Shield connector

Abstract

The present invention improves shield performance.　A shield connector (10) comprises: an outer conductor (13) having a rear surface opening part (20) on a rear surface; a terminal module (25) inserted into the outer conductor (13) from the rear surface opening part (20); and a conductive shield member (40) that can be assembled to the outer conductor (13) so as to close the rear surface opening part (20). Since entrance and / or leakage of electromagnetic noise in the rear surface opening part (20) of the outer conductor (13) can be suppressed or prevented by the shield member (40), shield performance can be improved.

Description

Shielded Connector

[0001] The present disclosure relates to shielded connectors.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a shielded connector having a die-cast outer conductor and a terminal module housed in the outer conductor. The outer conductor has a box-shaped housing and a connection port protruding forward from the box-shaped housing. The internal space of the box-shaped housing is open to the rear and bottom surfaces of the outer conductor. The internal space of the connection port communicates with the internal space of the box-shaped housing and is open to the front surface of the outer conductor.

[0003] The terminal module is constructed by assembling a dielectric and an inner conductor. The board connection portion of the inner conductor is exposed on the rear surface of the dielectric. The terminal module is housed in the outer conductor through an opening on the rear surface of the outer conductor. The front end portion of the terminal module is housed in the connection port, and the rear end portion of the terminal module is housed in the box-shaped housing. When the shielded connector is mounted on a circuit board, the board connection portion of the inner conductor is connected to the mounting surface of the circuit board through the opening on the bottom surface of the box-shaped housing and fixed to the circuit board by soldering.

[0004] JP 2023-088418 A

[0005] The opening on the rear surface of the outer conductor remains open, which may allow electromagnetic noise to leak out of the outer conductor or allow external electromagnetic noise to enter the outer conductor.

[0006] The shielded connector of the present disclosure was developed based on the above circumstances, and aims to improve shielding performance.

[0007] The shielded connector of the present disclosure comprises an outer conductor having an opening on its rear surface, a terminal module inserted into the outer conductor through the opening, and a conductive shielding member that can be assembled to the outer conductor so as to close the opening.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve shielding performance.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shielded connector according to a first embodiment mounted on a circuit board, as viewed from an upper rear diagonal. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shielded connector mounted on a circuit board, as viewed from an lower rear diagonal. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the shielded connector mounted on a circuit board. FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view of the shielded connector mounted on a circuit board. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the shielded connector removed from the circuit board and the shielding member removed from the outer conductor, as viewed from an upper rear diagonal. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the disassembled shielded connector, as viewed from an upper rear diagonal. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the shielding member, as viewed from an upper front diagonal. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a shielded connector according to a second embodiment mounted on a circuit board, as viewed from an upper rear diagonal. FIG. 9 is a front view of the shielded connector mounted on a circuit board and the shielding member removed from the outer conductor. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the shielded connector removed from the circuit board and the shielding member removed from the outer conductor, as viewed from an lower rear diagonal.

[0010] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. Any combination of the following multiple embodiments within a range that does not cause contradictions is also included in the embodiments for carrying out the invention.

[0011] The shielded connector of the present disclosure includes: (1) an outer conductor having an opening on its rear surface, a terminal module inserted into the outer conductor through the opening, and a conductive shield member that can be attached to the outer conductor to close the opening. According to the configuration of the present disclosure, the shield member can suppress or prevent the intrusion or leakage of electromagnetic noise through the opening of the outer conductor, thereby improving shielding performance.

[0012] (2) In (1), the shielding member preferably has a ground connection portion that can be electrically connected to a ground circuit of the circuit board. With this configuration, the shielding member is connected to the ground circuit and functions as a path for return current, thereby improving shielding performance.

[0013] (3) In (2), it is preferable that the terminal module includes a pair of inner conductors for differential communication that are arranged symmetrically, and the ground connection portion is arranged at a midpoint between the pair of inner conductors in the left-right direction. With this configuration, the transmission path of the return current that passes through the ground connection portion is symmetrical with the pair of inner conductors in the shielding member about a common axis of symmetry, thereby stabilizing the performance of differential communication.

[0014] (4) In (2), it is preferable that the pair of terminal modules are arranged symmetrically, and the plurality of ground connection parts are arranged symmetrically with respect to a common axis of symmetry with the pair of terminal modules. With this configuration, the transmission path of the return current passing through the plurality of ground connection parts is symmetric with respect to the common axis of symmetry with the pair of terminal modules in the shield member, thereby stabilizing the performance of differential communication.

[0015] (5) In (3) or (4), it is preferable that the outer conductor extends elongatedly along the edge of the opening and has a contact surface that is symmetrical with the pair of inner conductors about a common axis of symmetry, and the shielding member has a spring portion that can elastically contact the contact surface and is arranged symmetrically with the pair of inner conductors about the common axis of symmetry. With this configuration, the transmission path of the return current that passes through the ground connection portion and the spring portion is symmetrical with the pair of inner conductors about the common axis of symmetry in the shielding member, thereby stabilizing the performance of differential communication.

[0016] (6) In any of (2) to (4), it is preferable that the ground connection portion has a protrusion shape that can be inserted into a through-hole of the circuit board, and that insertion of the ground connection portion into the through-hole restricts relative displacement of the shielding member with respect to the outer conductor. With this configuration, it is not necessary to form a portion for locking the outer conductor and the shielding member, and therefore the shapes of the outer conductor and the shielding member can be simplified.

[0017] (7) In any of (1) to (4), the shielding member preferably has a spring portion that elastically contacts the outer conductor to hold the shielding member to the outer conductor. This configuration ensures contact pressure between the shielding member and the outer conductor, thereby improving contact reliability between the shielding member and the outer conductor.

[0018] (8) In (7), it is preferable that the contact surface of the outer conductor with the spring portion is arranged in a narrow region along the edge of the opening, and that multiple spring portions are arranged in a line along the length of the contact surface. If the spring portion has a long, narrow shape, variations in the flatness of the contact surface with the spring portion of the outer conductor will also cause variations in the contact area with the spring portion on the contact surface. With this configuration, even if the flatness of the contact surface varies, all of the spring portions can be in elastic contact with the contact surface, thereby stabilizing the contact resistance between the spring portion and the outer conductor.

[0019] (9) In (7), the shielding member is preferably made of a metal plate. This configuration allows the shielding member to be lighter than a die-cast shielding member. Because the shielding member is made of a metal plate, it is easy to form the spring portion.

[0020] [Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] [Example 1] A connector device A and a shielded connector 10 according to Example 1 embodying the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. In Example 1, the front-to-back direction is defined as the F direction in Figures 1 to 7. The up-down direction is defined as the H direction in Figures 1 to 3 and 5 to 7. The left-to-right direction is defined as the R direction in Figures 1, 2, and 4 to 7.

[0021] The connector device A of the first embodiment is a device that constitutes a circuit for differential communication. The connector device A includes a circuit board 50 and a shielded connector 10 mounted on a mounting surface 51 (top surface) of the circuit board 50. The circuit board 50 has one through hole 52 and two pairs of positioning holes 53 formed therein. The inner peripheral surface of the through hole 52 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the two pairs of positioning holes 53 form a ground circuit 54 printed on the mounting surface 51. An axis extending in the front-to-rear direction and passing through the through hole 52 on the mounting surface 51 is defined as an axis of symmetry Sa on the mounting surface 51. The two pairs of positioning holes 53 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry Sa on the mounting surface 51.

[0022] The shielded connector 10 is constructed by assembling one hood member 11 and one shielded terminal 12. The hood member 11 has a rectangular cylindrical shape with open front and rear end faces. The shielded terminal 12 is constructed by assembling an outer conductor 13, a terminal module 25, and a shielding member 40.

[0023] The outer conductor 13 is a single die-cast component made of a conductive material such as zinc or aluminum, and has a symmetrical shape. The outer conductor 13 has a box-shaped shielding portion 14 and a tubular shielding portion 18. The box-shaped shielding portion 14 has an upper wall portion 15 and a pair of symmetrical side walls 16 extending downward from both left and right edges of the upper wall portion 15. Positioning protrusions 17 protruding downward are formed on the undersides of the pair of side walls 16. The tubular shielding portion 18 has a rectangular cylindrical shape and protrudes forward from the box-shaped shielding portion 14.

[0024] An accommodation space 19 is formed inside the box-shaped shield part 14, and is open to the rear and bottom surfaces of the box-shaped shield part 14. The accommodation space 19 is connected to the internal space of the cylindrical shield part 18. A rear opening 20 opening to the rear surface of the box-shaped shield part 14 is rectangular. The rear opening 20 is connected to a bottom opening 21 opening to the bottom surface of the box-shaped shield part 14. The rear end portion of the top surface of the top wall part 15 of the box-shaped shield part 14, which is elongated in the left-right direction, is defined as an upper contact surface 22 (see FIG. 3). The rear end portions of the outer surfaces of the left and right side wall parts 16 of the box-shaped shield part 14, which are elongated in the up-down direction, are defined as side contact surfaces 23 (see FIG. 4). The upper contact surface 22 and the pair of left and right side contact surfaces 23 are both flat and are located in areas along the opening edges of the rear opening 20. The upper contact surface 22 and the pair of left and right side contact surfaces 23 have both the function of bringing the shielding member 40 into conductive contact and the function of holding the shielding member 40 in an attached state relative to the outer conductor 13 .

[0025] The terminal module 25 is configured by assembling a left-right symmetrical dielectric 26 and a pair of left-right symmetrical inner conductors 32. The dielectric 26 is a single component having a terminal holding portion 27 and a terminal accommodating portion 28 connected to the rear end of the terminal holding portion 27. A pair of left and right press-fit holes 29 penetrating the terminal holding portion 27 in the front-rear direction are formed in the terminal holding portion 27. A pair of left and right accommodating grooves 30 communicating with the press-fit holes 29 and extending in the up-down direction are formed in the rear surface of the terminal accommodating portion 28.

[0026] The pair of inner conductors 32 constitute a transmission path for high-speed differential communication. The inner conductor 32 is a long, thin metal member, and is a single component having a terminal connection portion 33 that is long in the front-to-rear direction and a board connection portion 34 that extends downward from the rear end of the terminal holding portion 27. The pair of inner conductors 32 are assembled to the dielectric 26 with the terminal connection portion 33 passing through the press-fit hole 29 and the board connection portion 34 housed in the housing groove 30.

[0027] The terminal module 25 is assembled to the outer conductor 13 by inserting it into the accommodating space 19 from the rear opening 20 of the outer conductor 13. When the terminal module 25 is assembled, the terminal holding portion 27 of the dielectric 26 and the terminal connecting portion 33 of the inner conductor 32 are housed in the cylindrical shield portion 18, and the terminal accommodating portion 28 and the board connecting portion 34 are housed in the accommodating space 19. The lower end of the board connecting portion 34 is disposed in the lower opening 21 of the outer conductor 13.

[0028] The shielding member 40 is a single component made of a metal plate of a predetermined shape. The shielding member 40 has a rectangular blocking portion 41 whose plate thickness direction is oriented in the front-to-rear direction, one ground connection portion 42, and multiple spring portions 43, 44. The blocking portion 41 has a size and shape that allows it to block the rear opening 20 of the outer conductor 13. The ground connection portion 42 is a portion that protrudes downward from the center in the left-to-right direction at the lower edge of the shielding member 40 (blocking portion 41).

[0029] The multiple spring portions 43, 44 consist of multiple upper edge spring portions 43 arranged along the upper edge of the blocking portion 41 and multiple side edge spring portions 44 arranged along both left and right side edges of the blocking portion 41. The upper edge spring portions 43 are portions that protrude forward in a cantilevered manner from the upper edge of the blocking portion 41. In a side view of the shielding member 40 seen from the side, the upper edge spring portions 43 have a curved shape that bulges upward (see FIG. 3). The side edge spring portions 44 are portions that protrude forward in a cantilevered manner from the right and left edges of the blocking portion 41. In a plan view of the shielding member 40 seen from above, the side edge spring portions 44 have a curved shape that bulges outward in the left-right direction (see FIG. 4).

[0030] The shielding member 40 is attached to the rear end of the outer conductor 13 so as to close the rear opening 20. When the shielding member 40 is attached to the outer conductor 13, the multiple upper edge spring portions 43 of the shielding member 40 elastically contact the upper contact surface 22 of the outer conductor 13, the multiple left side edge spring portions 44 elastically contact the left side contact surface 23, and the multiple right side edge spring portions 44 elastically contact the right side contact surface 23. The left and right side edge spring portions 44 elastically clamp the outer conductor 13 from the left and right directions. This completes the assembly of the shielded terminal 12. The assembled shielded terminal 12 is then attached to the hood member 11. This completes the assembly of the shielded connector 10.

[0031] In a plan view, a front-to-rear axis passing through the center position in the left-to-right direction of the pair of inner conductors 32 is defined as a symmetry axis Sa in a plan view. The symmetry axis Sa in a plan view is the same axis as the symmetry axis Sa on the mounting surface 51. In a rear view of the shield terminal 12 seen from the rear, a vertical axis passing through the center position in the left-to-right direction of the pair of inner conductors 32 is defined as a symmetry axis Sb in a rear view. The ground connection portion 42 is disposed on the symmetry axis Sa in a plan view.

[0032] The upper edge spring portions 43 are shaped and arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view. Therefore, the total contact area between the upper edge spring portions 43 and the upper contact surface 22 is also symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view. The left side edge spring portions 44 and the right side edge spring portions 44 are shaped and arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view. Therefore, the total contact area between the left side contact surface 23 and the left side edge spring portions 44 and the total contact area between the right side contact surface 23 and the right side edge spring portions 44 are the same.

[0033] The assembled shielded connector 10 is mounted on the mounting surface 51 of the circuit board 50. When mounting, the positioning protrusion 17 of the outer conductor 13 is fitted into the positioning hole 53, and the ground connection portion 42 of the shield member 40 is fitted into the through hole 52. The positioning protrusion 17 and the ground connection portion 42 are electrically connected to the ground circuit 54 by soldering (not shown) and are fixed to the circuit board 50. In addition, the board connection portion 34 of the inner conductor 32 is connected to a differential communication circuit (not shown) on the mounting surface 51 by soldering (not shown).

[0034] The shielded connector 10 of the first embodiment includes an outer conductor 13 having a rear opening 20 on its rear surface, a terminal module 25, and a shielding member 40. The terminal module 25 is inserted into the outer conductor 13 through the rear opening 20. The shielding member 40 is a conductive member that can be attached to the outer conductor 13 so as to close the rear opening 20. With this configuration, the shielding member 40 can suppress or prevent the intrusion or leakage of electromagnetic noise through the rear opening 20 of the outer conductor 13, thereby improving shielding performance.

[0035] The shielding member 40 has a ground connection portion 42 that can be electrically connected to the ground circuit 54 of the circuit board 50. The shielding member 40 functions as a path for the return current by being connected to the ground circuit 54, thereby improving the shielding performance.

[0036] The terminal module 25 includes a pair of inner conductors 32 for differential communication that are arranged symmetrically. The ground connection portion 42 is arranged at a midpoint in the left-right direction between the pair of inner conductors 32. With this configuration, the transmission path of the return current that passes through the ground connection portion 42 is symmetrical with the pair of inner conductors 32 in the shield member 40 about a common axis of symmetry (axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view), thereby stabilizing the performance of differential communication.

[0037] The outer conductor 13 has an upper contact surface 22 that extends elongatedly along the edge of the rear opening 20 and a pair of left and right side contact surfaces 23. The upper contact surface 22 is symmetrical about an axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view (a symmetry axis shared with the pair of inner conductors 32) and an axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view (a symmetry axis shared with the pair of inner conductors 32). The pair of left and right side contact surfaces 23 are also symmetrical about the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view. The shielding member 40 has an upper edge spring portion 43 that can elastically contact the upper contact surface 22 and side edge spring portions 44 that can elastically contact the left and right side contact surfaces 23. The upper edge spring portion 43 is symmetrically arranged about the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view. The left side edge spring portion 44 and the right side edge spring portion 44 are symmetrically arranged about the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view. According to this configuration, the transmission path of the return current passing through the ground connection portion 42, the upper edge spring portion 43, and the side edge spring portion 44 is symmetrical in the shielding member 40 with respect to the axis of symmetry Sa in a plan view and the axis of symmetry Sb in a rear view, which are axes of symmetry common to the pair of inner conductors 32, thereby stabilizing the performance of the differential communication.

[0038] The ground connection portion 42 has a protrusion shape that can be inserted into a through hole 52 of the circuit board 50. Inserting the ground connection portion 42 into the through hole 52 restricts rearward relative displacement of the shielding member 40 with respect to the outer conductor 13. With this configuration, there is no need to form a portion for locking the outer conductor 13 and the shielding member 40 together, which allows the shapes of the outer conductor 13 and the shielding member 40 to be simplified.

[0039] The shielding member 40 has spring portions 43, 44 that elastically contact the outer conductor 13 to hold the shielding member 40 to the outer conductor 13. With this configuration, contact pressure between the shielding member 40 and the outer conductor 13 is ensured, improving contact reliability between the shielding member 40 and the outer conductor 13.

[0040] The upper contact surface 22, which is the contact surface with the upper edge spring portion 43 of the outer conductor 13, is arranged in a narrow region along the opening edge of the rear opening 20. The side contact surfaces 23, which are contact surfaces with the side edge spring portions 44 of the outer conductor 13, are also arranged in a narrow region along the opening edge of the rear opening 20. Unlike the first embodiment, when the spring portion has a long, narrow shape, variations in the flatness of the contact surfaces with the spring portion of the outer conductor 13 (the upper contact surface 22 and the side contact surfaces 23) also result in variations in the contact area with the spring portion of the contact surfaces. In consideration of this point, the spring portion is composed of a plurality of upper edge spring portions 43 arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the upper contact surface 22 and a plurality of side edge spring portions 44 arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the side contact surface 23. With this configuration, even if there is variation in the flatness of the upper contact surface 22 and the side contact surface 23, all of the spring portions 43, 44 can be brought into elastic contact with the upper contact surface 22 and the side contact surface 23, thereby stabilizing the contact resistance between the spring portions 43, 44 and the outer conductor 13.

[0041] The shielding member 40 is made of a metal plate material. With this configuration, the weight of the shielding member 40 can be reduced compared to when the shielding member 40 is made of die-cast material. Because the shielding member 40 is made of a metal plate material, the spring portions 43, 44 can be easily formed.

[0042] [Example 2] A connector device B and a shielded connector 60 according to Example 2 embodying the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. In Example 2, with regard to the front-to-rear direction, the F direction in Figures 8 and 10 is defined as the front. With regard to the up-down direction, the H direction in Figures 8 to 10 is defined as the up. With regard to the left-to-right direction, the R direction in Figures 8 to 10 is defined as the right. The shielded connector 60 according to Example 2 has a different configuration for the shielded terminal 61 than that of Example 1. As the other configurations are the same as those of Example 1, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a description of the structure, operation, and effects will be omitted.

[0043] The shield terminal 61 of the second embodiment includes an outer conductor 62, a first terminal module 69, a second terminal module 71, and a shield member 80. A box-shaped shield portion 63 constituting the outer conductor 62 has two symmetrical accommodation spaces 64 defined by a partition wall 65. The accommodation spaces 64 are open to the rear and bottom surfaces of the outer conductor 62. A pair of positioning protrusions 67 spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction is formed on the bottom surfaces of a pair of left and right side wall portions 66 constituting the box-shaped shield portion 63 and the bottom surface of the partition wall 65. The outer surface of the box-shaped shield portion 63 has an upper contact surface (not shown) similar to that of the first embodiment and a pair of symmetrical side contact surfaces 68.

[0044] A pair of left-right symmetrical first terminal modules 69 and a pair of left-right symmetrical second terminal modules 71 are housed within the outer conductor 62. Each first terminal module 69 has a pair of first inner conductors 70. Each second terminal module 71 has a pair of second inner conductors 72.

[0045] The shielding member 80, like the shielding member 40 of Example 1, is a single component made of a metal plate of a predetermined shape. The shielding member 80 has a rectangular blocking portion 81 whose plate thickness direction is oriented in the front-to-rear direction, a pair of symmetrical ground connection portions 82, and multiple spring portions 83, 84. The blocking portion 81 has a size and shape sufficient to block the rear surface opening 74 that opens on the rear surface of the outer conductor 62. The ground connection portion 82 is a portion that protrudes downward from the lower edge of the blocking portion 81. The multiple spring portions 83, 84 consist of multiple upper edge spring portions 83 arranged along the upper edge of the blocking portion 81 and multiple side edge spring portions 84 arranged along both left and right side edges of the blocking portion 81. The upper edge spring portion 83 and the side edge spring portions 84 have the same shapes as those in Example 1.

[0046] The shielding member 80 is attached to the rear end of the outer conductor 62 so as to close the rear opening 74. When the shielding member 80 is attached to the outer conductor 62, the multiple upper edge spring portions 83 of the shielding member 80 elastically contact the upper contact surface (not shown) of the outer conductor 62, the multiple left side edge spring portions 84 elastically contact the left side contact surface 68, and the multiple right side edge spring portions 84 elastically contact the right side contact surface 68. The left and right side edge spring portions 84 elastically clamp the outer conductor 62 (box-shaped shielding portion 63) from the left and right directions. This completes the assembly of the shielded terminal 61. The assembled shielded terminal 61 is then attached to the hood member 75. This completes the assembly of the shielded connector 60.

[0047] In a plan view, an axis of symmetry (not shown) in the plan view is defined as an axis in the front-rear direction that passes through the center position in the left-right direction of the pair of first terminal modules 69 and the center position in the left-right direction of the pair of second terminal modules 71. In a rear view of the shield terminal 61 seen from behind, an axis in the up-down direction that passes through the center position in the left-right direction of the pair of first terminal modules 69 and the center position in the left-right direction of the pair of second terminal modules 71 is defined as an axis of symmetry S in the rear view. The partition wall 65 is located on the axis of symmetry in the plan view and also on the axis of symmetry S in the rear view.

[0048] The multiple upper edge spring portions 83 have a shape and arrangement that are bilaterally symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry in a plan view and the axis of symmetry S in a rear view. Therefore, the total contact area between the multiple upper edge spring portions 83 and the upper contact surface is also bilaterally symmetrical. The multiple left side edge spring portions 84 and the multiple right side edge spring portions 84 have shapes and arrangements that are bilaterally symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry in a plan view and the axis of symmetry S in a rear view. Therefore, the total contact area between the left side contact surface 68 and the multiple left side edge spring portions 84 and the total contact area between the right side contact surface 68 and the multiple right side edge spring portions 84 are the same.

[0049] The multiple (pairs of) ground connection parts 82 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of symmetry in a plan view and the axis of symmetry S in a rear view (the axis of symmetry common to the pair of first terminal modules 69 and the pair of second terminal modules 71). With this configuration, the transmission path of the return current passing through the multiple (pairs of) ground connection parts 82 is symmetrical in the shield member 80 with respect to the axis of symmetry common to the pair of first terminal modules 69 and the pair of second terminal modules 71, thereby stabilizing the performance of differential communication.

[0050] [Other Examples] The present invention is not limited to the examples described above and illustrated in the drawings, but is defined by the claims. The present invention includes the meaning equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope of the claims, including the following embodiments.

[0051] The shielding member may be configured not to be connected to the circuit board. The ground connection portion may be configured to be surface-mounted on the mounting surface of the circuit board. The shielding member may be held to the outer conductor by a portion that does not make elastic contact with the outer conductor. The spring portion may be long and slender extending in the length direction of the planar portion. In Example 1, the arrangement of the spring may be such that a portion protruding forward from the lower edge of the shielding member hooks onto the underside of the side wall portion of the outer conductor to make elastic contact with the contact surface on the upper surface. The shielding member may be made of die-cast material.

[0052] A...connector device B...connector device S...axis of symmetry in plan view (axis of symmetry common to a pair of terminal modules) Sa...axis of symmetry in plan view (axis of symmetry common to a pair of inner conductors) Sb...axis of symmetry in rear view (axis of symmetry common to a pair of inner conductors) 10...shielded connector 11...hood member 12...shielded terminal 13...outer conductor 14...box-shaped shielding portion 15...upper wall portion 16...side wall portion 17...positioning protrusion 18...cylindrical shielding portion 19...accommodating space 20...rear opening 21...bottom opening 22...upper contact surface (contact surface) 23...side contact surface (contact surface) 25...terminal module 26...dielectric 27...terminal holding portion 28...terminal accommodating portion 29...press-fit hole 30...accommodating groove 32...inner conductor 33...terminal connecting portion 34...board connecting portion 40...shielding member 41...blocking portion 42...ground connecting portion DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 43...Upper edge spring portion (spring portion) 44...Side edge spring portion (spring portion) 50...Circuit board 51...Mounting surface 52...Through hole 53...Positioning hole 54...Ground circuit 60...Shield connector 61...Shield terminal 62...Outer conductor 63...Box-shaped shield portion 64...Accommodation space 65...Partition wall portion 66...Side wall portion 67...Positioning protrusion 68...Side contact surface (contact surface) 69...First terminal module 70...First inner conductor 71...Second terminal module 72...Second inner conductor 74...Rear opening 75...Hood member 80...Shield member 81...Blocking portion 82...Ground connection portion 83...Upper edge spring portion (spring portion) 84...Side edge spring portion (spring portion)

Claims

1. A shielded connector comprising: an outer conductor having an opening on its rear surface; a terminal module inserted into the outer conductor through the opening; and a conductive shielding member that can be assembled to the outer conductor so as to close the opening.

2. The shielded connector according to claim 1, wherein the shielding member has a ground connection portion that can be electrically connected to a ground circuit of a circuit board.

3. A shielded connector as described in claim 2, wherein the terminal module includes a pair of inner conductors for differential communication arranged symmetrically on the left and right, and the ground connection portion is arranged at a midpoint between the pair of inner conductors in the left-right direction.

4. A shielded connector according to claim 2, wherein the pair of terminal modules are arranged symmetrically, and the plurality of ground connection portions are arranged symmetrically with respect to a common axis of symmetry with the pair of terminal modules.

5. A shielded connector as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the outer conductor extends elongatedly along the edge of the opening and has a contact surface that is symmetrical with the pair of inner conductors about a common axis of symmetry, and the shielding member has a spring portion that is capable of elastic contact with the contact surface and is arranged symmetrical with the pair of inner conductors about the common axis of symmetry.

6. A shielded connector as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the ground connection portion has a protrusion shape that can be inserted into a through-hole in the circuit board, and when the ground connection portion is inserted into the through-hole, the relative displacement of the shielding member with respect to the outer conductor is restricted.

7. A shielded connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shielding member has a spring portion that holds the shielding member to the outer conductor by making elastic contact with the outer conductor.

8. A shielded connector as set forth in claim 7, wherein the contact surface of the outer conductor with the spring portion is arranged in a narrow area along the edge of the opening, and a plurality of the spring portions are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the contact surface.

9. The shielded connector according to claim 7, wherein the shielding member is made of a metal plate.

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