JP6909148B2 - L-shaped electrical connector for circuit boards and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board that is attached to a circuit board and that fits with a mating connector in a direction along the circuit surface of the circuit board, and a method for manufacturing the same.

In this type of connector, the terminal held by the housing has an L-shaped contact portion that faces the mating connector along the circuit surface of the circuit board and a connection portion that faces the circuit surface at a right angle to the contact portion. I'm doing it. The housing includes a fitting portion that accommodates the contact portion of the terminal and forms a receiving recess that is opened forward to receive the corresponding fitting portion of the mating connector, and a terminal holding portion that holds the terminal between the contact portion and the connection portion. The terminal holding portion is arranged so that the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion is located on the circuit board of the circuit board, and the connecting portion protruding from the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion is positioned so as to face the circuit surface. The connecting portion protruding from the bottom surface of the circuit board is connected to the circuit board by solder or the like.

Such a connector is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, and the connector of Patent Document 1 has a shield plate attached to a housing as shown in FIG. The shield plate is composed of an upper shield plate (named in Patent Document 1 is the upper shield 22a) and a lower shield plate (lower shield 34a), and the upper shield plate (upper shield 22a) is attached to the fitting portion of the connector. The two elements of the upper shield element 24a on the connector side and the upper shield element 26a attached to the terminal holding portion are connected to form an L shape, and the lower shield plate (lower shield 34a) is attached to the fitting portion. The two elements of the lower shield element 36a on the connector side and the lower shield element 38a (at the rear) attached to the terminal holding portion are connected to form an L shape.

Thus, the connector of Patent Document 1 is provided with a shielding function by the upper shield 22a and the lower shield 34a attached to the housing.

In Patent Document 1, since it is desired to form the connector-side upper shield element 24a in the upper shield 22a and the connector-side lower shield element 36a in the lower shield 34a as common elements forming a flat plate, the upper shield 22a and the lower shield 34a It is considered that both are divided into two elements and shared with the upper shield as described above.

Patent No. 5711137

In Patent Document 1, both the upper shield 22a and the lower shield 34a are divided into two elements, and both are attached to the outer surface of the housing, so that the upper shield 22a and the lower shield 34a are easily attached to the housing.

However, in the case of an L-shaped connector provided with a shield plate, there is also a request that the portion of the shield plate located at the fitting portion should be accommodated in the space of the receiving recess. In response to such a request, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, since each of the upper shield and the lower shield is divided into two elements, both the upper shield element 24a on the connector side and the lower shield element 36a on the connector side are both elements. Is inserted into the receiving recess from the front to the rear of the fitting portion, and the rear ends of both elements are positioned so as to protrude out of the housing. This can be done by connecting the element 38a to the protruding portions of both of the above elements.

However, since the upper shield 22a is located on the upper outer surface of the housing, that is, the L-shaped bent outer surface, the two elements 24a and 26a of the upper shield 22a of the upper shield 22a are relatively large members, whereas the lower shield 34 Is located on the lower outer surface of the housing, that is, on the inner side surface of the L-shaped bend. In comparison, it is extremely small.

In the connector, as with other equipment parts, it is desirable that the number of constituent members is small. Regarding the shield plate of the connector described above, if at least the lower shield plate (lower shield in Patent Document 1) attached to the lower surface of the housing is divided into two, at least one of the two elements becomes extremely small, and both elements are manufactured. And since the connection becomes troublesome, there is a request to form it as one member without dividing it. However, in the case of a connector in which a part of the shield plate is housed in the receiving recess, a part of the lower shield plate having the above-mentioned one member configuration (a contact portion that contacts the shield member of the mating connector in the receiving recess). In order for the other part (the part having the connection part connected to the circuit board) to be located in the receiving recess of the housing and the other part to be located on the outer surface of the housing, the above part and the other part are at right angles. Since it is bent at a right angle, it is not simply necessary to incorporate it into the housing from the front, but the problem of how to create and incorporate the lower shield plate and the housing remains.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention makes it possible to form the lower shield plate with one member, and to incorporate it into the housing so that a part of the lower shield plate is housed in the receiving recess and the other part is located outside the housing. An object of the present invention is to provide an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board provided with a shield plate and a method for manufacturing the same.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the method for manufacturing the L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board according to the first invention and the L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board according to the second invention.

<First invention>
The L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board according to the first invention has a fitting portion that is attached to the circuit board and that fits with the mating connector in the direction along the mounting surface of the circuit board, and a terminal holding portion that holds the terminals. The housing of the electrical insulation material and one end side have a contact part that contacts the mating terminal provided on the mating connector at the above fitting part, and the other end side has no connecting part that protrudes from the bottom surface of the terminal holding part and is connected to the circuit board. It has a terminal that is attached to the housing and a shield plate that is attached to the housing and shields the terminal.

In such an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board, in the first invention, the fitting portion of the housing forms a receiving recess that is opened forward toward the mating connector in order to receive the corresponding fitting portion of the mating connector. The contact portion of the terminal is housed in the receiving recess, and the shield plate has a lower shield plate attached to the housing at a position closer to the circuit board and an upper shield plate attached to the housing at a position away from the circuit board. The upper shield plate has a rear grounding portion that is grounded to the circuit board at the rear position of the terminal holding portion of the housing, and has an L-shape and is located on the outer surface of the terminal holding portion of the housing. It has an upper inner shield part that is separate from the outer shield part and is located in the receiving recess of the housing in a state of being conductive with the upper outer shield part and can contact the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector, and is on the lower side. The shield plate has a front grounding portion that is grounded to the circuit board at the front position of the terminal holding portion of the housing, and is located in the receiving recess of the housing and has a lower inner shield portion that can contact the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector. At the upper end of the rising portion, it is bent forward to reach the lower inner shield portion, and the front ground contact portion, the rising portion, and the lower inner shield portion. Is formed as one member, the housing extends from the receiving recess to the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion, and a through hole is formed which opens at the bottom surface. When inserted toward the rear, it is characterized in that it is formed as a space that allows the rising portion and the front grounding portion to enter and the front grounding portion to move down to the circuit board.

In the first invention, a through hole is formed in the housing, and the through hole allows the rising portion and the front ground contact portion to enter when the lower inner shield plate is inserted rearward into the receiving recess. At the same time, it is designed to allow the descent movement of the front grounded portion to the circuit board. Therefore, even if the lower shield plate has a vertical dimension corresponding to that of the rising portion, the rising portion and the front ground contact portion are made to enter the through hole toward the rear, and the front ground contact portion is moved downward through the through hole. By making it possible, the lower shield plate can be incorporated into the housing.

In the first invention, the lower shield plate has a regulating portion in which the front end portion of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate is bent downward, and the lower inner shield portion is directed rearward into the receiving recess. Even if the restricting portion is positioned so as to be locked with the opening edge of the receiving recess of the housing when inserted, it is possible to restrict the entry of the lower shield plate beyond a predetermined position toward the rear. good.

Since the regulating portion is formed at the front end of the lower inner shield portion in this way, when the lower shield plate is incorporated into the housing, the lower inner shield portion is inserted rearward into the receiving recess. When, the restricting portion is positioned so as to be able to be locked with the opening edge portion of the receiving recess of the housing. Therefore, since the entry of the lower shield plate toward the rear beyond a predetermined position is restricted, the lower shield plate can be incorporated in the normal position.

In the first invention, the lower shield plate is provided with an elastic piece obtained by cutting out a part of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate, and provides a shield contact portion that comes into contact with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector. It may be formed on the elastic piece.

By using the elastic piece provided on the lower shield plate as the shield contact portion in this way, it is possible to make elastic contact with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector at the shield contact portion in the state of being fitted with the mating connector. It is possible to connect the lower shield plate and the corresponding shield plate more reliably.

<Second invention>
In the method for manufacturing an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board according to the second invention, the L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board is fitted to the circuit board and fitted to the mating connector in a direction along the mounting surface of the circuit board. An electrically insulating material housing in which a terminal holding portion for holding a portion and a terminal is formed, and one end side of the fitting portion forms a contact portion that contacts the mating terminal provided on the mating connector, and the other end side of the terminal holding portion. It has a terminal that protrudes from the bottom surface and forms a connecting portion that is connected to a circuit board, and a shield plate that is attached to a housing and shields the terminal.

In such a manufacturing method, in the second invention, the contact portion of the terminal is housed in a receiving recess formed in the fitting portion of the housing by opening forward toward the mating connector in order to receive the corresponding fitting portion of the mating connector. A lower shield plate that is attached to the housing at a position closer to the circuit board and an upper shield plate that is attached to the housing at a position away from the circuit board are formed, and the rear is grounded to the circuit board at the rear position of the terminal holding portion of the housing. The housing has a grounding portion and is L-shaped so that the upper outer shield portion located on the outer surface of the terminal holding portion of the housing is separate from the upper outer shield portion and is electrically connected to the upper outer shield portion. The upper shield plate is formed by the upper inner shield portion that is located in the receiving recess of the mating connector and can be contacted with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector, and the front grounding portion that is grounded to the circuit board at the front position of the terminal holding portion of the housing. And is located in the receiving recess of the housing to form a lower inner shield portion that can contact the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector, and is forward at the upper end of the rising portion via the rising portion extending upward from the front grounding portion. It is bent toward the lower side to reach the lower inner shield part, and the lower side shield plate is formed by using the front grounding part, the rising part and the lower inner shield part as one member, and extends from the receiving recess to the bottom surface of the terminal holding part in the housing. It is characterized by forming a through hole that opens at the bottom surface, inserting the lower inner shield portion into the receiving recess with the rising portion and the front grounding portion facing backward, and then moving the front grounding portion downward to the circuit board. It is supposed to be.

In the second invention, when the lower shield plate is provided with a restricting portion in which the front end portion of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate is bent downward, and the lower inner shield portion is inserted rearward into the receiving recess. The restricting portion may be positioned so as to be locked with the opening edge portion of the receiving recess of the housing to restrict the entry of the lower shield plate beyond a predetermined position toward the rear.

In the second invention, an elastic piece obtained by cutting a part of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate is provided on the lower shield plate, and the elastic piece is used as a shield contact portion to be brought into contact with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector. May be.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the lower shield plate, even if the lower inner shield portion side and the front contact portion side are formed in an L shape through the rising portion, the rising portion is inside the receiving recess. If the front ground contact portion is moved down in the through hole after being inserted toward the through hole, the work of assembling the lower shield plate is facilitated, and further, the assembling into the housing is easy and consists of one member. An L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board having a lower shield plate and a method for manufacturing the same can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows the male connector and the female connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and shows the state before the connector fitting as seen from the female connector side. It is a perspective view which shows the male connector and the female connector which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and shows the state before the connector fitting as seen from the male connector side. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector and the female connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, and shows a cross section at a terminal position in the connector width direction. It is a perspective view of a male connector, and shows the state where all the shield plates are separated from the housing. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector shown in FIG. 4 in a plane perpendicular to the connector width direction, and the terminals are omitted. (A) to (C) are diagrams showing the process of attaching the lower shield plate to the housing. It is a perspective view of a female connector, and shows a state in which all shield plates are separated from a housing. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a mounting piece of the shield plate of the female connector and a mounting groove of the housing shown in FIG. 7, showing a state before mounting. It is sectional drawing in the plane perpendicular to the vertical direction in the mounting part of the shield plate of a female connector, and shows the state in which the mounting piece of the shield plate is press-fitted into the mounting groove of the housing when viewed from above.

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

1 and 2 are perspective views showing a male connector 1 and a female connector 2 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1 shows a state before fitting the connector as viewed from the female connector 2 side (Y1 side). In FIG. 2, the state before the connector is fitted is shown as viewed from the male connector 1 side (Y2 side). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a plane (YZ plane) perpendicular to the connector width direction (X-axis direction), and is a cross-sectional view in the connector width direction. The cross section at the position of the terminal is shown. From the male connector 1, the female connector 2 is the mating connector, and from the female connector 2, the male connector 1 is the mating connector.

The male connector 1 is an electrical connector for a circuit board arranged on the mounting surface of the circuit board B1 (see FIG. 3), and the female connector 2 is arranged on the mounting surface of another circuit board B2 (see FIG. 3). It is an electric connector for a circuit board to be used. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are fitted and connected in a posture in which the mounting surfaces of the circuit board B1 and the circuit board B2 are at right angles to each other.

The male connector 1 is arranged and mounted on the mounting surface of the circuit board B1 (see FIG. 3) from above, and is mounted in a direction along the mounting surface of the circuit board B1 (Y-axis direction in the present embodiment). ) Is the connector fitting direction, and the female connector 2 is fitted. That is, the male connector 1 is a so-called L-shaped electric connector (right angle electric connector) in which the direction of mounting on the circuit board B1 (Z-axis direction) and the connector fitting direction (Y-axis direction) are at right angles. Hereinafter, regarding the male connector 1, in the connector fitting direction (Y-axis direction), the Y1 direction is referred to as “forward” and the Y2 direction is referred to as “rear”.

The male connector 1 includes a housing 10 made of an electrically insulating material and having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, a plurality of metal upper male terminals 20 arranged and held in the housing 10, and a metal lower male terminal 30. It has a metal upper shield plate 40 and a lower shield plate 70 attached to the housing 10. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the upper male terminal 20 and the lower male terminal 30, these are collectively referred to as "male terminals 20, 30".

In the housing 10, the front part (the part on the Y1 side) in the connector fitting direction is formed as the fitting part 11 for fitting with the female connector 2, and the rear part (the part on the Y2 side) in the same direction is male. It is formed as a terminal holding portion 12 for holding the terminals 20 and 30. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the fitting portion 11 has an upper wall 13 and a lower wall 14 facing each other in the vertical direction and extending in the connector width direction (X-axis direction), and positions of both ends of the fitting portion 11 in the connector width direction. It has a pair of end walls 15 extending in the vertical direction and connecting the end of the upper wall 13 and the end of the lower wall 14. Further, the space surrounded by the upper wall 13, the lower wall 14, and the pair of end walls 15 is used as a receiving recess 16 opened forward (in the Y1 direction) to receive the corresponding fitting portion provided in the female connector 2. It is formed.

As seen in FIG. 1, the upper wall 13 forms a front end portion (opening edge portion of the receiving recess 16) of the upper wall 13 at a plurality of locations (four locations in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction. An upper mounting groove 13A that is submerged from the lower surface of the portion) is formed. The upper mounting groove 13A is open downward and forward, and holds the press-fit portion 64A of the mounting piece 64 of the upper inner shield portion 60 press-fitted from the front as described later. Further, the front end portion of the upper wall 13 is an upper inclined surface 13B in which the lower surface of the front end portion is inclined upward as it goes forward in a region other than the region where the upper mounting groove 13A is formed in the connector width direction. (See also FIGS. 3 and 5).

Further, as seen in FIG. 1, the lower wall 14 has a front end portion (opening edge portion of the receiving recess 16) of the lower wall 14 at a plurality of locations (four locations in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction. A lower mounting groove 14A that is submerged from the upper surface of the portion to be formed) is formed. The lower mounting groove 14A is open upward and forward, and holds the press-fitting portion 73A of the mounting piece 73 of the lower shield plate 70 press-fitted from the front as described later. The lower mounting groove 14A is formed at a position slightly deviated from the upper mounting groove 13A in the connector width direction. Further, as seen in FIG. 1, in the front end portion of the lower wall 14, the upper surface of the front end portion faces forward in a region other than the region where the lower mounting groove 14A is formed in the connector width direction. It is formed as a lower inclined surface 14B that inclines downward as it increases (see also FIGS. 3 and 5).

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the terminal holding portion 12 has a slit-shaped terminal holding groove 17 that extends at a right angle 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 and 30, and can accommodate the male terminals 20 and 30.

Prior to the description of the shape of the terminal holding groove 17, the shapes of the male terminals 20 and 30 held by the terminal holding groove 17 will be described first. The male terminals 20 and 30 are made by punching a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction, and have a substantially L-shape as a whole as shown in FIG. 3, and the male terminals 20 and 30 have a substantially L-shape as shown in FIG. The housing 10 is arranged and held with (X-axis direction) as the terminal arrangement direction. Further, the male terminals 20 and 30 are held in the terminal holding groove 17 in a posture in which the plate surface is perpendicular to the connector width direction as shown in FIG. Of the male terminals 20 and 30, the upper male terminal 20 has a horizontal portion 21 extending linearly in the connector fitting direction (Y-axis direction) in the terminal holding groove 17, and the horizontal portion 21 in the terminal holding groove 17. Inside the receiving recess 16 which extends straight downward from the rear end (Y2 side end) and forward (Y1 direction) from the front end (Y1 side end) of the horizontal portion 21. It has a contact portion 23 located at.

A plurality of locking projections are formed on the upper edge of the front half of the lateral portion 21, and the locking projections bite into the inner wall surface of the upper groove portion 17A described later of the terminal holding groove 17 to enter the upper groove portion 17A. It is supposed to be held by. The vertical portion 22 extends downward from the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion 12 to a position slightly protruding, and the protruding lower end portion is formed as a connecting portion 22A for solder connection to the mounting surface of the circuit board B1. There is. The contact portion 23 is formed to be thinner than the horizontal portion 21, that is, to have a smaller vertical dimension, and has a substantially pin shape as shown in FIG.

The lower male terminal 30 has a horizontal portion 31, a vertical portion 32, and a contact portion 33, similarly to the upper male terminal 20 described above, but the horizontal portion 31 and the vertical portion 32 are the upper male terminals 20, respectively. It differs from the upper male terminal 20 in that it is shorter than the horizontal portion 21 and the vertical portion 22 of the above. A plurality of locking projections are formed on the lower edge of the lateral portion 31, and the locking projections bite into the inner wall surface of the lower groove portion 17B described later of the terminal holding groove 17 to hold the lateral portion 31 in the lower groove portion 17B. It is supposed to be done. 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 mounted on the circuit board B1. It is formed as a connection portion 32A for solder connection to a surface. Further, the contact portion 33 is formed to have the same dimensions as the contact portion 23 of the upper male terminal 20, and extends to the same position as the front end of the contact portion 23 as shown in FIG.

Returning to the description of the housing 10. As seen in FIG. 3, the terminal holding grooves 17 of the housing 10 for holding the male terminals 20 and 30 described above are the upper groove portion 17A accommodating the lateral portion 21 of the upper male terminal 20 and the lateral side of the lower male terminal 30. It has a lower groove portion 17B for accommodating the portion 31, and a rear groove portion 17C extending to the rear end and the lower end of the terminal holding portion 12 in a region behind the upper groove portion 17A and the lower groove portion 17B (see also FIG. 5). ..

As is often seen in FIG. 5, the upper groove portion 17A extends in the front-rear direction (connector fitting direction (Y-axis direction)) at the upper portion of the terminal holding portion 12, and the front end opens toward the receiving recess 16. The rear end communicates with the rear groove portion 17C while communicating with the receiving recess 16. The lower groove portion 17B is located below the upper groove portion 17A and extends in the front-rear direction, and is formed shorter than the upper groove portion 17A in the front-rear direction. The front end of the rear groove portion 17C opens toward the receiving recess 16 at the same position as the front end of the upper groove portion 17A and communicates with the receiving recess 16, and the rear end thereof is in front of the rear end of the upper groove portion 17A. It is located and communicates with the rear groove portion 17C. As described above, the rear groove portion 17C extends to the rear end and the lower end of the terminal holding portion 12, and is opened rearward and downward to communicate with the outside.

As seen in FIG. 4, the terminal holding grooves 17 adjacent to each other in the connector width direction are separated by a partition wall 12A extending in parallel with the terminal holding groove 17. Of the plurality of partition walls 12A formed by arranging them in the connector width direction, the plurality of (five in the present embodiment) partition walls 12A located corresponding to the held pieces 52A of the upper outer shield portion 50, which will be described later, may be used. A holding hole 12A-1 submerged from the rear surface is formed at the lower portion thereof. As will be described later, the holding hole 12A-1 press-fits and holds the held piece 52A of the upper outer shield portion 50.

In the upper part of the housing 10, as is often seen in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12 is located below the upper surface of the fitting portion 11, and the boundary region between the fitting portion 11 and the terminal holding portion 12 is located. A step portion 10A is formed on the surface. The step portion 10A is formed with an upper through hole 18 that penetrates the rear portion of the fitting portion 11 in the front-rear direction. As seen in FIG. 4, the upper through holes 18 are formed at a plurality of locations (five locations in FIG. 4) in the connector width direction, and the inner connecting portions 63 of the upper inner shield portion 60, which will be described later, are formed from the front. It is designed to be inserted (see FIG. 3).

At the lower part of the housing 10, as is often seen in FIG. 5, the lower surface of the terminal holding portion 12 is located above the lower surface of the fitting portion 11, and the boundary region between the fitting portion 11 and the terminal holding portion 12 The step portion 10B is formed on the surface. A lower through hole 19 extending from the receiving recess 16 to the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion 12 and opening forward and downward is formed in a range extending from the lower front end portion of the terminal holding portion 12 to the step portion 10B. The space located below the terminal holding portion 12 and the receiving recess 16 communicate with each other through the lower through hole 19.

As seen in FIG. 5, the lower through hole 19 communicates with the receiving recess 16 via the front opening 19A and communicates with the space located below the terminal holding portion 12 via the lower opening 19B. .. The vertical dimension (dimension in the Z-axis direction) of the front opening 19A is larger than the vertical dimension of the rising portion 72B of the lower shield plate 70, which will be described later. Further, the connector fitting direction dimension (dimension in the Y-axis direction) of the lower opening 19B is larger than the connector fitting direction dimension of the front grounding portion 72A of the lower shield plate 70, which will be described later. The lower through holes 19 are formed at a plurality of locations (six locations) in the connector width direction corresponding to the legs 72 of the lower shield plate 70, which will be described later, and receive the legs 72 from the front. (See FIGS. 3 and 6 (A) to (C)).

The shield plate attached to the housing 10 has an upper shield plate 40 attached to the housing 10 at a position away from the circuit board B1 and a lower shield plate 70 attached to the housing 10 at a position closer to the circuit board B1. .. Further, the upper shield plate 40 includes an upper outer shield portion 50 that covers the outer surfaces (upper surface and rear surface) of the terminal holding portion 12 of the housing 10, and an upper inner shield portion 60 that covers the upper inner wall surface of the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10. have.

The upper outer shield portion 50 is made by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction so that the overall shape when viewed in the connector width direction is substantially L-shaped. The upper outer shield portion 50 is bent rearward from the lower end of the upper plate portion 51 extending along the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12, the rear plate portion 52 extending along the rear surface of the terminal holding portion 12, and the rear plate portion 52. It has a rear ground contact portion 53 formed by being formed. In the upper outer shield portion 50, the upper plate portion 51 covers almost the entire upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12, and the rear plate portion 52 covers almost the entire rear surface of the terminal holding portion 12.

As seen in FIG. 2, the upper plate portion 51 has a plurality of locations (five locations in FIG. 2) corresponding to the upper through holes 18 of the housing 10 in the connector width direction, and the upper plate portion 51 when viewed in the connector width direction. The front end portion of the portion 51 is formed by being bent in the plate thickness direction so as to form a crank shape (see also FIGS. 3 to 5). As can be seen in FIG. 3, the outer connection portion 51A is located above the other portion of the upper plate portion 51, and is located inside the upper inner shield portion 60, which will be described later, between the outer connection portion 51A and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12. A gap is formed for receiving the connecting portion 63 from the front. The outer connecting portion 51A comes into contact with the upper surface of the inner connecting portion 63 on its lower surface, whereby electrical conduction between the upper outer shield portion 50 and the upper inner shield portion 60 is achieved (FIG. 3). reference).

The rear plate portion 52 is formed at a plurality of locations (five locations in FIG. 4) corresponding to the holding holes 12A-1 of the terminal holding portion 12 of the housing 10 in the connector width direction, and the lower portion of the rear plate portion 52 is cut forward. It is raised to form the held piece 52A (see also FIG. 5). The held piece 52A is held by being press-fitted into the holding hole 12A-1 from the rear when the upper outer shield portion 50 is attached to the terminal holding portion 12 from the rear as described later. Specifically, press-fitting protrusions are formed on the upper edge and the lower edge (both edge portions extending in the connector fitting direction) of the held piece 52A, and the press-fitting protrusions bite into the inner wall surface of the holding hole 12A-1. It is held by inserting.

As seen in FIG. 4, two rear grounding portions 53 are provided at positions corresponding to the external connecting portion 51A in the connector width direction. As seen in FIG. 3, the rear grounding portion 53 is located at the same height as the connecting portions 22A and 32A of the male terminals 20 and 30, and is soldered to the corresponding circuit portion on the mounting surface of the circuit board B1. It is connected and can be grounded.

The upper inner shield portion 60 is separate from the upper outer shield portion 50, and is formed by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction. As seen in FIG. 3, the upper inner shield portion 60 is located in the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10 along the upper inner wall surface of the inner wall surface forming the receiving recess 16 and is located on the inner wall surface. It covers almost the entire area.

The upper inner shield portion 60 is collectively referred to as a plurality of upper long shield contact pieces 61 and upper short shield contact pieces 62 (hereinafter, if necessary, "upper shield contact pieces 61, 62") formed by arranging them in the connector width direction. The plurality of inner connecting portions 63 formed at the rear end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60, and the plurality of mounting pieces 64 and guide portions 65 formed at the front end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60. Have.

As seen in FIG. 4, the upper long shield contact piece 61 and the upper short shield contact piece 62 are formed so as to be alternately arranged in the connector width direction. FIG. 4 shows five upper long shield contact pieces 61 and four upper short shield contact pieces 62 formed between the upper long shield contact pieces 61 adjacent to each other. The upper long shield contact piece 61 and the upper short shield contact piece 62 are formed by cutting up the upper inner shield portion 60, and extend so as to incline slightly downward toward the front (Y1 direction), and extend in the vertical direction (plate). It is formed as a cantilever-shaped elastic piece that can be elastically displaced in the thickness direction (see also FIG. 3). Further, the upper short shield contact piece 62 is formed shorter than the upper long shield contact piece 61 in the connector fitting direction.

The upper long shield contact piece 61 extends to a position closer to the front end of the upper inner shield portion 60, and the upper front shield contact portion 61A for contacting the upper shield plate 100 provided on the female connector 2 to be described later is provided at the front end portion ( It has at the free end). The upper front shield contact portion 61A is formed by bending in the plate thickness direction so as to project downward from the front end portion of the upper long shield contact piece 61. The front end of the upper short shield contact piece 62 is located behind the front end of the upper long shield contact piece 61. Similarly to the upper long shield contact piece 61, the upper short shield contact piece 62 is also formed with an upper rear shield contact portion 62A at the front end portion. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the upper rear shield contact portion 62A is located behind the upper front shield contact portion 61A. Hereinafter, the upper front shield contact portion 61A and the upper rear shield contact portion 62A are collectively referred to as "upper shield contact portions 61A, 62A" as necessary.

In the present embodiment, the upper inner shield portion 60 is made to elastically contact the upper shield plate 100 of the female connector 2 at the upper shield contact portions 61A and 62A formed on the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62, and thus is on the upper side. The inner shield portion 60 and the upper shield plate 100 can be more reliably connected.

As seen in FIG. 4, the inner connecting portions 63 are a plurality of locations (five locations in the present embodiment) corresponding to the upper through holes 18 of the housing 10 in the connector width direction, and are inside the upper side when viewed in the connector width direction. It is formed by bending the rear end portion of the shield portion 60 into a crank shape (see also FIGS. 3 and 5). As seen in FIG. 3, the inner connecting portion 63 is located below the other portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 (see also FIG. 5) and penetrates the upper through hole 18 of the housing 10 from the front. At the same time, it has entered the gap between the outer connection portion 51A of the upper outer shield portion 50 and the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 12 from the front. The inner connecting portion 63 located in the gap comes into contact with the lower surface of the outer connecting portion 51A on the upper surface of the inner connecting portion 63.

The mounting pieces 64 are provided between adjacent guide portions 65 at a plurality of locations (four locations in this embodiment) corresponding to the upper mounting grooves 13A of the housing 10 in the connector width direction (see FIG. 4). It is formed by bending the front end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 in a crank shape (see FIGS. 3 and 5). As can be seen in FIG. 3, the mounting piece 64 extends upward and then bends forward to extend, and the portion extending forward is formed as a press-fitting portion 64A that is press-fitted and held by the upper mounting groove 13A. The press-fitting portion 64A is positioned so as to be offset upward with respect to the shield surface of the upper inner shield portion 60 (the plate surface covering the inner wall surface of the receiving recess 16), and has a flat plate shape parallel to the shield surface. Is doing. Press-fitting projections 64A-1 are formed on both side edges (side edges extending in the connector fitting direction) of the press-fitting portion 64A (see FIGS. 4 and 5), and the press-fitting portion 64A enters the upper mounting groove 13A from the front. When press-fitted, the upper inner shield portion 60 is attached to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10 by the press-fitting projection 64A-1 biting into the inner wall surface of the upper mounting groove 13A.

The guide portion 65 is formed by bending the front end portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 so as to incline upward as it goes forward. As seen in FIG. 3, the guide portion 65 extends along the upper inclined surface 13B of the upper wall 13. The guide portion 65 guides the female connector 2 into the receiving recess 16 on the lower surface of the guide portion 65 when the connector is fitted.

Further, as seen in FIG. 3, the guide portion 65 is located in the vertical direction with an overlapping range with the upper inclined surface 13B. That is, when the upper inner shield portion 60 is attached, when the upper inner shield portion 60 is inserted into the receiving recess 16 toward the rear (Y2 direction), the guide portion 65 faces the upper inclined surface 13B and engages from the front. It is located so that it can be stopped. That is, the guide unit 65 also has a function as a regulation unit that regulates the entry of the upper inner shield unit 60 beyond a predetermined position toward the rear, and the upper inner shield unit 60 is regular due to such regulation. It is designed to be brought to the mounting position.

The lower shield plate 70 is made by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction. The lower shield plate 70 is located in the receiving recess 16 of the housing 10 along the lower inner wall surface of the receiving recess 16 and covers almost the entire inner wall surface, and the lower inner shield portion 71 and the lower side thereof. It has a plurality of leg portions 72 that bend and extend from the rear end edge of the inner shield portion 71 in a crank shape, and a plurality of mounting pieces 73 and guide portions 74 that bend and extend from the front end edge of the lower inner shield portion 71. ing.

The lower inner shield portion 71 has a shape as if the upper inner shield portion 60 described above was turned upside down. That is, the lower inner shield portion 71 has a lower long shield contact piece 75 and a lower short shield contact piece 76 as elastic pieces that can be elastically displaced in the vertical direction (hereinafter, if necessary, "lower shield contact piece". 75, 76 ") are arranged alternately in the connector width direction. The lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 themselves also have a shape in which the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62 of the upper inner shield portion 60 are turned upside down. That is, the lower front shield contact portion 75A is formed on the lower long shield contact piece 75, and the lower rear shield contact portion 76A is formed on the lower short shield contact piece 76. Hereinafter, the lower front shield contact portion 75A and the lower rear shield contact portion 76A are collectively referred to as "lower shield contact portions 75A, 76A" as necessary. The lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 are elastically contactable with the lower shield plate 110 provided on the female connector at the lower shield contact portions 75A and 76A. Further, the lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 are provided at the same positions as the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62 in the connector fitting direction, but are provided at positions slightly deviated from each other in the connector width direction. ..

In the present embodiment, the lower shield plate 70 is made to elastically contact the lower shield plate 110 of the female connector 2 at the lower shield contact portions 75A and 76A formed on the lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76. Therefore, the lower shield plate 70 and the lower shield plate 110 can be more reliably connected.

The legs 72 are provided at a plurality of locations (six locations in this embodiment) corresponding to the lower through holes 19 of the housing 10 in the connector width direction (see FIG. 4). As seen in FIG. 3, the leg portion 72 is located along the mounting surface of the circuit board B1 at the front position of the terminal holding portion 12, and is grounded to the mounting surface. The front grounding portion 72A and the front grounding portion 72 are grounded. It has a rising portion 72B that is bent at the front end of the portion 72A, extends upward, and is connected to the rear end of the lower inner shield portion 71. That is, as seen in FIG. 3, the front ground portion 72A passes through the rising portion 72B extending upward, and the upper end of the rising portion 72B is bent forward to reach the lower inner shield portion 71. The grounding portion 72A, the rising portion 72B, and the lower inner shield portion 71 are formed as one member.

In the present embodiment, as seen in FIG. 4, there are two leg portions 72 from the front grounding portion 72A extending in the connector width direction, except for the leg portions 72 located at both ends in the connector width direction (X-axis direction). The rising portions 72B extend at positions separated from each other. On the other hand, the leg portions 72 located at both ends in the connector width direction are formed to have a narrow width, and have only one rising portion 72B.

The mounting pieces 73 are provided between adjacent guide portions 74 at a plurality of locations (four locations in this embodiment) corresponding to the lower mounting grooves 14A of the housing 10 in the connector width direction, and are provided in the connector width direction. It is formed by bending so as to form a crank shape from the front end edge of the lower inner shield portion 71 when viewed from. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the mounting piece 73 has a shape in which the mounting piece 64 of the upper inner shield portion 60 is turned upside down, and extends downward and then bends forward and extends. The portion extending forward is formed as a press-fitting portion 73A that is press-fitted and held by the lower mounting groove 14A. The press-fitting portion 73A is positioned so as to be offset downward with respect to the shield surface of the lower shield plate 70 (the plate surface of the lower inner shield portion 71), and has a flat plate shape parallel to the shield surface. I'm doing it. Press-fitting projections 73A-1 are formed on both side edges (side edges extending in the connector fitting direction) of the press-fitting portion 73A (see FIGS. 4 and 5), and the press-fitting portion 73A is forward to the lower mounting groove 14A. When the press-fitting projection 73A-1 is press-fitted into the inner wall surface of the lower mounting groove 14A, the lower shield plate 70 is attached to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10.

The guide portion 74 has a shape in which the guide portion 65 of the upper inner shield portion 60 described above is turned upside down, and extends along the lower inclined surface 14B of the lower wall 14 as shown in FIG. There is. The guide portion 74 guides the female connector 2 into the receiving recess 16 on the upper surface of the guide portion 74 when the connector is fitted.

Further, as seen in FIG. 3, the guide portion 74 is located in the vertical direction with an overlapping range with the lower inclined surface 14B. That is, when the lower shield plate 70 is attached, when the lower shield plate 70 is inserted into the receiving recess 16 toward the rear (Y2 direction), the guide portion 74 faces the lower inclined surface 14B from the front. It is located so that it can be locked. That is, the guide unit 74 also has a function as a regulation unit that regulates the entry of the lower shield plate 70 beyond a predetermined position toward the rear, and the lower shield plate 70 is properly attached by such regulation. It is supposed to be brought to the position.

The male connector 1 having the above configuration is assembled as follows. First, the lower male terminal 30 is inserted into the terminal holding groove 17 of the housing 10 from the rear, and the lateral portion 31 of the lower male terminal 30 is press-fitted into the lower groove portion 17B of the terminal holding groove 17 to press the lower male terminal 30 into the lower groove portion 17B. Is attached to the housing 10. Next, the upper male terminal 20 is inserted into the terminal holding groove 17 of the housing 10 from the rear, the lateral portion 21 of the upper male terminal 20 is press-fitted into the upper groove portion 17A of the terminal holding groove 17, and the upper male terminal 20 is housed. Attach to 10. With the male terminals 20 and 30 attached to the housing 10 in this way, the contact portions 23 and 33 of the male terminals 20 and 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 press-fitted into the holding hole 12A-1 of the terminal holding portion 12 of the housing 10 from the rear, and the upper outer shield portion 50 is attached to the terminal holding portion 12. With the upper outer shield portion 50 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 press-fitting portion 64A of the upper inner shield portion 60 is press-fitted into the upper mounting groove 13A of the housing 10 from the front, and the upper inner shield portion 60 is attached 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 the front, and the outer connection portion 51A and the terminal holding portion 12 It enters the gap between the upper surface and the outer surface, and comes into contact with the lower surface of the external connection portion 51A to be electrically conductive. Further, the portion of the upper inner shield portion 60 located in the receiving recess 16 is located along the upper inner wall surface of the receiving recess 16 and covers the inner wall surface.

Subsequently, the lower shield plate 70 is attached to the fitting portion 11 of the housing 10 as described below based on FIGS. 5 and 6 (A) to 6 (C). Here, FIGS. 6 (A) to 6 (C) show the mounting process of the lower shield plate 70 by extracting only the portion corresponding to the lower front half of the housing 10 in FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower shield plate 70 is positioned in front of the receiving recess 16 at the same height as the lower through hole 19, and then the lower shield plate 70 is moved rearward. In the rearward movement of the lower shield plate 70, the legs 72 of the lower shield plate 70, that is, the front ground contact portion 72A and the rising portion 72B pass through the front opening 19A of the lower through hole 19 and FIG. It is carried out until it is brought into the lower through hole 19 as seen in.

Next, the lower shield plate 70 is moved downward. At this time, the front ground contact portion 72A and the rising portion 72B descend and move in the lower through hole 19. The downward movement of the lower shield plate 70 is brought out of the lower through hole 19 as seen in FIG. 6B through the lower opening 19B of the lower through hole 19 with the front ground contact portion 72A. At the same time, the press-fitting portion 73A of the mounting piece 73 is brought to the same height as the lower mounting groove 14A of the housing 10.

Next, the lower shield plate 70 is moved rearward, and as shown in FIG. 6C, the press-fitting portion 73A is press-fitted into the lower mounting groove 14A from the front to house the lower shield plate 70. It is attached to the fitting portion 11 of 10. 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 located along the lower inner wall surface of the receiving recess 16 and covers the inner wall surface.

In this way, the male connector 1 is completed by attaching 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 to the housing 10. In the present embodiment, the upper outer shield portion 50, the upper inner shield portion 60, and the lower shield plate 70 are attached to the housing 10 in this order, but the attachment order is not limited to this, and whichever is attached first. It may be attached at the same time.

In the present embodiment, the lower through hole 19 of the housing 10 allows the front grounding portion 72A and the rising portion 72B to enter when the lower shield plate 70 is inserted rearward into the receiving recess 16. The front grounding portion 72A and the rising portion 72B are allowed to move down to the circuit board B1. Therefore, even if the lower shield plate 70 has a vertical dimension corresponding to that of the rising portion 72B, the rising portion 72B and the front grounding portion 72A are allowed to enter the lower through hole 19 toward the rear, and the lower side thereof. The lower shield plate 70 can be easily incorporated into the housing 10 by moving the front ground contact portion 72A and the rising portion 72B downward through the through hole 19.

In the present embodiment, the lower shield plate 70 is formed as one member having the front ground contact portion 72A, the rising portion 72B, and the lower inner shield portion 71. It is not necessary to do so, the number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Next, the configuration of the female connector 2 will be described. The female connector 2 is fitted and connected to the male connector 1 with the Y2 direction as the front in the connector fitting direction. Hereinafter, regarding the female connector 2, in the connector fitting direction (Y-axis direction), the Y2 direction is referred to as “forward” and the Y1 direction is referred to as “rear”. As seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, the female connector 2 includes a housing 80 made of an electrically insulating material and having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and a plurality of metal female terminals 90 arranged and held in the housing 80. It has a metal upper shield plate 100 and a lower shield plate 110 attached to the housing 80 (see also FIG. 7). Hereinafter, if necessary, the upper shield plate 100 and the lower shield plate 110 are collectively referred to as “shield plates 100, 110”.

The housing 80 has a fitting portion (corresponding fitting portion for the male connector 1) that is fitted into the receiving recess 16 of the male connector 1 in the connector fitting state as a whole. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 80 has an upper wall 81 and a lower wall 82 that face each other in the vertical direction and extend in the connector width direction (X-axis direction), and the positions of both ends of the housing 80 in the connector width direction. It has a pair of end walls 83 extending in the vertical direction and connecting the end of the upper wall 81 and the end of the lower wall 82.

Further, the housing 80 extends in the vertical direction at a central position in the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction at a plurality of positions in the connector width direction and one horizontal partition wall 84 that connects the inner wall surfaces of the end walls 83. It has a plurality of vertical partition walls 85 that connect the inner walls of the wall 81 and the lower wall 82 to each other. The space surrounded by the peripheral walls formed by the upper wall 81, the lower wall 82, and the two end walls 83 is partitioned into a plurality of small spaces by the one horizontal partition wall 84 and the plurality of vertical partition walls 85.

The small space is formed as a terminal accommodating portion 86 for accommodating and holding the female terminal 90. The terminal accommodating portion 86 is formed at a position corresponding to the contact portions 23 and 33 of the male terminals 20 and 30 of the male connector 1. That is, in the present embodiment, the terminal accommodating portions 86 are formed in two stages in the vertical direction and in thirteen rows in the connector width direction. As seen in FIG. 3, the terminal accommodating portion 86 penetrates in the connector fitting direction, and as will be described later, the female terminal 90 can be press-fitted from the rear (Y1 direction).

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper wall 81 has a plurality of locations (five locations in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction of the front end portion (end portion on the Y2 side) of the upper wall 81. An upper mounting groove 81A that is submerged from the upper surface is formed. As seen in FIG. 8, the upper mounting groove 81A is open upward (Z1 direction) and forward (Y2 direction), and the mounting piece 102 of the upper shield plate 100 press-fitted from the front as described later. The press-fitting portion 102A of the above is held (see also FIG. 9). Further, as seen in FIG. 7, an upper inclined surface 81B that inclines downward as it goes forward is formed between the upper mounting grooves 81A that are adjacent to each other in the connector width direction on the upper surface of the front end portion of the upper wall 81. Has been done. Further, on the upper surface of the rear end portion (Y1 side end portion) of the upper wall 81, fixing portions for fixing the upper shield plate 100 at a plurality of locations (four locations in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction. 81C is formed. A fixing hole 81C-1 penetrating in the connector fitting direction is formed in the fixing portion 81C, and a fixed portion 104 described later of the upper shield plate 100 is inserted from the front to hold the fixed portion 104. It has become like.

The lower wall 82 of the housing 80 has a shape as if the upper wall 81 described above was turned upside down. Since the shape of the lower wall 82 is the same as that of the upper wall 81 except that it is upside down, a code obtained by adding "1" to the code on the upper wall 81 is added (for example, the upper wall 81. The "lower mounting groove" of the lower wall 82 corresponding to the "upper mounting groove 81A" is designated by the reference numeral "82A"), the description thereof will be omitted here.

The plurality of female terminals 90 held by the housing 80 are all formed in the same shape. The female terminal 90 is formed by bending a metal plate member in the plate thickness direction, and as seen in FIG. 3, the female terminal 90 has a base portion 91 located in the middle portion of the terminal accommodating portion 86 in the connector fitting direction. A pair of elastic arm portions 92 extending from the base portion 91 toward the front (Y2 direction) and elastically displaceable in the vertical direction are connected to the trailing edge portion (Y1 side edge portion) of the base portion 91 via a constriction portion 93. It has a held plate portion 94 and a connecting portion 95 extending from the trailing edge portion of the held plate portion 94 to the outside of the housing 80.

The base portion 91 is formed by being bent so as to form a horizontal U shape when viewed in the connector fitting direction, and has a vertical plate portion 91A extending along the wall surface of the vertical partition wall 85 and an upper edge of the vertical plate portion 91A. It has two horizontal plate portions 91B extending from each of the lower edge and the connector width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3).

The elastic arm portions 92 extend forward from each of the two horizontal plate portions 91B of the base portion 91, and are paired by the two elastic arm portions 92 facing each other in the vertical direction. The two elastic arms 92 are inclined and extended so as to approach each other toward the front, and are bent so as to be inclined away from each other at the front end portions thereof. The bent portion at the front end portion, that is, the portion protruding so as to approach each other, forms a contact protrusion 92A capable of contacting the contact portions 23 and 33 of the male terminals 20 and 30. The vertical distance between the contact protrusions 92A is smaller than the vertical dimension of the contact portions 23 and 33 of the male terminals 20 and 30, and the pair of contact protrusions 92A press the contact portions 23 and 33 in the connector fitted state. It is designed to hold pressure in the vertical direction.

The held plate portion 94 has a plate surface perpendicular to the connector width direction and extends along the wall surface of the vertical partition wall 85. The held plate portion 94 is formed with press-fitting protrusions (not shown) protruding from each of the upper edge and the lower edge, and the press-fitting protrusions bite into the upper and lower inner wall surfaces of the terminal accommodating portion 86. By inserting the female terminal 90, the female terminal 90 is press-fitted and held in the terminal accommodating portion 86.

The connecting portion 95 is located outside the housing 80, is bent at the trailing edge end of the held plate portion 94, and extends in the width direction of the connector (see also FIG. 1). As can be seen in FIG. 3, in the connection portion 95, when the female connector 2 is arranged on the mounting surface of the circuit board B2, the front surface of the connection portion 95 (the plate surface perpendicular to the connector fitting direction) is It is located so as to be in contact with the mounting surface, and can be solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the mounting surface.

The upper shield plate 100 and the lower shield plate 110 have exactly the same shape as each other. Here, the configuration of the upper shield plate 100 will be mainly described, and the lower shield plate 110 is designated by adding "10" to the code of the upper shield plate 100 (for example, of the upper shield plate 100). The "shield plate main body" of the lower shield plate 110 corresponding to the "shield plate main body 101" described later is designated by the reference numeral "111"), and the description thereof will be omitted.

The upper shield plate 100 is formed by bending a part of a metal plate member, and is attached to the upper surface of the upper wall 81 of the housing 80. The upper shield plate 100 includes a shield plate main body 101 having a shield surface facing the upper surface of the upper wall 81, and a mounting piece 102 provided on the front edge portion (Y2 side edge portion) of the shield plate main body 101. It has a guided portion 103, a fixed portion 104 provided on the trailing edge portion (edge portion on the Y1 side) of the shield plate main body portion 101, and a shield plate grounding portion 105.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shield plate main body 101 has a flat plate shape extending over the entire terminal arrangement range in the connector width direction. The mounting pieces 102 are provided at a plurality of locations (five locations in this embodiment) corresponding to the upper mounting grooves 81A of the housing 80 in the connector width direction, and are the front ends of the shield plate main body 101 when viewed in the connector width direction. It is formed by bending so as to form a crank shape from the edge. The mounting piece 102 extends downward and then bends forward to extend, and the portion extending forward is formed as a press-fit portion 102A (see also FIGS. 8 and 9) in which the portion extending forward is press-fitted and held by the upper mounting groove 81A. There is. The press-fitting portion 102A is positioned so as to be offset downward with respect to the shield surface of the upper shield plate 100 (the plate surface of the shield plate main body 101), and has a flat plate shape parallel to the shield surface. There is. When the press-fitting portion 102A is press-fitted into the upper mounting groove 81A from the front (see the arrow in FIG. 8), the press-fitting projection 102A-1 as a locking portion formed on both side edges of the press-fitting portion 102A (FIGS. 8 and 8). 9), as seen in FIG. 9, the upper shield plate 100 is attached to the housing 80 by biting into the inner wall surface of the upper attachment groove 81A.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 7, the guided portion 103 is provided between adjacent mounting pieces 102 in the connector width direction, and is forward (Y2 direction) from the front end edge of the shield plate main body 101. ), It is formed by bending so as to incline downward. The guided portion 103 extends along the upper inclined surface 81B of the upper wall 81. When the connector is fitted, the guided portion 103 is guided into the receiving recess 16 of the male connector 1 by the guide portion 65 of the male connector 1 on the upper surface of the guided portion 103.

The fixed portions 104 are provided at a plurality of locations (four locations in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction corresponding to the fixing portions 81C of the housing 80, and are provided rearward from the rear end edge of the shield plate main body 101 (four locations in this embodiment). It extends straight toward (Y1 direction). With the upper shield plate 100 attached to the housing 80, the fixed portion 104 is inserted into the fixing hole 81C-1 of the fixing portion 81C from the front and held by the fixing hole 81C-1.

The shield plate grounding portion 105 is provided at a plurality of locations (five locations in the present embodiment) in the connector width direction, specifically at the same positions as the mounting piece 102, and is bent at the rear end edge of the shield plate main body 101. It is extended upward. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the shield plate grounding portion 105 has a front surface (perpendicular to the connector fitting direction) of the shield plate grounding portion 105 in a state where the female connector 2 is arranged on the mounting surface of the circuit board B2. The plate surface) is positioned so as to be in contact with the mounting surface, and can be grounded by being solder-connected to the corresponding circuit portion of the mounting surface.

As described above, the lower shield plate 110 has exactly the same shape as the upper shield plate 100, and covers the bottom surface of the lower wall 82 of the housing 80 in an upside-down posture with respect to the upper shield plate 100. It is attached to. In the present embodiment, since the shield plates 100 and 110 are attached to both the upper surface and the lower surface of the housing 80, it is possible to shield in a wide range, and a higher shielding effect can be obtained.

The female connector 2 having the above configuration is assembled as follows. First, the female terminal 90 is attached to the housing 10 by press-fitting the female terminal 90 into each terminal accommodating portion 86 of the housing 80 from behind and accommodating the female terminal 90 in the terminal accommodating portion 86. At this time, the female terminal 90 is held by the held plate portion 94 by the inner wall surface of the terminal accommodating portion 86.

Next, the press-fitting portion 102A of the mounting piece 102 of the upper shield plate 100 is press-fitted into the upper mounting groove 81A of the housing 80 from the front (Y2 side), and the fixed portion 104 is press-fitted into the fixing hole 81C-1 of the fixing portion 81C. Insert from the front (Y2 side). As a result, the press-fitting projection 102A-1 of the press-fitting portion 102A bites into the inner wall surface on the side of the upper mounting groove 81A, the press-fitting portion 102A is held by the upper mounting groove 81A, and the fixed portion 104 is held by the fixing portion 81C. Held by. In this way, the upper shield plate 100 is attached to the upper surface side of the housing 80. Next, the lower shield plate 110 is attached to the bottom surface side of the housing 80 in the same manner as described above for the upper shield plate 100.

In this way, the female connector 2 is completed by attaching the female terminal 90, the upper shield plate 100, and the lower shield plate 110 to the housing 80. In the present embodiment, the female terminal 90, the upper shield plate 100, and the lower shield plate 110 are attached to the housing 80 in this order, but the order of attachment is not limited to this, and any of them may be attached first. , Or they may be installed at the same time.

In the present embodiment, the mounting pieces 102 and 112 of the shield plates 100 and 110 have flat plate-shaped press-fitting portions 102A and 112A parallel to the shield surface (plate surface) of the shield plate main body portions 101 and 111. Press-fit projections 102A-1 and 112A-1 are provided on the side edges of the press-fit portions 102A and 112A. Since the press-fitting portions 102A and 112A have a flat plate shape including the press-fitting projections 102A-1 and 112102A-1, the shield plates 100 and 110 can be easily manufactured and the manufacturing accuracy is improved. Further, since the press-fitting portions 102A and 112A are not bent, the strength of the press-fitting portions 102A and 112A itself is high. Therefore, the attachment force of the attachment pieces 102 and 112 to the housing 80 is large, and the attachment pieces 102 and 112 are less likely to come off from the housing 80. Moreover, since a force in the plate thickness direction does not act on the press-fitting portions 102A and 112A, bending deformation due to fatigue is unlikely to occur even under a high mounting force, and the shield plates 100 and 110 can be used for a long period of time. ..

Further, in the present embodiment, the mounting pieces 102 and 112 of the shield plates 100 and 110 and the mounting grooves 81A and 82A of the housing 80 are provided at a plurality of positions at the same positions in the connector width direction (X-axis direction). .. Therefore, the mounting range of the shield plates 100 and 110 is expanded and becomes uniform. As a result, the attachment force of the attachment pieces 102 and 112 to the housing 80 becomes larger, and the shield plates 100 and 110 are less likely to come off from the housing 80.

Next, the fitting operation between the connectors will be described. First, the male connector 1 is solder-connected to the mounting surface of the circuit board B1 for mounting, and the female connector 2 is semi-connected to the mounting surface of the circuit board B2 for mounting. Next, as seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, the male connector 1 and the female connector 2 are positioned so that the front portions face each other. Then, the female connector 2 is moved toward the male connector 1, that is, toward the front of the female connector 2 in the connector fitting direction (Y2 direction) (see the arrows in FIGS. 1 to 3), and the female connector is moved. The fitting portion of 2 is fitted into the receiving recess 16 of the male connector 1. At this time, the guided portions 103 and 113 of the female connector 2 are guided by the guide portions 65 and 74 of the male connector 1, so that the female connector 2 is surely brought into the receiving recess 16 of the male connector 1.

In this connector fitting process, the contact portions 23 and 33 of the male terminals 20 and 30 push the pair of elastic arm portions 92 of the corresponding female terminals 90 while elastically displaceing them so as to spread them between the elastic arm portions 92. enter in. In the state where the connector fitting is completed (connector fitting state), the elastic arm portion 92 is maintained in the elastically displaced state, and the contact portions 23 and 33 are pinched in the vertical direction by the pair of contact protrusions 92A. .. As a result, the contact portions 23 and 33 and the pair of contact protrusions 92A come into contact with each other with contact pressure, and are in a state of being electrically conductive.

Further, in the connector fitting process, the shield plate main body 101 of the upper shield plate 100 provided on the female connector 2 is placed on the upper side of the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62 of the upper inner shield portion 60 provided on the male connector 1. It comes into contact with the shield contact portions 61A and 62A. On the other hand, the shield plate main body 111 of the lower shield plate 110 provided on the female connector 2 is the lower shield contact portion 75A of the lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 of the lower shield plate 70 provided on the male connector 1. , 76A abuts.

When the fitting of the female connector 2 is continued as it is, the upper shield contact portions 61A and 62A are pressed upward by the upper surface of the shield plate main body 101 of the upper shield plate 100, and the upper shield contact pieces 61 and 62 are elastically displaced upward. .. Further, the lower shield contact portions 75A and 76A are pressed downward by the lower surface of the shield plate main body 111 of the lower shield plate 110, and the lower shield contact pieces 75 and 76 are elastically displaced downward. The elastic displacement of the upper shield contact pieces 61, 62 and the lower shield contact pieces 75, 76 allows further fitting of the female connector 2. The female connector 2 is fitted until the front end surface of the female connector 2 abuts on the bottom surface (the surface perpendicular to the Y-axis direction) of the receiving recess 16 of the male connector 1, whereby the connector fitting process is completed and the connector is fitted. It will be in a mated state.

In the connector mating state, the upper shield contact pieces 61, 62 and the lower shield contact pieces 75, 76 are maintained in an elastically displaced state, and the upper shield contact pieces 61, 62 are the shield plate main body 101 of the upper shield plate 100. The lower shield contact portions 75A and 76A come into contact with the lower surface of the shield plate main body 111 of the lower shield plate 110 with contact pressure, and are in a state of being electrically conductive.

In the present embodiment, the shield plate of the female connector is attached to both of the pair of wall surfaces of the housing corresponding to each other. A shield plate may be attached.

Further, in the present embodiment, the shield plate of the female connector is attached to the outer surface of the housing, but instead, the housing of the female connector has one receiving recess like the male connector of the present embodiment. If so, the shield plate may be attached to the inner surface of the housing.

1 Male connector 72A Front grounding part 2 Female connector 72B Rising part 10 Housing 74 Guide part 11 Fitting part 75 Lower long shield contact piece 12 Terminal holding part 76 Lower short shield contact piece 16 Receiving recess 80 Housing 18 Upper through hole 81A Upper mounting groove 19 Lower through hole 82A Lower mounting groove 20 Upper male terminal 90 Female terminal 22A Connector 92 Elastic arm 23 Contact 92A-1 Contact protrusion 30 Lower male terminal 100 Upper shield plate 32A Connector 101 Shield Plate body 33 Contact 102 Mounting piece 40 Upper shield plate 102A Press-fit 50 Upper outer shield 102A-1 Press-fit projection (locking)
53 Rear grounding part 105 Shielding plate grounding part 60 Upper inner shield part 110 Lower shield plate 70 Lower shield plate 111 Shield plate main body 71 Lower inner shield part

Claims (6)

An electrical insulating material housing that is attached to a circuit board and has a fitting portion that fits with a mating connector in a direction along the mounting surface of the circuit board and a terminal holding portion that holds terminals, and one end side of the fitting portion. A terminal that has a contact portion that contacts the mating terminal provided on the mating connector, and the other end side that protrudes from the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion and forms a connecting portion that is connected to the circuit board, and a terminal that is attached to the housing and shields the terminal. In an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board having a shield plate
The fitting portion of the housing forms a receiving recess that is opened forward toward the mating connector in order to receive the corresponding mating portion of the mating connector, and the contact portion of the terminal is housed in the receiving recess.
The shield plate has a lower shield plate attached to the housing at a position closer to the circuit board and an upper shield plate attached to the housing at a position away from the circuit board.
The upper shield plate has a rear grounding portion that is grounded to the circuit board at the rear position of the terminal holding portion of the housing, and has an L-shape and is located on the outer surface of the terminal holding portion of the housing. It has an upper inner shield portion that is separate from the outer shield portion and is located in the receiving recess of the housing in a state of being conductive with the upper outer shield portion and can be contacted with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector.
The lower shield plate has a front grounding portion that is grounded to the circuit board at the front position of the terminal holding portion of the housing, and is located in the receiving recess of the housing and is located in the lower side that can contact the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector. It has a shield portion, passes through a rising portion extending upward from the front ground contact portion, and at the upper end of the rising portion, is bent forward to reach the lower inner shield portion, and the front ground contact portion, the rising portion, and the lower inner side. The shield part is formed as one member,
The housing extends from the receiving recess to the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion and is formed with a through hole that opens at the bottom surface. An L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board, which is formed as a space that allows entry of a rising portion and a front grounding portion and also allows a descent movement of the front grounding portion to a circuit board. The lower shield plate has a regulating portion in which the front end portion of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate is bent downward, and when the lower inner shield portion is inserted rearward into the receiving recess, the lower shield plate is said to have a restricting portion. The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the regulating portion is positioned so as to be locked with the opening edge of the receiving recess of the housing, and it is possible to restrict the entry of the lower shield plate beyond a predetermined position toward the rear. L-shaped electrical connector for circuit boards. The lower shield plate is provided with an elastic piece obtained by cutting out a part of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate, and a shield contact portion that contacts the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector is formed on the elastic piece. The L-shaped electrical connector for a circuit board according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the L-shaped electric connector according to claim 1 or 2. An electrical insulating material housing that is attached to a circuit board and has a fitting portion that fits with a mating connector in a direction along the mounting surface of the circuit board and a terminal holding portion that holds terminals, and one end side of the fitting portion. A terminal that has a contact portion that contacts the mating terminal provided on the mating connector, and the other end side that protrudes from the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion and forms a connecting portion that is connected to the circuit board, and a terminal that is attached to the housing and shields the terminal. In the method for manufacturing an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board having a shield plate,
In order to receive the corresponding fitting part of the mating connector, the contact part of the terminal is housed in the receiving recess formed in the fitting part of the housing by opening forward toward the mating connector.
A lower shield plate attached to the housing at a position closer to the circuit board and an upper shield plate attached to the housing at a position away from the circuit board are formed.
The upper outer shield portion having a rear grounding portion grounded to the circuit board at the rear position of the terminal holding portion of the housing and having an L shape and being located on the outer surface of the terminal holding portion of the housing, and the upper outer shield portion The upper shield plate is formed by the upper inner shield portion that is located in the receiving recess of the housing and is in contact with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector in a state of being separate and conducting with the upper outer shield portion.
It has a front grounding part that is grounded to the circuit board at the front position of the terminal holding part of the housing, and forms a lower inner shield part that is located in the receiving recess of the housing and can contact the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector. Through the rising portion extending upward from the front ground contact portion, the upper end of the rising portion is bent forward to reach the lower inner shield portion, and the front ground contact portion, the rising portion, and the lower inner shield portion are used as one member on the lower side. Form a shield plate,
A through hole is formed in the housing extending from the receiving recess to the bottom surface of the terminal holding portion, and the lower inner shield portion is inserted into the receiving recess with the rising portion and the front ground contact portion facing rearward, and then the front surface. A method for manufacturing an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board, which comprises moving the grounding portion downward to the circuit board. When the lower shield plate is provided with a restricting portion in which the front end portion of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate is bent downward, and the lower inner shield portion is inserted rearward into the receiving recess, the restricting portion is inserted. The L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board according to claim 4, which is positioned so as to be lockable with the opening edge of the receiving recess of the housing and restricts the entry of the lower shield plate beyond a predetermined position toward the rear. Manufacturing method. 4. Claim 4 in which an elastic piece obtained by cutting out a part of the lower inner shield portion of the lower shield plate is provided on the lower shield plate, and the elastic piece is used as a shield contact portion and is brought into contact with the corresponding shield plate of the mating connector. Alternatively, the method for manufacturing an L-shaped electric connector for a circuit board according to claim 5.

Images