Socket connector and assembly thereof

Abstract

A socket connector and its components, wherein the socket connector includes a socket body, a socket terminal fixed on the socket body and a socket protection frame, the socket body includes a bottom wall, two side walls formed by extending upward from both longitudinal sides of the bottom wall, and two end walls formed by extending upward from both lateral sides of the bottom wall, the bottom wall, the two side walls and the two end walls are arranged to form a docking cavity opening upward, the socket protection frame is provided with a top face portion, a side face portion and an elastic arm portion, the top face portion covers the upper surface of the end wall and the upper surface of the part of the side wall close to the end wall, the side face portion correspondingly covers the outer surface of the side wall, the elastic arm portion protrudes into the docking cavity and can be elastically deformed along the thickness direction of the side wall, the socket protection frame is not easy to undergo plastic deformation, and has better structural stability.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to a socket connector and a component thereof, in particular to a socket connector connected with a circuit board and a component thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Board to Board Connector (BTB) is a connector commonly used in electronic devices (such as mobile phones, tablet computers, etc.), and its function is to achieve mechanical and electrical interconnection between the mainboard of the electronic device and various modules (such as display modules, touch modules, camera modules, etc.). Board to board connectors are usually composed of two parts: a plug and a socket. The plug and the socket are both composed of a plastic body and a conductive terminal fixed on the plastic body. The plastic body mainly plays the role of insulation and positioning the conductive terminal, and the conductive terminal mainly plays the role of conduction. Usually, the plug and socket of the existing board to board connector will also add a protective bracket to improve its own strength; and the protective bracket of the socket has a spring for overcurrent, and the socket forms a clearance space on the side wall of its insulating body to accommodate the spring of the protective bracket. However, due to the limited height of the insulating body of the socket, the force arm of the spring is short, that is, the yield of the spring is too large, and the force of the spring is significantly attenuated after the socket is plugged in and out, so that the contact stability of the board to board connector is poor.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a new design form to overcome the above-mentioned defects. [Summary of the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a new socket connector and its assembly.

[0005] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A socket connector comprises a socket body, a socket terminal fixed on the socket body and a socket protection frame, the socket body comprises a bottom wall, two side walls formed by extending upward from both longitudinal sides of the bottom wall and two end walls formed by extending upward from both transverse sides of the bottom wall, the bottom wall, the two side walls and the two end walls surround a docking cavity opening upward, the socket protection frame is provided with a top face portion, a side face portion and an elastic arm portion, the top face portion covers the upper surface of the end wall and the upper surface of the part of the side wall close to the end wall, the side face portion correspondingly covers the outer surface of the side wall, the elastic arm portion protrudes into the docking cavity and can be elastically deformed along the thickness direction of the side wall.

[0007] Furthermore, the top surface portion includes an end wall top surface portion covering the upper surface of the end wall and a side wall top surface portion extending longitudinally from both lateral ends of the end wall top surface portion and covering the upper surface of the side wall. The end wall top surface portion is directly connected to the side wall top surface portion, and the side surface portion is formed by further extending downward from the outer edges of each side wall top surface portion along the longitudinal direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the elastic arm portion is formed by extending from one end of the side portion along the longitudinal direction, and the elastic arm portion includes a bending arm and an elastic arm connected to the bending arm. The elastic arm is located at the inner surface position of the corresponding side wall, and a gap is formed between the elastic arm and the inner surface of the side wall at least partially.

[0009] Furthermore, a gap is formed between the end position of the side wall in the longitudinal direction and the end position of the adjacent end wall in the transverse direction, the gap opens upward, and the elastic arm portion extends from the side portion and passes through the gap to protrude into the docking cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, the socket body forms a supporting platform below the elastic arm and / or the bending arm, and the elastic arm and / or the bending arm are supported on the supporting platform.

[0011] Furthermore, the bent arm of the elastic arm portion surrounds an end edge of the side wall close to the end wall, and a gap is formed between the bent arm and the end edge of the side wall close to the end wall.

[0012] Furthermore, the side portion includes a first section and a second section integrally connected along the longitudinal direction, and the lower side edge of the first section is further extended to form a fixed foot fixed to the docking circuit board. Along the longitudinal direction, the second section extends away from the end position of the first section to form the bending arm.

[0013] Furthermore, the elastic arm, the bending arm and the second section are all capable of elastic deformation.

[0014] Furthermore, the elastic arm is at least partially covered by the top surface along the up-down direction over its entire length along the longitudinal direction, and a local position of the elastic arm protrudes into the docking cavity to form a snap portion, which is at least partially not covered by the top surface along the up-down direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the socket protection frame also includes an end surface portion extended from one end of the top surface portion along the longitudinal direction, the end surface portion corresponds to the outer surface of the end wall, the end surface portion further extends to form a fixing foot fixed to the docking circuit board, and the end surface portion is located between the two elastic arms along the lateral direction.

[0016] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, the present invention also discloses the following technical solutions:

[0017] A connector assembly comprises a socket connector as described in any one of the above items and a plug connector that cooperates with the socket connector, the plug connector comprising a longitudinal plug body, a plurality of plug terminals and a plug protection frame fixed on the plug body, the plug protection frame being fixed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the plug body, the plug protection frame comprising a top plate portion, a side plate portion and an end plate portion, the top plate portion covering the upper surface of the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction, the side plate portion correspondingly covering the side surface of the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction, the end plate portion correspondingly covering the outer end surface of the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction, the top plate portion further extending with an insertion pin, the insertion pin being inserted into the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction along the up and down direction.

[0018] Furthermore, the side panel portion of the plug protection frame includes a first side panel section portion and a second side panel section portion connected along the longitudinal direction, the lower side edge of the first side panel section portion is further extended to form a fixing foot fixed to the docking circuit board, the second side panel section portion corresponds to the elastic arm portion on the socket protection frame and abuts against it, a rough portion is formed at a local position on the outer surface of the second side panel section portion, and a notch portion is formed at an edge of one side of the side panel portion close to the docking circuit board at an adjacent position of the first side panel section portion and the second side panel section portion.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, in the socket connector and the combination thereof of the present invention, the socket protection frame of the socket connector is not prone to plastic deformation and has better structural stability.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of the connector assembly of the present invention, which shows the state diagram of the socket connector 100 and the plug connector 200 when they are mated;

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded view of the connector assembly is shown, which shows a schematic diagram of the socket connector 100 and the plug connector 200 before mating;

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The exploded view of the connector assembly shown shows a schematic diagram of the socket connector 100 and the plug connector 200 before mating, and further shows a state diagram of one of the socket protection frames being separated from the socket body;

[0023] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the connector assembly shown from another angle;

[0024] Figure 5 yes Figure 4The exploded view of the connector assembly shown shows a schematic diagram of the socket connector 100 and the plug connector 200 before mating, and further shows a state diagram when one of the socket protection frames is separated from the socket body and one of the plug protection frames is separated from the plug body;

[0025] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 a side view of the connector assembly along the longitudinal direction;

[0026] Figure 7 It is Figure 1 Sectional view along line AA;

[0027] Figure 8 It is Figure 1 Sectional view along line BB. [Specific implementation method]

[0028] Below, combined with the accompanying drawings Figures 1 to 8 The specific implementation of the socket connector 100 and its components of the present invention are introduced.

[0029] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments in the application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0030] In addition, in the description of the application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] In the description of the application, it should be understood that the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof used herein are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.

[0032] In addition, it should be noted that in the present application, the docking direction of the socket connector 100 and the plug connector 200 is defined as the up-down direction, wherein the surface of the socket connector 100 corresponding to the circuit board is the lower surface, and the surface away from the circuit board is the upper surface. Similarly, the surface of the plug connector 200 corresponding to the circuit board is the lower surface, and the surface away from the circuit board is the upper surface. In addition, the longitudinal direction mentioned herein is the longitudinal direction of the socket connector 100 or the plug connector 200, and the lateral direction mentioned herein is the lateral direction of the socket connector 100 or the plug connector 200.

[0033] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 As shown, a connector combination disclosed in the present application includes a socket connector 100 and a plug connector 200 that cooperate with each other. The socket connector 100 includes a socket body 1 formed by injection molding of an insulating material, a plurality of socket terminals 2 fixed on the socket body 1, and a socket protection frame 3 made of a metal plate. The socket body 1 includes a bottom wall 11, two side walls 12 formed by extending upward from both sides of the bottom wall 11 in the longitudinal direction, and two end walls 13 formed by extending upward from both sides of the bottom wall 11 in the transverse direction. The bottom wall 11, the two side walls 12, and the two end walls 13 are arranged to form a docking cavity 1 that opens upward. In the present application, the socket connector 100 also extends upward at the middle position of the bottom wall 11 to form an island portion 14. The docking cavity 1 is defined by the bottom wall 11, the two side walls 12, the two end walls 13, and the island portion 14, and is a roughly annular space that opens upward.

[0034] The socket terminals 2 are formed by stamping and bending a metal sheet, and a plurality of the socket terminals 2 are arranged in two rows and fixed on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the socket body 1. Each of the socket terminals 2 includes a fixing sheet (not marked) fixed in the corresponding side wall 12, a welding sheet extending outward from the fixing sheet to the socket body 1, and a substantially U-shaped elastic sheet extending from the fixing sheet, wherein the two ends of the elastic sheet form contact portions for electrically connecting with the plug connector 200, and the U-shaped elastic sheet partially protrudes into the notches (not marked) formed on both sides of the island 14 in the longitudinal direction.

[0035] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the socket protection frame 3 is provided with a top portion 31, a side portion 32 and an elastic arm portion 33. The top portion 31 covers the upper surface of the end wall 13 and the upper surface of the part of the side wall 12 close to the end wall 13. The side portion 32 covers the outer surface of the side wall 12 accordingly. The elastic arm portion 33 protrudes into the docking cavity 10 and can be elastically deformed along the thickness direction of the side wall 12.

[0036] Specifically, the top surface portion 31 includes an end wall top surface portion 311 covering the upper surface of the end wall 13 and a side wall top surface portion 312 extending longitudinally from both lateral ends of the end wall top surface portion 31 and covering the upper surface of the side wall 12. The end wall top surface portion 311 is directly connected to the side wall top surface portion 312, and the side surface portion 32 is formed by further extending downward from the outer edge of each side wall top surface portion 312 along the longitudinal direction.

[0037] The elastic arm portion 33 is formed by bending one end of the side portion 32 along the longitudinal direction. The elastic arm portion 33 includes a bending arm 331 and an elastic arm 332 connected to the bending arm 331. The elastic arm 332 is arranged opposite to the side portion 32 along the transverse direction. The elastic arm 332 is located at a position corresponding to the inner surface of the side wall 12. A gap 40 is formed between at least a partial position of the elastic arm 332 and the inner surface of the side wall 12 (see Figure 7 ).

[0038] Please refer to Figures 2 to 5 Combined with Figure 7 As shown, a notch 50 is formed between the end of the side wall 12 in the longitudinal direction and the end of the adjacent end wall 13 in the transverse direction, and the notch 50 opens upward. The bent arm 331 of the elastic arm portion 33 surrounds an end edge of the side wall 12 close to the end wall 13, and the elastic arm portion 33 passes through the notch 50 in the longitudinal direction and protrudes into the docking cavity 1. A gap 60 is formed between the bent arm 331 and an end edge of the side wall 12 close to the end wall 13. In the present application, the lower part of the elastic arm 332 and the bent arm 331 is supported on the support platform 15, and the support platform 15 can be a part directly formed by the bottom wall 11, or a part formed by the side wall 12 and / or the end wall 13.

[0039] In another embodiment, the elastic arm portion 33 is formed by bending and extending one end of the side portion 32 away from the end wall 13 in the longitudinal direction (that is, the end close to the socket terminal 2). In this embodiment, the notch 50 is formed at the corresponding position of the side wall 12 to make way for the elastic arm portion 33.

[0040] The side surface portion 32 includes a first section 321 and a second section 322 which are integrally connected along the longitudinal direction. The lower side edge of the first section 321 is further extended to form a fixing foot 3210 fixed to the docking circuit board. The second section 322 is extended along the longitudinal direction away from the end of the first section 321 to form the bending arm 331. The elastic arm 332, the bending arm 331 and the second section 322 can all be elastically deformed. When the plug connector 200 is docked with the socket connector 100, the elastic arm 33 can have better elasticity and can be elastically deformed in the transverse and longitudinal directions, so that the elastic arm 332 can be more effectively prevented from being plastically deformed. Specifically, the elastic arm 332 and the second section 322 can be elastically deformed in the transverse direction, and the bending arm 331 can be elastically deformed in the longitudinal direction.

[0041] In the present application, the socket protection frame 3 is fixed to the socket body 1 by assembly, which is more conducive to ensuring the elastic deformation of the elastic arm 332, the bending arm 331 and the second section 322, without affecting the elastic function of some parts due to injection molding. In addition, in the present application, a bearing platform 15 is provided to effectively prevent the elastic arm 332 and the bending arm 331 from being deformed downward due to force, thereby ensuring that the scraping stroke with the plug connector 100 is maximized during docking, while preventing the elastic arm 332 and the bending arm 331 from being damaged.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the elastic arm 332 is at least partially covered by the top surface 31 along the vertical direction along the entire length of the longitudinal direction, and the elastic arm 332 partially protrudes into the docking cavity 10 to form a buckle portion 333, and the buckle portion 333 is at least partially not covered by the top surface 31 along the vertical direction. Such a design can prevent the elastic arm 332 from being collapsed by the plug connector 100.

[0043] In addition, the socket protection frame 3 also includes an end surface portion 34 extending from one end of the top surface portion 31 along the longitudinal direction, and the end surface portion 34 corresponds to the outer surface of the end wall 13. The end surface portion 34 is further extended to form a fixing foot fixed to the docking circuit board, and the end surface portion 34 is located between the two elastic arm portions 33 along the lateral direction.

[0044] The socket protection frame 3 of the socket connector 100 of the present design is less prone to plastic deformation, has better structural stability, and is easier to assemble.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8As shown, the plug connector 200 includes a longitudinal plug body 7, a plurality of plug terminals 8 fixed on the plug body 7, and a plug protection frame 9, the plug protection frame 9 is fixed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the plug body 7, and the plug protection frame 9 includes a top plate portion 91, a side plate portion 92, and an end plate portion 93, the top plate portion 91 covers the upper surface of the end of the longitudinal direction of the plug body 7, the side plate portion 92 covers the side of the end of the longitudinal direction of the plug body 7, and the end plate portion 93 covers the outer end surface of the end of the longitudinal direction of the plug body 7. In the present application, the plug protection frame 9 is fixed to the plug body 7 by assembly, and the top plate portion 91 further extends with an insertion pin 911, and the insertion pin 911 is inserted into the end of the longitudinal direction of the plug body 7 along the up-down direction.

[0046] The side plate portion 92 of the plug protection frame 9 includes a first side plate section 921 and a second side plate section 922 connected in the longitudinal direction. The lower side edge of the first side plate section 921 is further extended to form a fixing foot fixed to the docking circuit board. The second side plate section 922 is correspondingly in contact with the elastic arm 33 on the socket protection frame 3. A rough portion 9221 is formed at a local position on the outer surface of the second side plate section 922. The rough portion 9221 is used to dock with the buckle portion 333 of the socket protection frame 3 of the socket connector 100. A notch portion 920 is formed at a side edge of the side plate portion 92 close to the docking circuit board at a position adjacent to the first side plate section 921 and the second side plate section 922. The notch portion 920 has an anti-tin creeping effect.

[0047] In summary, the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention. That is, all simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and description of the present invention should still belong to the present invention.

Claims

1. A socket connector, characterized in that: The socket body comprises a socket terminal fixed on the socket body and a socket protection frame, wherein the socket body comprises a bottom wall, two side walls formed by extending upward from both longitudinal sides of the bottom wall, and two end walls formed by extending upward from both transverse sides of the bottom wall, wherein the bottom wall, the two side walls and the two end walls surround a docking cavity opening upward, and the socket protection frame comprises a top face portion, a side face portion and an elastic arm portion, wherein the top face portion covers the upper surface of the end wall and the upper surface of the part of the side wall close to the end wall, the side face portion covers the outer surface of the side wall correspondingly, and the elastic arm portion can be elastically deformed along the thickness direction of the side wall; The elastic arm portion is formed by extending one end of the side portion along the longitudinal direction, and includes a bending arm and an elastic arm connected to the bending arm; A notch is formed between the end position of the side wall in the longitudinal direction and the end position of the adjacent end wall in the transverse direction, the notch opens upward, the elastic arm portion extends from the side portion and passes through the notch to protrude into the docking cavity, the elastic arm is located on the inner side of the corresponding side wall and forms a gap with the inner surface of the side wall; The socket body forms a bearing platform below the elastic arm, and the elastic arm is carried on the bearing platform; The bent arm of the elastic arm portion surrounds an end edge of the side wall close to the end wall, and a gap is formed between the bent arm and the end edge of the side wall close to the end wall; The socket protection frame is fixed to the socket body by assembly from top to bottom.

2. The socket connector according to claim 1, wherein: The top surface portion includes an end wall top surface portion covering the upper surface of the end wall and a side wall top surface portion extending longitudinally from both lateral ends of the end wall top surface portion and covering the upper surface of the side wall. The end wall top surface portion is directly connected to the side wall top surface portion, and the side surface portion is formed by further extending downward from the outer edges of each side wall top surface portion along the longitudinal direction.

3. The socket connector according to claim 1, wherein: The socket body forms a bearing platform below the bending arm, and the bending arm is carried on the bearing platform.

4. The socket connector according to claim 1, wherein: The side portion includes a first section and a second section integrally connected along the longitudinal direction, the lower side edge of the first section further extends to form a fixed foot fixed to the docking circuit board, and along the longitudinal direction, the second section extends away from the end position of the first section to form the bending arm.

5. The socket connector according to claim 4, wherein: The elastic arm, the bending arm and the second section can all undergo elastic deformation.

6. The socket connector according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic arm is at least partially covered by the top surface along the vertical direction over its entire length along the longitudinal direction, and a local position of the elastic arm protrudes into the docking cavity to form a snap portion, which is at least partially not covered by the top surface along the vertical direction.

7. The socket connector according to claim 1, wherein: The socket protection frame also includes an end surface portion formed by extending from one end of the top surface portion along the longitudinal direction, the end surface portion corresponds to the outer surface of the end wall, the end surface portion further extends to form a fixing foot fixed to the docking circuit board, and the end surface portion is located between the two elastic arms along the lateral direction.

8. A connector assembly, characterized in that: It includes the socket connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 and a plug connector that cooperates with the socket connector, the plug connector includes a longitudinal plug body, a plurality of plug terminals and a plug protection frame fixed on the plug body, the plug protection frame is fixed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of the plug body, the plug protection frame includes a top plate portion, a side plate portion and an end plate portion, the top plate portion covers the upper surface of the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction, the side plate portion corresponds to covering the side surface of the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction, the end plate portion corresponds to covering the outer end surface of the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction, the top plate portion is further extended with an insertion pin, and the insertion pin is inserted into the end portion of the plug body in the longitudinal direction along the up and down direction.

9. The connector assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The side panel portion of the plug protection frame includes a first side panel section portion and a second side panel section portion connected along the longitudinal direction, the lower side edge of the first side panel section portion is further extended to form a fixing foot fixed to the docking circuit board, the second side panel section portion corresponds to the elastic arm portion on the socket protection frame, a rough portion is formed at a local position of the outer surface of the second side panel section portion, and a notch portion is formed at a side edge of the side panel portion close to the docking circuit board at adjacent positions of the first side panel section portion and the second side panel section portion.

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