WO2006044770A1

WO2006044770A1 - Cable connector with termination arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2006044770A1
Application number: PCT/US2005/037208
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kazuya Takahashi
Original assignee: Molex Incorporated
Priority date: 2004-10-14
Filing date: 2005-10-14
Publication date: 2006-04-27
Also published as: JP4530797B2; JP2006114337A

Abstract

A cable connector has a housing that supports sets of first and second terminals. The terminals have contact and terminating portions at opposing ends thereof. The terminating portions are partially exposed to the exterior through slots that are formed in a guide portion of the connector housing. The terminating portions are arranged in four rows on the housing guide portion so that wires from a cable may be terminated to the terminals.

Description

CABLE CONNECTOR WITH TERMINATION ARRANGEMENT

Background Of The Invention

The present invention relates generally to a cable connector and a connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector having a termination arrangement that reduces signal skew.

There have been developed connectors that comply with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard, which is a digital interface standard for next-generation TVs.

Connectors that comply with the HDMI standard enables exchange of digital signals between an STB (Set Top Box) or the like and a digital television. Previously, a digital interface standard called Digital Visual Interface (DVI) had been proposed as a standard for personal computers. However, connectors that comply with the DVI standard are large and enable only connection for video signals, so they are not suitable for digital home appliances such as digital televisions. In contrast, connectors that comply with the HDMI standard enable connection for video and for audio and control signals, and these connectors have smaller terminal pitches and smaller overall sizes than previously known connectors.

However, because conventional connectors complying with the HDMI standard have smaller terminal pitches, when wire conductors of signal wires of a cable are of large diameter; i.e., when the wire conductors are thick, the work required for soldering the conductors to the connector terminals becomes difficult. Moreover, the state of connection between the soldered wire conductors and the terminals is likely to be uneven, with a resultant disturbance in impedance. In order to solve this problem, a connector is known in which the distance between the terminating portions of the terminals is increased by increasing the pitch, widthwise, of the terminating portions of terminals or by distributing the terminating portions of the terminals between upper and lower rows, whereby work for soldering wire conductors to the terminals is facilitated. This is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 10-116647.

In this particular connector, the terminals are not equal in length as measured from the distal (contact) end to the terminating end. Therefore, when the wire conductors of a pair of differential signal wires for transmitting a differential signal are connected to the terminals, the length of the path along which the positive voltage of the differential signal travels and the length of a path along which the negative voltage of the differential signal travels become unequal, resulting in skew of the signals transmitted by the wires. This skew may lead to an impedance imbalance.

Summary Of The Invention

It is a therefore general object of the present invention to provide a connector with a terminating area that overcomes the above-mentioned problems and which enables easy and uniform performance of work for soldering cable wires to terminals.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector that permits reliable termination even when the wires are thick, and which reduces the likelihood of signal skew in differential signals.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cable connector which is connected to an end of a cable, that includes first and second terminals, each of which includes a contact portion for contacting a terminal of a counterpart connector and a terminating portion for terminating a cable wire to. A connector body portion and a guide portion are provided in a molded connector housing into which the first and second terminals are inserted. The first and second terminal terminating portions are located in two different planes such that the first terminal terminating portions are located in one of the planes and the second terminal terminating portions are located in the other plane. The distance between the terminating portions of the first terminals is greater than that between the contact portions.

Preferably, the distance between pairs of first terminal terminating portions is less than the distance between first terminal terminating portions another pair adjacent to the first pair. Preferably, the plane of the terminating portions of the second terminals is offset from the plane of the terminating portions of the first terminals toward the center of the cable connector and toward a rear end of the cable connector. A wire conductor of a signal wire is connected to the terminating portion of each of the first terminals, and a wire conductor of a ground wire is connected to the terminating portion of each of the second terminals. The conductors of the wires connected to the first terminal terminating portions are covered with insulating layers over a range corresponding to the plane in which the second terminal terminating portions are located.

Preferably, two first terminals are combined to form a pair and have the same length, their conductors are connected to respective first terminal terminating portions. The two wires are covered with a binding layer for binding the two differential signal wires together, the binding layer extending over a range corresponding to the plane in which the terminating portions of the second terminals are located.

The present invention also provides a connector assembly of a cable, a cable connector connected to an end thereof, and a connector shield case surrounding the cable connector. The cable connector includes first terminals each with a contact portion and a terminating portion, second terminals, each with a contact and terminating portion, also connected to conductors of the cable, and a connector with a body and guide portion that are insulative, into which the first terminals and the second terminals are inserted. The terminal terminating portions are distributed between two planes such that the first terminal terminating portions are located in one plane and the second terminal terminating portions are located in another plane. The distance between the first terminal terminating portions is greater than that the distance between the first terminal contact portions. The cable connector is configured so that the first and second terminal tenninating portions whose contact portions are located on a same plane are distributed between two planes; the distance between the terminating portions of the first terminals of each pair is greater than that between the contact portions thereof. Also, the distance between the terminating portions of the first terminals of each pair and the terminating portions of the first terminals of a pair adjacent to the pair is greater than the distance between the terminating portions of the first terminals of each pair; and the terminating portions of the second terminals extend rearward of the terminating portions of the first terminals. Therefore, even when the conductors of the wires are thick, the work needed for soldering the wires to the terminals can be performed easily and uniformly, and differential signals do not suffer from signal skew, whereby reliability of he system is improved. These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

FIG. l is a top perspective view of a cable connector constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the cable connector of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the cable connector of FIG. 1, illustrating a front end surface thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the cable connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 A is a cross-sectional view of the cable connector of FIG. 4, taken along lines A-A thereof;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the cable connector of FIG. 4, taken along lines B-B thereof;

FIG. 6k is the same view as FIG. 1 , but with the wires removed for clarity;

FIG. 6B is the same view as FIG. 2, but with the wires removed for clarity:

FIG. 7 A is a side elevational view of the of the connector of FIG. 6 A; FIG. 7B is a rear elevational view of the connector of FIG. 6 A;

FIG. 7C is a top plan view of the connector of FIG. 6 A;

FIG. 7D is a bottom plan view of the connector of FIG. 6B;

FIG. 8 A is a perspective view, taken from the top, of the connector of FIG. 1, with the guide portion and wires removed for clarity; FIG. 8B is a perspective view, taken from the bottom, of the connector of FIG. 1, with the guide portion and wires removed for clarity;

FIG. 9 A is a side elevational view of the connector housing of FIG. 8 A;

FIG. 9B is a rear elevational view of the connector housing of FIG. 8 A;

FIG. 9C is a top plan view of the connector housing of FIG. 8 A; FIG. 9D is a bottom plan view of the connector housing of FIG. 8 A;

FIG. 1OA is a perspective view of the arrangement of the terminals within the connector, taken from the top;

FIG. 1OB is a perspective view of the arrangement of the terminals within the connector, taken from the top; FIG. 1 IA is a side elevational view of the terminal arrangement of FIG. 8 A;

FIG. 1 IB is a top plan view of the terminal arrangement of FIG. 8 A;

FIG. 11C is the bottom plan view of the terminal arrangement of FIG. 8 A;

FIGS. 12A-D are diagrammatic views that illustrate the manner of attaching an exterior shield to the connector; and, FIGS. 13 A-D are diagrammatic views that illustrate the manner of attaching the exterior shield to the cable.

Detailed Description Of The Invention

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a connector constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The connector 10 is attached to a cable 30. The present embodiment is described for purposes of illustration only, in the context of a cable connector 10 and cable 30 which comply with the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard, which is a digital interface standard for next-generation TVs. The cable connector 10 is inserted in and connected to an unillustrated counterpart connector disposed in a digital-equipped home appliance such as a digital television. For clarity, the drawings illustrate only an end portion of the cable 30, and its remaining portion is omitted. The connector 10 has a housing that is formed from a connector body portion 11 and a guide portion 12, both of which are formed of an insulative molding resin. A plurality of conductive terminals are supported by the connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12. The connector body portion 11 has engagement pieces 11a, which are formed at opposite side portions thereof for engagement with the guide portion 12. The connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12 are coupled with each other through engagement between the engagement pieces 11a and opposite side portions of the guide portion 12. A plurality of engagement recesses 13 are formed on upper and lower surfaces of the connector body portion 11. When the cable connector 10 is inserted into the counterpart connector, the engagement recesses 13 engage with engagement members of the counterpart connector. A plurality of termination grooves 16 are formed in the guide portion 12 and are used to accommodate the terminating portions of the terminals, which will be described later. Notably, it is not necessarily the case that all the termination grooves 16 are occupied by the terminating portions of terminals. Wire conductors 35 of the cable 30 are connected to the terminating portions of the terminals by means of soldering. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 31 denotes a jacket of the cable 30, and 32 denotes a differential signal line of the cable 30, and 33 denotes an independent signal wire of the cable 30, while 36 denotes a power wire of the cable 30, and 34 denotes a pair of wires of the differential signal line 32 (hereinafter simply referred to as "differential signal wires 34"). Notably, the differential signal line 32 also includes a differential signal ground wire 34a, which will be described later. FIG. 3 is a front view of the cable connector according to the embodiment, showing a front end surface thereof; FIG. 4 is a top view of the cable connector according to the embodiment; and FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the cable connector according to the embodiment, wherein FIG. 5 A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, an opening 14 is provided in the form of a slot that receives a plug portion of an opposing connector. A plurality of elongated terminal accommodation holes 17 are formed in the connector body portion 11 in such a manner that the terminal accommodation holes 17 extend along the axial direction (lateral direction in FIGS. 4 and 5) and communicate with the insertion opening 14. A single terminal is disposed in a single one of the terminal accommodation holes 17. In the present invention, the terminals include first terminals 21 mainly connected to the differential signal wires 34, second terminals 22 mainly connected to the differential signal ground wires 34a, and a third terminal 23 (which will be described later) connected to the power wire 36. Terminal end accommodation openings 15 are formed in a row on each of upper and lower sides of the insertion opening 14. The distal end, or contact end portions, of the terminals are accommodated in the corresponding terminal end accommodation openings 15. A contact portion is formed at the distal end portion of each terminal such that the contact portion is curved for contact with a terminal of the opposing connector. Reference numeral 21a denotes a contact portion of each first terminal 21, while 22a denotes a contact portion of each second terminal 22, and 23 a (described later) denotes a contact portion of the third terminal 23.

The terminals are disposed along the upper and lower surfaces of the insertion opening 14 at uniform intervals; i.e., at equal pitches, in the widthwise direction (lateral direction in FIG. 3). The upper and lower surfaces of the insertion openings 14 are preferably parallel to each other. For example, ten terminals are disposed along the upper surface at a pitch of 1 mm, and ten terminals are disposed along the lower surface at a pitch of 1 mm. The contact portions of the terminals along the upper insertion openings 14 are located in a first plane and the contact portions of the terminals along the lower insertion openings 14 are located in a second plane opposed to the first plane.

Each terminal is elastic and functions as a spring. Each is fixed where the opposite side edges of its body portion are held by the opposite side walls of the terminal accommodation hole 17, and a distal end portion is a free end. By virtue of the spring function, the contact portion formed at the distal end of each terminal projects inward from the upper or lower surface of the insertion opening 14. Therefore, when the cable connector 10 is mated with the counterpart connector and an insertion portion of the counterpart connector is inserted into the opening 14, by virtue of the spring function, the contact portions of the terminals are pressed against the contact portions of the opposing terminals of the opposing connector, to thereby establish electrical connection therebetween.

Along the upper surface of the insertion opening 14, a pair of first terminals 21 and a single second terminal 22 are disposed alternately. Specifically, from the left side in FIG. 3, terminals are disposed in the sequence of a first terminal 21, a first terminal 21, a second terminal 22, a first terminal 21, a first terminal 21, a second terminal 22, a first terminal 21, a first terminal 21, a second terminal 22, and a first terminal 21. Although terminals are disposed along the lower surface of the insertion opening 14 in a similar manner, the third terminal 23 is contained in the disposed terminals. Specifically, from the left side in FIG. 3, terminals are disposed in a sequence of a second terminal 22, a first terminal 21, a first terminal 21, a second terminal 22, a first terminal 21, a first terminal 21, a second terminal 22, a first terminal 21, and the third terminal 23.

By virtue of the above-described arrangement, as shown in FIG. 3, the terminals are arranged laterally on the distal end surface of the cable connector 10 in such a manner that imaginary isosceles triangles formed by terminals and imaginary isosceles triangles formed by terminals are arranged alternately when the connector is viewed from its contact end. The terminals are located at apexes of the imaginary triangles. Therefore, when the differential signal wires 34 of each differential signal line 32 are connected to the first terminals 21 of each triplet as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, and the differential signal ground wire 34a of the same differential signal line 32 is connected to the second terminal 22 as shown in FIG. 5B, the above-described terminal arrangement prevents generation of crosstalk.

FIGS. 6A-B are perspective views showing the connector body portion and guide portion of the cable connector according to the embodiment. FIGS. 7A-D illustrate the top, bottom and sides of the connector body portion and guide portion assembled together. Notably, FIG. 6 A is a top perspective view; FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view; FIG. 7A is a side view; FIG. 7B is a rear view; FIG. 7C is a top view; and FIG. 7D is a bottom view.

As shown in FIG. 6, on each of the upper and lower sides of the guide portion 12, the termination grooves 16 are formed on a stepped surface including two surface regions which differ in height and which are axially offset from each other. The termination grooves 16 are formed on each of the two surface regions. The terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 formed on the upper surface regions on the upper and lower sides of the guide portion 12, i.e., the termination grooves 16 formed on each of the surface regions on the side toward the exterior and the front end of the cable connector 10 (the termination grooves 16 on the upper right side in FIG. 6). The terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 formed on the lower surface regions on the upper and lower sides of the guide portion 12; i.e., the termination grooves 16 formed on each of the surface regions on the side toward the interior and the rear end of the cable connector 10 (on the lower left side in FIG. 6). Notably, as shown in FIG. 6B, on the lower side of the guide portion 12, a termination groove 16 for accommodating the terminating portion 23 a of the third terminal 23 is formed on the upper surface region in such manner that the termination groove 16 projects rearward.

The terminals whose terminating portions are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 on the upper side of the guide portion 12 are those disposed along the upper surface of the insertion opening 14. The terminals whose terminating portions are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 on the lower side of the guide portion 12 are those disposed along the lower surface of the insertion opening 14. The front ends of the termination grooves 16 are connected to terminal-rear-portion accommodation holes which are formed in the guide portion 12 and communicate with the corresponding connector accommodation holes 17 of the connector body portion 11. In this case, as is understood from the arrangement shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, the terminal-rear-portion accommodation holes communicating with the termination grooves 16 formed on the lower surface regions pass under the corresponding upper surface regions, and therefore are longer than the terminal-rear-portion accommodation holes connected to the termination grooves 16 formed on the upper surface regions. hi the present embodiment, the terminating portions of the terminals are arranged in two rows at uneven intervals; i.e., at a varible pitch, which is greater than the pitch of the contact portions of the terminals. As described above, at the distal end portions of the terminals, the first terminals 21 and the second terminals 22 are alternately arranged along the width direction on a common plane, hi contrast, at the terminating portions of the terminals, terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 on the upper surface regions, and terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 on the lower surface regions. Therefore, at the terminating portions of the terminals, a greater space can be secured in the width direction, and thus, the terminating portions of the terminals are disposed at a pitch greater than that of the distal end portions.

As shown in FIG. 7, the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 are disposed on the upper surface regions at a varying pitch. For example, in the case of the terminals disposed along the upper surface of the insertion opening 14, as described above, the distal end portions of the terminals are disposed such that a pair of first terminals 21 and a single second terminal 22 are alternately arranged. The distance between the terminating portions 21b of two first terminals 21 of each pair is smaller than distance between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 of the pair and the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 of another pair adjacent to the pair. However, the distance between the terminating portions 21b of two first terminals 21 of the same pair is larger than the distance between the contact portions of the terminals; for example, 1.2 to 1.3 times the distance between the contact portions of the terminals. Notably, the terminals disposed along the lower surface of the insertion opening 14 are arranged in the same manner. _ .

Since the space between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 is increased, even when the wire conductors 35 of the signal wires such as the differential signal wires 34 are thick, work for soldering the wire conductors 35 to the terminating portions 21b can be facilitated. Further, the state of connection between the wire conductors 35 and the terminating portions 21b by means of soldering can be made consistent. Moreover, since the distance between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 of adjacent pairs is greater than the distance between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 in each pair, when the wire conductors 35 of the differential signal wires 34 are connected to the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 in the same pair, generation of crosstalk between the adjacent differential signal wires 34 can be prevented.

Moreover, the termination grooves 16 are formed on the stepped surfaces of the guide portion of the connector housing, and the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 on the upper surface regions. Therefore, the range over which the insulating layers of the signal wires such as the differential signal wires 34 are removed to expose the wire conductors 35 can be shortened. That is, the wire conductors 35 of the signal wires such as the differential signal wires 34 are covered with the insulating layer up to a point near the boundary between the upper surface region and the lower surface region at which the end surface of the terminating portions 21b are located. Therefore, generation of crosstalk - between the signal wires can be prevented. Further, in the case of the differential signal wires 34, . the insulating layers of the signal lines are covered with a binding layer formed of, for example, a shrinkage tube. The binding layer is a member for binding the differential signal wires 34 such that the two signal wires, which constitute the differential, signal wires 34, are in mutual close contact and are parallel to each other. Since the two signal wires are covered with the binding layer up to a point near the boundary between the upper and lower surface regions, the two signal wire are not separated from each other. As a result, the length of the signal wire for transmitting the positive voltage of a differential signal becomes equal to that of the signal wire for transmitting the negative voltage of the differential signal, whereby generation of signal skew is prevented.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cable connector according to the embodiment with the guide portion removed. FIG. 9 is a view, as viewed from four sides, of the cable connector according to the embodiment with the guide portion removed. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the terminals of the cable connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a view, as viewed from three sides, showing the arrangement of the terminals of the cable connector according to the embodiment. Notably, FIG. 8A is a top perspective view; FIG. 8B is a bottom perspective view; FIG. 9 A is a side view; FIG. 9B is a rear view; FIG. 9C is a top view; FIG. 9D is a bottom view; FIG. 1OA is a top perspective view; FIG. 1OB is a bottom ^' ' perspective view; FIG. 1 IA is a side view; FIG. 1 IB is a top view; and FIG. 11C is a bottom view.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the first terminals 21 and the second terminals 22 are attached to the connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12 such that their distal end surfaces are aligned and are located at the same position with respect to the axial direction. Therefore, the contact portions 21a of the first terminals 21 and the contact portions 22a of the second terminals 22 are located at the same position with respect to the axial direction. Notably, in order to facilitate understanding of the arrangement of the terminals attached to the connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12, FIGS. 10 and 11 show the terminals only, with the connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12 removed. All the terminals shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 are arranged in the same manner as in the case where they are attached to the connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The overall length of the second terminals 22 is greater than that of the first terminals 21. The rear end surfaces of the second terminals 22 are located on the rear side (the lower left side in FIG. 10 or on the right side in FIG. 11) with respect to the rear end surfaces of the first terminals 21, for the following reason. As described above, the termination grooves 16 for accommodating the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 are formed on the upper surface regions, and the termination grooves 16 for accommodating the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are formed on the lower surface regions. Therefore, the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 must be located on the rear side of the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21. This can be understood more readily from the arrangement of the terminal terminating portions shown in FIGS. 8 and 9D. Notably, in FIGS. 8 and 9, the guide portion 12 is removed in order to facilitate understanding of the arrangement of the terminating portions of the terminals attached to the connector body portion 11 and the guide portion 12. The guide portion 12 can be removed from the connector body portion 11 through an operation of disengaging the guide portion 12 from the engagement pieces 11a and then pulling rearward.

^■ Notably, the Overall length of the third terminal 23 is the substantially the same as that of the first terminals 21, but the rear end surface of the third terminal 23 is located rearward with respect to those of the first terminals 21. This is because the contact portion 23 a of the third terminal 23 is located rearward with respect to the contact portions 21a of the first terminals 21 and the contact portions 22a of the second terminals 22. By virtue of this configuration, the terminating portion 23b of the third terminal 23 is accommodated in the termination groove 16 which is formed on the upper surface region of the guide portion 12 and projects rearward, as described above.

In the present embodiment, each terminal has the shape of an elongated bar, and is formed through stamping and forming of a metal sheet. The body portion of each terminal is wider than the distal end portion and the terminating portion, and has barbs which are formed on the opposite side surfaces so as to bite into the side walls of the corresponding terminal accommodation hole 17 of the connector body portion 11. By virtue of this configuration, the opposite side surfaces of the body portion are reliably and fixedly held between the opposite side walls of the terminal accommodation hole 17. The contact portion formed at the distal end portion of each terminal projects inward by virtue of the spring function of the terminal.

The terminating portions of the terminals extend from their body portions via stepped portions such that the terminating portions are parallel to the body portions and are vertically (in the vertical direction in FIG. 1 IA) offset therefrom. The terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 and the terminating portion 23b of the third terminal 23 are each offset from the body portions toward the exterior of the guide portion 12; and the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are each offset from the body portions toward the center of the guide portion 12. By virtue of this configuration, the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21, the terminating portion 23b of the third terminal 23, and the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are distributed between the upper and lower rows, so that the terminating portions

21b of the first terminals 21 and the terminating portion 23b of the third terminal 23 are located in an upper plane, and the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are located in a lower plane. Thus, the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 and the terminating portion 23b of the third terminal 23 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 formed on the upper surface regions of the guide portion 12; and the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are accommodated in the termination grooves 16 formed on the lower surface regions of the guide portion 12.

Moreover, in order to render the distance between the terminating portions 21b of the paired first terminals 21 greater than that between the distal end portions of the paired first terminals 21 as described above, the terminating portions 21b of the paired first terminals 21 are offset laterally (in the vertical direction in FIGS. 1 IB and 11C) by means of the above-mentioned stepped portions such that the terminating portions 21b are parallel to the body portions.

Similarly, the terminating portion 23b of the third terminal 23 is offset laterally such that the terminating portion 23b is parallel to the body portion. Accordingly, through combined use of two first terminals 21 whose terminating portions 21b are offset rightward and leftward, respectively, with respect to their body portions, the distance between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 can be made greater than that between the distal end portions thereof.

In the present embodiment, all the first terminals 21 are equal in length, and two first terminals 21 combined to form a pair which are symmetric with respect to the center axis of the pair. The paired first terminals 21 are equal in terms of the length of a path for transmitting a signal from the terminating portion 21b to the contact portion 21a. Therefore, when the differential signal wires 34 of a differential signal line 32 are connected to the two first terminals 21 combined to form a pair, the length of a path for transmitting the positive voltage of a differential signal becomes equal to.the length of a path for transmitting the negative voltage of the differential signal. Therefore, signal skew is not generated.

Next will be described a procedure for attaching a connector shield case 40 to the cable connector 10 having the above-described configuration and the cable 30. FIG. 12 is a view showing a procedure for attaching the connector to a connector shield case in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which the connector shield case is attached to a cable and a connector in the embodiment. In these drawings, FIGS. 12A and 13A each show a front view; FIGS. 12B and 13B each show a side view; FIGS. 12C and 13C each show a top view; and FIGS. 12D and 13D each show a perspective view.

The connector shield case 40 is formed from a single, electrically conductive piece of sheet metal by means of stamping and bending. The connector shield case 40 includes a tubular portion 41 for accommodating a portion of the connector body portion 11 which extends from the end (the left end in FIGS. 12A and 12C) of the connector body portion 11 over a predetermined range, and an enclosure portion 42 for enclosing a rear end portion (a right end portion in FIGS. 12A and 12C) of the connector body portion 11 at which wire conductors of the cable 30 are connected to corresponding connector terminals. The tubular portion 41 and the enclosure ^■ portion 42 constitute a case body. The enclosure portion 42 has a substantially rectangular cross section, and its outline is larger than that of the tubular portion 41. A portion of the upper wall portion of the enclosure portion 42 is formed by a top tab 51, which serves as an upper tab portion and whose one side is integrally connected to the remaining portion of the upper wall portion of the enclosure portion 42. The top tab 51 extends from the remaining portion of the upper wall portion with a bending line 51a formed therebetween. A cable presser piece 53 (which will be described later), which serves as a joint piece, extends from the rear end of the top tab 51 via an intermediate portion 52. A portion of the lower wall portion of the enclosure portion 42 is formed by a bottom tab 43, which serves as a lower tab portion. The bottom tab 43 extends from a sidewall portion of the enclosure portion 42 with a bending line 43a formed therebetween. A crimp piece 45, which serves as a joint piece, extends from the rear end of the bottom tab 43 via an intermediate portion 44. The crimp piece 45 clamps an end portion of the cable 30 together with the cable presser piece 53, which is in contact with a shield tape 39 exposed at the cable end portion, while surrounding the shield tape 39. As a result, the connector shield case 40 is electrically connected to the shield tape 39. Two nail pieces 46 extend from opposite side portions of the rear end of the bottom tab 43 and are adapted to obliquely cover a region located rearward of a connection portion between the connector terminals and the conductors of the cable 30.

In the present embodiment, the shield tape 39 is held from above and below between the cable presser piece 53 and the crimp piece 45, thereby electrically connecting the connector shield case 40 to the braided shield of the cable 30. However, without use of the shield tape 39, the braided shield may be directly held from above and below between the cable presser piece 53 and the crimp piece 45 so as to electrically connect the connector shield case 40 to the braided shield. As shown in FIG. 12, the connector body portion 11 is inserted into the connector shield case 40 from the rear side of the connector shield case 40 while the cable 30 and the connector body portion 11 are arranged substantially straight; i.e., the axis of the cable 30 and the axis of the connector body portion 11 are substantially aligned with each other, hi this case, the connector body portion 11 is inserted into the connector shield case 40 from the rear side of the enclosure portion 42 in such a manner that the axis of the connector body portion 11 and the axis of the tubular portion 41 and the enclosure portion 42 are aligned with each other. In insertion of the connector body portion 11, the connector shield case 40 and the cable 30 and connector body portion 11 undergo relative movement. Specifically, any of the following insertion modes is acceptable: while the connector shield case 40 is held stationary, the cable 30 and the connector body portion 11 are moved forward; while the cable 30 and the connector body portion 11 are held stationary, the connector shield case 40 is moved rearward; and while the connector shield case 40 is moved rearward, the cable 30 and the connector body portion 11 are moved forward. As mentioned previously, the top tab 51 is inclined obliquely upward with respect to the upper wall portion of the enclosure portion 42, and the bottom tab 43 extends downward from a sidewall portion of the enclosure portion 42, so that the rear end of the enclosure portion 42 is open widely. Therefore, the connector body portion 11 can be readily inserted into the connector shield case 40 from the rear side of the enclosure portion 42. Subsequently, while the connector body portion 11 is fitted into the connector shield case

40, an assembly- consisting of the cable 30 and the connector body portion 11 is bent at a connection portion where the wire conductors of the cable 30 are connected to the connector terminals; i.e., at a connection portion between the connector body portion 11 and the cable 30, in such a manner that the cable 30 is inclined upward with respect to the connector body portion 11. The bending operation is a relative movement between the cable 30 and the connector body portion 11 , thus, the connector body portion 11 may be moved while the cable 30 is held stationary. The bending operation is performed such that the angle of the cable 30 with respect to the connector body portion 11 is substantially equal to the angle of the top tab 51 with respect to the upper wall portion of the enclosure portion 42. Subsequently, the bottom tab 43 is bent along the bending line 43 a in such a manner as to be bent upward until the bottom tab 43 becomes flush with the lower wall portion of the enclosure portion 42. As a result, the bending line 43 a becomes a bottom edge of a sidewall portion of the enclosure portion 42 and extends in parallel with the axis of the enclosure portion 42. The bottom tab 43 closes the open rear half of the lower wall portion of the enclosure portion 42, and the free edge (the bottom edge in FIG. 12) of the bottom tab 43 abuts the bottom edge of the other sidewall portion of the enclosure portion 42 which faces the sidewall portion from which the bottom tab 43 extends. Subsequently, the bent connection portion between the connector body portion 11 and the cable 30 is unbent to its original condition by pivotally moving the cable 30 downward. In other words, there is restored the original condition in which the axis of the cable 30 and the axis of the connector body portion 11 are substantially aligned with each other. At this time, the top tab 51 is unbent along the bending line 51 a by pivotally moving the top tab 51 downward, so as to become flush with the upper wall portion of the enclosure portion 42. As a result, the lower surface of the shield tape 39 of the cable 30 abuts a bottom portion of the U-shaped crimp piece 45, and the cable presser piece 53 abuts the upper surface of the shield tape 39. In other words, the shield tape 39 of the cable 30 is held from above and below between the cable presser piece 53 and the crimp piece 45.

Then, the sidewall portions of the U-shaped crimp piece 45 are curved along the circumferential surface of the shield tape 39 of the cable 30 so as to wind the crimp piece 45 on the circumferential surface of the shield tape 39. In this manner, the cable 30 is clamped by the crimp piece 45. hi this case, opposite end portions of the crimp piece 45 are curved in such a manner as to cover the cable presser piece 53, which is in contact with the upper surface of the shield tape 39.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the crimp piece 45 and the cable presser piece53 are attached to an end portion of the cable 30 in a circumferentially covering manner, and attachment of the connector shield case 40 to the connector body portion 11 and the cable 30 is completed. hi this case, the connector shield case 40 surrounds the periphery of the connector body portion 11 connected to the end of the cable 30 so as to electromagnetically shield the connector body portion 11. . . .

After that, a molding process is performed to cover the connector shield case 40 and the end portion of the cable 30 with an insulating resin, thereby completing a connector assembly 60. In this case, desirably, at least a range from the front end of the enclosure portion 42 to the rear end of the crimp piece 45 is covered with an insulating resin by molding. Notably, since most of the tubular portion 41 is inserted into an unillustrated counterpart connector, the tubular portion 41 is usually not covered with an insulating resin, hi place of molding, a connector cover formed of an insulating resin may be attached, thereby completing the connector assembly 60. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 and the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are distributed between the upper and lower rows, so that the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 are located in an upper plane and the terminating portions 22b of the second terminals 22 are located in a lower plane. Thus, the space between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 is increased. Therefore, even when the wire conductors 35 of the signal wires such as the differential signal wires 34 are thick, work for soldering the wire conductors 35 to the terminating portions 21b can be easily performed. Further, the soldering work can be performed in a reliable manner, and the state of connection between the wire conductors 35 and the terminating portions 21b attained by means of soldering can be made consistent.

Moreover, since an increased distance is secured between the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 of adjacent pairs, when the wire conductors 35 of the differential signal wires 34 are connected to the terminating portions 21b of the first terminals 21 in the same pair, generation of crosstalk between the adjacent differential signal wires 34 can be prevented. Further, two first terminals 21 combined to form a pair provide paths of the same length so as to transmit the positive voltage and negative voltage, respectively, of a differential signal, from the terminating portions 21b to the contact portions 21a. Therefore, signal skew is not generated. Moreover, the upper plane (upper surface region) and the lower plane (lower surface region) form a stepped configuration, and the upper plane is located forward of the lower plane. Therefore, the wire conductors 35 of the signal wires such as the differential signal wires 34 can be covered with the insulating layer up to a point near the boundary between the upper surface region and the lower surface region at which the end surface of the terminating portions 21b are located. Therefore, the range over which the insulating layers of the signal wires are removed to expose the wire conductors 35 can be shortened, and generation of crosstalk between the signal wires can be prevented. Further, in the case of the differential signal wires 34, the insulating layers of the two signal lines are covered with a binding layer up to a point near the boundary between the upper and. lower surface regions. Therefore, the two signal wires are not separated from each other, so that the length of the signal wire for transmitting the positive voltage of a differential signal becomes equal to that of the signal wire for transmitting the negative voltage of the differential signal, whereby generation of signal skew is prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the spirit of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A cable connector for terminating to ends of a multi-wire cable and connecting the cable wires to an opposing connector, comprising: a connector housing, the housing including a body portion and a guide portion; a plurality of first conductive terminals each having a contact portion for contact with a terminal of the opposing connector and a terminating portion for contacting a wire conductor of the cable; a plurality of second conductive second terminals each having a contact portion for contact with a terminal of the opposing connector and a terminating portion for contacting a wire conductor of said cable; and, said first second terminals being arranged in two groups, the first terminal contact portions being disposed in a first plane, and the second terminal contact portions being disposed in a second plane, said first terminal contact and terminating portions being spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction and said second terminal contact and terminating portions being also spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction, said first terminal contact portions being spaced apart from each other a first distance and said first terminal terminating portions being spaced apart from each other a second distance, the second distance being greater than said first distance.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein said second terminal contact portions are spaced apart from each other by a third distance and said second terminal terminating portions are spaced apart from each other by a fourth distance, the fourth distance being greater than said third distance.

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein said first and third distances are equal.

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein said second and fourth distances are equal.

5. The connector of claim 1 , wherein said two planes are spaced apart from each other.

6. The connector of claim.5, wherein said two planes are vertically spaced apart.

7. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein said first distance between a first pair of said first terminal contact portions is less than said second distance between said terminating portions of said first terminal pair and is also less than said second distance between said terminating portions of any other pair of first terminal terminating portions adjacent said first pair.

8. The connector of claim 1, said first and second terminal terminating portions are symmetrically arranged with respect to a central axis of said housing.

9. The connector of claim 1 , wherein said first terminals have first lengths and said second terminals have second lengths, the first length being longer than second length.

10. The connector of claim 1 , wherein said terminal contact portions are housed in said housing body portion, and said terminal terminating portions are partially housed in said housing guide portion.

11. The connector of claim 10, wherein said housing guide portion includes a plurality of slots formed therein that expose portions of said first and second terminal terminating portions.

12. The connector of claim 1, wherein said cable includes signal and ground wire conductors, the signal wire conductors being terminated to said first terminal terminating portions and the ground wire conductors being terminated to said second terminal terminating portions.

13. The connector of claim 1, further including a conductive exterior shield surrounding a portion of said housing.

14. The connector of claim 11, wherein said housing guide portion is stepped, and said slots are arranged on said steps.