Patent Publication Number: US-7914328-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a so-called shielded connector. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, there has been proposed a shielded connector which is comprised of a housing, a plurality of contacts held by the housing, and a metal shell surrounding contact portions of the contacts (see Japanese Patent No. 3298920). 
     The contact portions of the contacts are arranged in four rows, and a metal plate is disposed between the upper two rows and the lower two rows. Bent portions of opposite ends of the metal plate are in contact with an inner wall surface of the metal shell, whereby electrical conductivity between the metal plate and the metal shell is ensured, and hence this prevents crosstalk between the contacts in the upper two rows and the contacts in the lower two rows. 
     The metal plate is held by the housing by press-fitting, and the bent portions of the metal plate is not fixed by soldering but is merely in contact with the inner wall surface of the metal shell. 
     Therefore, if the dimensions of the metal plate and the metal shell are set such that the bent portions of the metal plate are positively brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the metal shell, the metal plate or the metal shell is deformed, which may make it difficult to fit the metal shell and a metal shell of a mating connector to each other. Further, this may also cause the metal plate or the metal shell to be damaged depending on the strength of the metal plate or the metal shell. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector which makes a shell unnecessary while ensuring a shielding function. 
     To attain the above object, the present invention provides a connector that is fitted to a mating connector including a plurality of mating contacts held by a mating housing, and a shell mounted on the mating housing such that the shell surrounds mating contact portions of the plurality of mating contacts, comprising a housing, a plurality of contacts that are held by the housing, and each include a contact portion which is brought into contact with an associated one of the mating contact portions of the plurality of mating contacts, and a shield member that is mounted on the housing, and includes a shield plate body which partitions the contact portions of the plurality of contacts into a plurality of groups, and a spring portion formed on the shield plate body, which is brought into contact with an inner wall surface of the shell. 
     With the arrangement of the connector according to the present invention, the contact portions of the plurality of contacts are partitioned into the plurality of groups by the shield plate body, and the spring portion formed on the shield plate body is brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the shell of the mating connector to thereby cause the spring force of the spring portion to act on the inner wall surface of the shell, and hence even if the accuracy of the dimensions of the shell of the mating connector and the shield member is not high, it is possible to ensure the stable contact state between the shell and the shield member, which makes it possible to cause the shell of the mating connector to serve as the shell of the connector itself. 
     Preferably, the inner wall surface of the shell includes two surfaces opposed to each other, and the spring portion comprises a first spring portion which is brought into contact with one of the two surfaces of the inner wall surface of the shell, and a second spring portion which is brought into contact with the other of the two surfaces of the inner wall surface of the shell. 
     Preferably, the shield plate body includes a connection portion provided for connection of cables thereto. 
     More preferably, the shield plate body includes a plate portion formed to be close to one of the two surfaces, and the connection portion is in the form of a plate which is close to the other of the two surfaces. 
     Further preferably, the shield plate body, the first spring portion, the second spring portion, the connection portion, and the plate portion are formed by blanking and bending a metal plate. 
     According to this invention, a shell of the connector can be made unnecessary while ensuring the shielding function. 
     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of a rear housing of the connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the rear housing shown in  FIG. 5  as taken obliquely from the front; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the rear housing shown in  FIG. 5  as taken obliquely from the rear; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a front housing of the connector shown in  FIG. 1  as taken obliquely from the front; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the front housing of the connector shown in  FIG. 1  as taken obliquely from the rear; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a shield member of the connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a front view of the shield member shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a plan view of the shield member shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a bottom view of the shield member shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a side view of the shield member shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a mating connector; 
         FIG. 16  is a plan view of the mating connector shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of a state in which the connector shown in  FIG. 1  and the mating connector shown in  FIG. 15  are fitted to each other; 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view taken on line XVIII-XVIII in  FIG. 17 ; 
         FIG. 19  is a conceptual view of a state in which the plurality of contacts are partitioned into two groups by the shield member; and 
         FIG. 20  is a bottom view useful in illustrating how electric current flows when the connector shown in  FIG. 1  and the mating connector shown in  FIG. 15  are fitted to each other. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing preferred embodiments thereof. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4 , a connector  1  is comprised of a housing  3 , a plurality of contacts  5  and  5 ′, and a shield member  7 . The connector  1  is fitted to a mating connector  21  (see  FIG. 15 ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the housing  3  is comprised of a rear housing  31  and a front housing  32 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 , and  7 , the rear housing  31  is substantially plate-shaped, and includes a flange portion  311 . The flange portion  311  is formed with a cutout  311   a . The rear housing  31  has an upper surface formed with a recess  312 , and a lower surface formed with a recess  313 . The recess  313  is communicated with the cutout  311   a . A front surface (see  FIG. 5 ) of the rear housing  31  has a central part thereof formed with a groove  314 . The groove  314  extends in the height direction H of the rear housing  31 . One end of the groove  314  is communicated with the recess  312 , and the other end of the groove  314  is communicated with the recess  313 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , four contact holding holes  315  are formed in a left part of the rear housing  31  as viewed from the front. Four contact holding holes  315 ′ are formed in a right part of the rear housing  31  as viewed from the front. The rear housing  31  has opposite sides thereof formed with protrusions  316 , respectively. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the front housing  32  has an upper surface formed with a recess  321 . The front housing  32  has a lower surface formed with a recess  322 . A rear surface (see  FIG. 9 ) of the front housing  32  has a central part thereof formed with a groove  323 . The groove  323  extends in the height direction H of the front housing  32 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , four contact inserting holes  324  are formed in a left part of the front housing  32  as viewed from the front. The contact inserting holes  324  are opposed to the contact holding holes  315 , respectively. Four contact inserting holes  324 ′ are formed in a right part of the front housing  32  as viewed from the front. The contact inserting holes  324 ′ are opposed to the contact holding holes  315 ′, respectively. The front housing  32  has opposite sides thereof formed with locking pieces  325 , respectively. The locking pieces  325  each include a locking hole  325   a . When the rear housing  31  and the front housing  32  are assembled, the protrusions  316  of the rear housing  31  are fitted in the locking holes  325   a  of the locking pieces  325  of the front housing  32 , respectively, whereby the protrusions  316  are engaged with the locking pieces  325 . As a result, the front housing  32  and the rear housing  31  are coupled to each other. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4 , the plurality of contacts  5  each include a contact portion  51 , a terminal portion  52 , and a link portion  53  (see  FIG. 18 ). The contacts  5  are contacts for high-speed signals. The contact portion  51  has a cylindrical shape, and is inserted in an associated one of the contact inserting holes  324  (see  FIG. 9 ) of the front housing  32 . The terminal portion  52  is pin-shaped, and protrudes from the rear housing  31 . The link portion  53  links (i.e. connects) the contact portion  51  and the terminal portion  52 , and is inserted in and held by an associated one of the contact holding holes  315  (see  FIG. 7 ) of the rear housing  31 . 
     The plurality of contacts  5 ′ each include a contact portion  51 ′, a terminal portion  52 ′, and a link portion  53 ′ (see  FIG. 18 ). The contacts  5 ′ are contacts for power supply. Each contact  5 ′ has the same shape as each contact  5 . The contact portion  51 ′ has a cylindrical shape, and is inserted in an associated one of the contact inserting holes  324 ′ (see  FIG. 9 ) of the front housing  32 . The terminal portion  52 ′ is pin-shaped, and protrudes from the rear housing  31 . The link portion  53 ′ links (i.e. connects) the contact portion  51 ′ and the terminal portion  52 ′, and is inserted in and held by an associated one of the contact holding holes  315 ′ (see  FIG. 7 ) of the rear housing  31 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13 , and  14 , the shield member  7  includes a shield plate body  71 , first and second spring portions (spring portion)  72  and  73 , a ground portion (connection portion)  74 , and a plate portion  75 . The shield member  7  is formed by blanking and bending a metal plate. 
     The shield plate body  71  is substantially plate-shaped. A rear portion (left portion of the shield plate body  71  as viewed in  FIG. 14 ) of the shield plate body  71  is inserted in the groove  314  (see  FIG. 6 ) of the rear housing  31 , and a front portion (right portion of the shield plate body  71  as viewed in  FIG. 14 ) of the shield plate body  71  is inserted in the groove  323  (see  FIG. 9 ) of the front housing  32 . 
     The first spring portion (spring portion)  72  protrudes forward (in the right direction of the shield plate body  71  as viewed in  FIG. 14 ) from the ground portion  74 . A front end portion of the first spring portion  72  is bent (see  FIGS. 10 and 14 ). The first spring portion  72  is received in the recess  322  of the front housing  32  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     The second spring portion (spring portion)  73  protrudes forward (in the right direction of the shield plate body  71  as viewed in  FIG. 14 ) from the plate portion  75 . A front end portion of the second spring portion  73  is bent (see  FIGS. 10 and 14 ). The second spring portion  73  is received in the recess  321  of the front housing  32  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     The ground portion  74  is plate-shaped, and is continuous to a lower end of the shield plate body  71 . The ground portion  74  is disposed in the recess  313  of the rear housing  31  (see  FIG. 4 ). A cable (not shown) for grounding is connected to the ground portion  74 . 
     The plate portion  75  is continuous to an upper end of the shield plate body  71 . The plate portion  75  is disposed in the recess  312  of the rear housing  31  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the mating connector  21  is comprised of a mating housing  23 , a plurality of mating contacts  25  and  25 ′, and a shell  29 . 
     The mating housing  23  is substantially plate-shaped. 
     The mating contacts  25 , four in number, are disposed on a right part of the mating housing  23  as viewed from the front (as viewed from the fitting side). The four mating contacts  25  each include a contact portion (mating contact portion)  251 , a terminal portion  252 , and a link portion (not shown). The mating contacts  25  are contacts for high-speed signals. The contact portion  251  is pin-shaped, and protrudes from the front face of the mating housing  23  (see  FIG. 15 ). The terminal portion  252  is pin-shaped, and protrudes from a rear face of the mating housing  23  (see  FIG. 16 ). The link portion links (i.e. connects) the contact portion  251  and the terminal portion  252 . 
     The mating contacts  25 ′, four in number, are disposed on a left part of the mating housing  23  as viewed from the front (as viewed from the fitting side). The four mating contacts  25 ′ each include a contact portion  251 ′, a terminal portion  252 ′, and a link portion (not shown). Each mating contact  25 ′ has the same shape as each mating contact  25 . The mating contacts  25 ′ are contacts for power supply. The contact portion  251 ′ is pin-shaped, and protrudes from the front face of the mating housing  23  (see  FIG. 15 ). The terminal portion  252 ′ is pin-shaped, and protrudes from the rear face of the mating housing  23  (see  FIG. 16 ). The link portion links (i.e. connects) the contact portion  251 ′ and the terminal portion  252 ′. 
     The shell  29  includes a shell body  291  and a plate portion  292 . The shell body  291  is substantially tube-shaped, and surrounds the contact portions  251  and  251 ′ of the plurality of mating contacts  25  and  25 ′. The plate portion  292  is connected to the shell body  291 , and includes a plurality of mounting holes  292   a.    
     The shell  29  is mounted on a casing body of an electronic device, not shown, by screws (not shown) inserted through the mounting holes  292   a . The casing body has electric conductivity, and is electrically connected to the ground. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 17 and 18 , when the mating connector  21  is fitted to the connector  1 , the first and second spring portions  72  and  73  of the connector  1  are elastically deformed to be brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the shell  29  of the mating connector  21 , respectively, whereby a positive electrically conducted state between the shield member  7  of the connector  1  and the shell  29  of the mating connector  21  is ensured. Further, the shell  29  surrounds the contact portions  51  and  51 ′, and hence the shell  29  of the mating connector  21  also functions as the shell of the connector  1 . As a consequence, the contact portions  51  and  51 ′ of the contacts  5  and  5 ′ are electromagnetically shielded by the shell  29 . 
     Further, the contact portions  51  and  51 ′ of the plurality of contacts  5  and  5 ′ are partitioned into a plurality of groups A and B by the shield plate body  71  (see  FIG. 19 ), and the first and second spring portions  72  and  73  formed on the shield plate body  71  are brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the shell  29  of the mating connector  21 , to thereby cause the spring force of the first and second spring portions  72  and  73  to act on the inner wall surface of the shell  29 , and hence even if the accuracy of the dimensions of the shell  29  of the mating connector  21  and the shield member  7  is not high, it is possible to ensure the stable contact state between the shell  29  and the shield member  7 , which makes it possible to use the shell  29  of the mating connector  21  as the shell of the connector  1  itself. 
     As shown in  FIG. 19 , since the contact portions  51  and  51 ′ of the plurality of contacts  5  and  5 ′ are partitioned into two groups by the shield plate body  71  of the shield member  7 , the contacts  5  and the contacts  5 ′ are electromagnetically shielded, which prevents the contact portions  51  for high-speed signals from being influenced by the noise from the contact portions  51 ′ for power supply. 
     According to this embodiment, since it is possible to use the shell  29  of the mating connector  21  as the shell of the connector  1  itself, a shell of the connector  1  itself can be made unnecessary while ensuring the shielding function, and this also makes it possible to easily fit the connector  1  to the mating connector  21 . Therefore, differently from the prior art, it is possible to prevent the fitting of the mating connector  21  and the connector  1  from becoming difficult, the breakage of the shell from being caused, due to deformation of the shell. 
     Further, since the first and second spring portions  72  and  73  are brought into contact with the respective opposed surfaces of the shell  29  to thereby cause electric current to flow in the whole shield plate body  71 , it is possible to obtain higher shielding effectiveness. Referring to  FIG. 20 , ground current (indicated by a hollow arrow) flows from the plate portion  292  of the shell  29  of the mating connector through the ground portion  74  or the plate portion  75  of the shield member  7 . 
     Further, since the shell of the connector  1  is made unnecessary, and the shell  29  of the mating connector  21  is caused to serve as the shell of the connector  1  as well, it is possible to reduce the size of the connector  1 . 
     It should be noted that although the ground portion  74  is for cable connection, it is not necessarily required to provide the ground portion  74 . 
     Further, it is not necessarily required to provide the plate portion  75 . 
     Although the shield member  7  of this embodiment is formed by blanking and bending a metal plate, the shield member  7  may be formed of a plurality of separate parts. 
     Further, although in this embodiment, the shield member  7  is one, a plurality of shield members may be employed according to the types, arrangements, and purposes or the like of the contacts. Further, although in this embodiment, the contact portions  51  and  51 ′ of the plurality of contacts  5  and  5 ′ of the connector  1  are partitioned into a plurality of groups in the left and right directions thereof by the shield member  7 , the contact portions  51  and  51 ′ may be partitioned into a plurality of groups in the height direction H of the connector  1 . 
     It is further understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing are the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and that various changes and modification may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.