JP2627517B2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to electrical connectors for boards, or printed circuit boards, and more particularly to high speed coaxial connectors for electrically connecting two printed circuit boards.

Conventional technology and problems The conventional technology uses a detachably connected printed circuit board, a detachable board is detachably connected to a mother board, and the detached board is replaced as necessary. . Here, the terminals of the electrical connector are adapted to electrically connect the contact portions of the daughter board to the contact portions of the mother board. Therefore, the connector must have a large number of rows with very short spacing or 0.100 inch centerline spacing. The connector includes stamped molded terminals which are inserted into a plastic or metal housing or metallized housing using a molded dielectric sleeve.

In electronic circuits, the use of increasingly faster switching signals has made it necessary to adjust the impedance when transmitting the signals. This is achieved in the connector interface between the mother board and the slave board, mainly by alternately arranging the ground terminals and the signal terminals in the connector to form a signal reference path and its shield. Usually, many terminals are used for grounding, and as many as eight terminals are used as grounding terminals for one signal terminal. Thus, in the prior art, the number of signal transmission terminals is extremely limited, and as a result, the contact portion connected between the mother board and the slave board for signal connection is limited.

In an attempt to obtain a connector using all terminals for signal transmission, the coaxial connector described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,107 was devised. Some problems have been resolved, but major problems remain. When transmitting high-speed signals, the use of terminals bent at right angles causes signal reflection, and the usefulness of the connector in high-speed signal transmission is limited. As another problem of high-speed signal transmission, there still remains a problem that a dielectric constant when a housing material is molded cannot be set to a sufficiently low value required for transmission of a high-speed signal on the order of GHz.

Other problems include insertion forces and manufacturing difficulties.
As the number of terminals required increases, the force of inserting the male connector into the female connector becomes impractical. In other words, if the insertion force is too large, the two connectors cannot be fitted, and the housing and the contact may be damaged during insertion. Making the connector described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. . The management of this manufacturing process is very difficult, and there is a possibility that erroneous connection may occur. Therefore, such prior art is not practical for a number of reasons.

Next, a multi-terminal coaxial connector assembly having a connector made of metal or conductive plastic will be described. The conductive material has a ground function for all signals. The pin terminals and socket terminals in each connector are insert molded from an insulating material. The insulating material provides the necessary clearance between the connector housing and the terminals. Depending on the shape of the insulating material, voids are formed over most of the length of the terminal,
The effective dielectric constant can be made smaller than any plastic, the impedance of the signal path can be adjusted to the required value, and the required high-speed signal can be transmitted. The connector of the present invention includes a power bus, a ground bus, and a cam device. With this cam device, the connector can be fitted with a low insertion force. When the connectors are mated, the power bus and the ground bus engage with the respective power bus and the ground bus of the combined connector and are electrically connected. When the connector is mated, the cam device engages to securely contact the pin terminal and the socket terminal, and to completely combine them. After the ground bus and the power bus are connected, ensure that all signal pins are An electrical connection is made.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which interconnects a large number of high-speed signal paths of two printed circuit boards arranged substantially orthogonally at once with a coaxial signal path whose impedance is adjusted. is there.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a low insertion force and an extremely small number of reflections and discontinuities that cause distortion of the signal when transmitting the signal at high speed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for engaging and connecting a power bus and a ground bus before a signal terminal is engaged.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, an electric connector interconnecting a plurality of high-speed signal paths formed on two printed circuit boards arranged substantially orthogonally includes a lower surface substantially parallel to each other, A first conductive housing having an upper surface, wherein a plurality of passages substantially parallel to each other are provided between the two surfaces and substantially perpendicular to the both surfaces; A second conductive housing having a first surface and a second surface, wherein a plurality of substantially linear passages substantially parallel to each other are provided so as to pass through the both surfaces, and the first surface is formed of the first conductive housing. A second conductive housing disposed on the upper surface, and a plurality of continuous terminals inserted substantially coaxially with a gap provided in the passage of the first and second conductive housings, The lower surface of the first conductive housing And the second
An electrical connector is provided wherein the terminals are connected to the high speed signal paths of the two printed circuit boards from the second surface of the conductive housing.

Examples Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a low insertion force coaxial cable for electrically connecting a mother plate (4) and a slave plate (6), comprising an electric plug connector (8) and an electric receptacle connector (10) fitted therein. A connector assembly (2) is shown. The electric plug connector (8) has a plurality of terminal receiving passages (12) penetrating therethrough and a terminal receiving passage (14) (FIG. 5), each having a shape for receiving the terminal (18). On the other hand, the electric receptacle connector (10) also has a terminal receiving passage (16) (FIG. 7) having a shape for receiving the terminal (20). The terminals (18), (20) are insulated from the conductive housing of the connector by a suitable dielectric material.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the electrical plug connector (8) includes a first conductive housing (22) molded from metal or metallized plastic having suitable conductive properties. A second conductive housing (24).
The electrical receptacle connector (10) also has a housing (2) molded from metallized plastic with suitable conductive properties.
6). Metal may be plated on the molded plastic housing to provide the required conductive properties.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first conductive housing (22) includes a lower surface (hereinafter referred to as a front surface) (32) facing the mother plate (4) and a first conductive housing (24). It has an upper surface (hereinafter referred to as a rear surface) (28) facing the surface (30). The rear surface (28) of the first conductive housing (22)
When the first conductive housing (22) and the second conductive housing (24) are fitted to each other to complete the electrical plug connector (8), the first conductive housing (22) and the second conductive housing (24) are joined to the first surface (30) of the second conductive housing (24). I do.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the rear surface (28) of the first conductive housing (22) has a plurality of passages (1).
An emboss (27) existing in parallel between 2) is provided, and as shown in FIG. 5, the first surface (30) of the second conductive housing (24) is provided with the emboss (27). A concave portion (29) corresponding to the shape is provided. Therefore, when the first conductive housing (22) and the second conductive housing (24) are joined and combined, the emboss (27) is inserted into the recess (29) and the two housings are joined.

In a state where the first conductive housing (22) and the second conductive housing (24) are combined, a plurality of passages (1) are formed.
2) and (14) are on the front (3) of the first conductive housing (22).
The electric plug connector (8) is continuously penetrated from 2) to the second surface (34) of the second conductive housing (24).
These passages (12) and (14) consist of three parallel rows, the first being the side (36) of the first conductive housing (22).
And the third row is adjacent to the side (38) of the second conductive housing (24), the third row is adjacent to the face (40) of the first conductive housing (22), and the second row is the first row and the third row. Between. that's all,
Although three parallel passages have been described, the number of passages can take any value.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first conductive housing (22) and the second conductive housing (24) form a continuous passage when the two housings are joined together. (14). However, since the passage of the second conductive housing (24) is inclined with respect to the first surface (30), the curved portion (42) is formed in the continuous passage when the two housings (22) and (24) are connected. (FIG. 4). The curvature (42) forms 135 degrees, but may actually be in the range of 100 to 170 degrees. The curved portion (42) will be described later in detail, but may have an arc shape.

The passage (14) of the second conductive housing (24) has a uniform cross section over its entire length. However, the passage (12) of the first conductive housing (22) has various non-uniform cross sections. The wide portion (44) of the passage (12) is the first conductive housing (22).
Just before the front surface (32) of the first conductive housing (2
2) Narrow section (4) of passage (12) just before rear face (28)
6) has dimensions larger than Since the passage (12) has such a shape, the terminal (18) is correctly fixed in the passage (12) as described later.

The stamped terminal (18) is placed in the passage (12) with the dielectric material (48) molded thereon. The shape of the dielectric member (48) is determined according to desired characteristics. In the embodiment shown, the dielectric member (48) is formed in a tubular shape near the fork (50) of the terminal (18). The cylindrical dielectric member (48) has raised portions (52) and (54) at both ends to fix the terminal (18) in the passage (12) and to connect the terminal (1).
8) provides the necessary clearance to prevent contact with the first conductive housing (22). A helical dielectric member (56) is formed near the cylindrical dielectric member (48). This dielectric member (56) is similar to the spiral of a slightly stretched coil spring, with a gap between the coils described below. The cylindrical dielectric member (49) is used because the passage (14) closest to the second surface (34) is not long enough to support the helical dielectric member (56).

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the terminal (18) is inserted into the passage (12) by the combination of the spiral dielectric member (56) and the cylindrical dielectric members (48) and (49). In addition to being accurately positioned, a gap (58) is provided over most of the length of the terminal (18). The effective permittivity of each passage (12) approaches 1.1, for example 3.2 for a plastic dielectric. With an effective dielectric constant of 1.1, the impedance can be about 50 ohms and 68 ohms, respectively, with a current capacity of 5 A and 3 A per contact for a 2.5 mm grid arrangement of terminals. However, these values are merely examples and do not limit the invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, each terminal (18) has a bifurcated end (50) near the front surface (32) of the first conductive housing (22). This fork end (50) is twisted with respect to the other part of the terminal (18) so as to engage with the pin terminal (20) of the electrical receptacle connector (10) as will be described later. . As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, each fork end (50) has an arc surface (60), which is connected to the pin terminal (2).
0) and the forked end (50) have a retracting action when mated. Therefore, when the pin terminal (20) and the fork end (50) are combined, it is not necessary to completely align them.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, a dielectric engaging portion (62) formed by insert molding a dielectric member (48) extends from the fork end (50) of the terminal (18). This engagement part (6
2) have various lengths depending on the passage for accommodating the terminals (18). In the middle of this engagement part (62) there is a curve (64) which is the curve (42) of the continuous passage of the housing.
It corresponds to. The bend (64) is selected at an angle that minimizes the reflection of high speed signals. The contact end (66) with the slave plate (6) is at the end of the engagement portion (62) opposite the forked end (50). Each contact end (66) may be a short arc-shaped protrusion as shown in FIG. 4 or a straight long post. Either of these mounting means allows the terminal (18) to be in surface contact with the subplate (6) or to be provided in a plated through hole by a compliant (elastic) engagement portion (66a) of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,982. Can be installed. The contact end (66), whatever the shape, the second conductive housing (24)
Protruding from the second surface (34) of the second plate (34) and is in electrical contact with the child plate (6).

Terminal (1) having molded dielectric members (48) and (56)
8) is inserted into the passage (12) from the front surface (32) of the first conductive housing (22). During this insertion, the raised portion (52) contacts the wall of the narrow portion (46) of the passage (12) and
And a shoulder in the passage, wherein the surface of the raised portion (54) of the dielectric member (48) is further between the wide portion (44) and the narrow portion (46) of the passage (12) Engage part (12a). During this time, the raised portion (54) also securely engages the wall of the wide portion (44) of the passage (12). Therefore, the terminal (1
8) is retained in the passage (12) by the raised portions (52), (54) of the dielectric member (48) engaging the walls of the passage (12). Next, the portion of the terminal (18) projecting from the rear surface (28) of the first conductive housing (22) is shown in FIGS.
It is bent to an appropriate angle as shown in the figure. The exposed portion of the terminal (18) is located on the rear surface (28) of the first conductive housing (22).
Until it engages the first surface (30) of the second conductive housing (24). To make sure the terminal (18) is correctly inserted in the second conductive housing (24),
Engage the projections (70) of the first conductive housing (22) shown in FIG. 5 with the first conductive housing (24) to ensure that they are in the correct position with respect to each other.

After the second conductive housing (24) is disposed on the first conductive housing (22), the terminals (18) protrude from the second surface (34) of the second conductive housing (24). Next, the remaining exposed portions of the terminals (18) are bent according to the usage of the assembly (2). The terminal (18) may be cut and curved to form an arc-shaped protrusion required for surface mounting, or the terminal (1)
8) Bend if necessary and use the exposed post with a circuit board that requires mounting with plated through holes to make electrical connections.

A projection (72) protruding from the second surface (34) of the second conductive housing (24) engages the slave plate (6) when the electrical plug connector (8) is positioned on the slave plate (6). At the same time, a necessary gap is maintained between the electric plug connector (8) and the slave plate (6). The daughter board (6) passes through a hole in the mounting member (74) of the second conductive housing (24) and makes contact with the electrical plug connector (8) by screws or the like that fit into the holes in the daughter board (6). Is held. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting member (74) has a projection (75) and a recess (7).
7), and the protrusion (75) is provided in the second conductive housing (2).
4) engages with the projection (79) (FIG. 5), and the recess (77) engages with the projection (81) (FIG. 1) on the first conductive housing (22) to connect both housings. The first conductive housing (22) is connected to the mounting member (74) while being connected to each other.

As shown in FIG. 3, the electrical receptacle connector (1
0) includes a conductive housing (26), which has a lower surface (hereinafter referred to as a front surface) (78) facing the mother plate (4) and an upper surface (hereinafter referred to as a rear surface) (76) opposite thereto.
And A passage (16) extends through the housing (26) from the front (78) to the rear (76). This passage (16) consists of three parallel rows, the first row being close to the side wall (80), the third row being close to the side wall (82) and the second row being the third row, as shown in FIG. It is between the first and third rows. The row of passages (16) in the electrical receptacle connector (10) aligns with the row of passages (12) in the first conductive housing (22) of the electrical plug connector (8), and these connectors electrically connect to each other. Become like Although the passages (16) have been shown and described as three parallel rows, any arrangement may be used as long as the rows of electrical receptacle connectors (10) align with the rows of electrical plug connectors (8).

The passage (16) of the housing (26) has a non-uniform cross section as shown in FIG. 7, and the wide portion (84) of the passage (16) close to the front surface (78) extends to the rear surface (76) ( 85) has a larger diameter. Due to the non-uniform shape of the passage (16), the terminal (20) is correctly fixed in the passage (16) as described later.

The pin terminals (20) formed by die cutting are shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, it is arranged in the passage (16). The pin terminal (20) is straight and has a narrow end (88) at one end. The dielectric member (90) is insert-molded in the terminal, and the dielectric member (90) has various shapes according to required characteristics. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dielectric member (90) is formed in a cylindrical shape and has raised portions (92),
(94), thereby fixing the terminal (20) in the passage (16) and providing a required interval, and allowing the terminal (20) to maintain an appropriate distance from the wall of the passage (16) to reduce impedance. adjust.

The narrow end (88) of the terminal (20) extends from the housing (26) through the rear surface (76) to the walls (80), (82) of the housing (26).
Project into the cavity (95) formed by the A portion (96) of the dielectric member (90) formed by insert molding extends from the narrow end (88), and an end opposite to the end has a contact end (9) with the mother plate.
8) The contact end (98) projects from the front surface (78) of the housing (26) and is electrically connected to the mother plate (4).
FIG. 3 shows a receptacle connector (10) having a terminal (20) including a post having a compliant (elastic) engagement portion for electrically connecting to a plated through hole of a mother plate (4).
Is shown. However, the terminals (2
0) may have an electrical connection with the contact pads of the mother plate (4), i.e. having a surface-mounted arcuate end.

A terminal (20) having a dielectric member (90) by insert molding is inserted into the passage (16) of the receptacle connector (10) from the front surface (78). During this insertion, the raised part (9
2) engages the wall of the narrow section (85) of the passage (16). As this insertion proceeds further, the terminal (20) will have a raised (94) face (99) with the narrow (85) and wide (84) portions of the passage (16).
Abuts the shoulder (86) between and stops. Raised part (9
4) also engages the wall of the wide section (84) of the passage (16). Thus, the terminal (20) is secured by the engagement of the raised portions (92), (94) with the walls of the passage (16). Mother board (4)
Performs a secondary fixing action on the terminal (20). When the connector (10) comes into contact with the mother plate (4), the dielectric member (90)
Engages with the mother plate (4), and the mother plate performs a fixing action to hold the terminal (20) to the connector (10). The mother plate (4) is fixed to the connector (10) by screws or the like that fit into holes of the mounting member (97) of the housing (26) of the connector (10) and holes of the mother plate (4). Mounting member (97) is hollow (95)
The connector (10) is held on the mother plate (4) by attaching the screw. The screw has an upwardly projecting post (93) that, together with an opening (91) in the mounting member (74), aligns the connector (8) with the connector (10).

The mounting members (74) and (97) have recesses and protrusions that engage the ends of the connectors (8) and (10), respectively, so that the mounting members can be connected to the connectors (8) and (10).
Fixed to (10). If longer connector assemblies are required, special end blocks are used to interconnect the connector assemblies. The special end block is actually an intermediate block, which connects the connector and serves as a fixing means.

It is important to recognize that all plated plastic housings must be electrically connected to each other to provide a continuous ground path. As described above, the embossment (27) and the recess (29) are for reliably connecting the first conductive housing (22) and the second conductive housing (24) to the ground, but the base plate (4 ) And the housing (26), between the housing (26) and the first conductive housing (22), and between the second conductive housing (24) and the child board (6). , Other means are used for these. Between the mother plate (4) and the housing (26), between the housing (26) and the first conductive housing (22),
And interconnecting members (160), (1) as necessary electrical connection means between the second conductive housing (24) and the child plate (6).
62) and (164) are used.

The interconnecting members (160), (162), (164) shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, etc. are essentially equivalent, so for simplicity of explanation, Only (162) will be described in detail. Therefore, members (160) and (164) are given the same numbers for the same parts.

The interconnect member (162) is stamped and formed from a material having the required conductive properties and has a first major surface (166) and a second major surface (168).
And An opening (170) extends from the first main surface (166) to the second main surface (168). The arrangement of the openings (170) corresponds to the arrangement of the terminals. Open the cantilever spring arms (172) and (174) (17
Proximate to 0) are formed as parallel rows with each other, these arrangements corresponding to the arrangement of the embossments (27) of the housing (22). The spring arm (172) protrudes from the first main surface (166), and the spring arm (174) protrudes from the second main surface (168). Therefore,
When all the housings and motherboards and childboards are assembled together, the interconnecting members (160), (162), (164) contact the mating surfaces to provide the necessary electrical connections. Such electrical connection is ensured because the spring arms (172) and (174) contact the respective mating surfaces during the mating. In practice, the spring arms (172), (174) slide slightly to ensure electrical connection. Therefore, by electrically connecting all the housings, the mother board and the slave boards, an even ground path is provided to each terminal, and an accurate signal path and shielding can be obtained.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the power bus (10
0) and (102) and the ground buses (104) and (106) are mounted on the connectors (8) and (10). Bus (100), (10
2), (104), and (106) are schematic shapes of connectors (8),
It is almost the same as the outer shape of (10). Power bus (10
0), (102) have a layer of dielectric material to prevent power from being transferred from the bus to the metallized housing. Each busbar has a pin (10) extending from the end of the busbar near each motherboard or childboard.
1) having. The center line gap of each pin (101) is 2.54mm (0.
100 inches) and the pins (101) can be removed as needed when the bus is placed on a suitable motherboard or childboard. Thus, the remaining pins are removed, leaving only the pin (101) corresponding to the appropriate area for engaging the motherboard or childboard.

In FIG. 5, the power bus (100) and the ground bus (104) of the plug connector (8) are inserted into the channel (108) of the first conductive housing (22) and retained by being fitted therein. You. The power bus (100) and the ground bus (104) are formed over the entire length of the connector (8), and the shape of the end that engages with the daughter board (6) is a terminal (1).
An arc or a straight line is formed to correspond to the end shape of 8), thereby enabling surface mounting or through mounting in a hole.

The power bus (10) of the receptacle connector (10) in FIG.
2) and the ground bus (106) are inserted into each passage (110) of the housing (26) of the connector (10). The projection (112) of the passage (110) engages the busbars (102), (106) to hold them firmly. As seen in FIG. 7, the ground bus (106) and the power bus (102) have similar shapes. An arc-shaped portion (114) is periodically formed at one end of each of the busbars (102), (106), and engages with the wall of the housing (26) to form the first portion.
As shown in the figures and FIG. 7, the busbars (102), (106) are not moved with respect to the connector (10). The ends of the busbars (102) and (106) may be arc-shaped or linear so as to correspond to the shape of the end of the terminal (20), and are respectively surface-mounted or penetrated into holes.

The busbars (102) and (106) of the connector (10)
6). When the connector (8) and the connector (10) are fitted, the busbars (100) and (104) of the connector (8) slide on the projection (116) and are electrically connected. Therefore, when mating the connectors (8) and (10), the power bus (100)
And the ground bus (104) makes reliable electrical contact with the power bus (102) and the ground bus (106) of the mated connector, respectively. As a result, the power bus and the ground bus connect between the motherboard (4) and the childboard (6) to supply the required power so that the childboard (6) works properly and the connector assembly ( 2) is shielded from external interference.

The connector assembly (2) is designed so that a maximum number of terminals can be used in a small place. Such important characteristics are problematic when connectors need to be combined. The force required for correct insertion is so great that improper insertion or damage of the connector results. Therefore, a connector assembly having zero insertion force, that is, low insertion force is important for effective operation.

It is necessary to use a cam assembly as one type of zero or low insertion force connector. FIGS. 8 and 9 show a cam assembly (11) which can be used for the connector assembly (2).
8) One form is shown. The cam assembly (118) extends the entire length of the connector assembly (2). Mounting projections (120) protrude from both ends (129) and (130) of the body (119), and an opening (122) in the projection (120) is aligned with a corresponding hole of the base plate (4) by a bolt ( 124). Cam assembly (118) by using bolts (124)
Can be fixed to the mother plate (4).

In FIG. 8, an opening (126) passes through the body (119) between both ends (129) and (130). Cam rod (134a),
(134b) is movably disposed within the opening (126). The body (119) has a groove (128) near the ends (129) and (130), which extends from the top surface (131) and communicates with the opening (126). This groove (128) is used to connect the connector (8) of the connector assembly (2) as shown in FIG.
And is formed to receive a rod (132) penetrating through the child plate (6). As shown in FIG. 8, the grooves (136) of the cam rods (134a) and (134b) are aligned with the grooves (128), and the rod (132) is disposed in the groove (136). When the cam rods (134a) and (134b) move, the groove (136)
Move 2) inside groove (128). This movement pushes the connector (8) in a direction parallel to the plane of the motherboard (4). As a result, as described below, the connector (8) moves relatively with respect to the connector (10) and presses the terminal (18) to electrically connect the terminal (20).

Receptacle connector (10) and plug connector (8)
When mated with the connector (1) as shown in FIG.
The terminal (20) of (0) is inserted from the side of the terminal (18) of the connector (8). In other words, the connectors (8), (10)
At the time of fitting, the terminal (18) and the terminal (20) do not contact each other or hardly contact each other. For this reason, the connectors (8) and (10) are adapted to be fitted with a low insertion force, and before the signal terminals (18) and (20) are electrically connected to each other, the power is The important characteristic that the buses (100) and (104) and the ground buses (102) and (106) are electrically connected reliably is obtained. When the connectors (8) and (10) are mated, the cam assembly (118) operates to move the plug connector (8) relative to the receptacle connector (10). As a result, the pin terminal (20) engages with the recessed arc surface (60) of the fork end (50) of the terminal (18) as shown in FIG. 6a. By this cam action, the terminal (20)
Is in contact with both sides of the fork end (50) and slides to make a reliable electrical connection. In the full cam position shown in FIG. 6b,
The terminal (20) is fully inserted into the forked end (50) to ensure an electrical connection.

The movement of the cam rods (134a) and (134b) is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, it is caused by the actuation lever (138). The lever (138) is connected to an activation rod (140), which is connected to a cam ring (142). Cam wheel (142)
As shown in FIG. 8, the pins (144a),
(134b). Therefore, the lever (138) is moved to the eighth position.
Upon rotation in the direction of the arrow shown, the activator rod (140) rotates, thus rotating the cam ring (142), and then the pin (144) moves in the cam slot (146). Cam slot (14
Due to the shape of 6), the cam rod (134a) moves outward in a direction away from the cam ring (142), and the cam rod (134b) moves inward toward the cam ring (142). Cam rod (134a), (1
As 34b) moves, both rods (132) move in the same direction, thereby moving the connector (8). After all, the rotation of the lever (138) causes the terminal (18) to move so as to be electrically connected to the terminal (20).

The cam ring (142) is disposed in an opening (148) passing between both side surfaces (150) and (152) (see FIG. 9) of the body (119) of the cam assembly (118). To secure the cam ring (142), the cam rods (134a) and (134b) have a slot at the end of the cam rod that engages the opening (148), and the cam ring (142) is located in this slot. Then, the pin (144) is inserted into the opening (154) in the cam bars (134a) and (134b). Cam wheel (142)
In order to replace the cam rods (134a) and (134b), the cam ring and the cam rod can be replaced by removing the pin (144).

Another form of cam assembly (118) has two cam bars (135) with ramps (137) as shown in FIG. Groove (139) is narrower and longer than groove (128) described above. The arcuate cam slot (146) also has a slightly different shape so that when the cam ring (142) rotates, the cam rod (1)
35) move outward in a direction away from the cam wheel (142). When the cam bar (135) moves,
The ramp (137) cooperates with the bar (132) to push the bar downward. Since the rod (132) is attached to the connector (8), the downward movement of the rod (132) causes the connector (8) to move downward with respect to the connector (10). When the connector (8) moves downward, the terminal (18) becomes the terminal (20).
And the terminal (18) of the connector (8) and the terminal of the connector (10) are securely engaged with each other.

The cam assembly (118) acts as a stiffening member.
The mother plate (4) bends and flexes the connector assembly (2) under bending and bending forces, so that the electrical connection between the terminal (18) and the end (20) is unreliable. Therefore, use of a reinforcing member is desired. The cam assembly (118) is made of metal or other material requiring the required properties, and the bolt (124)
By being fixed to the mother plate (4), there is a strengthening action,
The mother plate requires minimal curvature, thus providing a reliable electrical connection between the terminals.

Although the cam assembly (118) has been described in detail, it should be understood that other types of cam assemblies may function as well. The cam assembly must be capable of engaging the terminals with one another to ensure and maintain an electrical connection.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention As can be understood from the above description, according to the electrical connector of the present invention, the use of the first and second conductive housings having a specific configuration allows the two printed circuit boards to be orthogonally arranged. It is possible to form a coaxial signal path adjusted to a sufficiently low predetermined impedance with a low induction power, for example, in a matrix, without using a terminal bent at a right angle between the high-speed signal paths. Therefore, for example, 2.5 mm
This has a practically remarkable effect that an electrical connector that can collectively connect a large number of high-speed signal paths at a high pitch can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a perspective view of a connector assembly in which an electric plug connector is disassembled from an electric receptacle connector, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electric plug connector, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the electric receptacle connector, and FIG. Sectional view of the connector assembly when the plug connector is completely inserted into the electrical receptacle connector, FIG. 5 is a partially exploded sectional view of the electrical plug connector, FIG. 6A is a schematic view of a pin terminal immediately before insertion into a terminal, FIG. FIG. 6B is a view similar to FIG. 6A showing the pins inserted into the terminals, FIG. 7 is a partially exploded sectional view of the electrical receptacle connector, FIG. 8 is a partial front view of the cam assembly, and FIG. End view of the cam assembly and the connector assembly; and
FIG. 10 is a partial view of another embodiment of the cam rod. 4, 6 printed circuit board 12 passage between lower surface and upper surface of first conductive housing 14 passage between first and second surfaces of second conductive housing 18 terminal 22 1 conductive housing 24 second conductive housing 28 upper surface of first conductive housing 32 lower surface of first conductive housing 30 first surface of second conductive housing 34 second conductive Side of flexible housing

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Donald Wayne Millbrand Jr., 506, West Main Street, Mechanicsburg, PA, United States, Apartment 2 (72) Inventor Earl Edgar Masterson United States of America 4905 Girard Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. 4905 (56) References JP-A-62-281281 (JP, A) JP-A-62-285376 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 51-124478 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An electrical connector for interconnecting a plurality of high-speed signal paths formed on two printed circuit boards arranged substantially orthogonally, wherein said first conductive housing has a lower surface and an upper surface substantially parallel to each other. A first conductive housing provided with a plurality of passages substantially parallel to each other between the two surfaces and substantially perpendicular to the two surfaces; and a first surface having a first surface and a second surface substantially orthogonal to each other. In a second conductive housing, a plurality of substantially linear passages substantially parallel to each other are provided so as to pass through the both surfaces, and the first surface is disposed on the upper surface of the first conductive housing.
A conductive housing; and a plurality of continuous terminals each of which is inserted substantially coaxially with a gap in the passage of the first and second conductive housings, wherein the lower surface of the first conductive housing and An electrical connector, wherein the terminal is connected to the high-speed signal path of the two printed circuit boards from the second surface of the second conductive housing.