connector

Abstract

To provide a technique for improving a signal characteristic of a contact at an inexpensive price in a front mounting type connector into which the contact and a housing are integrated by insert molding.SOLUTION: A base 20 has a lower surface 20B opposite to a lower substrate 2 onto a front surface of which a connector receptacle 4 is mounted. The lower surface 20B includes a solder connection part 20S which can be soldered to a ground pattern of the lower substrate 2 by being exposed toward the lower substrate 2 without being covered with a housing 6. According to the above construction, in a front mounting type connector in which the contact and the housing are integrated by insert molding, a signal characteristic of the contact can be improved at a low cost. That is, the signal characteristic of each conductive pattern 22 can be improved at a low cost.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a surface-mount receptacle connector 1003 in which a plurality of receptacle contacts 1001, each covered by a shielding member 1000, are integrated into a receptacle connector body 1002 by insert molding, as shown in Figure 29 of the present application. Each shielding member 1000 is composed of an insulating layer of electrically insulating ceramic, plastic, or the like vapor-deposited or coated on the outer periphery of the corresponding receptacle contact 1001, and a conductive layer of gold, nickel, or the like plated on the outer periphery of this insulating layer. When surface-mounting the receptacle connector 1003 on a board, the conductive layer of each shielding member 1000 is soldered to the corresponding ground pattern on the board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-311736 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form a shielding member 1000 around the outer periphery of each receptacle contact 1001, which makes the structure complicated and inevitably leads to high manufacturing costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for inexpensively improving the signal characteristics of contacts in a surface-mount connector in which the contacts and housing are integrated by insert molding. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A surface-mount connector is provided that includes a housing made of insulating resin and a contact assembly integrated into the housing by insert molding, wherein the contact assembly includes a metal base including a flat fixing portion fixed to the housing and a protruding portion protruding from the fixing portion at least in the thickness direction of the fixing portion, an insulating layer covering the base, and a conductive pattern formed on the insulating layer, extending from the fixing portion to the protruding portion, and functioning as a contact, wherein the base has a board-facing surface that faces a board on which the connector is surface-mounted, and the board-facing surface includes a solder connection portion that is exposed toward the board without being covered by the housing and can be soldered to a ground pattern of the board. The conductive pattern includes a first pattern portion that faces the fixed portion across the insulating layer, and a second pattern portion that faces the protruding portion across the insulating layer, and the second pattern portion includes a contact pattern portion that contacts a contact of a mating connector, and an extension pattern portion located between the contact pattern portion and the first pattern portion, and the extension pattern portion includes a narrow portion that is narrower in width than the contact pattern portion. The conductive pattern includes a first pattern portion that faces the fixed portion across the insulating layer, and a second pattern portion that faces the protruding portion across the insulating layer, and the second pattern portion includes a contact pattern portion that contacts a contact of a mating connector, and an extension pattern portion located between the contact pattern portion and the first pattern portion, and the extension pattern portion includes a wide portion that is wider than the contact pattern portion. The conductive pattern includes a first pattern portion that faces the fixed portion across the insulating layer, and a second pattern portion that faces the protruding portion across the insulating layer, and the second pattern portion includes a contact pattern portion that contacts a contact of a mating connector, and an extension pattern portion located between the contact pattern portion and the first pattern portion, and a slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the extension pattern portion is formed in the extension pattern portion. The solder connection portion has a solder protrusion that protrudes toward the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, in a surface mount connector in which the contacts and the housing are integrated by insert molding, the signal characteristics of the contacts can be improved at low cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a connector assembly (first embodiment); [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of the connector assembly as seen from another angle (first embodiment); [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle contact assembly (first embodiment); [Figure 4] 10 is a perspective view of the receptacle contact assembly as seen from another angle (first embodiment); [Figure 5] 1 is a plan view of a receptacle contact assembly (first embodiment). [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a contact unit (first embodiment). [Figure 7] 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a receptacle connector according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector (first embodiment). [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle connector (first embodiment). [Figure 10] 1 is a plan view of a receptacle connector (first embodiment). [Figure 11] 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a receptacle contact assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12] 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a receptacle contact assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 13] 1 is a manufacturing flow of a receptacle connector (first embodiment). [Figure 14] 1 is a plan view of a hoop material on which a plurality of conductive patterns are formed (first embodiment). [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a punched hoop material (first embodiment). [Figure 16] 1 is a plan view of a hoop material from which unnecessary portions have been removed according to the number of cores (first embodiment). [Figure 17] 1 is a plan view of a bent hoop material (first embodiment). [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a front view of an injection molding die containing a hoop material (first embodiment). [Figure 19] 1 is a plan view showing the receptacle connector before the carrier is removed (first embodiment). [Figure 20] 1 is a perspective view of a plug connector (first embodiment). [Figure 21] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a plug connector (first embodiment). [Figure 22] 10 is a perspective view of a receptacle contact assembly (second embodiment). [Figure 23] 10 is a perspective view of a connector assembly (third embodiment). [Figure 24] 10 is a perspective view of a receptacle contact assembly (third embodiment). [Figure 25] 10 is a plan view of a receptacle contact assembly (third embodiment). [Figure 26] 10 is a plan view of a receptacle contact assembly (third embodiment). [Figure 27] 10 is a plan view of a receptacle contact assembly (third embodiment). [Figure 28] 10 is a plan view showing a plurality of hoop materials (third embodiment). [Figure 29] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0010] 1 and 2 show a connector assembly 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector assembly 1 mechanically and electrically connects a lower substrate 2 (receptacle side substrate, first substrate, substrate) and an upper substrate 3 (plug side substrate, second substrate, substrate). The connector assembly 1 is composed of a receptacle 4 (connector) that is surface-mounted on the connector mounting surface 2A of the lower substrate 2, and a plug 5 (connector) that is surface-mounted on the connector mounting surface 3A of the upper substrate 3. The connector assembly 1 of this embodiment is a surface-mounted, fine-pitch, low-profile connector assembly with 40 cores.

[0011] The lower substrate 2 and the upper substrate 3 are rigid substrates such as paper phenolic substrates or glass epoxy substrates, or flexible substrates. When the plug 5 is fitted into the receptacle 4, the upper substrate 3 is parallel to the lower substrate 2.

[0012] The receptacle 4 includes a housing 6 made of insulating resin and a plurality of receptacle contact assemblies 7 integrated into the housing 6 by insert molding. In this embodiment, the plurality of receptacle contact assemblies 7 include a first receptacle contact assembly 8 and a second receptacle contact assembly 9. However, the number of receptacle contact assemblies 7 constituting the receptacle 4 is not limited to this and may be one, or three or more. The first receptacle contact assembly 8 and the second receptacle contact assembly 9 have substantially the same shape.

[0013] The plug 5 includes a housing 10 made of insulating resin and a plurality of plug contact assemblies 11 integrated into the housing 10 by insert molding. In this embodiment, the plurality of plug contact assemblies 11 include a first plug contact assembly 12, a second plug contact assembly 13, a third plug contact assembly 14, and a fourth plug contact assembly 15. However, the number of plug contact assemblies 11 constituting the plug 5 is not limited to this, and may be one to three or less, or five or more.

[0014] Next, the first receptacle contact assembly 8 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Figures 3 and 4 show perspective views of the first receptacle contact assembly 8. Figure 5 shows a plan view of the first receptacle contact assembly 8. Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the first receptacle contact assembly 8.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the first receptacle contact assembly 8 has a three-layer structure made up of a base 20, an insulating layer 21, and a plurality of conductive patterns 22.

[0016] The base 20 is formed by stamping and bending a conductive metal plate, such as stainless steel. In this embodiment, the base 20 is not plated. However, the base 20 may be plated with a conductive metal, such as nickel, zinc, gold, or copper. In other words, plating is optional. Therefore, in this specification, the base 20 may refer to the metal plate itself or the combination of the metal plate and a plating layer. Since plating is optional, no distinction is made between these. For example, "the base 20 is exposed" can be interpreted in two ways: "the base 20 itself is exposed" or "the plating formed on the base 20 is exposed."

[0017] The insulating layer 21 is typically made of polyimide or aramid, and is laminated on the lower substrate 2 so as to cover the base 20 from the lower substrate 2 side.

[0018] A plurality of conductive patterns 22, typically made of copper or a copper alloy, are formed on the insulating layer 21.

[0019] Next, the structure of the first receptacle contact assembly 8 will be explained in plan view with reference to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the first receptacle contact assembly 8 includes a plurality of contact units 25, a plurality of connecting beams 26, a plurality of support portions 27, and a plurality of carrier connecting portions 28.

[0020] In this embodiment, the plurality of contact units 25 includes five contact units 25. The five contact units 25 include contact unit 25A, contact unit 25B, contact unit 25C, contact unit 25D, and contact unit 25E. Contact unit 25A, contact unit 25B, contact unit 25C, contact unit 25D, and contact unit 25E are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction of first receptacle contact assembly 8.

[0021] Here, the pitch direction, width direction, and up-down direction are defined. The pitch direction, width direction, and up-down direction are perpendicular to one another. As shown in FIG. 5, the pitch direction is the longitudinal direction of the first receptacle contact assembly 8. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the up-down direction is perpendicular to the connector mounting surface 2A of the lower substrate 2. The up-down direction includes upward and downward. The upward direction is the direction in which the plug 5 moves relative to the receptacle 4 when the plug 5 is removed from the receptacle 4. The downward direction is the direction in which the plug 5 moves relative to the receptacle 4 when the plug 5 is mated with the receptacle 4. Therefore, the up-down direction is also the direction in which the plug 5 is inserted into or removed from the receptacle 4. As described above, the width direction is perpendicular to the pitch direction and up-down direction. The above-mentioned up-down direction is defined merely for convenience of explanation and does not indicate the posture of the connector assembly 1 when actually in use.

[0022] 5, contact unit 25A, contact unit 25B, contact unit 25C, contact unit 25D, and contact unit 25E are arranged in the pitch direction in this order. In this embodiment, the five contact units 25 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the pitch direction. Therefore, contact unit 25A and contact unit 25C face each other in the pitch direction, contact unit 25B and contact unit 25D face each other in the pitch direction, and contact unit 25C and contact unit 25E face each other in the pitch direction.

[0023] 3, the base 20 of each contact unit 25 includes one fixed portion 30 and a plurality of protrusions 31. In this embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 31 includes four protrusions 31.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of each contact unit 25. As shown in FIG. 6, the fixed portion 30 is flat. The thickness direction of the fixed portion 30 is the same in the vertical direction. The fixed portion 30 has an upper surface 30A facing upward and a lower surface 30B facing downward. The fixed portion 30 is fixed to the housing 6. More specifically, the fixed portion 30 is fixed to the housing 6 so as not to be elastically deformable. The fixed portion 30 is fixed to the housing 6 so as not to be displaceable relative to the housing 6. However, the upper surface 30A and the lower surface 30B of the fixed portion 30 are not covered by the housing 6.

[0025] Returning to FIG. 3 , the four protrusions 31 protrude generally upward from the fixing portion 30. Two of the four protrusions 31 protrude from each end of the fixing portion 30 in the width direction. First protrusions 31A, which are two protrusions 31 protruding from one end of the fixing portion 30 in the width direction, and second protrusions 31B, which are two protrusions 31 protruding from the other end, face each other in the width direction. That is, one of the two first protrusions 31A and one of the two second protrusions 31B face each other in the width direction, and the other of the two first protrusions 31A and the other of the two second protrusions 31B face each other in the width direction.

[0026] Referring again to Figure 6, the shapes of the first protrusion 31A and the second protrusion 31B will be described in detail. However, since the first protrusion 31A and the second protrusion 31B have symmetrical shapes, the following describes the shape of the first protrusion 31A, and the description of the second protrusion 31B will be omitted. The first protrusion 31A is a cantilever supported by the fixed portion 30, and includes an extension portion 32 and a contact portion 33. In Figure 6, the boundary between the extension portion 32 and the contact portion 33 is indicated by a dashed line to facilitate understanding.

[0027] The extension portion 32 elastically supports the contact portion 33 so that the contact portion 33 is elastically displaceable in the width direction. The extension portion 32 extends upward from the fixed portion 30 and at an angle so as to approach the second protrusion 31B.

[0028] The contact portion 33 is a portion that comes into contact with a contact (mating contact) of the plug 5. The contact portion 33 includes a curved portion 33A that curves upward from the upper end of the extension portion 32 to form a convex shape and approaches the second protrusion portion 31B, and a removal guide portion 33B that extends downward from the tip of the curved portion 33A and at an angle away from the second protrusion portion 31B.

[0029] With the above configuration, the first protrusion 31A is not elastically fixed by the housing 6, and is elastically deformable without being covered by the housing 6. In other words, it can also be said that the first protrusion 31A is supported in a cantilevered manner by the housing 6 so as to be elastically deformable. The contact portion 33 is supported by the fixed portion 30 via the extension portion 32, and is configured to be displaceable in the width direction in accordance with the elastic deformation of the extension portion 32.

[0030] 3, each contact unit 25 has four conductive patterns 22. The four conductive patterns 22 are formed in a one-to-one correspondence with the four protrusions 31. The two conductive patterns 22 formed on each of the two protrusions 31 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction are suitable for differential transmission, for example.

[0031] 6, each conductive pattern 22 functions as a contact by being formed on the insulating layer 21. Each conductive pattern 22 extends from the lower surface 30B of the fixed portion 30 to the removal guide portion 33B of the contact portion 33 of the protruding portion 31. Each conductive pattern 22 includes a first pattern portion 22A that faces the lower surface 30B of the fixed portion 30 across the insulating layer 21, and a second pattern portion 22B that faces the protruding portion 31 across the insulating layer 21.

[0032] In this embodiment, each conductive pattern 22 is covered with resist 23 except for a portion thereof. That is, resist 23 is provided on the opposite side of each conductive pattern 22 from insulating layer 21. Resist 23 mainly prevents each conductive pattern 22 from making unintended electrical contact with, for example, the lower substrate 2 or the plug 5. Resist 23 does not cover a portion of first pattern portion 22A of each conductive pattern 22. Therefore, first pattern portion 22A of each conductive pattern 22 is configured to be solderable to an electrode pad on the lower substrate 2. Furthermore, resist 23 does not cover a portion of second pattern portion 22B of each conductive pattern 22 that faces contact portion 33. Therefore, resist 23 does not impede electrical contact between second pattern portion 22B of each conductive pattern 22 and a contact on the plug 5 side.

[0033] 6, the conductive pattern 22 corresponding to the first protrusion 31A and the conductive pattern 22 corresponding to the second protrusion 31B are electrically independent and separated from each other. Therefore, the two conductive patterns 22 formed on the first protrusion 31A and the second protrusion 31B, which face each other in the width direction, function as two contacts capable of transmitting different electrical signals.

[0034] 5, the plurality of connecting beams 26 are formed by a base 20. It is optional whether or not the base 20 constituting each connecting beam 26 is covered with an insulating layer 21, but from the viewpoint of preventing unintended electrical contact, the base 20 constituting each connecting beam 26 may be covered with an insulating layer 21.

[0035] In this embodiment, the plurality of connection beams 26 includes eleven connection beams 26. The eleven connection beams 26 include connection beam 26AB, connection beam 26BC, connection beam 26CD, connection beam 26DE, connection beam 26AC, connection beam 26CE, connection beam 26BD, two connection beams 26X, and two connection beams 26Y.

[0036] The connecting beams 26AB, 26BC, 26CD, 26DE, 26AC, 26CE, and 26BD connect the fixing portions 30 of the multiple contact units 25 to one another. As a result, the fixing portions 30 of the multiple contact units 25 are connected together without interruption in the pitch direction.

[0037] Specifically, connecting beam 26AB (first connecting beam) connects the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25A (first contact unit) to the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25B (second contact unit). Connecting beam 26BC connects the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25B to the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25C. Connecting beam 26CD connects the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25C to the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25D. Connecting beam 26DE connects the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25D to the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25E. Connecting beam 26AC (second connecting beam) connects the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25A (first contact unit) to the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25C (third contact unit). Connecting beam 26CE connects the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25C to the fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25E. The connecting beam 26BD connects the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25B and the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25D.

[0038] In this embodiment, the multiple support portions 27 include two support portions 27. The two support portions 27 include a first support portion 27A and a second support portion 27B. The first support portion 27A and the second support portion 27B are flat and arranged to sandwich the multiple contact units 25 in the pitch direction. The first support portion 27A faces the contact unit 25B in the pitch direction. The second support portion 27B faces the contact unit 25D in the pitch direction. As shown in FIG. 7 , both support portions 27 are flat. The thickness direction of each support portion 27 is the same in the vertical direction. Like each contact unit 25, each of the two support portions 27 has a three-layer structure consisting of a base 20, an insulating layer 21, and a conductive pattern 22. Each support portion 27 is fixed to the housing 6. Specifically, each support portion 27 is fixed to the housing 6 in an elastically non-deformable manner. Each support portion 27 is fixed to the housing 6 so as not to be displaceable relative to the housing 6. Each support portion 27 is not covered by the housing 6 in the up-down direction. In other words, an upper surface 27U and a lower surface 27D of each support portion 27 are not covered by the housing 6.

[0039] 5, the outer peripheral surface 27P of the base 20 of the first support portion 27A, except for a connection portion 29A with the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25A and a connection portion 29B with the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25B, forms a cut surface perpendicular to the thickness direction of the base 20 of the first support portion 27A. In other words, unlike the base 20 of the contact unit 25, the base 20 of the first support portion 27A does not have a protrusion 31 formed thereon.

[0040] Similarly, the outer peripheral surface 27P of the base 20 of the second support portion 27B has a cut surface perpendicular to the thickness direction of the base 20 of the second support portion 27B, except for a connection portion 29D with the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25D and a connection portion 29E with the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25E. In other words, unlike the base 20 of the contact unit 25, the base 20 of the second support portion 27B does not have a protrusion 31 formed thereon.

[0041] The first support portion 27A is connected to the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25A and the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25B via two connecting beams 26X. The first support portion 27A may be connected only to the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25A, or may be connected only to the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25B.

[0042] Similarly, second support portion 27B is connected to fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25D and fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25E via two connecting beams 26Y. Second support portion 27B may be connected only to fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25D, or may be connected only to fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25E.

[0043] In this embodiment, the multiple carrier connecting portions 28 include two carrier connecting portions 28. The two carrier connecting portions 28 include a first carrier portion 28AC and a second carrier connecting portion 28CE. The two carrier connecting portions 28 remain in the housing 6 even when the connector is completed, and are portions to which carriers that are separated after insert molding are connected. The first carrier portion 28AC protrudes in the width direction from the connecting beam 26AC. The second carrier connecting portion 28CE protrudes in the width direction from the connecting beam 26CE.

[0044] 8, the first carrier portion 28AC has a single-layer structure made up of a base 20. A lower surface 20B (substrate-facing surface) of the base 20 of the first carrier portion 28AC is partially exposed toward the lower substrate 2 so as to be solderable to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2. That is, the lower surface 20B of the base 20 of the first carrier portion 28AC includes a solder connection portion 20S that is exposed toward the lower substrate 2 and can be soldered to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2. Then, by soldering the solder connection portion 20S on the lower surface 20B of the base 20 of the first receptacle contact assembly 8 to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2, the entire base 20 can function as a ground layer.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6 , the base 20 faces each conductive pattern 22 across the entire surface thereof, including the first pattern portion 22A and the second pattern portion 22B of each conductive pattern 22, via the insulating layer 21. Therefore, intentionally allowing the base 20 to function as a ground plane contributes to improving the transmission characteristics of each conductive pattern 22. Specifically, the impedance of each conductive pattern 22 can be reduced compared to when there is no ground plane facing each conductive pattern 22. Crosstalk between the multiple conductive patterns 22 can also be suppressed. Furthermore, the generation of noise superimposed on signals transmitted by each conductive pattern 22 can be suppressed. Furthermore, compared to covering each conductive pattern 22 with a cylindrical ground plane, the transmission characteristics of each conductive pattern 22 can be improved at a much lower cost. Furthermore, even when each protrusion 31 elastically deforms in the width direction, the distance between each conductive pattern 22 and the base 20 (which functions as a ground plane) does not change, so the impedance of each conductive pattern 22 does not increase or decrease, achieving stable impedance for each conductive pattern 22.

[0046] In this embodiment, the base 20 of the first receptacle contact assembly 8 is configured to be solderable to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2 at the first carrier portion 28AC. However, instead of this, the base 20 of the first receptacle contact assembly 8 may be configured to be solderable to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2 at the second carrier coupling portion 28CE. Also, the first receptacle contact assembly 8 may be configured to be solderable to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2 at any position.

[0047] 9, the solder connection portion 20S on the lower surface 20B of the base 20 of the first carrier portion 28AC may be formed with a solder protrusion 20C that protrudes downward, i.e., toward the lower substrate 2. By providing the solder protrusion 20C on the solder connection portion 20S, the gap between the solder connection portion 20S and the connector mounting surface 2A of the lower substrate 2 is substantially narrowed, making it possible to easily solder the solder connection portion 20S to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 10, the housing 6 includes a bottom portion 40, an outer peripheral wall 41, and a plurality of partition walls .

[0049] The bottom surface portion 40 includes a plurality of filling portions 43. The plurality of filling portions 43 include, for example, filling portion 43A, filling portion 43B, filling portion 43C, filling portion 43D, and filling portion 43E. Filling portion 43A fills the gap between the fixing portion 30 of first support portion 27A and the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25B. Filling portion 43B fills the gap between the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25A and the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25C. Filling portion 43C fills the gap between the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25B and the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25D. Filling portion 43D fills the gap between the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25C and the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25E. Filling portion 43E fills the gap between the fixing portion 30 of contact unit 25D and the fixing portion 30 of second support portion 27B.

[0050] In this way, by filling the multiple gaps in the first receptacle contact assembly 8 with the multiple filling portions 43, when the first pattern portion 22A of the conductive pattern 22 shown in Fig. 4 is soldered to the lower substrate 2, the solder does not creep up the conductive pattern 22 and wet the second pattern portion 22B. In short, by integrating the first receptacle contact assembly 8 and the housing 6 by insert molding, so-called solder wicking in the first receptacle contact assembly 8 can be prevented.

[0051] 10, the outer peripheral wall 41 protrudes upward in an annular shape from the bottom surface portion 40 so as to surround the two receptacle contact assemblies 7. Therefore, the first support portion 27A and the second support portion 27B are both located inside the outer peripheral wall 41.

[0052] In this embodiment, the multiple partition walls 42 include three partition walls 42. The three partition walls 42 include partition wall 42A, partition wall 42B, and partition wall 42C. Each partition wall 42 extends in a serpentine pattern in the pitch direction. Partition wall 42A is disposed between contact unit 25A and contact unit 25C and contact unit 25B. That is, partition wall 42A separates the multiple protrusions 31 of contact unit 25A and the multiple protrusions 31 of contact unit 25C from the multiple protrusions 31 of contact unit 25B. This prevents the multiple conductive patterns 22 belonging to contact unit 25B from abnormally contacting any of the multiple conductive patterns 22 belonging to contact unit 25A or any of the multiple conductive patterns 22 belonging to contact unit 25C. The same applies to partition walls 42B and 42C.

[0053] 11 and 12 show perspective views of the conductive pattern 22. As shown in Fig. 11, the second pattern portion 22B includes a contact pattern portion 45 and an extension pattern portion 46. The contact pattern portion 45 is a portion of the second pattern portion 22B that faces the contact portion 33 of the protrusion 31 and that comes into contact with the contact of the plug 5. The extension pattern portion 46 is a portion of the second pattern portion 22B that faces the extension portion 32 of the protrusion 31.

[0054] 11, the extension pattern portion 46 may include a narrow portion 47 that is narrower than the contact pattern portion 45. That is, the width dimension 47W of the narrow portion 47 is smaller than the width dimension 45W of the contact pattern portion 45. With the above configuration, the impedance of the conductive pattern 22 can be increased compared to when the narrow portion 47 is not formed and the width of the second pattern portion 22B is constant throughout.

[0055] 11, the extension pattern portion 46 may include a wide portion 48 that is wider than the contact pattern portion 45. That is, the width dimension 48W of the wide portion 48 is larger than the width dimension 45W of the contact pattern portion 45. With the above configuration, the impedance of the conductive pattern 22 can be reduced compared to when the wide portion 48 is not formed and the width of the second pattern portion 22B is constant throughout.

[0056] 12, the extension pattern portion 46 may have slits 49 extending in the longitudinal direction of the extension pattern portion 46. Alternatively, a wide portion 48 may be formed in the extension pattern portion 46, and the slits 49 may be formed in the wide portion 48. The above configuration contributes to reducing the weight of the conductive pattern 22.

[0057] Next, a method for manufacturing the receptacle 4 will be described with reference to Figures 13 to 19. Figure 13 shows the manufacturing flow of the receptacle 4. As shown in Figure 13, the method for manufacturing the receptacle 4 includes a laminating step (S100), a conductive pattern forming step (S110), a punching step (S120), an unnecessary protrusion removing step (S130), a bending step (S140), an accommodating step (S150), and an insert molding step (S160). That is, when manufacturing the receptacle 4, first, two receptacle contact assemblies 7 are manufactured, and then insert molding is performed to form the housing 6.

[0058] Lamination step (S100): In the lamination step, a stainless steel hoop material is procured and an insulating layer is laminated on one side of the hoop material.

[0059] Conductive pattern formation step (S110): Next, as shown in Fig. 14, a plurality of conductive patterns 22 are formed as contacts on the insulating layer 51 laminated on the hoop material 50. The two-dot chain line in Fig. 14 indicates that the hoop material 50 continues along the feeding direction of the hoop material 50. The same applies to Figs. 15 to 19.

[0060] Punching processing step (S120): 15, the hoop material 50 is punched out so that it includes a plurality of fixed portions 30 connected seamlessly along the feeding direction of the hoop material 50 and four protruding portions 31 protruding from each fixed portion 30, and each conductive pattern 22 extends from each fixed portion 30 to each protruding portion 31. At this time, the hoop material 50 is punched out so that the carrier 55 remains.

[0061] Unwanted protrusion removal step (S130): Next, as shown in Fig. 16, of the multiple fixing portions 30 that remain in the housing 6 even when the connector is completed, four protrusions 31 protruding from two fixing portions 30X that correspond to the leading and trailing ends in the feed direction of the hoop material 50 are punched out and removed. The two fixing portions 30X correspond to the two support portions 27 shown in Fig. 5. However, the unnecessary protrusion removal step (S130) may be performed simultaneously with the punching processing step (S120).

[0062] Bending step (S140): Next, as shown in Fig. 17, the four protruding portions 31 protruding from each fixed portion 30 are bent at least in the thickness direction of the fixed portion 30. Specifically, in Fig. 17, the four protruding portions 31 protruding from each fixed portion 30 are bent toward the depth of the page.

[0063] Containment Step (S150): FIG. 18 shows an injection molding die 52 for injection-molding the housing 6. The injection molding die 52 includes a fixed-side mold plate 53 and a movable-side mold plate 54. The movable-side mold plate 54 is configured to be movable up and down relative to the fixed-side mold plate 53. As shown in FIG. 18, when the hoop material 50 is placed in the injection molding die 52, both ends of the hoop material 50 are supported within the injection molding die 52 using the two fixed portions 30X of the hoop material 50. Specifically, both ends of the hoop material 50 are supported within the injection molding die 52 by sandwiching the two fixed portions 30X between the fixed-side mold plate 53 and the movable-side mold plate 54 in the vertical direction. At this time, if a carrier 55 is formed on the hoop material 50, as shown in FIG. 17, the carrier 55 may also be sandwiched up and down between the fixed-side mold plate 53 and the movable-side mold plate 54 in the same manner as the two fixed portions 30X. Since the receptacle 4 of this embodiment includes two receptacle contact assemblies 7 as shown in FIG. 1, two hoop materials 50 are set in the injection molding die 52 at the same time.

[0064] Insert molding step (S160): Next, as shown in Fig. 19, the housing 6 is molded integrally with the two hoop materials 50 by insert molding. After that, the carrier 55 is cut off to complete the receptacle 4. To improve productivity, the housings 6 of multiple receptacles 4 are molded simultaneously using one injection mold 52, as shown in Fig. 19.

[0065] Next, the plug 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 20 and 21. FIG.

[0066] 1, 2, and 20 includes a housing 10 made of insulating resin and a plurality of plug contact assemblies 11 integrated into the housing 10 by insert molding. The plurality of plug contact assemblies 11 include a first plug contact assembly 12, a second plug contact assembly 13, a third plug contact assembly 14, and a fourth plug contact assembly 15.

[0067] 20 and 21, the housing 10 includes a bottom surface portion 60 and a plurality of ridge portions 61. The bottom surface portion 60 is flat, and the thickness direction of the bottom surface portion 60 coincides with the vertical direction. The plurality of ridge portions 61 protrude downward from the bottom surface portion 60 and extend in the pitch direction.

[0068] 20, the first plug contact assembly 12 includes three contact units 62. The three contact units 62 correspond to the contact unit 25A, the contact unit 25C, and the contact unit 25E of the first receptacle contact assembly 8 shown in FIG.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 21, each contact unit 62 has a three-layer structure including a base 63, an insulating layer 64, and a plurality of conductive patterns 65.

[0070] The base 63 includes a fixed portion 66 and four protrusions 67 protruding from the fixed portion 66. The four protrusions 67 correspond to the four protrusions 31 of the contact unit 25. In FIG. 21 , only two of the four protrusions 67 are illustrated.

[0071] 21 project downward from both ends of the fixing portion 66 in the width direction, and then bend toward each other. The base 63 constituting the contact unit 62 is formed to surround the ridge portion 61. That is, the two protrusions 67 are fixed to the ridge portion 61 so as not to be elastically deformable. Furthermore, the two protrusions 67 are fixed to the ridge portion 61 so as not to be displaceable relative to the ridge portion 61. The same applies to the other two of the four protrusions 67.

[0072] The second plug contact assembly 13 includes two contact units 62. The third plug contact assembly 14 includes three contact units 62. The fourth plug contact assembly 15 includes two contact units 62. These contact units 62 all have the same configuration as the contact units 62 of the first plug contact assembly 12, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] 1 into the receptacle 4, the plug 5 is inserted inside the outer peripheral wall 41 of the receptacle 4. Then, the contact unit 62 shown in FIG. 21 is inserted between the two protrusions 31 that face each other in the width direction of the contact unit 25 shown in FIG. 6, while moving the two protrusions 31 away from each other in the width direction. This establishes electrical continuity between the four conductive patterns 65 of the contact unit 62 and the four conductive patterns 22 of the contact unit 25.

[0074] The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, and the first embodiment has the following features.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle 4 (connector) includes a housing 6 made of insulating resin and a first receptacle contact assembly 8 (contact assembly) integrated into the housing 6 by insert molding. As shown in FIG. 3, the first receptacle contact assembly 8 includes a plurality of contact units 25 arranged in the pitch direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, each contact unit 25 includes a metal base 20 including a flat fixing portion 30 fixed to the housing 6 and four protruding portions 31 protruding upward from the fixing portion 30, an insulating layer 21 covering the base 20, and four conductive patterns 22 formed on the insulating layer, extending from the fixing portion 30 to the four protruding portions 31 and functioning as contacts. As shown in FIG. 5, the fixing portions 30 of the plurality of contact units 25 are connected together seamlessly in the pitch direction. With the above configuration, the plurality of conductive patterns 22 functioning as contacts are supported by any of the plurality of fixing portions that are connected together seamlessly, so that the relative positional relationship of the plurality of conductive patterns 22 is maintained at a high level regardless of the success or failure of the flow of molten resin during insert molding. Therefore, it is possible to integrate the housing and the plurality of contacts by insert molding while also arranging the plurality of contacts at a narrow pitch.

[0076] 6, in this embodiment, each protrusion 31 protrudes generally diagonally upward from the fixed portion 30. However, instead of this, each protrusion 31 may protrude upward or downward from the fixed portion 30. In other words, as long as each protrusion 31 protrudes at least in the plate thickness direction of the fixed portion 30, the protrusion direction can be set arbitrarily.

[0077] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, four protrusions 31 protrude from each fixing portion 30, but instead, one, two, or three protrusions 31 may protrude from each fixing portion 30, or five or more protrusions 31 may protrude.

[0078] 3, each contact unit 25 includes two protrusions 31 protruding from both ends of the fixed portion 30 in the width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction. The two protrusions 31 face each other in the width direction. The above configuration makes it possible to realize two conductive patterns 22 facing each other in the width direction.

[0079] 4, two conductive patterns 22 corresponding to two protrusions 31 facing each other in the width direction are electrically independent of each other. With the above configuration, the number of cores in receptacle 4 can be increased compared to when two conductive patterns 22 corresponding to two protrusions 31 facing each other in the width direction are electrically short-circuited. connector.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 5, the contact units 25 are arranged in a staggered manner in the pitch direction.

[0081] Specifically, the multiple contact units 25 include, in the pitch direction, contact unit 25A (first contact unit), contact unit 25B (second contact unit), and contact unit 25C (third contact unit), in this order. Contact units 25A, 25B, and 25C are staggered in the pitch direction. First receptacle contact assembly 8 further includes connecting beam 26AB (first connecting beam) connecting fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25A to fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25B, and connecting beam 26AC (second connecting beam) connecting fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25A to fixed portion 30 of contact unit 25C. With the above configuration, the multiple contact units 25 can be firmly connected to each other.

[0082] 10, the housing 6 includes a partition wall 42A that separates the protruding portion 31 of the contact unit 25A and the protruding portion 31 of the contact unit 25C from the protruding portion 31 of the contact unit 25B. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent abnormal contact between the protruding portions 31 of the contact unit 25A and the contact unit 25C and the protruding portion 31 of the contact unit 25C.

[0083] 6, each protrusion 31 in the receptacle 4 is elastically deformable. According to the above configuration, the conductive pattern 22 corresponding to each protrusion 31 can be given spring properties.

[0084] 21, each of the protrusions 31 in the plug 5 is not elastically deformable. With the above configuration, each of the protrusions 31 will not be damaged when the plug 5 is attached to or detached from the receptacle 4.

[0085] 6, each conductive pattern 22 is covered with resist 23 except for a portion of the corresponding protruding portion 31 and a portion of the corresponding fixing portion 30. According to the above configuration, each conductive pattern 22 can be prevented from making unintended electrical contact with other conductive members.

[0086] 8, the base 20 has a bottom surface 20B (substrate-facing surface) that faces the lower substrate 2 (substrate) on which the connector receptacle 4 (connector) is surface-mounted. The bottom surface 20B includes a solder connection portion 20S that is exposed toward the lower substrate 2 without being covered by the housing 6 and can be soldered to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2. This configuration makes it possible to inexpensively improve the signal characteristics of the contacts in a surface-mount connector in which the contacts and housing are integrated by insert molding. In other words, it is possible to inexpensively improve the signal characteristics of each conductive pattern 22.

[0087] 6, the conductive pattern 22 includes a first pattern portion 22A that faces the fixed portion 30 across the insulating layer 21, and a second pattern portion 22B that faces the protruding portion 31 across the insulating layer 21. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 11, the second pattern portion 22B includes a contact pattern portion 45 that contacts a contact of the plug 5 (mating connector) and an extension pattern portion 46 that is located between the contact pattern portion 45 and the first pattern portion 22A. The extension pattern portion 46 may include a narrow portion 47 that is narrower than the contact pattern portion 45. With the above configuration, the impedance of the conductive pattern 22 can be increased simply by partially reducing the width of the conductive pattern 22. In other words, the conductive pattern 22 is suitable for adjusting impedance.

[0088] Similarly, the extension pattern portion 46 may include a wide portion 48 that is wider than the contact pattern portion 45. According to the above configuration, the impedance of the conductive pattern 22 can be reduced simply by partially increasing the width dimension of the conductive pattern 22. In other words, the conductive pattern 22 is suitable for adjusting the impedance.

[0089] 12, extension pattern portion 46 may have slits 49 formed therein that extend in the longitudinal direction of extension pattern portion 46. The above configuration contributes to reducing the weight of receptacle 4 without increasing or decreasing the impedance of conductive pattern 22.

[0090] 9, the solder connection portion 20S may be formed with a solder protrusion 20C that protrudes toward the lower substrate 2. According to the above configuration, when there is a gap between the solder connection portion 20S and the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2, it becomes easier to solder the solder connection portion 20S to the ground pattern of the lower substrate 2.

[0091] 13 to 19, the method for manufacturing the receptacle 4 includes a laminating step (S100), a conductive pattern forming step (S110), a punching step (S120), a bending step (S130), an accommodating step (S150), and an insert molding step (S160). In the laminating step (S100), an insulating layer is laminated on the hoop material. In the conductive pattern forming step (S110), as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of conductive patterns 22 serving as contacts are formed on the insulating layer 51. In the punching step (S120), as shown in FIG. 15, the hoop material 50 is punched out so that the hoop material 50 includes a plurality of fixing portions 30 that are connected without interruption in the feed direction of the hoop material 50 and four protruding portions 31 that protrude from each fixing portion 30, and each conductive pattern 22 extends from each fixing portion 30 to each protruding portion 31. In the bending step (S130), as shown in Fig. 17, each protrusion 31 is bent in the plate thickness direction of the fixing portion 30. In the accommodating step (S150), as shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the hoop material 50 is accommodated in the injection molding die 52 so that both ends of the hoop material 50 are supported within the injection molding die 52 using two fixing portions 30X corresponding to the leading and trailing ends in the feed direction of the multiple fixing portions 30 that remain in the housing 6 even when the connector is completed. In the insert molding step (S160), the housing 6 is molded integrally with the hoop material 50 by insert molding. According to the above configuration, the positional accuracy of the multiple contacts within the injection molding die 52 can be maintained when the multiple contacts and the housing are integrally formed by insert molding. Furthermore, since the hoop material 50 is supported at both ends within the injection molding die 52 using a plurality of fixing portions 30 that are connected seamlessly in the feed direction of the hoop material 50, there is no need to form special shapes for supporting both ends in the punching processing step (S120) shown in Figure 15, and therefore it can be said that the productivity of the punching processing step (S120) is high.

[0092] 18, in the accommodation step (S150), the two fixed portions 30X are sandwiched between the fixed-side mold plate 53 and the movable-side mold plate 54 in the direction in which the movable-side mold plate 54 advances and retreats relative to the fixed-side mold plate 53 of the injection molding die 52, thereby supporting both ends of the hoop material 50 within the injection molding die 52. According to the above configuration, the hoop material 50 can be reliably supported at both ends within the injection molding die 52 using the two fixed portions 30X.

[0093] 13 and 16, the method for manufacturing receptacle 4 further includes an unnecessary protrusion removal step (S130) of removing four protrusions 31 protruding from each of two fixing portions 30X. The above configuration contributes to reducing the weight of first receptacle contact assembly 8, and ultimately receptacle 4.

[0094] 5, the first receptacle contact assembly 8 further includes two flat support portions 27 arranged to sandwich the plurality of contact units 25 in the pitch direction. The two flat support portions 27 correspond to the two fixed portions 30X described above. Each of the two support portions 27 is seamlessly connected to one of the fixed portions 30 of the plurality of contact units 25. The outer peripheral surface 27P of the first support portion 27A is a cut surface except for a connection portion 29A with the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25A to which the support portion 27 is connected and a connection portion 29B with the fixed portion 30 of the contact unit 25B to which the support portion 27 is connected. The same applies to the second support portion 27B. According to the above configuration, by using these two support portions 27 as the two fixed portions 30X shown in Figure 18, the hoop material 50 can be supported at both ends within the injection molding die 52, thereby achieving the effect of stabilizing the posture of the hoop material 50 within the injection molding die 52.

[0095] 7, upper surface 27U and lower surface 27D, which are both surfaces perpendicular to the thickness direction of two support portions 27, are not covered by housing 6. According to the above configuration, the two support portions 27 can be sandwiched between fixed-side mold plate 53 and movable-side mold plate 54 during insert molding, thereby supporting both ends of first receptacle contact assembly 8.

[0096] 7, the two support parts 27 are fixed to the housing 6. According to the above configuration, the housing 6 is reinforced by the two support parts 27. Furthermore, the two support parts 27 also have the effect of making the solidification shrinkage of the housing 6 in the pitch direction uniform due to the uniform cooling of the two support parts 27 themselves in the pitch direction.

[0097] 7, the two support parts 27 have a three-layer structure in which an insulating layer 21 is interposed between two conductive layers, that is, a base 20 and a conductive pattern 22, similar to the fixed part 30. According to the above configuration, the fixed part 30 of the contact unit 25 can be used as the support part 27 without changing the layer structure of the fixed part 30.

[0098] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Below, the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described, and overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

[0099] In the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact unit 25 includes four protrusions 31 and four conductive patterns 22 provided on the four protrusions 31, respectively.

[0100] 22, the contact unit 25 of this embodiment includes two protrusions 31 and two conductive patterns 22 provided on each of the two protrusions 31. The two protrusions 31 are opposed to each other in the width direction, similar to the first embodiment.

[0101] The plug 5 also differs from the first embodiment. For example, as shown in Fig. 20, the contact unit 62 of the first embodiment has four protrusions 67 and four conductive patterns 22 provided on the four protrusions 67, respectively. In contrast, the contact unit of this embodiment has two protrusions and two conductive patterns provided on the two protrusions, respectively.

[0102] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 23 to 28. The following description will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the first embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0103] For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , in the first embodiment, the receptacle 4 includes two receptacle contact assemblies 7. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the receptacle 4 includes four receptacle contact assemblies 7. All four receptacle contact assemblies 7 extend in the pitch direction and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction. The four receptacle contact assemblies 7 include a first receptacle contact assembly 81, a second receptacle contact assembly 82, a third receptacle contact assembly 83, and a fourth receptacle contact assembly 84. The first receptacle contact assembly 81, the second receptacle contact assembly 82, the third receptacle contact assembly 83, and the fourth receptacle contact assembly 84 are arranged in the width direction in the order shown.

[0104] 3, for example, in the first embodiment, the contact units 25 are arranged in a staggered manner in the pitch direction. Each contact unit 25 includes four protrusions 31 and four conductive patterns 22 provided on the four protrusions 31, respectively. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the contact units 25 are arranged in a row in the pitch direction, as shown in FIG. 24. Each contact unit 25 includes two protrusions 31 and two conductive patterns 22 provided on the two protrusions 31, respectively.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 25, each connecting beam 26 connects the fixing portions 30 of two contact units 25 adjacent to each other in the pitch direction.

[0106] In this embodiment, the contact unit 25 further includes a plurality of anti-shrinkage beams 70. Specifically, two anti-shrinkage beams 70 protrude from both ends of each connecting beam 26 in the width direction so as to move away from each other in the width direction. The plurality of anti-shrinkage beams 70 are fixed to the housing 6. Specifically, the plurality of anti-shrinkage beams 70 are fixed to the housing 6 so as not to be elastically deformable. The plurality of anti-shrinkage beams 70 are fixed to the housing 6 so as not to be movable relative to the housing 6. With the above configuration, the plurality of anti-shrinkage beams 70 are embedded in the housing 6 filling the space between two adjacent receptacle contact assemblies 7 in the width direction, which contributes to ensuring the strength of the housing 6. Furthermore ... uniform cooling of the housing 6 in the width direction due to the excellent thermal conduction of each anti-shrinkage beam 70. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of sink marks on the housing 6, thereby improving the yield of the receptacles 4.

[0107] In this embodiment, the multiple anti-shrinkage beams 70 of two widthwise adjacent receptacle contact assemblies 7 face each other in the widthwise direction. Furthermore, all of the multiple anti-shrinkage beams 70 have the same length.

[0108] 26, the multiple anti-shrinkage beams 70 may alternatively be configured by arranging long anti-shrinkage beams 71 and short anti-shrinkage beams 72 that are shorter than the long anti-shrinkage beams 71 alternately in the pitch direction. In this case, of the two anti-shrinkage beams 70 that face each other in the width direction of two adjacent receptacle contact assemblies 7 in the width direction, one may be a long anti-shrinkage beam 71 and the other a short anti-shrinkage beam 72.

[0109] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 27, the positional relationship in the pitch direction of two adjacent contact units 25 in the width direction may be slightly shifted so that the multiple anti-shrinkage beams 70 of one contact unit 25 and the multiple anti-shrinkage beams 70 of the other contact unit 25 do not face each other in the width direction but face each other in the pitch direction.

[0110] 28 shows how the housings 6 of multiple receptacles 4 are simultaneously formed by insert molding. As shown in FIG. 28, hoop material 50A corresponding to first receptacle contact assembly 81, hoop material 50B corresponding to second receptacle contact assembly 82, hoop material 50C corresponding to third receptacle contact assembly 83, and hoop material 50D corresponding to fourth receptacle contact assembly 84 are simultaneously set in injection molding die 52. At this time, as shown in FIG. 28, hoop material 50B and hoop material 50C are positioned between hoop material 50A and hoop material 50D in the width direction, and therefore hoop material 50B and hoop material 50C cannot be supported by carrier 55. Therefore, it is preferable that hoop material 50B and hoop material 50C be connected to each other in the feed direction of hoop material 50 during insert molding without being cut into individual receptacles 4. In contrast, the hoop materials 50A and 50D can be supported by the carrier 55, so there would be no problem if they were cut into individual receptacles 4 during insert molding.

[0111] The third embodiment has been described above, and the above embodiment has the following features.

[0112] That is, as shown in FIG. 25, the plurality of contact units 25 are aligned in a row in the pitch direction.

[0113] The receptacle contact assembly 7 includes a connecting beam 26 (connecting portion) that connects the fixing portions 30 of two adjacent contact units 25 in the pitch direction among the plurality of contact units 25, and two shrinkage prevention beams 70 that protrude from the connecting beam 26 in the width direction perpendicular to the pitch direction and are fixed to the housing 6. The above configuration contributes to reinforcing the housing 6 and preventing sink marks.

[0114] It should be noted that instead of two anti-shrinkage beams 70 protruding from the connecting beam 26, only one anti-shrinkage beam 70 may protrude.

[0115] The receptacle contact assembly 7 also includes two anti-shrinkage beams 70 that protrude widthwise from both ends of the connecting beam 26 so as to move away from each other. This configuration further contributes to reinforcing the housing 6 and preventing sink marks. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1 Connector Assembly 2 Lower board (board) 2A connector mounting surface 3 Upper board (board) 3A connector mounting surface 4 Receptacle (connector) 5 Plug (connector, mating connector) 6. Housing 7 Receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly) 8 First receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly) 9 Second receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly) 10. Housing 11 Plug contact assembly (contact assembly) 12 First plug contact assembly (contact assembly) 13 Second plug contact assembly (contact assembly) 14 Third plug contact assembly (contact assembly) 15 Fourth plug contact assembly (contact assembly) 20 base 20B Bottom surface (board facing surface) 20S solder joint 20C solder protrusion 21 Insulating layer 22 Conductive pattern 22A First pattern section 22B Second pattern section 23 Resist 25 Contact Unit 25A Contact Unit (First Contact Unit) 25B Contact unit (second contact unit) 25C Contact Unit (Third Contact Unit) 25D Contact Unit 25E Contact Unit 26 Connecting beam (connecting part) 26AB Connecting beam (first connecting beam) 26BC connecting beam 26CD connecting beam 26DE connecting beam 26AC Connecting beam (second connecting beam) 26CE connecting beam 26BD connecting beam 26X connecting beam 26Y connecting beam 27 Support part 27A 1st support part 27B 2nd support part 27U top 27D Bottom 27P outer surface 28 Carrier connection part 28AC 1st Carrier Division 28CE Second Carrier Connection 29A Connection part 29B Connection part 29D Connection part 29E Connection part 30 Fixed part 30A top 30B Bottom 30X fixed part 31 Protrusion 31A 1st protrusion 31B 2nd protrusion 32 Extension 33 Contact area 33A curved section 33B Removal guide 40 Bottom part 41 Peripheral wall 42 Bulkhead 42A Bulkhead 42B Bulkhead 42C Bulkhead 43 Filling section 43A Filling section 43B Filling section 43C Filling section 43D Filling section 43E Filling section 45 Contact pattern section 45W width 46 Extension pattern section 47 Narrow part 47W width 48 Wide part 48W width 49 Slit 50 hoop material 50A hoop material 50B hoop material 50C hoop material 50D hoop material 51 Insulating layer 52 Injection mold 53 Fixed side template 54 Movable side template 55 Career 60 Bottom part 61 Ridge 62 Contact Unit 63 base 64 Insulating layer 65 Conductive Pattern 66 Fixed part 67 Protrusion 70 Shrinkage prevention beam 71 Long anti-shrinkage beam 72 Short length anti-shrinkage beam 81 First receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly) 82 Second receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly) 83 Third receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly) 84 4th receptacle contact assembly (contact assembly)

Claims

1. A surface mount connector including a housing made of insulating resin and a contact assembly integrated into the housing by insert molding, The contact assembly includes: a metal base including a flat plate-shaped fixed portion fixed to the housing and a protruding portion protruding from the fixed portion at least in a plate thickness direction of the fixed portion; an insulating layer covering the base; a conductive pattern formed on the insulating layer, extending from the fixed portion to the protruding portion, and functioning as a contact; Including, the base has a board-facing surface that faces a board on which the connector is surface-mounted, the board-facing surface includes a solder connection portion that is exposed toward the board without being covered by the housing and can be soldered to a ground pattern of the board; connector.

2. 2. The connector of claim 1, the conductive pattern includes a first pattern portion facing the fixed portion with the insulating layer interposed therebetween, and a second pattern portion facing the protruding portion with the insulating layer interposed therebetween; the second pattern portion includes a contact pattern portion that contacts a contact of a mating connector, and an extension pattern portion that is located between the contact pattern portion and the first pattern portion, The extension pattern portion includes a narrow portion having a width narrower than that of the contact pattern portion. connector.

3. 2. The connector of claim 1, the conductive pattern includes a first pattern portion facing the fixed portion with the insulating layer interposed therebetween, and a second pattern portion facing the protruding portion with the insulating layer interposed therebetween; the second pattern portion includes a contact pattern portion that contacts a contact of a mating connector, and an extension pattern portion that is located between the contact pattern portion and the first pattern portion, The extension pattern portion includes a wide portion that is wider than the contact pattern portion. connector.

4. 2. The connector of claim 1, the conductive pattern includes a first pattern portion facing the fixed portion with the insulating layer interposed therebetween, and a second pattern portion facing the protruding portion with the insulating layer interposed therebetween; the second pattern portion includes a contact pattern portion that contacts a contact of a mating connector, and an extension pattern portion that is located between the contact pattern portion and the first pattern portion, The extension pattern portion has a slit formed therein, the slit extending in the longitudinal direction of the extension pattern portion. connector.

5. 5. The connector according to claim 1, The solder connection portion has a solder protrusion portion that protrudes toward the substrate. connector.

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