Electrical connector

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical connector comprising an insulative housing and at least one power contact pair. Each power contact pair comprises an upper row of contact assembly and a lower row of contact assembly, with their contacting arms oppositely arranged in a height direction. Each of the upper row of contact assembly and the lower row of contact assembly comprises a first contact and a second contact. Each of the first and second contacts has a retaining portion and at least one contacting arm extending forward from the retaining portion. At least one of the upper row of contact assembly and the lower row of contact assembly further comprises a conducting member located between the first contact and the second contact. The conducting member is in contact with the first and second contacts on both sides thereof to electrically connect the two. The electrical connector of the present invention can effectively increase the conductor path and suppress heating of the power contact pair.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electrical connector. Prior Technology

[0002] Traditional electrical connectors have an insulating body and a plurality of power terminal pairs fixed within the insulating body. Each power terminal has a retaining portion and at least one elastic contact arm extending forward from the retaining portion. When the power terminal transmits a larger current, the power terminal is prone to excessive heat generated by the current impedance due to the limited conductor path, which exceeds the temperature range that the electrical connector can withstand, making it difficult to meet the usage requirements of high-power environments.

[0003] In view of this, it is indeed necessary to further improve traditional electrical connectors to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electrical connector that can increase conductor path and suppress heat generation at power terminals.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an electrical connector comprising an insulating body and at least one power terminal pair. The insulating body has a terminal groove extending in a front-rear direction, and the power terminal pair is fixed within the terminal groove of the insulating body. Each power terminal pair includes an upper row terminal assembly and a lower row terminal assembly with contact arms disposed opposite each other in a height direction. Each of the upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly includes a first terminal and a second terminal. Each of the first terminal and the second terminal has a retaining portion and at least one of the aforementioned contact arms extending forward from the retaining portion. At least one of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly further includes a conductive member located between the aforementioned first terminal and the second terminal. The conductive member contacts the first and second terminals located on both sides thereon to connect the two terminals.

[0006] Furthermore, the aforementioned conductive element is fixedly connected to the first and second terminals that are in contact with its two sides.

[0007] Furthermore, each of the aforementioned conductive elements has a first conductive portion, which is in contact with the aforementioned retaining portion.

[0008] Furthermore, each of the aforementioned conductive members also has a second conductive portion, which is formed by bending from the aforementioned first conductive portion to connect the aforementioned first conductive portion and the second conductive portion in an L-shape, and the aforementioned second conductive portion contacts the extension located on the rear side of the aforementioned retaining portion.

[0009] Furthermore, the aforementioned first terminal and second terminal are provided with a first positioning part, and the aforementioned first conductive part is provided with a second positioning part that cooperates with the aforementioned first positioning part.

[0010] Furthermore, the holding portions of the aforementioned first and second terminals have interference portions that are held in place with the aforementioned insulating body, and the aforementioned interference portions protrude from the aforementioned first conductive portion in the lateral direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the aforementioned first conductive portion of the aforementioned lower terminal assembly includes an upper conductive portion and a lower conductive portion formed by bending backward from the front end of the aforementioned upper conductive portion. The extension length of the aforementioned lower conductive portion in the front-rear direction is less than the extension length of the aforementioned upper conductive portion in the front-rear direction.

[0012] Furthermore, the extension length of the first conductive part of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly in the front-to-back direction is greater than the extension length of the first conductive part of the aforementioned lower terminal assembly in the front-to-back direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the material thickness of the conductive element in the aforementioned upper terminal assembly is greater than the material thickness of the conductive element in the aforementioned lower terminal assembly.

[0014] Furthermore, in the same terminal assembly, at least a portion of the contact arm of the aforementioned second terminal extends into the gap between two adjacent contact arms of the first terminal.

[0015] Compared to conventional technology, the electrical connector of the present invention achieves electrical conduction by using a conductive element to connect the first and second terminals of at least one of the upper and lower terminal assemblies, thereby increasing the conductor area of ​​the terminal assembly in the height direction, and thus effectively increasing the conductive path of the terminal assembly and suppressing the overheating of the power terminals. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0016] The first figure is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the electrical connector of the present invention. The second figure is a view of the electrical connector shown in the first figure from another perspective. The third figure is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown in the first figure. Figure 4 is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of one of the power terminals of the electrical connector shown in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a side view of the power terminal pair shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 is an exploded view of the power terminal pair shown in Figure 4. Figure 7 is a further exploded view of the power terminals shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 is a view of the power terminals shown in Figure 7 from another perspective. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector shown in Figure 1. Implementation

[0017] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 for a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector 100 of the present invention. In the present invention, the aforementioned electrical connector 100 includes an insulating body 1 and at least one power terminal pair 2, wherein the aforementioned power terminal pair 2 is fixed in the aforementioned insulating body 1.

[0018] For ease of explanation, when describing the electrical connector 100 below, we will consider the mating direction of the electrical connector 100 as the front-back direction, one direction perpendicular to the aforementioned front-back direction as the lateral direction, and the other direction perpendicular to the aforementioned front-back direction as the height direction.

[0019] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 9. The aforementioned insulating body 1 has a terminal slot 101 extending in the front-to-back direction, and the aforementioned power terminal pair 2 is fixed in the terminal slot 101 of the aforementioned insulating body 1. In addition, the aforementioned insulating body 1 also has a transverse wall 103 extending in the lateral direction, which divides the terminal slot 101 into upper and lower rows.

[0020] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5. Each power terminal pair 2 includes an upper row terminal assembly 2a and a lower row terminal assembly 2b arranged opposite each other along the height direction. The aforementioned transverse wall 103 divides the terminal slot 101 into two groups corresponding to the upper row terminal assembly 2a and the lower row terminal assembly 2b, respectively.

[0021] Each of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a and lower terminal assembly 2b includes a first terminal 21 and a second terminal 22. Each of the aforementioned first terminal 21 and second terminal 22 has a retaining portion 202 and at least one of the aforementioned contact arms 201 extending forward from the retaining portion 202.

[0022] Each of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly 2a and lower row terminal assembly 2b is referred to as a terminal assembly, and each of the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 is referred to as a power terminal, and each power terminal is a sheet-like structure extending in the lateral direction.

[0023] In this embodiment, each of the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22 further has an extension 203 formed by bending and extending from the aforementioned retaining portion 202, and the extension 203 is located behind the aforementioned retaining portion 202. Additionally, each of the first and second terminals 21 and 22 further has a solder foot 204 extending downward from the extension 203, and the extending direction of the solder foot 204 is perpendicular to the extending direction of the aforementioned contact arm 201.

[0024] Please refer to Figures 4 to 9. In this invention, at least one of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a and lower terminal assembly 2b also has a conductive member 23 located between the aforementioned first terminal 21 and second terminal 22. The conductive member 23 contacts the first and second terminals 21 and 22 located on both sides thereon to connect the two terminals.

[0025] In the embodiments shown in this invention, each of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a and lower terminal assembly 2b is provided with the aforementioned conductive element 23; in other embodiments of this invention, the aforementioned conductive element 23 may be provided only in the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a or only in the aforementioned lower terminal assembly 2b.

[0026] This application provides a conductive element 23 between the first and second terminals 21 and 22 of the same terminal assembly, and uses the conductive element 23 to electrically connect the adjacent first and second terminals 21 and 22, thereby increasing the conductor volume of the terminal assembly in the height direction, and effectively increasing the conductive path of the terminal assembly, thereby suppressing the heating of the power terminals, so as to meet the needs of higher power applications.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present invention, the conductivity of the aforementioned conductive element 23 is higher than that of the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22, thereby achieving effective conduction between the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22; furthermore, the conductivity of the aforementioned power terminal is lower than that of the aforementioned conductive element 23, so that it can be more elastic, so that the aforementioned contact arm 201 has a better elastic insertion and removal feel.

[0028] In this embodiment, the aforementioned conductive member 23 is fixedly connected to the first and second terminals 21 and 22 that are in contact with its two sides, thereby ensuring that the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 can be effectively electrically connected, and at the same time, the aforementioned terminal assembly can be installed as a whole.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present invention, the aforementioned conductive member 23 and the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 can be fixedly connected by riveting or welding; in other embodiments, the aforementioned electrical connector 100 also has an insulating member (not shown) formed on the aforementioned conductive member 23 and the corresponding first and second terminals 21 and 22, thereby realizing the fixed connection between the aforementioned conductive member 23 and the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22.

[0030] Furthermore, each of the aforementioned conductive members 23 has a first conductive portion 231, which is in contact with the aforementioned retaining portion 202.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present invention, the holding portions 202 of the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 have interference portions 2021 that are fixed to the aforementioned insulating body 1, and the aforementioned interference portions 2021 are provided to protrude from the aforementioned first conductive portion 231 in the lateral direction.

[0032] In some embodiments, each of the aforementioned conductive members 23 further has a second conductive portion 232, which is formed by bending from the aforementioned first conductive portion 231 so that the aforementioned first conductive portion 231 and the second conductive portion 232 are connected in an L-shape, and the aforementioned second conductive portion 232 is in contact with the extension portion 203 located on the rear side of the aforementioned retaining portion 202.

[0033] The upper and lower sides of the aforementioned first conductive portion 231 are in contact with the retaining portions 202 of the first and second terminals 21 and 22, respectively. The aforementioned second conductive portion 232 is in contact with at least one of the extension portions 203 of the first and second terminals 21 and 22. The width of the aforementioned first conductive portion 231 in the lateral direction is greater than the width of the aforementioned second conductive portion 232 in the lateral direction, so as to maximize the contact area with the retaining portions 202 of the first and second terminals 21 and 22, thereby enabling the transmission of a larger current.

[0034] As shown in Figures 4 to 9, in the embodiment shown in this invention, the first conductive portion 231 of the aforementioned lower terminal assembly 2b includes an upper conductive portion 2312 and a lower conductive portion 2313 formed by bending backward from the front end of the aforementioned upper conductive portion 2312. The extension length of the aforementioned lower conductive portion 2313 in the front-back direction is less than the extension length of the aforementioned upper conductive portion 2312 in the front-back direction, so that the rear end face of the aforementioned lower conductive portion 2313 is located in front of the solder foot 204 of the power terminal that contacts it. In this way, the aforementioned lower terminal assembly 2b is easy to manufacture and can save space.

[0035] The first conductive part 231 of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a has a longer extension length in the front-to-back direction than the first conductive part 231 of the aforementioned lower terminal assembly 2b. This creates a larger contact surface between the first conductive part 231 and the aforementioned retaining part 202, which is beneficial for transmitting a larger current.

[0036] The material thickness of the conductive element 23 in the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a is greater than that of the conductive element 23 in the aforementioned lower terminal assembly 2b. Because the height dimension of the second conductive portion 232 in the aforementioned lower terminal assembly 2b is relatively small, it is more difficult to bend. Therefore, a thinner material is used to manufacture the conductive element 23, thereby facilitating bending to form the aforementioned second conductive portion 232. The second conductive portion 232 of the upper terminal assembly 2a has a larger dimension in the height direction, and even if its material thickness is equal to that of its first conductive portion 231, it can be directly and easily bent into shape without the need to stack multiple layers of thinner metal material.

[0037] Furthermore, the material thickness of the conductive element 23 of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a is greater than the material thickness of the power terminal in the aforementioned upper terminal assembly 2a, so that the upper terminal assembly 2a can transmit a larger current by means of the aforementioned conductive element 23.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first terminal 21 and the second terminal 22 are provided with a first positioning portion 205, and the first conductive portion 231 is provided with a second positioning portion 2314 that cooperates with the first positioning portion 205. In this embodiment, the first positioning portion 205 is a protruding structure protruding from the first and second terminals 21 and 22, and the second positioning portion 2314 is a recessed structure formed on the first conductive portion 231.

[0039] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, in the embodiment shown in this invention, in the upper terminal assembly 2a, each of the aforementioned second positioning portions 2314 cooperates with the first positioning portions 205 of the first and second terminals 21 and 22 located on its upper and lower sides. That is, the first positioning portions 205 on the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 are aligned in the height direction to be inserted into the same second positioning portion 2314. The aforementioned second positioning portion 2314 passes through the aforementioned first conductive portion 231 in the height direction to avoid opening too many slots in the first conductive portion 231, which would lead to a deterioration in its structural strength and conductivity.

[0040] In the lower terminal assembly 2b, at least two of the aforementioned second positioning portions 2314 are provided on the aforementioned first conductive portion 231, which are staggered in the front-rear direction. The second positioning portion 2314 located on the front side cooperates with the first positioning portion 205 provided on the aforementioned first terminal 21, and the second positioning portion 2314 located on the rear side cooperates with the first positioning portion 205 provided on the second terminal 22.

[0041] Furthermore, the second positioning part 2314 located on the front side is disposed on the aforementioned lower conductive part 2313, and the second positioning part 2314 located on the rear side is disposed on the aforementioned upper conductive part 2312. In this way, the aforementioned upper and lower conductive parts 2312 and 2313 are respectively fixed to the second terminal 22 and the first terminal 21 by means of the second positioning part 2314 disposed thereon. Preferably, the second positioning part 2314 disposed on the aforementioned upper conductive part 2312 and the second positioning part 2314 disposed on the lower conductive part 2313 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction, so that the bonding force between the aforementioned first conductive part 231 and the first and second terminals 21 and 22 is more stable and firm.

[0042] Of course, in other embodiments, the second positioning part 2314 provided on the aforementioned upper conductive part 2312 may also be aligned with the second positioning part 2314 provided on the lower conductive part 2313 in the height direction.

[0043] In this embodiment, in the same terminal assembly, at least a portion of the contact arm 201 of the aforementioned second terminal 22 extends into the gap between two adjacent contact arms 201 of the first terminal 21. Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 to 9, in some embodiments, each of the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 is provided with a plurality of forward-extending contact arms 201, and in the same terminal assembly, the contact arms 201 of the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 are arranged alternately. That is, in the same terminal assemblies 2a and 2b, the contact arms 201 of each of the aforementioned first and second terminals 21 and 22 are evenly arranged in the lateral direction.

[0044] In other embodiments, the contact arms 201 of the aforementioned second terminal 22 may be divided into two groups spaced apart in the lateral direction, and the contact arms 201 of the aforementioned first terminal 21 may be disposed between the two groups of contact arms 201 of the second terminal 22 in the lateral direction; in other embodiments, in the same terminal combination, the contact arms 201 of the first terminal 21 may be arranged adjacent to each other, and the contact arms 201 of the aforementioned second terminal 22 may be arranged adjacent to each other, and the contact arms 201 of the first terminal 21 may be disposed on one side of the contact arms 201 of the second terminal 22 in the lateral direction.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, the aforementioned insulating body 1 further has a plurality of heat dissipation channels (not shown) formed on its top wall, the aforementioned heat dissipation channels penetrating the aforementioned top wall along the height direction, so as to dissipate the heat generated by the power terminal pair 2 being energized as quickly as possible.

[0046] In this invention, the aforementioned electrical connector 100 also has a plurality of signal terminals 3 located on one side of the aforementioned power terminal pair 2 in the lateral direction, each of the aforementioned signal terminals 3 having a mating arm 31 and a soldering portion 32.

[0047] In summary, the electrical connector 100 of the present invention increases the conductor area of ​​the terminal assemblies 2a and 2b in the height direction by providing a conductive element 23 between the first and second terminals 21 and 22 of the same terminal assembly 2a and 2b, and electrically connecting the adjacent first and second terminals 21 and 22 by means of the aforementioned conductive element 23, thereby effectively increasing the conductive path of the terminal assembly and suppressing the heating of the power terminals, so as to meet the needs of higher power applications.

[0048] It should be particularly noted that, for those skilled in the art, any equivalent modifications made to this invention under the guidance of its teachings should still be included within the scope claimed in the claims of this invention.

[0049] 100: Electrical connector 1: Insulating body 101: Terminal slot 103: Transverse wall 2: Power terminal pair 2a: Upper row terminal assembly 2b: Lower row terminal assembly 201: Contact Arm 202: Fixed Section 2021: Interference Department 203: Extension 204: Solder foot 205: First Positioning Section 21: First terminal 22: Second terminal 23: Conductor 231: First Conductor Section 2312: Upper Conductor 2313: Lower Conductor 2314: Second Positioning Unit 232: Second Conductor 3: Signal Terminal 31: Docking arm 32: Welding section

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body and at least one power terminal pair, wherein the insulating body has a terminal slot extending in a front-rear direction, the power terminal pair is fixed in the terminal slot of the insulating body, each power terminal pair comprising an upper row terminal assembly and a lower row terminal assembly disposed opposite each other in a height direction, each of the upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first terminal and the second terminal having a retaining portion and at least one of the aforementioned contact arms extending forward from the retaining portion; wherein at least one of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly further comprises a conductive member located between the aforementioned first terminal and the second terminal, the conductive member contacting the first and second terminals located on both sides thereon to connect the two, the conductive member being fixedly connected to the first and second terminals contacting its both sides, each of the aforementioned conductive members having a first conductive portion, the first conductive portion contacting the aforementioned retaining portion, the extension length of the first conductive portion of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly in the front-rear direction being greater than the extension length of the first conductive portion of the aforementioned lower row terminal assembly in the front-rear direction.

2. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein each of the aforementioned conductive members further has a second conductive portion, the second conductive portion being bent from the aforementioned first conductive portion to connect the aforementioned first conductive portion and the second conductive portion in an L-shape, the aforementioned second conductive portion being in contact with an extension located on the rear side of the aforementioned retaining portion.

3. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are provided with a first positioning portion, and the first conductive portion is provided with a second positioning portion that cooperates with the first positioning portion.

4. The electrical connector as described in claim 3, wherein the retaining portion of the first and second terminals has an interference portion that retains the aforementioned insulating body, and the aforementioned interference portion protrudes from the aforementioned first conductive portion in the lateral direction.

5. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein the first conductive portion of the aforementioned lower terminal assembly includes an upper conductive portion and a lower conductive portion formed by bending backward from the front end of the aforementioned upper conductive portion, wherein the extension length of the aforementioned lower conductive portion in the front-rear direction is less than the extension length of the aforementioned upper conductive portion in the front-rear direction.

6. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein the material thickness of the conductive element of the aforementioned upper terminal assembly is greater than the material thickness of the conductive element of the aforementioned lower terminal assembly.

7. An electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the same terminal assembly, at least a portion of the contact arm of the aforementioned second terminal extends into the gap between two adjacent contact arms of the first terminal.

8. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body and at least one power terminal pair, wherein the insulating body has a terminal groove extending in a front-rear direction, the power terminal pair is fixed within the terminal groove of the insulating body, each power terminal pair comprising an upper row terminal assembly and a lower row terminal assembly with contact arms disposed opposite each other in a height direction, each of the upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first terminal and the second terminal having a retaining portion and at least one contact arm extending forward from the retaining portion; wherein the upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly At least one of them also has a conductive member located between the first terminal and the second terminal. The conductive member contacts the first and second terminals located on both sides of it to connect the two. The conductive member is fixedly connected to the first and second terminals on both sides of it. Each of the aforementioned conductive members has a first conductive portion. The first conductive portion contacts the aforementioned retaining portion. Each of the aforementioned conductive members also has a second conductive portion. The second conductive portion is formed by bending from the aforementioned first conductive portion so that the aforementioned first conductive portion and the second conductive portion are connected in an L-shape. The aforementioned second conductive portion contacts the extension located on the rear side of the aforementioned retaining portion.

9. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body and at least one power terminal pair, wherein the insulating body has a terminal groove extending in a front-rear direction, the power terminal pair is fixed in the terminal groove of the insulating body, each power terminal pair comprising an upper row terminal assembly and a lower row terminal assembly disposed opposite each other in a height direction, each of the upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first terminal and the second terminal having a retaining portion and at least one of the aforementioned contact arms extending forward from the retaining portion; wherein at least one of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly further comprises a conductive member located between the aforementioned first terminal and the second terminal, the conductive member contacting the first and second terminals located on both sides thereon to connect the two, the material thickness of the conductive member of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly being greater than the material thickness of the conductive member of the aforementioned lower row terminal assembly.

10. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body and at least one power terminal pair, wherein the insulating body has a terminal groove extending in a front-rear direction, the power terminal pair is fixed in the terminal groove of the insulating body, each power terminal pair includes an upper row terminal assembly and a lower row terminal assembly with contact arms disposed opposite each other in a height direction, each of the upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly includes a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first terminal and the second terminal having a retaining portion and at least one of the aforementioned contact arms extending forward from the retaining portion; wherein at least one of the aforementioned upper row terminal assembly and the lower row terminal assembly further has a conductive member located between the aforementioned first terminal and the second terminal, the conductive member contacting the first and second terminals located on both sides thereon to connect the two, the conductive member being fixedly connected to the first and second terminals contacting its both sides, each of the aforementioned conductive members having a first conductive portion, the first conductive portion contacting the aforementioned retaining portion, the aforementioned first terminal and the second terminal having a first positioning portion, the aforementioned first conductive portion having a second positioning portion cooperating with the aforementioned first positioning portion.

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