electrical connectors

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrical connector comprising an insulating body and a plurality of power terminal pairs fixed to the insulating body. The insulating body comprises a mounting portion for mounting on a circuit board, a docking portion extending forward from the mounting portion, and a plurality of terminal slots extending in a front-to-back direction. The power terminal pairs are fixed to corresponding terminal slots of the insulating body and are arranged in two rows arranged in a height direction. Each power terminal pair in each row comprises two power terminals, each power terminal comprising a retaining portion retained within a corresponding terminal slot, at least one pair of contact portions extending forward from the front end of the retaining portion, and at least one solder leg extending from the rear end of the retaining portion. One row of power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body in a back-to-front direction, while the other row of power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body in a top-to-bottom direction. The electrical connector of the present invention is easy to manufacture, has a low height, and facilitates electrical connection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and in particular to an electrical connector with a relatively low height. Background Art

[0002] In order to transmit larger currents, traditional electrical connectors increase the transmission area of ​​the power terminals to make them sheet-shaped. Each power terminal usually has one or more contact arms extending forward from the front end of its sheet-shaped body. At the same time, multiple sheet power terminals are arranged along the height direction to achieve the purpose of transmitting larger currents.

[0003] Furthermore, to facilitate electrical connection between the electrical connector and the mating component, the height of the electrical connector needs to be reduced. However, this makes the manufacture and assembly of a large number of conductive terminals more difficult. For example, in an electrical connector with four power terminals arranged vertically, according to conventional manufacturing processes, if the upper power terminal pair is first installed into the insulating body, and the solder legs of the lower power terminal pair are then bent and installed into the insulating body, when the center height of the electrical connector is set low, the upper power terminal pair will be difficult to bend to form the downward-extending solder legs. If the upper power terminal pair is first bent to form the downward-extending solder legs before being installed into the insulating body, the installation space for the lower power terminal pair will be blocked, making it impossible for the lower power terminal pair to be installed into the insulating body.

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to improve the existing electrical connector to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector that is easy to manufacture, has a low height, and facilitates electrical connection.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention provides an electrical connector, which includes an insulating body and a plurality of power terminal pairs fixed to the insulating body, the insulating body having a mounting portion for mounting on a circuit board, a docking portion extending forward from the mounting portion, and a plurality of terminal slots extending along the front-to-back direction, the power terminal pairs are fixed to the corresponding terminal slots of the insulating body and are divided into two rows arranged along the height direction, each power terminal pair in each row includes two power terminals, each power terminal includes a holding portion held in the corresponding terminal slot, at least a pair of contact portions extending forward from the front end of the holding portion, and at least one solder foot extending from the rear end of the holding portion, wherein one row of the power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body along the back-to-front direction, and the other row of the power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body along the up-down direction.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the retaining portion of each power terminal of the power terminal pair located in the upper row extends in the up-down direction, and the retaining portion of each power terminal of the power terminal pair located in the lower row extends in the front-back direction.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the electrical connector also has a cover assembled and fixed to the insulating body. After the power terminal pair is installed in the insulating body, the cover is assembled to the insulating body along the up and down direction and is arranged adjacent to the other row of power terminal pairs.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the terminal grooves on the insulating body corresponding to the other row of power terminal pairs are open outward in the up and down directions, the cover body has an inner side close to the other row of power terminal pairs and an outer side opposite to the inner side, and the inner side of the cover body is provided with a plurality of pressing portions that respectively abut against the other row of power terminal pairs.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the cover body includes a front cover plate located on the front side, a rear cover plate located on the rear side, and a connecting plate connecting the front cover plate and the rear cover plate, the front cover plate covers the outer side of the docking part, the rear cover plate covers the outer side of the mounting part, the insulating body has a plurality of limiting protrusions, each limiting protrusion is located between two adjacent terminal grooves, and the connecting plate is provided with a plurality of limiting grooves for accommodating and positioning the corresponding limiting protrusions.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the retaining portions of the two power terminals arranged in pairs in the other row of power terminals are parallel and spaced apart in the front-to-back direction so as to interfere with the corresponding retaining grooves in the terminal groove.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the two power terminals in each power terminal pair are housed together in the same terminal slot, and each power terminal in the other row of power terminal pairs has a first horizontal portion and a second horizontal portion parallel to each other, and the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion are respectively connected to the top and bottom ends of the retaining portion.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the cover body has a plurality of heat dissipation grooves penetrating the cover body along the height direction and communicating with the terminal grooves.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, at least one pair of snap-fit ​​parts is further provided on the inner side of the cover, and the insulating body has locking parts located on both sides thereof in the transverse direction to cooperate with the snap-fit ​​parts.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the inner side of the cover body is further provided with several protrusions protruding toward the insulating body, and two adjacent pressing portions are spaced apart in the transverse direction to form a spacing groove, and the protrusions are aligned with the corresponding spacing grooves in the front-to-back direction.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The electrical connector of the present invention has a relatively low center height so as to be electrically connected to the docking component, and one row of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector is inserted into the insulating body along the back-to-front direction, and the other row of power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body along the up-down direction, thereby avoiding the inconvenience caused to each other by the two rows of power terminal pairs when installed in the same direction, reducing the difficulty and cost of product production, and thus achieving the purpose of the electrical connector being able to transmit large currents while having a relatively low overall height and center height, while solving the problem of multi-row power terminals being difficult to assemble. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of an embodiment of an electrical connector of the present invention.

[0018] Figures 2 to 3 yes Figure 1 Another view of the electrical connector shown.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A partially exploded view of the electrical connector shown.

[0020] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A further exploded view of the electrical connector is shown.

[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Partial assembly view of the electrical connector shown.

[0022] Figures 7 and 8 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the electrical connector shown.

[0023] Figure 9 yes Figure 5 A view of the insulating body of the electrical connector from another perspective.

[0024] Figure 10 yes Figure 5 Another perspective view of the cover of the electrical connector is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] Please refer to Figures 1 to 10 FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an electrical connector 100 according to the present invention. The electrical connector 100 includes an insulating body 1 and a plurality of power terminal pairs 2 secured to the insulating body 1. For ease of description, the following description will consider the mating end of the electrical connector 100 as the front end, and the opposite end as the rear end. In other words, the front-to-back direction represents the mating direction between the electrical connector 100 and a mating component (not shown). Furthermore, a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction is defined as the lateral direction, and another direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction is defined as the height direction. In this embodiment, the lateral dimension of the insulating body 1 is greater than its height and front-to-back dimensions.

[0027] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 As shown, in the present invention, the insulating body 1 has a mounting portion 11 for mounting on a circuit board (not shown), a docking portion 12 extending forward from the mounting portion 11, and a plurality of terminal slots 13 extending along the front-to-back direction. A partition 14 is provided between every two adjacent terminal slots 13. Each of the terminal slots 13 extends along the front-to-back direction and passes through the insulating body 1. Each of the partitions 14 also extends along the front-to-back direction.

[0028] In addition, the insulating body 1 has two rows of terminal slots 13 spaced apart along the height direction. The terminal slots 13 in the upper row are open outward and upward in the front-to-back direction, while the terminal slots 13 in the lower row are only open outward in the front-to-back direction.

[0029] In the present invention, the mounting portion 11 has a mounting surface 110 for mounting on a circuit board. In the height direction, the mounting surface 110 is not lower than the horizontal center plane C-C' of the docking portion 12 to reduce the overall height of the electrical connector 100; and the electrical connector 100 has a lower center height to facilitate electrical connection with the docking component.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the mounting portion 11 has a supporting portion 112 and a pair of extensions 113 located on either side of the supporting portion 112 in the transverse direction. In the height direction, the lower row of terminal slots 13 is located below the supporting portion 112. The supporting portion 112 is generally plate-shaped and has a plurality of spacers 1121 arranged in the transverse direction. Each extension 113 extends rearward and protrudes from the supporting portion 112, and the mounting surface 110 is the bottom surface of the extension 113.

[0031] Each of the extension portions 113 has a receiving groove 1132 recessed downward from its top surface. The supporting portion 112 has a pair of locking portions 1123 protruding outward from both sides in the lateral direction. The locking portions 1123 protrude into the receiving grooves 1132 on the corresponding sides.

[0032] The docking portion 12 has a front end wall 121 located at its front end and extending laterally. The front end wall 121 is located on the upper side of the docking portion 12 and is connected to the partition 14. The partition 14 is arranged perpendicular to the front end wall 121 and exposed to the upper side of the docking portion 12. In addition, each of the partitions 14 has a limiting protrusion 141 protruding upward, so that a plurality of limiting protrusions 141 are formed on the upper side of the insulating body 1, and each of the limiting protrusions 141 is located between two adjacent terminal grooves 13.

[0033] In this embodiment, the terminal slots 13 include a first slot portion 131 and a second slot portion 132 that are interconnected. The first slot portion 131 is located at the front to accommodate the contact portions 202 of the power terminal pair 2, and the second slot portion 132 is located at the rear to accommodate and position the retaining portions 201 of the power terminal pair 2. The second slot portion 132 of the upper row terminal slots 13 includes two pairs of retaining slots 1321 located on either side of the second slot portion 1321 in the transverse direction. The two retaining slots 1321 in each pair of retaining slots 1321 are disposed opposite each other in the transverse direction, and the two retaining slots 1321 on the same side are spaced apart in the front-to-back direction. Each retaining slot 1321 is in the shape of an elongated strip extending in the height direction.

[0034] Please refer to Figures 2 to 8 As shown, the power terminal pairs 2 are fixed to corresponding terminal slots 13 of the insulating body 1 and are arranged in two rows along the height direction, namely, power terminal pairs in the upper row and terminal pairs in the lower row. In this embodiment, the power terminal pairs 2 are arranged in pairs along the height direction to form a group, and the two power terminal pairs 2 in each group are arranged opposite each other and spaced apart along the height direction.

[0035] Each of the power terminal pairs 2 in each row includes two power terminals 21, each power terminal including a retaining portion 201 retained in the corresponding terminal slot 13, at least one pair of contact portions 202 extending forward from the front end of the retaining portion 201, and at least one solder foot 203 extending from the rear end of the retaining portion 201.

[0036] Each contact portion 202 is curved and protrudes toward the horizontal center plane C-C' of the mating portion 12. The contact portions 202 of the two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 are arranged in a row along the height direction, and the multiple contact portions 202 of the two power terminals 21 are arranged in an alternating pattern along the transverse direction. Of course, the contact portions 202 of the two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 can also be staggered in the height direction, as long as the contact portions 202 of the two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 are on the same horizontal plane along the height direction when mated with the mating component.

[0037] During assembly, one row of power terminal pairs 2a are inserted into the insulating body 1 along the back-to-front direction, and the other row of power terminal pairs 2b are inserted into the insulating body 1 along the up-down direction, and one row of power terminal pairs 2a is located on the lower side of the carrying portion 112, and the other row of power terminal pairs 2b is located on the upper side of the carrying portion 112.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the row of power terminal pairs 2a is located in the lower row, and the row of power terminal pairs 2b is located in the upper row. Furthermore, the retaining portion 201 of each power terminal 21 in the upper row of power terminal pairs 2 extends in the vertical direction, while the retaining portion 201 of each power terminal 21 in the lower row of power terminal pairs 2 extends in the front-to-back direction. In other embodiments of the present invention, the lower row of power terminal pairs 2 can also be inserted into the insulating body 1 in the vertical direction, while the upper row of power terminal pairs 2 can be inserted into the insulating body 1 in the front-to-back direction.

[0039] The retaining portions 201 of the two power terminals 21 arranged in pairs in the other row of power terminal pairs 2b are parallel and spaced apart in the front-to-back direction to interfere with the corresponding retaining grooves 1321 in the terminal groove 13. Preferably, the retaining portions 201 are arranged perpendicular to the mounting surface 110 so that the other row of power terminal pairs 2b can be smoothly installed into the insulating body 1.

[0040] The two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 are housed together in the same terminal slot 13. Each power terminal 21 in the other row of power terminal pairs 2b has a first horizontal portion 204 and a second horizontal portion 205 that are parallel to each other. The first horizontal portion 204 and the second horizontal portion 205 are respectively connected to the top and bottom ends of the retaining portion 201. Both the first and second horizontal portions 204 and 205 are sheet-like structures. The solder legs 203 are formed by bending downward and extending from the rear end of the first horizontal portion 204. The solder legs 203 of each row of power terminal pairs 2 are arranged in two rows aligned in the transverse direction.

[0041] In one row of power terminal pairs 2a, the retaining portion 201 of each power terminal 21 extends rearward from its contact portion 202. The retaining portion 201 is a horizontally extending sheet-like structure. Each power terminal 21 also has a first bent portion 206 extending upward from the rear end of the retaining portion 201 and a second bent portion 207 extending rearward from the top of the first bent portion 206. The solder leg 203 bends downward from the rear end of the second bent portion 207. The first bent portion 206 extends at an angle to the height. The retaining portions 201 of the two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2a are stacked in the height direction, and the second bent portions 207 are stacked in the height direction.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present invention, each power terminal 21 has two contact portions 202 extending forward. In other embodiments, each power terminal 21 may also have three or more contact portions 202 .

[0043] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 Combined with Figure 10 As shown, the electrical connector 100 further has a cover 3 assembled and fixed to the insulating body 1. After the power terminal pair 2 is installed in the insulating body 1, the cover 3 is assembled to the insulating body 1 in the up-down direction and is arranged adjacent to the other row of power terminal pairs 2b, thereby isolating the power terminal pair 2 from the outside world on the upper side and assisting in fixing the power terminal pair 2.

[0044] The terminal groove 13 on the insulating body 1 corresponding to the other row of power terminal pairs 2b is open outward in the up and down directions, and the cover body 3 has an inner side close to the other row of power terminal pairs 2b and an outer side opposite to the inner side. The inner side of the cover body 3 is provided with a plurality of pressing portions 301 respectively abutting against the other row of power terminal pairs 2b.

[0045] The cover body 3 includes a front cover plate 31 located on the front side, a rear cover plate 32 located on the rear side, and a connecting plate 34 connecting the front cover plate 31 and the rear cover plate 32. The front cover plate 31 covers the outer side of the docking portion 12, and the rear cover plate 32 covers the outer side of the mounting portion 11. The connecting plate 34 is provided with a plurality of limiting grooves 341 for accommodating and positioning corresponding limiting protrusions 141.

[0046] The cover 3 also has several heat dissipation slots 302 extending through its height and communicating with the terminal slots 13. Furthermore, two rows of heat dissipation slots 302 are formed on the front cover 31, and two rows of heat dissipation slots 302 are also formed on the rear cover 32. The cover 3 also has several recessed portions 3031 recessed downward from its top surface at its rear end, and heat dissipation holes 3032 communicating with corresponding recessed portions 3031. Each recessed portion 3031 corresponds to two heat dissipation holes 3032, thereby forming a through-type heat dissipation structure at the rear end of the cover 3.

[0047] In addition, at least one pair of buckle portions 304 is provided on the inner side of the cover 3 , and the insulating body 1 has locking portions 1123 located on both sides in the transverse direction thereof to cooperate with the buckle portions 304 .

[0048] The inner side of the cover 3 is further provided with a plurality of protrusions 305 extending toward the insulating body 1. Two adjacent pressing portions 301 are spaced apart in the transverse direction to form a spacing groove 306. The protrusions 305 are aligned with the corresponding spacing groove 306 in the front-to-back direction. Each protrusion 305 is located between two adjacent pairs of power terminals 2. This not only increases the structural strength of the cover 3 but also increases the arc creep distance between the power terminals 21. In this embodiment, the cover 3 has two sets of protrusions 305 spaced apart in the front-to-back direction, and the two sets of protrusions 305 are aligned in the front-to-back direction. In the rear set of protrusions 305, at least one heat dissipation groove 302 is sandwiched between two adjacent protrusions 305.

[0049] During assembly, the welding legs 203 of the lower row of power terminal pairs 2 are bent and formed, then combined and stacked together and inserted into the insulating body 1 in the front-to-back direction. Then, the two power terminals 21 of the upper row of power terminal pairs are sequentially inserted into the insulating body 1 in the height direction. Of course, the two power terminals 21 of the upper row of power terminal pairs 2 can also be combined and stacked together and then inserted into the insulating body 1 together. Finally, the cover body 3 is assembled to the upper side of the insulating body 1 in the top-to-bottom direction to cover and further fix the power terminal pair 2. This can achieve automated production, improve production efficiency, and reduce manufacturing difficulty.

[0050] Please refer to Figures 1 to 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the electrical connector 100 further comprises a plurality of signal terminals 4 located on one side of the power terminal pair 2 along the transverse direction and a base 5 assembled to the insulating body 1 and fixing the pins 43 of the signal terminals 4 .

[0051] The electrical connector 100 of the present invention has a relatively low center height to facilitate electrical connection with mating components. One row of power terminal pairs 2a of the electrical connector 100 is inserted into the insulating body 1 in a back-to-forward direction, while the other row of power terminal pairs 2b is inserted into the insulating body 1 in a top-to-bottom direction. This avoids interference caused by the two rows of power terminal pairs 2 being installed in the same direction, thereby reducing the difficulty and cost of product manufacturing. This achieves the goal of the electrical connector 100 being able to transmit high current while maintaining a relatively low overall height and center height, while also resolving the difficulty in assembling multi-row power terminal pairs.

[0052] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body and a plurality of power terminal pairs fixed to the insulating body, the insulating body having a mounting portion for mounting on a circuit board, a docking portion extending forward from the mounting portion, and a plurality of terminal slots extending in a front-to-rear direction, the power terminal pairs being fixed to corresponding terminal slots in the insulating body and arranged in two rows arranged in a height direction, each power terminal pair in each row comprising two power terminals, each power terminal comprising a retaining portion retained in a corresponding terminal slot, at least a pair of contact portions extending forward from a front end of the retaining portion, and at least one solder leg extending from a rear end of the retaining portion in a bent manner, characterized in that: One row of the power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body along the back-to-front direction, and the other row of power terminal pairs is inserted into the insulating body along the up-down direction. The electrical connector also has a cover body assembled and fixed to the insulating body. After the power terminal pairs are installed in the insulating body, the cover body is assembled to the insulating body along the up-down direction and is arranged adjacent to the other row of power terminal pairs. The retaining portion of each power terminal of the power terminal pair in the upper row extends along the up-down direction, and the retaining portion of each power terminal of the power terminal pair in the lower row extends along the front-to-back direction.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The terminal grooves on the insulating body corresponding to the other row of power terminal pairs are open outward in the up and down directions, and the cover body has an inner side close to the other row of power terminal pairs and an outer side opposite to the inner side. The inner side of the cover body is provided with a plurality of pressing portions that respectively abut against the other row of power terminal pairs.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein: The cover body includes a front cover plate located on the front side, a rear cover plate located on the rear side, and a connecting plate connecting the front cover plate and the rear cover plate, the front cover plate covers the outer side of the docking part, the rear cover plate covers the outer side of the mounting part, the insulating body has a plurality of limiting protrusions, each limiting protrusion is located between two adjacent terminal grooves, and the connecting plate is provided with a plurality of limiting grooves to accommodate and position the corresponding limiting protrusions.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The retaining portions of the two power terminals arranged in pairs in the other row of power terminals are parallel and spaced apart in the front-to-back direction so as to interfere with the corresponding retaining grooves in the terminal groove.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The two power terminals in each power terminal pair are housed together in the same terminal slot, and each power terminal in the other row of power terminal pairs has a first horizontal portion and a second horizontal portion parallel to each other, and the first horizontal portion and the second horizontal portion are respectively connected to the top and bottom ends of the retaining portion.

6. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The cover body has a plurality of heat dissipation grooves penetrating the cover body along the height direction and communicating with the terminal grooves.

7. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: At least one pair of buckle parts is further provided on the inner side of the cover body, and the insulating body has locking parts located on both sides in the transverse direction thereof to cooperate with the buckle parts.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The inner side of the cover body is further provided with a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the insulating body. Two adjacent pressing portions are spaced apart in the transverse direction to form a spacing groove. The protrusions are aligned with the corresponding spacing grooves in the front-to-back direction.

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