CN219610791U

CN219610791U - Terminal assembly and electric connector

Info

Publication number: CN219610791U
Application number: CN202320862405.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 胡小东; 廖雷; 曹腾
Original assignee: Amphenol Commercial Products Chengdu Co Ltd
Current assignee: Amphenol Commercial Products Chengdu Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-04-18
Filing date: 2023-04-18
Publication date: 2023-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2033-04-18

Abstract

The application provides a terminal assembly. The terminal assembly includes: a plurality of conductive terminals including a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals; an insulating holding member provided around the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction, the holding member including a plurality of openings each extending along a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to expose a portion of the intermediate portion of a corresponding one of the ground terminals; and a first shielding member including a flat plate-shaped body and a plurality of protruding portions extending from the body in a vertical direction, the body being provided on the holding member, and each protruding portion being received in a corresponding one of the openings and being electrically coupled with a portion of an intermediate portion of a corresponding one of the ground terminals exposed by the corresponding one of the openings. The application also provides an electric connector comprising the terminal assembly. By means of such a terminal assembly, the signal transmission performance of the electrical connector is improved.

Description

Terminal assembly and electric connector

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly to a terminal assembly for an electrical connector and an electrical connector including such a terminal assembly.

Background

Electrical connectors are used in many electronic systems. It is often easier and more cost-effective to manufacture the system as separate electronic subassemblies such as Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that can be connected together by electrical connectors. Having separable electrical connectors enables components of electronic systems manufactured by different manufacturers to be easily assembled. The separable electrical connectors also enable components to be easily replaced after assembly of the system in order to replace defective components or upgrade the system with higher performance components.

A known arrangement for connecting several printed circuit boards is to have one printed circuit board act as a back plate. The known back plane is a PCB on which a number of electrical connectors can be mounted. Conductive traces in the backplane may be electrically connected to signal terminals in the electrical connectors so that signals may be routed between the electrical connectors. Other printed circuit boards, referred to as "daughter boards," "daughter cards," or "midplanes," may be connected by a backplane. For example, an electrical connector may also be mounted on the daughter card. The electrical connector mounted on the daughter card may be inserted into the electrical connector mounted on the backplane. In this way, signals may be routed between daughter cards through the electrical connectors and the backplane. The daughter card may be inserted into the backplane at a right angle. Thus, electrical connectors for these applications may include right angle bends, and are commonly referred to as "right angle electrical connectors.

The electrical connectors can also be used in other configurations to interconnect printed circuit boards. Sometimes, one or more printed circuit boards may be connected to another printed circuit board called a "motherboard" which both extends over the electronic components and interconnects the daughter boards. In this configuration, the printed circuit board connected to the motherboard may be referred to as a "daughter board". The daughter boards are typically smaller than the motherboard and may sometimes be arranged parallel to the motherboard. Electrical connectors for such configurations are commonly referred to as "stacked electrical connectors" or "mezzanine-style electrical connectors. In other systems, the daughter board may be perpendicular to the motherboard.

For example, such configurations are often used in computers, where a motherboard may have a processor and a bus configured to transfer data between the processor and peripheral devices such as a graphics processor or memory. An electrical connector may be mounted to the motherboard and connected to the bus. The peripheral may be implemented on a daughter card by an electrical connector that mates with a connector on the bus so that separately manufactured peripherals may be easily integrated into a computer manufactured with a motherboard.

To improve the usability of the peripheral, the bus and the electrical connectors for physically connecting the peripheral through the bus may be standardized. In this way, a large number of peripherals can be obtained from a large number of manufacturers. All of these products can be used in a computer having a standard-compliant bus as long as they are standard-compliant. Examples of such standards include serial ATA (SATA), serial Attached SCSI (SAS), peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe), or SFF-8639, all of which are commonly used in computers. Over time, these standards have undergone many modifications to accommodate the higher performance requirements of computers.

This places higher demands on the signal transmission performance of the electrical connector. Accordingly, improvements to existing electrical connectors are needed.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, the present utility model proposes a new terminal assembly and an electrical connector comprising such a terminal assembly in order to accommodate the higher requirements on signal transmission performance.

In one aspect, the present utility model provides a terminal assembly for an electrical connector. The terminal assembly includes: a plurality of conductive terminals, each of the conductive terminals including a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending between the mating end and the mounting end, the plurality of conductive terminals including a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals; an insulating holding member provided around the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction, the holding member including a plurality of openings each extending along a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to expose a portion of the intermediate portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of ground terminals; and a first shielding member including a flat plate-shaped body and a plurality of protruding portions extending from the body in the vertical direction, the body being provided on the holding member, and each of the protruding portions being received in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings and being electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals exposed by the corresponding one of the openings.

In some embodiments, each of the protrusions comprises: a bottom section electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals and having first and second ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction; and first and second side sections opposing each other in the longitudinal direction and connecting the first and second ends of the bottom section to the main body, respectively.

In some embodiments, the body of the first shielding member comprises a plurality of apertures, each aligned with a respective one of the plurality of openings in the vertical direction, and comprising a first edge and a second edge opposite each other in the longitudinal direction, the first side segment connecting the first end of the bottom segment to the first edge of the respective one of the apertures, and the second side segment connecting the second end of the bottom segment to the second edge of the respective one of the apertures for each of the protrusions.

In some embodiments, each of the apertures further comprises third and fourth edges opposite each other in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and vertical directions, the apertures being defined by the first, second, third and fourth edges, the bottom, first and second side segments not being connected to the third and fourth edges of the respective one of the apertures for each of the protrusions.

In some embodiments, each of the protrusions has a U-shaped profile.

In some embodiments, each of the protrusions is a portion punched out of the body.

In some embodiments, for each of the projections, the bottom section is in direct contact with the portion of the intermediate portion of the respective one of the ground terminals, and the direct contact is a face contact.

In some embodiments, for each of the projections, the bottom section is attached to the portion of the middle portion of the respective one of the ground terminals.

In some embodiments, the retention member is a member overmolded on the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals.

In some embodiments, each of the protruding portions is a U-shaped section punched out from the main body, and includes a bottom portion, two end portions opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and two side edges opposite to each other in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction, the bottom portion being electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals, the two end portions being connected to the main body, respectively, and the two side edges being disconnected from the main body, respectively.

In some embodiments, for each of the conductive terminals, the intermediate portion includes a first section adjacent the mounting end and a second section adjacent the mating end, the retaining member is disposed about the first section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals to retain the plurality of conductive terminals such that the first sections are oriented in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction and are aligned with one another in the longitudinal direction, the first sections collectively define a first plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, each of the plurality of openings of the retaining member exposes at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals, the body of the first shielding member is oriented parallel to the first plane, each of the plurality of projections is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and is electrically coupled to the at least a portion of the intermediate portion of the respective one of the ground terminals.

In some embodiments, at least one signal terminal is disposed between each adjacent two of the plurality of ground terminals, the first section of the middle portion of the signal terminal being spaced apart from the main body of the first shielding member in the vertical direction by a first distance, a center of the first section of the middle portion of the signal terminal being spaced apart from an edge of the first section of the middle portion of the respective adjacent ground terminal in the longitudinal direction by a second distance, the first distance being less than or equal to the second distance.

In some embodiments, the first section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal is separated from the main body of the first shielding member in the vertical direction by the retaining member.

In some embodiments, an extension of the body of the first shielding member in the longitudinal direction covers at least the first section of the intermediate portions of the signal terminals and the plurality of ground terminals.

In some embodiments, an extension of the body of the first shielding member in the lateral direction covers at least the first section of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of ground terminals and the signal terminals. In one of these embodiments, the intermediate portion further includes, for each of the conductive terminals, a third section extending from the first section along the lateral direction and extending outside the holding member to connect the mounting end, the body of the first shielding member extending beyond an edge of the holding member in the lateral direction such that an extension of the body of the first shielding member in the lateral direction covers the third section of the intermediate portion of each of the signal terminals and the plurality of ground terminals.

In some embodiments, for each of the conductive terminals, the mounting end includes a straight section and a curved section extending between the straight section and the third section of the intermediate portion and curved toward the body of the first shielding member such that the straight section and the third section are oriented perpendicular to each other.

In some embodiments, the retaining member includes a planar first face extending parallel to the first plane, the plurality of openings are recessed into the retaining member from the first face along the vertical direction, the body of the first shielding member includes a planar second face from which the plurality of protrusions are disposed, the body is disposed on the retaining member such that the second face of the body is seated on the first face of the retaining member, and each of the protrusions is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings.

In some embodiments, the terminal assembly further comprises a second shield member comprising at least one wave shield plate, each wave shield plate comprising a land portion and a valley portion, each land portion extending between respective adjacent two of the valley portions, each adjacent two of the plurality of ground terminals being provided with at least one signal terminal therebetween, each valley portion being attached to at least a portion of the second section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals for each wave shield plate such that a land portion extending between adjacent two valley portions is positioned above the second section of the intermediate portion of a respective at least one signal terminal, wherein the respective at least one signal terminal is located between adjacent two ground terminals corresponding to the adjacent two valley portions.

In some embodiments, the second sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals are aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction and together define a second plane that is parallel to the longitudinal direction and inclined relative to the first plane, each of the platform portions being oriented parallel to the second plane for each of the wave shield plates.

In some embodiments, the second section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal is spaced from the respective platform portion by a third distance in a direction perpendicular to the second plane, a center of the second section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal being spaced from an edge of the second section of the intermediate portion of the respective adjacent ground terminal by a fourth distance in the longitudinal direction, the third distance being less than or equal to the fourth distance.

In some embodiments, for each of the conductive terminals, the middle portion includes first and second broad sides opposite each other, for the first shield member, each of the protruding portions is electrically coupled with at least a portion of the first section of the middle portion on the first broad side of the middle portion of a respective one of the ground terminals, and for the second shield member, each of the valleys of each of the wave shield plates is attached to at least a portion of the second section of the middle portion on the first broad side of the middle portion of a respective one of the ground terminals.

In some embodiments, the terminal assembly is configured for a receptacle connector, the mating end includes, for each of the conductive terminals, a third broad side and a fourth broad side opposite each other, the third broad side being connected to the first broad side and the fourth broad side being connected to the second broad side, the mating end further including a mating contact surface on the fourth broad side.

In another aspect, the present application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes the aforementioned terminal assembly and an insulative housing. The insulating housing includes a first surface and a receiving space recessed from the first surface into the insulating housing along a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. The holding member and the first shielding member of the terminal assembly are held in the accommodation space by the insulating housing.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing comprises a plurality of wall segments defining the receiving space, the retaining member and the first shielding member being configured to be inserted into the receiving space from an entrance of the receiving space in the lateral direction and to be retained in the receiving space by engagement with the plurality of wall segments, at least one of the plurality of wall segments comprising a wedge-shaped protrusion protruding into the receiving space and extending in the lateral direction, the height of the wedge-shaped protrusion gradually increasing as the wedge-shaped protrusion extends away from the entrance of the receiving space in the lateral direction.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing includes first and second wall sections opposing each other in the longitudinal direction and defining the accommodation space, a first receiving groove recessed into the first wall section along the longitudinal direction, and a second receiving groove recessed into the second wall section along the longitudinal direction, the retaining member includes first and second end faces opposing each other in the longitudinal direction, a first protrusion extending from the first end face along the longitudinal direction, and a second protrusion extending from the second end face along the longitudinal direction, the first and second protrusions engaging with the first and second receiving grooves, respectively, to restrict movement of the retaining member relative to the insulating housing along the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction when the retaining member is disposed in the accommodation space.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing further includes a third wall section defining the accommodation space in the vertical direction, and the accommodation space extends from the third wall section through the insulating housing in the vertical direction to form an opening through which the main body of the first shielding member is exposed.

In yet another aspect, the present application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes: an insulative housing and a terminal assembly. The insulating housing includes: a base; a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, and a fourth wall extending from the base in a lateral direction on a first side of the base and defining a slot, the first wall and the second wall opposing each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and the third wall and the fourth wall opposing each other in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction and the vertical direction; recessed from a second side of the base opposite the first side along the lateral direction into a first receiving space in the base; and a second accommodation space recessed in the first wall from the insertion groove along the vertical direction and extending along the lateral direction to communicate with the first accommodation space. The terminal assembly includes: a plurality of conductive terminals, each conductive terminal including a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending between the mating end and the mounting end, the mating end including a mating contact portion, the intermediate portion including a first section adjacent the mounting end and a second section adjacent the mating end, the plurality of conductive terminals including a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals; an insulating holding member provided around the first section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction; and at least one wave shield plate, each wave shield plate comprising a land portion and a valley portion, each valley portion being attached to at least a portion of the second section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals. The holding member is disposed in the first accommodation space such that the second section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals and the at least one wave shield plate are disposed in the second accommodation space and such that the mating contact portions of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive terminals are exposed in the slot.

In some embodiments, the at least one wave shield plate is located on a side of the plurality of conductive terminals opposite the slot, the first wall including at least one first opening, each of the first openings extending along the vertical direction to expose a respective one of the at least one wave shield plate.

In some embodiments, the second sections and the mating ends of the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals extend in a cantilevered fashion, each of the first openings being configured such that when the second sections of the ground terminals are deflected away from the slot in the vertical direction, the respective one of the wave shield plates is movable into the first opening without interfering with the first wall.

In some embodiments, at least one signal terminal is disposed between each adjacent two of the plurality of ground terminals, and for each of the wave shield plates, each of the land portions extends between a respective adjacent two of the valley portions and is positioned above the second section of the intermediate portion of the respective at least one signal terminal, wherein the respective at least one signal terminal is located between adjacent two ground terminals corresponding to the respective adjacent two valley portions.

In some embodiments, the first wall includes a plurality of channels and a plurality of retainers, each of the plurality of channels extending into the first wall from the second receiving space along the lateral direction, and each of the plurality of retainers separating a respective one of the plurality of channels from the socket in the vertical direction, for each of the conductive terminals, the tip of the mating end being received in a respective one of the plurality of channels and retained by a respective one of the plurality of retainers to prevent movement into the socket.

In some embodiments, the holding member includes a plurality of second openings, each of the second openings extending along the vertical direction to expose at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals, the terminal assembly further includes a first shielding member including a planar body and a plurality of projections extending from the body, the body being disposed on the holding member on a side of the plurality of conductive terminals opposite the slot, and each of the projections being received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and being electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals exposed by the respective one of the second openings, the holding member and the first shielding member being held by the insulating housing in the first receiving space, the insulating housing further including a plurality of projections extending from the body on a side of the plurality of conductive terminals opposite the slot, the projections being received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and being electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of the respective one of the plurality of ground terminals exposed by the respective one of the second openings, the holding member and the first shielding member being held by the insulating housing in the first receiving space, the first section and the insulating housing and the first section and the first shielding member extending through the first opening in the vertical direction and the first housing in the first receiving space.

In yet another aspect, the present application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes: an insulative housing and a terminal assembly. The insulating housing includes: a base; a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, and a fourth wall extending from the base in a lateral direction on a first side of the base and defining a slot, the first wall and the second wall opposing each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and the third wall and the fourth wall opposing each other in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction and the vertical direction; recessed from a second side of the base opposite the first side along the lateral direction into a first receiving space in the base; and a second accommodation space recessed in the first wall from the insertion groove along the vertical direction and extending along the lateral direction to communicate with the first accommodation space. The terminal assembly includes: a plurality of conductive terminals, each conductive terminal including a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending between the mating end and the mounting end, the mating end including a mating contact portion, the intermediate portion including a first section adjacent the mounting end and a second section adjacent the mating end, the plurality of conductive terminals including a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals; an insulating holding member disposed around the first section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction, a first shielding member disposed on the holding member and electrically coupled with the first section of the intermediate portion of at least two of the plurality of ground terminals; and a second shield member comprising at least one wave shield plate, each wave shield plate comprising a land portion and a valley portion, each valley portion being attached to at least a portion of the second section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals. The holding member and the first shielding member are held in the first accommodation space by the insulating housing such that the second section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals and the second shielding member are disposed in the second accommodation space and such that the mating contact portions of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive terminals are exposed in the slot.

In some embodiments, the holding member includes a plurality of openings, each of the openings extending along the vertical direction to expose at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals, the first shielding member includes a planar body and a plurality of protrusions extending from the body along the vertical direction, the body is disposed on the holding member, and each of the protrusions is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and is electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the ground terminals exposed by the respective one of the openings.

In some embodiments, the first and second shielding members are located on a side of the plurality of conductive terminals opposite the slot.

These techniques may be used alone or in any suitable combination. The foregoing summary is provided by way of illustration and is not intended to be limiting.

According to the utility model, the signal transmission performance of the electric connector can be improved.

Drawings

The foregoing and other aspects of the utility model will be more fully understood and appreciated in conjunction with the following drawings. It should be noted that the figures are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. In the different drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, for the sake of brevity, not all of the components of the terminal assembly and electrical connector according to the present utility model are shown or identified in the drawings. It should be understood that the size, proportion, and the number of the components in the figures are not intended to limit the present utility model. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to some embodiments of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is an exploded view of the electrical connector of fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a further perspective view of the electrical connector of fig. 1;

FIG. 5A is a top view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1;

fig. 5B is a front view of the electrical connector of fig. 1;

fig. 5C is a rear view of the electrical connector of fig. 1;

fig. 5D is a bottom view of the electrical connector of fig. 1;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 along line I-I in FIG. 5B;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1 along line II-II in FIG. 5B;

FIG. 7A is a further perspective view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1, but with the insulative housing of the electrical connector removed to show the positional relationship of the first terminal assembly, the second terminal assembly, and the plurality of individual conductive terminals in the insulative housing;

fig. 7B is an enlarged view of the dotted circled area 7B in fig. 7A;

fig. 8A is a perspective view of an insulative housing of the electrical connector of fig. 1;

FIG. 8B is another perspective view of the insulating housing of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a further perspective view of the insulating housing of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8D is a further perspective view of the insulating housing of FIG. 8A;

fig. 9A is a perspective view of a first terminal assembly of the electrical connector of fig. 1 including a plurality of conductive terminals, an insulative retaining member, a first shielding member, and a second shielding member;

FIG. 9B is an exploded view of the first terminal assembly of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9C is a top view of the first terminal assembly of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9D is a bottom view of the first terminal assembly of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9E is a cross-sectional view of the first terminal assembly of FIG. 9A along line III-III in FIG. 9C;

FIG. 9F is a side view of the first terminal assembly of FIG. 9A;

fig. 10A is a perspective view of a first shield member of the first terminal assembly of fig. 9A;

fig. 10B is an enlarged view of the dotted circled area 10B in fig. 10A;

fig. 10C is another perspective view of the first shielding member of fig. 10A;

fig. 10D is an enlarged view of the dotted circled area 10D in fig. 10C;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a second shield member of the first terminal assembly of FIG. 9A;

fig. 11B is another perspective view of the second shielding member of fig. 11A;

fig. 12A is a perspective view of a set of four conductive terminals of the first terminal assembly of fig. 9C, circled by dashed box 12A;

fig. 12B is another perspective view of the set of four conductive terminals of fig. 12A;

fig. 13A is a perspective view of a second terminal assembly of the electrical connector of fig. 1 including a plurality of conductive terminals, an insulative retaining member, a third shielding member, and a fourth shielding member; and

fig. 13B is an exploded view of the second terminal assembly of fig. 13A.

List of reference numerals:

X-X transverse direction

Y-Y longitudinal direction

Vertical direction Z-Z

1. Electric connector

100. Insulating shell

101. Base part

101a bottom surface of the base

103. Slot groove

104. A first surface

105. First accommodation space

105a inlet of the first accommodation space

106. Second accommodation space

107. Third accommodation space

107a opening part

108. Fourth accommodation space

110. A first wall

111. Opening of the first wall

112. Opening of the first wall

113. Opening of the first wall

114. Channel

115. Holding part

120. A second wall

121. Opening of the second wall

130. Third wall

140. Fourth wall

151. A first wall section

152. Second wall section

153. Third wall section

154. Fourth wall section

155. Fifth wall section

156. Sixth wall segment

157. Seventh wall segment

152a wedge shaped protrusions

155a first receiving groove

156a second receiving slot

160. Terminal passageway

300. First terminal assembly

200. Conductive terminal

200G grounding terminal

200S signal terminal

201. Mating end

2011. Third broad side of the mating end

2012. Fourth broad side of the mating end

201a mating contact

201b mating contact surface

201c mating end tip

202. Mounting end

202a mounting end straight section

202b mounting end

203. Intermediate portion

203a first section of the middle part

203b second section of the middle part

203c third section of the middle part

2031. First broad side of the middle part

2032. Second broad side of the middle part

2033. First side edge of the middle part

2034. Second side edge of the middle part

P1 first plane

P2 second plane

700. Retaining member

701. Opening of holding member

703. First face of holding member

705. Edge of holding member

800. First shielding member

801. Main body

Second face of 801a main body

810. Protruding part

811. Bottom section of protruding part

811a first end of the bottom section of the protrusion

811b second end of the bottom section of the protrusion

812. First side section of the protruding part

813. Second side section of the protruding part

End of 815,816 projection

Side edges of 817,818 projections

820. Orifice of main body

821. First edge of orifice

822. Second edge of orifice

823. Third edge of orifice

824. Fourth edge of orifice

900. Second shielding member

900a platform part

900b valley portion

901,902,903 wave-shaped shielding plate

500. Second terminal assembly

400. Conductive terminal

400S signal terminal

400G grounding terminal

401. Mating end

401a mating contact portion of the mating end

403. Intermediate portion

403b second section of the middle section

1000. Retaining member

1001. First end surface

1002. Second end face

1003. First protrusion

1004. Second protrusions

1100. Third shielding member

1101. The main body of the third shielding member

1200. Fourth shielding member

600. Conductive terminal

Detailed Description

The inventors have recognized and appreciated electrical connector design techniques that meet electrical and mechanical requirements to support greater bandwidth through high frequency operation. Some of these techniques may cooperate to support higher frequency electrical connector operation and meet physical requirements set by industry standards such as SFF-8639.

A terminal assembly for an electrical connector includes a plurality of conductive terminals, an insulative retaining member, and a first shielding member. Each conductive terminal includes a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending between the mating end and the mounting end. The plurality of conductive terminals includes a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals. The holding member is disposed around the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction. The holding member includes a plurality of openings, each opening extending along a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to expose a portion of an intermediate portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of ground terminals. The first shielding member includes a flat plate-shaped main body and a plurality of protruding portions extending from the main body in a vertical direction. The body is disposed on the retaining member and each projection is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and is electrically coupled with a portion of the intermediate portion of the respective one of the ground terminals exposed by the respective one of the openings. With this configuration, shielding protection can be provided to the signal terminals, and crosstalk can be reduced to improve signal integrity, thereby improving signal transmission performance of the electrical connector.

Alternatively or additionally, the terminal assembly may further comprise a second shielding member comprising at least one wave shielding plate. Each wave shield plate includes a land portion and a valley portion, each land portion extending between respective adjacent two of the valley portions. At least one signal terminal is provided between each adjacent two of the plurality of ground terminals. For each wave shield plate, each valley is attached to at least a portion of the second section of the middle portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals such that a plateau extending between adjacent two valleys is positioned above the second section of the middle portion of the respective at least one signal terminal, wherein the respective at least one signal terminal is located between adjacent two ground terminals corresponding to the adjacent two valleys. With this configuration, shielding protection can be provided to the signal terminals, and crosstalk can be reduced to improve signal integrity, thereby further improving signal transmission performance of the electrical connector.

The electrical connector includes an insulative housing comprising: a base; a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, and a fourth wall extending from the base in a lateral direction on a first side of the base and defining a slot, the first wall and the second wall opposing each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and the third wall and the fourth wall opposing each other in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction and the vertical direction; recessed from a second side of the base opposite the first side in a lateral direction into the first accommodation space in the base; and a second accommodation space recessed in the first wall from the slot in the vertical direction and extending in the lateral direction to communicate with the first accommodation space. The holding member and the first shielding member of the terminal assembly are held in the first accommodation space by the insulating housing such that the second section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals and the second shielding member are disposed in the second accommodation space and such that the mating contact portions of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive terminals are exposed in the socket. With this configuration, the first shielding member and the second shielding member of the terminal assembly are disposed within the boundary defined by the insulating housing, and thus the first shielding member and the second shielding member do not additionally increase the size of the electrical connector in the vertical direction Z-Z, which is advantageous in downsizing of the electrical connector. Further, the terminal assembly makes it possible to omit a passage for holding the intermediate portion of the conductive terminal formed in the insulating housing of the conventional electrical connector. This can improve manufacturing and assembly efficiency of the electrical connector and reduce manufacturing costs.

Some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these examples are not meant to limit the application in any way. Furthermore, features in embodiments of the application may be combined with each other without conflict.

Fig. 1-13B illustrate an electrical connector 1 according to some embodiments of the application. For clarity and conciseness of description, the transverse direction X-X, the longitudinal direction Y-Y and the vertical direction Z-Z are defined. The transverse direction X-X, the longitudinal direction Y-Y and the vertical direction Z-Z are mutually perpendicular. The transverse direction X-X generally refers to the height direction of the electrical connector 1. The longitudinal direction Y-Y generally refers to the length direction of the electrical connector 1. The vertical direction Z-Z generally refers to the width direction of the electrical connector 1.

As shown in fig. 1-6B, the electrical connector 1 may be configured as a receptacle connector, particularly a receptacle connector conforming to SSF-8639 standard, to be combined with a mating plug connector (not shown) to form an electrical connector assembly. Such an electrical connector assembly can provide an industry standard interface, such as SFF-8639, to establish electrical connection between a storage drive, such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), solid State Drive (SSD), optical Disk Drive (ODD), and a circuit board, such as a backplane, midplane, drive carrier board. The electrical connector 1 may be mounted to a circuit board and the plug connector may connect the storage drive to the electrical connector 1, whereby the electrical connector 1 is capable of establishing an electrical connection between the circuit board and the plug connector is capable of establishing an electrical connection between the storage drive and the electrical connector 1. In this way, the electrical connector assembly constituted by the electrical connector 1 and the plug connector is able to establish an electrical connection between the storage driver and the circuit board.

As best shown in fig. 3, the electrical connector 1 includes an insulative housing 100, a first terminal assembly (also referred to as a "first connector subassembly") 300 having a plurality of conductive terminals (also referred to as "conductive elements") 200, a second terminal assembly (also referred to as a "second connector subassembly") 500 having a plurality of conductive terminals 400, and a plurality of individual conductive terminals 600.

As shown in fig. 1-6B and 8A-8D, the insulating housing 100 includes a base 101 and first, second, third and fourth walls 110, 120, 130, 140 extending from the base 101 in a lateral direction X-X on a first side of the base 101 and defining a slot 103. The first wall 110 and the second wall 120 are opposite to each other in a vertical direction Z-Z perpendicular to the transverse direction X-X, and the third wall 130 and the fourth wall 140 are opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction Y-Y perpendicular to the transverse direction X-X and the vertical direction Z-Z. That is, opposite ends of the first wall 110 are connected to first ends of the third and fourth walls 130 and 140, respectively, and opposite ends of the second wall 120 are connected to second ends of the third and fourth walls 130 and 140, respectively, opposite to the first ends. The distance by which the first wall 110 and the second wall 120 are spaced apart in the vertical direction Z-Z may define the width of the slot 103, and the distance by which the third wall 130 and the fourth wall 140 are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction Y-Y may define the length of the slot 103. The first wall 110, the second wall 120, the third wall 130, and the fourth wall 140 define a first surface 104 of the insulating housing 100 (which may also be referred to as a "mating surface" of the insulating housing 100) on a side opposite the base 101. Accordingly, the slot 103 is recessed into the insulating housing 100 along the transverse direction X-X from the first surface 104 of the insulating housing 100. The distance between the first surface 104 and the base 101 in the lateral direction defines the depth of the slot 103.

The insulating housing 100 may be made of an insulating material. Examples of insulating materials suitable for making the insulating housing 100 include, but are not limited to, plastic, nylon, liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), high temperature nylon or polyphenylene oxide (PPO), or polypropylene (PP). The insulating housing 100 may be formed by any suitable manufacturing process in the art, such as injection molding.

The first terminal assembly 300 is configured for being disposed in the insulating housing 100 and is configured for improving the signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1. As shown in fig. 9A to 12B, the first terminal assembly 300 includes a plurality of conductive terminals 200, an insulating holding member 700, a first shielding member 800, and a second shielding member 900.

Each of the conductive terminals 200 may be formed of a conductive material. The conductive material suitable for making the conductive terminal 200 may be a metal or metal alloy, such as copper or copper alloy. Each conductive terminal 200 includes a mating end 201, a mounting end 202 opposite the mating end 201, and an intermediate portion 203 extending between the mating end 201 and the mounting end 202. As will be described in detail below, the mating end 201 may be configured to mate with a corresponding conductive portion of the aforementioned header connector, and the mounting end 202 may be configured to connect to a corresponding conductive portion of the aforementioned circuit board. The plurality of conductive terminals 200 includes a signal terminal 200S and a plurality of ground terminals 200G. For example, the plurality of conductive terminals 200 may include at least one signal terminal 200S and at least two ground terminals 200G.

The holding member 700 may be made of an insulating material. Examples of insulating materials suitable for making the retaining member 700 include, but are not limited to, plastic, nylon, liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), high temperature nylon or polyphenylene oxide (PPO), or polypropylene (PP). As shown in fig. 9A and 9C to 9F, the holding member 700 is provided around the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 to hold the plurality of conductive terminals 200 such that the plurality of conductive terminals 200 are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction Y-Y, i.e., in a terminal row. The plurality of conductive terminals 200 are aligned in a terminal row and spaced apart from one another. In some embodiments, the retention member 700 may be a member that is overmolded onto the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200. In other partial embodiments, the holding member 700 may be prefabricated, and the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 may be inserted into the holding member 700.

At least one signal terminal 200S is provided between every adjacent two ground terminals 200G among the plurality of ground terminals 200G. In some embodiments, a pair of signal terminals 200S may be disposed between two adjacent ground terminals 200G. For example, the plurality of conductive terminals 200 may include a plurality of pairs of signal terminals 200S, each pair of signal terminals 200S configured to transmit a differential signal. One of the pair of signal terminals 200S may be energized by a first voltage and the other may be energized by a second voltage. The voltage difference between the pair of signal terminals 200S represents a signal. The ground terminals 200G may space the pairs of signal terminals 200S apart from each other. For example, the ground terminals 200G and the signal terminals 200S may be arranged in a "G-S-G-S … … G-S" manner, wherein two adjacent pairs of signal terminals 200S share the ground terminal 200G. Spacing the pairs of signal terminals 200S apart from each other with the ground terminals 200G can reduce crosstalk, thereby improving signal integrity. As another example, one signal terminal 200S or more than two signal terminals 200S may be provided between two adjacent ground terminals 200G.

As shown in fig. 9B, the holding member 700 includes a plurality of openings 701, each opening 701 extending along the vertical direction Z-Z to expose a portion of the intermediate portion 203 of a corresponding one of the plurality of ground terminals 200G. The plurality of openings 701 may be formed by any suitable process known in the art, for example, the plurality of openings 701 may be formed during the overmolding of the retention member 700 onto the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200. As shown in fig. 9B and 10A to 10D, the first shielding member 800 includes a flat plate-shaped main body 801 and a plurality of protrusions 810 extending from the main body 801 in the vertical direction Z-Z.

Turning to fig. 9A, 9C and 9E to 9F, the main body 801 of the first shielding member 800 is disposed on the holding member 700, and each of the protruding portions 810 is received in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings 701 and is electrically coupled with a portion of the intermediate portion 203 of a corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G exposed by the corresponding one of the openings 701. With this configuration, shielding protection can be provided to the signal terminals 200S, and crosstalk can be reduced so as to improve signal integrity, thereby improving signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1. Specifically, the main body 801 of the first shielding member 800 is provided on the holding member 700, and can provide shielding protection of the signal terminal 200S from external electromagnetic interference. By electrically coupling the body 801 to the plurality of ground terminals 200G through the protruding portion 810, electromagnetic interference absorbed by the body 801 can be grounded, and the influence of electric resonance can be reduced. Further, as will be described in detail below, such a configuration of the first terminal assembly 300 is capable of providing high-quality, high-speed signal transmission without significantly increasing the footprint of the electrical connector 1.

In some embodiments, the first shielding member 800 may be made of a metallic material such as copper or stainless steel. In this case, each protruding portion 810 of the first shielding member 800 is directly contacted with the portion of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G exposed by the corresponding one of the openings 701. For example, the protrusion 810 of the first shielding member 800 may be attached to the ground terminal 200G by any suitable process, such as laser welding, to secure the first shielding member 800 to the holding member 700. In this way, other securing mechanisms or features that secure the first shielding member 800 to the retention member 700 can be omitted, simplifying the manufacture and assembly of the first terminal assembly 300, and facilitating a reduction in the size of the first terminal assembly 300 in the vertical direction Z-Z.

It should be appreciated that in other partial embodiments, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 may be secured to the retention member 700 by any suitable means, such as a snap fit, such that the protrusion 810 is in direct contact with the ground terminal 200G.

In other partial embodiments, the first shielding member 800 may be made of a lossy material. In this case, each of the protruding portions 810 of the first shielding member 800 may be directly contacted or capacitively coupled with the portion of the middle portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G exposed by the corresponding one of the openings 701. For example, the protrusion 810 of the first shielding member 800 may be attached to the ground terminal 200G by any suitable process, such as laser welding, to hold the first shielding member 800 on the holding member 700. As another example, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 may be secured to the retention member 700 by any suitable means, such as a snap fit, to bring the protrusion 810 into direct contact or capacitive coupling with the ground terminal 200G.

Such materials may be considered lossy: the material will interact with the material to dissipate a sufficient portion of the electromagnetic energy that significantly affects the performance of the electrical connector. The important effects are caused by attenuation in the frequency range that is of interest to the electrical connector. In some configurations, the lossy material may suppress resonance within the ground structure of the electrical connector, and the frequency range of interest may include the natural frequency of the resonant structure without the lossy material in place. In other configurations, the frequency range of interest may be all or part of the operating frequency range of the electrical connector.

To test whether a material is lossy, the material may be tested in a frequency range that can be less than or different from the frequency range that is of interest to the electrical connector in which the material is used. For example, the test frequency may range from 10GHz to 25GHz or from 1GHz to 5GHz. Alternatively, the lossy material may be identified from measurements made at a single frequency, such as 10GHz or 15 GHz.

The losses may be caused by interactions of the electric field component of the electromagnetic energy with the material, in which case the material may be referred to as electrically lossy. Alternatively or additionally, the loss may be caused by an interaction of a magnetic field component of electromagnetic energy with a material, in which case the material may be referred to as magnetically lossy.

The electrically lossy material can be formed from lossy dielectric material and/or poorly conductive material. The electrically lossy material can be formed from materials conventionally considered dielectric materials, such as those having an electrical loss tangent (electric loss tangent) greater than about 0.01, greater than 0.05, or between 0.01 and 0.2 over the frequency range of interest. The "electrical loss tangent" is the ratio of the imaginary part to the real part of the complex dielectric constant of a material.

Electrically lossy materials can also be formed from materials that are generally considered conductors, but are relatively poor conductors in the frequency range of interest. These materials may be conductive in the frequency range of interest, but with some loss, such that the material is less conductive than the conductors of the electrical connector, but better than the insulator used in the electrical connector. Such materials may comprise conductive particles or regions that are sufficiently dispersed such that they do not provide high conductivity, or that are otherwise prepared to have such properties: this property results in a relatively weak bulk conductivity compared to good conductors such as pure copper in the frequency range of interest. For example, die cast metal or poorly conductive metal alloys may provide adequate loss in certain configurations.

Electrically lossy materials of this type typically have bulk conductivities of about 1 siemens/meter to about 100,000 siemens/meter, or about 1 siemens/meter to about 30,000 siemens/meter, or 1 siemens/meter to about 10,000 siemens/meter. In some embodiments, materials having bulk conductivities between about 1 siemens/meter and about 500 siemens/meter may be used. As a specific example, a material having a conductivity between about 50 siemens/meter and 300 siemens/meter may be used. However, it should be appreciated that the electrical conductivity of the material may be selected empirically or through electrical simulation using known simulation tools to determine the electrical conductivity that provides suitable Signal Integrity (SI) characteristics in the electrical connector. For example, the SI characteristic measured or simulated may be low crosstalk combined with low signal path attenuation or insertion loss, or low insertion loss bias as a function of frequency.

It should also be appreciated that the lossy member need not have uniform properties throughout its volume. For example, the lossy member may have, for example, an insulating skin or a conductive core. A component may be identified as lossy if its properties are, on average, sufficient to attenuate electromagnetic energy in the region of interaction with the electromagnetic energy.

In some embodiments, the lossy material is formed by adding a filler comprising particles to the binder. In such embodiments, the lossy member may be formed by molding or otherwise shaping the binder with filler into a desired form. The lossy material may be molded over and/or through openings in the conductors, which may be ground conductors or shields of the connector. Molding the lossy material over or through the openings in the conductor may ensure intimate contact between the lossy material and the conductor, which may reduce the likelihood that the conductor will support resonance at frequencies of interest. Such intimate contact may, but need not, result in ohmic contact between the lossy material and the conductor.

Alternatively or additionally, the lossy material may be molded over or injected into the insulating material, for example in a two shot molding operation, or vice versa. The lossy material may be positioned against or sufficiently close to the ground conductor to provide significant coupling with the ground conductor. Close contact does not require electrical coupling between the lossy material and the conductor, as sufficient electrical coupling, such as capacitive coupling, between the lossy member and the conductor can produce the desired result. For example, in some cases, a coupling of 100pF between the lossy member and the ground conductor may have a significant effect on suppressing resonance in the ground conductor. In other examples employing frequencies in the range of about 10GHz or greater, the reduction in electromagnetic energy in the conductor may be provided by a sufficient capacitive coupling between the lossy material and the conductor having a mutual capacitance of at least about 0.005pF, such as a mutual capacitance in the range of about 0.01pF to about 100pF, about 0.01pF to about 10pF, or about 0.01pF to about 1 pF. To determine whether the lossy material is coupled to the conductor, the coupling may be measured at a test frequency such as 15GHz or in a test range such as 10GHz to 25 GHz.

To form the electrically lossy material, the filler can be conductive particles. Examples of conductive particles that may be used as fillers to form electrically lossy materials include carbon or graphite formed as fibers, flakes, nanoparticles, or other types of particles. Various forms of fibers may be used, either in woven or nonwoven form, coated or uncoated. Nonwoven carbon fibers are one suitable material. Metals in the form of powders, flakes, fibers or other particles may also be used to provide suitable electrical loss characteristics. Alternatively, combinations of fillers may be used. For example, metal plated carbon particles may be used. Silver and nickel are suitable metal coatings for the fibers. The coated particles may be used alone or in combination with other fillers such as carbon flakes.

Preferably, the filler will be present in a volume percentage sufficient to allow formation of a conductive path from particle to particle. For example, when metal fibers are used, the fibers may be present at about 3% to 30% by volume. The amount of filler can affect the conductive properties of the material and the volume percent of filler can be low in this range to provide adequate loss.

The binder or matrix may be any material that will solidify to position the filler, cure to position the filler, or can be otherwise used to position the filler. In some embodiments, the bonding agent may be a thermoplastic material conventionally used in the manufacture of electrical connectors to facilitate molding the electrically lossy material into a desired shape and into a desired location as part of the manufacture of the electrical connector. Examples of such materials include Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) and nylon. However, many alternative forms of binder materials may be used. Curable materials such as epoxy resins may be used as the binder. Alternatively, a material such as a thermosetting resin or an adhesive may be used.

While the binder materials described above may be used to form electrically lossy materials by forming a binder around the conductive particulate filler, other binders or other ways of forming lossy materials may be used. In some examples, the conductive particles may be impregnated into the formed matrix material or may be coated onto the formed matrix material, such as by applying a conductive coating to a plastic or metal part. As used herein, the term "binder" includes materials that encapsulate, impregnate, or otherwise act as a substrate to hold a filler.

The magnetically lossy material can be formed from materials conventionally considered ferromagnetic materials, such as those having a magnetic loss tangent (magnetic loss tangent) greater than about 0.05 over a range of frequencies of interest. The "magnetic loss tangent" is the ratio of the imaginary part to the real part of the complex dielectric constant of a material. Materials with higher loss tangent values may also be used.

In some embodiments, the magnetically lossy material may be formed from a binder or matrix material filled with particles that provide magnetically lossy properties to the layer. The magnetically lossy particles can be in any convenient form, such as flakes or fibers. Ferrite is a common magnetically lossy material. Materials such as magnesium ferrite, nickel ferrite, lithium ferrite, yttrium garnet, or aluminum garnet may be used. In the frequency range of interest, ferrites generally have a magnetic loss tangent of greater than 0.1. Presently preferred ferrite materials have a loss tangent between about 0.1 and 1.0 in the frequency range of 1GHz to 3GHz, and more preferably have a magnetic loss tangent above 0.5 in this frequency range.

The actual magnetically lossy material or mixtures containing magnetically lossy material may also exhibit dielectric or conductive loss effects of useful magnitude over portions of the frequency range of interest. Similar to the manner in which the electrically lossy material can be formed as described above, suitable materials can be formed by adding a filler to the binder that produces magnetic losses.

The material may be both a lossy dielectric or a lossy conductor and a magnetically lossy material. Such materials may be formed, for example, by using partially conductive magnetically lossy fillers or by using a combination of magnetically lossy fillers and electrically lossy fillers.

The lossy portion can also be formed in a variety of ways. In some examples, the binder material and filler may be molded into a desired shape and then secured to the shape. In other examples, the binder material may be formed into a sheet or other shape from which lossy portions having a desired shape may be cut. In some embodiments, the lossy portion may be formed by interleaving layers of lossy and conductive materials, such as metal foil. The layers may be firmly attached to each other, such as by using epoxy or other adhesive, or may be held together in any other suitable manner. The layers may have a desired shape before they can be secured to each other, or may be stamped or otherwise formed after they are held together. As a further alternative, the lossy portion may be formed by plating a plastic or other insulating material with a lossy coating, such as a diffusion metal coating.

By electrically coupling the plurality of ground terminals 200G together by the first shielding member 800 formed of a lossy material, the effects of electrical resonance can be reduced to improve signal integrity. Specifically, when electrical resonance occurs at a frequency within the operating frequency range of the electrical connector 1, the integrity of the high-speed signal passing through the electrical connector 1 is degraded. The signal integrity through the electrical connector 1 is degraded in part because of the loss of signal energy coupled into the resonance signal, which means less signal energy passes through the electrical connector 1. The integrity of the signal passing through the electrical connector 1 is also partially degraded because the resonance signal is coupled from the ground terminal 200G into the signal terminal 200S. The resonance signal accumulates and has a high amplitude, and therefore, when the resonance signal is coupled from the ground terminal 200G into the signal terminal 200S, it will generate a large amount of noise that interferes with the signal. The resonance signal coupled into the signal terminal 200S is also sometimes referred to as crosstalk. As is known in the art, the frequency at which electrical resonance occurs is related to the length of the ground terminal supporting the electrical resonance, since the wavelength of the resonance signal is related to the length of the ground terminal supporting the resonance, and the frequency is in turn inversely related to the wavelength. Electrically coupling the body 801 with the ground terminal 200G through the protrusion 810 enables energy coupled into the ground terminal 200G and accumulated as a resonance signal to be dissipated in the first shielding member 800, which reduces the possibility of occurrence of electrical resonance, thereby improving the signal integrity and improving the operating frequency range of the electrical connector 1.

As shown in fig. 9E and 10A to 10D, each protrusion 810 of the first shielding member 800 includes a bottom section 811, a first side section 812, and a second side section 813. The bottom section 811 is electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G, and has a first end 811a and a second end 811b opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y. The first side section 812 and the second side section 813 are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y, and connect the first end 811a and the second end 811b of the bottom section 811 to the main body 801, respectively. By virtue of this configuration of the protruding portion 810, two conductive paths, i.e., a first conductive path via the bottom section 811 and the first side section 812 and a second conductive path via the bottom section 811 and the second side section 813, can be provided between the main body 801 of the first shielding member 800 and the portion of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G. This can enhance the performance of the first shielding member 800, thereby enhancing the signal transmission performance of the first terminal assembly 300. Further, with such a configuration of the protruding portion 810, the first shielding member 800 can be made to provide a shorter conductive path between the adjacent two ground terminals 200G along the longitudinal direction Y-Y, that is, a conductive path from one ground terminal 200G of the adjacent two ground terminals 200G to the other ground terminal 200G via the first conductive path of one protruding portion 810, the main body 801, and the second conductive path of the other protruding portion 810. This can also enhance the performance of the first shielding member 800, thereby enhancing the signal transmission performance of the first terminal assembly 300. In some embodiments, each protrusion 810 has a U-shaped profile. It should be appreciated that the application is not so limited and that each protrusion 810 may have other non-planar profiles.

In some embodiments, for each protrusion 810, the bottom segment 811 may be attached to the portion of the middle portion 203 of a respective one of the ground terminals 200G by any suitable process, such as laser welding. In other partial embodiments, for each protrusion 810, the bottom segment 811 may be positioned sufficiently close to the portion of the middle portion 203 of a respective one of the ground terminals 200G to capacitively couple therewith. In such an embodiment, a gap exists between the protruding portion 810 and the portion of the middle portion 203 of the corresponding ground terminal 200G.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9A-9C, 9E, and 10A-10D, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 includes a plurality of apertures 820. Each aperture 820 is defined by a first edge 821, a second edge 822, a third edge 823, and a fourth edge 824. The first edge 821 and the second edge 822 are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y, and the third edge 823 and the fourth edge 824 are opposite to each other in the transverse direction X-X. That is, opposite ends of the first edge 821 are connected to first ends of the third edge 823 and the fourth edge 824, respectively, and opposite ends of the second edge 822 are connected to second ends of the third edge 823 and the fourth edge 824, respectively, opposite to the first ends. For each protrusion 810, a first side segment 812 connects a first end 811a of the bottom segment 811 to a first edge 821 of a corresponding one of the apertures 820 of the body 801, and a second side segment 813 connects a second end 811b of the bottom segment 811 to a second edge 822 of the corresponding one of the apertures 820. Further, for each protrusion 810, the bottom section 811, the first side section 812, and the second side section 813 are not connected to the third edge 823 and the fourth edge 824 of a corresponding one of the apertures 820. With this configuration, the first shielding member 800 can be made to provide a shorter conductive path between the adjacent two ground terminals 200G along the longitudinal direction Y-Y. This can enhance the performance of the first shielding member 800, thereby enhancing the signal transmission performance of the first terminal assembly 300.

In some embodiments, each protrusion 810 of the first shielding member 800 is a portion stamped out of the body 801. In this case, the aperture 820 may be formed when the protrusion 810 is punched out of the body 801. In other embodiments, the first shielding member 800 may be manufactured by a metal powder injection molding technique.

In some embodiments, for each protrusion 810, the bottom segment 811 is in direct contact with the portion of the middle portion 203 of a respective one of the ground terminals 200G, and the direct contact is a face contact. Such surface contact can reduce the impedance at the connection portion of the protrusion 810 and the ground terminal 200G, alleviate or even eliminate the charge accumulation problem, thereby improving the signal transmission performance of the first terminal assembly 300.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9A-9C, 9E, and 10A-10D, each protrusion 810 of the first shielding member 800 is a U-shaped section stamped out of the main body 801 and includes a bottom (i.e., the aforementioned bottom section 811), two ends 815 and 816 opposite each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y, and two side edges 817 and 818 opposite each other in the transverse direction X-X. For each protrusion 810, the bottom is electrically coupled with the portion of the middle portion 203 of a corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G, the two ends 815 and 816 are connected to the body 801, respectively, and the two side edges 817 and 818 are disconnected from the body 801, respectively. The aforementioned apertures 820 can be formed simultaneously as the projections 810 are punched from the body 801. By virtue of this configuration of the protruding portion 810, two conductive paths can be provided between the main body 801 and the portion of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G, and the first shielding member 800 can be made to provide a shorter conductive path between the adjacent two of the ground terminals 200G along the longitudinal direction Y-Y. This can enhance the performance of the first shielding member 800, thereby enhancing the signal transmission performance of the first terminal assembly 300.

It should be appreciated that the protrusion 810 may have any other suitable configuration. For example, the protrusion 810 may be a spring that is stamped out of the body 801 and extends in a cantilever fashion.

Fig. 12A and 12B illustrate a set of four conductive terminals, circled by a dashed box 12A, of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 of the first terminal assembly 300 of fig. 9C. As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the set of four conductive terminals includes two ground terminals 200G and a pair of signal terminals 200S configured as a differential signal pair. The pair of signal terminals 200S is disposed between two ground terminals 200G. For each conductive terminal 200, the intermediate portion 203 includes a first section 203a adjacent the mounting end 202 and a second section 203b adjacent the mating end 201. In some embodiments, the second section 203b may connect the first section 203a and the mating end 201. In other partial embodiments, other sections may be provided between the first section 203a and the second section 203b, and/or other sections may be provided between the second section 203b and the mating end 201.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 12A and 12B, the intermediate portion 203 may further include a third section 203c for each conductive terminal 200, the third section 203c extending from the first section 203a along the lateral direction X-X and extending outside the retaining member 700 to connect the mounting ends 202. In one of these embodiments, the mounting end 202 includes a straight section 202a and a curved section 202b. The curved section 202b extends between the straight section 202a and the third section 203c of the intermediate portion 203 and is curved toward the main body 801 of the first shielding member 800 such that the straight section 202a and the third section 203c are oriented perpendicular to each other. That is, the straight section 202a of the mounting end 202 is oriented in the vertical direction Z-Z. The straight section 202a may be configured for soldering to the conductive pads of the aforementioned circuit board. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the mounting end 202 may take any other suitable form, such as a press fit "eye of the needle. It should also be appreciated that in other partial embodiments, the mounting end 202 may be bent away from the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 such that the straight section 202a and the third section 203c are oriented perpendicular to each other, or the mounting end 202 may be devoid of the bent section 202b.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 6A-6B and 9A-9F, a retaining member 700 is disposed about the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 to retain the plurality of conductive terminals 200 such that the first section 203a is oriented along the transverse direction X-X and aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y. The first sections 203a collectively define a first plane P1 (fig. 6A and 6B) perpendicular to the vertical direction Z-Z. That is, the first plane P1 is parallel to the transverse direction X-X and the longitudinal direction Y-Y. Each of the plurality of openings 701 of the holding member 700 exposes at least a portion of the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of a corresponding one of the plurality of ground terminals 200G. For example, each opening 701 may expose 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 100% or any other suitable length of the length along the lateral direction X-X of the first section 203a of the middle portion 203 of a respective one of the ground terminals 200G. As another example, each opening 701 may expose all or a portion of the width of the first section 203a of the middle portion 203 of a corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G along the longitudinal direction Y-Y. The body 801 of the first shielding member 800 is oriented parallel to the first plane P1. Each of the plurality of projections 810 of the first shielding member 800 is received in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings 701 and is electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G exposed by the corresponding one of the openings 701.

As shown in fig. 6A-7B, 9A, 9C, 9D, and 9F, the second section 203B and the mating end 201 of the intermediate portion 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 may extend in a cantilevered manner such that the second section 203B and the mating end 201 are capable of being elastically deflected relative to the first section 203 a. This configuration can provide a mating force for mating with the corresponding conductive portion of the aforementioned plug connector.

As shown in fig. 9B, the holding member 700 includes a flat first face 703, and the first face 703 extends parallel to the first plane P1. A plurality of openings 701 are recessed into the retaining member 700 from the first face 703 along the vertical direction Z-Z. As shown in fig. 10A and 10B, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 includes a flat second face 801a. The plurality of protruding portions 810 are provided protruding from the second surface 801a. As best shown in fig. 9E, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 is disposed on the retaining member 700 such that the second face 801a of the body 801 is seated on the first face 703 of the retaining member 700 and each tab 810 is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings 701. With this configuration, the dimension of the first terminal assembly 300 in the vertical direction Z-Z can be minimized, thereby enabling the first terminal assembly 300 to provide high-quality high-speed signal transmission without significantly increasing the dimension of the electrical connector 1 in the vertical direction Z-Z.

As shown in fig. 6B and 9E, the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the signal terminal 200S is spaced apart from the main body 801 of the first shielding member 800 in the vertical direction Z-Z by a first distance D1. The center of the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the signal terminal 200S is spaced apart from the edge of the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding adjacent ground terminal 200G in the longitudinal direction Y-Y by a second distance D2. The first distance D1 may be less than or equal to the second distance D2. With this configuration, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 can serve as the closest ground reference for the signal terminal 200S. In some embodiments, the first distance D1 may be equal to the second distance D2 such that the signal terminals 200S are shielded in a manner similar to the manner in which wires having coaxial or twinaxial cables are shielded.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6B and 9E, the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the signal terminal 200S may be separated from the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 by the retaining member 700 in the vertical direction Z-Z.

In some embodiments, as best shown in fig. 7A, 9A, and 9C-9D, the extension of the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 in the longitudinal direction Y-Y may cover at least the signal terminals 200S and the first sections 203a of the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of ground terminals 200G.

In some embodiments, as best shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the extension of the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 in the transverse direction X-X may cover at least the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of each of the signal terminals 200S and the plurality of ground terminals 200G. In one of these embodiments, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 extends beyond the edge 705 of the retention member 700 in the transverse direction X-X such that the extension of the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 in the transverse direction X-X also covers the third section 203c of the intermediate portion 203 of each of the signal terminals 200S and the plurality of ground terminals 200G. With this configuration, shielding can be provided substantially along the first section 203a and the third section 203c of the signal terminal 200S. This makes it possible to improve the signal transmission performance of the first terminal assembly 300.

It should be appreciated that although the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 is shown as a unitary, single piece in the figures, in other partial embodiments, the body 801 of the first shielding member 800 may be formed as separate pieces, each piece including several protrusions. In one of these embodiments, the discrete pieces may be connected together by a conductive structure such as a wire or conductive segment.

The second shielding member 900 includes at least one wave shielding plate. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9A to 9C and 11A to 11B, the second shielding member 900 includes three wave-shaped shielding plates 901, 902, and 903. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the second shielding member 900 may include one, two, or more than three wave shielding plates. It should also be appreciated that several wave shield plates of the second shield member 900 may be connected together by conductive structures such as wires or conductive segments. Each of the wave shield plates 901, 902, and 903 includes a land portion 900a and a valley portion 900b, each land portion 900a extending between respective adjacent two of the valley portions 900 b. For each of the wave shield plates 901, 902, and 903, each valley 900b is attached on at least a portion of the second section 203b of the middle portion 203 of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals 200G such that a land 900a extending between adjacent two valleys 900b is positioned above the second section 203b of the middle portion 203 of a respective at least one signal terminal 200S, wherein the respective at least one signal terminal 200S is located between adjacent two ground terminals 200G corresponding to the adjacent two valleys 900 b.

With this configuration, shielding protection can be provided to the signal terminals 200S, and crosstalk can be reduced so as to improve signal integrity, thereby improving signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1. Specifically, the second shielding member 900 can provide shielding protection of the signal terminal 200S from external electromagnetic interference. By attaching the valley 900b to the ground terminal 200G, a plurality of ground terminals 200G can be connected together by the second shielding member 900, which makes it possible to ground electromagnetic interference absorbed by the second shielding member 900 and to reduce the influence of electric resonance. Further, as will be described in detail below, such a configuration of the first terminal assembly 300 is capable of providing high-quality, high-speed signal transmission without significantly increasing the footprint of the electrical connector 1.

In some embodiments, the wave shield plates 901, 902, and 903 may be made of a metallic material such as copper or stainless steel. In other embodiments, the wave shield plates 901, 902, and 903 may be made of lossy material.

As shown in fig. 6A to 7B, 9A to 9D, and 9F, the second sections 203B of the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 are aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y and collectively define a second plane P2 (fig. 6A and 6B), the second plane P2 being parallel to the longitudinal direction Y-Y. In some embodiments, the second plane P2 may be inclined with respect to the first plane P1. For each of the wave shield plates 901, 902, and 903, each platform 900a is oriented parallel to the second plane P2.

As shown in fig. 6B and 7B, the second section 203B of the intermediate portion 203 of the signal terminal 200S is spaced apart from the corresponding land portion 900a by a third distance D3 in a direction perpendicular to the second plane P2. The center of the second section 203b of the intermediate portion 203 of the signal terminal 200S is spaced apart from the edge of the second section 203b of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding adjacent ground terminal 200G in the longitudinal direction Y-Y by a fourth distance D4. The third distance D3 may be less than or equal to the fourth distance D4. With this configuration, the land portion 900a of the second shielding member 900 can serve as the closest ground reference for the signal terminal 200S. In some embodiments, the third distance D3 may be equal to the fourth distance D4 such that the signal terminals 200S are shielded in a manner similar to the manner in which wires having coaxial or twinaxial cables are shielded. In some embodiments, the third distance D3 may be equal to the aforementioned first distance D1.

In some embodiments, as best shown in fig. 7A, 9A, and 9C-9D, the extension of the second shielding member 900 in the longitudinal direction Y-Y may cover the signal terminals 200S and the second sections 203b of the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of ground terminals 200G.

In some embodiments, as best shown in fig. 6A and 6B, each land 900a of the second shielding member 900 may cover 10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 100% or any other suitable length of the second section 203B of the intermediate portion 203 of each of the respective at least one signal terminals 200S in a direction perpendicular to the second plane P2.

As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, for each conductive terminal 200, the intermediate portion 203 includes first and second wide sides 2031 and 2032 opposite to each other and first and second side edges 2033 and 2034 opposite to each other. The first and second side edges 2033, 2034 each connect the first and second broad sides 2031, 2032. As shown in fig. 6A to 7B and 9A to 9F, for the first shielding member 800, each protruding portion 810 is electrically coupled with at least a portion of the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 on the first broad side 2031 of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G, and for the second shielding member 900, each valley 900B of each wave-shaped shielding plate is attached to at least a portion of the second section 203B of the intermediate portion 203 on the first broad side 2031 of the intermediate portion 203 of the corresponding one of the ground terminals 200G. That is, the first shielding member 800 and the second shielding member 900 are located on the same side of the conductive terminal 200.

As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, for each conductive terminal 200, the mating end 201 includes a third broad side 2011 and a fourth broad side 2012 opposite each other. The third broad side 2011 of the mating end 201 is connected to the first broad side 2031 of the intermediate portion 203 and the fourth broad side 2012 of the mating end 201 is connected to the second broad side 2032 of the intermediate portion 203. The mating end 201 further includes a mating contact portion 201a, the mating contact portion 201a defining a mating contact surface 201b on the fourth broad side 2012. That is, in the case where the first terminal assembly 300 is configured for a receptacle connector, the first shielding member 800 and the second shielding member 900 may be disposed on the opposite side of the conductive terminal 200 from the mating contact surface 201b of the mating end 201. Accordingly, as will be described in detail below, the first and second shielding members 800 and 900 may be disposed on the opposite side of the conductive terminal 200 from the socket 103. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 3, 13A and 13B, the second terminal assembly 500 includes a plurality of conductive terminals 400, an insulating holding member 1000, a third shielding member 1100 and a fourth shielding member 1200. The plurality of conductive terminals 400 includes a signal terminal 400S and a plurality of ground terminals 400G. The configuration of the second terminal assembly 500 may be substantially similar to the configuration of the first terminal assembly 300. Specifically, the configurations of the conductive terminal 400, the holding member 1000, the third shielding member 1100, and the fourth shielding member 1200 of the second terminal assembly 500 may be substantially the same as the configurations of the conductive terminal 200, the holding member 700, the first shielding member 800, and the second shielding member 900 of the first terminal assembly 300, respectively. Accordingly, identical parts between them are not indicated in the respective views, and are not described in detail herein.

It should be appreciated that although the body 1101 of the third shielding member 1100 is shown as a unitary, single piece in the figures, in other partial embodiments, the body 1101 of the third shielding member 1100 may be formed as separate pieces, each piece including a number of protrusions. In one of these embodiments, the discrete pieces may be connected together by a conductive structure such as a wire or conductive segment.

Further, it should be understood that although fourth shielding member 1200 is shown as one wave shielding plate in the figures, in other partial embodiments, fourth shielding member 1200 may include two or more wave shielding plates. In one of these embodiments, several corrugated shielding plates of the fourth shielding member 1200 may be connected together by a conductive structure, such as a wire or conductive section.

As shown in fig. 13A and 13B, the holding member 1000 includes a first end surface 1001 and a second end surface 1002 opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y. The holding member 1000 of the second terminal assembly 500 differs from the holding member 700 of the first terminal assembly 300 in that: the retaining member 1000 includes a first protrusion 1003 extending from the first end surface 1001 along the longitudinal direction Y-Y and a second protrusion 1004 extending from the second end surface 1002 along the longitudinal direction Y-Y. The specific function of this structure of the holding member 1000 will be described below in connection with the configuration of the insulating housing 100.

As shown in fig. 3, 13A and 13B, the configuration of the conductive terminal 600 may be substantially similar to the configuration of the conductive terminal 200 of the first terminal assembly 300. Accordingly, identical parts between them are not indicated in the respective views, and are not described in detail herein. Unlike the conductive terminals 200 of the first terminal assembly 300, a plurality of conductive terminals 600 are directly inserted into the insulating housing 100. For example, the conductive terminal 600 may be configured as a power terminal for transmitting power.

Turning to fig. 1 to 6B and 8A to 8D, the insulating housing 100 further includes: a first accommodation space 105 in the base 101 is recessed in the lateral direction X-X from a second side of the base 101 opposite to the aforementioned first side; a second accommodation space 106 recessed in the first wall 110 along the vertical direction Z-Z from the slot 103 and extending along the lateral direction X-X to communicate with the first accommodation space 105; a third accommodation space 107 recessed in the base 101 along the lateral direction X-X from the second side of the base 101; and a fourth accommodation space 108 recessed in the second wall 120 along the vertical direction Z-Z from the slot 103 and extending along the lateral direction X-X to communicate with the third accommodation space 107. The first and third accommodation spaces 105 and 107 are recessed into the base 101 in the lateral direction X-X from the bottom surface 101a of the base 101 (which may also be referred to as the "mounting surface" of the insulating housing 100), respectively. In other words, the insulating housing 100 may include a first receiving space 105 and a third receiving space 107 recessed into the insulating housing 100 in the lateral direction X-X from the bottom surface 101a, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6B, the holding member 700 and the first shielding member 800 of the first terminal assembly 300 are held in the first accommodation space 105 by the insulating housing 100 such that the second sections 203B of the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 and the second shielding member 900 (shown as the wave-shaped shielding plates 901, 902, and 903 in the drawings) are disposed in the second accommodation space 106 and such that the mating contact portions 201 of the mating ends 201 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 are exposed in the slots 103 for mating with the corresponding conductive portions of the foregoing plug connector. With this configuration, the first and second shielding members 800 and 900 of the first terminal assembly 300 are disposed within the boundary defined by the insulating housing 100, and thus the first and second shielding members 800 and 900 do not additionally increase the size of the electrical connector 1 in the vertical direction Z-Z, which is advantageous in downsizing of the electrical connector 1. In addition, the first terminal assembly 300 enables omitting a passage for holding the intermediate portion of the conductive terminal formed in the insulating housing of the conventional electrical connector. This can improve manufacturing and assembly efficiency of the electrical connector and reduce manufacturing costs.

As shown in fig. 1 to 6B, the first and second shielding members 800 and 900 may be disposed on the opposite side of the conductive terminal 200 from the socket 103. In some embodiments, the first wall 110 of the insulating housing 100 may include at least one opening, each opening extending along the vertical direction Z-Z to expose a respective one of the at least one wave shield plates of the second shield member 900 of the first terminal assembly 300. As shown in fig. 3, 4, 5D, 6A, 6B, and 8B, the first wall 110 of the insulating housing 100 may include three openings 111, 112, and 113, each of the openings 111, 112, and 113 extending along a vertical direction Z-Z to expose a corresponding one of three corrugated shielding plates 901, 902, and 903 of the second shielding member 900. This configuration can further improve the high-speed signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1. As previously described, the second sections 203b and mating ends 201 of the intermediate portions 203 of the plurality of conductive terminals 200 may extend in a cantilevered fashion. Each of the three openings 111, 112, and 113 may be configured such that when the second section 203b of the ground terminal 200G is deflected away from the slot 103 in the vertical direction Z-Z, a respective one of the wave shield plates is able to move into the opening without interfering with the first wall 110. With this configuration, the dimension of the electrical connector 1 in the vertical direction Z-Z can be further optimized.

The foregoing configuration of the first terminal assembly 300 and the insulating housing 100 can provide high-quality high-speed signal transmission without significantly increasing the size of the electrical connector 1 in the vertical direction Z-Z. This is important for deploying the electrical connector 1 in a space-constrained electronic system. This enables, for example, the electrical connector 1 to meet the form factor requirements specified by existing standards such as SSF-8639, while providing high quality high speed signal transmission.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6A, 6B, and 8A, the first wall 110 includes a plurality of channels 114 and a plurality of retainers 115. Each of the plurality of channels 114 extends from the second receiving space 106 into the first wall 110 along the lateral direction X-X, and each of the plurality of holders 115 separates a respective one of the plurality of channels 114 from the slot 103 in the vertical direction Z-Z. For each conductive terminal 200, the tip 201c of the mating end 201 is received in a respective one of the plurality of channels 114 and retained by a respective one of the plurality of retainers 115 to prevent movement into the socket 103. With this configuration, the mating end 201 of the conductive terminal 200 can be held in place to prevent interference with the corresponding conductive portion of the aforementioned plug connector when inserted into the slot 103.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8A-8C, the base 101 of the insulating housing 100 includes a first wall segment 151, a second wall segment 152, a third wall segment 153, and a fourth wall segment 154 that define the first receiving space 105. The first wall section 151 and the second wall section 152 are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y, and the third wall section 153 and the fourth wall section 154 are opposite to each other in the vertical direction Z-Z. The holding member 700 and the first shielding member 800 of the first terminal assembly 300 are configured to be inserted into the first accommodating space 105 from the inlet 105a of the first accommodating space 105 along the lateral direction X-X, and to be held in the first accommodating space 105 by being engaged with the first wall section 151, the second wall section 152, the third wall section 153, and the fourth wall section 154. With this configuration, the holding member 700 and the first shielding member 800 are reliably held in the first accommodation space 105, and the first accommodation space 105 can be blocked to prevent contaminants from entering the slot 103 via the first accommodation space 105.

In one of these embodiments, at least one of the first wall segment 151, the second wall segment 152, the third wall segment 153, and the fourth wall segment 154 includes a wedge-shaped protrusion. The wedge-shaped protrusion protrudes into the first receiving space 105 and extends in the lateral direction X-X. As the wedge-shaped protrusion extends away from the entrance 105a of the first receiving space 105 in the lateral direction X-X, the height of the wedge-shaped protrusion gradually increases. As best shown in fig. 8B, the second wall section 152 includes a plurality of wedge-shaped protrusions 152a. When the holding member 700 and the first shielding member 800 of the first terminal assembly 300 are inserted into the first receiving space 105, the plurality of wedge-shaped protrusions 152a are engaged with the holding member 700 such that the holding member 700 and the first shielding member 800 are clamped between the first wall section 151 and the second wall section 152 to restrict the holding member 700 and the first shielding member 800 from moving relative to the insulating housing 100 in the lateral direction X-X, the longitudinal direction Y-Y, and the vertical direction Z-Z. The third wall section 153 and the fourth wall section 154 may engage the retaining member 700 in the longitudinal direction Y-Y, thereby further limiting movement of the retaining member 700 and the first shielding member 800 relative to the insulating housing 100 in the longitudinal direction Y-Y. It should be appreciated that the retention member 700 and the first shielding member 800 of the first terminal assembly 300 may be retained in the first receiving space 105 by any other suitable mechanism or feature.

Similar to the first terminal assembly 300, as shown in fig. 1 to 6B, the holding member 1000 and the third shielding member 1100 of the second terminal assembly 500 are held in the third accommodation space 107 by the insulating housing 100 such that the second section 403B and the fourth shielding member 1200 (shown as one wave-shaped shielding plate in the drawings) of the intermediate portion 403 (fig. 13A and 13B) of the plurality of conductive terminals 400 are disposed in the fourth accommodation space 108 and such that the mating contact portions 401a of the mating ends 401 of the plurality of conductive terminals 400 are exposed in the slots 103 for mating with the corresponding conductive portions of the foregoing plug connector. With this configuration, the third shielding member 1100 and the fourth shielding member 1200 of the second terminal assembly 500 are disposed within the boundary defined by the insulating housing 100, and thus the third shielding member 1100 and the fourth shielding member 1200 do not additionally increase the size of the electrical connector 1 in the vertical direction Z-Z, which is advantageous in downsizing of the electrical connector 1. Further, the second terminal assembly 500 enables omitting a passage for holding the intermediate portion of the conductive terminal formed in the insulating housing of the conventional electrical connector. This can improve manufacturing and assembly efficiency of the electrical connector and reduce manufacturing costs.

Similar to the first wall 110, the second wall 120 may include an opening 121. The opening 121 extends along the vertical direction Z-Z to expose the fourth shielding member 1200. In some embodiments, the opening 121 may be configured such that when the second section 403b of the ground terminal 400G of the plurality of conductive terminals 400 is deflected away from the slot 103 along the vertical direction Z-Z, the fourth shielding member 1200 is able to move into the opening 121 without interfering with the second wall 120. With this configuration, the dimension of the electrical connector 1 in the vertical direction Z-Z can be further optimized.

As shown in fig. 8A to 8C, unlike the first accommodation space 105, the third accommodation space 107 is defined only by the fifth wall section 155, the sixth wall section 156, and the seventh wall section 157 of the base 101 of the insulating housing 100. Specifically, the fifth wall section 155 and the sixth wall section 156 are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y, and the seventh wall section 157 defines the third accommodation space 107 in the vertical direction Z-Z. The third accommodation space 107 extends from the seventh wall section 157 through the insulating housing 100 in the vertical direction Z-Z to form an opening 107a. In other words, the insulating housing 100 includes the fifth wall section 155 and the sixth wall section 156 that are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction Y-Y and define the third accommodation space 107, and the seventh wall section 157 that defines the third accommodation space 107 in the vertical direction Z-Z, and the third accommodation space 107 extends from the seventh wall section 157 through the insulating housing 100 in the vertical direction Z-Z to form the opening portion 107a. As shown in fig. 5A, the main body 1101 of the third shielding member 1100 of the second terminal assembly 500 may be exposed through the opening portion 107a. This configuration can further improve the high-speed signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the first wall 110 and the first shielding member 800 may also be similarly configured.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5C and 8A-8C, the base 101 of the insulating housing 100 may include a first receiving groove 155a recessed into the fifth wall section 155 along the longitudinal direction Y-Y and a second receiving groove 156a recessed into the sixth wall section 156 along the longitudinal direction Y-Y. As shown in fig. 5C and 13A-13B and as described above, the retaining member 1000 includes a first protrusion 1003 extending from the first end surface 1001 along the longitudinal direction Y-Y and a second protrusion 1004 extending from the second end surface 1002 along the longitudinal direction Y-Y. As best shown in fig. 5C, when the holding member 1000 is disposed in the first receiving space 105, the first protrusion 1003 and the second protrusion 1004 of the holding member 1000 may engage with the first receiving groove 155a and the second receiving groove 156a of the insulating housing 100, respectively, to limit movement of the holding member 700 relative to the insulating housing 100 along the vertical direction Z-Z and the longitudinal direction Y-Y. Further, similar to the first, second, third and fourth wall sections 151, 152, 153, 154, at least one of the fifth, sixth and seventh wall sections 155, 156, 157 may include wedge-shaped protrusions to help hold the holding member 1000 and the third shielding member 1100 in the third receiving space 107.

As shown in fig. 8A-8C, the insulating housing 100 may include a plurality of terminal channels 160 configured for disposing a plurality of conductive terminals 600. Each of the plurality of conductive terminals 600 may be inserted in a corresponding one of the plurality of terminal channels 160. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

While the configuration of the electrical connector 1 has been specifically described above in connection with the embodiments of the first and second terminal assemblies 300, 500, it should be understood that the electrical connector 1 may have only one terminal assembly, or may have more terminal assemblies, which may have a similar configuration as the first and second terminal assemblies 300, 500.

Although the configuration of the first terminal assembly 300 is specifically described above in connection with the embodiment in which the first terminal assembly 300 has the first shielding member 800 and the second shielding member 900. It should be understood that the first terminal assembly 300 may have only the first shielding member 800 or the second shielding member 900, or the first terminal assembly 300 may have additional shielding members. For example, the holding member 700 may have another shielding member on the opposite side from the first shielding member 800, which may be similar in configuration to the first shielding member 800. In the case where the first terminal assembly 300 does not have the first shielding member 800, the holding member 700 may also be held in the first accommodation space 105 by the insulating housing 100 by engagement with the wall segments. Further, it should be appreciated that the first and second shield members 800, 900 can be electrically coupled with the ground conductor in any other suitable manner.

While the configuration of the second terminal assembly 500 is specifically described above in connection with the embodiment in which the second terminal assembly 500 has the third shielding member 1100 and the fourth shielding member 1200, it should be understood that the second terminal assembly 500 may have only the third shielding member 1100 or the fourth shielding member 120, or the second terminal assembly 500 may have additional shielding members. For example, the holding member 1000 may have another shielding member on the opposite side from the third shielding member 1100, and the configuration of the shielding member may be similar to that of the third shielding member 1100. In the case where the second terminal assembly 500 does not have the third shielding member 1100, the holding member 1000 may also be held in the third accommodation space 107 by the insulating housing 100 by engagement with the wall sections. Further, it should be appreciated that the third and fourth shielding members 1100, 1200 can be electrically coupled to the ground conductor in any other suitable manner.

While the configuration of the first terminal assembly 300 is specifically described above in connection with an embodiment in which the first shielding member 800 is electrically coupled with at least a portion of the first section 203a of the intermediate portion 203 of the ground terminal 200G and the second shielding member 900 is attached to at least a portion of the second section 203b of the intermediate portion 203 of the ground terminal 200G, it should be understood that the placement positions of the first shielding member 800 and the second shielding member 900 may vary. For example, the first shielding member 800 may be electrically coupled with at least a portion of the second section 203b of the middle portion 203 of the ground terminal 200G. As another example, the second shielding member 900 may be attached on at least a portion of the first section 203a of the middle portion 203 of the ground terminal 200G. The holding member 700 and the insulating housing 100 may vary accordingly. Further, it should be understood that the arrangement positions of the third shielding member 1100 and the fourth shielding member 1200 may also be changed, similarly to the first shielding member 800 and the second shielding member 900.

It should be appreciated that the first terminal assembly 300 and/or the second terminal assembly 500 may be used with any other suitable type of connector, such as a card edge connector and a plug connector. For example, when the first and second terminal assemblies 300 and 500 are used in a header connector, the positions of the second and fourth shielding members 900 and 1200 may be changed accordingly.

While details of a specific configuration of the electrical connector 1 are described above, it should be understood that such details are provided for illustrative purposes only, as the concepts disclosed herein can be otherwise implemented. In this regard, the electrical connector 1 designs described herein can be used in any suitable combination, as aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the particular combinations shown in the drawings.

It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "fifth," "sixth," and "seventh" are used merely to distinguish one element, component, or section from another element, component, or section, but the elements, components, and sections should not be limited by such terms.

The application has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will be apparent that the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings are to be understood as illustrative and not limiting of the application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or variations can be made in the present application without departing from the spirit thereof, and that such modifications or variations do not depart from the scope of the application.

Claims

1. A terminal assembly for an electrical connector, the terminal assembly comprising:

a plurality of conductive terminals, each of the conductive terminals including a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending between the mating end and the mounting end, the plurality of conductive terminals including a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals;

an insulating holding member provided around the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction, the holding member including a plurality of openings each extending along a vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to expose a portion of the intermediate portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of ground terminals; and

a first shielding member including a flat plate-shaped main body and a plurality of protruding portions extending from the main body in the vertical direction, the main body being provided on the holding member, and each of the protruding portions being received in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings and being electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals exposed by the corresponding one of the openings.

2. The terminal assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the projections comprises:

a bottom section electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals and having first and second ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction; and

a first side section and a second side section opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction and connecting the first end and the second end of the bottom section to the main body, respectively.

3. The terminal assembly of claim 2, wherein:

the body of the first shielding member includes a plurality of apertures, each aligned with a respective one of the plurality of openings in the vertical direction, and including first and second edges opposite each other in the longitudinal direction; and

for each of the protrusions, the first side segment connects the first end of the bottom segment to a first edge of a respective one of the apertures, and the second side segment connects the second end of the bottom segment to a second edge of the respective one of the apertures.

4. A terminal assembly according to claim 3, wherein:

Each of the apertures further includes third and fourth edges opposite each other in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and vertical directions, the apertures being defined by the first, second, third and fourth edges; and

for each of the protrusions, the bottom section, the first side section, and the second side section are not connected to the third edge and the fourth edge of the respective one of the apertures.

5. The terminal assembly of claim 2, wherein:

each of the projections has a U-shaped profile; and/or

Each of the protrusions is a portion punched out of the body; and/or

For each of the protruding portions, the bottom section is in direct contact with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals, and the direct contact is a face contact; and/or

For each of the projections, the bottom section is attached to the portion of the middle portion of the respective one of the ground terminals; and/or

The retaining member is a member overmolded on the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals.

6. The terminal assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the protruding portions is a U-shaped section punched out of the main body, and includes a bottom portion, two end portions opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and two side edges opposite to each other in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction, the bottom portion being electrically coupled with the portion of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals, the two end portions being connected to the main body, respectively, and the two side edges being disconnected from the main body, respectively.

7. The terminal assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

for each of the conductive terminals, the intermediate portion includes a first section adjacent the mounting end and a second section adjacent the mating end;

the retaining member is disposed about the first sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals to retain the plurality of conductive terminals such that the first sections are oriented along a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction and aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction, the first sections collectively defining a first plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, each of the plurality of openings of the retaining member exposing at least a portion of the first sections of the intermediate portions of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals; and

the body of the first shielding member is oriented parallel to the first plane, each of the plurality of projections is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and is electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of the respective one of the ground terminals exposed by the respective one of the openings.

8. The terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein:

at least one signal terminal is arranged between every two adjacent grounding terminals in the plurality of grounding terminals;

the first section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal is spaced apart from the main body of the first shield member in the vertical direction by a first distance;

the center of the first section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal is spaced apart from the edge of the first section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding adjacent ground terminal in the longitudinal direction by a second distance; and

the first distance is less than or equal to the second distance.

9. The terminal assembly of claim 8, wherein the first section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal is separated from the main body of the first shield member in the vertical direction by the retaining member.

10. The terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein an extent of said body of said first shield member in said longitudinal direction covers at least said signal terminals and said first section of said intermediate portion of said plurality of ground terminals.

11. The terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein an extent of the body of the first shielding member in the lateral direction covers at least the first section of the intermediate portion of each of the signal terminals and the plurality of ground terminals.

12. The terminal assembly of claim 11, wherein:

for each of the conductive terminals, the intermediate portion further includes a third section extending from the first section along the lateral direction and extending outside the retaining member to connect the mounting ends; and

the body of the first shielding member extends beyond an edge of the retaining member in the lateral direction such that an extension of the body of the first shielding member in the lateral direction covers the third section of the intermediate portion of each of the plurality of ground terminals and the signal terminals.

13. The terminal assembly of claim 12, wherein for each of the conductive terminals, the mounting end includes a straight section and a curved section extending between the straight section and the third section of the intermediate portion and being curved toward the body of the first shielding member such that the straight section and the third section are oriented perpendicular to each other.

14. The terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein:

the retaining member includes a planar first face extending parallel to the first plane, the plurality of openings being recessed into the retaining member from the first face along the vertical direction;

The body of the first shielding member includes a flat second face, the plurality of protruding portions being provided protruding from the second face; and

the body is disposed on the retaining member such that the second face of the body is seated on the first face of the retaining member and each of the protrusions is received in a respective one of the plurality of openings.

15. The terminal assembly of claim 7, wherein:

the terminal assembly further includes a second shielding member including at least one wave-shaped shielding plate, each wave-shaped shielding plate including a land portion and a valley portion, each land portion extending between respective adjacent ones of the valley portions;

at least one signal terminal is arranged between every two adjacent grounding terminals in the plurality of grounding terminals; and

for each of the wave shield plates, each of the valleys is attached on at least a portion of the second section of the middle portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals such that a plateau extending between two adjacent valleys is positioned above the second section of the middle portion of a respective at least one signal terminal, wherein the respective at least one signal terminal is located between two adjacent ground terminals corresponding to the two adjacent valleys.

16. The terminal assembly of claim 15, wherein:

the second sections of the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals are aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction and together define a second plane that is parallel to the longitudinal direction and inclined relative to the first plane; and

for each of the wave shield plates, each of the platform portions is oriented parallel to the second plane.

17. The terminal assembly of claim 16, wherein:

the second sections of the intermediate portions of the signal terminals are spaced apart from the respective land portions by a third distance in a direction perpendicular to the second plane;

the center of the second section of the intermediate portion of the signal terminal is spaced a fourth distance in the longitudinal direction from the edge of the second section of the intermediate portion of the respective adjacent ground terminal; and

the third distance is less than or equal to the fourth distance.

18. The terminal assembly according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein:

for each of the conductive terminals, the intermediate portion includes first and second broad sides opposite each other;

For the first shield member, each of the protruding portions is electrically coupled with at least a portion of the first section of the middle portion on the first broad side of the middle portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals; and

for the second shield member, each of the valleys of each of the wave shield plates is attached to at least a portion of the second section of the middle portion on the first broad side of the middle portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals.

19. The terminal assembly of claim 18, wherein:

the terminal assembly is configured for a receptacle connector; and

for each of the conductive terminals, the mating end includes third and fourth opposing wide sides, the third wide side being continuous with the first wide side and the fourth wide side being continuous with the second wide side, the mating end further including a mating contact surface on the fourth wide side.

20. An electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising:

the terminal assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 19; and

an insulating housing including a first surface, a receiving space recessed from the first surface into the insulating housing along a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction;

The holding member and the first shielding member of the terminal assembly are held in the accommodation space by the insulating housing.

21. The electrical connector of claim 20, wherein:

the insulating housing includes a plurality of wall segments defining the receiving space;

the holding member and the first shielding member are configured to be inserted into the accommodating space from an inlet of the accommodating space in the lateral direction and held in the accommodating space by being engaged with the plurality of wall segments; and

at least one of the plurality of wall segments includes a wedge-shaped protrusion protruding into the receiving space and extending in the lateral direction, the wedge-shaped protrusion increasing in height as it extends in the lateral direction away from the entrance of the receiving space.

22. An electrical connector as in claim 20 or 21 wherein:

the insulating housing includes first and second wall sections opposing each other in the longitudinal direction and defining the accommodation space, a first receiving groove recessed into the first wall section along the longitudinal direction, and a second receiving groove recessed into the second wall section along the longitudinal direction;

The holding member includes first and second end faces opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, a first protrusion extending from the first end face in the longitudinal direction, and a second protrusion extending from the second end face in the longitudinal direction; and

when the holding member is disposed in the accommodation space, the first projection and the second projection are engaged with the first receiving groove and the second receiving groove, respectively, to restrict movement of the holding member relative to the insulating housing in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction.

23. The electrical connector of claim 22, wherein the insulative housing further comprises a third wall segment defining the receiving space in the vertical direction, and the receiving space extends from the third wall segment through the insulative housing along the vertical direction to form an opening through which the body of the first shielding member is exposed.

24. An electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising:

an insulating housing, the insulating housing comprising:

a base;

a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, and a fourth wall extending from the base in a lateral direction on a first side of the base and defining a slot, the first wall and the second wall opposing each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, and the third wall and the fourth wall opposing each other in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction and the vertical direction;

Recessed from a second side of the base opposite the first side along the lateral direction into a first receiving space in the base; and

a second accommodation space recessed in the first wall along the vertical direction from the insertion groove and extending along the lateral direction to communicate with the first accommodation space;

a terminal assembly, the terminal assembly comprising:

a plurality of conductive terminals, each conductive terminal including a mating end, a mounting end opposite the mating end, and an intermediate portion extending between the mating end and the mounting end, the mating end including a mating contact portion, the intermediate portion including a first section adjacent the mounting end and a second section adjacent the mating end, the plurality of conductive terminals including a signal terminal and a plurality of ground terminals;

an insulating holding member provided around the first section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction; and

at least one wave shield plate, each wave shield plate comprising a land portion and a valley portion, each valley portion being attached to at least a portion of the second section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals;

The holding member is disposed in the first accommodation space such that the second section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals and the at least one wave shield plate are disposed in the second accommodation space and such that the mating contact portions of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive terminals are exposed in the slot.

25. The electrical connector of claim 24, wherein:

the at least one wave shielding plate is positioned on one side of the plurality of conductive terminals opposite to the slot; and

the first wall includes at least one first opening, each of the first openings extending along the vertical direction to expose a respective one of the at least one corrugated shielding plate.

26. The electrical connector of claim 25, wherein:

the second sections and the mating ends of the intermediate portions of the plurality of conductive terminals extend in a cantilevered fashion; and

each of the first openings is configured such that when the second section of the ground terminal is deflected away from the slot in the vertical direction, the respective one of the wave shield plates is movable into the first opening without interfering with the first wall.

27. An electrical connector as in any one of claims 24 to 26 wherein:

for each of the wave shield plates, each of the plateau portions extends between respective adjacent two of the valleys and is positioned above the second section of the intermediate portion of the respective at least one signal terminal, wherein the respective at least one signal terminal is located between adjacent two ground terminals corresponding to the respective adjacent two valleys.

28. An electrical connector as in any one of claims 24 to 26 wherein:

the first wall includes a plurality of channels each extending from the second accommodation space into the first wall along the lateral direction, and a plurality of holders each separating a corresponding one of the plurality of channels from the slot in the vertical direction; and

for each of the conductive terminals, the tip of the mating end is received in a respective one of the plurality of channels and retained by a respective one of the plurality of retainers to prevent movement into the socket.

29. The electrical connector as recited in any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein;

the holding member includes a plurality of second openings, each of the second openings extending along the vertical direction to expose at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals;

the terminal assembly further includes a first shielding member including a flat plate-shaped body and a plurality of protruding portions extending from the body, the body being disposed on the holding member on a side of the plurality of conductive terminals opposite the slot, and each of the protruding portions being received in a respective one of the plurality of openings and being electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of the respective one of the ground terminals exposed by the respective one of the second openings;

the holding member and the first shielding member are held in the first accommodation space by the insulating housing; and

the insulating housing further includes first and second wall sections opposing each other in the longitudinal direction and defining the first accommodation space, and a third wall section defining the first accommodation space in the vertical direction, and the first accommodation space extends from the third wall section through the insulating housing in the vertical direction to form an opening through which the main body of the first shielding member is exposed.

30. An electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising:

an insulating housing, the insulating housing comprising:

a base;

a terminal assembly, the terminal assembly comprising:

An insulating holding member provided around the first section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals to hold the plurality of conductive terminals such that the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction;

a first shielding member disposed on the holding member and electrically coupled with the first section of the intermediate portion of at least two of the plurality of ground terminals; and

a second shield member comprising at least one wave shield plate, each wave shield plate comprising a land portion and a valley portion, each valley portion being attached to at least a portion of the second section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals;

the holding member and the first shielding member are held in the first accommodation space by the insulating housing such that the second section of the intermediate portion of the plurality of conductive terminals and the second shielding member are disposed in the second accommodation space and such that the mating contact portions of the mating ends of the plurality of conductive terminals are exposed in the slot.

31. The electrical connector of claim 30, wherein;

the retention member includes a plurality of openings, each of the openings extending along the vertical direction to expose at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of a respective one of the plurality of ground terminals; and

the first shielding member includes a flat plate-shaped body and a plurality of protruding portions extending from the body in the vertical direction, the body being provided on the holding member, and each of the protruding portions being received in a corresponding one of the plurality of openings and being electrically coupled with the at least a portion of the first section of the intermediate portion of the corresponding one of the ground terminals exposed by the corresponding one of the openings.

32. The electrical connector of claim 30, wherein:

33. The electrical connector as recited in any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein the first shielding member and the second shielding member are located on opposite sides of the plurality of conductive terminals from the slot.