Patent Publication Number: US-11652308-B2

Title: Connector

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. Section 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-121370 filed on Jul. 15, 2020, the entire content of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to a connector including a plurality of contacts arranged next to one another in two rows. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     There has been known an HDMI (registered trademark) Type A connector for high-speed differential signal transmission (see, for example, JP2009-9728A). A Type A connector includes nineteen contacts constituted by (i) four sets of contacts each of which sets is made up of three contacts, namely one ground terminal and two signal terminals as a differential pair, and (ii) one set of seven contacts including a control CEC terminal. 
     JP2009-9728A discloses a connector including (i) a plurality of contacts (“signal terminals” and “ground terminals” in the document) arranged next to one another in two rows and (ii) a housing (“molded portion” in the document) supporting the plurality of contacts. The contacts have respective end portions fixed to a substrate. The contacts also have respective wide portions supported by the housing. The respective wide portions of the signal terminals and those of the ground terminals are adjacent to one another and exposed to the outside on a back surface of the housing which back surface is opposite to a plug insertion opening. This allows static electricity to be discharged from the respective wide portions of the signal terminals to those of the ground terminals through the air. 
     SUMMARY 
     The connector disclosed in JP2009-9728A includes a housing having a cutout to expose the respective wide portions of the signal terminals and those of the ground terminals. This leads to the contacts being each held with an accordingly reduced force. The connector is thus not stably fixed to the substrate. In particular, the outermost contacts are easily detachable from the substrate, with the result of a poor signal transmission characteristic. 
     The above circumstances have led to a demand for a connector mounted on a substrate which connector is not easily detachable from the substrate and has a good signal transmission characteristic. 
     In order to satisfy the above demand, a connector as an aspect is a connector mounted on a substrate, the connector including: a plurality of contacts each including at a first end a contact portion to which a terminal of a mating connector is electrically connectable and at a second end a fixing portion fixed to the substrate; and a housing supporting the plurality of contacts, wherein the plurality of contacts include a plurality of first contacts arranged next to one another in a first row and a plurality of second contacts arranged next to one another in a second row parallel to and apart from the first row, the connector further includes: for the first row, at least one electrically conductive first bar-shaped member which is present further outward than a first outermost one of the first contacts, which is fixed to the substrate, which is supported by the housing, and to which the mating connector is not electrically connectable; and for the second row, at least one electrically conductive second bar-shaped member which is present further outward than a first outermost one of the second contacts, which is fixed to the substrate, which is supported by the housing, and to which the mating connector is not electrically connectable. 
     A connector with contacts and its substrate may receive a repeated external or internal stress due to, for example, vibration or a temperature increase. This may cause the connector to become detached from the substrate. If the connector becomes detached from the substrate as such, an outermost one of the contacts tends to first start becoming detached from the substrate. 
     In view of that, the above aspect includes at least one first bar-shaped member and at least one second bar-shaped member in addition to a plurality of contacts arranged in two rows. The first bar-shaped member is present further outward than an outermost one of the contacts in a first one of the two rows. The first bar-shaped member is also fixed to the substrate and supported by the housing. The second bar-shaped member is present further outward than an outermost one of the contacts in a second one of the two rows. The second bar-shaped member is also fixed to the substrate and supported by the housing. The first and second bar-shaped members are not electrically connectable to a mating connector and serve to protect the contacts. The first and second bar-shaped members are, in other words, present outward of signal transmission contacts. Even if the connector becomes detached from the substrate, the first and second bar-shaped members first become detached, preventing the contacts from becoming detached and from having an impaired signal transmission function. Further, the first and second bar-shaped members are present respectively for the two rows, allowing the contacts to be fixed to the substrate firmly. 
     An outermost contact is next to an adjacent one only on one side, and would thus tend to have a high impedance. The above arrangement, however, includes electrically conductive first and second bar-shaped members each present further outward than such an outermost contact. Using the first and second bar-shaped members as ground terminals allows the connector as a whole to have a well-balanced impedance. The above arrangement thereby provides a connector mounted on a substrate which connector is not easily detachable from the substrate and has a good signal transmission characteristic. 
     The connector may be arranged as a preferable aspect such that the at least one first bar-shaped member includes two first bar-shaped members opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose the first contacts, and the at least one second bar-shaped member includes two second bar-shaped members opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose the second contacts. 
     The above aspect includes, for the first row, two first bar-shaped members that are opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of contacts and, for the second row, two second bar-shaped members that are opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of contacts. This allows the contacts to be fixed to the substrate more firmly, and thereby reliably prevents the contacts from becoming detached. 
     The connector may be arranged as a preferable aspect such that the first contacts are present in an even number and next to one another at a predetermined distance, the second contacts are present in an odd number and next to one another at the predetermined distance, the at least one first bar-shaped member is next to the first outermost one of the first contacts at the predetermined distance, and the at least one second bar-shaped member is next to the first outermost one of the second contacts at the predetermined distance. 
     The above aspect includes even-numbered contacts next to one another at an equal distance in the first row, odd-numbered contacts next to one another at the equal distance in the second row, the at least one first bar-shaped member next to the first row at the same distance, and the at least one second bar-shaped member next to the second row at the same distance. This allows the contacts and the bar-shaped members both fixed to the substrate to be next to one another in a well-balanced pattern. This allows the contacts to be fixed to the substrate more firmly, and thereby reliably prevents the contacts from becoming detached. 
     The connector may be arranged as a preferable aspect such that the at least one first bar-shaped member and the at least one second bar-shaped member are each identical in shape to each of the plurality of contacts except for lack of the contact portion. 
     Preparing the first and second bar-shaped members each by cutting the contact portion off a contact as for the above aspect allows mass production of identically shaped contacts and thereby reduces the production cost. 
     The connector may be arranged as a preferable aspect such that the housing includes a base portion and a protruding portion protruding from the base portion and supporting the plurality of contacts, and the base portion has (i) a plurality of through holes in which the plurality of contacts are partially present and (ii) a plurality of hole portions which are blocked on a side of the protruding portion and in which the at least one first bar-shaped member and the at least one second bar-shaped member are partially present. 
     The above aspect is arranged such that the hole portions, which receive the at least one first bar-shaped member and the at least one second bar-shaped member, are blocked on the side of the protruding portion. This arrangement not only increases the force with which the housing supports the bar-shaped members, but also causes no influence on the electric connection between a mating connector and the respective contact portions of the contacts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a connector, illustrating the entire connector from its front surface side. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a connector, illustrating the entire connector from its back surface side. 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of a contact and a bar-shaped member. 
         FIG.  4    is a front view of a housing. 
         FIG.  5    is a rear view of a housing. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of the connector in  FIG.  1    taken along line VI-VI. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view of the connector in  FIG.  1    taken along line VII-VII. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of a shell. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The description below deals with a connector as an embodiment of this disclosure with reference to drawings. The embodiment described below is, as an example connector, an HDMI (registered trademark) Type A connector  100  for high-speed differential signal transmission. This disclosure is, however, not limited to the embodiment below, and may be altered variously without departing from its scope. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the connector  100  includes a plurality of ( 19  for the present embodiment) contacts  1  electrically connectable to a mating connector (not illustrated in the drawings), a housing  2  supporting the plurality of contacts  1 , and a shell  3  covering the plurality of contacts  1  and the housing  2  and protecting the contacts  1  from external electromagnetic waves. The contacts  1  and the shell  3  are each molded from an electrically conductive material such as metal. The housing  2  is molded from an electrically insulative material such as resin. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  3   , each contact  1  has a linear contact portion  11  at a first end thereof and a fixing portion  12  at a second end thereof. The contact portion  11  is a portion to which a terminal of a mating connector is electrically connectable. The fixing portion  12  is a portion soldered or otherwise fixed to a substrate S. Each contact  1  also has a press-fit portion  13 , a vertical portion  14 , and a connection portion  15  all present between the contact portion  11  and the fixing portion  12  and integral with one another. The press-fit portion  13  extends from the contact portion  11  with an increasing width and is press-fitted in the housing  2 . The vertical portion  14  extends linearly from the press-fit portion  13  and bends perpendicularly thereto with a width equivalent to that of the contact portion  11 . The connection portion  15  extends from the vertical portion  14  with a tapered width and connects to the fixing portion  12  with a width equivalent to that of the fixing portion  12 . The fixing portion  12  is perpendicular to the connection portion  15  and parallel to the substrate S. The fixing portion  12  has a flat fixing face  12   a  soldered or otherwise fixed to the substrate S for electric connection with a circuit on the substrate S. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the nineteen contacts  1  are apart from one another and arranged next to one another in a first row and a second row parallel to each other. The first row, which is shown on the upper side of  FIG.  1   , includes even-numbered (ten) contacts  1  arranged next to one another at a predetermined distance. The second row, which is shown on the lower side of  FIG.  1   , includes odd-numbered (nine) contacts  1  arranged next to one another at the predetermined distance. The plurality of contacts  1  are, in other words, all evenly spaced from one another and have a staggered arrangement in two rows. The nineteen contacts  1  are constituted by four sets of three contacts  1  and one set of seven contacts  1 . The four sets (shown in the drawings as contacts  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D) are each made up of one ground terminal and two signal terminals as a differential pair. The one set (shown in the drawings as contacts  1 E) includes a control CEC terminal. 
     The differential signal terminals for use in TMDSData2+ and TMDSData2− transmission correspond to, among the three contacts  1 A,  1 B,  1 C,  1 D of each of the four sets, a pair of contacts  1 A and  1 A, a pair of contacts  1 B and  1 B, a pair of contacts  1 C and  1 C, and a pair of contacts  1 D and  1 D each present in the same row and having respective contact portions  11   a  adjacent to each other. In other words, these pairs of contacts  1 A and  1 A, contacts  1 B and  1 B, contacts  1 C and  1 C, and contacts  1 D and  1 D each serve as a differential pair, whereas the remaining single contacts  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D, each present in the other row and among the pairs of adjacent contact portions  11   a  and having a contact portion  11   b , each serve as a ground terminal. 
     The seven contacts  1 E are specifically as follows: That contact  1 E which has the innermost contact portion  11   c  in the first row serves as a CEC terminal for use in transmission of a CEC signal as control data. That contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   d  adjacent to the contact portion  11   c  serves as a terminal for use in transmission of a serial clock (SCL) signal as a clock signal for use in synchronization for transmission of a SDA signal. That contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   e  adjacent to the contact portion  11   d  serves as a CEC/DDC ground terminal. That contact  1 E which has the outermost contact portion  11   f  adjacent to the contact portion  11   e  serves as a hot plug detection terminal for detecting the state of connection to a mating connector. That contact  1 E which has the innermost contact portion  11   g  in the second row is reserved. That contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   h  adjacent to the contact portion  11   g  serves as a terminal for use in transmission of a serial data (SDA) signal such as an E-EDID signal. That contact  1 E which has the outermost contact portion  11   i  adjacent to the contact portion  11   h  serves as a power source terminal. 
     As described above, three contacts  1 A,  1 B,  1 C,  1 D form a set. Those contacts  1 A,  1 B,  1 C, and  1 D each of which has a contact portion  11   b  and serves as a ground terminal share an equal electric potential while being supplied with electricity. The pair of contacts  1 A and  1 A having respective contact portions  11   a  are surrounded by those contacts  1 A and  1 B which have respective contact portions  11   b . The pair of contacts  1 B and  1 B having respective contact portions  11   a  are surrounded by those contacts  1 A,  1 B and  1 C which have respective contact portions  11   b . The pair of contacts  1 C and  1 C having respective contact portions  11   a  are surrounded by those contacts  1 B,  1 C and  1 D which have respective contact portions  11   b . The pair of contacts  1 D and  1 D having respective contact portions  11   a  are surrounded by those contacts  1 C and  1 D which have respective contact portions  11   b . TMDSData2+ and TMDSData2− transmission signals, which are high-frequency signals, each have a stable impedance property as the pairs of contacts  1 A and  1 A, contacts  1 B and  1 B, contacts  1 C and  1 C, and contacts  1 D and  1 D are each surrounded by a plurality of ground terminals having respective contact portions  11   b.    
     Similarly, that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   c  for transmission of a CEC signal, that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   d  for transmission of a SCL signal, and that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   h  for transmission of an SDA signal are each surrounded by that contact  1 D which has a contact portion  11   b  and which serves as a ground terminal and that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   e  and which serves as a ground terminal. 
     The contacts  1  are arranged as described above. Thus, in the first row, no outwardly adjacent terminal is present next to the contact  1 A which has an outermost contact portion  11   a  among the differential pairs or that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   f  as a hot plug detection terminal, and in the second row, no outwardly adjacent terminal is present next to that contact  1 A which has a contact portion  11   b  and which serves as a ground terminal or that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   i  and which serves as a power source terminal. Of the outermost contacts  1 A and  1 E, the contacts  1 A having respective contact portions  11   a  serve to transmit a high-frequency signal. Of the seven contacts  1 E, only that contact  1 E which has a contact portion  11   e  serves as a ground terminal. Those contacts  1 A and  1 E which have respective contact portions  11   a ,  11   c ,  11   d , and  11   h  and which serve to transmit a high-frequency signal are each surrounded by a fewer number of ground terminals, and would thus each normally have a high impedance as compared to the contacts  1  having the other contact portions  11 . This would result in an impedance imbalance between the contacts  1 A and  1 E and the other contacts. The impedance property would differ between the differential pair of the outermost contacts  1 A and the respective other differential pairs of the contacts  1 B,  1 C and  1 D, in particular. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , the connector  100  includes two first bar-shaped members  4 A for the first row that are electrically conductive and that are supported by the housing  2 . The first bar-shaped members  4 A are present further outward than the outermost contacts  1 A and  1 E among the plurality of contacts  1 . The first bar-shaped members  4 A each have a second fixing portion  42  to which a terminal of a mating connector is not electrically connectable and which is soldered or otherwise fixed to the substrate S for grounding. The connector  100  further includes two second bar-shaped members  4 B for the second row that are electrically conductive and that are supported by the housing  2 . The second bar-shaped members  4 B are present further outward than the outermost contacts  1 A and  1 E among the plurality of contacts  1 . The second bar-shaped members  4 B each have a second fixing portion  42  to which a terminal of a mating connector is not electrically connectable and which is fixed to the substrate S for grounding. The bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B are each prepared by cutting the contact portion  11  off a contact  1  (see  FIG.  3   ). This means that the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B each have a second fixing portion  42  corresponding to the fixing portion  12  of a contact  1 , a second press-fit portion  41  corresponding to the press-fit portion  13  of a contact  1 , a second vertical portion  43  corresponding to the vertical portion  14  of a contact  1 , and a second connection portion  44  corresponding to the connection portion  15  of a contact  1 . The second fixing portion  42  is perpendicular to the second connection portion  44  and parallel to the substrate S. The second fixing portion  42  has a flat second fixing face  42   a  soldered or otherwise fixed to the substrate S. Preparing first bar-shaped members  4 A and second bar-shaped members  4 B by cutting the respective contact portions  11  off contacts  1  as described above allows mass production of identically shaped contacts  1  and thereby reduces the production cost. 
     With reference to  FIG.  2    again, the first bar-shaped members  4 A are present next to the outermost contacts  1 A and  1 E in the first row, apart therefrom by a predetermined distance, and opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of (ten) contacts  1 . Similarly, the second bar-shaped members  4 B are present next to the outermost contacts  1 A and  1 E in the second row, apart therefrom by the predetermined distance, and opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of (nine) contacts  1 . The plurality of contacts  1 , the first bar-shaped members  4 A, and the second bar-shaped members  4 B are, as viewed from behind the connector  100 , arranged next to one another and all evenly spaced from one another. 
     The connector  100 , as mentioned above, includes first bar-shaped members  4 A and second bar-shaped members  4 B both supported by the housing  2 , the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B being not electrically connectable to a mating connector and serving to protect the contacts. The connector  100 , in other words, includes first bar-shaped members  4 A and second bar-shaped members  4 B present outward of signal transmission contacts  1  for contact protection. This prevents detachment of the contacts  1  from the substrate S without impairing the signal transmission function of the connector  100 . Further, the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B are present respectively for the two rows, and thereby keep the contacts  1  fixed to the substrate S firmly. The contacts  1 A and  1 E having respective contact portions  11   a ,  11   c ,  11   d , and  11   h  are each surrounded by a fewer number of ground terminals and would thus each tend to have a high impedance. In view of that, the electrically conductive first bar-shaped members  4 A and second bar-shaped members  4 B are present further outward than those contacts  1 A and  1 E and each serve as a ground terminal. This reduces the respective impedances of the contacts  1 A and  1 E, and thereby adjusts the impedance balance throughout the connector  100 . 
     The connector  100  includes two first bar-shaped members  4 A for a first row that are opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of contacts  1  and two second bar-shaped members  4 B for a second row that are opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of contacts  1 . This keeps the contacts  1  fixed to the substrate S more firmly, and thereby reliably prevents the contacts  1  from becoming detached. The connector  100  includes (i) even-numbered contacts  1  next to one another at an equal distance in a first row, (ii) odd-numbered contacts  1  next to one another at the equal distance in a second row, (iii) two first bar-shaped members  4 A each next to an outermost contact  1  in the first row at the same distance, and (iv) two second bar-shaped members  4 B each next to an outermost contact  1  in the second row at the same distance. This allows the contacts  1  and the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B both fixed to the substrate S to be next to one another in a well-balanced pattern. This allows the contacts  1  to be fixed to the substrate S more firmly, and thereby reliably prevents the contacts  1  from becoming detached. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  7   , the housing  2  includes a base portion  21  and a protruding portion  22  protruding from the base portion  21  and supporting the contacts  1 . As illustrated in  FIGS.  4  and  5   , the base portion  21  has a plurality of (nineteen) through holes  21   a  and a plurality of (four) hole portions  21   b . The through holes  21   a  each have a T-shaped cross section and receive a contact  1  inserted therein. The hole portions  21   b  each have a T-shaped cross section, are blocked on the side of the protruding portion  22 , and each receive a first bar-shaped member  4 A or second bar-shaped member  4 B inserted therein.  FIG.  4    is a front view of the housing  2 , with the plurality of hole portions  21   b  invisible.  FIG.  5    is a rear view of the housing  2 , with the plurality of hole portions  21   b  visible. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  7   , the base portion  21  includes a block-shaped base body  21 A and a bottom portion  21 B protruding from the base body  21 A parallel to the protruding portion  22  and supporting the shell  3 . The protruding portion  22  protrudes from a central portion of the base body  21 A in the shape of a plate, and is integral with the base body  21 A. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  4   , the base body  21 A has, on a front surface thereof, restriction depressions  21   c  in which contact protrusions  31   b  of the shell  3  are fitted. As illustrated in  FIGS.  2  and  5   , the base body  21 A has a plurality of ( 11  for the present embodiment) first alignment protrusions  21   d  and a plurality of ( 22  for the present embodiment) second alignment protrusions  21   e  on a back surface thereof. The plurality of first alignment protrusions  21   d  are lateral to the through holes  21   a  and hole portions  21   b  in the first row, and support the respective vertical portions  14  of the contacts  1  in the first row and the respective second vertical portions  43  of the first bar-shaped members  4 A. The plurality of second alignment protrusions  21   e  are lateral to the through holes  21   a  and hole portions  21   b  in the second row, and support the respective vertical portions  14  of the contacts  1  in the second row and the respective second vertical portions  43  of the second bar-shaped members  4 B. Each pair of second alignment protrusions  21   e  that sandwich the vertical portion  14  of a contact  1  in the second row and the second vertical portion  43  of a second bar-shaped member  4 B also serve to (i) separate the contacts  1  and the first bar-shaped members  4 A in the first row from the contacts  1  and the second bar-shaped members  4 B in the second row and (ii) support the contacts  1  in the first row and the first bar-shaped members  4 A. 
     The base body  21 A includes, at opposite sides of its back surface, a pair of third alignment protrusions  21   f  each protruding by the same amount as the second alignment protrusions  21   e . Each third alignment protrusion  21   f  and its adjacent second alignment protrusion  21   e  support the second vertical portion  43  of a first bar-shaped member  4 A. The base body  21 A further includes, on its back surface, a block-shaped portion  21   g  present across the first alignment protrusions  21   d  from the third alignment protrusions  21   f  and extending in the direction in which the contacts  1  are arranged. The block-shaped portion  21   g  has, on a top surface thereof, a long groove  21   g   1  for guiding the shell  3  for insertion thereof. The block-shaped portion  21   g  is also in contact with those opposite portions of the shell  3  which are lateral to an engagement protrusion  31   c  (described later) of the shell  3  to restrict movement of the shell  3  toward the back surface side. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  1  and  4   , the bottom portion  21 B of the base portion  21  has a bottom outer face  21 Ba, a bottom inner face  21 Bb, and a pair of bottom side faces  21 Bc. The bottom inner face  21 Bb has a pair of tapered faces  21 Bb 1  at its opposite side portions, so the bottom portion  21 B is in the shape of a mortar. The bottom portion  21 B has a plurality of (two for the present embodiment) groove portions  21 Bb 2  between the pair of tapered faces  21 Bb 1  of the bottom inner face  21 Bb. The groove portions  21 Bb 2  are each a space in which a second elastic piece  32   a  (described later) of the shell  3  is elastically deformable. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  1 ,  4 , and  6   , the protruding portion  22  includes a plurality of (ten for the present embodiment) first alignment depressions  22   a  on a first surface thereof. The first alignment depressions  22   a  extend in the direction in which the respective contact portions  11  of the contacts  1  in the first row extend, and support those contact portions  11 . The first alignment depressions  22   a  communicate with the through holes  21   a  in the first row. Similarly, the protruding portion  22  includes a plurality of (nine for the present embodiment) second alignment depressions  22   b  on a second surface thereof. The second alignment depressions  22   b  extend in the direction in which the respective contact portions  11  of the contacts  1  in the second row extend, and support those contact portions  11 . The second alignment depressions  22   b  communicate with the through holes  21   a  in the second row. The first alignment depressions  22   a  and the second alignment depressions  22   b  are, in other words, all evenly spaced from one another and have a staggered arrangement in two rows, similarly to the plurality of contacts  1 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  8   , the shell  3  is a thin metal plate that has been punched out and bent and that has a hexagonal opening in which a mating connector is insertable. The shell  3  includes a top wall  31 , a bottom wall  32  opposite to the top wall  31 , and a pair of side walls  33  connecting the top wall  31  with the bottom wall  32 . 
     The top wall  31  includes a plurality of (four for the present embodiment) first elastic pieces  31   a  resulting from punching out the top wall  31  and a plurality of (two for the present embodiment) contact protrusions  31   b  resulting from drawing the top wall  31  inward. The plurality of contact protrusions  31   b  function as a stopper when a mating connector has been inserted. The top wall  31  further includes, on a back surface side of the shell  3 , an engagement protrusion  31   c  engaged with the long groove  21   g   1  of the housing  2  (see also  FIG.  2   ). The bottom wall  32  is shaped to fit with the mortar-shaped bottom portion  21 B, and includes a plurality of (two for the present embodiment) second elastic pieces  32   a  resulting from punching out the bottom wall  32 . 
     The side walls  33  are each bent inward at 180 degrees on the front surface side of the shell  3 . The side walls  33  include (i) a plurality of (two for the present embodiment) third elastic pieces  33   a , (ii) a plurality of (four for the present embodiment) leg portions  33   b  each inserted in a through hole in the substrate S and soldered or otherwise fixed to the substrate S, and (iii) a plurality of (two for the present embodiment) bend pieces  33   c  each resulting from bending the corresponding side wall  33  inward at 90 degrees on the back surface side of the shell  3 . The first elastic pieces  31   a  of the top wall  31 , the second elastic pieces  32   a  of the bottom wall  32 , and the third elastic pieces  33   a  of the side walls  33  are engageable with a mating connector while being elastically deformed. This allows the mating connector to be fixed to the connector  100 . The bend pieces  33   c  are bent after the shell  3  is attached to the housing  2 . This causes the bend pieces  33   c  to come into contact with the back surface of the housing  2 , and thereby restricts movement of the shell  3  toward the front surface side (see  FIG.  2   ). 
     The description below deals with how to assemble the connector  100 . First, attach the shell  3  to the housing  2  from the front surface side with the bend pieces  33   c  parallel to the side walls  33  so that the engagement protrusion  31   c  of the top wall  31  is engaged with the long groove  21   g   1  in the housing  2  and that those opposite portions of the shell  3  which are lateral to the engagement protrusion  31   c  are in contact with the block-shaped portion  21   g  (see  FIGS.  2 ,  4 , and  8   ). Next, bend the bend pieces  33   c  inward at 90 degrees to restrict movement of the shell  3  toward the front surface side. Then, insert the respective contact portions  11  of the plurality of contacts  1  for the second row into the corresponding through holes  21   a  along the second alignment depressions  22   b  and the respective front-side tips of the second bar-shaped members  4 B into the corresponding hole portions  21   b , and press-fit the respective press-fit portions  13  of the above contacts  1  into the corresponding through holes  21   a  and the respective second press-fit portions  41  of the second bar-shaped members  4 B into the corresponding hole portions  21   b  (see  FIG.  6   ). Next, insert the respective contact portions  11  of the plurality of contacts  1  for the first row into the corresponding through holes  21   a  along the first alignment depressions  22   a  and the respective front-side tips of the first bar-shaped members  4 A into the corresponding hole portions  21   b , and press-fit the respective press-fit portions  13  of the above contacts  1  into the corresponding through holes  21   a  and the respective second press-fit portions  41  of the first bar-shaped members  4 A into the corresponding hole portions  21   b  (see  FIG.  6   ). This results in the following state: The respective vertical portions  14  of the plurality of contacts  1  in the first row and the respective second vertical portions  43  of the first bar-shaped members  4 A are each supported by a pair of first alignment protrusions  21   d , whereas the respective vertical portions  14  of the plurality of contacts  1  in the second row and the respective second vertical portions  43  of the second bar-shaped members  4 B are each supported by a pair of second alignment protrusions  21   e  (see  FIG.  2   ). The respective second vertical portions  43  of the first bar-shaped members  4 A are each (i) present between a first alignment depression  22   a  and a bend piece  33   c  and (ii) sandwiched between and supported by a second alignment protrusion  21   e  and a third alignment protrusion  21   f  (see  FIG.  2   ). The respective second vertical portions  43  of the second bar-shaped members  4 B are each sandwiched between and supported by a pair of second alignment protrusions  21   e . Next, solder or otherwise fix the respective fixing portions  12  of the contacts  1 , the respective second fixing portions  42  of the first bar-shaped members  4 A and the second bar-shaped members  4 B, and the leg portions  33   b  of the shell  3  to the substrate S. This results in a connector  100  mounted on the substrate S as a finished product. The shell  3 , the contacts  1 , and the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B may be assembled to the housing  2  in any order. The contacts  1  and the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B may be press-fitted separately. 
     The present embodiment is arranged such that the hole portions  21   b , which receive the first bar-shaped members  4 A and the second bar-shaped members  4 B, are blocked on the side of the protruding portion  22 . This arrangement not only increases the force with which the housing  2  supports the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B, but also causes no influence on the electric connection between a mating connector and the respective contact portions  11  of the contacts  1 . 
     [Alternative Embodiments] 
     (1) The embodiment described above includes two first bar-shaped members  4 A opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of contacts  1  and two second bar-shaped members  4 B opposite to each other in such a manner as to enclose a plurality of contacts  1 . The embodiment may, however, be altered to include only one first bar-shaped member  4 A on an outer side of a plurality of contacts  1  and/or only one second bar-shaped member  4 B on an outer side of a plurality of contacts  1 . In this case, the first bar-shaped member  4 A and the second bar-shaped member  4 B are preferably each present further outward than those contacts  1 A which are outermost contacts  1  serving as a differential pair. This adjusts the impedance balance between the contacts  1 A and the other pairs of contacts  1 B,  1 C and  1 D, each serving as a differential pair. 
     (2) The first bar-shaped members  4 A and the second bar-shaped members  4 B may each be next to its adjacent contact  1  as separated therefrom by a distance different from the distance by which the plurality of contacts  1  are apart from one another. The connector  100  may alternatively include a plurality of first bar-shaped members  4 A on only one outer side of a plurality of contacts  1  and/or a plurality of second bar-shaped members  4 B on only one outer side of a plurality of contacts  1 . The respective numbers and arrangements of the first bar-shaped members  4 A and the second bar-shaped members  4 B are each not limited to any particular number or arrangement. 
     (3) The hole portions  21   b  in the housing  2  may be unblocked on the side of the protruding portion  22  and be each in the shape of a through hole. In this case, the respective second press-fit portions  41  of the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B may each protrude on the front surface side and be bent at 90 degrees into contact with that wall surface of the base body  21 A which is on the front surface side. This increases the force with which the housing  2  is held by the bar-shaped members  4 A and  4 B. 
     (4) The embodiment described above is a connector  100  as an HDMI (registered trademark) Type A receptacle connector. The connector  100  may, however, be an HDMI (registered trademark) connector of a type other than Type A or a connector based on a standard other than HDMI (registered trademark). Further, the connector  100  may alternatively be not a receptacle connector but a plug connector.