Connector device

Abstract

To provide a connector device that is effective for establishing both of downsizing and noise suppression.SOLUTION: A first connector includes: a plurality of first contacts having conductivity; an insulating first contact holding part that holds the plurality of first contacts; a conductive first partition wall that partitions the first contact holding part into a first type holding area in which a plurality of first contacts are held and a second type holding area in which one first contact is held and the other first contacts are not held; and a conductive first enclosure wall that is along an outer periphery of the second type holding area and is in parallel with the first partition wall. A second connector includes: a plurality of second contacts having conductivity; and a conductive second enclosure wall. When the first connector and the second connector are fitted to each other, the first partition wall is singly disposed between the first type holding area and the second type holding area and the first enclosure wall and the second enclosure wall are doubly disposed at the outer periphery of the second type holding area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a first connector and a second connector. The first connector has a first insulator, a plurality of first contacts supported by the first insulator, and a conductive member supported by the first insulator. The second connector has a second insulator and a plurality of second contacts supported by the second insulator. A conductive member shielding portion is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the first insulator. When the first connector mounted on a first circuit board and the second connector mounted on a second circuit board are connected, the conductive member shielding portion is located between the first circuit board and the conductive member or between the second circuit board and the conductive member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 045623 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the connector exemplified in Patent Document 1, further noise suppression is desired, but there is a trade-off between noise suppression and miniaturization. In particular, an appropriate structure is desired to achieve noise suppression when the connector is connected. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a connector device that is effective in achieving both miniaturization and noise suppression. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A connector device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a connector device having a first connector and a second connector, wherein the first connector comprises: a plurality of conductive first contacts respectively connected to a plurality of conductors of a first substrate; an insulating first contact holding portion that holds the plurality of first contacts; a conductive first partition wall that is electrically connected to a ground conductor of the first substrate and divides the first contact holding portion into a first type holding area that holds the plurality of first contacts and a second type holding area that holds one of the first contacts but not another of the first contacts; and a conductive first surrounding wall aligned with the first partition wall along the outer periphery of the holding area, the second connector having a plurality of conductive second contacts respectively connected to a plurality of conductors on a second board and contacting the plurality of first contacts respectively when the first connector and the second connector are mated, and a conductive second surrounding wall electrically connected to a ground conductor of the second board, wherein when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the first partition wall is arranged in a single layer between the first type holding area and the second type holding area, and the first surrounding wall and the second surrounding wall are arranged in a double layer around the outer periphery of the second type holding area. A connector device according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a connector device having a first connector and a second connector, wherein the first connector has a plurality of conductive first contacts respectively connected to a plurality of conductors of a first board, an insulating first contact holding portion which holds the plurality of first contacts, a conductive first partition wall electrically connected to a ground conductor of the first board and which divides the first contact holding portion into a first type holding area which holds the plurality of first contacts and a second type holding area which holds one first contact but does not hold any other first contact, and a conductive first surrounding wall electrically connected to the ground conductor of the first board and aligned with the first partition wall along the periphery of the second type holding area, and the second connector has a plurality of conductive first contacts respectively connected to a plurality of conductors of the second board. and a conductive second surrounding wall electrically connected to the ground conductor of the second board when the first connector and the second connector are mated, and each of the plurality of first contacts has a first connection portion connected to the conductor of the first board, a first contact portion contacting the second contact, and a first linking portion linking the first connection portion and the first contact portion, and when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the linking direction between the first contact portion and the first connection portion by the first linking portion of the first contact arranged in the first type holding area and the linking direction between the first contact portion and the first connection portion by the first linking portion of the first contact arranged in the second type holding area intersects with each other.

[0006] According to this connector device, by arranging multiple contacts that are unlikely to become noise sources together in the first-type holding area and arranging contacts that are likely to become noise sources but are easily affected by noise in the second-type holding area, it is possible to achieve both miniaturization and noise suppression. Furthermore, in this connector device, when the first connector and the second connector are mated, a single first partition wall is provided between the first-type holding area and the second-type holding area, thereby preventing the device from becoming large and suppressing noise from the contacts held in the second-type holding area relative to the contacts held in the first-type holding area. Furthermore, by providing a double first and second surrounding walls around the outer periphery of the second-type holding area, it is possible to suppress external noise from reaching the contacts held in the second-type holding area that are easily affected by noise.

[0007] The first partition wall of the first connector may be provided in two, sandwiching the first-type retaining area, so as to partition the first contact retaining portion into two second-type retaining areas with the first-type retaining area interposed therebetween, and the first surrounding wall and the second surrounding wall may be disposed doubly around the outer peripheries of the two second-type retaining areas. With this configuration, even if first contacts that are susceptible to noise are disposed in each of the second-type retaining areas, these first contacts can be spaced apart at a distance that makes them less susceptible to noise, while preventing the connector device itself from becoming large.

[0008] The first connector may have two first partition walls, one on either side of the first-type holding area, that can partition the first contact holding portion into two second-type holding areas with the first-type holding area interposed therebetween, the first connector may have a conductive first inter-area connection portion that electrically connects the first partition wall disposed on the outer periphery of one of the second-type holding areas with the first partition wall disposed on the outer periphery of the other of the second-type holding areas, and the second connector may have a conductive second inter-area connection portion that electrically connects the second surrounding wall disposed on the outer periphery of one of the second-type holding areas with the second surrounding wall disposed on the outer periphery of the other of the second-type holding areas when the first connector and the second connector are mated. With this configuration, the first inter-area connection portion and the second inter-area connection portion are provided on the outer periphery of the first-type holding areas, thereby suppressing noise received by the first contacts held in the first-type holding areas.

[0009] The second connector may further include an insulating second contact holding portion that holds the second contacts, the second contact holding portion having a frame portion and a main body portion, the frame portion, the second surrounding wall, and the second inter-area connecting portion forming an annular structure along the outer periphery of the second connector, the main body portion being provided within the annular structure so as to be connected to the frame portion, and when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the main body portion may be partitioned by the first partition wall into a first type holding area that holds multiple second contacts and a second type holding area that holds one second contact but not other first contacts. This configuration prevents the second connector from becoming large, and enables the connector device to be made more compact.

[0010] The first connector may be disposed within the second-type retaining area and may have a conductive intra-area connecting portion that electrically connects the first partition wall and the first surrounding wall to each other. In this case, by further isolating the contacts disposed in the second-type retaining area from other contacts, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0011] The intra-area connection portion may extend in a direction intersecting the direction of connection to the second connector. In this case, the contacts arranged in the second-type holding area are further isolated from other contacts, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0012] The intra-area connecting portion may be widened to face the second connector, in which case the intra-area connecting portion can also be used as a guide for connection with the mating connector.

[0013] Either the first surrounding wall or the second surrounding wall may be divided by a part of the outer periphery of the second-type holding area. By configuring either the first surrounding wall or the second surrounding wall to be divided by a part, it is possible to reliably suppress noise while preventing the connector device from becoming large.

[0014] Either the plurality of first contacts or the plurality of second contacts may have a connecting portion connected to a conductor of a board, a contact portion contacting a contact of a mating connector, and a linking portion linking the connecting portion and the contact portion, and when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion of the contact arranged in the first type holding area and the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion of the contact arranged in the second type holding area may intersect each other, as seen from the mating connector. Hereinafter, a surface that follows both the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion of the contact arranged in the first type holding area and the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion of the contact arranged in the second type area is referred to as an "arrangement surface." In contacts in which the contact portion and the connecting portion are linked by a linking portion, the width of the side surface along the linking direction (hereinafter referred to as a "first side surface") tends to be larger than the width of the side surface perpendicular to the linking direction (hereinafter referred to as a "second side surface"). Here, "side" refers to a surface perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and "width" refers to the width in a direction along the arrangement surface. By configuring the direction of connection between the contact portion and the connecting portion of the connecting portion of the contact arranged in the first-type area and the direction of connection between the contact portion and the connecting portion of the connecting portion of the contact arranged in the second-type area to intersect with each other, it becomes difficult for the first side of the contact arranged in the first-type area to face the first side of the contact arranged in the second-type area, regardless of the arrangement. This makes it possible to adopt a contact arrangement suitable for miniaturizing the connector while suppressing noise propagation between the contacts arranged in the first-type area and the contacts arranged in the second-type area.

[0015] The first connector may have two first partition walls, one on either side of the first-type holding area, that can partition the first contact holding portion so that the first-type holding area is interposed between two of the second-type holding areas, the first connector may have a conductive first inter-area connection portion that electrically connects the first partition wall arranged on the outer periphery of one of the second-type holding areas to the first partition wall arranged on the outer periphery of the other of the second-type holding areas when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the first contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas each have a connection portion that is connected to a conductor of a board, and the connection portions of the first contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas may be arranged to protrude toward the first inter-area connection portion, so that the connection portions of the first contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas can be visually confirmed in a plan view. By arranging the connection portions of the first contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas facing the first inter-area connection portion, further noise suppression can be achieved by the first inter-area connection portion. Furthermore, if the connection portions of the first contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas can be visually confirmed in a plan view, the mounting state of the connection portions on the board can be appropriately monitored.

[0016] The first connector may be a receptacle connector, and the second connector may be a plug connector, and when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the second surrounding wall may be provided outward from the first surrounding wall. With this configuration, the second surrounding wall of the plug connector is provided outward from the receptacle connector having the intra-area connecting portion, thereby improving guiding properties when connecting with the mating connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector that is effective in achieving both miniaturization and noise suppression. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a connector device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a receptacle connector. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector from another direction. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view of the receptacle connector showing a cross section taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a contact holding portion of the receptacle connector. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of contacts and a shell of a receptacle connector. [Figure 7] 10 is a plan view illustrating an example of the arrangement of exposed conductor portions of a circuit board to which a receptacle connector is attached. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a plug connector. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the plug connector from another direction. [Figure 10] 9 is a perspective view of the plug connector, showing a cross section taken along line XX in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of contacts and a shell of the plug connector. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a contact holding portion of the plug connector. [Figure 13] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the mated state of the receptacle connector and the plug connector in the first type holding area. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the mated state of the receptacle connector and the plug connector in the second type holding area. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a plan view illustrating an example of the arrangement of exposed conductor portions of a circuit board to which a plug connector is attached. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the receptacle connector. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the plug connector. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another modified example of the receptacle connector. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of contacts in FIG. 18. [Figure 20] FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the arrangement of contacts in FIG. 18. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another modified example of the plug connector. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of contacts in FIG. 21. [Figure 23] FIG. 22 is a plan view showing the arrangement of contacts in FIG. 21. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same elements or elements having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0020] [Connector device] 1 is a device used to connect circuit boards (hereinafter simply referred to as "boards") together in an electronic device. Specific examples of electronic devices include portable communication terminals such as mobile phones, smartphones, laptop computers, and tablet computers, but the electronic devices are not limited to these.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the connector device 1 includes a receptacle connector 2 and a plug connector 3 that are attached to two circuit boards 101 and 102 to be connected, respectively, and the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are mated to electrically connect the circuit boards 101 and 102.

[0022] When the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are arranged to mate with each other, the shape of the plug connector 3 as seen from the receptacle connector 2 and the shape of the receptacle connector 2 as seen from the plug connector 3 both approximate a rectangle. Hereinafter, the direction along the long side of this rectangle will be referred to as the long side direction DL1, and the direction along the short side of this rectangle will be referred to as the short side direction DS1. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to this rectangle will be referred to as the connection direction CD1 of the receptacle connectors 2 and 3. Hereinafter, when describing the structure of the plug connector 3 as seen from the receptacle connector 2 when the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are arranged to mate with each other, it will be simply referred to as "as seen from the receptacle connector 2," and when describing the structure of the receptacle connector 2 as seen from the plug connector 3, it will be simply referred to as "as seen from the plug connector 3."

[0023] [Receptacle connector] First, a detailed description will be given of the configuration of the receptacle connector 2. As described above, the receptacle connector 2 is attached to the circuit board 101 and connected to the mating connector, the plug connector 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the receptacle connector 2 has a plurality of conductive contacts 4, a contact holding portion 5, and a shell 6.

[0024] The plurality of contacts 4 are respectively connected to the plurality of conductors of the circuit board 101, and respectively hold and contact the plurality of contacts 7 (described below) of the plug connector 3. The plurality of contacts 4 may include contacts 4 of different types. For example, the plurality of contacts 4 include a plurality of first-type contacts 4A and at least one second-type contact 4B of a type different from the first-type contacts 4A. As an example, the receptacle connector 2 includes six contacts 4, and the six contacts 4 include four first-type contacts 4A and two second-type contacts 4B.

[0025] "Different types" means that they belong to different types based on some definition that specifies the difference in types. Specific examples of differences in types include differences in the frequency band of the signals to be transmitted, differences in allowable current, differences in allowable voltage, and differences between connecting signal conductors (conductors that form part of the signal circuit) and connecting ground conductors (conductors that form part of the ground circuit). For example, the second-type contacts 4B are contacts that transmit signals of higher frequency than the signals transmitted by the first-type contacts 4A.

[0026] 4, each of the six contacts 4 has a connecting portion 41, a contact portion 42, and a linking portion 43. The connecting portion 41 is connected to a conductor (e.g., a signal conductor) of the circuit board 101. The contact portion 42 comes into contact with a contact 7 (described later) of the plug connector 3. The connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 are linked to each other.

[0027] The contact portion 42 has a first portion 421, a second portion 422, and a connecting portion 423. The first portion 421 and the second portion 422 each protrude toward the plug connector 3 in the connecting direction CD1 and sandwich the contact 7 of the plug connector 3. The connecting portion 423 connects the base of the first portion 421 and the base of the second portion 422.

[0028] The linking portion 43 links the connecting portion 41 and the base of the contact portion 42. The connecting portion 41 protrudes outward from the base of the first portion 421 in the opposite direction to the connecting portion 423. The contact 4 is formed by punching out a single sheet of metal sheet and then subjecting it to bending or other processing. The connecting portion 41 may have any shape as long as it can be attached to the circuit board 101, and may have a shape that does not protrude outward.

[0029] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the contact holding portion 5 is an insulating member that holds a plurality of contacts 4. For example, the contact holding portion 5 is formed by injection molding of a resin material. The contact holding portion 5 has a back surface 55 that faces the circuit board 101 and a front surface 54 that faces the opposite side to the back surface 55. The front surface 54 faces the plug connector 3. The contact holding portion 5 has an outline that approximates a rectangle when viewed from the plug connector 3 (see Figure 5). The rectangle has a pair of long sides 5a, 5b along a long side direction DL1 and a pair of short sides 5c, 5d along a short side direction DS1.

[0030] The contact holding portion 5 is partitioned into a plurality of holding areas in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction CD1. The plurality of holding areas include a first-type holding area 51 and a second-type holding area 52. The first-type holding area 51 holds a plurality of contacts 4. For example, the first-type holding area 51 holds a plurality (e.g., four) of first-type contacts 4A. The second-type holding area 52 holds one contact 4 but does not hold any other contacts 4. For example, the second-type holding area 52 holds one second-type contact 4B.

[0031] The multiple holding areas may include two second-type holding areas 52, or at least one first-type holding area 51 may be interposed between the multiple second-type holding areas 52. As an example, the contact holding section 5 is partitioned into one first-type holding area 51 and two second-type holding areas 52 sandwiching the first-type holding area 51. The first-type holding area 51 and the two second-type holding areas 52 are aligned along the long side direction DL1. Hereinafter, the two second-type holding areas 52 will be distinguished as second-type holding areas 52A and 52B.

[0032] The multiple holding areas may be separated by gaps formed in the contact holding part 5. For example, the second-type holding area 52A and the first-type holding area 51 are separated by a gap S11 along a boundary PL11 perpendicular to the long-side direction DL1. As an example, the second-type holding area 52A and the first-type holding area 51 are separated by a slit 53A perpendicular to the long-side direction DL1.

[0033] The first-type holding area 51 and the second-type holding area 52B are separated by a gap S12 along a boundary PL12 perpendicular to the long-side direction DL1. As an example, the first-type holding area 51 and the second-type holding area 52B are separated by a slit 53B perpendicular to the long-side direction DL1.

[0034] The term "gap" here does not necessarily refer to the gap when the receptacle connector 2 is completed, but refers to the gap when the contact holding portion 5 exists alone. In other words, the term "gap" here also includes a portion that is filled with a member other than the contact holding portion 5 when the receptacle connector 2 is completed. For example, at least a portion of gap S11 is filled with a partition wall 61A, which will be described later, and at least a portion of gap S12 is filled with a partition wall 61B, which will be described later.

[0035] In the contact holding portion 5, all of the contacts 4 are arranged such that, when viewed from the connecting direction CD1 (when viewed from the plug connector 3), the connecting portions 41 and the contacting portions 42 are coupled together (the direction in which the coupled connecting portions 41 and contacting portions 42 are aligned) in the same direction. In other words, all of the contacts 4 are arranged such that the contact direction between the contacting portions 42 and the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 is in the same direction. For example, all of the contacts 4 are arranged such that the coupling direction between the connecting portions 41 and the contacting portions 42 is in the short side direction DS1. When viewed from the plug connector 3, the connecting portions 41 of all of the contacts 4 are arranged inward from the outer edges of the contact holding portion 5 (the edges with the largest dimensions in the long side direction DL1 and the short side direction DS1). The contact direction refers to the direction perpendicular to both the portions of the surfaces of the contacts 4 that come into contact with the contacts 7 and the portions of the surfaces of the contacts 7 that come into contact with the contacts 4.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 5, both the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52 have accommodating grooves that extend in the same direction (for example, the long side direction DL1). As shown in Fig. 2, in both the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52, the contact portions 42 of all the contacts 4 are arranged so as to be exposed to the accommodating grooves. The accommodating grooves accommodate retaining protrusions (described later) of the plug connector 3. The contacts 4 in the accommodating grooves are arranged so that the contact portions 42 come into contact with the contact portions 72 (described later) of the contacts 7 of the retaining protrusions that are accommodated in the accommodating grooves.

[0037] As an example, the first-type holding area 51 has two accommodating grooves 511A and 511B that are parallel to each other. The accommodating grooves 511A and 511B are formed on the front surface 54 of the contact holding part 5 along the long side direction DL1. On the front surface 54, the accommodating groove 511A is located closer to the long side 5a, and the accommodating groove 511B is located closer to the long side 5b.

[0038] 2, the four first-type contacts 4A held by the first-type holding area 51 include two first-type contacts 4A aligned along the accommodating groove 511A and two first-type contacts 4A aligned along the accommodating groove 511B. That is, the multiple first-type contacts 4A held by the first-type holding area 51 include multiple first-type contacts 4A aligned along the long side direction DL1 (the arrangement direction perpendicular to the boundaries PL11 and PL12).

[0039] As an example, as shown in FIG. 5, the first-type holding area 51 has two contact accommodating portions 512A aligned along the accommodating groove 511A. The contact accommodating portions 512A are holes formed in the rear surface 55 of the contact holding portion 5 and open into the accommodating groove 511A. As shown in FIG. 4, the contact portions 42 of the first-type contacts 4A are fixed into each of the contact accommodating portions 512A by press-fitting or the like so that the first portions 421 and the second portions 422 are exposed in the accommodating groove 511A. As a result, the coupling direction between the connecting portions 41 and the contact portions 42 of all of the first-type contacts 4A aligned along the accommodating groove 511A is aligned along the short-side direction DS1 as viewed from the connecting direction CD1. The connecting portions 41 of each of the first-type contacts 4A aligned along the accommodating groove 511A protrude from the contact portions 42 toward the long side 5a.

[0040] 5, the first-type holding area 51 further has a recess 515A in the center of the side surface along the long side 5a (the center in the long side direction DL1). The recess 515A is formed from the front surface 54 to the back surface 55. In the first-type contacts 4A in the accommodating grooves 511A, the connection portions 41 that protrude from the contact portions 42 toward the long side 5a are exposed in the recess 515A when viewed from the plug connector 3, as shown in FIG. 4. This makes it possible to visually check the connection state (mounting state) of the connection portions 41 to the circuit board 101.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, the first-type holding area 51 also has two contact accommodating portions 512B aligned along the accommodating groove 511B. The contact accommodating portions 512B are holes formed in the rear surface 55 of the contact holding portion 5 and open into the accommodating groove 511B. As shown in FIG. 4, the contact portions 42 of the first-type contacts 4A are fixed into each of the contact accommodating portions 512B by press-fitting or the like so that the first and second portions 421 and 422 are exposed in the accommodating groove 511B. As a result, the connection direction between the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 of each of the first-type contacts 4A aligned along the accommodating groove 511B is aligned along the short-side direction DS1 as viewed from the connecting direction CD1. The connecting portion 41 of each of the first-type contacts 4A aligned along the accommodating groove 511B protrudes from the contact portion 42 toward the long side 5b as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the connecting portions 41 of the first-type contacts 4A in the accommodating groove portions 511A and the connecting portions 41 of the first-type contacts 4A in the accommodating groove portions 511B protrude in opposite directions.

[0042] 5, the first-type retaining area 51 further has a recess 515B in the center of the side surface along the long side 5b (the center in the long side direction DL1). In the first-type contact 4A in the accommodating groove 511B, the connecting portion 41 extending from the contact portion 42 toward the long side 5b is exposed in the recess 515B when viewed from the plug connector 3, as shown in FIG.

[0043] 5, each of the second-type holding areas 52A and 52B has one accommodating groove 521. The accommodating groove 521 is formed in the front surface 54 of the contact holding part 5 along the long side direction DL1. On the front surface 54, the accommodating groove 521 is located midway between the long sides 5a and 5b (midway in the short side direction DS1).

[0044] One second-type contact 4B held in each of the second-type holding areas 52A and 52B is arranged in an accommodating groove 521. As an example, each of the second-type holding areas 52A and 52B has one contact accommodating portion 522. The contact accommodating portion 522 is a hole provided in the back surface 55 of the contact holding portion 5 and opens into the accommodating groove 521. The contact portion 42 of the second-type contact 4B is fixed in the accommodating groove 521 by press-fitting or the like so that the first portion 421 and the second portion 422 are exposed in the accommodating groove 521. As a result, the second-type contact 4B arranged in the accommodating groove 521 is also arranged so that the coupling direction between the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 is along the short side direction DS1, similar to the first-type contact 4A. The connecting portion 41 of the second-type contact 4B protrudes from the contact portion 42 toward the long side 5b.

[0045] 5, each of the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B further has a through-hole 525 between the accommodating groove 521 and the long side 5b. The through-hole 525 penetrates between the front surface 54 and the rear surface 55. The connection portion 41 of the second-type contact 4B in the accommodating groove 521, which protrudes from the contact portion 42 toward the long side 5b, opens into the through-hole 525 when viewed from the plug connector 3. This makes it possible to visually check the connection state (mounting state) of the connection portion 41 to the circuit board 101.

[0046] The second-type contacts 4B held by the second-type hold area 52A are adjacent to the first-type contacts 4A in the first-type hold area 51 across a boundary PL11. The second-type contacts 4B held by the second-type hold area 52B are adjacent to the first-type contacts 4A in the first-type hold area 51 across a boundary PL12. In this way, the distance G11 in the long side direction DL1 (the arrangement direction) between the contacts 4 adjacent to each other across the boundaries PL11, PL12 is larger than the distance G12 between the contacts 4 adjacent to each other along the long side direction DL1 in the first-type hold area 51 (see FIG. 6).

[0047] The shell 6 is a conductive member attached to the contact-holding portion 5. As shown in FIG. 6 , the shell 6 has at least one partition wall 61 that divides the contact-holding portion 5 into the above-mentioned multiple holding areas. The partition wall 61 is electrically connected to a ground conductor (not shown) of the circuit board 101. The partition wall 61 may be connected directly to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101, or may be connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 via another portion of the shell 6. The shell 6 may include two partition walls 61 interposed doubly between the two second-type holding areas 52A, 52B. At least one first-type holding area 51 may be interposed between these two partition walls 61.

[0048] As an example, the shell 6 has partition walls 61A and 61B as the two partition walls 61. The partition wall 61A is located within the cavity S11 and separates the second-type holding area 52A from the first-type holding area 51. The partition wall 61B is located within the cavity S12 and separates the first-type holding area 51 from the second-type holding area 52B. As shown in FIG. 3 , each of the partition walls 61A and 61B has an edge 611 (end) that contacts the circuit board 101, and is electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 at the edge 611.

[0049] 2 and 6, the shell 6 may further include a conductive surrounding wall 62 aligned with the partition wall 61 along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52. The shell 6 may include a surrounding wall 62 for each of the two second-type holding areas 52A, 52B. For example, the shell 6 includes a conductive surrounding wall 62A aligned with the partition wall 61A along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52A, and a conductive surrounding wall 62B aligned with the partition wall 61B along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52B. Each of the surrounding walls 62A, 62B includes an opposing portion 621 and side portions 622A, 622B.

[0050] The facing portion 621 faces the partition wall 61 across the second-type holding area 52. For example, the facing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62A covers at least a portion of the side surface of the contact holding unit 5 along the short side 5c and faces the partition wall 61A across the second-type holding area 52A. The facing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62B covers at least a portion of the side surface of the contact holding unit 5 along the short side 5d and faces the partition wall 61B across the second-type holding area 52B. As shown in FIG. 3, the facing portion 621 has an edge 625 (end) that contacts the circuit board 101 and is electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 at the edge 625. The facing portion 621 has a protrusion that protrudes outward (in a direction opposite to the direction toward the second-type holding area 52). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the facing portion 621 has two protrusions 623 aligned along the short side direction DS1.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the side portions 622A and 622B face each other across the second-type holding area 52 in a direction perpendicular to the opposing direction of the partition wall 61 and the opposing portion 621. The side portion 622A covers at least a portion of the side surface of the second-type holding area 52 along the long side 5a. The side portion 622B covers at least a portion of the side surface of the second-type holding area 52 along the long side 5b. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the side portions 622A and 622B has an edge 627 (end) that contacts the circuit board 101, and is electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 at the edge 627. Each of the side portions 622A and 622B has a protrusion 626 that protrudes outward (in a direction opposite to the direction toward the second-type holding area 52).

[0052] 2, the shell 6 may further have a conductive intra-area connection plate 63 (intra-area connection portion) that electrically connects the partition wall 61 and the surrounding wall 62 that are arranged along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52 to each other. The intra-area connection plate 63 may extend so as to intersect with the connection direction CD1. The intra-area connection plate 63 may be arranged so as to face the plug connector 3.

[0053] The shell 6 may have an intra-area connection plate 63 for each of the two second-type holding areas 52A, 52B. For example, the shell 6 has two intra-area connection plates 63A, 63B. The intra-area connection plate 63A electrically connects the partition wall 61A and the surrounding wall 62A that are arranged along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52A. More specifically, the intra-area connection plate 63A covers at least a portion of the front surface 54 and is continuous with the edge of the partition wall 61A, the edge of the opposing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62A, and the edges of the side portions 622A, 622B of the surrounding wall 62A.

[0054] The intra-area connection plate 63B electrically connects the partition wall 61B and the surrounding wall 62B that are arranged along the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52B. More specifically, the intra-area connection plate 63B covers at least a portion of the front surface 54 and is continuous with the edge of the partition wall 61B, the edge of the opposing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62B, and the edges of the side portions 622A and 622B of the surrounding wall 62B. Each of the intra-area connection plates 63A and 63B has an opening 631 for exposing the second-type contacts 4B arranged in the second-type retaining area 52.

[0055] 6, the shell 6 may further have an inter-area connection plate 64 (first inter-area connection portion) that electrically connects a partition wall 61A on the periphery of the second-type holding area 52A and a partition wall 61B on the periphery of the second-type holding area 52B. The inter-area connection plate 64 may be arranged along the periphery of the first-type holding area 51. For example, the shell 6 has inter-area connection plates 64A and 64B.

[0056] The inter-area connection plate 64A covers at least a portion of the side surface of the first-type retaining area 51 along the long side 5a, and electrically connects the partition wall 61A and the partition wall 61B. Therefore, the two first-type contacts 4A lined up along the accommodating groove 511A are lined up along the inter-area connection plate 64A, and are arranged so that their connection portions 41 extend toward the inter-area connection plate 64A. The inter-area connection plate 64A faces the connection portions 41 of the two first-type contacts 4A.

[0057] The inter-area connection plate 64B covers at least a portion of the side surface of the first-type retaining area 51 along the long side 5b, and electrically connects the partition wall 61A and the partition wall 61B. Therefore, the two first-type contacts 4A lined up along the accommodating groove 511B are lined up along the inter-area connection plate 64B, and are arranged so that their connection portions 41 extend toward the inter-area connection plate 64B. The inter-area connection plate 64B faces the connection portions 41 of the two first-type contacts 4A.

[0058] 6, in the connection direction CD1, the inter-area connection plates 64A, 64B have edges 642 facing the circuit board 101 and ground connection portions 641 protruding downward from the edges 642 to contact the circuit board 101. The inter-area connection plates 64A, 64B are electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 at the ground connection portions 641. The ground connection portions 641 are located midway between the partition walls 61A, 61B (midway in the long side direction DL1). The ground connection portions 641 bulge outward (in the direction opposite to the direction toward the first-type retaining area 51) to avoid contact with the connection portions 41 of the first-type contacts 4A.

[0059] Since the shell 6 has the inter-area connection plates 64A, 64B, the first-type holding area 51 is surrounded by the partition walls 61A, 61B and the inter-area connection plates 64A, 64B. In addition, the entire contact holding portion 5 is surrounded by the surrounding walls 62A, 62B and the inter-area connection plates 64A, 64B.

[0060] Shell 6 is formed, for example, by punching out a single plate material from a thin metal plate material and then subjecting it to bending processing, etc. The plate material has outer wall portions 691A, 691B, 692A, 692B, top plate portions 695A, 695B, and inner wall portions 696A, 696B (see FIG. 6).

[0061] The outer wall portion 691A is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the side portion 622A of the surrounding wall 62A, the side portion 622A of the surrounding wall 62B, and the inter-area connection plate 64A. The outer wall portion 691B is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the side portion 622B of the surrounding wall 62A, the side portion 622B of the surrounding wall 62B, and the inter-area connection plate 64B. The outer wall portion 692A is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the opposing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62A. The outer wall portion 692B is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the opposing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62B. The top plate portion 695A is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the intra-area connection plate 63A. The top plate portion 695B is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the intra-area connection plate 63B. The inner wall portion 696A is a plate-shaped portion that constitutes the partition wall 61A. The inner wall portion 696B is a plate-like portion that constitutes the partition wall 61B.

[0062] The outer wall portions 691A, 691B, 692A, 692B and the inner wall portions 696A, 696B are bent approximately 90 degrees in the same direction relative to the top plate portions 695A, 695B to form the shell 6. The formed shell 6 is attached to the contact holding portion 5 by, for example, press-fitting.

[0063] The receptacle connector 2 configured as described above is attached to the circuit board 101 with the back surface 55 facing the circuit board 101. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the circuit board 101 has ground conductor exposed portions 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, and 116 and signal conductor exposed portions 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, and 126. The ground conductor exposed portions 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, and 116 are portions where the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 is exposed. The ground conductor exposed portions 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, and 116 are connected to the edge 611 of the partition wall 61A, the edge 611 of the partition wall 61B, the edges 625, 627, and 627 of the surrounding wall 62A, the edges 625, 627, and 627 of the surrounding wall 62B, the ground connection portion 641 of the inter-area connection plate 64A, and the ground connection portion 641 of the inter-area connection plate 64B, respectively, by solder joints or the like.

[0064] The signal conductor exposed portions 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, and 126 are portions where six signal conductors of the circuit board 101 are exposed. The signal conductor exposed portions 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, and 126 are respectively connected to the connection portions 41 of the four first-type contacts 4A and the connection portions 41 of the two second-type contacts 4B by soldering or the like.

[0065] Note that the above configuration is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the contact holding unit 5 only needs to have at least one second-type holding area 52, and does not necessarily have to have two or more second-type holding areas 52. The contact holding unit 5 may be partitioned into four or more holding areas. A first-type holding area 51 does not necessarily have to be interposed between two second-type holding areas 52, and the second-type holding areas 52 may be adjacent to each other. Even in such a case, two partition walls 61A, 61B may be interposed between the second-type holding areas 52.

[0066] [Plug connector] Next, a detailed description will be given of the configuration of the plug connector 3. As described above, the plug connector 3 is attached to the circuit board 102 and connected to the mating connector, the receptacle connector 2. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the plug connector 3 has a plurality of contacts 7, a shell 8, and a contact holding portion 9.

[0067] The plurality of contacts 7 are electrically connected to the plurality of conductors of the circuit board 102, respectively, and make contact with the plurality of contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2. The plurality of contacts 7 may include contacts 7 of different types. For example, the plurality of contacts 7 include a plurality of first-type contacts 7A and at least one second-type contact 7B of a type different from the first-type contacts 7A. As an example, the plug connector 3 includes six contacts 7, and the six contacts 7 include four first-type contacts 7A and two second-type contacts 7B. As an example, the second-type contact 7B is a contact that transmits a higher frequency signal than the signal transmitted by the first-type contacts 7A.

[0068] 10, each of the six contacts 7 has a connecting portion 71, a contact portion 72, and a linking portion 73. The connecting portion 71 is connected to a conductor (e.g., a signal conductor) of the circuit board 102. The contact portion 72 contacts a contact 4 of the receptacle connector 2. The connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 are linked to each other.

[0069] The contact portion 72 has a first portion 721, a second portion 722, and a connecting portion 723. The first portion 721 and the second portion 722 each protrude toward the receptacle connector 2 in the connecting direction CD1 and are sandwiched between the first portion 421 and the second portion 422 of the contact 4. Between the first portion 421 and the second portion 422, for example, the first portion 721 contacts the first portion 421, and the second portion 722 contacts the second portion 422. The first portion 721 may contact the second portion 422, and the second portion 722 may contact the first portion 421. The connecting portion 723 connects the tip end of the first portion 721 to the tip end of the second portion 722.

[0070] The coupling portion 73 couples the base of the second portion 722 and the connecting portion 71. The coupling portion 73 extends from the base of the second portion 722 toward the first portion 721 along a plane perpendicular to the connection direction CD1 and is connected to the connecting portion 71. The connecting portion 71 protrudes outward from the outer surface of the first portion 721 (the surface facing away from the second portion 722) along an extension of the coupling portion 73. The contact 7 is formed by punching out a single sheet of metal and subjecting it to bending or other processing. The connecting portion 71 may have any shape as long as it can be attached to the circuit board 102, and may have a shape that does not protrude outward.

[0071] The shell 8 is a conductive member that surrounds the multiple contacts 7. The shell 8 surrounds an area that has an outline that is approximately rectangular when viewed from the receptacle connector 2 (see FIG. 11). The rectangle has a pair of long sides 8a and 8b along a long side direction DL1 and a pair of short sides 8c and 8d along a short side direction DS1. The shell 8 has a sidewall 81A (inter-area connection portion) along the long side 8a, a sidewall 81B (inter-area connection portion) along the long side 8b, a sidewall 82A along the short side 8c, and a sidewall 82B along the short side 8d.

[0072] 13, when the plug connector 3 is mated with the receptacle connector 2, the shell 8 is located on the outer periphery of the shell 6. In this state, the side wall 81A contacts the side portion 622A of the surrounding wall 62A, the side portion 622A of the surrounding wall 62B, and the inter-area connection plate 64A. The side wall 81B contacts the side portion 622B of the surrounding wall 62A, the side portion 622B of the surrounding wall 62B, and the inter-area connection plate 64B. The side wall 82A contacts the opposing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62A. The side wall 82B contacts the opposing portion 621 of the surrounding wall 62B.

[0073] The side wall 81A has two recesses 811 on its inner surface (the surface facing the side wall 81B). Similarly, the side wall 81B also has two recesses 811 on its inner surface (the surface facing the side wall 81A). The two recesses 811 engage with the protrusions 626 of the surrounding walls 62A and 62B, respectively.

[0074] 9 , in the connection direction CD1, each of the side walls 81A and 81B has an edge 813 facing the circuit board 102 and at least one ground connection portion 815 protruding from the edge 813 and contacting the circuit board 102. For example, each of the side walls 81A and 81B has three ground connection portions 815 lined up along the long side direction DL1. Each of the side walls 81A and 81B is electrically connected to a ground conductor of the circuit board 102 at the ground connection portion 815.

[0075] Each of the side walls 81A, 81B further has an edge 814 that does not face the circuit board 102, and a recess 816 provided in the edge 814. The recess 816 of the side walls 81A, 81B receives the ground connection portions 641 of the inter-area connection plates 64A, 64B, respectively.

[0076] 10, the side wall 82A has two recesses 821 on its inner surface (the surface facing the side wall 82B). The two recesses 821 engage with the two protrusions 623 of the surrounding wall 62A, respectively. Similarly, the side wall 82B also has two recesses 821 on its inner surface (the surface facing the side wall 82A). The two recesses 821 engage with the two protrusions 623 of the surrounding wall 62B, respectively.

[0077] 9 , in the connection direction CD1, each of the side walls 82A and 82B has an edge 823 facing the circuit board 102 and at least one ground connection portion 825 protruding from the edge 823 and contacting the circuit board 102. For example, each of the side walls 82A and 82B has two ground connection portions 825 aligned along the short side direction DS1. Each of the side walls 82A and 82B is electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 102 at the ground connection portion 825.

[0078] 11, the shell 8 is divided into two shell members 80A and 80B aligned in the short-side direction DS1 at an intermediate portion in the short-side direction DS1 of the side wall 82A (for example, between two ground connection portions 825) and at an intermediate portion in the short-side direction DS1 of the side wall 82B (for example, between two ground connection portions 825). The shell member 80A includes the side wall 81A, and the shell member 80B includes the side wall 81B.

[0079] Each of shell members 80A and 80B is formed by punching out a single sheet of metal sheet material and then bending the sheet, etc. In this way, dividing shell 8 into two members facilitates processing.

[0080] The thickness (plate thickness) of the thin metal plate material used for the shell 8 of the plug connector 3 may be greater than the thickness (plate thickness) of the thin metal plate material used for the shell 6 of the receptacle connector 2. When the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are mated, the shell 8 of the plug connector 3 is positioned outward of the shell 6 of the receptacle connector 2. By increasing the plate thickness of the shell 8 that is positioned outward, the rigidity of the connector device 1 in the mated state can be increased.

[0081] 8, the contact holding portion 9 is an insulating member that holds the plurality of contacts 7 and the shell 8. For example, the contact holding portion 9 is formed by insert molding with the plurality of contacts 7 and the shell 8 arranged.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 12, the contact holding portion 9 has a frame portion 93 and a main body portion 94. The frame portion 93 holds at least a portion of the shell 8 (e.g., the side walls 82A and 82B) from the outer periphery. The main body portion 94 is disposed between the side walls 82A and 82B and is connected to the frame portion 93. As shown in Figs. 9 and 12, the main body portion 94 has a back surface 96 facing the circuit board 102 and a front surface 95 facing opposite to the back surface 96. The front surface 95 faces the receptacle connector 2. The main body portion 94 is partitioned into a plurality of holding areas in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction CD1.

[0083] The multiple holding areas include a first-type holding area 91 and a second-type holding area 92. The first-type holding area 91 holds multiple contacts 7. For example, the first-type holding area 91 holds multiple (e.g., four) first-type contacts 7A. The second-type holding area 92 holds one contact 7 but no other contacts 7. For example, the second-type holding area 92 holds one second-type contact 7B.

[0084] The multiple holding areas may include two second-type holding areas 92, or at least one first-type holding area 91 may be interposed between the multiple second-type holding areas 92. As an example, the main body 94 is partitioned into one first-type holding area 91 and two second-type holding areas 92 sandwiching the first-type holding area 91. The first-type holding area 91 and the two second-type holding areas 92 are aligned along the long side direction DL1. Hereinafter, the two second-type holding areas 92 will be distinguished as second-type holding areas 92A and 92B.

[0085] The multiple holding areas may be separated by gaps formed in the main body 94. For example, the second-type holding area 92A and the first-type holding area 91 are separated by a gap S21 along a boundary PL21 perpendicular to the long-side direction DL1. The first-type holding area 91 and the second-type holding area 92B are separated by a gap S22 along a boundary PL22 perpendicular to the long-side direction DL1.

[0086] Note that the gap here does not necessarily need to penetrate the main body portion 94 along the connection direction CD1, as long as at least a portion in the connection direction CD1 is a gap. For example, gap S21 is formed between a retaining raised portion 921 (described later) of the second-type retaining area 92A and retaining raised portions 911A and 911B (described later) of the first-type retaining area 91. Furthermore, gap S22 is formed between the retaining raised portions 911A and 911B (described later) of the first-type retaining area 91 and a retaining raised portion 921 (described later) of the second-type retaining area 92B.

[0087] 10 , in the contact holding portion 9, all of the contacts 7 are arranged so that the coupling direction between the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 (the direction in which the mutually coupled connecting portion 71 and contact portion 72 are aligned) is the same when viewed from the connecting direction CD1 (when viewed from the receptacle connector 2). In other words, all of the contacts 7 are arranged so that the contact direction between the contact portion 72 and the contact 4 of the receptacle connector 2 is the same. For example, all of the contact portions 72 are arranged so that the coupling direction between the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 is the same in the short side direction DS1. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the connecting portions 71 of all of the contacts 7 are arranged inward from the outer edges of the contact holding portion 9 (the edges with the largest dimensions in the long side direction DL1 and the short side direction DS1).

[0088] Both the first-type retaining area 91 and the second-type retaining area 92 have a retaining protrusion that protrudes from a base along the same direction (for example, the long side direction DL1) toward the receptacle connector 2. In both the first-type retaining area 91 and the second-type retaining area 92, the contact portions 72 of all contacts 7 are exposed on the side surfaces of the retaining protrusion.

[0089] 8 and 12, the first-type retaining area 91 has two retaining ridges 911A and 911B that are parallel to each other. The retaining ridges 911A and 911B are formed on a front surface 95 of the main body 94, and protrude from a base along the long side direction DL1 toward the receptacle connector 2. On the front surface 95, the retaining ridge 911A is located closer to the long side 8a of the shell 8, and the retaining ridge 911B is located closer to the long side 8b of the shell 8.

[0090] The four first-type contacts 7A held by the first-type holding area 91 include two first-type contacts 7A aligned along the holding raised portion 911A and two first-type contacts 7A aligned along the holding raised portion 911B. That is, the multiple first-type contacts 7A held by the first-type holding area 91 include multiple first-type contacts 7A aligned along the long side direction DL1 (the arrangement direction perpendicular to the boundaries PL21 and PL22).

[0091] As shown in FIG. 10 , each of the first-type contacts 7A aligned along the retaining protuberance 911A is attached to the retaining protuberance 911A so that the first portion 721 and the second portion 722 are exposed on the side surface of the retaining protuberance 911A. As a result, each of the first-type contacts 7A aligned along the retaining protuberance 911A is arranged so that the connecting direction between the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 is aligned along the short side direction DS1 when viewed from the connecting direction CD1. The second portion 722 penetrates the first-type retaining area 91 from the front surface 95 to the rear surface 96, and the connecting portion 73 is exposed on the rear surface 96. The connecting portion 71 protrudes from the connecting portion 73 toward the long side 8a. In the first-type contacts 7A on the retaining protuberance 911A, the connecting portion 71 protruding from the connecting portion 73 toward the long side 8a is exposed between the main body portion 94 and the long side 8a when viewed from the receptacle connector 2. This allows visual confirmation of the connection state of the connection portion 71 to the circuit board 102.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 10 , each of the first-type contacts 7A aligned along the retaining protuberance 911B is attached to the retaining protuberance 911B so that the first portion 721 and the second portion 722 are exposed on the side surfaces of the retaining protuberance 911B. As a result, each of the first-type contacts 7A aligned along the retaining protuberance 911B is arranged so that the connecting direction between the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 is aligned along the short side direction DS1 when viewed from the connecting direction CD1. The second portion 722 penetrates the first-type retaining area 91 from the front surface 95 to the rear surface 96, and the connecting portion 73 is exposed on the rear surface 96. The connecting portion 71 protrudes from the connecting portion 73 toward the long side 8b. In the first-type contacts 7A on the retaining protuberance 911B, the connecting portion 71 protruding from the connecting portion 73 toward the long side 8b is exposed between the main body portion 94 and the long side 8b when viewed from the receptacle connector 2. This allows visual confirmation of the connection state of the connection portion 71 to the circuit board 102.

[0093] When the plug connector 3 is mated with the receptacle connector 2, the retaining protrusion 911A is received in the receiving groove 511A, and the retaining protrusion 911B is received in the receiving groove 511B (see FIG. 13). In both of the retaining protrusions 911A and 911B, the first portions 721 of the first-type contacts 7A contact the first portions 421 of the first-type contacts 4A, and the second portions 722 of the first-type contacts 7A contact the second portions 422 of the first-type contacts 4A.

[0094] Each of the second type retaining areas 92A, 92B has one retaining protrusion 921. The retaining protrusion 921 is formed on the front surface 95 of the main body 94, and protrudes from a base along the long side direction DL1 toward the receptacle connector 2. In the short side direction DS1, the retaining protrusion 921 is located midway between the long sides 8a and 8b.

[0095] 12, the retaining protrusion 921 of the second-type retaining area 92A is separated from the retaining protrusions 911A and 911B of the first-type retaining area 91 by a gap S21 along a boundary PL21. The retaining protrusion 921 of the second-type retaining area 92B is separated from the retaining protrusions 911A and 911B of the first-type retaining area 91 by a gap S22 along a boundary PL22. One second-type contact 7B held by each of the second-type retaining areas 92A and 92B is arranged on the retaining protrusion 921.

[0096] The second-type contacts 7B arranged on the retaining protuberances 921 are attached to the retaining protuberances 921 so that the first and second portions 721 and 722 are exposed on the side surfaces of the retaining protuberances 921, similar to the first-type contacts 7A arranged on the retaining protuberances 911B shown in FIG. 10 . Thus, the second-type contacts 7B arranged on the retaining protuberances 921 are also arranged so that the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 are coupled in the short-side direction DS1. The second portions 722 penetrate the second-type retaining area 92 from the front surface 95 to the rear surface 96, and the coupling portion 73 is exposed on the rear surface 96. The connecting portion 71 protrudes from the coupling portion 73 toward the long side 8a. In the second-type contacts 7B on the retaining protuberances 921, the connecting portion 71 protruding from the coupling portion 73 toward the long side 8a is exposed between the main body 94 and the long side 8a when viewed from the receptacle connector 2. This allows visual confirmation of the connection state of the connection portion 71 to the circuit board 102.

[0097] The second-type contacts 7B held by the second-type hold area 92A are adjacent to the first-type contacts 7A in the first-type hold area 91 across a boundary PL21. The second-type contacts 7B held by the second-type hold area 92B are adjacent to the first-type contacts 7A in the first-type hold area 91 across a boundary PL22. In this way, the distance G21 in the long side direction DL1 (the arrangement direction) between adjacent contacts 7 across the boundaries PL21, PL22 is larger than the distance G22 between adjacent contacts 7 along the long side direction DL1 in the first-type hold area 91 (see FIG. 12).

[0098] When the plug connector 3 is mated with the receptacle connector 2, the retaining protrusions 921 are accommodated in the accommodating grooves 521 (see FIG. 14). At the retaining protrusions 921, the first portions 721 of the second-type contacts 7B contact the second portions 422 of the second-type contacts 4B, and the second portions 722 of the second-type contacts 7B contact the first portions 421 of the second-type contacts 4B.

[0099] The plug connector 3 configured as described above is attached to the circuit board 102 with the back surface 96 facing the circuit board 102. The circuit board 102 has exposed ground conductor portions 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, and 138 and exposed signal conductor portions 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 146, as illustrated in FIG.

[0100] The ground conductor exposed portions 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, and 138 are portions where the ground conductor of the circuit board 102 is exposed. The ground conductor exposed portions 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, and 136 are connected to the three ground connections 815 on the side wall 81A and the three ground connections 815 on the side wall 81B by soldering or the like. The ground conductor exposed portion 137 is connected to the two ground connections 825 on the side wall 82A by soldering or the like. The ground conductor exposed portion 138 is connected to the two ground connections 825 on the side wall 82B by soldering or the like.

[0101] The signal conductor exposed portions 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 146 are portions where six signal conductors of the circuit board 102 are exposed. The signal conductor exposed portions 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, and 146 are respectively connected to the connection portions 71 of the four first-type contacts 7A and the connection portions 71 of the two second-type contacts 7B by soldering or the like.

[0102] Note that the above configuration is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the contact holding unit 9 only needs to have at least one second-type holding area 92, and does not necessarily have to have two or more second-type holding areas 92. The contact holding unit 9 may be divided into four or more holding areas. The first-type holding area 91 does not necessarily have to be interposed between two second-type holding areas 92, and the second-type holding areas 92 may be adjacent to each other.

[0103] [Effects of this embodiment] As described above, the connector device 1 has a receptacle connector 2 as a first connector and a plug connector 3 as a second connector. In this case, the receptacle connector 2 has a plurality of conductive contacts 4 (first contacts) respectively connected to a plurality of conductors of the circuit board 101 (first board), an insulating contact holding portion 5 (first contact holding portion) that holds the plurality of contacts 4, partition walls 61A, 61B electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 and functioning as conductive first partition walls that divide the contact holding portion 5 into a first-type holding area 51 that holds the plurality of contacts 4 (first-type contacts 4A) and a second-type holding area 52 that holds one contact 4 (second-type contact 4B) but does not hold any other contacts 4, and surrounding walls 62A, 62B electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 101 and functioning as conductive first surrounding walls aligned with the partition walls 61A, 61B along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52. The plug connector 3 also has a plurality of conductive contacts 7 (second contacts) that are each connected to a plurality of conductors on the circuit board 102 (second board) and that each come into contact with a plurality of contacts 4 when the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are mated, and side walls 81A, 81B, 82A, and 82B that function as conductive second surrounding walls that are electrically connected to the ground conductor of the circuit board 102.

[0104] Furthermore, when the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 3 are mated, a single first partition wall is disposed between the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52. Specifically, a single partition wall 61A is disposed between the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52A, and no other partition walls are disposed. Furthermore, a single partition wall 61B is disposed between the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52B, and no other partition walls are disposed. Furthermore, a double first and second surrounding wall is disposed around the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52. Specifically, a double set of side walls 81A, 81B, 82A and surrounding wall 62A is disposed around the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52A, and a double set of side walls 81A, 81B, 82B and surrounding wall 62B is disposed around the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52B.

[0105] According to the connector device 1, when the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) and the plug connector 3 (second connector) are mated, a first surrounding wall and a second surrounding wall are arranged in a double configuration around the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52. This makes it possible to effectively suppress noise from contacts that are likely to become noise sources and are arranged in the second-type retaining area 52. Meanwhile, a single first partition wall is arranged between the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52. This prevents the device from becoming too large, while suppressing noise from contacts held in the second-type retaining area 52 relative to contacts held in the first-type retaining area 51.

[0106] Two partition walls 61A, 61B (first partition walls) of the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) are provided on either side of the first-type retaining area so that the contact retaining portion 5 (first contact retaining portion) can be partitioned into two second-type retaining areas 52 with the first-type retaining area 51 interposed between them. In addition, the surrounding walls 62A, 62B (first surrounding walls) and the side walls 81A, 81B, 82A, 82B (second surrounding walls) may be disposed doubly around the outer periphery of each of the two second-type retaining areas 52. With this configuration, even if first contacts that are susceptible to noise are disposed in each of the second-type retaining areas, these first contacts can be spaced apart at a distance that makes them less susceptible to noise, while preventing the connector device itself from becoming larger.

[0107] The receptacle connector 2 (first connector) may have two partition walls 61A, 61B (first partition walls) sandwiching the first-type retaining area 51 so that the contact retaining portion 5 (first contact retaining portion) can be partitioned into two second-type retaining areas 52 with the first-type retaining area 51 interposed therebetween. The receptacle connector 2 (first connector) may also have a conductive inter-area connection plate 64 (first inter-area connection portion) that electrically connects a first partition wall (e.g., partition wall 61A) disposed on the outer periphery of one second-type retaining area 52 (e.g., second-type retaining area 52A) with a first partition wall (e.g., partition wall 61B) disposed on the outer periphery of the other second-type retaining area 52 (e.g., second-type retaining area 52B). Furthermore, the plug connector 3 (second connector) may have conductive side walls 81A, 81B (second inter-area connection portion) that electrically connect a second surrounding wall disposed on the outer periphery of one second-type holding area 52 (e.g., second-type holding area 52A) to a second surrounding wall disposed on the outer periphery of the other second-type holding area (e.g., second-type holding area 52B) when the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) and the plug connector 3 (second connector) are mated. With this configuration, the first inter-area connection portion and the second inter-area connection portion are provided on the outer periphery of the first-type holding area 51, and noise received by the contacts held in the first-type holding area 51 can be suppressed.

[0108] The plug connector 3 (second connector) further has an insulating contact holding portion 9 (second contact holding portion) that holds the contacts 7 (second contacts), and the contact holding portion 9 may have a frame portion 93 and a main body portion 94. In addition, the frame portion 93 and the side walls 81A, 81B, 82A, 82B (second surrounding walls and second inter-area connecting portions) may form an annular structure that follows the outer periphery of the plug connector 3 (second connector), and the main body portion 94 may be provided inside the annular structure so as to be connected to the frame portion 93. Here, when the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) and the plug connector 3 (second connector) are mated, the main body 94 may be partitioned by the partition walls 61A, 61B (first partition walls) into a first-type holding area 91 that holds a plurality of contacts 7 (first-type contacts 7A; second contacts) and a second-type holding area 92 that holds one contact 7 (second-type contact 7B; second contact) but does not hold other contacts 7 (second contacts). With this configuration, the plug connector 3 (second connector) is prevented from becoming larger, and the connector device can be made more compact.

[0109] The receptacle connector 2 (first connector) may have a conductive intra-area connection plate 63 (intra-area connection portion) that electrically connects the partition walls 61A, 61B (first partition walls) and the surrounding walls 62A, 62B (first surrounding walls) to each other within the second-type retaining area 52. In this case, by further isolating the contacts arranged in the second-type retaining area from other contacts, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0110] The intra-area connection plate 63 (intra-area connection portion) may extend so as to intersect with the direction of connection to the plug connector 3 (second connector). In this case, the contacts 4 arranged in the second-type holding area 52 are further isolated from the other contacts 4, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0111] The intra-area connection plate 63 (intra-area connection portion) may be widened to face the plug connector 3 (second connector). In this case, the intra-area connection portion can also be used as a guide for connection with the mating connector.

[0112] Either the surrounding walls 62A, 62B (first surrounding walls) or the side walls 81A, 81B, 82A, 82B (second surrounding walls) may be divided at a portion of the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52 (92). By configuring either the first surrounding wall or the second surrounding wall to be divided at a portion, it is possible to reliably suppress noise while preventing the connector device from becoming large.

[0113] Either the plurality of contacts 4 (first contacts) or the plurality of contacts 7 (second contacts) each have a connecting portion connected to a conductor of the board, a contact portion that contacts a contact of the mating connector, and a linking portion that links the connecting portion and the contact portion, and when the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) and the plug connector 3 (second connector) are mated, the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion of the contact arranged in the first type retaining area 51 (91) and the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion of the contact arranged in the second type retaining area 52 (92) may intersect with each other, as viewed from the plug connector 3. In other words, the linking direction between the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 by the linking portion 43 of the first type contact 4A and the linking direction between the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 by the linking portion 43 of the second type contact 4B may intersect with each other, as viewed from the plug connector 3. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the direction of connection between the connection portion 71 and the contact portion 72 by the connecting portion 73 of the first type contact 7A and the direction of connection between the connection portion 71 and the contact portion 72 by the connecting portion 73 of the second type contact 7B may intersect with each other.

[0114] Hereinafter, the surface along both the direction of connection between the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 of the contacts (the connecting portions 43, 73 of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A) arranged in the first-type holding area and the direction of connection between the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 of the connecting portions 43, 73 of the contacts (the second-type contacts 4B, 7B) arranged in the second-type area will be referred to as the "arrangement surface." Here, in contacts in which the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 are connected by the connecting portions 43, 73, the width of the side surface along the connecting direction (hereinafter referred to as the "first side surface") tends to be larger than the width of the side surface perpendicular to the connecting direction (hereinafter referred to as the "second side surface"). Note that the "side surface" here refers to the surface perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and the "width" refers to the width in the direction along the arrangement surface. In a configuration in which the direction of connection between the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 by the connecting portions 43, 73 of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A and the direction of connection between the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 by the connecting portions 43, 73 of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B intersects with each other, it is unlikely that the first side surfaces of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A and the first side surfaces of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B will face each other regardless of the contact arrangement. This makes it possible to employ a contact arrangement suitable for miniaturizing the connector while suppressing noise propagation between the contacts arranged in the first-type area and the contacts arranged in the second-type area.

[0115] Two partition walls 61A, 61B (first partition walls) of the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) may be provided on either side of the first-type retaining area 51 so that the contact retaining portion 5 (first contact retaining portion) can be partitioned such that the first-type retaining area 51 is interposed between two second-type retaining areas 52. The receptacle connector 2 (first connector) may also have a conductive inter-area connection plate 64 (first inter-area connection portion) that electrically connects a first partition wall (e.g., partition wall 61A) arranged on the outer periphery of one second-type retaining area 52 (e.g., second-type retaining area 52A) to a first partition wall (e.g., partition wall 61B) arranged on the outer periphery of the other second-type retaining area 52 (e.g., second-type retaining area 52B) when the receptacle connector 2 (first connector) and the plug connector 3 (second connector) are mated. In this case, the first-type contacts 4A (first contacts) arranged in the first-type holding areas 51 may each have a connection portion 41 connected to a conductor of the board. The connection portions 41 of the first-type contacts 4A (first contacts) arranged in the first-type holding areas 51 may be arranged to protrude toward the inter-area connection plate 64 (first inter-area connection portion), allowing visual confirmation of the connection portions 41 of the first-type contacts 4A (first contacts) arranged in the first-type holding areas 51 in a plan view. By arranging the connection portions of the contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas facing the first inter-area connection portion, further noise suppression can be achieved by the first inter-area connection portion. Furthermore, if the connection portions of the contacts arranged in the first-type holding areas are visually confirmable in a plan view, the mounting state of the connection portions on the board can be appropriately monitored.

[0116] The first connector may be a receptacle connector 2, and the second connector may be a plug connector 3, and when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the second surrounding wall may be provided outward from the first surrounding wall. With this configuration, the second surrounding wall of the plug connector 3 is provided outward from the receptacle connector 2 having the intra-area connection plate 63 (intra-area connection portion), thereby improving guiding properties when connecting with the mating connector.

[0117] The receptacle connector 2 is a connector that is attached to a board and connected (fitted) to a plug connector 3, and comprises a plurality of conductive contacts 4 that are respectively connected to a plurality of signal conductor exposed portions 121 to 126 of the circuit board 101, an insulating contact holding portion 5 that holds the plurality of contacts 4, and at least one conductive partition wall 61 that is electrically connected to the ground conductor exposed portions 111 to 116 of the circuit board 101 and divides the contact holding portion 5 into a plurality of holding areas, and the plurality of holding areas include a first type holding area 51 that holds the plurality of contacts 4 and a second type holding area 52 that holds one contact 4 but not another contact 4.

[0118] With this receptacle connector 2, multiple contacts 4 that are unlikely to become noise sources (e.g., contacts for low-frequency signals) are arranged together in a first-type holding area 51, and contacts 4 that are likely to become noise sources and are easily affected by noise (e.g., contacts for high-frequency signals) are arranged in a second-type holding area 52, isolated from the other contacts 4, thereby achieving both compactness and noise suppression.

[0119] The plurality of contacts 4 may include a plurality of first-type contacts 4A arranged in the first-type holding area 51, and a second-type contact 4B, which is a different type of contact from the plurality of first-type contacts 4A and arranged in the second-type holding area 52. In this case, by using the first-type holding area 51 and the second-type holding area 52 depending on the type of contact 4, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0120] The plurality of holding areas may include two second-type holding areas 52A, 52B, and at least one partition wall 61 may include two partition walls 61A, 61B interposed between the two second-type holding areas 52A, 52B. In this case, the presence of the double partition walls 61A, 61B between the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B can further isolate the contacts 4 arranged in the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B. This can more reliably suppress noise.

[0121] At least one first-type holding area 51 may be interposed between the two partition walls 61A, 61B. In this case, the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B are spaced apart by the presence of the first-type holding area 51, so the contacts 4 arranged in the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B can be further isolated from each other. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress noise.

[0122] The receptacle connector 2 may further include a conductive surrounding wall 62 aligned with the partition wall 61 along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52. In this case, the contacts 4 arranged in the second-type holding area 52 are further isolated from the other contacts 4, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0123] The receptacle connector 2 may further include a conductive intra-area connection plate 63 that electrically connects the partition wall 61 and the surrounding wall 62 that are arranged along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area 52. In this case, by further isolating the contacts 4 arranged in the second-type holding area 52 from the other contacts 4, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0124] The intra-area connection plate 63 may extend so as to intersect with the connection direction CD1 to the plug connector 3. In this case, the contacts 7 arranged in the second-type holding area 52 are further isolated from the other contacts 4, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0125] The intra-area connection plate 63 may be disposed so as to face the plug connector 3. In this case, the intra-area connection plate 63 can also be used as a guide for connection with the plug connector 3.

[0126] The receptacle connector 2 may further include a conductive surrounding wall 62 aligned with the partition wall 61 along the outer periphery of each of the two second-type retaining areas 52, and may further include a conductive intra-area connection plate 63 for each of the two second-type retaining areas 52A, 52B, electrically connecting the partition wall 61 and the surrounding wall 62 aligned along the outer periphery of the second-type retaining area 52. The receptacle connector 2 may further include a conductive inter-area connection plate 64 electrically connecting the partition wall 61A on the outer periphery of one second-type retaining area 52A to the partition wall 61B on the outer periphery of the other second-type retaining area 52B. In this case, the contacts 4 arranged in the second-type retaining area 52 are further isolated from the other contacts 4, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0127] At least one first-type holding area 51 may be interposed between two partition walls 61A, 61B, and the inter-area connection plate 64 may be arranged along the outer periphery of the first-type holding area 51. In this case, since the inter-area connection plate 64 is arranged on the outer periphery of the first-type holding area 51, it is easy to ensure space for arranging multiple contacts 4 in the first-type holding area 51. Furthermore, since the first-type holding area is surrounded by the partition wall 61 and the inter-area connection plate 64, the multiple contacts 4 in the first-type holding area 51 can be further isolated from the other contacts 4. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress noise.

[0128] Each of the plurality of contacts 4 has a connection portion 41 connected to the exposed signal conductor portions 121 to 126 of the circuit board 101, and the connection portion 41 may face the inter-area connection plate 64 in the direction along the two partition walls 61A, 61B. In this case, the gap between the inter-area connection plate 64 and the connection portion 41 of the contact 4 can further suppress noise.

[0129] The partition wall 61 has an edge 611 that contacts the circuit board 101, and may be electrically connected to the exposed ground conductor portions 111, 112 of the circuit board 101 at the edge 611. In this case, the electrical shielding effect of the partition wall 61 is strengthened, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0130] The receptacle connector 2 is a connector attached to a circuit board 101 and connected to a plug connector 3, and comprises a plurality of conductive contacts 4 that are respectively connected to a plurality of exposed signal conductor portions 121 to 126 of the circuit board 101, and an insulating contact holding portion 5 that holds the plurality of contacts 4, the contact holding portion 5 being partitioned into a first type holding area 51 and two second type holding areas 52A, 52B that sandwich the first type holding area 51, the first type holding area 51 holding the plurality of contacts 4, and the second type holding area holding one contact 4 but not any other contacts 4. The plug connector 3 is a connector that is attached to a circuit board 102 and connected to a receptacle connector 2, and includes a plurality of conductive contacts 7 that are respectively connected to a plurality of exposed signal conductor portions 141 to 146 of the circuit board 102, and an insulating contact holding portion 9 that holds the plurality of contacts 7, and the contact holding portion 9 is divided into a first type holding area 91 and two second type holding areas 92A, 92B that sandwich the first type holding area 91, and the first type holding area 91 holds the plurality of contacts 7, and the second type holding area holds one contact 7 but does not hold any other contacts 7.

[0131] With this receptacle connector 2 and plug connector 3, multiple contacts 4, 7 that are unlikely to become noise sources are arranged together in the first type holding areas 51, 91, and contacts 4, 7 that are likely to become noise sources and are easily affected by noise are arranged in the second type holding areas 52A, 52B, 92A, 92B, isolated from the other contacts 4, 7, thereby achieving both miniaturization and noise suppression.

[0132] The plurality of contacts 4 may include a plurality of first-type contacts 4A arranged in the first-type holding area 51 and second-type contacts 4B that are contacts 4 of a different type from the plurality of first-type contacts 4A and that are arranged in the second-type holding areas 52A and 52B. The plurality of contacts 7 may include a plurality of first-type contacts 7A arranged in the first-type holding area 91 and second-type contacts 7B that are contacts 7 of a different type from the plurality of first-type contacts 7A and that are arranged in the second-type holding areas 92A and 92B. In this case, by using the first-type holding areas 51 and 91 and the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B, 92A, 92B depending on the type of contacts 4 and 7, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0133] The second-type contacts 4B may be contacts that transmit signals of a higher frequency than the signals transmitted by the first-type contacts 4A. The second-type contacts 7B may be contacts that transmit signals of a higher frequency than the signals transmitted by the first-type contacts 7A. In this case, noise can be more reliably suppressed by isolating the contacts 4 and 7 that transmit high-frequency signals from the other contacts 4 and 7 and arranging them in the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B, 92A, and 92B.

[0134] The first-type holding area 51 and the two second-type holding areas 52A, 52B sandwiching the first-type holding area 51 may be separated by gaps S11, S12 formed in the contact holding unit 5. The first-type holding area 91 and the two second-type holding areas 92A, 92B sandwiching the first-type holding area 91 may be separated by gaps S21, S22 formed in the contact holding unit 9. In this case, noise can be more reliably suppressed by arranging conductive members in the gaps S11, S12, S21, S22.

[0135] Each of the plurality of contacts 4 has a connecting portion 41 connected to the exposed signal conductor portions 121 to 126 of the circuit board 101, a contact portion 42 that contacts a contact 7 of the plug connector 3, and a linking portion 43 that links the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42, and all of the plurality of contacts 4 may be arranged such that the linking direction between the contact portion 42 and the connecting portion 41 by the linking portion 43 is along the same direction when viewed from the plug connector 3. Each of the plurality of contacts 7 has a connecting portion 71 connected to the exposed signal conductor portions 141 to 146 of the circuit board 102, a contact portion 72 that contacts a contact 4 of the receptacle connector 2, and a linking portion 73 that links the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72, and all of the plurality of contacts 7 may be arranged such that the linking direction between the contact portion 72 and the connecting portion 71 by the linking portion 73 is along the same direction when viewed from the receptacle connector 2. In this case, by aligning the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 in the same direction, miniaturization can be achieved more reliably.

[0136] Each of the plurality of contacts 4 has a connecting portion 41 connected to the exposed signal conductor portions 121-126 of the circuit board 101 and a contact portion 42 that contacts the contact 7 of the plug connector 3, and all of the plurality of contacts 4 may be arranged so that the contact direction between the contact portion 42 and the contact 7 of the plug connector 3 is along the same direction as seen from the plug connector 3. Each of the plurality of contacts 7 has a connecting portion 71 connected to the exposed signal conductor portions 141-146 of the circuit board 102 and a contact portion 72 that contacts the contact 4 of the receptacle connector 2, and all of the plurality of contacts 7 may be arranged so that the contact direction between the contact portion 72 and the contact 4 of the receptacle connector 2 is along the same direction as seen from the receptacle connector 2. In this case, by arranging the contacts 4, 7 in the same direction, miniaturization can be more reliably achieved.

[0137] Both the first-type retaining area 91 and the second-type retaining areas 92A, 92B have retaining protrusions 911A, 911B, 921 that protrude from bases along the same direction toward the receptacle connector 2, and in both the first-type retaining area 91 and the second-type retaining areas 92A, 92B, the contacting portions of all of the contacts 7 may be exposed on outer surfaces 913, 914, 923, 924 of the retaining protrusions 911A, 911B, 921. In this case, by aligning the arrangement direction of the contacts 7 using the retaining protrusions 911A, 911B, 921, miniaturization can be more reliably achieved.

[0138] Both the first-type holding area 51 and the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B may have accommodating grooves 511A, 511B, 521 that extend in the same direction, and in both the first-type holding area 51 and the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B, the contact portions 42 of all of the contacts 4 may be arranged so as to be exposed to the accommodating grooves 511A, 511B, 521. In this case, by aligning the arrangement direction of the contacts 4 using the accommodating grooves 511A, 511B, 521, miniaturization can be more reliably achieved.

[0139] When viewed from the plug connector 3, the direction in which the connecting portions 41 and contact portions 42 are connected by the connecting portions 43 of the first-type contacts 4A and the direction in which the connecting portions 41 and contact portions 42 are connected by the connecting portions 43 of the second-type contacts 4B may intersect with each other. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the direction in which the connecting portions 71 and contact portions 72 are connected by the connecting portions 73 of the first-type contacts 7A and the direction in which the connecting portions 71 and contact portions 72 are connected by the connecting portions 73 of the second-type contacts 7B may intersect with each other. Hereinafter, a surface that follows both the direction in which the connecting portions 43, 73 of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A connect the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71, respectively, and the direction in which the connecting portions 43, 73 of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B connect the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71, respectively, will be referred to as the "arrangement surface." In contacts in which the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 are connected by the linking portions 43, 73, the width of the side surface along the linking direction (hereinafter referred to as the "first side surface") tends to be larger than the width of the side surface perpendicular to the linking direction (hereinafter referred to as the "second side surface"). Here, "side surface" refers to a surface perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and "width" refers to the width in a direction along the arrangement surface. With a configuration in which the direction of connection between the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 by the linking portions 43, 73 of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A and the direction of connection between the contact portions 42, 72 and the connecting portions 41, 71 by the linking portions 43, 73 of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B intersects, it becomes difficult for the first side surfaces of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A to face the first side surfaces of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B, regardless of the arrangement. This makes it possible to employ a contact arrangement suitable for miniaturizing the connector while suppressing noise propagation between the first-type contacts 4A, 7A and the second-type contacts 4B, 7B.

[0140] When viewed from the plug connector 3, the direction in which the linking portion 43 of one first-type contact 4A links the contact portion 42 to the connecting portion 41 may be parallel to the direction in which the linking portion 43 of another first-type contact 4A links the contact portion 42 to the connecting portion 41. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the direction in which the linking portion 73 of one first-type contact 7A links the contact portion 72 to the connecting portion 71 may be parallel to the direction in which the linking portion 73 of another first-type contact 7A links the contact portion 72 to the connecting portion 71. In this case, by arranging the first side surfaces of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A opposite the first side surfaces of the other first-type contacts 4A, 7A, it becomes easier to further miniaturize the connector.

[0141] When viewed from the plug connector 3, the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the first-type contacts 4A contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 and the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the second-type contacts 4B contact the contacts of the plug connector 3 may intersect with each other. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the first-type contacts 7A contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 and the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the second-type contacts 7B contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 may intersect with each other. Hereinafter, a combination of a contact (a contact of the own connector) and a contact of a mating connector that comes into contact with it is referred to as a "contact combination." Also, the direction in which the contact of the own connector contacts the contact of the mating connector is referred to as the "contact direction." A surface that follows both the contact directions of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A and the second-type contacts 4B, 7B is referred to as an "arrangement surface." In a contact assembly, the width of the side surface along the contact direction (hereinafter referred to as the "first side surface") tends to be larger than the width of the side surface perpendicular to the contact direction (hereinafter referred to as the "second side surface"). Here, "side surface" refers to a surface perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and "width" refers to the width in a direction along the arrangement surface. A configuration in which the direction in which the contact portions 42, 72 of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A contact the contacts of the mating connector and the direction in which the contact portions 42, 72 of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B contact the contacts of the mating connector intersect with each other makes it difficult for the first side surface of the contact assembly of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A to face the first side surface of the contact assembly of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B, regardless of the arrangement. This makes it possible to employ a contact arrangement suitable for miniaturizing connectors while suppressing noise propagation between the contact assembly of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A and the contact assembly of the second-type contacts 4B, 7B.

[0142] When viewed from the plug connector 3, the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the first-type contacts 4A contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 and the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the other first-type contacts 4A contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 may be parallel to each other. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the first-type contacts 7A contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 and the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the other first-type contacts 7A contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 may be parallel to each other. In this case, by arranging the first side surface of the contact combination body of the first-type contacts 4A, 7A opposite to the first side surface of the contact combination body of the other first-type contacts 4A, 7A, it becomes easier to further miniaturize the connector.

[0143] The first-type retaining area 91 has retaining protrusions 911A, 911B protruding from a base along one direction toward the plug connector 3, and the second-type retaining area 92 has a retaining protrusion 921 protruding from a base along a direction intersecting the one direction toward the plug connector 3, and in both the first-type retaining area 91 and the second-type retaining area 92, the contact portions 72 of all the contacts 7 may be exposed on the side surfaces of the retaining protrusions 911A, 911B, 921. In this case, the retaining protrusions 911A, 911B, 921 more reliably ensure that the coupling direction of the first-type contacts 7A and the coupling direction of the second-type contacts 7B intersect, and more reliably ensure that the contact direction of the first-type contacts 7A and the contact direction of the second-type contacts 7B intersect. This facilitates further miniaturization of the connector.

[0144] The first-type retaining area 51 may have accommodating grooves 511A and 511B extending in one direction, and the second-type retaining area 52 may have accommodating grooves 521 extending in a direction intersecting the one direction, and in both the first-type retaining area 51 and the second-type retaining area 52, the contact portions 42 of all the contacts 4 may be arranged so as to be exposed to the accommodating grooves 511A, 511B, and 521. In this case, the accommodating grooves 511A, 511B, and 521 more reliably allow the coupling direction of the first-type contacts 4A and the coupling direction of the second-type contacts 4B to intersect, and more reliably allow the contact direction of the first-type contacts 4A and the contact direction of the second-type contacts 4B to intersect, thereby facilitating further miniaturization of the connector.

[0145] When viewed from the plug connector 3, the connection portions 41 of all the contacts 4 may be arranged inward from the outer edges (the edges having the maximum dimensions in the long side direction DL1 and the short side direction DS1) of the contact holding portion 5. When viewed from the receptacle connector 2, the connection portions 71 of all the contacts 7 may be arranged inward from the outer edges (the edges having the maximum dimensions in the long side direction DL1 and the short side direction DS1) of the contact holding portion 9.

[0146] The multiple contacts 4 arranged in the first-type hold area 51 include multiple contacts 4 lined up in an arrangement direction perpendicular to boundaries PL11, PL12 between the first-type hold area 51 and the second-type hold areas 52A, 52B, and a distance G11 in the arrangement direction between adjacent contacts 4 across the boundaries PL11, PL12 may be larger than a distance G12 between adjacent contacts 4 along the arrangement direction in the first-type hold area 51. The multiple contacts 7 arranged in the first-type hold area 91 include multiple contacts 7 lined up in an arrangement direction perpendicular to boundaries PL21, PL22 between the first-type hold area 91 and the second-type hold areas 92A, 92B, and a distance G21 in the arrangement direction between adjacent contacts 7 across the boundaries PL21, PL22 may be larger than a distance G22 between adjacent contacts 7 along the arrangement direction in the first-type hold area 91. In this case, by further isolating the second-type contacts 4B, 7B from the other contacts 4, 7, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0147] Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, while the above-described embodiments are based on the premise that one signal is transmitted through one contact, there are also cases in which one signal is transmitted through a pair (two) of contacts, such as differential signals. In such cases, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 , the second-type holding area 52 may hold a pair of second-type contacts 4B, and the second-type holding area 92 may hold a pair of second-type contacts 7B. That is, the multiple holding areas of the contact holding unit 5 may include a first-type holding area 51 that holds multiple contacts 4 that transmit multiple signals, and a second-type holding area 52 that holds a pair of contacts 4 that transmit one signal but does not hold any other contacts 4. Furthermore, the multiple holding areas of the contact holding unit 9 may include a first-type holding area 91 that holds multiple contacts 7 that transmit multiple signals, and a second-type holding area 92 that holds a pair of contacts 7 that transmit one signal but does not hold any other contacts 7.

[0148] In the receptacle connector 2, when viewed from the connecting direction CD1 (viewed from the plug connector 3), the direction in which the connecting portion 43 of one first-type contact 4A connects the connecting portion 41 to the contact portion 42 and the direction in which the connecting portion 43 of one second-type contact 4B connects the connecting portion 41 to the contact portion 42 may intersect (for example, be perpendicular to) each other. The direction in which the connecting portion 43 of one first-type contact 4A connects the connecting portion 41 to the contact portion 42 and the direction in which the connecting portion 43 of another first-type contact 4A connects the connecting portion 41 to the contact portion 42 may be parallel to each other.

[0149] When viewed from the connection direction CD1, the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the first-type contacts 4A contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 and the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the second-type contacts 4B contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 may intersect each other. The direction in which the contact portions 42 of the first-type contacts 4A contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 and the direction in which the contact portions 42 of the other first-type contacts 4A contact the contacts 7 of the plug connector 3 may be parallel to each other.

[0150] 18, 19, and 20 show an example in which the direction in which the connecting portion 43 of a first-type contact 4A connects the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 intersects with the direction in which the connecting portion 43 of a second-type contact 4B connects the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42. In all of these examples, the contact holding portion 5 and the shell 6 are omitted from illustration. In the examples of FIGS. 18, 19, and 20, in all of the first-type contacts 4A, the direction in which the connecting portion 43 connects the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 is along the short-side direction DS1, and the direction in which the contact portion 42 contacts the contact 7 is also along the short-side direction DS1. In contrast, in the second-type contacts 4B, the direction in which the connecting portion 43 connects the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 is along the long-side direction DL1, and the direction in which the contact portion 42 contacts the contact 7 is also along the long-side direction DL1. 18, 19, and 20, when viewed from the connection direction CD1, the connection portions 41 of all contacts 4 are arranged inward from the outer edge (the edge having the maximum dimension in the long side direction DL1 and the short side direction DS1) of the contact holding portion 5. In this configuration, the accommodating grooves 511A, 511B of the first-type holding area 51 are aligned along the long side direction DL1, whereas the accommodating grooves 521 of the second-type holding areas 52A, 52B are aligned along the short side direction DS1 (see FIG. 20).

[0151] The direction in which the linking portion 43 of the first-type contact 4A links the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 may be along the long side direction DL1, and the direction in which the linking portion 43 of the second-type contact 4B links the connecting portion 41 and the contact portion 42 may be along the short side direction DS1. In this case, in the first-type holding area 51, a plurality of first-type contacts 4A may be lined up along the short side direction DS1.

[0152] In the plug connector 3, when viewed from the connecting direction CD1 (viewed from the receptacle connector 2), the direction in which the connecting portion 73 of one first-type contact 7A connects the connecting portion 71 to the contact portion 72 and the direction in which the connecting portion 73 of one second-type contact 7B connects the connecting portion 71 to the contact portion 72 may intersect (for example, be perpendicular to) each other. The direction in which the connecting portion 73 of one first-type contact 7A connects the connecting portion 71 to the contact portion 72 and the direction in which the connecting portion 73 of another first-type contact 7A connects the connecting portion 71 to the contact portion 72 may be parallel to each other.

[0153] When viewed from the connecting direction CD1, the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the first type contacts 7A contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 and the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the second type contacts 7B contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 may intersect. The direction in which the contact portions 72 of the first type contacts 7A contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 and the direction in which the contact portions 72 of the other first type contacts 7A contact the contacts 4 of the receptacle connector 2 may be parallel to each other.

[0154] 21, 22, and 23 show an example in which the direction in which the connecting portion 73 of a first-type contact 7A connects the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 via the connecting portion 73 intersects with the direction in which the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 via the connecting portion 73 of a second-type contact 7B connects the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 via the connecting portion 73. In all of the examples shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 23, in all of the first-type contacts 7A, the direction in which the connecting portion 73 connects the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 is along the short side direction DS1, and the direction in which the contact portion 72 contacts the contact 4 is also along the short side direction DS1. In contrast, in the second-type contacts 7B, the direction in which the connecting portion 73 connects the connecting portion 71 and the contact portion 72 is along the long side direction DL1, and the direction in which the contact portion 72 contacts the contact 4 is also along the long side direction DL1. 21, 22, and 23, when viewed from the connection direction CD1, the connection portions 71 of all of the contacts 7 are arranged inward from the outer edge (the edge having the maximum dimension in the long side direction DL1 and the short side direction DS1) of the contact holding portion 9. In this configuration, the holding protrusions 911A, 911B of the first-type holding area 91 are aligned along the long side direction DL1, whereas the holding protrusion 921 of the second-type holding area 92 is aligned along the short side direction DS1 (see FIG. 23).

[0155] The direction in which the linking portions 73 of the first-type contacts 7A link the connecting portions 71 and the contact portions 72 may be along the long-side direction DL1, and the direction in which the linking portions 73 of the second-type contacts 7B link the connecting portions 71 and the contact portions 72 may be along the short-side direction DS1. In this case, in the first-type holding area 91, multiple first-type contacts 7A may be lined up along the short-side direction DS1.

[0156] (Addendum) A connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a connector that is attached to a substrate and connected to a mating connector, and includes a plurality of conductive contacts that are respectively connected to a plurality of conductors on the substrate, an insulating contact holding portion that holds the plurality of contacts, and at least one conductive partition wall that is electrically connected to the ground of the substrate and divides the contact holding portion into a plurality of holding areas, the plurality of holding areas including a first type holding area that holds the plurality of contacts and a second type holding area that holds one contact but no other contacts.

[0157] With this connector, multiple contacts that are unlikely to become noise sources are placed together in a type 1 holding area, and contacts that are likely to become noise sources but are also easily affected by noise are placed in a type 2 holding area, isolated from the other contacts, thereby achieving both miniaturization and noise suppression.

[0158] The plurality of contacts may include a plurality of first-type contacts arranged in a first-type holding area and a second-type contact that is a different type from the plurality of first-type contacts and arranged in a second-type holding area. In this case, by using the first-type holding area and the second-type holding area separately depending on the type of contact, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0159] The plurality of holding areas may include two second-type holding areas, and at least one partition wall may include two partition walls interposed between the two second-type holding areas. In this case, the presence of the double partition walls between the second-type holding areas can further isolate the contacts arranged in the second-type holding areas. This can more reliably suppress noise.

[0160] At least one first-type holding area may be interposed between two partition walls. In this case, the second-type holding areas are spaced apart by the presence of the first-type holding area, so that the contacts arranged in the second-type holding areas can be further isolated from each other. This allows for more reliable noise suppression.

[0161] The connector may further include a conductive surrounding wall aligned with the partition wall along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area, which further isolates the contacts arranged in the second-type holding area from other contacts, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0162] The connector may further include a conductive intra-area connection portion that electrically connects the partition wall and the surrounding wall that are arranged along the outer periphery of the second-type holding area. In this case, by further isolating the contacts arranged in the second-type holding area from other contacts, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0163] The intra-area connection portion may extend in a direction that intersects with the direction of connection to the mating connector. In this case, the contacts arranged in the second-type holding area are further isolated from the other contacts, thereby more reliably suppressing noise.

[0164] The in-area connection portion may be disposed so as to face the mating connector, in which case the in-area connection portion can also be used as a guide for connection with the mating connector.

[0165] The connector may further include a conductive surrounding wall aligned with the partition wall along the outer periphery of each of the two second-type holding areas, and may further include a conductive intra-area connection portion electrically connecting the partition wall aligned with the partition wall along the outer periphery of each of the two second-type holding areas. The connector may further include a conductive inter-area connection portion electrically connecting the partition wall on the outer periphery of one of the second-type holding areas to the partition wall on the outer periphery of the other second-type holding area. In this case, by further isolating the contacts arranged in the second-type holding areas from the other contacts, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0166] At least one first-type holding area may be interposed between two partition walls, and the inter-area connection portion may be arranged along the periphery of the first-type holding area. In this case, since the inter-area connection portion is arranged along the periphery of the first-type holding area, it is easy to ensure space for arranging multiple contacts in the first-type holding area. Furthermore, since the first-type holding area is surrounded by the partition walls and the inter-area connection portion, the multiple contacts in the first-type holding area can be more isolated from other contacts. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress noise.

[0167] Each of the plurality of contacts may have a connection portion connected to a conductor of the substrate, and the connection portion may face the inter-area connection portion in the direction along the two partition walls. In this case, a gap between the inter-area connection portion and the connection portion of the contact can further suppress noise.

[0168] The partition wall may have an end portion that contacts the board and is electrically connected to the ground of the board at the end portion, thereby enhancing the electrical shielding effect of the partition wall and ensuring more reliable noise suppression.

[0169] A connector according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a connector that is attached to a substrate and connected to a mating connector, and includes a plurality of conductive contacts that are respectively connected to a plurality of conductors on the substrate, an insulating contact holding portion that holds the plurality of contacts, and at least one conductive partition wall that divides the contact holding portion into a plurality of holding areas, the plurality of holding areas including a first type holding area that holds a plurality of contacts that transmit a plurality of signals, and a second type holding area that holds a pair of contacts that transmit one signal and does not hold any other contacts.

[0170] A connector according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a connector that is attached to a substrate and connected to a mating connector, and includes a plurality of conductive contacts that are respectively connected to a plurality of conductors on the substrate, and an insulating contact holding portion that holds the plurality of contacts, the contact holding portion being partitioned into a first type holding area and two second type holding areas that sandwich the first type holding area, the first type holding area holding the plurality of contacts, and the second type holding area holding one contact and no other contacts.

[0171] With this connector, multiple contacts that are unlikely to become noise sources are placed together in a type 1 holding area, and contacts that are likely to become noise sources but are also easily affected by noise are placed in a type 2 holding area, isolated from the other contacts, thereby achieving both miniaturization and noise suppression.

[0172] The plurality of contacts may include a plurality of first-type contacts arranged in a first-type holding area and a second-type contact that is a different type from the plurality of first-type contacts and arranged in a second-type holding area. In this case, by using the first-type holding area and the second-type holding area separately depending on the type of contact, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0173] The second-type contacts may be contacts that transmit signals of a higher frequency than the signals transmitted by the first-type contacts. In this case, by isolating the contacts that transmit high-frequency signals from the other contacts and arranging them in the second-type holding area, noise can be more reliably suppressed.

[0174] The first-type holding area and the two second-type holding areas on either side of the first-type holding area may be separated by a gap formed in the contact holding part. In this case, noise can be more reliably suppressed by arranging a conductive member in the gap.

[0175] Each of the plurality of contacts has a connecting portion connected to the exposed signal conductor portion of the board, a contact portion that contacts a contact of the plug connector, and a linking portion that links the connecting portion to the contact portion, and all of the plurality of contacts may be arranged so that the linking direction between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the linking portion is along the same direction as seen from the mating connector. In this case, by aligning the arrangement directions of the contact portions and the linking portions, it is possible to more reliably achieve miniaturization.

[0176] Each of the plurality of contacts has a connection portion that is connected to a conductor of the board and a contact portion that is in contact with a contact of the mating connector, and the plurality of contacts may be arranged so that the contact direction between the contact portion and the contact of the mating connector is along the same direction as seen from the mating connector. In this case, by aligning the arrangement directions of the contacts and the contact of the mating connector, miniaturization can be more reliably achieved.

[0177] Both the first-type retaining area and the second-type retaining area may have a retaining protrusion that protrudes from a base along the same direction toward the mating connector, and in both the first-type retaining area and the second-type retaining area, the contact portions of all the contacts may be exposed on the side surfaces of the retaining protrusion. In this case, the retaining protrusion aligns the arrangement direction of the contacts, thereby more reliably achieving miniaturization.

[0178] Both the first-type holding area and the second-type holding area may have accommodating grooves that extend in the same direction, and in both the first-type holding area and the second-type holding area, all of the contacts may be arranged so that their contact portions are exposed to the accommodating grooves. In this case, aligning the arrangement direction of the contacts by the accommodating grooves makes it possible to more reliably achieve miniaturization.

[0179] Each of the multiple contacts has a connecting portion connected to a conductor on the board, a contact portion that contacts a contact of the mating connector, and a linking portion that links the connecting portion to the contact portion. When viewed from the mating connector, the linking direction between the contact portion and the linking portion of the first-type contact and the linking direction between the contact portion and the linking portion of the second-type contact may intersect. Hereinafter, a surface that follows both the linking direction between the contact portion and the linking portion of the first-type contact and the linking direction between the contact portion and the linking portion of the second-type contact will be referred to as the "arrangement surface." In contacts in which the contact portion and the linking portion are linked by a linking portion, the width of the side surface along the linking direction (hereinafter referred to as the "first side surface") tends to be larger than the width of the side surface perpendicular to the linking direction (hereinafter referred to as the "second side surface"). Note that the "side surface" here refers to the surface perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and the "width" refers to the width in the direction along the arrangement surface. In a configuration in which the direction of connection between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the connecting portion of the first-type contact and the direction of connection between the contact portion and the connecting portion by the connecting portion of the second-type contact intersects, the first side surface of the first-type contact and the first side surface of the second-type contact are unlikely to face each other regardless of the arrangement, making it possible to adopt a contact arrangement that is suitable for miniaturizing the connector while suppressing noise propagation between the first-type contact and the second-type contact.

[0180] When viewed from the mating connector, the direction in which the linking portion of one type of contact links the contact portion and the connecting portion may be parallel to the direction in which the linking portion of another type of contact links the contact portion and the connecting portion. In this case, by arranging the first side surface of one type of contact and the first side surface of another type of first contact opposite each other, it becomes easier to further miniaturize the connector.

[0181] Each of the multiple contacts has a connection portion that connects to a conductor on the board and a contact portion that contacts a contact of the mating connector. As viewed from the mating connector, the direction in which the contact portion of the first-type contact contacts the contact of the mating connector and the direction in which the contact portion of the second-type contact contacts the contact of the mating connector may intersect each other. Hereinafter, the combination of a contact (a contact of the connector itself) and a contact of the mating connector that comes into contact with it is referred to as a "contact combination." Also, the direction in which the contact of the connector itself contacts the contact of the mating connector is referred to as the "contact direction." A surface that is aligned with both the contact direction of the first-type contact and the contact direction of the second-type contact is referred to as an "arrangement surface." In a contact combination, the width of the side surface aligned with the contact direction (hereinafter referred to as the "first side surface") tends to be larger than the width of the side surface perpendicular to the contact direction (hereinafter referred to as the "second side surface"). Note that "side surface" here refers to the surface perpendicular to the arrangement surface, and "width" refers to the width in the direction along the arrangement surface. In a configuration in which the direction in which the contact portions of the first type contacts contact the contacts of the mating connector and the direction in which the contact portions of the second type contacts contact the contacts of the mating connector intersect with each other, the first side surface of the contact combination body of the first type contact is unlikely to face the first side surface of the contact combination body of the second type contact, regardless of the arrangement. This makes it possible to employ a contact arrangement that is suitable for miniaturizing the connector while suppressing noise propagation between the contact combination body of the first type contact and the contact combination body of the second type contact.

[0182] When viewed from the mating connector, the direction in which the contact portion of one first-type contact makes contact with the contact of the mating connector and the direction in which the contact portion of another first-type contact makes contact with the contact of the mating connector may be parallel to each other. In this case, by arranging the first side surface of the contact combination body of one first-type contact and the first side surface of the contact combination body of another first-type contact facing each other, it becomes easier to further miniaturize the connector.

[0183] The first-type retaining area may have a retaining protrusion that protrudes from a base along one direction toward the mating connector, and the second-type retaining area may have a retaining protrusion that protrudes from a base along a direction intersecting the one direction toward the mating connector, and in both the first-type retaining area and the second-type retaining area, the contact portions of all of the contacts may be exposed on the side surfaces of the retaining protrusion. In this case, the retaining protrusions allow the coupling direction of the first type contacts and the coupling direction of the second type contacts to more reliably intersect, and the contact directions of the first type contacts and the contact directions of the second type contacts to more reliably intersect.

[0184] The first-type retaining area may have a accommodating groove portion along one direction, and the second-type retaining area may have a accommodating groove portion along a direction intersecting the one direction, and in both the first-type retaining area and the second-type retaining area, the contact portions of all the contacts may be arranged so as to be exposed to the accommodating groove portion. In this case, the accommodating groove portion allows the connecting direction of the first type contacts and the connecting direction of the second type contacts to more reliably intersect, and the contact direction of the first type contacts and the contact direction of the second type contacts to more reliably intersect.

[0185] When viewed from the mating connector, the connection portions of all the contacts may be disposed inward from the outer edge of the contact holding portion.

[0186] The plurality of contacts arranged in the first-type holding area may include a plurality of contacts aligned along an arrangement direction perpendicular to the boundary between the first-type holding area and the second-type holding area, and the distance between adjacent contacts across the boundary in the arrangement direction may be greater than the distance between adjacent contacts along the arrangement direction within the first-type holding area. In this case, by further isolating the second-type contacts from the other contacts, noise can be more reliably suppressed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0187] 2...receptacle connector (connector), 3...plug connector (mating connector), 4...contact, 4A...type 1 contact, 4B...type 2 contact, 5...contact holding portion, 41...connection portion, 42...contact portion, 51...type 1 holding area, 52, 52A, 52B...type 2 holding area, 61, 61A, 61B...partition wall, 611...edge (end portion), 62, 62A, 62B...enclosing wall, 63...intra-area connection plate (intra-area connection portion), 64...inter-area connection plate (inter-area connection portion), CD1...connection direction.

Claims

1. A connector device having a first connector and a second connector, The first connector is a plurality of first conductive contacts respectively connected to a plurality of conductors of the first substrate; an insulating first contact holding portion that holds the plurality of first contacts; two conductive first partition walls that partition the first contact holder into a first-type holding area and two second-type holding areas such that a first-type holding area that holds two or more first contacts is located between two second-type holding areas, each of which holds one first contact but no other first contact, and that are electrically connected to a ground conductor of the first substrate; two conductive first surrounding walls electrically connected to the ground conductor of the first substrate and aligned with the two first partition walls along the outer peripheries of the two second-type holding areas; a conductive connection plate electrically connected to the ground conductor of the first substrate and aligned with the two first partition walls along the outer periphery of the first-type holding area; and The second connector is a plurality of conductive second contacts respectively connected to a plurality of conductors on a second board and respectively contacting the plurality of first contacts when the first connector and the second connector are mated; a second surrounding wall electrically connected to the ground conductor of the second substrate; and A connector device in which, when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the two first partition walls are respectively positioned between the first type retaining area and the two second type retaining areas, a portion of the connection plate and a portion of the second surrounding wall are positioned overlapping on the outer periphery of the first type retaining area, and a portion of the first surrounding wall and a portion of the second surrounding wall are positioned overlapping on the outer periphery of the second type retaining area.

2. A connector device as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting plate electrically connects the two first partition walls to each other.

3. The second connector is further comprising an insulating second contact holding portion that holds the plurality of second contacts; the second contact holder has a frame and a main body, the frame portion and the second surrounding wall form an annular structure along an outer periphery of the second connector, the main body portion is provided inside the annular structure so as to be connected to the frame portion, 3. The connector device of claim 2, wherein when the first connector and the second connector are mated, the main body is partitioned by the two first partition walls into a first type retaining area that retains two or more second contacts, and two second type retaining areas, each of which retains one second contact and no other second contacts.

4. A connector device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first connector has two conductive in-area connection portions that are respectively arranged within the two second-type holding areas and electrically connect the two first partition walls and the two first surrounding walls to each other.

5. The connector device according to claim 4 , wherein each of the two intra-area connection portions extends in a direction intersecting the direction of connection to the second connector.

6. The connector device according to claim 5 , wherein each of the two in-area connection portions extends to face the second connector.

7. A connector device described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein either the two first surrounding walls or the second surrounding wall is divided by a portion of the outer periphery of the second type retaining area.

8. The two or more first contacts arranged in the first type holding area each have a connection portion connected to a conductor of the first substrate; the connection portions of the two or more first contacts arranged in the first-type holding area are arranged to protrude toward the connection plate, A connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, in a plan view, the connection portions of the two or more first contacts arranged in the first type holding area can be visually confirmed.

9. the first connector is a receptacle connector, The second connector is a plug connector, 9. The connector device according to claim 1, wherein the second surrounding wall is provided outwardly relative to the first surrounding wall when the first connector and the second connector are mated.

Images