Connector and contact

The present application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-090556, filed on Apr. 24, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

An aspect of this disclosure relates to a connector and a contact.

2. Description of the Related Art

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-142183, for example, discloses a contact module that includes a sheet made of a metal, an insulating film formed on at least one surface of the sheet, and a contact formed as a thin film of a noble metal on the insulating film and including contact points and a circuit pattern.

However, in the disclosed contact module, the impedance of the sheet made of a metal is not matched sufficiently with the impedance of the contact formed on the insulating film on the sheet. Therefore, with the disclosed contact module, it may be difficult to transmit a signal in an impedance matched condition.

An object of the invention is to provide a connector and a contact that may transmit signal in an impedance matched condition. In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector to be connected to a signal wire and a ground wire formed on a board. The connector includes a base made of a conductive material, at least two first extension parts that extend from the base toward a first end of the connector, and at least two second extension parts that extend from the base toward a second end of the connector; an insulating layer formed on a surface of the terminal; a signal line that is formed on the insulating layer, is insulated from the terminal, and extends from an end of a first one of the first extension parts to an end of a first one of the second extension parts, the signal line being connected to the signal wire of the board when the connector is attached to the board; and a ground line that is formed on the insulating layer, is electrically connected to the terminal, and extends from an end of a second one of the first extension parts, which is adjacent to the first one of the first extension parts, to an end of a second one of the second extension parts, which is adjacent to the first one of the second extension parts, the ground line being connected to the ground wire of the board when the connector is attached to the board.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are drawings illustrating connectors;

FIGS. 2A through 2D are drawings illustrating a connector;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a connector attached to a board;

FIGS. 4A through 4C are drawings illustrating contacts;

FIGS. 5A through 5C are cross-sectional views taken along line A-A of FIG. 4C ;

FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a connector;

FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a connector;

FIGS. 8A through 8D are drawings illustrating a connector of an FPC assembly;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are drawings illustrating a mechanism for attaching a connector to FPCs;

FIG. 10 is a perspective cut-away side view of connectors connected to each other;

FIGS. 11A through 11D are drawings illustrating a connector;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a connector attached to a board; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective cut-away side view of connectors connected to each other.

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are drawings illustrating connectors 100 A and 100 B according to an embodiment. As illustrated by FIG. 1A , the connector 100 A is attached to a board 300 A, and the connector 100 B is attached to a board 300 B.

Each of the boards 300 A and 300 B includes signal lines and ground lines. The characteristic impedance of the signal lines and the ground lines of the boards 300 A and 300 B is set at a predetermined value (e.g., 50Ω) to enable high-speed signal transmission at, for example, about 2.0 Gbps.

The signal lines and the ground lines of the boards 300 A and 300 B with such a characteristic impedance may be implemented by microstrip lines or coplanar lines. The connector 100 A is connected to the signal lines and the ground lines of the board 300 A, and the connector 100 B is connected to the signal lines and the ground lines of the board 300 B.

A flexible printed circuit (FPC) assembly 400 includes connectors 410 A and 410 B and two FPCs 420 . Each of the FPCs 420 includes signal lines and ground lines.

The characteristic impedance of the signal lines and the ground lines of the FPCs 420 is set at a predetermined value (e.g., 50Ω) to enable high-speed signal transmission at, for example, about 2.0 Gbps. The connector 410 A is connected to first ends of the FPCs 420 , and the connector 410 B is connected to second ends of the FPCs 420 .

In FIG. 1B , the connectors 410 A and 410 B of the FPC assembly 400 are connected to the corresponding connectors 100 A and 100 B.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view, FIG. 2B is a front view, FIG. 2C is a side view, and FIG. 2D is a plan view of the connector 100 A. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector 100 A attached to the board 300 A.

The connector 100 A includes a housing 110 A and contacts 120 A. The connector 100 A is formed by placing the contacts 120 A in a through hole 111 A of the housing 110 A. The housing 110 A includes guide pins 112 A used when the connector 410 A is attached to the connector 100 A. A bottom of each guide pin 112 A is embedded in the body of the housing 110 A. The housing 110 A also includes screw holes 113 A.

Through holes corresponding to the screw holes 113 A are formed in the board 300 A. The screw holes 113 of the housing 110 A are aligned with the through holes of the board 300 A, and the connector 100 A is attached to one surface of the board 300 A with screws 500 inserted into the screw holes 113 A and the through holes of the board 300 A as illustrated by FIG. 1A and FIG. 3 . For example, the guide pins 112 A may be comprised of a metal such as copper or nickel, or a resin.

The housing 110 A may be comprised of an insulating material such as an epoxy resin. The housing 110 A may have a cuboid shape, and includes protrusions protruding in the longitudinal direction of the housing 110 A. The screw holes 113 A are formed in the protrusions of the housing 110 A.

Each contact 120 A includes a first end and a second end, and extends in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a surface of the board 300 A. The second end of the contact 120 A to be connected to the board 300 A is illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2C, and 2D , and the first end of the contact 120 A is illustrated in FIG. 3 . The first end of the contact 120 A is connected to the connector 410 A of the FPC assembly 400 , and the second end of the contact 120 A is connected to the signal line and the ground lines of the board 300 A.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views and FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of the contact 120 A. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 4C , and FIGS. 5B and 5C are enlarged views of parts of FIG. 5A .

The contact 120 A is a linear leaf spring. As illustrated by FIGS. 4A and 4B , twenty-two contacts 120 A are bound together with a holder 114 A. Each contact 120 A includes leaf spring structures that protrude from the holder 114 A in opposite directions. The holder 114 A is a part of the housing 110 A (see FIGS. 2A-2D and FIG. 3 ), and is disposed inside of the housing 110 A. The internal configuration of the housing 110 A is described later with reference to FIG. 7 .

FIG. 4C illustrates contacts 120 A arranged adjacent to each other. FIG. 4C also includes an enlarged view of an end portion of one of the contacts 120 A.

The contacts 120 A bound together with the holder 114 A as illustrated by FIGS. 4A and 4B are arranged as illustrated by FIG. 4C . In FIG. 4C , three of the twenty-two contacts 120 A are illustrated as an example, and the holder 114 A is omitted.

Each contact 120 A includes a base 121 A, extension parts 122 A, extension parts 123 A, an insulating layer 124 , a signal line 125 , and two ground lines 126 .

The base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A are formed integrally as a single component that is an example of a ground terminal. The base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A may be formed, for example, by punching sheet metal made of, for example, stainless steel and bending the punched sheet metal.

The insulating layer 124 , the signal line 125 , and the ground lines 126 are formed on the ground terminal, that is, on the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A.

The base 121 A is a plate-like part. The extension parts 122 A and 123 A extend from the corresponding ends of the base 121 A in the length direction. The insulating layer 124 is formed on one surface of the base 121 A, and the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 are formed on the insulating layer 124 .

The extension part 122 A extends from one end (the lower end in FIG. 4C ) of the base 121 A and branches into three extension parts, one extension part 122 A 1 in the middle and two extension parts 122 A 2 provided on the sides of the extension part 122 A 1 .

On the extension part 122 A 1 , the signal line 125 is formed on the insulating layer 124 . On the extension parts 122 A 2 , the ground lines 126 are formed on the insulating layer 124 . The signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the extension part 122 A are connected to the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the base 121 A.

In FIG. 4C , although the insulating layer 124 , the signal line 125 , and the ground lines 126 formed on the back side of the extension part 122 A are not visible, their configurations are substantially the same as those of the insulating layer 124 , the signal line 125 , and the ground lines 125 formed on the extension part 123 A.

The signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the extension part 122 A are to be connected to the connector 410 A (see FIGS. 1A and 1B ).

As illustrated by FIGS. 4A and 4B , two sets of the contacts 120 A are used in the present embodiment. A conductive part of the connector 410 A is inserted between the signal lines 125 and the ground lines 126 of the extension parts 122 A of a first set of the contacts 120 A and the signal lines 125 and the ground lines 126 of the extension parts 122 A of a second set of the contacts 120 A, and the connector 100 A and the connector 410 A are electrically connected to each other. To be able to sandwich the conductive part of the connector 410 A between pairs of the contacts 120 A, the extension part 122 A has a leaf spring structure. The leaf spring structure of the extension part 122 A is configured such that an elastic force acts in such a direction that a distance between a pair of opposing extension parts 122 A is reduced.

The extension part 123 A extends from another end (the upper end in FIG. 4C ) of the base 121 A and branches into three extension parts, an extension part 123 A 1 in the middle and two extension parts 123 A 2 on the sides of the extension part 123 A 1 .

On the extension part 123 A 1 , the signal line 125 is formed on the insulating layer 124 . On the extension parts 123 A 2 , the ground lines 126 are formed on the insulating layer 124 . The signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the extension part 123 A are connected to the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the extension part 122 A via the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the base 121 A.

The signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the extension part 123 A are to be connected to the corresponding signal line and ground lines on the board 300 A.

The extension part 123 A has a leaf spring structure whose end portion has a curved shape. When the curved end portion is pressed toward the base 121 A, the extension part 123 A elastically bends and a restoring force is generated. This leaf spring structure enables reliable electrical connection between the end of the extension part 123 A and the signal line and the ground lines of the board 300 A.

FIG. 5A illustrates the insulating layer 124 , the signal line 125 , and the ground lines 126 formed on one surface of the base 121 A. As described above, the insulating layer 124 is formed on the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A. Also, the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 are formed continuously on the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A via the insulating layer 124 .

FIG. 5A illustrates a cross section of the base 121 A on which the insulating layer 124 , the signal line 125 , and the ground lines 126 are formed. A cross section of each of the extension part 122 A and the extension part 123 A may be obtained by dividing the cross section of FIG. 5A into three sections in the horizontal direction.

The insulating layer 124 may be implemented by, for example, a polyimide film. The insulating layer 124 is pasted onto the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A.

As illustrated by FIG. 5B , the signal line 125 includes a Cu plated layer 125 A, an Ni plated layer 125 B, and an Au plated layer 125 C. The signal line 125 may be formed on the insulating layer 124 by a plating process.

As illustrated by FIG. 5C , a groove 124 A is formed in a part of the insulating layer 124 below the ground line 126 . The groove 124 A passes through the insulating layer 124 in the thickness direction, and extends from one end to the other end of the ground line 126 in the length direction.

The ground line 126 includes a Cu plated layer 126 A, an Ni plated layer 126 B, and an Au plated layer 126 C. The ground line 126 may be formed on the insulating layer 124 by a plating process.

Because the Cu plated layer 126 is formed along the groove 124 A, the ground line 126 is physically and electrically connected to the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A that function as a ground terminal. Accordingly, the ground line 126 is kept at a ground potential.

In the present embodiment, the groove 124 A formed in the insulating layer 124 extends continuously from one end to the other end of the ground line 126 . Alternatively, the groove 124 A may be formed to extend intermittently from one end to the other end of the ground line 126 . Through holes passing through the insulating layer 124 may be formed at predetermined intervals along the ground line 126 instead of the groove 124 A.

Upper parts of the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 not to be connected to the conductive part of the connector 410 A may be covered with a protective film. The protective film may be implemented by, for example, a polyimide film.

With the above configuration, the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A of the contact 120 A function as a ground terminal that is kept at a ground potential. Accordingly, the signal line 125 , the base 121 A, the extension part 122 A, and the extension part 123 A form a microstrip line.

The ground lines 126 are formed on the sides of the signal line 125 at the same height as and parallel to the signal line 125 . Accordingly, the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 form a coplanar line.

The contact 120 A is configured as described above to achieve good impedance matching between the board 300 A and the connector 410 A, to reduce reflection and transmission loss of a signal, and to improve signal transmission characteristics.

With the above configuration, the characteristic impedance of the signal line 125 of the contact 120 A can be set at a predetermined value (e.g., 50Ω).

Next, the housing 110 A of the connector 100 A is described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 .

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the connector 100 A. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 6 .

Two sets of twenty-two contacts 120 A bound together with the holder 114 A are placed in the housing 110 A of the connector 100 A. In FIG. 6 , one set of the contacts 120 A is outside of the housing 110 A. The holder 114 A may be implemented as a resin part that is formed by insert molding to hold the bases 121 A of the contacts 120 A together. As another example, the holder 114 A may be implemented as a V-shaped part including two arm parts that are joined at one end. The arm parts are placed to sandwich the bases 121 A of the contacts 120 A, and are then joined at the other end to hold the contacts 120 A together.

As illustrated by FIG. 7 , the through hole 111 A of the housing 110 A includes an opening 111 A 1 , a middle portion 111 A 2 , and an opening 111 A 3 . The opening 111 A 1 is formed between the guide pins 112 A as indicated by the reference number 111 A in FIG. 6 .

The opening 111 A 3 is divided into two openings by a partition wall 115 A of the housing 110 A. In FIG. 7 , the holder 114 A of one set of the contacts 120 A is fitted into the upper opening of the opening 111 A 3 . The gap between an inner wall 110 A 1 of the housing 110 A and the partition wall 115 A is set at a value that is substantially the same as the thickness of the holder 114 A so that the holder 114 A can be fitted into the gap.

The housing 110 A also includes two engaging parts 116 A at the boundary between the opening 111 A 1 and the middle portion 111 A 2 . The engaging parts 116 A are formed to extend along the length direction of the opening 111 A 1 , and to protrude into the middle portion 111 A 2 .

When the contacts 120 A bound by the holder 114 A are inserted through the opening 111 A 3 into the through hole 111 A and the holder 114 A is fitted into the gap between the inner wall 110 A 1 and the partition wall 115 A, the end of the extension part 122 A of each of the contacts 120 A engages with the corresponding engaging part 116 A.

With the end of the extension part 122 A engaging with the engaging part 116 A and the holder 114 A holding the base 121 A fitted into the gap between the inner wall 110 A 1 and the partition wall 115 , the extension part 122 A can function as a leaf spring.

In FIG. 7 , the other set of the contacts 120 A is still outside of the housing 110 A. When the other set of the contacts 120 A is also placed in the housing 110 A, the corresponding extension parts 122 A of the two sets of the contacts 120 A face each other, and the signal lines 125 and the ground lines 126 formed on the corresponding extension parts 122 A also face each other. When the conductive part of the connector 410 A is inserted into the connector 100 A through the opening 111 A 1 , the extension parts 122 A are brought into contact with the conductive part and are elastically bent.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view, FIG. 8B is a front view, FIG. 8C is a side view, and FIG. 8D is a plan view of the connector 410 A of the FPC assembly 400 to which the connector 100 A is to be connected.

The connector 410 A includes a housing 411 A and forty-four contacts 412 A.

The housing 411 A includes a base 411 A 1 , a protrusion 411 A 2 , guide pin holes 411 A 3 for guide pins, holes 411 A 4 for floating screws, and holes 411 A 5 .

The base 411 A 1 is a base of the housing 411 A. The protruding part 411 A 2 has a shape like a flat plate and protrudes from the base 411 A 1 . The forty-four contacts 412 A are arranged on the surfaces of the protruding part 411 A 2 . Twenty two of the forty-four contacts 412 A are arranged on one surface of the protruding part 411 A 2 , and the remaining twenty-two contacts 412 A are arranged on the other surface of the protruding part 411 A 2 .

The protruding part 411 A 2 is provided separately from the base 411 A 1 , and is fitted into a through hole of the base 411 A 1 . The connector 410 A of FIGS. 8A through 8D is formed by fitting the protruding part 411 A 2 into the through hole of the base 411 A 1 after the contacts 412 A are attached to the surfaces of the protruding part 411 A 2 .

Each contact 412 A includes one signal line and two ground lines on the sides of the signal line that correspond to the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 of the contact 120 A.

A first end of the contact 412 A extends up to an end of the protruding part 411 A 2 as illustrated by FIG. 8A , and a second end of the contact 412 A extends in a direction opposite from the direction in which the protruding part 411 A 2 protrudes from the base 411 A 1 as illustrated by FIG. 8D . The first end of the contact 412 A is connected to the signal line 125 and the ground lines 126 of the connector 100 A, and the second end of the contact 412 A is connected to the signal line and the ground lines of one of the FPCs 420 .

With the above configuration, the contact 412 A of the connector 410 A includes a coplanar line. The contact 412 A is configured as described above to achieve good impedance matching between the connector 100 A and the FPCs 420 , to reduce reflection and transmission loss of a signal, and to improve signal transmission characteristics.

The contact 412 A of the present embodiment is an SMT (surface mount technology) contact, and may be formed by mounting a patterned metal plate on the protruding part 411 A 2 .

The guide pin holes 411 A 3 receive the guide pins 112 A of the connector 100 A. The floating screw holes 411 A 4 receive screws for fastening the connector 100 A and the connector 410 A connected together as illustrated in FIG. 1A . The holes 411 A 5 accept parts for fastening the FPCs 420 to the connector 410 A.

The above configuration of the connector 410 A also applies to the connector 410 B (see FIGS. 1A and 1B ).

FIGS. 9A and 9B are drawings illustrating a mechanism for attaching the connector 410 A to the FPCs 420 . FIG. 9A is a perspective view, and FIG. 9B is an exploded view of FIG. 9A .

On a side of the connector 410 A where the holes 411 A 5 are formed in the housing 411 A, the two sets of the twenty-two contacts 412 A are sandwiched between the two FPCs 420 . The FPCs 420 are fixed to the housing 411 A with a holder 415 , and screws 416 are inserted into through holes at the ends of the holder 415 and then into the holes 411 A 5 of the connector 410 A to attach the connector 410 A to first ends of the FPCs 420 as illustrated by FIG. 9A . In this state, the signal lines and the ground lines formed on the two FPCs 420 are connected to the signal lines and the ground lines of the contacts 412 A of the connector 410 A.

The connector 410 B has substantially the same configuration as the connector 410 A, and can be attached to second ends of the FPCs 420 in a similar manner.

FIG. 10 is a perspective cut-away side view of the connector 100 A and the connector 410 A connected together. As described above, the connector 100 A includes two rows of twenty-two contacts 120 A arranged to face each other, and the connector 410 A includes two rows of twenty-two contacts 412 A arranged to face each other. The cross section of FIG. 10 illustrates two opposing contacts 120 A held in the housing 110 A of the connector 100 A, and two contacts 412 A on the opposite surfaces of the protruding part 411 A 2 of the housing 411 A of the connector 410 A.

As illustrated by FIG. 10 , the two contacts 412 A on the opposite surfaces of the protruding part 411 A 2 of the connector 410 A are sandwiched between the two contacts 120 A held in the housing 110 A of the connector 100 A.

In this state, the two contacts 120 A are pressed and caused to elastically bend by the two contacts 412 A on the opposite sides of the protruding part 411 A 2 in directions to increase the distance between the two contacts 120 A.

Also, the contacts 412 A of the connector 410 A are connected to the FPCs 420 on a side that is opposite from the side connected to the connector 100 A. The FPCs 420 are inserted between two opposing contacts 412 A. Accordingly, the two opposing contacts 412 A are connected to the FPCs 420 with their leaf spring structures pressed apart from each other.

Although the board 300 A (see FIG. 1A ) is omitted in FIG. 10 , the contacts 120 A of the connector 100 A are connected to the signal lines and the ground lines of the board 300 A. Using the connectors 100 A and 410 A makes it possible to connect the board 300 A and the FPCs 420 while achieving the impedance matching.

FIG. 11A is a perspective view, FIG. 11B is a front view, FIG. 11C is a side view, and FIG. 11D is a plan view of the connector 100 B. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the connector 100 B attached to the board 300 B.

The connector 100 B includes a housing 110 B and contacts 120 B. The connector 100 B is formed by placing the contacts 120 B in a through hole 111 B of the housing 110 B. The housing 110 B includes guide pins 112 B used when the connector 410 B is attached to the connector 100 B. A bottom of each guide pin 112 B is embedded in the housing 100 B. The housing 110 B also includes screws 113 B and a slot 118 B. The slot 118 B communicates with the through hole 111 B in the housing 110 B, and receives the board 300 B.

Through holes corresponding to the screws 113 B are formed in the board 300 B. An end of the board 300 B is inserted into the slot 118 B of the housing 110 B, and the screws 113 B are screwed into the through holes of the board 300 B to attach the connector 100 B to the end of the board 300 B as illustrated by FIG. 1A and FIG. 12 . For example, the guide pins 112 B may be comprised of a metal such as copper or nickel, or a resin.

The housing 110 B may be comprised of an insulating material such as an epoxy resin. The housing 110 B has a cuboid shape.

Each contact 120 B includes a first end and a second end, and has a configuration that is similar to a configuration obtained, for example, by housing the extension part 123 A of the contact 120 A (see FIG. 7 ) in the housing 110 A. FIG. 11C illustrates portions of the contacts 120 B to be connected to the board 300 B. The portions of the contacts 120 B are disposed to face each other and to contact the corresponding surfaces of the board 300 B in the slot 118 B. This configuration is similar to that of the contacts 120 A illustrated in FIG. 7 .

The first end of the contact 120 B is connected to the connector 410 B of the FPC assembly 400 , and the second end of the contact 120 B is connected to the signal line and the ground lines of the board 300 B.

FIG. 13 is a perspective cut-away side view of the connector 100 B and the connector 410 B connected to each other. The connector 100 B includes two rows of twenty-two contacts 120 B arranged to face each other, and the connector 410 B includes two rows of twenty-two contacts 412 B arranged to face each other. The cross section of FIG. 13 illustrates two opposing contacts 120 B held in the housing 110 B of the connector 100 B, and two contacts 412 B on the opposite surfaces of a protruding part 411 B 2 of a housing 411 B of the connector 410 B.

The configuration of the connector 410 B is substantially the same as the configuration of the connector 410 A illustrated by FIG. 8A through 9B . Therefore, components of the connector 410 B are indicated by reference numbers that are obtained by replacing “A” in the reference numbers of the corresponding components of the connector 410 A with “B”.

Similarly to the contact 120 A (see FIG. 10 ), the contact 120 B is held by a holder 114 B and is fitted into a gap between a partition wall 115 B in the housing 110 B and the inner wall of the housing 110 B.

The housing 110 B includes two engaging parts 116 B that are similar to the engaging parts 116 A of the housing 110 A.

When the contacts 120 B bound by the holder 114 B are inserted into the through hole 111 B and the holder 114 B is fitted into the gap between the inner wall of the housing 110 B and the partition wall 115 B, the first end of each contact 120 B engages with the corresponding engaging part 116 B.

The housing 110 B also includes lids 117 B on the side of the slot 118 B of the through hole 111 B. Each of the lids 117 B includes an engaging part 117 B 1 . The engaging parts 117 B 1 are located inside of the slit 118 B and have a configuration similar to that of the engaging parts 116 B.

When the contacts 120 B bound by the holder 114 B are inserted into the through hole 111 B and the holder 114 B is fitted into the gap between the inner wall of the housing 110 B and the partition wall 115 B, the second end of each contact 120 B engages with the corresponding engaging part 117 B 1 .

The lids 117 B are removed from the housing 110 B when the two sets of the contacts 120 B bound by the holder 114 B are inserted into the through hole 111 B of the housing 110 B, and are attached to the housing 110 B after the two sets of the contacts 120 B are inserted into the through hole 111 B. When the lids 117 B are attached, the second ends of the contacts 120 B engage with the engaging parts 117 B 1 .

With the first end of the contact 120 B engaging with the engaging part 116 B, the second end of the contact 120 B engaging with the engaging part 117 B 1 , and the holder 114 B holding the base 121 B fitted into the gap between the inner wall of the housing 110 B and the partition wall 115 B, the contact 120 B can function as a leaf spring.

As illustrated by FIG. 13 , the two contacts 412 B on the opposite surfaces of the protruding part 411 B 2 of the connector 410 B are sandwiched between the two contacts 120 B held in the housing 110 B of the connector 100 B.

In this state, the two contacts 120 B are pressed and caused to elastically bend by the two contacts 412 B on the opposite sides of the protruding part 411132 in directions to increase the distance between the two contacts 120 B.

Also, the contacts 412 B of the connector 410 B are connected to the FPCs 420 on a side that is opposite from the side connected to the connector 100 B. The FPCs 420 are inserted between two opposing contacts 412 B. Accordingly, the two opposing contacts 412 B are connected to the FPCs 420 with their leaf spring structures pressed apart from each other.

Although the board 300 B (see FIG. 12 ) is omitted in FIG. 13 , the contacts 120 B of the connector 100 B are connected to the signal lines and the ground lines of the board 300 B. Using the connectors 100 B and 410 B makes it possible to connect the board 300 B and the FPCs 420 while achieving the impedance matching.

As described above, by using the connector 100 A including the contacts 120 A and the connector 100 B including the contacts 120 B of the present embodiment, it is possible to connect the connector 100 A and the connector 410 A and connect the connector 100 B and the connector 410 B while achieving the impedance matching.

That is, the present embodiment makes it possible to connect the board 300 A and the FPCs 420 and connect the board 300 and the FPCs 420 while achieving the impedance matching.

An aspect of this disclosure provides the connectors 100 A and 100 B and the contacts 120 A and 120 B that make it possible to transmit a signal in an impedance matched condition.

Connectors and contacts according to embodiments of the present invention are described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.