Patent Publication Number: US-2022231463-A1

Title: Connector

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a connector. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a connector housing having a plurality of terminal accommodation chambers and a shield shell for surrounding the outer periphery of the connector housing. The shield shell is electrically connected to a ground wire and constitute a ground circuit. The connector housing includes partition walls interposed between adjacent ones of the terminal accommodation chambers. The partition walls are provided with lightening portions for matching an impedance of the connector with that of a cable. Transmission characteristics of the connector can be adjusted by the shield shell and the lightening portions. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     Patent Document 1: JP 2007-123025 A 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved 
     If a mating member to be connected to the connector is changed, the shape of the housing or 2 the like have to be changed according to transmission characteristics of the changed mating member. As a result, there is a problem of increasing manufacturing cost. 
     Accordingly, it is aimed to provide a connector capable of adjusting transmission characteristics while suppressing a manufacturing cost increase. 
     Means to Solve the Problem 
     The present disclosure is directed to a connector with a housing including an accommodating portion and mounting portions, a terminal fitting to be accommodated into the accommodating portion, and a shield member to be mounted into the mounting portions for shielding electromagnetic waves, wherein the mounting portions are provided at a plurality of positions at different distances from the accommodating portion. 
     Effect of the Invention 
     According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector capable of adjusting transmission characteristics while suppressing a manufacturing cost increase. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a housing in a connector according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the housing. 
         FIG. 3  is a view of a first shield plate viewed from a first direction. 
         FIG. 4  is a view of a second shield plate viewed from a second direction. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a state where the first shield plates are mounted in outer first mounting portions and the second shield plates are mounted in outer second mounting portions. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of a part in which an outer first fitting portion and an outer second fitting portion are fit and a first contact portion and a second contact portion are in contact in the state of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing a state where the first shield plates are mounted in inner first mounting portions and the second shield plates are mounted in inner second mounting portions. 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged perspective view of a part in which the outer first fitting portion and the outer second fitting portion are fit and the first and second contact portions are in contact in the state of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a section showing a state where a terminal fitting is accommodated in an accommodating portion of the housing when viewed from the first direction. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION TO EXECUTE THE INVENTION 
     [Description of Embodiments of Present Disclosure] 
     First, embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described. 
     (1) The connector of the present disclosure is provided with a housing including an accommodating portion and mounting portions, a terminal fitting to be accommodated into the accommodating portion, and a shield member to be mounted into the mounting portions for shielding electromagnetic waves, wherein the mounting portions are provided at a plurality of positions at different distances from the accommodating portion. According to this configuration, transmission characteristics of the connector can be matched with those of a mating member by mounting the shield member into the appropriate mounting portions selected from the plurality of mounting portions. Thus, it is not necessary to newly provide a housing or the like for the adjustment of the transmission characteristics. As a result, a manufacturing cost increase can be suppressed. 
     (2) Preferably, the mounting portion is in the form of a groove and one end is open in one surface of the housing. According to this configuration, a mold structure for molding the mounting portions is not particularly complicated. Further, the shield member can be easily mounted, such as by being press-fit into the mounting portions. 
     (3) The mounting portions may include first mounting portions arranged on both sides in a first direction across the accommodating portion and second mounting portions arranged on both sides in a second direction intersecting the first direction across the accommodating portion, and the shield member may include first shield plates to be mounted into the first mounting portions and second shield plates to be mounted into the second mounting portions. According to this configuration, since the mount positions of the first shield plates with respect to the first mounting portions and those of the second shield plates with respect to the second mounting portions can be changed, a selection range in adjusting the transmission characteristics can be widened. 
     (4) The first shield plates may be plate members having the same shape and commonly used for a plurality of the first mounting portions at different distances in the first direction from the accommodating portion and the second shield plates may be plate members having the same shape and commonly used for a plurality of the second mounting portions at different distances in the second direction from the accommodating portion. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of types of the first shield plates and the second shield plates and an increase in the number of components can be prevented. 
     (5) The first shield plates and the second shield plates may include first contact portions and second contact portions for contacting each other while intersecting each other. According to this configuration, since the first and second shield plates are electrically connected via the first and second contact portions, it is not necessary to provide an individual earth circuit (ground circuit) for each of the first and second shield plates. 
     (6) The shield member may include a board connecting portion to be connected to a circuit board, and the housing may be fixed to the circuit board via the board connecting portion. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to provide a member for fixing the housing to the circuit board separately from the shield member, and the structure of the connector can be simplified. 
     [Details of Embodiment of Present Disclosure] 
     A specific example of a connector of the present disclosure is described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to this illustration and is intended to be represented by claims and include all changes in the scope of claims and in the meaning and scope of equivalents. 
     A connector according to an embodiment includes a housing  10 , terminal fittings  40  to be accommodated into the housing  10 , and a shield member  50 ,  51  to be mounted into the housing  10 . 
     &lt;Housing  10 &gt; 
     The housing  10  is made of synthetic resin and includes, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a plurality of accommodating portions  11 . The respective accommodating portions  11  are laterally paired and configured as holes having a rectangular cross-section and vertically penetrating through the housing  10 . The terminal fittings  40  are inserted into the accommodating portions  11  (see  FIG. 9 ). 
     The housing  10  has a rectangular outer shape in a plan view having an arrangement direction of the respective accommodating portions  11  as a longitudinal direction and a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the respective accommodating portion  11  as a transverse direction. In the present disclosure, the longitudinal direction of the housing  10  is referred to as a first direction and the transverse direction of the housing  10  is referred to as a second direction as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     The housing  10  includes mounting portions  12  to  15  at a plurality of positions at different distances from the respective accommodating portions  11  (central part of the housing  10 ) to an outer side (radially outer side, outer peripheral side). The respective mounting portions include first mounting portions  12 ,  13  arranged on both sides in the first direction across the respective accommodating portions  11  and second mounting portions  14 ,  15  arranged on both sides in the second direction across the respective accommodating portions  11 . 
     The respective first mounting portions include inner first mounting portions  12  at a short distance from the respective accommodating portions  11  and outer first mounting portions  13  at a long distance from the respective accommodating portions  11 . The inner first mounting portions  12  are arranged in proximity to the respective accommodating portions  11  on both sides in the first direction of the respective accommodating portions  11 . The outer first mounting portions  13  are arranged away from the respective accommodating portions  11  on both sides in the first direction of the respective accommodating portions  11 . 
     The inner and outer first mounting portions  12 ,  13  are in the form of grooves extending in a vertical direction, the upper ends thereof are open in the upper surface of the housing  10 , and the lower ends thereof are closed by supporting portions  16  formed on a lower surface side of the housing  10 . Further, the inner and outer first mounting portions  12 ,  13  have a slit shape elongated in the second direction in a plan view and are arranged in parallel to each other. 
     The respective second mounting portions include inner second mounting portions  14  at a short distance from the respective accommodating portions  11  and outer second mounting portions  15  at a long distance from the respective accommodating portions  11 . The inner second mounting portions  14  are arranged in proximity to the respective accommodating portions  11  on both sides in the second direction of the respective accommodating portions  11 . The outer second mounting portions  15  are arranged away from the respective accommodating portions  11  on both sides in the second direction of the respective accommodating portions  11 . 
     The inner and outer second mounting portions  14 ,  15  are in the form of grooves extending in the vertical direction, the upper ends thereof are open in the upper surface of the housing  10 , and the lower ends thereof are open in the lower surface of the housing  10 . Further, the inner and outer second mounting portions  14 ,  15  have a slit shape elongated in the first direction in a plan view and are arranged in parallel to each other. 
     The housing  10  includes corner portions  17  in the form of rectangular columns in four corner parts. The respective mounting portions  12  to  15  intersect each other on upper surface sides of the corner portions  17  in the four corner parts of the housing  10 . Specifically, both end parts in the second direction of the respective first mounting portions  12 ,  13  communicate with the respective second mounting portions  14 ,  15  while intersecting at a right angle to the respective second mounting portions  14 ,  15 . Both end parts in the first direction of the respective second mounting portions  14 ,  15  communicate with the respective first mounting portions  12 ,  13  while intersecting at a right angle to the respective first mounting portions  12 ,  13 . Groove surfaces in the end parts of the respective mounting portions  12  to  15  form a rectangular recess in a plan view on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the corner portion  17 . 
     Out of four side surfaces of the housing  10 , first side surfaces  18  mutually facing toward opposite sides in the first direction include first cut portions  19  cut to have a constant width over the entire length in the vertical direction in intermediate parts in the second direction. The outer first mounting portions  13  are open in the first side surfaces  18  of the housing  10  via the first cut portions  19 . 
     Out of the four side surfaces of the housing  10 , second side surfaces  20  mutually facing toward opposite sides in the second direction include second cut portions  21  cut to have a constant width over the entire length in the vertical direction in intermediate parts in the first direction. The outer second mounting portions  15  are open in the second side surfaces  20  of the housing  10  via the second cut portions  21 . An opening width of the second cut portion  21  is larger than that of the first cut portion  19 . 
     A separation wall  22  formed between the inner second mounting portion  14  and the outer second mounting portion  15  in the housing  10  has an inner cut portion  23  cut to have a constant width over the entire length in the vertical direction in an intermediate part in the first direction. The inner cut portion  23  is shaped to correspond to the second cut portion  21  in a region formed by projecting the second cut portion  21  on the separation wall  22 . 
     &lt;Shield Member  50 ,  51 &gt; 
     The shield member  50 ,  51  is a metal plate member and mounted in the appropriate mounting portions selected from the respective mounting portions  12  to  15 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 to 7 , the shield member includes first shield plates  50  to be commonly mounted into the respective inner and outer first mounting portions  12 ,  13  and second shield plates  51  to be commonly mounted into the respective inner and outer second mounting portions  14 ,  15 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first shield plate  50  includes a first shield body  52  in the form of a rectangular flat plate along the vertical direction and second direction and first contact portions  53  in the form of projection pieces projecting toward both sides in the second direction from the upper end of the first shield body  52 . A plate thickness of the first shield plate  50  is equal to or larger than an opening width (opening dimension in the first direction) of the first mounting portion  12 ,  13 . The first shield plate  50  is press-fit into the first mounting portion  12 ,  13  from above. 
     The first contact portion  53  includes an inner first fitting portion  54  at a position near the first shield body  52  and an outer first fitting portion  55  on an end side away from the first shield body  52 . The inner and outer first fitting portions  54 ,  55  are open in the lower end of the first contact portion  53  to form rectangular openings. The outer first fitting portion  55  is also open in the end part in the second direction of the first contact portion  53 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the second shield plate  51  includes a second shield body  56  in the form of a rectangular flat plate along the vertical direction and first direction, second contact portions  57  in the form of projection pieces projecting toward both sides in the first direction from the upper end of the second shield body  56  and a board connecting portion  58  projecting in the second direction from the lower end of the second shield body  56 . A plate width of the second shield plate  56  is larger than that of the first shield body  52 . 
     The second shield body  56  and the board connecting portion  58  have plate surfaces orthogonal to each other and are L-shaped when viewed from the first direction (see  FIG. 9 ). The second shield body  56  includes rectangular stepped portions  59  in lower end parts on both sides in the first direction. The lower end of the second shield body  56  is narrowed via the stepped portions  59 . The board connecting portion  58  is connected over the entire length on the lower end of the second shield body  56 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the lower surface (downward facing plate surface) of the board connecting portion  58  is arranged along a surface of a circuit board  90  and fixed to the circuit board  90  by soldering. Further, the board connecting portion  58  is ground-connected to the circuit board  90 . 
     A plate thickness of the second shield plate  51  is equal to or larger than an opening width (opening dimension in the second direction) of the second mounting portions  14 ,  15 . A plate width of the board connecting portion  58  is smaller than a groove width of the second cut portion  21  (same as the groove width of the inner cut portion  23 ). The second shield plate  51  is press-fit into the second mounting portion  14 ,  15  from above. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the second contact portion  57  includes an inner second fitting portion  60  at a position near the second shield body  56  and an outer second fitting portion  61  on an end side away from the second shield body  56 . The inner and outer second fitting portions  60 ,  61  are open in the upper end of the second contact portion  57  to form rectangular openings. The outer second fitting portion  61  is also open in the end part in the first direction of the second contact portion  57 . 
     &lt;Terminal Fittings  40 &gt; 
     The terminal fitting  40  is integrally formed, such as by bending a conductive metal plate. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the terminal fitting  40  includes a base portion  41 , a pair of resilient pieces  42  projecting upward from the base portion  41  and a lead portion  43  laterally projecting from the lower end of the base portion  41 . The respective resilient pieces  42  are arranged to face each other. A connecting part of a mating terminal  30  is inserted between the respective resilient pieces  42  to be electrically connected. The base portion  41  includes an unillustrated locking structure to be locked to the housing  10 . The lead portion  43  is so arranged below the housing  10  that a tip part projects outward in the first direction with the terminal fitting  40  inserted in the accommodating portion  11 . The lower surface (downward facing plate surface) of the lead portion  43  is arranged along the surface of the circuit board  90  and connected to a conductive part formed on the circuit board  90  by soldering. 
     &lt;Mounting Structure of Shield Member  50 ,  51 &gt; 
     The shield member of this embodiment is composed of two types of plate members including the first shield plates  50  and the second shield plates  51 . In the housing  10 , a pair of the first shield plates  50  are arranged on both sides in the first direction across the respective accommodating portions  11  and a pair of the second shield plates  51  are arranged on both sides in the second direction across the respective accommodating portions  11 . The pair of first shield plates  50  have the same shape, and the pair of second shield plates  51  have the same shape. 
     For example, in the case of a mode shown in  FIG. 5 , the second shield plates  51  are respectively press-fit and mounted into the outer second mounting portions  15  arranged on both sides in the second direction across the respective accommodating portions  11  and, subsequently, the first shield plates  50  are respectively press-fit and mounted into the outer first mounting portions  13  arranged on both sides in the first direction across the respective accommodating portions  11 . 
     The second contact portions  57  of the second shield plates  51  are disposed on the outer groove surfaces of the corner portions  17 . In this way, a press-fitting operation of the second shield plates  51  is restricted and the second shield plates  51  are properly mounted into the outer second mounting portions  15 . The board connecting portions  58  of the second shield plates  51  are arranged to project outward in the second direction through the second cut portions  21 . 
     The lower ends of the first shield plates  50  can be supported on the outer supporting portions  16 . The first contact portions  53  of the first shield plates  50  are disposed on the outer groove surfaces of the corner portions  17 . In this way, a press-fitting operation of the first shield plates  50  is restricted and the first shield plates  50  are properly mounted into the outer first mounting portions  13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the outer first fitting portion  55  of the first contact portion  53  is fit into the outer second fitting portion  61  of the second contact portion  57  from above, and the first and second contact portions  53 ,  57  are engaged and held in contact with each other while being orthogonal to each other. 
     Thereafter, the connector is placed on the surface of the circuit board  90 , and the board connecting portions  58  of the second shield plates  51  and the lead portions  43  of the terminal fittings  40  are connected to the circuit board  90  by soldering. When the second shield plates  51  are ground-connected to the circuit board  90 , the first shield plates  51  are also grounded via the first and second contact portions  53 ,  57 . 
     Further, for example, in the case of a mode shown in  FIG. 7 , the second shield plates  51  are respectively press-fit and mounted into the inner second mounting portions  14  arranged on both sides in the second direction across the respective accommodating portions  11  and, subsequently, the first shield plates  50  are respectively press-fit and mounted into the inner first mounting portions  12  arranged on both sides in the first direction across the respective accommodating portions  11 . 
     The second contact portions  57  of the second shield plates  51  are disposed on the inner groove surfaces of the corner portions  17 . In this way, a press-fitting operation of the second shield plates  51  is restricted and the second shield plates  51  are properly mounted into the inner second mounting portions  14 . The board connecting portions  58  of the second shield plates  51  are arranged to project outward in the second direction through the inner cut portions  23  and the second cut portions  21 . 
     The lower ends of the first shield plates  50  can be supported on the inner supporting portions  16 . The first contact portions  53  of the first shield plates  50  are disposed on the inner groove surfaces of the corner portions  17 . In this way, a press-fitting operation of the first shield plates  50  is restricted and the first shield plates  50  are properly mounted into the inner first mounting portions  12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the inner first fitting portion  54  of the first contact portion  53  is fit into the inner second fitting portion  60  of the second contact portion  57  from above, and the first and second contact portions  53 ,  57  are engaged and held in contact with each other while being orthogonal to each other. Thereafter, the connector is placed on the surface of the circuit board  90 , and the board connecting portions  58  of the second shield plates  51  and the lead portions  43  of the terminal fittings  40  are connected to the circuit board  90  by soldering. 
     The mode shown in  FIG. 7  may be applied when an impedance of a mating member (mating connector or the like) is higher than in the mode shown in  FIG. 5 . By so doing, transmission characteristics of the entire connector can be satisfactorily adjusted and a change of the mating member can be flexibly dealt with. 
     As just described, according to this embodiment, the transmission characteristics of the connector can be matched with those of the mating member by mounting the shield member  50 ,  51  into the appropriate mounting portions selected from the plurality of mounting portions  12  to  15 . Thus, it is not necessary to newly provide the housing  10  or the like for the adjustment of the transmission characteristics and a manufacturing cost increase can be suppressed. 
     Further, since any of the respective mounting portions  12  to  15  is in the form of a groove, a mold structure for molding the respective mounting portions  12  to  15  is not particularly complicated. Moreover, the shield member  50 ,  51  can be easily mounted by being press-fit into the respective mounting portions  12  to  15 . 
     Further, since the shield member includes the first and second shield plates  50 ,  51  and is configured by combining a plurality of types of plate members, a variation range can be widened in selecting the mount position of the shield member  50 ,  51  with respect to the respective mounting portions  12  to  15 . 
     Further, since the first shield plates  50  are plate members having the same shape and commonly used for the inner and outer first mounting portions  12 ,  13  and the second shield plates  51  are plate members having the same shape and commonly used for the inner and outer second mounting portions  14 ,  15 , an increase in the number of components can be prevented. 
     Further, since the first and second shield plates  50 ,  51  include the first and second contact portions  53 ,  57  for contacting each other while intersecting each other, it is not necessary to provide an individual earth circuit (ground circuit) for each of the first and second shield plates  50 ,  51  and a structure can be simplified. 
     Furthermore, the inner first fitting portion  54  and the outer first fitting portion  55  serving as contact parts with the second shield plate  51  are arranged at positions corresponding to the inner and outer second mounting portions  14 ,  15  in the first contact portion  53  and the inner second fitting portion  60  and the outer second fitting portion  61  serving as contact parts with the first shield plate  50  are arranged at positions corresponding to the inner and outer first mounting portions  12 ,  13  in the second contact portion  57 . Thus, the first and second shield plates  50 ,  51  can maintain the contact state even if relative positions thereof are changed. As a result, various transmission characteristics can be easily dealt with. 
     Furthermore, since the second shield plates  51  include the board connecting portions  58  and the housing  10  is fixed to the circuit board  90  via the board connecting portions  58 , it is not necessary to provide a dedicated member for fixing the housing  10  to the circuit board  90  and the structure of the connector can be simplified. 
     [Other Embodiments of Present Disclosure] 
     The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered illustrative in all aspects, rather than restrictive. 
     Although each mounting portion  12  to  15  is in the form of a groove in the case of the above embodiment, each mounting portion may not be in the form of a groove as another embodiment if the shield member is mountable. For example, at least one of the outer mounting portions may be a projection projecting on the side surface of the housing or a recess provided in the side surface of the housing. In this case, the shield member may be provided with a locking structure lockable to the projection or recess. 
     Although the shield member  50 ,  51  is in the form of flat plates to be individually mountable into the respective mounting portions  12  to  15  in the case of the above embodiment, a shield member may be formed into a tubular shape to be collectively mountable into the respective mounting portions as another embodiment. 
     Although the mounting portions  12  to  15  are provided on the inner and outer sides of the housing  10  in the case of the above embodiment, mounting portions may be provided at three or more positions in an in-out direction of a housing (direction from a central part of the housing toward an outer side) as another embodiment. 
     Although the second shield plate  51  is provided with the board connecting portion  58  in the case of the above embodiment, a first shield plate may be provided with a board connecting portion or both first and second shield plates may be provided with board connecting portions as another embodiment. A shield member may include no board connecting portion. 
     In the case of the above embodiment, the housing  10  has a rectangular outer shape in a plan view, the longitudinal direction of the housing  10  is the first direction and the transverse direction of the housing  10  is the second direction. However, if a housing has a square outer shape in a plan view as another embodiment, a direction parallel to one side surface may be set as a first direction and a direction parallel to another side surface orthogonal to the one side surface may be set as a second direction. 
     Although the housing  10  has a rectangular outer shape in a plan view in the case of the above embodiment, a housing may have a circular outer shape in a plan view as another embodiment. In this case, a shield member is formed into a hollow cylindrical shape as a whole. 
     Although the first mode in which the shield member  50 ,  51  is mounted in the outer mounting portions  13 ,  15  and the second mode in which the shield member  50 ,  51  is mounted in the inner mounting portions  12 ,  14  are described in the case of the above embodiment, a mode in which first shield plates are mounted in outer first mounting portions and second shield plates are mounted in inner second mounting portions or a mode in which first shield plates are mounted in inner first mounting portions and second shield plates are mounted in outer second mounting portions may be, for example, adopted as another embodiment. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       10  . . . housing 
       11  . . . accommodating portion 
       12  . . . inner first mounting portion (mounting portion) 
       13  . . . outer first mounting portion (mounting portion) 
       14  . . . inner second mounting portion (mounting portion) 
       15  . . . outer second mounting portion (mounting portion) 
       16  . . . supporting portion 
       17  . . . corner portion 
       18  . . . first side surface 
       19  . . . first cut portion 
       20  . . . second side surface 
       21  . . . second cut portion 
       22  . . . separation wall 
       23  . . . inner cut portion 
       30  . . . mating terminal 
       40  . . . terminal fitting 
       41  . . . base portion 
       42  . . . resilient piece 
       43  . . . lead portion 
       50  . . . first shield plate (shield member) 
       51  . . . second shield plate (shield member) 
       52  . . . first shield body 
       53  . . . first contact portion 
       54  . . . inner first fitting portion 
       55  . . . outer first fitting portion 
       56  . . . second shield body 
       57  . . . second contact portion 
       58  . . . board connecting portion 
       59  . . . stepped portion 
       60  . . . inner second fitting portion 
       61  . . . outer second fitting portion 
       90  . . . circuit board