Patent Publication Number: US-11658431-B2

Title: Connector and connector pair

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-082998, filed on May 11, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a connector and a connector pair. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Connectors such as substrate-to-substrate connectors have been used to electrically connect pairs of parallel circuit boards to each other. These types of connectors are attached to each of opposing surfaces of a pair of circuit boards, and fitted together to ensure electric conduction (for example see patent reference 1). 
       FIG.  7    is a perspective view illustrating a conventional connector. 
     In the drawing,  811  is a connector housing mounted on a circuit board (not shown), which has a pair of protruding parts  812  that extend in the longitudinal direction thereof. The protruding parts  812  are connected to a top surface of a plate-like bottom plate part  817  that extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing  811 , and the dimension in the width direction of which is smaller than the bottom plate part  817 . 
     Furthermore, a plurality of terminals  861  are attached to the protruding parts  812  in the longitudinal direction of the connector. Each terminal  861  has a substantially U-shaped curved contact part  865  and a tail part  862  that is surface mounted to the circuit board. The tail part  862  protrudes outward from the side surface of the bottom plate part  817 , and is soldered to a connection pad formed on the surface of the circuit board. 
     Then, when the connector is mated with a mating connector (not shown), the protruding parts  812  are inserted into each of the pair of recessed grooves formed in the mating housing of the mating connector. As a result, the contact part  865  of the terminals  861  is in contact with and conducts with each of the mating terminals (not shown) mounted side by side in the recessed groove. 
     Prior Art Documents; Patent Documents; Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-170726. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, in the conventional connector, when the housing  811  is miniaturized, the bottom plate part  817  that protrudes outward from the side surface of the protruding parts  812  becomes thin, which can cause short molding. In other words, in the resin molding process of the housing  811 , the part corresponding to the bottom plate part  817  in the molding die is insufficiently filled with resin due to the thinness, and thus the molded bottom plate part  817  can have missing parts or insufficient wall thickness. 
     Connectors that have parts missing or insufficient wall thickness become unsaleable due to their poor appearance. In addition, when soldering the tail part  862  of the terminal  861 , flux rises through the defective area or insufficient wall thickness area of the bottom plate  817 , and if the flux adheres to the surface of the contact part  865 , contact failure occurs between the terminals  861  and the mating terminals, and conductivity between the terminals  861  and the mating terminals is lost. 
     Here, an object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the conventional connector, and to provide a connector and a connector pair that are easy to manufacture, does not cause short molding, and where flux does not adhere to the contact part of the terminals. 
     Therefore, regarding a connector, a connector body and a plurality of terminals attached to the connector body are provided; the connector main body is a member integrated with the terminals by insert molding, and includes a protruding part extending in the longitudinal direction thereof that retains the terminals, and a flange protruding outward in the width direction from a side surface of the mounting surface side end of the connector main body. The terminal includes a standing part in which a surface is exposed on a side surface of the protruding part, and a tail part connected to the mounting surface side end of the standing part via a curved connecting part, extending outward in the width direction from the flange, and a tail part soldered to a substrate. The flange includes a notch formed at a location corresponding to each terminal, and at least the tail part, the curved connecting part, and a part of the surface of the standing part are exposed in the notch. 
     Furthermore, with regards to another connector, the width of the notch is narrower than the width of at least one of the standing part, the curved connecting part, and the tail part of the terminal. 
     Furthermore, with regards to still another connector, a contiguous corner that passes through the notch is formed from the tail part to the upper surface of the flange. 
     Furthermore, with regards to still another connector, the corner is an intersection of two surfaces that intersect each other. 
     Furthermore, with regards to still another connector, a recessed part is formed between mutually adjacent standing parts on the side surface of the protruding part. 
     Furthermore, with regards to still another connector, the bottom surface of the recessed part is flush with the top surface. 
     Furthermore, with regards to still another connector, a connector main body, and a plurality of terminals attached to the connector body are provided; the connector main body is a member integrated with the terminals by insert molding, and includes a protruding part extending in the longitudinal direction thereof and retains the terminals, and a flange protruding outward in the width direction from a side surface of the protruding part at a mounting surface side end of the connector body. The terminal consists of a standing part in which a surface is exposed on the side surface of the protruding part, and a tail part that is connected to the mounting surface side end of the standing part via a curved connecting part, extends outward in the width direction from the flange, and is soldered to a substrate. A recessed part is formed between mutually adjacent standing parts on the side surface of the protruding part and a bottom surface of the recessed part is flush with a top surface of the flange. 
     Furthermore, with regards to still another connector, the standing part includes a contact part in contact with a mating terminal of the mating connector and the contact part is separated from the upper surface of the flange. 
     A connector pair consists of a connector according to the present disclosure and a mating connector that mates with such connector. 
     According to the present disclosure, the connector and the connector pair are easy to manufacture, short molding does not occur, and the flux does not adhere to the contact part of the terminal, and size reduction and improvement in reliability are feasible. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is perspective view of a first connector according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded view of a left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment. 
         FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  are perspective views of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment, where  FIG.  3 A  is a perspective view, and  FIG.  3 B  is an enlarged view of Part A of  FIG.  3 A . 
         FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  are two-sided views of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment, where  FIG.  4 A  is a top view and  FIG.  4 B  is a side view. 
         FIGS.  5 A- 5 D  are enlarged views of a key part of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment, where  FIG.  5 A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of  FIG.  4 A ,  FIG.  5 B  is an enlarged view of Part F of  FIG.  5 A ,  FIG.  5 C  is an enlarged view of Part E of  FIG.  4 B , and  FIG.  5 D  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of  FIG.  4 A . 
         FIGS.  6 A and  6 B  are perspective views describing the mating of the first connector to the second connector according to the present embodiment, where  FIG.  6 A  is a perspective view of the second connector and  FIG.  6 B  is a perspective view of the first connector and the second connector mated with each other. 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view illustrating a conventional connector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of the first connector according to the present embodiment.  FIG.  2    is an exploded view of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment.  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  are perspective views of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment.  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  are two-sided views of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment.  FIGS.  5 A- 5 D  are enlarged views of a key part of the left half body part of the first connector according to the present embodiment. Note that in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B ,  FIG.  3 A  is a perspective view, and  FIG.  3 B  is an enlarged view of part A of  FIG.  3 A . In  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B ,  FIG.  4 A  is a top view, and  FIG.  4 B  is a side view. In  FIGS.  5 A- 5 D ,  FIG.  5 A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of  FIG.  4 A ,  FIG.  5 B  is an enlarged view of part F in  FIG.  5 A ,  FIG.  5 C  is an enlarged view of part E of  FIG.  4 B , and  FIG.  5 D  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of  FIG.  4 A . 
     In the diagrams,  1  is a first connector as one of a pair of board to board connectors, which are connectors in the present embodiment. The first connector  1  is a surface mounting type connector mounted on the surface of a first substrate (not shown) serving as a mounting member and is mated to a second connector  101  (described below) that serves as a mating connector. Furthermore, the second connector  101  is the other of the pair of board to board connectors and is a surface mount type connector mounted on the surface of a second substrate (not shown) serving as a mounting member. 
     The first connector  1  and the second connector  101  according to the present embodiment are preferably used to electrically connect the first substrate to the second substrate, but can also be used to electrically connect other members. For example, the first substrate and the second substrate each are a printed circuit board, a flexible flat cable (FFC), a flexible circuit board (FPC) or the like as used in electronic devices or the like, but may be any type of substrate. 
     In addition, in the present embodiment, expressions indicating direction such as top, bottom, left, right, front, rear, and the like used to describe a configuration and operation of each part of the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  are relative rather than absolute, and are proper when each part of the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  are in the positions illustrated in the drawings, however, these directions should be interpreted as being changed according to the change in position when the position thereof is changed. 
     Furthermore, the first connector  1  is composed of a pair of left and right half body parts, or in other words, a left half body part  10 A and a right half body part  10 B, joined by a first reinforcement fitting  51  and by a cover part  16  integrally molded by a molding method, called overmolding, outset molding, or insert molding (hereinafter referred to as “insert molding”). Note that as the left half body part  10 A and the right half body part  10 B are the same members arranged so as to face each other on the left and right sides, they will be described as half body part  10  when described overall. The left half body part  10 A and the right half body part  10 B each have a substantially gate-shaped shape (a shape projected on the X-Y plane) in a plain view, and the space between the left half body part  10 A and the right half body part  10 B that are joined together is a long and narrow recessed groove part  13  that extends in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first connector  1 . The recessed groove part  13  is a through hole that is open on the upper face and the lower face of the first connector  1 . 
     Note that in the present embodiment, for convenience of description, the first connector  1  is described as having a pair of half body parts  10 , that is, a configuration in which two of the half body parts  10  are arranged in parallel, but three or more of the half body parts  10  may be arranged in parallel. Furthermore, the half body part  10  need not necessarily have a substantially gate-type shape, and may have any shape provided that both ends in the longitudinal direction can be joined by the first reinforcement fitting  51  and the cover part  16 . 
     The half body part  10  has a first housing  11  as a connector body which is integrally formed by an insulating material such as a synthetic resin and of which shape is substantially gate shaped in plain view. Each first housing  11  includes a narrow long band shaped bottom plate part  17  stretching in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first housing  11  and a first protruding part  12  as a narrow long protruding part stretching in the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11  integratedly formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate  17 . The first protruding part  12  is a member of which cross section is shaped similar to an upside-down U and has a curved mating surface  12   a  positioned on the top (positive Z-axis direction) and both an outer surface  12   b  and an inner surface  12   c  that are connected to both left and right sides of the mating surface  12   a . The outer surface  12   b  and the inner surface  12   c  are a pair of flat surfaces that face each other in parallel, and extend in the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11 . Note that the dimension in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first protruding part  12  is shorter than the dimension in the width direction of the bottom plate part  17 , such that the bottom plate part  17  forms a flange  17   b  that protrudes outward in the width direction from the outer surface  12   b  and the inner surface  12   c  at the mounting surface side end of the first protruding part  12 , or in other words, the lower end (side end in the negative Z-direction) of the first protruding part  12 . Furthermore, the bottom surface of the bottom plate part  17  is a mounting surface  17   a  of the first housing  11  that faces the surface of the first substrate. 
     In addition, a first terminal  61  as a terminal is disposed on each first protruding part  12 . The first terminals  61  are disposed in a prescribed number ( 16  in the example illustrated in the drawing) and at a prescribed pitch. The first terminal  61  is a member integrally formed by performing processing such as punching and bending on a conductive metal plate, and has a standing part  65  that extends in the vertical direction, a tail part  62  connected to the lower end of the standing part  65  with a curved connecting part  63  that is bent approximately 90 degrees, and an upper end part  64  connected to the upper end of the standing part  65  bent at approximately 90 degrees. Note that an embedded part  64   a  that extends in the downward direction bent at approximately 90 degrees is connected to the tip end of the upper end part  64 . The embedded part  64   a  is a part that is embedded in the first protruding part  12  in a downward direction from the mating surface  12   a.    
     The tail part  62  extends outward in the width direction from the flange  17   b  of the bottom plate part  17  in the same direction that the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65  faces, and is connected by soldering to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace of the first substrate. The conductive trace is typically a signal line. Furthermore, the center in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the standing part  65  includes a contact recessed part  65   a  that is depressed from the surface  65   b  as an example of a contact part that is a portion that contacts the second terminals  161  (described below) provided by the second connector  101  when the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  are mated. The contact recessed part  65   a  is provided at a distance from an upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b.    
     The first terminal  61  are integrated with the first housing  11  through insert molding. In other words, the first housing  11  is molded by setting the first terminals  61  inside and then filling in the cavity of the metal mold with an insulating material. As a result, the first terminals  61  are integrally mounted to the first housing  11  with the lower surface of the tail part  62  exposed to the mounting surface  17   a , the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65 , the surface  63   a  of the curved connecting part  63 , and the upper surface  64   b  of the upper end part  64  exposed to the outer surface  12   b  or inner surface  12   c  of the first protruding part  12  and to the mating surface  12   a . Note that the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65  and the outer surface  12   b  and the inner surface  12   c  of the first protruding part  12  are formed so as to be substantially flush. 
     Furthermore, the first terminals  61  mounted on each first protruding part  12  is oriented so that the posture of adjacent objects face opposite the width direction of the first protruding part  12 . In the example shown in the diagram, the stance of the first terminal  61  positioned at the front end (X-axis positive direction end) among the first terminals  61  attached to the first protruding part  12  of the left half body part  10 A is such that the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65  faces the outside (Y axis positive direction side), and of which the tail part  62  is oriented so as to protrude outward, while the stance of the first terminal  61  that is positioned second from the front end is oriented such that the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65  faces the inside (Y-axis negative direction side), and of which tail part  62  protrudes inward. In this manner, as the first terminals  61  are mounted on the first protruding part  12  arranged in a line in mutually opposing directions, the pitch of the tail parts  62  protruding from both sides of the first protruding part  12  is two times that of the pitch of the first terminal  61 . Therefore, connection work by soldering or the like to the connection pad of the first substrate can easily be performed. The pitch of the standing part  65  exposed on the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12  and the pitch of the standing part  65  exposed on the inner surface  12   c  are also twice the pitch of the first terminal  61 . 
     Note that as the first terminal  61  is a member that will be integrated into the first housing  11  using insert molding or the like, the terminals are not meant to exist separated from the first housing  11 , however, note that the terminals are illustrated separately from the first housing  11  in  FIG.  2    for convenience of explanation. 
     Regarding the present embodiment, the flange  17   b  of the bottom plate part  17  is an elongated band extending in the longitudinal direction of the first connector  1  in plain view, however, a notch  17   c  is formed at a location corresponding to each of the first terminals  61 , and the surface of the corresponding first terminal  61  is exposed at the notch  17   c . Specifically, the surface  63   a  of the curved connecting part  63  and the surface  62   a  of the tail part  62  are exposed at the standing part  65 . 
     In this manner, the presence of the notch  17   c  reduces the flow distance of the insulating material filled in the corresponding location of the flange  17   b  within the mold cavity during insert molding, and as such, short molding does not occur, preventing defect points or a shortage of wall thickness in the thinly-walled member flange  17   b . Therefore, there are no appearance defects in the first housing  11  of the manufactured first connector  1 . 
     Furthermore, the longitudinal dimension, or in other words, the width, of the notch  17   c  in the first housing  11  is formed to be narrower than the longitudinal dimension, or in other words, the width, of the first housing  11  on the surface of the first terminal  61 . In the present embodiment, the flange  17   b  covers the surface of the standing part  65 , the curved connecting part  63 , or the tail part  62 , and thus is formed at least narrower than the widths of at least one of these. In this way, a part of the surface of the first terminal  61  can be covered by a part of the flange  17   b.    
     By covering a part of the surface of the first terminal  61  from the outside using the flange  17   b , the first terminal  61  can be more firmly fixed to the first housing  11  as compared to when the surface of the first terminal  61  is exposed with respect to the first housing  11 . 
     As in the present embodiment, when the flange  17   b  covers the surface of the standing part  65 , the curved connecting part  63 , or the tail  62 , the width of the notch  17   c  is preferably smaller than the width of all of the standing part  65 , the curved connecting part  63 , and the tail part  62 . 
     Also, when the tail part  62  is soldered to a connection pad coupled to the conductive trace of the first substrate by the presence of the notch  17   c , as indicated by the dotted line B in  FIG.  3 B , the surface tension and capillary action cause the flux to pass through the corner of the first terminal  61  and the flange  17   b  as a passage, and rises up to the top of the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b  and is collected. Here, the flux is collected so as to converge around the corner formed on the surface of the first terminal  61  and the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17  and the corner formed at the notch of the flange  17   b , but the contact recessed part  65   a  is formed above the upper surface  17   b   1 , such that the flux does not reach or adhere to the contact recessed part  65   a  which is the contact part. 
     Specifically, the flux first squeezes out from the lower surface  62   d  of the tail part  62  facing the surface of the first substrate (not shown), rises through the corner where the end surface  17   b   2  of the flange  17   b  intersects with the side surface  62   c  of the tail part  62 , then flows in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the first housing  11  through the corner where the end surface  17   b   2  of the flange  17   b  intersects with the surface  62   a  of the tail part  62 , then flows in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the first housing  11  through the corner where the side surface  17   c   1  of the notch  17   c  of the flange  17   b  intersects with the surface  62   a  of the tail part  62 , rises through the corner where the side surface  17   c   1  of the notch  17   c  of the flange  17   b  intersects with the surface  63   a  of the curved connecting part  63  as well as the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65 , then flows in the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11  through the corner where the surface  65   b  of the standing part  65  intersects with the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b , then flows in the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11  through the corner where the lowermost part  12   b   1  of the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12  intersects with the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b , and finally, is collected centered around a corner away from the surface  65   b  of the contact recessed part  65   a  of the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b . Note that, for convenience of explanation, only the flux flow on the side of the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12  along the dotted line B indicated as illustrated in  FIG.  3 B  is described, however, the same applies to the flux flow on the side of the inner surface  12   c  of the first protruding part  12 . 
     Furthermore, the longitudinal position of the notch  17   c  in the first housing  11  is formed below the contact part of the first terminal  61 , or in other words, in the present embodiment, formed in the same position as the contact recessed part  65   a  in the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11 . Then, a place can be provided below the contact part where no corner is formed. Therefore, even when the contact recessed part  65   a  as a contact part and the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b  are close to each other, a corner part is not formed in the vicinity of the contact part. As described above, the flux flows through the corner and is also collected centered around a corner, such that flux flows away from the contact part and becomes collected, allowing the flux to move away from the contact part. 
     In order to enable a larger amount of flux to be collected, it is desirable that a side surface recessed part  12   d , which is a recessed part that functions as a flux collecting recessed part, be formed between the standing parts  65  of the first terminals  61  adjacent to each other on the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12 . The side surface recessed part  12   d  is formed at a part of the outer surface  12   b  that comes into contact with the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b , and a part of the upper surface  17   b   1  makes up the lower side surface of the side surface recessed part  12   d . In other words, the bottom surface  12   d   2  of the side surface recessed part  12   d  is flush with the upper surface  17   b   1 . As a result, the flux that passes through the corner where the lowermost part  12   b   1  of the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12  intersects with the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b  continues and flows through the corner where the inner surface  12   d   1  and bottom surface  12   d   2  of the side surface recessed part  12   d  intersect to inside the side surface recessed part  12   d , and further flows along the corner where the back side surface  12   d   3  and the bottom surface  12   d   2  of the side surface recessed part  12   d  intersect or the corner where the inner surface  12   d   1  intersects with the back surface  12   d   3  and is collected in the side surface recessed part  12   d . Therefore, the flux rising from the surface of the first substrate can be collected in the side surface recessed part  12   d  even in large quantities, and thus the adhesion of the flux to the contact recessed part  65   a  of the first terminal  61  can be reliably prevented. 
     An upper end recessed part  12   e  is formed on the curved mating surface  12   a  positioned above the first protruding part  12 . The upper end recessed part  12   e  is formed so as to be recessed lower than (Z-axis negative direction) the uppermost part of the mating surface  12   a  as well as the upper surface  64   b  of the upper end part  64  of the first terminal  61  in the same position as the uppermost part with regards to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). In addition, both side surfaces of the upper end part  64  of the first terminal  61  exposed in the upper end recessed part  12   e  are covered by a cover part  12   f  formed in the upper end recessed part  12   e  of the first housing  11 . The surface of the cover part  12   f  is preferably a curved or inclined surface, as illustrated. 
     In this manner, the upper-end recessed part  12   e  recessed below the upper surface  64   b  of the upper end part  64  of the first terminal  61  is formed on the mating surface  12   a , such that when the mold is filled with resin during insert molding, the first terminal  61  can be supported by a part of the cavity surface of the mold abutting against the upper surface  64   b , and when the mold is opened, the first housing  11  integrally molded with the first terminals  61  can be smoothly removed by moving the mold upward with respect to the first terminal  61 . In particular, by forming the cover part  12   f , the first housing  11  integrally formed with the first terminals  61  can be removed from the mold in an exceedingly smooth manner. 
     Moreover, the first protruding end parts  18 , which are main body end parts and function as mating guide parts, are disposed on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first protruding part  12 . The first protruding end parts  18  are members connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction of each first protruding part  12  and is formed to join the left half body part  10 A and the right half body part  10 B. Moreover, in a state in which the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  are mated, the first protruding end part  18  functions as an insertion protruding part that is inserted into a mating recessed part  122  (described below) of the second protruding end part  121  of the second connector  101 . 
     The first protruding end part  18  consists of an extension end part  14  of the left and right half body parts  10 , an embedded part  15 , as well as a cover part  16  and a first reinforcement fitting  51 . 
     The extension end parts  14  that extend in the longitudinal direction are respectively integrally connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first protruding part  12  of the half body part  10 , and the embedded parts  15  further extending in the longitudinal direction of the first protruding part  12  are respectively integrally connected to each extension end part  14 . Note that the extension end parts  14  extend inclined obliquely inward, the embedded parts  15  extend in the longitudinal direction from an inwardly-eccentric position at the tip of the extension end parts  14 , and are positioned inward from the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12 . In other words, the extension end part  14  of the left half body part  10 A extends obliquely in the right direction (Y-axis negative direction), and the embedded part  15  extends longitudinally from a position eccentric in the right direction at the tip of the extension end part  14 . In addition, the extension end part  14  of the right half body part  10 B extends obliquely in the left direction (Y-axis positive direction), and the embedded part  15  extends longitudinally from a position eccentric in the left direction at the tip of the extension end part  14 . 
     Furthermore, at least a part of the extension end part  14  of the left and right half body parts  10  and the entirety of the embedded part  15  are covered by a cover part  16  formed from an insulating material such as a synthetic resin or the like. Specifically, the cover part  16  is formed by a secondary insert molding in which the first terminals  61  and the first housing  11  are integrated, or in other words, by bringing the embedded parts  15  in the left and right half body parts  10  formed by the first insert molding into proximity with each other and covered by the first reinforcement fitting  51  to form the cover part  16 . As a result, the extension end part  14  and the embedded part  15  of the left and right half body parts  10 , and the first protruding end part  18 , in which the cover part  16  and the first reinforcement fitting  51  are integrated, are formed, and the left and right half body parts  10  are joined. 
     In this manner, as the extension end part  14  extends inwardly at an oblique incline and the embedded part  15  is positioned inwardly from the outer surface  12   b  of the first protruding part  12 , the width (dimension in the Y-axis direction) of the first protruding end part  18  can be made smaller than the width (distance between the outer surface  12   b  of the left and right first protruding parts  12 ) of the first connector  1 . Note that in a case where the width of the first protruding end part  18  need not be smaller than the width of the first connector  1 , the extension end part  14  does not necessarily have to be inclined obliquely inward, and can be extended directly. Furthermore, the extension end part  14  can be omitted by extending the embedded part  15  directly from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first protruding part  12 . In this case, the longitudinal dimension of the first connector  1  can be shortened. Furthermore, when three or more half body parts  10  are arranged in parallel, the extension end part  14  can be extended so as to have a Y-shape from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first protruding part  12 . 
     The first reinforcement fitting  51  is a member integrally formed by punching, bending, or the like of a metal plate, and includes a substantially rectangular top plate  54  that extends in the width direction of the first housing  11 , a substantially rectangular leg part  55  connected to both the left and right edges of the top plate  54  and that extends downwardly, is connected to both the front and rear edges of the top plate  54 , and includes the end wall outer cover part  52  and end wall inner cover part  53  that extend downwardly. Note that a tail part  52   a  is connected to the lower end of the end wall outer cover part  52 . The tail part  52   a  is connected to the lower end of the end wall outer cover part  52  and is bent at an angle of approximately 90° therefrom, extends outwardly in the longitudinal direction of the first housing  11 , and is connected by soldering to a connection pad connected to a conductive trace of the first substrate. Note that the conductive trace is typically a power line. 
     Furthermore, the notch  17   c  of the flange  17   b  can be omitted as appropriate in a case where short molding does not occur based on the thickness of the flange. In this case, even if flux from soldering comes up on the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b , the flux is collected centered around the corner of the outer surface  12   b  of the protruding part  12  or surface  65   b  of the standing part  65  intersecting with the upper surface  17   b   1 , and is collected away from the contact recessed part  65   a . Furthermore, if there is a large amount of flux, the flux can be collected in the side surface recessed part  12   d , thus preventing the flux from adhering to the contact recessed part  65   a.    
     Next is an explanation of the configuration of the second connector  101 , which comprises a connector pair together with the first connector  1 , and the operation of mating the first connector  1  and the second connector  101 . 
       FIGS.  6 A and  6 B  are perspective views illustrating the mating of the first connector and the second connector according to the present embodiment. Note that in the diagram,  FIG.  6 A  is a perspective view of the second connector, and  FIG.  6 B  is a perspective view of the first connector and the second connector mated to each other. 
     The second connector  101  as a counterpart connector according to the present embodiment has a second housing  111  as a counterpart connector body integrally formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. As illustrated in the figure, the second housing  111  has a substantially rectangular thick plate-like shape that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. Furthermore, the side of the second housing  111  where the first connector  1  is inserted into, or in other words the side of the mating surface  111   a  (Z-axis negative direction), is a substantially rectangular recessed part  112  with an enclosing periphery, forming the recessed part  112  to be mated with the first housing  11 . Inside the recessed part  112  is the second protruding part  113 , as an insular part to be mated with a recessed groove part  13 , that is integrally formed with the second housing  111 , and in addition, side wall parts  114  extending in parallel with the second protruding part  113  on both sides of the second protruding part  113  are integrally formed with the second housing  111 . 
     The second protruding part  113  and the side wall parts  114  protrude upwardly (Z-axis negative direction) from the bottom surface of the recessed part  112 , and extend in the longitudinal direction of the second connector  101 . Consequently, a recessed groove part  112   a  that is an elongated recessed part extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the second connector  101  is formed as a part of the recessed part  112  on both the sides of the second protruding part  113 . A second terminal stowing cavity  115  with a recessed groove shape is formed on both sides of the second protruding part  113  and on the inner side surface of the side wall parts  114  to stow the second terminals  161  which are the counterpart terminals. The second terminal stowing cavities  115  are disposed at a pitch corresponding to the first terminals  61  and at the corresponding appropriate number. 
     The second terminal  161  is a member integrally formed by applying a process such as punching or the like to a conductive metal plate, and consists of a main body part, a tail part  162  connected to the bottom end of the main body part, a connecting part that extends in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the second connector  101  from close to the bottom end of the main body part, and a contact part  165  that extends upwards (Z-axis positive direction) from the connecting part. Note that it is preferable for a contact protruding part  165   a  that protrudes towards the main body part to be formed near the tip of the contact part  165 . The main body part is a part that is press-fit and retained in the second terminal stowing cavity  115 . In addition, the tail part  162  is bent and connected to the lower end of the main body part, extends in the width direction of the second housing  111 , and connected by soldering or the like to a connection pad that is connected with the conductive trace of the second substrate. The conductive trace is typically a signal line. Furthermore, the contact part  165  is a part in contact with the first terminal  61  equipped on the first connector  1  when the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  are mated, and in addition, the contact protruding part  165   a  preferably engages with the contact recessed part  65   a  formed on the standing part  65  of the first terminal  61 . 
     The second terminal  161  is inserted in the second terminal stowing cavity  115  from the lower part of the second housing  111  and mounted in the second housing  111 . As a result, the main body part of the second terminal  161  is press-fit into the second terminal stowing cavity  115  and retained, the contact part  165  is exposed to the recessed groove part  112   a , and the lower surface of the tail part  162  is exposed to a mounting surface  111   b  which is the lower surface of the second housing  111 . 
     In addition, similar to the first terminal  61 , the second terminals  161  mounted in each of the recessed groove parts  112   a  are oriented such that the posture of those that are adjacent will face opposing directions in regards to the width direction of the recessed groove part  112   a . Regarding the example illustrated in  FIG.  6 A , the posture of the second terminal  161  positioned on the front end (end in the positive X-axis direction) of the second terminal  161  mounted in the recessed groove part  112   a  on the side in the positive Y-axis direction is oriented such that the tail part  162  protrudes in the negative Y-axis direction, and in contrast, the posture of the second terminal  161  positioned 2nd from the front end is oriented such that the tail part  162  protrudes in the positive Y-axis direction. In this manner, as the second terminals  161  are mounted in the recessed groove part  112   a  arranged in a line in alternating directions, the pitch of the tail parts  162  exposed on the mounting surface  111   b  on both sides of the recessed groove part  112   a  is set to twice the pitch of the second terminals  161 . Therefore, connection work by soldering or the like to the connection pad of the second substrate can easily be performed. In addition, the pitch of the contact part  165  exposed to the recessed groove part  112   a  is set to twice the pitch of the second terminals  161 . 
     In addition, second protruding end parts  121  are disposed as mating guide parts on each of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second housing  111 . The fitting recess  122  is formed as part of the recess  112  in each second protrusion end  121 . The fitting recess  122  is a substantially rectangular recess, and is connected to both the ends in the longitudinal direction of each recessed groove  112   a . Moreover, in a state in which the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  are mated inside the mating recessed part  122 , the first protruding end part  18  provided on the first connector  1  is inserted. A second reinforcement fitting  151  as a counterpart reinforcement fitting is attached to the second protruding end part  121 . The second reinforcement fitting  151  is integrated with the second housing  111  by means of insert molding. 
     The second reinforcement fitting  151  is a member integrally formed by punching, bending, or the like of a metal plate, and has a second main body part  152  extending in the width direction of the second housing  111 , a lateral cover part  153  connected to both the left and right ends of the second main body part  152 , a contact side part  154  disposed on the left and right inner walls of the mating recessed part  122 , and a tail part  156  connected to the lower end of the second main body part  152 . The tail part  156  extends towards the outer longitudinal direction of the second connector  101 , and is connected by soldering to the connection pad (not shown) which is exposed on the surface of the second substrate. Note that, for example, the connection pad is preferably coupled with the conductive trace, which is a power line. 
     Subsequently, the operation of mating together the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  with the above configuration will be described. 
     Here, the tail part  62  of the first terminal  61  of the first connector  1  is connected by soldering to a connection pad (not shown) that is connected to a conductive trace of the first substrate, and in addition, the tail part  52   a  of the first reinforcement fitting  51  is connected by soldering to a connection pad that is connected to a conductive trace of the first substrate, and thus, the first connector  1  is mounted on the surface of the first substrate. Note that the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail part  62  of the first terminal  61  is connected shall be a signal line, and the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail part  52   a  of the first reinforcement fitting  51  is connected shall be a power line. 
     Similarly, the tail part  162  of the second terminal  161  of the second connector  101  is connected by soldering to a connection pad (not shown) that is connected to a conductive trace of the second substrate, and in addition, the tail part  156  of the second reinforcement fitting  151  is connected by soldering to a connection pad that is connected to a conductive trace of the second substrate, and thus, the second connector  101  is mounted on the surface of the second substrate. Note that the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail part  162  of the second terminal  161  is connected shall be a signal line, and the conductive trace connected to the connection pad to which the tail part  156  of the second reinforcement fitting  151  is connected shall be a power line. 
     First, an operator opposes the mating surface  12   a  of the first protruding part  12  as the mating surface of the first housing  11  of the first connector  1  and the mating surface  111   a  of the second housing  111  of the second connector  101 , and when the position of the first protruding part  12  of the first connector  1  is aligned with the position of the corresponding recessed groove part  112   a  of the second connector  101 , and when the position of the first protruding end part  18  of the first connector  1  aligns with the position of the corresponding mating recessed part  122  of the second connector  101 , position alignment of the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  is complete. 
     In this state, if the first connector  1  and/or the second connector  101  moves in the direction approaching the counterpart side, or in other words, the mating direction, the first protruding part  12  and first protruding end part  18  of the first connector  1  are inserted in the recessed groove part  112   a  and mating recessed part  122  of the second connector  101 . This results in the state as illustrated in  FIG.  6 B , and the mating of the first connector  1  and the second connector  101  is completed. Furthermore, the first terminals  61  and the second terminals  161  are placed in a conductive state. 
     Thus, in the present embodiment, the first connector  1  is provided with the first housing  11  and a plurality of first terminals  61  that are mounted in the first housing  11 ; the first housing  11  is a member integrated with the first terminals  61  by means of insert molding, and includes the first protruding part  12  that extends in the longitudinal direction thereof and retains the first terminals  61 , and the flange  17   b  that protrudes outwardly in the width direction from the outer surface  12   b  and the inner surface  12   c  of the first protruding part  12  at the mounting surface side end of the first housing  11 ; the first terminals  61  include the standing part  65  that is exposed on the surface  65   b  from the outer surface  12   b  and the inner surface  12   c  of the first protruding part  12  and the tail part  62  connected to the mounting surface side end of the standing part  65  via the curved connecting part  63 , and such that the tail part  62  extends outwardly in the width direction from the flange  17   b  and is soldered to the substrate; the flange  17   b  includes the notch  17   c  formed at a location corresponding to each of the first terminals  61 ; such that at least one part of the tail part  62 , curved connecting part  63 , and surfaces  62   a ,  63   a , and  65   b  of the standing part  65  are exposed at the notch  17   c.    
     This enables easier manufacturing of the first connector  1 , prevents short molding from occurring, prevents flux from adhering to the contact recessed part  65   a  of the first terminals  61 , enables miniaturization, and improves the reliability of the first connector  1 . 
     In addition, a contiguous corner is formed from the lower surface  62   d  of the tail part  62  to the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b , passing through the notch  17   c . Furthermore, the corner is the intersecting point of two surfaces that intersect each other. Moreover, the corners are passages through which flux passes during soldering of the tail part  62 . Even more, a side surface recessed part  12   d  is formed between mutually adjacent standing parts  65  on the outer surface  12   b  and the inner surface  12   c  of the first protruding part  12 . In addition, the bottom surface  12   d   2  of the side surface recessed part  12   d  is flush with the upper surface  17   b   1  of the flange  17   b . Furthermore, flux is collected in the side surface recessed part  12   d  during soldering of the tail part  62 . 
     Note that the disclosure herein describes features relating to suitable exemplary embodiments. Various other embodiments, modifications, and variations within the scope and spirit of Scope of the Patent Claims appended hereto will naturally be conceived of by those skilled in the art upon review of the disclosure herein. For example, the staggered arrangement of the terminals does not have to be regular. In addition, the arrangement of the terminals on the left and right half body parts need not be the same. Furthermore, the left and right half body parts need not be axially symmetric. 
     The present disclosure can be applied to a connector and a connector pair.