Patent Publication Number: US-10784630-B1

Title: Female connector and transmission wafer

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of priority to China Patent Application No. 201910162808.2, filed on Mar. 5, 2019 in People&#39;s Republic of China. The entire content of the above identified application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to a connector, and more particularly to a female connector and a transmission wafer. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     A conventional transmission wafer of a high speed connector includes an insulating sheet, a plurality of terminals (including signal terminals and grounding terminals) fixed to the insulating sheet, and a shielding sheet disposed on the insulating sheet. In other words, the number of the shielding sheet of the conventional transmission wafer is only one, and the shielding sheet does not contact the grounding terminals, so that the common ground performance of the conventional high speed connector is weak, and the crosstalk of the conventional high speed connector is difficult to be decreased. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the present disclosure provides a female connector and a transmission wafer to effectively improve the issues associated with conventional transmission wafers. 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a female connector, which includes a housing and a plurality of transmission wafers stacked in one row and inserted into the housing. Each of the transmission wafers includes an insulating frame, a plurality of grounding terminals, a first shielding member, and a second shielding member. The insulating frame has an elongated front end portion and an elongated bottom end portion, and a longitudinal direction of the front end portion is perpendicular to that of the bottom end portion. The grounding terminals are fixed to the insulating frame. The first shielding member and the second shielding member are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the insulating frame. The second shielding member is disposed near the front end portion of the insulating frame. The first shielding member and the second shielding member are electrically connected to the grounding terminals so as to be electrically connected to each other through the grounding terminals. In any two of the transmission wafers adjacent to each other, the second shielding member of one of the any two adjacent transmission wafers is abutted against and electrically connected to the first shielding member of the other one of the any two adjacent transmission wafers. 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a transmission wafer, which includes an insulating frame, a plurality of grounding terminals, a first shielding member, and a second shielding member. The insulating frame has an elongated front end portion and an elongated bottom end portion, and a longitudinal direction of the front end portion is perpendicular to that of the bottom end portion. The grounding terminals are fixed to the insulating frame. The first shielding member and the second shielding member are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the insulating frame. The second shielding member is disposed near the front end portion of the insulating frame. The first shielding member and the second shielding member are electrically connected to the grounding terminals so as to be electrically connected to each other through the grounding terminals. When two of the transmission wafers are stacked with each other, the second shielding member of one of the two transmission wafers is abutted against and electrically connected to the first shielding member of the other one of the two transmission wafers. 
     Therefore, each of the transmission wafers of the female connector of the present disclosure are provided with the first shielding member and the second shielding member that are electrically connected to the grounding terminals, and the second shielding member of one of the two adjacent transmission wafers is elastically abutted against and electrically connected to the first shielding member of the other one of the two adjacent transmission wafers. Accordingly, the first shielding members, the second shielding members, and the grounding terminals of the two adjacent transmission wafers can be electrically connected to each other to establish a common ground, so that the crosstalk of the female connector can be effectively improved. 
     These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings and their captions, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a female connector according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a planar view of a transmission wafer according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a planar view showing the transmission wafer of  FIG. 4  in another angle of view. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the transmission wafer according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view showing the transmission wafer of  FIG. 6  in another angle of view. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view of a male connector according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a transmission wafer according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view showing an electrical connector assembly according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of a male connector according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a male connector according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 17  is a planar view showing signal terminals and grounding terminals of a transmission wafer in another configuration according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like. 
     First Embodiment 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 12  and  FIG. 17 , a first embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electrical connector assembly  100  that can be applied to a server or a switchboard, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the electrical connector assembly  100  includes a female connector  1  and a male connector  2  detachably inserted into the female connector  1  along an insertion direction S. In order to easily describe the present embodiment, the electrical connector assembly  100  further defines a width direction W and a height direction H both perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the insertion direction S. 
     It should be noted that the female connector  1  and the male connector  2  in the present embodiment are described in cooperation with each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the female connector  1  or the male connector  2  can be individually implemented or can be implemented with other components. The following description describes the structural and connection relationship of each of the female connector  1  and the male connector  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the female connector  1  includes a housing  11  and a plurality of transmission wafers  12  inserted into the housing  11 . The transmission wafers  12  in the present embodiment are stacked in one row along the width direction W. In addition, any one of the transmission wafers  12  in the present embodiment is in cooperation with the housing  11 , but any one of the transmission wafers  12  can be individually implemented or can be implemented with other components in other embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     The housing  11  includes an insertion portion  111  being a substantial cuboid, a positioning board  112  extending from a top end of the insertion portion  111  along the insertion direction S, and two guiding columns  113  respectively formed on two opposite surfaces of the insertion portion  111  (e.g., a top surface and a bottom surface of the insertion portion  111  as shown in  FIG. 2 ) in a staggered arrangement. The insertion portion  111  has a plurality of terminal holes  1111  penetratingly recessed in a front surface thereof and arranged in a plurality of rows, and each of the rows of the terminal holes  1111  corresponds in position to one of the transmission wafers  12 . In other words, each of the rows of the terminal holes  1111  has a longitudinal direction parallel to the height direction H. Each of the rows of the terminal holes  1111  includes a plurality of grounding thru-holes  1112  and a plurality of signal thru-holes  1113 . Each of the grounding thru-holes  1112  is substantially U-shaped, and two of the signal thru-holes  1113  adjacent to each other be arranged at an inner side of the U-shaped grounding thru-holes  1112 . 
     A longitudinal direction of each of the two guiding columns  113  is parallel to the insertion direction S. The staggered arrangement of the two guiding columns  113  refers to the two guiding columns  113  not being located at the same cross-section of the height direction H. In other words, as shown in  FIG. 3 , one of the two guiding columns  113  is arranged at a top side of a second row of the terminal holes  1111  counting from a left side of  FIG. 3 , and the other one of the two guiding columns  113  is arranged at a bottom side of a fifth row of the terminal holes  1111  counting from a left side of  FIG. 3 . 
     Moreover, one end of each of the two guiding columns  113  protrudes from the insertion portion  111 , and the other end of each of the two guiding columns  113  is connected to the positioning board  112 . Each of the two guiding columns  113  has a groove  1131  that is recessed from the end thereof and extends along the insertion direction S. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the transmission wafers  12  are inserted into the insertion portion  111  of the housing  11 , and are engaged with the positioning board  112  of the housing  11 . As the transmission wafers  12  are of the same structure, the following description discloses the structure of only one of the transmission wafers  12  for the sake of brevity, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmission wafers  12  of the female connector  1  can be different in structure. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the transmission wafer  12  of the present embodiment includes an insulating frame  121  having a substantial rectangular shape, a plurality of grounding terminals  122  fixed to the insulating frame  121 , a plurality of signal terminals  123  fixed to the insulating frame  121 , a first shielding member  124 , and a second shielding member  125 . The first shielding member  124  and the second shielding member  125  are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the insulating frame  121 . 
     The insulating frame  121  includes a front end portion  1211 , a rear end portion  1212 , a top end portion  1213 , and a bottom end portion  1214 , which are arranged on a peripheral part thereof and that each have an elongated shape. A longitudinal direction of the front end portion  1211  and a longitudinal direction of the rear end portion  1212  are substantially parallel to the height direction H, and a longitudinal direction of the top end portion  1213  and a longitudinal direction of the bottom end portion  1214  are substantially parallel to the insertion direction S. In other words, the longitudinal direction of the front end portion  1211  is substantially perpendicular to that of the bottom end portion  1214 . 
     Specifically, the insulating frame  121  has an accommodating slot  1211   a  recessed near the front end portion  1211 . The accommodating slot  1211   a  in the present embodiment is an elongated structure parallel to the height direction H for receiving the second shielding member  125 . The top end portion  1213  of the insulating frame  121  is engaged with the positioning board  112 , and the bottom end portion  1214  of the insulating frame  121  is engaged with the insertion portion  111 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6 , the grounding terminals  122  and the signal terminals  123  are disposed in a staggered arrangement, and any two of the grounding terminals  122  adjacent to each other are provided with two of the signal terminals  123  there-between that can be used to jointly transmit differential signals. Each of the grounding terminals  122  is integrally formed as a one-piece structure, and includes a middle grounding segment  1221  fixed in the insulating frame  121 , a front grounding segment  1222  (e.g., perpendicularly) extending from one end of the middle grounding segment  1221  to protrude from the front end portion  1211 , and at least one rear grounding segment  1223  (e.g., perpendicularly) extending from the other end of the middle grounding segment  1221  to protrude from the bottom end portion  1214 . 
     Moreover, each of the signal terminals  123  is integrally formed as a one-piece structure, and includes a middle signal segment  1231  fixed in the insulating frame  121 , a front signal segment  1232  extending (e.g., perpendicularly) from one end of the middle signal segment  1231  to protrude from the front end portion  1211 , and a rear signal segment  1233  extending (e.g., perpendicularly) from the other end of the middle signal segment  1231  to protrude from the bottom end portion  1214 . 
     Specifically, two of the grounding terminals  122  located at the outermost position each have a first contacting portion  1222   a  and a second contacting portion  1222   b  both arranged on the front grounding segment  1222  thereof, and the front grounding segment  1222  of each of the other grounding terminals  122  has two first contacting portions  1222   a  and a second contacting portion  1222   b  arranged between the first contacting portions  1222   a . In other words, any one of the grounding terminals  122  arranged between two of the signal terminals  123  includes two first contacting portions  1222   a  and a second contacting portion  1222   b , which are arranged on the front grounding segment  1222  thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 17 , the grounding terminals  122  and the signal terminals  123  are disposed in a staggered arrangement, and two pairs of the signal terminals  123  adjacent to each other are provided with two of the grounding terminals  122  that are arranged there-between and that each have one first contacting portion  1222   a  according to design requirements. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one of the grounding terminals  122  of the transmission wafer  12  includes two first contacting portions  1222   a  spaced apart from each other, and at least one of the grounding terminals  122  of the transmission wafer  12  includes a second contacting portion  1222   b.    
     Moreover, the first contacting portions  1222   a  and the second contacting portions  1222   b  in the present embodiment are cantilever structures. A position of each of the first contacting portions  1222   a  used to abut against a corresponding terminal of the male connector  2  is spaced apart from the front end portion  1211  by a first distance, and a position of each of the second contacting portions  1222   b  used to abut against a corresponding terminal of the male connector  2  is spaced apart from the front end portion  1211  by a second distance less than the first distance. When the female connector  1  is inserted into the male connector  2 , each of the first contacting portions  1222   a  is configured to be applied with a force so as to move along a first direction (e.g., the width direction W toward the right side shown in  FIG. 6 ), and each of the second contacting portions  1222   b  is configured to be applied with a force so as to move along a second direction (e.g., the width direction W toward the left side shown in  FIG. 6 ) opposite to the first direction. 
     In addition, the front grounding segment  1222  of each of the grounding terminals  122  protrudes from the front signal segment  1232  of any one of the signal terminals  123 . When the female connector  1  is inserted into the male connector  2 , each of the signal terminals  123  is configured to be applied with a force so as to move along a third direction parallel to the first direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 7 , each of the first shielding member  124  and the second shielding member  125  in the present embodiment is integrally formed as a one-piece structure and is formed by punching and bending a metal sheet. The size of the first shielding member  124  is larger than that of the second shielding member  125 . The first shielding member  124  includes a middle grounding sheet  1241 , a front grounding sheet  1242  extending from a front edge of the middle grounding sheet  1241 , a plurality of internally connecting arms  1243  curvedly extending from the middle grounding sheet  1241 , and a plurality of externally connecting arms  1244  curvedly extending from the middle grounding sheet  1241 . 
     Specifically, each of the middle grounding sheet  1241  and the front grounding sheet  1242  has a plurality of openings  1241   a ,  1242   a . The internally connecting arms  1243  substantially and perpendicularly extend from peripheral edges of the middle grounding sheet  1241  and inner walls defining the openings  1241   a , respectively. The externally connecting arms  1244  extend from inner walls of the front grounding sheet  1242  defining the openings  1242   a , respectively. 
     The middle grounding sheet  1241  of the first shielding member  124  is disposed onto a side surface of the insulating frame  121 , and the first shielding member  124  is fixed to the middle grounding segment  1221  of each of the grounding terminals  122 . In the present embodiment, the first shielding member  124  uses the internally connecting arms  1243  to respectively insert into and fix to the middle grounding segments  1221  of the grounding terminals  122 , so that the first shielding member  124  can be electrically connected to each of the grounding terminals  122 . It should be noted that in order to adjust part of the grounding terminals  122  exposed in air for high frequency signal transmission, part of the internally connecting arms  1243  each can be inserted into the corresponding grounding terminal  122  by passing through the insulating frame  121 . 
     Moreover, a first projection region defined by orthogonally projecting the middle signal segment  1231  of each of the signal terminals  123  onto the first shielding member  124  is located inside of an outer contour of (the middle grounding sheet  1241  of) the first shielding member  124 . In addition, second projection regions respectively defined by orthogonally projecting the grounding terminals  122  each having the two first contacting portions  1222   a  onto the first shielding member  124  cover the openings  1241   a  of the middle grounding sheet  1241 , and the two first contacting portions  1222   a  of each of the grounding terminals  122  defines (or forms) a portion of the corresponding second projection region that is arranged between two adjacent the openings  1242   a  of the front grounding sheet  1242 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 8 , the second shielding member  125  includes a plate  1251 , a plurality of internally connecting arms  1252  curvedly extending from the plate  1251 , and a plurality of externally connecting arms  1253  curvedly extending from the plate  1252 . In the present embodiment, the plate  1251  is in a substantially rectangular shape and has a plurality of openings  1251   a . The plate  1251  includes two opposite long edges and two opposite short edges that are perpendicular to any one of the two long edges. The internally connecting arms  1252  substantially and perpendicularly extend from inner walls defining the openings  1251   a , respectively. The externally connecting arms  1253  curvedly extend from one of the two long edges toward the other one of the two long edges, and a length of each of the externally connecting arms  1253  is preferably larger than ⅓ of a length of each of the two short edges. Specifically, each of the openings  1251   a  is arranged between two third projection regions defined by orthogonally projecting two of the externally connecting arms  1253  adjacent to each other onto the plate  1251 . 
     Moreover, any one of the externally connecting arms  1253  of the second shielding member  125  corresponds in position along a normal direction of the plate  1251  to two of the signal terminals  123  adjacent to each other. In other words, each of the openings  1251   a  of the present embodiment corresponds in position along the normal direction of the plate  1251  to at least one of the grounding terminals  122 . 
     The second shielding member  125  is disposed on the front end portion  1211  of the insulating frame  121 , and is fixed to the middle grounding segment  1221  of each of the grounding terminals  122 . In the present embodiment, the second shielding member  125  is arranged in the accommodating slot  1211   a  of the front end portion  1211 , and uses the internally connecting arms  1252  to respectively insert into and fix to the grounding terminals  122 , so that the second shielding member  125  can be electrically connected to each of the grounding terminals  122 . In other words, the first shielding member  124  and the second shielding member  125  are electrically connected to each other through the grounding terminals  122 . 
     Specifically, in the second shielding member  125  of the present embodiment, each of the internally connecting arms  1252  includes a neck portion  1252   a  extending from the plate  1251  and a head portion  1252   b  extending from the neck portion  1252   a , and each of the head portions  1252   b  passes through a hole (not labeled) of the corresponding grounding terminal  122 , so that the plate  1251  and each of the head portions  1252   b  are respectively arranged at two opposite sides of the corresponding grounding terminal  122 . In other embodiments of the present disclosure, a width of the head portion  1252   b  is slightly larger than that of the neck portion  1252   a , and is larger than that of the hole of the corresponding grounding terminal  122 , so that each of the internally connecting arms  1252  can be firmly fixed to the corresponding grounding terminal  122 . In addition, since the structure of the internally connecting arm  1243  of the first shielding member  124  is similar to that of the internally connecting arm  1252 , the description of the structure of the internally connecting arm  1243  is omitted for the sake of brevity. 
     The front grounding segments  1222  of the grounding terminals  122  and the front signal segments  1232  of the signal terminals  123  of the transmission wafer  12  are inserted into the insertion portion  111  of the housing  11 , the front grounding sheet  1242  of the first shielding member  124  is arranged in the insertion portion  111 , and at least 80% area (or volume) of the second shielding member  125  and its corresponding components are arranged in the insertion portion  111 . In the transmission wafer  12  and the corresponding row of the terminal holes  1111 , the first contacting portions  1222   a  of the grounding terminals  122  and the externally connecting arms  1244  of the first shielding member  124  substantially correspond in position to the grounding thru-holes  1112 , and the front signal segments  1232  of the signal terminals  123  substantially correspond in position to the signal thru-holes  1113 . 
     The above description describes the structure of the single transmission wafer  12  of the present embodiment, and the following description then describes the connection relationship of the transmission wafers  12 . As shown in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 , in two of the transmission wafers  12  adjacent to each other (i.e., the two adjacent transmission wafers  12 ), the externally connecting arms  1253  of the second shielding member  125  of one of the two adjacent transmission wafers  12  are elastically abutted against and electrically connected to the first shielding member  124  (e.g., the middle grounding sheet  1241  of that) of the other one of the two adjacent transmission wafers  12 . Accordingly, the first shielding members  124 , the second shielding members  125 , and the grounding terminals  122  of the two adjacent transmission wafers  12  can be electrically connected to each other to establish a common ground, so that the crosstalk of the female connector  1  can be effectively improved. 
     Moreover, in two of the transmission wafers  12  adjacent to each other, the second contacting portion  1222   b  of at least one of the grounding terminals  122  of one of the two adjacent transmission wafers  12  can be abutted against and electrically connected to the first shielding member  124  (e.g., the front grounding sheet  1242  of that) of the other one of the two adjacent transmission wafers  12 , thereby further ensuring that the common ground can be established between the two adjacent transmission wafers  12 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 17 , the second contacting portion  1222   b  can be omitted according to design requirements. For example, if two adjacent transmission wafers  12  can be provided with a common ground there-between through the externally connecting arms  1253  of the second shielding members  125 , the second contacting portion  1222   b  can be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 11 , the male connector  2  includes a carrier  21 , a plurality of shielding terminals  22  fixed to the carrier  21 , and a plurality of conductive terminals  23  fixed to the carrier  21 . The carrier  21  in the present embodiment is a substantially U-shaped structure, and includes a bottom board  211  and two side boards  212  respectively and perpendicularly connected to two opposite edges of the bottom board  211 . The shielding terminals  22  and the conductive terminals  23  are fixed to the bottom board  211  of the carrier  21 . 
     Specifically, the bottom board  211  has a plurality of fixing holes  2111  arranged in rows, and the rows of the fixing holes  2111  respectively correspond in position and shape to the rows of the terminal holes  1111  of the housing  11 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     Moreover, each of the two side boards  212  has a positioning groove  2121  parallel to the insertion direction S, and the positioning grooves  2121  of the two side boards  212  respectively correspond in position and shape to the two guiding columns  113  of the housing  11 . Accordingly, when the female connector  1  is inserted into the male connector  2 , the housing  11  and the carrier  21  can be precisely connected to each other by respectively inserting the two guiding columns  113  into the two positioning grooves  2121 . 
     As the shielding terminals  22  are of the same structure, the following description discloses the structure of only one of the shielding terminals  22  for the sake of brevity, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the shielding terminals  22  of the male connector  2  can be different. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the shielding terminal  22  is integrally formed as a one-piece structure, and includes a U-shaped sheet  221 , two wing portions  222  respectively connected to two opposite sides of the U-shaped sheet  221 , and two tail portions  223  connected to a bottom edge of the U-shaped sheet  221 . The U-shaped sheet  221  in the present embodiment has a U-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the insertion direction S. 
     Specifically, the U-shaped sheet  221  includes a bottom wall  2211  and two side walls  2212  respectively connected to the bottom wall  2211 . The two wing portions  222  are curvedly connected to the two side walls  2212 , respectively. The two tail portions  223  respectively extend from bottom edges of the two side walls  2212  along the insertion direction S. Moreover, each of the two wing portions  222  is an elongated structure parallel to the insertion direction S, and the two wing portions  222  respectively and perpendicularly extend from lateral edges of the two side walls  2212  along two different directions away from each other. 
     Each of the conductive terminals  23  is integrally formed as a one-piece structure, and includes a fixing portion  231 , a mating portion  232 , and a pin  233 , the latter two of which respectively extend from two opposite sides of the fixing portion  231 . The U-shaped sheet  221  of each of the shielding terminals  22  is arranged around an outer side of (the fixing portions  231  and the mating portions  232  of) two of the conductive terminals  23 . The bottom wall  2211  of each of the shielding terminals  22  is parallel to a width direction of the fixing portion  231  and a width direction of the mating portion  232  of the corresponding conductive terminal  23 . Moreover, a width direction of each of the tail portions  223  of the shielding terminal  22  is substantially perpendicular to that of the pin  233  of the corresponding conductive terminal  23 . 
     The above description describes the structure of the single shielding terminal  22  of the present embodiment, and the following description then describes the connection relationship of the shielding terminals  22 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the shielding terminals  22  in the present embodiment are arranged in a plurality of rows, and each of the rows of the shielding terminals  22  has a longitudinal direction parallel to the height direction H. In two of the shielding terminals  22  adjacent to each other and arranged in the same row (e.g., the two adjacent shielding terminals  22 ), two of the side walls  2212  (or the wing portions  222 ) adjacent to each other and respectively arranged on the two adjacent shielding terminals  22  face each other. Moreover, in each of the rows of the shielding terminals  22  and the corresponding conductive terminals  23 , the bottom walls  2211  are arranged on a first plane perpendicular to the width direction W, and the wing portions  222  and the conductive terminals  23  are arranged on a second plane parallel to the first plane (or perpendicular to the width direction W). 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 11 , each of the rows of the shielding terminals  22  and the corresponding conductive terminals  23  are inserted into and fixed to one of the rows of the fixing holes  2111  of the bottom board  211  of the carrier  21 . Each of the shielding terminals  22  is fixed to the bottom board  211  by using an embedded portion of the U-shaped sheet  221  adjacent to the tail portion  223  to insert into the corresponding fixing hole  2111 . Each of the conductive terminals  23  is fixed to the bottom board  211  by using the fixing portion  231  to insert into the corresponding fixing hole  2111 . 
     The two wing portions  222 , an exposed portion of the U-shaped sheet  221  arranged away from the tail portions  223  of each of the shielding terminals  22 , and the mating portion  232  of each of the conductive terminals  23  are arranged between the two side boards  212  of the carrier  21 . Moreover, in each of the shielding terminals  22 , each of the two wing portions  222  substantially correspond in position to (or is connected to) a center segment of the exposed portion of the U-shaped sheet  221 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the female connector  1  is inserted into the male connector  2 , any one of the rows of the shielding terminals  22  and the corresponding conductive terminals  23  of the male connector  2  pass through one of the rows of the terminal holes  1111  of the housing  11  of the female connector  1  so as to connect to the grounding terminals  122 , the signal terminals  123 , and the first shielding member  124 , which correspond in position to the one row of the terminal holes  1111 . 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 12 , at least one of the shielding terminals  22  of the male connector  2  is abutted against two of the grounding terminals  122  of the female connector  1 . In the present embodiment, the two wing portions  222  of the at least one of the shielding terminals  22  of the male connector  2  are respectively abutted against and electrically connected to the first contacting portions  1222   a  of the two grounding terminals  122  of the female connector  1 . In other words, the two first contacting portions  1222   a  of at least one of the grounding terminals  122  are respectively abutted against and electrically connected to the wing portions  222  of two of the shielding terminals  22  adjacent to each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 17 , in any two of the grounding terminals  122  adjacent to each other (i.e., the two adjacent grounding terminals  122 ), the first contacting portion  1222   a  of one of the two adjacent grounding terminals  122  is configured to be abutted against and electrically connected to the wing portion  222  of one of the two adjacent shielding terminals  22 , and the first contacting portion  1222   a  of the other one of the two adjacent grounding terminals  122  is configured to be abutted against and electrically connected to the wing portion  222  of the other one of the two adjacent shielding terminals  22 . 
     Accordingly, the shielding terminals  22  in the male connector  2  and the grounding terminals  122  in the female connector  1  can be connected in a one-to-plurality manner, thereby improving the common ground performance and the crosstalk of the electrical connector assembly  100 . 
     Moreover, since the two wing portions  222  of each of the shielding terminals  22  are formed by respectively and perpendicularly extending from the lateral edges of the two side walls  2212 , each of the two wing portions  222  is abutted against the corresponding first contacting portion  1222   a  by a broad surface thereof. Accordingly, the shielding terminal  22  and the corresponding grounding terminal  122  can be firmly connected to each other by the cooperation of the wing portion  222  and the first contacting portion  1222   a , thereby providing a better electrical transmission performance, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other connectors with miniaturization or high density requirements, when the interval of any two adjacent terminals is too narrow, the wing portions  222  can be omitted, and the first contacting portion  1222   a  of the grounding terminal  122  is directly abutted against the lateral edge (or the cutting edge) of the side wall  2212  of the corresponding shielding terminal  22 . 
     In addition, the externally connecting arms  1244  of each of the first shielding members  124  are abutted against an outer surface of the bottom wall  2211  of the U-shaped sheet  221  of the corresponding shielding terminal  22  (shown in  FIG. 9 ), and the front signal segments  1232  of the two adjacent signal terminals  123  are respectively abutted against the mating portions  232  of two of the conductive terminals  23  (shown in  FIG. 12 ). 
     Second Embodiment 
     Referring to  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14 , a second embodiment of the present disclosure is similar to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, so that the descriptions of the same components in the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure will be omitted for the sake of brevity, and the following description only discloses different features between the first and second embodiments (e.g., the female connector  1 ). 
     In the present embodiment, each of the grounding terminals  122  is not formed with the second contacting portion  1222   b , and the front signal segment  1232  of each of the signal terminals  123  protrudes from the first contacting portions  1222   a  of any one of the grounding terminals  122 . When the female connector  1  is inserted into the male connector  2 , each of the first contacting portions  1222   a  is configured to be applied with a force so as to move along a first direction (e.g., the height direction H), each of the signal terminals  123  is configured to be applied with a force so as to move along a second direction (e.g., the width direction W) that is perpendicular to the first direction, and the two first contacting portions  1222   a  of at least one of the grounding terminals  122  are configured to be applied with a force so as to move toward each other closely (or so as to move in two opposite directions). 
     Moreover, the first contacting portions  1222   a  of any one of the grounding terminals  122  are abutted against the side walls  2212  of the two corresponding shielding terminals  22 , so that each of the shielding terminals  22  in the present embodiment can be formed without any wing portions  222 . 
     Third Embodiment 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , a third embodiment of the present disclosure is similar to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, so that the descriptions of the same components in the first and third embodiments of the present disclosure will be omitted for the sake of brevity, and the following description only discloses different features between the first and third embodiments (e.g., the male connector  2 ). 
     In the present embodiment, each of the rows of the shielding terminals  22  is integrally formed as a one-piece structure. In other words, in the two adjacent shielding terminals  22  arranged in the same row, two of the wing portions  222  respectively connected to the two adjacent side walls  2212  facing each other are integrally connected to each other, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, in each of the rows of the shielding terminals  22 , only two of the shielding terminals  22  adjacent to each other are integrally formed as a one-piece structure. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
     Referring to  FIG. 16 , a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is similar to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, so that the descriptions of the same components in the first and fourth embodiments of the present disclosure will be omitted for the sake of brevity, and the following description only discloses different features between the first and fourth embodiments (e.g., the male connector  2 ). 
     In each of the shielding terminals  22  of the present embodiment, each of the two wing portions  222  includes a folded structure having a bending angle at 180 degrees, so that a contact area of each of the wing portions  222  (i.e., the folded structure) with respect to the corresponding first contacting portion  1222   a  is increased (compared to the male connector  2  that the shielding terminal  22  is not formed with the wing portions  222 ), and a portion of each of the two wing portions  222  between a free end and the bending angle is substantially parallel to one of the two side walls  2212  adjacent thereto. In other words, a thickness of each of the two wing portions  222  in the height direction H is two times of a thickness of material (e.g., a metal sheet used to form the shielding terminal  22 ). 
     In conclusion, each of the transmission wafers of the female connector of the present disclosure are provided with the first shielding member and the second shielding member that are electrically connected to the grounding terminals, and the second shielding member of one of the two adjacent transmission wafers is elastically abutted against and electrically connected to the first shielding member of the other one of the two adjacent transmission wafers. Accordingly, the first shielding members, the second shielding members, and the grounding terminals of the two adjacent transmission wafers can be electrically connected to each other to establish a common ground, so that the crosstalk of the female connector can be effectively improved. 
     Moreover, the shielding terminals in the male connector and the grounding terminals in the female connector can be connected in a one-to-plurality manner, thereby improving the common ground performance and the crosstalk of the electrical connector assembly of the present disclosure. 
     The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. 
     The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.