CN111435770B

CN111435770B - Connector connecting structure and connector connecting body

Info

Publication number: CN111435770B
Application number: CN202010021283.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 西胁健治
Original assignee: Hirose Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hirose Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-01-11
Filing date: 2020-01-09
Publication date: 2024-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 2040-01-09
Also published as: DE102020200219A1; CN111435770A; JP2020113450A; JP7148418B2

Abstract

A connector connecting structure and a connector connecting body capable of assembling two connectors to each other on the assembling surface of 1 circuit substrate even if the adjacent connectors in the connector connecting body are offset at the height position. The held parts (151, 152) of the connecting member (150) have: a rim extending in the direction of abutment of the connectors at a position having a gap between the rim and the inner wall surface of the holding portion (12A, 82A) in the connector height direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board; press-fitting portions (151C, 151D, 152C, 152D) protruding from the edge portion in the connector height direction and engaging with the inner wall surface of the holding portion; and fulcrum portions (151E, 152E) which are supported by being in contact with the inner wall surface of the holding portion in the adjacent direction and at positions separated from the press-in portion, and the connecting member is allowed to tilt relative to the mounting surface within a range of the gap with the fulcrum portions as fulcrums.

Description

Connector connecting structure and connector connecting body

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a connector connecting structure for connecting 2 electrical connectors to each other by a connecting member, and a connector connecting body formed by connecting the 2 electrical connectors by the connecting member.

Background

When a plurality of electrical connectors are mounted on the mounting surface of 1 circuit board at positions adjacent to each other, the plurality of electrical connectors can be mounted at the same time by solder-connecting the adjacent electrical connectors to the corresponding circuit portions after the electrical connectors are disposed on the mounting surface in a state in which the adjacent electrical connectors are connected to each other by the connecting member, and the mounting operation can be performed efficiently.

For example, patent document 1 discloses 2 connector coupling bodies that are respectively mounted on mutually different circuit boards and are fitted and connected in the up-down direction at right angles to the circuit boards. Each connector connecting body is formed by connecting a plurality of electric connectors, which are formed by holding metal terminals by a holding body made of an electric insulating material, with a direction parallel to a mounting surface of a circuit substrate as a connecting direction, and by a pair of connecting members made of metal plates extending along the connecting direction, so as to be unitized. In patent document 1, the electrical connector that is one element of the unit is referred to as a "connector", and the connector connecting body that is unitized is referred to as an "electrical connector".

In patent document 1, one of the 2 connector coupling bodies is a receptacle connector coupling body in which receptacle connectors (female connectors) serving as a plurality of elements are coupled to each other by a receptacle-side coupling member, and the other is a plug connector coupling body in which plug connectors (male connectors) serving as a plurality of elements are coupled to each other by a plug-side coupling member.

In the receptacle connector connecting body, the held portion formed in each receptacle connector is pressed into the holding groove portion formed in the receptacle-side connecting member and extending in the up-down direction, so that all the receptacle connectors are held and connected by the receptacle-side connecting member. In the plug connector coupling body, a plurality of metal ground plates that are provided continuously with the plug-side coupling member and that are formed as one piece with the plug-side coupling member are held by integral molding in the housings of the plug connectors that respectively correspond to each other, so that the plurality of plug connectors are firmly coupled by the plug-side coupling member. In other words, in any connector coupling body, each connector is immovable relative to the coupling member.

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6174005

As described above, in patent document 1, since the connector is not movable with respect to the connecting member in any connector connecting body, the position (height position) in the up-down direction of the connecting portion of the solder to the terminal of each connector of the circuit board is also not movable with respect to the connecting member. Therefore, if a deviation occurs in the height position of the connection portion of the terminal between the plurality of connectors due to manufacturing errors or the like of the unitized connector connecting body, there is a concern that the connection portion of the terminal cannot be solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board in some of the connectors.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector connecting structure and a connector connecting body that can mount two connectors to each other on a mounting surface of 1 circuit board even if a height position shift occurs between adjacent connectors in the connector connecting body.

According to the present invention, the above-described problems are solved by the connector connecting structure according to the first invention and the connector connecting body according to the second invention.

< first invention >)

The connector connecting structure according to the first aspect of the present invention is a connector connecting structure as follows: the 2 electrical connectors that are mounted on the mounting surface of the 1 circuit board by soldering and are adjacent to each other are connected to each other by connecting members.

In the connector connecting structure according to the first aspect of the invention, the connecting member extends in a direction of abutment of the two electrical connectors across the range of the 2 electrical connectors, and has held portions held by the corresponding electrical connectors on both end sides in the direction of abutment, the 2 electrical connectors have holding portions that are open in directions opposite to each other in the direction of abutment, and the held portions of the connecting member are accommodated and held therein, and the held portions of the connecting member include: a rim extending in the abutting direction at a position having a gap between the rim and an inner wall surface of the holding portion in a connector height direction perpendicular to the fitting surface; a press-fit portion protruding from the edge portion in the connector height direction and engaged with the inner wall surface of the holding portion; and a fulcrum portion that is supported by being in contact with the inner wall surface of the holding portion at a position separated from the press-in portion in the abutting direction, wherein the connecting member is allowed to tilt with respect to the fitting surface within a range of the gap with the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum.

In the first aspect of the invention, the connecting member is allowed to tilt with respect to the mounting surface of the circuit board with the fulcrum portion as the fulcrum within a range of a gap in the connector height direction formed between the connecting member and the inner wall surface of the holding portion of the electrical connector. When the adjacent electrical connectors are shifted in the connector height direction, the connecting members are inclined with respect to the mounting surface within the range of the gap, so that the connection portions of the terminals of the electrical connectors come to the same height position. As a result, by connecting the adjacent electrical connectors by the connecting member, both electrical connectors can be assembled substantially simultaneously and efficiently, and in addition, the connection portions of the terminals of both electrical connectors can be arranged and solder-connected at the corresponding circuit portions formed on the assembly surface of 1 circuit board in response to the displacement of both electrical connectors in the connector height direction.

In the first aspect of the invention, the connecting member may be a metal plate member having the adjacent direction as a longitudinal direction, and the connecting member may be held by the holding portion of the electrical connector in a posture in which a plate thickness direction of the connecting member is perpendicular to both the adjacent direction and a height direction of the connector. Since the metal plate member is easy to process, the connecting member can be easily manufactured by using the connecting member as a metal plate member.

In the first aspect of the invention, the press-fit portion of the connecting member may be formed to have a smaller plate thickness than other portions of the connecting member. In this way, the press-fit portion of the connecting member is formed in a smaller plate thickness dimension than the other portion of the connecting member, so that the press-fit portion is easily engaged with the inner wall surface of the holding portion of the electrical connector. Therefore, when the adjacent electrical connectors are shifted and positioned in the connector height direction, the connecting member is easily inclined.

< second invention >)

The connector coupling body according to the second aspect of the present invention is a connector coupling body as follows: the connector is formed by connecting 2 electric connectors which are adjacent to each other on the mounting surface of 1 circuit board and are mounted by soldering connection by a connecting member.

In the connector connecting body according to a second aspect of the invention, the connecting member extends in a direction of abutment of the two electrical connectors across the range of the 2 electrical connectors, and has held portions held by the corresponding electrical connectors on both end sides in the direction of abutment, the 2 electrical connectors have holding portions that are open in directions opposite to each other in the direction of abutment, and the held portions of the connecting member are accommodated and held therein, and the held portions of the connecting member include: a rim extending in the abutting direction at a position having a gap in a connector height direction perpendicular to the fitting surface between the rim and an inner wall surface of the holding portion; a press-fit portion protruding from the edge portion in the connector height direction and engaged with the inner wall surface of the holding portion; and a fulcrum portion that is supported by being in contact with the inner wall surface of the holding portion at a position separated from the press-in portion in the abutting direction, wherein the connecting member is allowed to tilt with respect to the fitting surface within a range of the gap with the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum.

In the second aspect of the invention, as in the first aspect of the invention, when the adjacent electrical connectors are offset in the connector height direction, the connecting member is inclined with respect to the mounting surface within the gap so that the connection portions of the terminals of the electrical connectors are positioned at the same height position. Therefore, by connecting the adjacent electrical connectors by the connecting member, the two electrical connectors can be assembled substantially simultaneously and efficiently, and in addition, the connection portions of the terminals of the two electrical connectors can be arranged and solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portions formed on the assembly surface of the 1 circuit board in response to the displacement of the two electrical connectors in the connector height direction.

In the present invention, as described above, the connecting member is allowed to tilt with respect to the mounting surface of the circuit board with the fulcrum portion as the fulcrum within the range of the gap in the connector height direction formed between the edge portion of the connecting member and the inner wall surface of the holding portion of the electrical connector. Therefore, when the adjacent electrical connectors are positioned at the offset positions in the connector height direction, the connecting members are inclined with respect to the mounting surface of the circuit board within the range of the gap, so that the connection portions of the terminals of the electrical connectors come to the same height position. As a result, according to the present invention, the two electrical connectors can be assembled substantially simultaneously and efficiently by connecting the electrical connectors by the connecting member, and in addition, the connection portions of the terminals of the two electrical connectors can be arranged and solder-connected at the corresponding circuit portions formed on the assembly surface of the 1 circuit board in response to the displacement of the two electrical connectors in the connector height direction.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector coupling body according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state seen from a male connector side.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the connector coupling body of fig. 1 viewed from the female connector side.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a surface of the connector coupling body of fig. 1, the surface being perpendicular to the connector width direction, fig. 3 (a) showing a cross-section at a terminal position in the connector width direction, and fig. 3 (B) showing a cross-section at a coupling member position in the connector width direction.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the connector coupling body shown in fig. 2 in a vertically reversed manner.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the male connector, the female connector, and the coupling member of the connector coupling body shown in fig. 2 in a state separated from each other.

Fig. 6 (a) is a front view of the connecting member, fig. 6 (B) is a sectional view of VIB-VIB of fig. 6 (a), and fig. 6 (C) is a sectional view of VIC-VIC of fig. 6 (a).

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector in the connector width direction at the position of the coupling member of the connector coupling body, showing a state in which the coupling member is inclined.

Reference numerals illustrate:

1 … male connector (electrical connector); 2 … female connector (electrical connector); 12a … connecting member holding portions (holding portions); 82a … connecting member holding portions (holding portions); 150 … connection members; 151 … rear held portion (held portion); 152 … front held portion (held portion); 151A, 152a … upper edge portions (rim portions); 151B, 152B … lower edges (edges); 151C, 152C … large press-in portions (press-in portions); 151D, 152D … small press-in portions (press-in portions); 151E, 151E … fulcrum portions.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector connecting body according to the present embodiment together with a subject connector, and is shown in a state of being viewed from the male connector side. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the connector coupling body of fig. 1 viewed from the female connector side. In fig. 1 and 2, the object connector is shown by a two-dot chain line. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a surface of the connector coupling body of fig. 1, the surface being perpendicular to the connector width direction, fig. 3 (a) showing a cross-section at a terminal position in the connector width direction, and fig. 3 (B) showing a cross-section at a coupling member position in the connector width direction. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the connector coupling body shown in fig. 2 in a vertically reversed manner. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the male connector, the female connector, and the coupling member of the connector coupling body shown in fig. 2 in a state separated from each other.

The connector coupling body according to the present embodiment is configured by coupling the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 with the coupling member 150. The male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are circuit board electrical connectors mounted on respective circuit boards by solder connection, and are mounted on the mounting surface of 1 circuit board B in the adjacent direction in the X-axis direction and at the positions adjacent to each other as shown in fig. 1 and 2. In the present embodiment, a direction (X-axis direction) in which the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 abut against each other is referred to as a "front-rear direction", a direction (Z-axis direction) perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board B is referred to as a "connector height direction", and a direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to both the abutting direction and the connector height direction is referred to as a "connector width direction", as needed.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of connector coupling bodies are prepared in which the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are coupled by the coupling member 150, and the plurality of connector coupling bodies are fitted and connected in series with the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) as the connector coupling direction in a state of being mounted on the mounting surface of the corresponding circuit board (see fig. 1 and 2).

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a female connector R (shown by a two-dot chain line) as a target connector is fitted and connected from the rear to the male connector 1 of the 1 connector connecting bodies, and the female connector R is provided on the other connector connecting body located on the rear side (X2 side) in the front-rear direction (X axis direction). Further, a male connector P (shown by a two-dot chain line) as a target connector is fitted and connected to the female connector 2 of the connector coupling body from the front, and the male connector P is provided on the other connector coupling body located on the front side (X1 side) in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the female connector R is a connector having the same structure as the female connector 2, and the male connector P is a connector having the same structure as the male connector 1.

The male connector 1 has: a case 10 made of an electrically insulating material and formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape; a plurality of upper male terminals 20 made of metal and lower male terminals 30 made of metal, which are held in an aligned manner in the housing 10; and an upper shield plate 40 and a lower shield plate 70 made of metal, which are mounted to the housing 10. Hereinafter, the upper male terminal 20 and the lower male terminal 30 are collectively referred to as "male terminals 20 and 30", without distinction.

The rear portion (portion on the X2 side) of the housing 10 is formed as a fitting portion 11 for fitting with the female connector R as the subject connector, and the front portion (portion on the X1 side) is formed as a terminal holding portion 12 for holding the male terminals 20, 30. As shown in fig. 1, the fitting portion 11 includes: an upper wall 13 and a lower wall 14 which are opposed in the up-down direction and extend in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction); and a pair of end walls 15 extending in the up-down direction (connector height direction) at the connector width direction both end positions of the fitting portion 11, and connecting the end portions of the upper wall 13 and the end portions of the lower wall 14. The space surrounded by the upper wall 13, the lower wall 14, and the pair of end walls 15 is formed as a receiving recess 16, and the receiving recess 16 is opened rearward (X2 direction) to receive a corresponding fitting portion provided in the female connector R.

As shown in fig. 1, upper mounting grooves 13A recessed from the lower surface of the rear end portion (portion where the opening edge portion of the receiving recess 16 is formed) of the upper wall 13 are formed at a plurality of positions (4 positions in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction of the upper wall 13. The upper mounting groove 13A holds the upper inner shield 60 pressed from the rear.

As shown in fig. 1, a lower mounting groove 14A recessed from the upper surface of the rear end portion (portion where the opening edge portion of the receiving recess 16 is formed) of the lower wall 14 is formed at a plurality of positions (4 positions in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction of the lower wall 14. The lower mounting groove 14A holds the lower shield plate 70 pressed from the rear.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the terminal holding portion 12 includes a connecting member holding portion 12A recessed from outer side surfaces (surfaces perpendicular to the connector width direction) located at both ends in the connector width direction. The connecting member holding portion 12A extends in the front-rear direction and is opened toward the front (X1 direction) and the connector width direction outside, and a rear held portion 151, which will be described later, accommodates the connecting member 150 is press-fitted and held.

An upper groove 12A-1 for accommodating the upper portion of the coupling member 150 is formed in the upper portion of the coupling member holding portion 12A, and a lower groove 12A-2 for accommodating the lower portion of the coupling member 150 is formed in the lower portion of the coupling member holding portion 12A. The upper groove portion 12A-1 extends in the front-rear direction and opens forward and downward. As shown in fig. 3B, the upper inner wall surface (surface perpendicular to the vertical direction) of the upper groove 12A-1 is stepped at a front-rear direction intermediate position, and the front half (X1 side portion) is located above the rear half (X2 side portion). The lower groove 12A-2 is formed by reversing the upper groove 12A-1 vertically.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), the terminal holding portion 12 has a slit-shaped terminal holding groove 17 extending at right angles to the connector width direction. The terminal holding portion 12 is formed with a groove width dimension (dimension in the connector width direction) slightly larger than the plate thickness of the male terminals 20, 30, and can accommodate the male terminals 20, 30.

Before describing the shape of the terminal holding groove 17, first, the shape of the male terminals 20 and 30 held by the terminal holding groove 17 will be described. The male terminals 20 and 30 are manufactured by punching out a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction thereof, and are formed in a substantially L-shape overall as shown in fig. 3 a, and are held in the housing 10 in an aligned manner with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction) as shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the male terminals 20 and 30 are held in the terminal holding grooves 17 in a posture in which the plate surfaces are perpendicular to the connector width direction. The upper male terminal 20 of the male terminals 20, 30 has: a lateral portion 21 extending straight in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) in the terminal holding groove 17; a vertical portion 22 extending straight downward from a front end portion (X1 side end portion) of the lateral portion 21 in the terminal holding groove 17; and a contact portion 23 that extends straight rearward (X2 direction) from a rear end portion (X2 side end portion) of the lateral portion 21 and is located in the receiving recess 16.

The lateral portion 21 has a plurality of locking projections formed on the upper edge thereof, and the lateral portion 21 is held in an upper groove portion 17A of the terminal holding groove 17 by the locking projections being locked to an inner wall surface of the upper groove portion 17A described later. The vertical portion 22 extends downward to a position slightly protruding from the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion 12, and the protruding lower end portion is formed as a connection portion 22A (see also fig. 4) for solder connection to the mounting surface of the circuit board B (see fig. 1 and 2). The contact portion 23 is formed thinner than the lateral portion 21, that is, the connector is formed smaller in dimension in the height direction (up-down direction), and is formed in a substantially pin shape as shown in fig. 1.

The lower male terminal 30 has a lateral portion 31, a vertical portion 32, and a contact portion 33 in the same manner as the above-described upper male terminal 20, but the lateral portion 31 and the vertical portion 32 are shorter than the lateral portion 21 and the vertical portion 22 of the upper male terminal 20, respectively, and in this respect, the lower male terminal 30 is different from the upper male terminal 20. The lateral portion 31 has a plurality of locking projections formed on the lower edge thereof, and the lateral portion 31 is held in a lower groove portion 17B of the terminal holding groove 17 by the locking projections being locked to an inner wall surface of the lower groove portion 17B described later. The vertical portion 32 extends downward to a position slightly protruding from the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion 12, that is, to the same position as the lower end of the vertical portion 22 of the upper male terminal 20, and the protruding lower end portion is formed as a connection portion 32A for solder connection to the mounting surface of the circuit board B (see also fig. 4). The contact portion 33 is formed in the same size as the contact portion 23 of the upper male terminal 20, and extends to the same position as the rear end of the contact portion 23, as shown in fig. 3 (a).

The description is returned to the case 10. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the terminal holding groove 17 of the housing 10 for holding the male terminals 20 and 30 includes: an upper groove 17A for accommodating the lateral portion 21 of the upper male terminal 20; a lower groove 17B for accommodating the lateral portion 31 of the lower male terminal 30; and a front groove 17C extending to the front end and the lower end of the terminal holding portion 12 in a region forward of the upper groove 17A and the lower groove 17B.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), the upper groove portion 17A extends in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) at the upper portion of the terminal holding portion 12, the rear end opens toward the receiving recess 16 and communicates with the receiving recess 16, and the front end communicates with the front groove portion 17C. The lower groove 17B is located below the upper groove 17A, extends in the front-rear direction, and is formed shorter than the upper groove 17A in the front-rear direction. The rear end of the lower groove 17B opens to the receiving recess 16 at the same position as the rear end of the upper groove 17A and communicates with the receiving recess 16, and the front end is located rearward of the front end of the upper groove 17A and communicates with the front groove 17C. As described above, the front groove 17C extends to the front end and the lower end of the terminal holding portion 12, is opened forward and downward, and communicates with the outside. The terminal holding grooves 17 adjacent to each other in the connector width direction are separated by partition walls extending parallel to the terminal holding grooves 17.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), a step portion 10A is formed in a boundary region between the fitting portion 11 and the terminal holding portion 12 in an upper portion of the housing 10, with an upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12 being located below an upper surface of the fitting portion 11. The stepped portion 10A is formed with an upper through hole 18 penetrating the front portion of the fitting portion 11 in the front-rear direction. As shown in fig. 2, the upper through holes 18 are formed at a plurality of positions (5 positions in fig. 2) in the connector width direction, and the inner connecting portions 63 of the upper inner shield portion 60 to be described later are inserted from the rear.

As shown in fig. 3 (a) and 4, a step portion 10B is formed in a boundary region between the fitting portion 11 and the terminal holding portion 12, in which the lower surface of the terminal holding portion 12 is located above the lower surface of the fitting portion 11 in the lower portion of the housing 10. As shown in fig. 4, a lower through hole 19 that opens rearward and downward (upward (Z2 direction) in fig. 4) is formed in the step portion 10B. The space located below the terminal holding portion 12 (above (Z2 direction) in fig. 4) communicates with the receiving recess 16 via the lower through hole 19. As shown in fig. 4, the lower through holes 19 are formed at a plurality of positions (6 positions in fig. 4) in the connector width direction in correspondence with the leg portions 72 of the lower shield plate 70 described later, and receive the leg portions 72 from the rear side.

The shield plate mounted to the housing 10 has: an upper shield plate 40 mounted on the housing 10 at a position distant from the circuit board B; and a lower shielding plate 70 mounted to the housing 10 at a position close to the circuit board B. In addition, the upper shield plate 40 has: an upper outer shield 50 covering the outer surface (upper surface and front surface) of the terminal holding portion 12 of the housing 10; and an upper inner shield 60 covering an upper inner wall surface of the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10.

The upper outer shield 50 is manufactured by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction so that the overall shape of the upper outer shield as viewed in the connector width direction is substantially L-shaped. The upper outer shield 50 includes: an upper plate portion 51 extending along an upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12; a front plate portion 52 extending along a front surface of the terminal holding portion 12; and a front grounding portion 53 formed by bending the lower end of the front plate portion 52 forward. The upper outer shield portion 50 covers almost the entire area of the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12 with the upper plate portion 51, and covers almost the entire area of the front surface of the terminal holding portion 12 with the front plate portion 52.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper plate portion 51 has an outer connecting portion 51A formed by bending the rear end portion of the upper plate portion 51 in the plate thickness direction so as to be crank-shaped when viewed in the connector width direction at a plurality of positions (5 positions in fig. 2) corresponding to the upper through holes 18 of the housing 10 in the connector width direction (see also fig. 3 a). As shown in fig. 3 (a), the outer connection portion 51A is located above the other portion of the upper plate portion 51, and a gap for receiving an inner connection portion 63 of an upper inner shield portion 60 described later from behind is formed between the outer connection portion and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12. The outer connection portion 51A contacts the upper surface of the inner connection portion 63 with its lower surface, thereby achieving electrical conduction between the upper outer shield portion 50 and the upper inner shield portion 60 (see fig. 3 a).

As shown in fig. 5, the front plate portion 52 is formed with a held piece 52A by cutting the lower portion of the front plate portion 52 rearward at a plurality of positions (5 positions in fig. 4) in the connector width direction. When the upper outer shield portion 50 is mounted to the terminal holding portion 12 from the front, the held piece 52A is pressed into and held by a holding hole (not shown) formed in the terminal holding portion 12 from the front as will be described later.

As shown in fig. 5, 2 front ground portions 53 are provided at each of positions corresponding to the outer connecting portions 51A in the connector width direction. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the front grounding portion 53 is located at the same height as the connection portions 22A, 32A of the male terminals 20, 30, and can be connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the mounting surface of the circuit board B by soldering.

The upper inner shield portion 60 and the upper outer shield portion 50 are independent of each other, and are manufactured by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction. As shown in fig. 3 (a) and (B), the upper inner shield 60 is positioned along the upper inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces forming the receiving recess 16 in the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10, and covers almost the entire area of the inner wall surface.

The upper inner shield 60 includes: a plurality of upper long shield contact pieces 61 and upper short shield contact pieces 62 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "upper shield contact pieces 61, 62" as needed) which are arranged and formed in the connector width direction; a plurality of inner connection portions 63 formed at the front end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60; and a plurality of mounting pieces formed at the rear end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60.

The upper long shield contact pieces 61 and the upper short shield contact pieces 62 are formed alternately in the connector width direction. The upper long shield contact piece 61 and the upper short shield contact piece 62 are formed by cutting the upper inner shield portion 60, and as shown in fig. 3 a, are formed as cantilever-shaped elastic pieces that are elastically displaceable in the up-down direction (plate thickness direction) so as to extend slightly downward as going rearward (X2 direction). In addition, the upper short shield contact piece 62 is formed shorter in the front-rear direction than the upper long shield contact piece 61. Contact portions for contacting an upper shield plate 110 described later provided in the female connector R (see fig. 1 and 2) are formed to protrude downward from rear end portions of the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62.

The inner connection 63 is formed by: as shown in fig. 3 (a), the front end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 is bent in a crank shape in the connector width direction at a position corresponding to the upper through hole 18 of the housing 10. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the inner connecting portion 63 is located below the other portion of the upper inner shield portion 60, penetrates the upper through hole 18 of the housing 10 from behind, and enters the gap between the outer connecting portion 51A of the upper outer shield portion 50 and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12 from behind. The inner connection portion 63 located in the gap is in contact with the lower surface of the outer connection portion 51A by the upper surface of the inner connection portion 63.

The mounting piece is formed by bending the rear end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 into a crank shape at a plurality of positions (4 positions in the present embodiment) corresponding to the upper mounting groove 13A of the housing 10 in the connector width direction. The upper inner shield 60 is mounted to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10 by pressing the mounting piece into the upper mounting groove 13A from the rear direction (see fig. 1).

The lower shield plate 70 is manufactured by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction. The lower shield plate 70 includes: a lower inner shield 71 positioned along the inner wall surface of the lower side of the receiving recess 16 in the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10 and covering almost the entire area of the inner wall surface; a plurality of leg portions 72 bent in a crank shape from a front edge of the lower inner shield portion 71 and extending; and a plurality of mounting pieces that flex and extend from the rear edge of the lower inner shield 71.

The lower inner shield 71 has a shape in which the upper inner shield 60 described above is vertically reversed. In other words, as shown in fig. 1, the lower inner shield portion 71 is formed by alternately positioning and arranging the lower long shield contact pieces 75 and the lower short shield contact pieces 76 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "lower shield contact pieces 75, 76" as needed) which are elastic pieces capable of being elastically displaced in the up-down direction in the connector width direction (see also fig. 3 (a)). The lower shield contact pieces 75, 76 themselves are also formed in a shape in which the upper shield contact pieces 61, 62 of the upper inner shield portion 60 are vertically reversed. The lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 can elastically contact the lower shield plate 140 provided in the female connector R (see fig. 1 and 2) by contact portions formed at the rear end portions.

The leg portions 72 are provided at a plurality of positions (6 positions in the present embodiment) corresponding to the lower through holes 19 of the housing 10 in the connector width direction (see fig. 4). The leg portion 72 is formed by bending the front end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 into a crank shape. The leg portion 72 has a rear ground portion 72A, the rear ground portion 72A is positioned along the mounting surface of the circuit board B at the rear portion of the terminal holding portion 12 and extends forward (see also fig. 4), and the leg portion 72 is grounded to the mounting surface by the rear ground portion 72A.

The mounting pieces are provided at a plurality of positions (4 positions in the present embodiment) corresponding to the lower mounting groove 14A of the housing 10 in the connector width direction, and are formed by bending in a crank shape from the rear edge of the lower inner shield 71. The lower shield plate 70 is mounted to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10 by pressing the mounting piece into the lower mounting groove 14A from the rear (see fig. 1).

The male connector 1 of the above structure is assembled as follows. First, the lower male terminal 30 is inserted from the terminal holding groove 17 of the front housing 10, and the lateral portion 31 of the lower male terminal 30 is pressed into the lower groove portion 17B of the terminal holding groove 17, whereby the lower male terminal 30 is attached to the housing 10. Next, the upper male terminal 20 is inserted from the terminal holding groove 17 of the front housing 10, and the lateral portion 21 of the upper male terminal 20 is pressed into the upper groove portion 17A of the terminal holding groove 17, whereby the upper male terminal 20 is attached to the housing 10. In this way, in a state where the male terminals 20, 30 are mounted to the housing 10, the contact portions 23, 33 of the male terminals 20, 30 are arranged in the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10.

Next, the held piece 52A of the upper outer shield portion 50 is pressed into a holding hole (not shown) of the terminal holding portion 12 of the front-direction housing 10, whereby the upper outer shield portion 50 is attached to the terminal holding portion 12. In a state where the upper outer shield portion 50 is attached, a gap is formed between the outer connection portion 51A of the upper outer shield portion 50 and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12.

Next, the mounting piece of the upper inner shield portion 60 is pressed from the upper mounting groove 13A of the rear housing 10, thereby mounting the upper inner shield portion 60 to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10. When the upper inner shield portion 60 is attached to the fitting portion 11, the inner connection portion 63 of the upper inner shield portion 60 penetrates the upper through hole 18 of the housing 10 from behind, and enters the gap between the outer connection portion 51A and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12, thereby bringing into a state of being in contact with the lower surface of the outer connection portion 51A and being electrically conductive. In addition, a portion of the upper inner shield 60 located in the receiving recess 16 is located along and covers an inner wall surface of the upper side of the receiving recess 16.

Next, the mounting piece of the lower shield plate 70 is pressed from the lower mounting groove 14A of the rear case 10, and the lower shield plate 70 is mounted to the fitting portion 11 of the case 10 (see fig. 1). When the lower shield plate 70 is attached to the fitting portion 11, the lower inner shield portion 71 of the lower shield plate 70 is positioned along and covers the inner wall surface of the lower side of the receiving recess 16. At this time, the leg portions 72 of the lower shield plate 70 are brought out of the lower through holes 19 of the case 10 to a position where they can be solder-connected to the circuit board B via the lower through holes 19.

In this way, the upper male terminal 20, the lower male terminal 30, the upper outer shield portion 50, the upper inner shield portion 60, and the lower shield plate 70 are mounted to the housing 10, thereby completing the male connector 1. In the present embodiment, the upper outer shield 50, the upper inner shield 60, and the lower shield 70 are attached to the housing 10 in this order, but the order of attachment is not limited to this, and any one may be attached first, or may be attached simultaneously.

Next, the structure of the female connector 2 will be described. As described above, the female connector 2 is fitted and connected from the front (X1 side) to the male connector P (shown by a two-dot chain line in fig. 1 and 2) as the target connector.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the female connector 2 includes: a case 80 made of an electrically insulating material and formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape; a plurality of upper metal-made master terminals 90 and lower metal-made master terminals 100, which are held in an aligned manner in the housing 80; and an upper shield plate 110 and a lower shield plate 140 made of metal, which are mounted to the housing 80. Hereinafter, the upper female terminal 90 and the lower female terminal 100 are collectively referred to as "female terminals 90, 100" without distinguishing them.

The front portion (portion on the X1 side) of the housing 80 is formed as a fitting portion 81 for fitting with the male connector P as the subject connector, and the rear portion (portion on the X2 side) is formed as a terminal holding portion 82 for holding the female terminals 90, 100. As shown in fig. 2, the housing 80 has: an upper wall 83 and a lower wall 84 that face each other in the connector height direction (up-down direction (Z-axis direction)) and extend in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction); and a pair of end walls 85 extending in the up-down direction at both end positions of the fitting portion 81 in the connector width direction and connecting the end portions of the upper wall 83 and the end portions of the lower wall 84.

As shown in fig. 3 (a) and (B), the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 82 is located at the same height as the upper surface of the fitting portion 81, but the lower surface is located above the lower surface of the fitting portion 81. As shown in fig. 1, outer side surfaces (surfaces perpendicular to the connector width direction) located at both ends of the terminal holding portion 82 in the connector width direction are located further outside than the outer side surfaces of the fitting portion 81 in the connector width direction.

The terminal holding portion 12 has a connecting member holding portion 82A recessed from the outer surface. The coupling member holding portion 82A extends in the front-rear direction, is opened to the rear (X2 direction) and the connector width direction outside, and receives a front held portion 152 of the coupling member 150 to be described later, and is press-fitted and held. The coupling member holding portion 82A has a shape in which the coupling member holding portion 12A of the male connector 1 described above is reversed in the front-rear direction, and has an upper groove portion 82A-1 and a lower groove portion 82A-2 similarly to the coupling member holding portion 12A.

As shown in fig. 2, the housing 80 includes: 1 cross walls 86 that extend in the connector width direction at a central position in the up-down direction and connect inner wall surfaces of the end walls 85 to each other; and a plurality of vertical partition walls 87 that extend in the up-down direction at a plurality of positions in the connector width direction and connect the inner wall surfaces of the upper wall 83 and the lower wall 84 to each other. The space surrounded by the peripheral wall formed by the upper wall 83, the lower wall 84, and the 2 end walls 85 is partitioned into a plurality of small spaces by the 1 transverse partition walls 86 and the plurality of longitudinal partition walls 87. The small space is formed in 2 layers in the up-down direction and 13 columns in the connector width direction.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), the small space penetrates the case 80 in the front-rear direction. Among the plurality of small spaces, the small space located at the upper layer is an upper hole portion 88A of the terminal housing portion 88 described later, and the small space located at the lower layer is a lower hole portion 88B of the terminal housing portion 88 described later. The upper hole 88A accommodates a lateral portion of the upper female terminal 90, which will be described later, and the lower hole 88B accommodates a lateral portion of the lower female terminal 100, which will be described later (see fig. 3 a).

As shown in fig. 2, upper mounting grooves 83A recessed from the upper surface of the front end portion (X1-side end portion) of the upper wall 83 are formed at a plurality of positions (5 positions in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction of the upper wall 83. The upper mounting groove 83A is opened upward (Z1 direction) and forward (X1 direction), and holds a mounting piece 134 of the upper front shield 130 pressed from the forward as described later (see fig. 3A).

As shown in fig. 4, the lower wall 84 is formed with lower mounting grooves 84A recessed from a lower surface (upper surface in fig. 4) of a front end portion (X1-side end portion) of the lower wall 84 at a plurality of positions (5 positions in the present embodiment) corresponding to the upper mounting grooves 83A in the connector width direction. The housing 80 holds the mounting piece 143 of the lower shield plate 140 pressed from the front by the lower mounting groove 84A as will be described later (see fig. 3 a).

As shown in fig. 3 (a), the housing 80 includes a terminal housing portion 88 for housing and holding the female terminals 90 and 100.

Before describing the shape of the terminal housing portion 88, first, the shape of the female terminals 90 and 100 held by the terminal housing portion 88 will be described. The upper header terminal 90 is formed by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction, has a lateral portion extending in the front-rear direction and a vertical portion extending in the up-down direction when viewed in the connector width direction, has a substantially lateral L-shape as a whole, and is accommodated in the terminal accommodating portion 88. The upper female terminal 90 has a pair of elastic arm portions 91 at the front end portion of the lateral portion, and a connecting portion 92 located outside the housing 80 at the lower end portion of the longitudinal portion.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), the pair of elastic arm portions 91 are opposed in the up-down direction and are elastically displaceable in the up-down direction. The paired 2 elastic arm portions 91 extend so as to incline toward each other as they approach the front, and bend so as to incline in directions separating from each other at the front end portions thereof. The bent portions of the distal end portions, that is, the portions protruding so as to approach each other, become contact protrusions that can contact the contact portions 23 of the upper male terminal 20. The interval between the contact protrusions in the up-down direction is smaller than the up-down dimension of the contact portion 23 of the upper male terminal 20, and in the connector fitted state, the pair of contact protrusions pinch the contact portion 23 of the upper male terminal 20 in the up-down direction.

The connection portion 92 is formed by bending the lower end portion of the vertical portion at a right angle in the plate thickness direction, and is located below the lower surface of the terminal holding portion 82 of the housing 80 (see also fig. 4). In a state where the female connector 2 is disposed on the mounting surface of the circuit board B, the connection portion 92 is positioned so that the lower surface (a plate surface perpendicular to the vertical direction) of the connection portion 92 is in surface contact with the mounting surface, and can be solder-connected to a corresponding circuit portion of the mounting surface.

The lower female terminal 100 has a shape in which the lateral and longitudinal portions of the upper female terminal 90 are respectively shortened, and has a pair of elastic arm portions 101 at one end and a connecting portion 102 at the other end, similarly to the upper female terminal 90. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the pair of elastic arm portions 101 are located in the lower hole portion 88B of the terminal housing portion 88, and in the connector fitted state, the pair of elastic arm portions 101 pinch the contact portion 33 of the lower male terminal 30 in the up-down direction by the pair of contact protrusions. As shown in fig. 3 a, the connection portion 102 is located at the same height as the connection portion 92 of the upper female terminal 90 and is located forward of the connection portion 92 (see also fig. 4).

The description is returned to the terminal housing portion 88. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the terminal housing portion 88 includes: an upper hole 88A for accommodating a lateral portion of the upper female terminal 90; a lower hole 88B for accommodating a lateral portion of the lower female terminal 100; and a rear groove 88C (see fig. 4) that accommodates the vertical portion of the upper female terminal 90 and the vertical portion of the lower female terminal 100. The upper hole 88A and the lower hole 88B are arranged in parallel, extend in the front-rear direction, and penetrate the housing 80. The rear groove 88C is formed in a slit shape extending from the rear end side portion of the housing 80 to the rear end and the lower end of the terminal holding portion 82, and communicates the upper hole 88A and the lower hole 88B with the outside.

As shown in fig. 3 a, a step 80A is formed in a boundary region between the fitting portion 81 and the terminal holding portion 82 at a lower portion of the housing 80, the lower surface of the terminal holding portion 82 being located below the lower surface of the fitting portion 81 (see also fig. 4). As shown in fig. 4, a recess 80B for accommodating the leg 142 of the lower shield plate 140 is formed in the stepped portion 80A so as to open forward and downward.

The shield plate mounted to the housing 80 has: an upper shield plate 110 mounted on the housing 80 at a position distant from the circuit board B; and a lower shielding plate 140 mounted to the housing 80 at a position close to the circuit board B. In addition, the upper shield plate 110 has: an upper rear shield 120 that covers the outer surfaces (upper and rear surfaces) of the terminal holding portion 82 of the housing 80; and an upper front shield portion 130 covering an upper surface of the fitting portion 81 of the housing 80.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3 and fig. 5, the upper rear shield 120 has substantially the same shape as the upper outer shield 50 of the male connector 1, and is attached to the terminal holding portion 82 of the housing 80 from behind in a posture in which it faces the opposite side of the upper outer shield 50 in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the portions of the upper rear shield 120 corresponding to the upper outer shield 50 are denoted by reference numerals, which are added with "70" to the reference numerals of the upper outer shield 50, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3 and fig. 5, the upper front shield 130 is formed in such a shape that the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62 of the upper inner shield 60 of the male connector 1 are omitted. The upper front shield 130 is attached to the fitting portion 81 of the housing 80 from the front side in a posture of facing the opposite side of the upper inner shield 60 in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the portions of the upper front shield 130 corresponding to the upper inner shield 60 are denoted by reference numerals, which are added with "70" to the reference numerals of the upper inner shield 60, and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3 and fig. 5, the lower shield plate 140 has a shape in which the lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 of the lower shield plate 70 of the male connector 1 are omitted. The lower shield plate 140 is attached to the fitting portion 81 of the housing 80 from the front side in a posture of facing the opposite side to the lower shield plate 70 in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the portions of the lower shield plate 140 corresponding to the lower shield plate 70 are denoted by reference numerals, which are added with "70" to the reference numerals of the lower shield plate 70, and the description thereof is omitted.

The female connector 2 of the above structure is assembled as follows. First, the lateral portion of the lower female terminal 100 is pressed from the upper hole portion 88A of the rear terminal accommodating portion 88, and the lower female terminal 100 is attached to the housing 80. Next, the lateral portion of the upper female terminal 90 is pressed into the lower hole portion 88B of the terminal housing portion 88, whereby the upper female terminal 90 is attached to the housing 80.

Next, the held piece (not shown) of the upper rear shield 120 is pressed from the holding hole (not shown) of the terminal holding portion 82 of the rear housing 80, and the upper rear shield 120 is attached to the terminal holding portion 82. In a state where the upper rear shield portion 120 is attached, a gap is formed between the outer connection portion 121A of the upper rear shield portion 120 and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 82.

Next, the mounting piece 134 of the upper front shield portion 130 is pressed from the front direction into the upper mounting groove 83A of the housing 80, and the upper front shield portion 130 is mounted to the fitting portion 81 of the housing 80 (see fig. 3A). When the upper front shield portion 130 is attached to the fitting portion 81, as shown in fig. 3 (a), the inner connecting portion 133 of the upper front shield portion 130 enters a gap between the outer connecting portion 121A and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 82, and is brought into contact with the lower surface of the outer connecting portion 121A and is electrically conductive.

Next, the mounting piece 143 of the lower shield plate 140 is pressed from the lower mounting groove 84A of the rear case 80, and the lower shield plate 140 is mounted to the fitting portion 81 of the case 80 (see fig. 3 a). When the lower shield plate 140 is attached to the fitting portion 81, the lower shield portion 141 of the lower shield plate 140 is positioned along and covers the lower surface of the fitting portion 81. At this time, the leg 142 of the lower shield plate 140 is positioned below the lower surface of the fitting portion 81, and reaches a position where it can be soldered to the circuit board B.

In this way, the upper female terminal 90, the lower female terminal 100, the upper rear shield 120, the upper front shield 130, and the lower shield 140 are mounted to the housing 80, thereby completing the female connector 2. In the present embodiment, the upper rear shield 120, the upper front shield 130, and the lower shield 140 are attached to the housing 80 in this order, but the order of attachment is not limited to this, and either may be attached first, or may be attached simultaneously.

The connecting member 150 is made of a metal plate, and is manufactured by punching out a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction and performing press working on a part thereof. As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the connecting member 150 extends across the connectors 1 and 2 in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction), and is provided at 1 on each of the two sides in the connector width direction of the connectors 1 and 2 in a posture in which the plate thickness direction of the connecting member 150 coincides with the connector width direction (Y-axis direction).

As shown in fig. 6 (a), the coupling member 150 is symmetrical with respect to the central position in the front-rear direction in both the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and includes: a rear held portion 151 located on the rear end side (X2 side) in the front-rear direction and held by the male connector 1; a front held portion 152 which is positioned on the female connector 2 on the front end side (X1 side) and held; and an extension 153 extending upward and downward at a central position in the front-rear direction.

The rear held portion 151 includes: an upper edge portion 151A and a lower edge portion 151B extending in the front-rear direction; and press-fitting portions 151C and 151D (a large press-fitting portion 151C and a small press-fitting portion 151D described later) and a fulcrum portion 151E, which protrude from the upper edge portion 151A and the lower edge portion 151B, respectively.

Since the rear held portion 151 has a vertically symmetrical shape, the press-fitting portions 151C and 151D and the fulcrum portion 151E will be described for each portion provided on the upper edge portion 151A side, and the description of each portion provided on the lower edge portion 151B side will be omitted.

When the rear held portion 151 is pushed into the coupling member holding portion 12A of the male connector 1, as shown in fig. 3B, the push-in portions 151C and 151D are engaged with the upper inner wall surface (surface perpendicular to the vertical direction) of the coupling member holding portion 12A, thereby preventing the rear held portion 151 from falling off (see also fig. 7). The press-fitting portions 151C and 151D are positioned so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction, and, as shown in fig. 6 (a), include: a large press-fitting portion 151C positioned adjacent to the extension portion 153 in the front-rear direction; and a small press-fitting portion 151D positioned rearward (in the X2 direction) of the large press-fitting portion 151C and closer to the rear end of the rear held portion 151.

As shown in fig. 6 a, the press-fitting portions 151C and 151D have a substantially triangular shape having an inclined edge inclined downward as it goes rearward when viewed in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction). The small press-fitting portion 151D is formed lower than the large press-fitting portion 151C, i.e., smaller in the up-down direction. The press-fit portions 151C and 151D are formed thinner than other portions of the rear held portion 151 as shown in fig. 6 (B) and (C) by press working from the Y2 side in the plate thickness direction (connector width direction (Y axis direction)). In this way, by thinning the press-fitting portions 151C, 151D, the press-fitting portions 151C, 151D are easily caught on the inner wall surface of the connecting member holding portion 12A.

As will be described later, when the coupling member 150 is in an inclined posture (see fig. 7) from a normal posture (see fig. 3B) that is not inclined with respect to the front-rear direction (X-axis direction), the fulcrum portion 151E functions as a fulcrum that is in sliding contact with the inner wall surface of the coupling member holding portion 12A. The fulcrum portion 151E is located at a position separated from the small press-fitting portion 151D at a rear end portion of the rear held portion 151, that is, at a rear side of the small press-fitting portion 151D. As shown in fig. 6 a, the fulcrum 151E has a substantially triangular shape when viewed in the connector width direction (Y-axis direction), but the edge portion inclined so as to be closer to the lower side toward the rear thereof has an arc-shaped arc 151E-1. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 6 (a), the circular arc portions 151E-1 of the 2 fulcrum portions 151E located at the upper and lower portions of the rear end portion of the rear held portion 151 have a common center P1 (indicated by "+" in fig. 6 (a)) at a position near the rear end of the rear held portion 151.

The front held portion 152 has a shape in which the rear held portion 151 described above is reversed in the front-rear direction. The front held portion 152 is given a reference numeral obtained by adding "1" to the reference numeral of the rear held portion 151, and the description thereof is omitted. In fig. 6 (a), a common center P2 of the arc portion 152E-1 of the 2 fulcrum portions 152E is indicated by a "+" sign.

As shown in fig. 3 (B) and 7, the extension portion 153 extends in the up-down direction beyond the connecting member holding portions 12A, 82A of the connectors 1, 2, and the plate thickness surface thereof faces the front surface of the male connector 1 and the rear surface of the female connector 2. In other words, the extension 153 can be positioned in abutment with the connectors 1 and 2 in the front-rear direction, thereby preventing the held portions 151 and 152 from being excessively pushed into the connecting member holding portions 12A and 82A.

The connector assembly according to the present embodiment is assembled as follows. First, the rear held portion 151 of the coupling member 150 is pushed in from the front toward the coupling member holding portion 12A of the housing 10 of the male connector 1. At this time, as shown in fig. 3 (B) and fig. 7, the press-fitting portions 151C, 151D of the rear held portion 151 are engaged with the inner wall surface of the coupling member holding portion 12A, whereby the rear held portion 151 is held by the coupling member holding portion 12A. At this time, the large press-fit portion 151C is engaged with the inner wall surfaces of the front half portions of the upper groove portion 12A-1 and the lower groove portion 12A-2 of the coupling member holding portion 12A, and the small press-fit portion 151D is engaged with the inner wall surfaces of the rear half portions of the upper groove portion 12A-1 and the lower groove portion 12A-2. Further, a part of the arc portion 151E-1 of the fulcrum portion 151E is in contact with the inner wall surface of the rear half of the coupling member holding portion 12A. A gap is formed in the up-down direction between the upper edge 151A and the lower edge 151B of the rear held portion 151 and the inner wall surface of the connecting member holding portion 12A.

Next, the front held portion 152 of the coupling member 150 is pushed in from the rear to the coupling member holding portion 82A of the housing 80 of the female connector 2 in the same manner as the rear held portion 151 described above. As a result, the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are connected by the connecting member 150, and the connector connecting body is completed.

Here, the coupling member 150 is attached to the female connector 2 after being attached to the male connector 1, but the order of attachment is not limited thereto, and may be attached to the female connector 2 first or may be attached to both connectors 1 and 2 at the same time.

Next, the fitting operation of the connector coupling bodies to each other will be described. First, the assembled connector assembly is mounted on the mounting surface of the circuit board B. Specifically, the connection portions 22A, 32A of the male terminals 20, 30, the front grounding portion 53 of the upper outer shield 50, and the rear grounding portion 72A of the lower shield 70 provided in the male connector 1 are solder-connected to corresponding circuit portions on the mounting surface of the circuit board B. The connection portions 92 and 102 of the female terminals 90 and 100, the rear ground 123 of the upper rear shield 120, and the front ground 142A of the lower shield 140 provided in the female connector 2 are soldered to corresponding circuit portions on the mounting surface of the circuit board B. Hereinafter, the above-described "connection portions 22A, 32A", "front ground portion 53", "rear ground portion 72A", "connection portions 92, 102", "rear ground portion 123", "front ground portion 142A" are collectively referred to as "solder mounting portions" as required.

In the present embodiment, even if a misalignment occurs between the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 at the height position (position in the up-down direction) of the solder fitting portion due to manufacturing errors or the like of the connector connecting body, as will be described later with reference to fig. 7, the solder fitting portions of the two connectors 1 and 2 can be arranged and solder-connected at the corresponding circuit portions formed on the mounting surface of 1 circuit board by making the connecting member 150 into an inclined posture with respect to the mounting surface of the circuit board.

When the connector coupling body is completed, the coupling member 150 is in a normal posture (see fig. 3B) extending straight in the front-rear direction without being inclined with respect to the mounting surface of the circuit board B. If the height positions of the solder fitting portions of the connectors 1 and 2 are different in the normal posture of the connecting member 150, for example, if the solder fitting portion of the female connector 2 is displaced above the solder fitting portion of the male connector 1 and positioned, the solder fitting portion of the male connector 1 positioned relatively below is first solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board B.

Next, the female connector 2 is moved downward, and the solder mounting portion of the female connector 2 is brought into contact with the corresponding circuit portion of the circuit board B at the same height position as the solder mounting portion of the male connector 1. At this time, the coupling member 150 is in an inclined posture as shown in fig. 7, that is, in an inclined posture in which the front end of the coupling member 150 is positioned below the rear end, thereby allowing the female connector 2 to move downward. Tilting of the coupling member 150 is allowed within a range of a gap in the up-down direction formed between the upper edge portions 151A, 152A and the lower edge portions 151B, 152B of the held portions 151, 152 and the inner wall surfaces of the coupling member holding portions 12A, 82B. In fig. 7, the inclination angle with respect to the normal posture of the coupling member 150 is indicated by "θ". Then, the solder fitting portion of the female connector 2 is solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portion, whereby the fitting of the connector assembly is completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the electrical connectors are connected by the connecting members, whereby the connectors 1 and 2 can be assembled substantially simultaneously and efficiently, and in addition, the connection portions of the terminals of the connectors 1 and 2 and the grounding portions of the shield plate can be arranged and solder-connected in the corresponding circuit portions formed on the mounting surface of the 1 circuit board in response to the misalignment of the connectors 1 and 2 in the connector height direction.

When the coupling member 150 is tilted from the normal posture, the coupling member is displaced about the fulcrum portions 151E and 152E. At this time, focusing on the fulcrum portions 151E, 152E, the fulcrum portions 151E, 152E rotate in the XZ plane about the centers P1, P2, respectively, while being in sliding contact with the inner wall surfaces of the coupling member holding portions 12A, 82A by the arc portions 151E-1, 151E-1. Although the upper fulcrum portion 151E of the rear held portion 151 and the lower fulcrum portion 152E of the front held portion 152 are fulcrum in the example of fig. 7, when the rear end side of the connecting member 150 is inclined in a lowered manner, the lower fulcrum portion 151E of the rear held portion 151 and the upper fulcrum portion 152E of the front held portion 152 are fulcrum.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the arc portions 151E-1 of the 2 fulcrum portions 151E have the common center P1, and the arc portions 152E-1 of the 2 fulcrum portions 152E have the common center P2, so that the fulcrum portions 151E, 152E can smoothly rotate.

Next, a plurality (e.g., 2) of other connector coupling bodies having the male connector P and the female connector R, in other words, a plurality of connector coupling bodies having the same structure as the connector coupling bodies coupling the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 described above are prepared. Further, those connector coupling bodies are respectively fitted to the corresponding circuit boards in the same manner as described for the connector coupling bodies having the male connector 1 and the female connector 2.

Next, as shown in fig. 1, a female connector R (shown by a two-dot chain line) as a target connector provided in one of the 2 other connector connecting bodies is fitted and connected to the male connector 1 from the rear. At this time, the receiving recess 16 of the male connector 1 receives the fitting portion of the female connector R, and the male terminals 80, 90 of the male connector 1 are sandwiched by the pair of elastic contact portions of the corresponding female terminals of the female connector R, and are electrically connected to the corresponding female terminals. In addition, the upper shield contact pieces 61, 62 of the upper inner shield portion 60 of the male connector 1 are elastically contacted with the upper surface of the upper front shield portion of the female connector R, and the lower shield contact pieces 75, 76 of the lower shield plate 70 of the male connector 1 are elastically contacted with the lower surface of the lower shield plate of the female connector R.

As shown in fig. 1, a male connector P (shown by a two-dot chain line) as a target connector provided in the other connector connecting body among the 2 other connector connecting bodies is fitted and connected to the female connector 2 from the front. At this time, the male connector P and the female connector 2 are fitted and connected in the same manner as described for the male connector 1 and the female connector R.

In the present embodiment, the coupling member 150 is plate-shaped, but the shape of the coupling member is not limited to this, and may be formed in various shapes. In the present embodiment, the connecting member 150 is made of metal, but the material of the connecting member is not limited to this, and may be an electrically insulating material such as resin, for example.

The press-fit portions 151C, 151D, 152C, 152D of the coupling member 150 are formed thinner than other portions of the coupling member 150, but the press-fit portions are not necessarily required to be thinned, and may be formed with the same thickness as other portions of the coupling member as long as the press-fit portions are formed in a shape sufficiently engaged with the inner wall surfaces of the coupling member holding portions.

In the present embodiment, the coupling member 150 is formed with press-fit portions having different heights, that is, a large press-fit portion and a small press-fit portion, but press-fit portions having the same height may be formed instead of this. In the present embodiment, 2 press-fitting portions are provided at each edge of the connecting member 150, but the number of press-fitting portions is not limited to this, and may be 1 or 3 or more.

In the present embodiment, the connector connecting body is configured by connecting the male connector 1 and the female connector 2, but the combination of the connected connectors is not limited thereto, and for example, the connector connecting body may be configured by connecting the male connectors to each other or connecting the female connectors to each other. In the present embodiment, the description has been given of the application of the present invention to the connector connecting body having the direction parallel to the mounting surface of the circuit board as the connection direction with the target connector, but the present invention can be applied to, for example, a connector connecting body having the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board as the connection direction with the target connector. In other words, the present invention can be applied to a connector coupling body in which connectors mounted on the mounting surface of 1 circuit board are coupled to each other.

Claims

1. A connector connecting structure for connecting 2 electrical connectors which are mounted by soldering and are adjacent to each other on the mounting surface of 1 circuit board by connecting members,

the connector coupling structure is characterized in that,

the connecting member extends in an adjoining direction of the two electrical connectors across the range of the 2 electrical connectors, and has held portions held by the corresponding electrical connectors at both end sides in the adjoining direction,

The 2 electric connectors have holding portions which are opened in directions opposite to each other in the adjacent direction, and which receive and hold the held portions of the connecting member,

the held portion of the coupling member includes: a rim portion extending in the abutting direction at a position having a gap between the rim portion and an inner wall surface of the holding portion in a connector height direction perpendicular to the fitting surface; a press-fit portion protruding from the edge portion in the connector height direction and engaged with the inner wall surface of the holding portion; and a fulcrum portion that is supported by being in contact with the inner wall surface of the holding portion at a position separated from the press-in portion in the abutting direction,

the coupling member is allowed to tilt with respect to the fitting surface within the range of the gap with the fulcrum portion as a fulcrum.

2. The connector coupling structure according to claim 1, wherein,

the connecting member is a metal plate member having the adjacent direction as a long side direction, and is held by the holding portion of the electrical connector in a posture in which a plate thickness direction of the connecting member is perpendicular to both the adjacent direction and a connector height direction.

3. The connector coupling structure according to claim 2, wherein,

the press-fit portion of the connecting member is formed with a smaller plate thickness dimension than the other portion of the connecting member.

4. A connector connecting body is formed by connecting 2 electric connectors which are adjacent to each other on the assembly surface of 1 circuit substrate and assembled by soldering connection by connecting members,

the connector link is characterized in that,