave and convex shapes. The formation of the concave and convex shapes increases the surface area, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect. To form the concave and convex shapes, surface treatments such as plating may be performed. For such plating, a microfin plating such as "Sugohie" by Ebina Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd. may be used. Furthermore, to form the concave and convex parts, the shells 40, 90 may be pressed to form dowels on the surface.

[0044] Preferably, the shells 40, 90 each have a portion that contacts the housing D. This allows heat to be conducted from the housing D to the shells 40, 90, which have higher thermal conductivity. By press-fitting the shells 40, 90 into the housing D, the housing D and the shells 40, 90 come into contact with each other with moderate pressure, allowing heat to be conducted from the housing D to the shells 40, 90. Furthermore, by providing an uneven surface on the inner surface of each shell 40, 90, the heat dissipation effect inside each shell 40, 90 can be enhanced. The housing D and the shells 40, 90 are in contact with each other at the convex surface of the uneven surface and are not in contact with each other at the concave surface. Heat is dissipated by thermal conduction at the contacting portions and by convection and radiation at the non-contacting portions, resulting in effective heat dissipation through a combination of these. Furthermore, by press-fitting the housing D and the shells 40, 90 so that the contact surface area between them is increased, thermal conductivity can be enhanced. The surface of the housing D may also be configured to have an uneven surface. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a contact portion showing the appearance of a receptacle-side shell 90 having an uneven inner surface, press-fitted into a housing D having an uneven shape, as an example. As shown in Fig. 2, the shells 40, 90 and the housing D are press-fitted so that the contact surface 5a between their respective convex surfaces is wide, thereby increasing thermal conductivity and enabling heat dissipation by convection and radiation in non-contacting portions.

[0045] Of the connectors 2a and 2b, the connector with the larger overall shell surface area has a greater heat dissipation effect, so it is preferable that the connector that is joined to the board on which the heat generating element is installed has a shell with a larger surface area. For example, in Figure 1, the receptacle connector 2b joined to the board B2 on the heat generating element side is preferably configured to have a larger surface area than the plug connector 2a.

[0046] The plug shell 40 and the receptacle shell 90 have a mating portion E where the two shells 40, 90 come into contact and fit together. The mating portion E has a smooth portion formed smoothly at the contact portion, which is configured to increase the area of ​​the contact surface. This can improve thermal conductivity. To form the smooth shape, surface treatment such as plating may be performed to smooth the surface.

[0047] Furthermore, the surfaces of the contacts C are preferably subjected to a surface treatment such as plating, and configured with an uneven portion having numerous irregularities. The formation of the uneven portion increases the surface area of ​​the contacts C, enhancing the heat dissipation effect. In addition to the heat dissipation effect at the heat dissipation portion K of the shells 40 and 90 described above, the heat dissipation effect at the contacts C can be further obtained, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect of the connector device 1. As with the heat dissipation portion K, the plating treatment can be performed using Ebina Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd.'s microfin plating "Sugohie" or the like.

[0048] Next, the heat dissipation mechanism in the heat pass connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0049] In FIG. 1, plug connector 2a is bonded to a first substrate B1, and receptacle connector 2b is bonded to a second substrate B2, mating with each other at mating portion E. Electronic component A is mounted on second substrate B2, and heat dissipation member B, such as a fan or heat sink, is mounted on first substrate B1. Heat transfer path 100 is provided between heat dissipation member B of first substrate B1 and shell joint portion S of plug connector 2a. Heat transfer path 100 is also provided between heat-generating portion H of second substrate B2 and shell joint portion S of receptacle connector 2b. Heat from heat-generating portion H, heated by electronic component A (heat source) on second substrate B2, is transferred along heat transfer path 100 on substrate B2 to shell joint portion S of receptacle connector 2b and then to shell 90 via mount portion M. The heat transferred to shell 90 is dissipated from heat dissipation portion K of receptacle-side shell 90. Furthermore, heat transferred to parts of receptacle connector 2b other than shell 90 is transferred to the contact parts between housing D and shell 90, dissipated from heat dissipation part K, and dissipated by convection and radiation in non-contact parts.

[0050] Heat that is not dissipated in the receptacle connector 2b is transferred from the mating portion E to the mating plug-side shell 40, where it is dissipated from the heat dissipation portion K of the shell 40. Heat that is transferred to portions of the plug connector 2a other than the shell 40 is transferred to the contact portion between the housing D and the shell 40 and is dissipated from the heat dissipation portion K of the shell 40, and is dissipated by convection and radiation in non-contact portions. Heat that is not dissipated in the plug connector 2a is transferred to the shell joint portion S via the mounting portion M of the shell 40, and can be dissipated from the heat dissipation member B provided on the board B1 via the heat transfer path 100 on the plug connector 2a side.

[0051] In addition, some of the heat from the heat-generating portion H is also transferred to the contacts C, which are configured with a heat dissipation function, and is dissipated from the surfaces of the contacts C. The heat that is not dissipated by the contacts C of the receptacle connector 2b is transferred to the contacts C of the plug connector 2a via the contact portion between the connectors 2a and 2b, and can also be dissipated by the contacts C of the plug connector 2a.

[0052] In this way, the heat on the board can be dissipated using the heat path connector according to the present invention.

[0053] With the above-described configuration, heat on the board can be dissipated from the connector device 1. The heat pass connector according to the present invention as described above can be used in various types of connectors.

[0054] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the heat path connector according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0055] An example in which the heat path connector of the first embodiment of the present invention is used in a connector device 1(1) equipped with a floating connector (specifically, a receptacle connector 50 having a floating structure) is shown in Figures 3 to 14, and the overall configuration of the connector device 1(1) will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

[0056] The connector device 1 (1) is composed of a plug connector 10 provided on a first substrate B1 (see FIG. 4) and a receptacle connector 50 provided on a second substrate B2 (see FIG. 4). The connectors 10, 50 can be electrically connected to the first substrate B1 and the second substrate B2 by mating them in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces of the substrates B1, B2. A spacer J is disposed between the first substrate B1 and the second substrate B2 to maintain a predetermined distance between the two substrates B1, B2. In the following description, for convenience, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are defined based on the states shown in Figures 3, 5, 10, 13, and 14. The mating direction (height direction) of each connector 10, 50 is referred to as the up-down direction, the longitudinal direction (width direction) of each connector 10, 50 as the front-rear direction, and the short-side direction (thickness direction) of each connector as the left-right direction, as indicated by the arrows in Figures 3, 5, 10, 13, and 14. Note that Figures 8 and 9 show the side connected to the board at the bottom of the page. Note that the symbols used in the connector device 1 are also used for components of the connector device 1 (1) that have the same functions and effects, but this does not mean that they have the same configuration.

[0057] The plug connector 10 is composed of plug-side contacts 30, a plug-side housing 20 that accommodates the plug-side contacts 30, and a plug-side shell 40 that surrounds the plug-side housing 20 and is press-fitted into the plug-side housing 20. The receptacle connector 50 is composed of receptacle-side contacts 80, a fixed-side housing 60 and a movable-side housing 70 that accommodate the receptacle-side contacts 80, and a receptacle-side shell 90 that surrounds the housings 60, 70 and is press-fitted into the fixed-side housing 60.

[0058] First, the configuration of the plug connector 10 will be described with additional reference to Figures 5 to 7 and Figure 9. The plug connector 10 is composed of a plug-side shell 40 fixed on the first board B1 and a plug connector main body 10a (see Figure 9), and the plug connector main body 10a is composed of a plug-side housing 20 and a plurality of plug-side contacts 30 held in two aligned rows along the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the plug-side housing 20.

[0059] The plug side housing 20 is molded using an electrically insulating material such as synthetic resin, and is composed of a plug side housing main body 21 formed in the shape of a horizontally elongated rectangular parallelepiped, and a pair of fixing portions 22 provided at the front and rear ends of this housing main body 21.

[0060] The plug-side housing body 21 is formed as a generally rectangular box with an open bottom. The housing body 21 is recessed to form a receiving space 25 (a space for receiving the protrusions 75 of the receptacle contacts 50) with a rectangular cross section that opens downward. The bottom surface of the plug-side housing body 21 is configured as a mating protrusion 26 having an outer shape that allows the receptacle connector 50 to be mated. The surface of the housing body 21 may have an uneven shape in part, similar to the shell 40 described below.

[0061] The housing body 21 is provided with contact holding grooves 21a arranged in two rows in the left-right direction and at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the front-rear direction for press-fitting and holding the plug side contacts 30, each of which is separated by a partition plate except for the periphery of the contact portion with the receptacle contact 80.

[0062] The fixing portion 22 has a generally rectangular box-shaped protrusion formed along the end of the housing main body 21, and is attached with the longitudinal direction of the generally rectangular box oriented in the up-down direction. The board side of the fixing portion 22 is formed long enough to contact the board when the housing main body 21 is joined to the board, and the mating side is formed shorter than the end of the housing main body 21. The fixing portion 22 is inserted into the mounting hole 45 provided at the end of the shell 40 with the fixing portion 22 protruding outward, and when the shell 40 is joined to the board, the connector main body 10a including the housing 20 is fixed to the board with a moderate pressure due to the protrusion between the shell 40 and the housing 20, and the housing 20 and the shell 40 are pressed together with a moderate pressure. The length and thickness of the fixing portion 22 in the up-down direction are formed to match the position and width of the mounting hole 45 so that.

[0063] The plug-side contact 30 is formed into a predetermined shape by pressing (punching and bending) a thin flat plate of conductive material such as metal. The plug-side contact 30 has undergone a required surface treatment (plating) to coat its surface with a thin film of gold (Au) or the like, and at least a portion of the surface of the contact 30 has an uneven portion formed by plating, which provides a heat dissipation function. The effect of this will be described in detail later.

[0064] The plug-side contact 30 is configured to have a contact portion 32 that is partially press-fitted into the contact holding groove 21a of the plug-side housing 20 and elastically deforms substantially in the thickness direction below the contact portion 32, and a lead portion 33 that bends upward from the portion press-fitted into the contact holding groove 21a and extends outward in an L-shape. The contact portion 32 is bent in a substantially V-shape with a convex portion facing the receiving space 25, and the portion that protrudes most toward the receiving space 25 is configured to come into contact with the mating receptacle-side contact 80. The lead portion 33 is soldered to a board pattern (wiring pattern P) formed on the first board B1 for electrical connection.

[0065] The plug-side shell 40 will be described with additional reference to Fig. 8. Note that Fig. 8 shows the board side of the plug-side shell 40 at the bottom of the page, but directions will be described according to the arrows shown in Fig. 8, with the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the shell 40 referred to as the front-to-back direction, the height direction as the up-down direction, and the short side direction (thickness direction) as the left-to-right direction.

[0066] The plug-side shell 40 is formed of a highly conductive material, such as a copper alloy. The plug-side shell 40 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape with open top and bottom. It surrounds the plug-side housing 20 and is configured to be press-fitted into the housing 20. It has side walls 43 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) and front and rear walls 44 in the front and rear direction. A mount portion 41 extends outward from the side wall 43 (on the board side) and then bends in an L-shape toward the board. The ends of the front and rear walls 44 are bored from the board side and formed with a pair of mounting holes 45 into which the fixing portions 22 of the plug-side housing main body 21 can be press-fitted. The shell 40 is press-fitted and fixed to the housing 20 through these mounting holes 45. The plug-side shell 40 is configured to be disassembled in the short direction (left-right direction) along an exploded view line 46 in FIG. 8.

[0067] The substrate side of the front and rear walls 44 is provided with a grounding portion 44a that is bent outward in an L-shape, and the grounding portion 44a is soldered to a substrate pattern (shell joint) for joining the conductive shell 40 formed on the first substrate B1.

[0068] The plug side shell 40 has uneven portions on the entire front and back or part thereof formed by plating, but the contact surface 43a of the side wall 43 that comes into contact with the receptacle side shell when mated has been subjected to a smooth plating process to make the surface smooth, and is configured to be able to come into contact with the receptacle side shell 90 over a wide area.

[0069] The mount section 41 includes a mount foot 41c and a mount grounding section 41b at the upper end (substrate side) of the mount foot 41c. The mount section 41 is cut out by a plurality of cutout sections 41a provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction) from the upper end (substrate side) of the mount section 41 to the part where the mount section 41 starts to bend outward in an L-shape from the side wall 43, and the remaining cutout section forms a plurality of mount feet 41c. The mount grounding section 41b is soldered to a conductive substrate pattern (shell joint) formed on the first substrate B1.

[0070] The effect of the uneven portion formed by plating the above-mentioned plug-side contact 30 will be explained. The plug-side contact 30 can increase the efficiency of heat dissipation by forming the mount foot 41c to have a large surface area, but even if the intervals between the cutout portions 41a are formed wide and the surface area of ​​the mount foot 41c cannot be made sufficiently large due to reasons such as difficulty in wiring the plug-side contact 30 to the board pattern (wiring pattern P), the plug-side contact 30 having the uneven portion can promote heat dissipation in the plug-side contact 30.

[0071] Next, assembly of plug connector 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. As with Fig. 8, Fig. 9 also shows the board side at the bottom of the page, but directions will be described according to the arrows shown in Fig. 9, with the longitudinal direction (width direction) of shell 40 referred to as the front-to-rear direction, the height direction as the up-down direction, and the short side direction (thickness direction) as the left-to-right direction.

[0072] The plug connector body 10a is fixed by soldering the lead portions 33 of the plug-side contacts 30 to a board pattern (wiring pattern P1) on the first board B1, which is formed at the same arrangement pitch as the plug-side contacts 30. The fixing portions 22 of the plug connector body 10a are inserted into the mounting holes 45 of the plug-side shell 40, which has been disassembled into left and right halves, and fixed. The plug connector 10 can then be installed on the first board B1 by soldering the mount grounding portion 41b of the shell 40 to the board pattern (shell joint portion S1) on the board and soldering the grounding portion 44a of the shell 40 to the board pattern (shell joint portion S2) on the board.

[0073] Next, the configuration of receptacle connector 50 will be described with additional reference to Figures 10 to 12 and Figure 14. Receptacle connector 50 is composed of a receptacle shell 90 fixed on second board B2 and a receptacle connector main body 50a (see Figure 14), and receptacle connector main body 50a is composed of a fixed housing 60, a movable housing 70 attached so as to be movable relative to this fixed housing 60, and a plurality of receptacle contacts 80 provided across both housings 60, 70 and held in two aligned rows along the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction) of each housing 60, 70.

[0074] The fixed housing 60 is molded using an electrically insulating material such as synthetic resin, and is formed to have a substantially rectangular plate-shaped base wall 61 that faces the second board B2 from above, left and right walls 62 provided at the left and right ends of the base wall 61, and front and rear walls 63 provided at the front and rear of the base wall 61. The front and rear walls 63 have a pair of shell mounting grooves 63a into which the insertion portions 94a of the receptacle shell 90 are inserted from above to press-fit and fix the shell 90 to the fixed housing 60. A plurality of contact holding grooves 62a that penetrate the left and right walls 62 in the up and down direction and that can hold the receptacle contacts 80 are formed in two rows in the left and right direction at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the front and rear direction inside the left and right walls 62.

[0075] The movable housing 70 is molded using an electrically insulating material such as synthetic resin and includes a main body wall 71 that faces the base wall 61 of the fixed housing 60 from above and below, protective walls 72 that are provided at the left and right ends of the main body wall 71 and bent into an inverted U shape, and upright walls 73 that are provided at the front and rear ends of the main body wall 71. A mating recess 74 (a space that receives the mating protrusion 26 of the plug connector 10) is defined in the center of the movable housing 70 and is surrounded by these wall surfaces and is open upward. A convex protrusion 75 that protrudes upward from the main body wall 71 is formed within the mating recess 74. A plurality of contact holding grooves 75a that are concave in cross section and extend vertically are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the protrusion 75 at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, a plurality of contact holding holes 71a that penetrate vertically are formed at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction in the main body wall 71, and the contact holding holes 71a and the contact holding grooves 75a are aligned vertically and communicate with each other. The outer surface of the protective wall 72 is configured so that a portion of the surface comes into contact with the inner surface of the side wall 93 of the shell 90 when the shell 90 is attached. This contact surface may have a partially uneven shape, similar to the shell 90 described below. In this case, the shell 90 is preferably attached in a semi-fitted state as described above.

[0076] The movable housing 70 is provided in a state of being suspended above the fixed housing 60 via a plurality of receptacle contacts 80. An elastic portion accommodating space 76 is defined between the lower surface of the movable housing 70 and the upper surface of the fixed housing 60 to accommodate elastically deforming portions of the receptacle contacts 80 (elastic portions 84 described below).

[0077] The receptacle contacts 80 are formed into a predetermined shape by pressing (punching and bending) a thin, flat plate of a conductive material such as metal. The receptacle contacts 80 have undergone a required surface treatment (plating) to coat their surfaces with a thin film of gold (Au) or the like, and like the plug contacts 30, at least a portion of the surface of the contacts 80 has been plated to form an uneven portion. The effect of this is the same as that described for the plug contacts, and therefore a detailed description will be omitted.

[0078] The receptacle side contact 80 is composed of a holding portion 81 that is pressed into the contact holding groove 62a of the fixed side housing 60 and extends in the vertical direction, a lead portion 82 that is bent in an approximately L-shape from the lower end of the holding portion 81 and extends outward in the left-right direction, a contact portion 83 that is pressed into the contact holding groove 75a, and an elastic portion 84 that connects the upper end of the holding portion 81 and the lower end of the contact portion 83 and is elastically deformable in the vertical, left-right, and front-to-rear directions.

[0079] The elastic portion 84 is not fixed to either the fixed side housing 60 or the movable side housing 70, but is loosely inserted between the upper surface side of the fixed side housing 60 and the lower surface side of the movable side housing 70, and is a part that can freely elastically deform (a part that can move freely).

[0080] The receptacle-side shell 90 will be described with additional reference to FIG.

[0081] The receptacle shell 90 is made of a highly conductive material, such as a copper alloy. The receptacle shell 90 surrounds the fixed housing 60 and the movable housing 70, is press-fit into the fixed housing 60, and has a substantially rectangular side wall 93 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) and a pair of fasteners 94 at the front and rear. The lower part of the side wall 93 (on the board side) is provided with a mount part 91 that extends outward from the side wall 93 and then bends in an L-shape toward the board and extends outward. The receptacle shell 90 is configured to be disassembled in the left-right direction of FIG. 13.

[0082] The fixing device 94 is configured with a fixed end wall 94c that can suppress excessive relative movement (floating) in the front-to-rear direction of the movable housing 70 relative to the fixed housing 60, a pair of left and right insertion portions 94a that extend downward from the fixed end wall 94c and are inserted into the shell mounting grooves 63a of the fixed housing 60, and a pair of left and right grounding devices 94b that extend from the fixed end wall 94c toward the board side and bend outward in the left-to-right direction. The grounding devices 94b are soldered to a board pattern (shell joint portion) for joining the conductive shell 90 formed on the second board B2.

[0083] The upper part (mating side) of the side wall 93 is bent inward in an L-shape and further includes a guide portion 92b bent diagonally downward toward the mating recess 74, a contact surface 92a extending vertically downward from the lower end of the guide portion 92b and formed so as to be able to come into contact with the contact surface 43a of the plug-side shell 40, and a cutout portion 92c cut out from the contact surface 92a to the guide portion 92b. The guide portion 92b has a shape bent diagonally downward, which allows the mating protrusion 26 of the plug connector 10 to be smoothly fitted into the mating recess 74.

[0084] The entire front and rear surfaces or a portion of the receptacle shell 90 are plated to form an uneven shape, but contact surface 92a of the receptacle shell 90 is plated to make the surface smooth, allowing for a wide contact area when mated with contact surface 43a of plug shell 40. In addition, the inner surface of side wall 93 is configured to come into contact with the outer surface of protective wall 72 of movable housing 70 when shell 90 is attached.

[0085] The mount section 91 includes a mount foot 91c and a mount grounding section 91b at the end of the mount foot 91c facing the board. The mount section 91 is cut out by a plurality of cutouts 91a spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction) from the end of the mount section 91 facing the board to the section where the mount begins to bend outward in an L-shape from the sidewall 93, and the remaining cutout section forms the plurality of mount feet 91c. It is preferable that the mount section of a shell provided for a connector with a floating structure has more cutouts than the shell of a connector without a floating structure. The more cutouts there are, the easier the foot will be to elastically deform. Furthermore, the L-shaped bend further facilitates elastic deformation, improving the shell's ability to follow the floating state. The mount grounding section 91b is soldered to a conductive board pattern (shell joint) formed on the second board B2.

[0086] Next, assembly of receptacle connector 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. As with Fig. 10, Fig. 14 will be described with the board side facing downward, the height direction as the up-down direction, the longitudinal direction (width direction) of shell 90 as the front-rear direction, and the short side direction (thickness direction) of shell 90 as the left-right direction.

[0087] The receptacle connector main body 50a is fixed by soldering the lead portions 82 of the receptacle contacts 80 to a board pattern (wiring pattern P2) on the second board B2, which is formed at the same arrangement pitch as the receptacle contacts 80. The insertion portions 94a of the left and right disassembled receptacle shell 90 are inserted and fixed into the shell mounting grooves 63a of the receptacle connector main body 50a. The receptacle connector 50 can then be installed on the second board B2 by soldering the mount grounding portions 91b of the shell 90 to a board pattern (shell joint portion S3) on the board, which is formed at the same arrangement pitch as the mount foot portions 91c, and soldering the grounding fixtures 94b of the shell 90 to a board pattern (shell joint portion S4) on the board.

[0088] Next, the method of mating the two connectors 10, 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0089] To connect the two connectors 10, 50, the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 50 are aligned vertically. That is, the mating protrusion 26 of the plug connector 10 and the mating recess 74 of the receptacle connector 50 are aligned vertically. At this time, smooth alignment can be achieved by mating the plug connector 10 with the receptacle connector 50 along the guide portion 92b of the shell 40.

[0090] 4, as the mating convex portion 26 of the plug connector 10 is mated with the mating concave portion 74 of the receptacle connector, the protrusion portion 75 of the receptacle connector 50 is inserted into the receiving space 25 of the plug connector 10. At this time, the contact portion 32 of the plug contact 30 slides elastically over the contact portion 83 of the receptacle contact 80 in a pressing state.

[0091] Then, when the mating projections 26 of the plug connector 10 are further mated with the mating recesses 74 of the receptacle contacts 50 to reach a predetermined mated state (for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a state in which the boards are spaced a predetermined distance apart by a spacer J disposed between them), the positions of the two connectors 10, 50 are determined, and contact is maintained between the plug contacts 30 and the receptacle contacts 80. The plug contacts 30 and the receptacle contacts 80 come into elastic contact with an appropriate contact force, electrically connecting the two connectors 10, 50 and enabling the exchange of power and the transmission of signals between the two boards.

[0092] In this mated state, plug shell 40 and receptacle shell 90 come into contact and fit together. By mating both shells 40 and 90 in contact over a wide area, heat can be conducted from one shell mounted on a substrate with a heat source to the other shell.

[0093] When both connectors 10, 50 are mated, even if the mating positions of plug connector 10 and receptacle connector 50 are misaligned in the front-to-back, left-to-right, or up-down directions from the correct position, elastic portions 84 of receptacle contacts 80 elastically deform in the front-to-back, left-to-right, and up-down directions in response to this displacement, causing movable housing 70 to move relative to fixed housing 60, thereby absorbing the misalignment while maintaining mutual contact between plug contacts 30 and receptacle contacts 80. Furthermore, shells 40, 90 attached to surround housings 20, 60, and 70 can absorb the misalignment while maintaining contact between housings 20, 60, and 70 and shells 40, 90 by elastically deforming and following foot portions 41c, 91c formed on mount portions 41, 91. Furthermore, the numerous foot portions 91c formed on the mounting portion 91 of the shell 90 attached to the connector 50 including the movable side housing 60 are easily elastically deformed, making them easy to follow, and are therefore able to absorb the positional deviation while maintaining contact between the housings 20, 60 and 70 and the shells 40, 90.

[0094] Next, a method for dissipating heat on a substrate according to this embodiment will be described. As an example, a case where a heat generating portion H is provided on the first substrate B1 will be described.

[0095] The plug connector 10 is bonded to a first substrate B1, and the receptacle connector 50 is bonded to a second substrate B2, with the mating projections 26 and mating recesses 74 mating with each other. The plug connector 10 bonded to the substrate B1, on which the heat-generating portion H is provided, is configured to have a larger surface area than the mating receptacle connector 50. Heat from the heat-generating portion H is transferred along a heat transfer path 100 formed on the first substrate B1 to the substrate pattern (shell joint portions S1, S2) of the plug connector 10 and then transferred to the shell 40 via the mount portion 41. The heat transferred to the shell 40 is dissipated from the uneven portions formed on the surface of the shell 40. Heat transferred to parts of the plug connector 10 other than the shell 40 is transferred to the shell 40 from the contact surface between the housing 20 and the shell 40, dissipated from the uneven portions formed on the shell 40, and dissipated by convection and radiation in non-contact parts. Furthermore, part of the heat from the heat generating portion H is also transferred to the contact 30 and is dissipated from the uneven portion formed on the surface of the contact 30 .

[0096] Heat that is not dissipated by plug connector 10 is transferred from contact surface 43a of plug-side shell 40, which is the contact surface during mating, to contact surface 92a of receptacle-side shell 90, and is dissipated from the unevenness of shell 90. Heat transferred to parts of receptacle connector 50 other than shell 90 is transferred to shell 90 from the contact surfaces between housings 60, 70 and shell 90, and is dissipated from the unevenness formed on shell 90, and is dissipated by convection and radiation in non-contact parts. Furthermore, heat transferred from contacts 30 via their contact parts with contacts 80 is also dissipated from the unevenness formed on the surface of contact 80.

[0097] Heat that is not dissipated in the receptacle connector 50 is transferred to the shell joints S3 and S4 via the mount 91, and is then dissipated from the heat dissipation member B provided on the board B2 via the heat transfer path 100 on the receptacle connector 50 side.

[0098] In the above embodiment, some heat is dissipated from the uneven portions formed by plating on the surfaces of the plug contacts 30 and the receptacle contacts 80. However, at least one of the multiple contacts 30, 80 may be configured as a heat dissipation contact pin dedicated to heat dissipation. Furthermore, the multiple contacts may be arranged so that wiring contact pins and heat dissipation contact pins are alternately arranged. This alternating arrangement reduces crosstalk that occurs when wiring contacts are close to each other, while still providing a heat dissipation function. Furthermore, a heat transfer path 100 that transfers heat from a heat-generating portion on the board may be connected to the connection between the heat dissipation contact pin and the board, similar to the case of the shell.

[0099] (Second embodiment) Next, a heat path connector according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 20. A connector device 200 as a heat path connector according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which a plug-side heat sink 400 and a receptacle-side heat sink 900 are provided near the center of the connector, instead of the shells 40, 90 provided on the outside of the housing 20 of the plug connector 10 and the housings 60, 70 of the receptacle connector 50 in the first embodiment. In this configuration, when the plug connector 201 is installed on a circuit board, the contacts 30 are arranged on the outside of the plug-side heat sink 400, and the housing 20 accommodates the plug-side heat sink 400 and the contacts 30. When the receptacle connector 202 is installed on the circuit board, the contacts 80 are arranged on the outside of the receptacle-side heat sink 900, and the housings 60, 70 accommodate the receptacle-side heat sink 900 and the contacts 80. The present embodiment will be described in detail below, but in the following description, explanations that overlap with those of the first embodiment will be omitted as necessary. Furthermore, in the following description, for convenience, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are defined based on the state shown in Figures 15 to 18, and the mating direction (height direction) of each connector will be referred to as the up-down direction, the longitudinal direction (width direction) of each connector 201, 202 as the front-rear direction, and the short side direction (thickness direction) of each connector as the left-right direction, as indicated by the arrows shown in Figures 15 to 18.

[0100] First, the mechanism of heat dissipation in the connector device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Specific details of the connector device 200 will be described in the embodiments below.

[0101] The connector device 200 is composed of a plug connector 201 provided on a first substrate B1 and a receptacle connector 202 provided on a second substrate B2, which are mated to each other and are provided on substrates. The plug connector 201 is composed of a plug-side heat sink 400, contacts C arranged on the outside of the plug-side heat sink 400, and a housing D that accommodates the plug-side heat sink 400 and the contacts C. The receptacle connector 202 is composed of a receptacle-side heat sink 900, contacts C arranged around the receptacle-side heat sink 900, and a housing D that accommodates the receptacle-side heat sink 900 and the contacts C. The heat sinks 400 and 900 are respectively joined to heat sink joints T formed on the substrates B1 and B2. The heat sinks 400 and 900 are designed to obtain the same effect as the shells in the first embodiment and are formed using a highly conductive material. The housing D is made of an electrically insulating material such as synthetic resin.

[0102] As in the first embodiment, an electronic component A serving as a heat-generating body is mounted on the second substrate B2, and a heat-generating portion H is generated on the substrate near the electronic component A due to the heat from the electronic component A. A heat transfer path 100 is formed between the heat-generating portion H and a heat sink joint T of the connector joined on the second substrate B2. A heat dissipation member B for heat dissipation is mounted on the first substrate B1, and a heat transfer path 100 is also formed between the heat sink joint T of the connector joined on the first substrate B1 and the heat sink member B.

[0103] The plug-side heat sink 400 and the receptacle-side heat sink 900 are each configured to be bondable to a substrate and include a heat dissipation portion (not shown) for heat dissipation. Similar to the shell in the first embodiment, the heat dissipation portion is configured with an uneven portion having numerous uneven shapes formed on its surface. To form the uneven shape on the heat sinks 400 and 900, surface treatment such as plating may be performed. For such plating, a microfin plating such as "Sugohie" by Ebina Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd. may be used. Furthermore, to form the uneven portion, the heat sinks 400 and 900 may be pressed to form dowels on their surfaces.

[0104] Like the shell in the first embodiment, the heat sinks 400, 900 are preferably configured to have a portion that comes into contact with the housing D. This allows heat to be conducted from the housing D to the heat sinks 400, 900, which have higher thermal conductivity. In this case, by configuring the heat sinks 400, 900 by press-fitting them into the housing D, the housing D and the heat sinks 400, 900 come into contact with each other with an appropriate amount of pressure, allowing heat to be conducted from the housing D to the heat sinks 400, 900.

[0105] The plug-side heat sink 400 and the receptacle-side heat sink 900 have a mating portion E where the two heat sinks 400, 900 come into contact and fit together. The mating portion E has a smooth portion formed smoothly at the contact portion, and is configured to increase the area of ​​the contact surface. This can improve thermal conductivity. To form a smooth shape, a surface treatment such as plating may be performed to smooth the surface.

[0106] As in the first embodiment, the surface of the contact C is preferably subjected to a surface treatment such as plating, and is configured to have a number of uneven portions formed thereon.

[0107] Next, the mechanism of heat dissipation in connector device 200 will be described.

[0108] On second substrate B2, heat from heat-generating portion H heated by electronic component A, which serves as a heat source, is conducted along heat conduction path 100 on substrate B2 to heat sink joint portion T of receptacle connector 202, and then conducted to receptacle-side heat sink 900. The heat conducted to receptacle-side heat sink 900 is dissipated from the heat dissipation portion of receptacle-side heat sink 900. Heat conducted to portions of receptacle connector 202 other than receptacle-side heat sink 900 is conducted to the contact portion between housing D and receptacle-side heat sink 900, where it is dissipated from the heat dissipation portion, and is dissipated by convection and radiation in non-contact portions.

[0109] Heat that is not dissipated in receptacle connector 202 is conducted from mating portion E between receptacle-side heat sink 900 and plug-side heat sink 400 to the mating plug-side heat sink 400, and is dissipated from the heat dissipation portion of receptacle-side heat sink 400. Heat conducted to portions of plug connector 201 other than plug-side heat sink 400 is conducted to the contact portion between housing D and plug-side heat sink 400 and is dissipated from the heat dissipation portion of plug-side heat sink 400, and is dissipated by convection and radiation in non-contact portions. Heat that is not dissipated in plug connector 201 is conducted to heat sink joint portion T via plug-side heat sink 400, and can be dissipated from heat dissipation member B provided on board B1 via heat transfer path 100 on the plug connector 201 side.

[0110] Furthermore, some of the heat from heat-generating portion H is also transferred to contacts C, which are configured with a heat dissipation function, and is dissipated from the surfaces of contacts C. Heat that is not dissipated by contacts C of receptacle connector 202 is transferred via the contact portions between contacts C of plug connector 201 and contacts C of receptacle connector 202, and can also be dissipated by contacts C of plug connector 202.

[0111] In this way, the heat on the board can be dissipated using the heat path connector according to the present invention.

[0112] With the above-described configuration, heat on the board can be dissipated from the connector device 200. The heat pass connector according to the present invention as described above can be used in various types of connectors.

[0113] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the heat path connector according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0114] 15(a) and 15(b) show a plug connector 201 and a receptacle connector 202 in a connector device 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of the plug connector 201 will be described.

[0115] Plug connector 201 is composed of plug-side heat sink 400, plug-side contacts 30 that are arranged on the outside of plug-side heat sink 400 when plug connector 201 is installed on a board, and plug-side housing 20 that accommodates plug-side heat sink 400 and contacts 30. Receptacle connector 202 is composed of receptacle-side heat sink 900, receptacle-side contacts 80 that are arranged on the outside of receptacle-side heat sink 900 when receptacle connector 202 is installed on a board, and fixed-side housing 60 and movable-side housing 70 that accommodate receptacle-side heat sink 900 and contacts 80.

[0116] First, the configuration of the plug connector 201 will be described with additional reference to Figure 16. The plug-side housing 20 and contacts 30 in the following description are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The plug-side heat sink 400 is press-fitted into the housing 20 in the longitudinal direction, inside the contacts 30.

[0117] The plug-side heat sink 400 has a substantially rectangular plate-like shape that matches the shape of the housing 20 so that it can be press-fitted inside the plug-side housing 20. The plug-side heat sink 400 has protruding press-fit portions 402 that are press-fitted into the housing 20 on part of a surface 401 in the thickness direction (left-right direction), and the press-fit portions 402 are press-fitted and fixed into press-fit grooves 402a formed in the housing 20. The press-fit grooves 402a may be configured as protrusions formed on the housing 20 with a width that allows the press-fit portions 402 to be press-fitted, or as grooves with a width that allows the press-fit portions 402 to be press-fitted. The plug-side heat sink 400 further has mounting portions 405 on a surface 403 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the housing 20 when press-fitted, and on a part of a surface 404 of the plug-side heat sink 400 that is the top surface in FIG. 16 and that is the bonding surface to the board when the plug connector 201 is bonded to the board. The lower portion 406 of the heat sink 400 is mated with the receptacle-side heat sink 900 of the receptacle connector 202. This mating state will be explained later.

[0118] Plug-side heat sink 400 has a heat dissipation function on at least a portion of its surface, including surface 403, and by providing unevenness to heat sink 400 through surface treatment such as plating, the surface area is increased, thereby promoting the dissipation of heat transmitted through mount portion 405.

[0119] Mounting section 405 serves as an adhesive surface for bonding to the substrate, and is formed by providing a plurality of notches 405a that divide surface 404 in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction). By providing these notches 405a and mounting section 405, when mounting section 405 and plug connector 201 are attached to the substrate by solder or the like, stress that is applied to the soldered portion due to deformation of the substrate can be dispersed, and cracking or peeling of the solder can be suppressed.

[0120] Next, the configuration of receptacle connector 202 will be described, returning to Figure 15. In the following explanation, descriptions of receptacle-side housings 60, 70, contacts 80, etc. overlap with those of the first embodiment and will therefore be omitted. Receptacle-side heat sink 900 is press-fitted inward from contacts 80 in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction) of housings 60, 70.

[0121] The receptacle side heat sink 900 is composed of a main plate 901 having an approximately rectangular shape formed so that it can be press-fitted inside the housing 60, and a clamping plate 902 that clamps the plug side heat sink 400 from the left and right with moderate pressure when the plug connector 201 is mated from above in Figure 16(b).

[0122] The main plate 901 has a protruding press-fit portion 903 on its thicknesswise (left-right) surface that is pressed into the housing 60, and has a longitudinal (front-to-back) surface 904 of the housings 60, 70 when pressed in, and a mounting portion 906 on a part of the bottom surface 905 of the receptacle side heat sink 900 in Figure 16 that is the adhesive surface to the board when the receptacle connector 202 is adhered to the board.

[0123] The sandwiching plates 902 may be configured such that, for example, some of the multiple sandwiching plates 902 are press-fitted into mounting holes 907 provided on a surface 904 of the main plate 901 to be fixed to the main plate 901. The detailed configuration of the sandwiching plates 902 will be described later.

[0124] Receptacle-side heat sink 900 has unevenness formed on at least a portion of its surface by plating or the like, which promotes the release of heat transferred from mount portion 906 and the like.

[0125] Similar to the plug connector 201, the mount portion 906 is the adhesive surface for contacting the substrate, and is formed by providing a plurality of notches 906a that divide the lower surface 905 in the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction).

[0126] 17 to 19, the mating of connectors 201 and 202 will be described in detail, along with the detailed configuration of clamping plate 902. When connectors 201 and 202 are mated, lower portion 406 of plug-side heat sink 400 is sandwiched from the left and right by clamping plates 902 of receptacle-side heat sink 900 as connectors 201 and 202 are mated, and both heat sinks 400, 900 are mated. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, a configuration is conceivable in which left clamping plate 908 sandwiches heat sink 400 from the left side and right clamping plate 909 sandwiches it from the right side, and is arranged alternately on main plate 901. Clamping plate 902 may be configured integrally with main plate 901, but separate configurations facilitate manufacturing. 16, a portion of sandwiching plate 902 is press-fitted into mounting hole 907 provided in main plate 901 to secure it in place. Sandwiching plate 902 is configured to receive lower portion 406 of heat sink 400 and to ensure as much contact as possible between heat sink 400 and sandwiching plate 902. Various shapes of such clamping plate 902 are conceivable, but it has a roughly rectangular shape, bending at curved portion 902a slightly from the side where clamping plate 902 is pressed into mounting hole 907 toward the outside of main plate 901, and then bending at curved portion 902b to extend upward along heat sink 400, and left clamping plate 908 and right clamping plate 909 are formed as bilaterally symmetrical shapes of this shape, and left clamping plate 908 and right clamping plate 909 are arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction of main plate 901, thereby supporting plug side heat sink 400 with appropriate pressure from the left and right, and ensuring a wide contact surface between plug side heat sink 400 and receptacle side heat sink 900. Furthermore, by shaping sandwiching plate 902 so that it bends slightly outward at curved portion 902c on the other end of mounting hole 907, it guides the lower end of plug-side heat sink 400, making it easier to insert, and it supports plug-side heat sink 400 with appropriate pressure from both sides, ensuring a wide contact surface between plug-side heat sink 400 and receptacle-side heat sink 900. This allows heat transferred from the board to be conducted to each other, and the heat can be released by the uneven portions provided on each side.

[0127] With the above-described configuration, by mounting the connectors 201 and 202 on a substrate, it is possible to provide a heat pass connector that efficiently dissipates heat under limited volume conditions. In the above embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the contacts 30 and 80 may be provided with uneven portions by plating or the like to promote heat dissipation.

[0128] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, heat may be dissipated by the heat dissipation function of the contacts 30, 80 without using the shells 40, 90 and heat sinks 400, 900. Even in this case, as described above, some of the contacts may be configured as heat dissipation contact pins dedicated to heat dissipation. Furthermore, as explained in the first embodiment, a heat transfer path for transferring heat from a heat-generating portion H on the board may be connected to the connection portion between the heat dissipation contact pin and the board.

[0129] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The connector body described in the above-described embodiment may be a connector of another configuration. The floating connector is also not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. A floating connector may be used for the plug connector.

[0130] In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which a number of notches are provided in the mounting portion of the shell on the receptacle connector side that uses a floating connector to give it a floating function, but a number of notches may also be provided in the mounting portion of the shell of a connector that is not a floating connector to give it a floating function.

[0131] In the above embodiment, a stack connection type connector device in which both substrates (first substrate, second substrate) are arranged parallel to each other and electrically connected has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration and may also be applied to a vertical connection type connector device in which both substrates are arranged at right angles to each other and electrically connected, or a horizontal connection type connector device in which both substrates are arranged in the same plane and electrically connected.

[0132] In the above embodiment, a board-mounted connector has been described as an example of the mating connector, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and various connectors, such as a cable-mounted connector, can be applied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 1,200 Connector device 10, 201 plug connector 20 Plug side housing 25 Receptive Space 26 Fitting protrusion 30 Plug side contact 40 Plug side shell 50, 202 receptacle connector 60 Fixed side housing 70 Movable side housing 74 Fitting recess 75 Protrusion 80 Receptacle side contact 90 Receptacle side shell 400 Plug side heat sink 900 Receptacle side heat sink

Claims

1. A heat path connector substrate structure including a first substrate on which a heat dissipation device and a first heat path connector are provided, The first heat path connector is The heat path shell is configured to include a plurality of first contacts made of a conductive material, a first housing made of an insulating material that holds the plurality of first contacts in an aligned manner, and a first heat path shell that is electrically conductive and thermally conductive and that surrounds the first housing. The first substrate is provided with a first wiring pattern to which first lead portions of the plurality of first contacts are joined, a first shell joining pattern to which a first ground portion of the first heat pass shell is joined, and a first heat transfer path connecting the first shell joining pattern and the heat dissipation device, A heat path connector substrate structure configured to enable heat conduction from the first heat path shell, in which the first grounding portion is joined to the first shell joining pattern, to the heat dissipation device via the first heat transfer path.

2. a second substrate provided with a heating element and a second heat path connector that can be mated and connected to the first heat path connector; The second heat path connector is The heat path shell is configured to include a plurality of second contacts made of a conductive material, a second housing made of an insulating material that holds the plurality of second contacts in a line, and a second heat path shell that has thermal conductivity and is provided to surround the second housing, the second substrate is provided with a second wiring pattern to which second lead portions of the plurality of second contacts are joined, a second shell joining pattern to which a second ground portion of the second heat path shell is joined, a heat generating portion that receives heat from the heat generating element, and a second heat transfer path that connects the second shell joining pattern and the heat generating portion; the second lead portions of the plurality of second contacts are joined to the second wiring pattern and the second ground portion of the second heat path shell is joined to the second shell joining pattern, thereby attaching the second heat path connector to the second substrate; When the second heat path connector is mated and connected to the first heat path connector, the second contacts are mated and connected to the corresponding first contacts, and the second heat path shell is mated and connected to the first heat path shell, In a state where the second heat path connector is mated and connected to the first heat path connector, The heat path connector substrate structure of claim 1, wherein the heat of the heat generating portion received from the heat generating element is transferred to the second shell joining pattern via the second heat transfer path, and from the second shell joining pattern to the second heat path shell via the second grounding portion, and further transferred from the second heat path shell to the first heat path shell that is joined and connected to it.

3. The heat path connector board structure described in claim 2, characterized in that at least one of the first heat path shell and the second heat path shell has an uneven portion formed on its surface by plating, and is configured to increase the surface area of ​​the first heat path shell and the second heat path shell.

4. A heat path connector board structure as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the mating connection portion of the first heat path shell and the second heat path shell has a smooth portion with a smooth surface, and is configured to increase the contact area with the first heat path shell and the second heat path shell.

5. 4. The heat path connector substrate structure according to claim 2, wherein the first heat transfer path and the second heat transfer path are formed by a wiring pattern capable of transferring heat.

6. A heat path connector substrate structure including a first substrate on which a heat dissipation device and a first heat path connector are provided, The first heat path connector is The device is configured to include a plurality of first contacts made of a conductive material, a first housing made of an insulating material that holds the plurality of first contacts in an aligned manner, and a first heat sink that is provided within the first housing and has electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, the first substrate is provided with a first wiring pattern to which first lead portions of the plurality of first contacts are joined, a first heat sink joint to which the first heat sink is joined, and a first heat transfer path connecting the first heat sink joint and the heat dissipation device; the first lead portions of the plurality of first contacts are joined to the first wiring pattern, and the first heat sink is joined to the first heat sink joint portion, and the first heat path connector is attached to the first substrate; A heat path connector substrate structure configured to allow heat to be conducted from the first heat sink joined to the first heat sink joining portion to the heat dissipation device via the first heat transfer path.

7. a second substrate provided with a heating element and a second heat path connector that can be mated and connected to the first heat path connector; The second heat path connector is The connector is configured to include a plurality of second contacts made of a conductive material, a second housing made of an insulating material that holds the plurality of second contacts in an aligned manner, and a second heat sink having thermal conductivity that is provided within the second housing, the second substrate is provided with a second wiring pattern to which second lead portions of the plurality of second contacts are joined, a second heat sink joint to which the second heat sink is joined, a heat generating portion that receives heat from the heat generating element, and a second heat transfer path that connects the second heat sink joint and the heat generating portion; the second lead portions of the second contacts are joined to the second wiring pattern and the second heat sink is joined to the second heat sink joint portion, thereby attaching the second heat path connector to the second substrate; When the second heat path connector is mated and connected to the first heat path connector, the second contacts are mated and connected to the corresponding first contacts, and the first heat sink is mated and connected to the second heat sink, In a state where the second heat path connector is fitted and connected to the first heat path connector, The heat path connector board structure of claim 6, wherein the heat received from the heat generating element is transferred to the second heat sink joint via the second heat transfer path, and from the second heat sink joint to the second heat sink, and further transferred from the second heat sink to the first heat sink that is mated and connected to it.

8. The heat path connector substrate structure of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first heat sink and the second heat sink has an uneven portion formed on its surface by plating, and is configured to increase the surface area of ​​the first heat sink and the second heat sink.

9. A heat path connector board structure as described in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the joint connection portion of the first heat sink and the second heat sink has a smooth portion with a smooth surface, and is configured to increase the contact area between the first heat sink and the second heat sink.

10. 8. The heat path connector substrate structure according to claim 7, wherein the first heat transfer path and the second heat transfer path are formed by a wiring pattern capable of transferring heat.

11. The heat path connector substrate structure described in claim 2 or 7, characterized in that the first contact and the second contact have uneven portions formed by plating the surface, and are configured to increase their surface area.

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