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 having a plurality of terminal slots extending in a front-to-rear direction, the power terminal pairs fixed in corresponding terminal slots of the insulating body and divided into at least two rows arranged in a height direction, each power terminal pair in each row comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first and second terminals having a contact portion, wherein the first terminal has a plurality of first contact portions located at one end thereof, and the second terminal has a plurality of second contact portions located at one end thereof, a gap being defined between two adjacent first contact portions, and at least a portion of at least a portion of the second contact portion being able to pass through the first terminal via the gap so that the second contact portion can electrically contact a mating component. The electrical connector of the present invention can effectively improve the heating of the power terminal pairs.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of August 5, 2019, application number 201910716350.0, and invention name “Electrical Connector”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and in particular to an electrical connector capable of effectively improving heating conditions of conductive terminals. Background Art

[0003] The power terminals of traditional electrical connectors typically form one or more contact arms from the front end of a metal sheet. When the electrical connector transmits current, the highest temperature of the power terminal occurs at the contact point of the contact arm. Because the contact point is only a line contact, the current path is limited. When the power terminal transmits high current, the power terminal is very likely to generate excessive heat due to the limited conductor path, thus exceeding the temperature range that the electrical connector can withstand.

[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 can increase conductor paths and thereby effectively suppress heating of conductive terminals.

[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 plurality of terminal slots extending in the front-to-back direction, the power terminal pairs fixed in the corresponding terminal slots of the insulating body and divided into at least two rows arranged in the height direction, each of the power terminal pairs in each row includes a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first terminal and the second terminal has a contact portion, wherein the first terminal has a plurality of first contact portions located at one end thereof, and the second terminal has a plurality of second contact portions located at one end thereof, and there is a gap between two adjacent first contact portions, and at least a portion of at least a portion of the second contact portion can pass through the first terminal through the gap so that the second contact portion can be electrically contacted with a docking element.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first terminal includes a first retaining portion fixed in the insulating body and a row of first elastic contact arms located on one side of the first retaining portion, and a first contact portion is formed at the free end of each first elastic contact arm, wherein the gap is provided between the first contact portions, and the second terminal includes a second retaining portion fixed in the insulating body and a row of second elastic contact arms located on one side of the second retaining portion, and a second contact portion is formed at the free end of each second elastic contact arm.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the contact portions of the two power terminals in each power terminal pair are staggered in the height direction. During pairing with the docking element, the docking element first contacts the contact portion of one of the two power terminals and pushes the power terminal to elastically move toward the other power terminal, and then the docking element contacts the contact portion of the other one of the two power terminals.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the height of the second contact portion is greater than the material thickness of the first contact portion, so that the second contact portion protrudes from the outer surface of the first terminal through the gap.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, a base portion is formed at the free end of the second elastic contact arm, and the base portion and the second contact portion are both extended forward from the contact arm and arranged side by side.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the base portion abuts against the first contact portion.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the angle between the second elastic contact arm of the second terminal and the horizontal plane is greater than the angle between the first elastic contact arm of the first terminal and the horizontal plane.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the insulating body has a mounting portion for mounting on a circuit board and a docking portion extending forward from the mounting portion. The retaining portions of the two power terminals in each power terminal pair are arranged along the height direction and are installed and fixed in the same terminal slot from the rear side of the mounting portion to the front.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first terminal and the second terminal are a single component made of a single metal plate.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the distance between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the height direction is greater than the distance between the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the height direction.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The electrical connector of the present invention sets a gap between two adjacent first contact portions of the first terminal, and at least a portion of the second contact portion of the second terminal can pass through the first terminal through the gap, so that the second contact portion can be electrically contacted with a docking element, which can effectively increase the current channel, improve the heating condition of the power terminal pair, and improve the transmission reliability of the electrical connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown.

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Another view of the electrical connector shown.

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic three-dimensional diagram of the insulating body of the electrical connector is shown.

[0021] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a group of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector shown.

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A perspective exploded view of a set of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector shown.

[0023] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A side view of a set of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector is shown.

[0024] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the electrical connector shown.

[0025] Figure 9 yes Figure 1 The schematic cross-sectional view of the electrical connector is shown with one of the power terminal pairs removed.

[0026] Figure 10 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the second preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 11 yes Figure 10 An exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown.

[0028] Figure 12 yes Figure 11 A partially exploded view of a set of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector is shown.

[0029] Figure 13 yes Figure 10 A schematic cross-sectional view of the electrical connector shown.

[0030] Figure 14 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the third preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 15 yes Figure 14 An exploded perspective view of the electrical connector shown.

[0032] Figure 16 yes Figure 15 A partially exploded view of a set of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector is shown.

[0033] Figure 17 yes Figure 15 A side view of a set of power terminal pairs of the electrical connector is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] 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.

[0035] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 The first preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention is shown. The electrical connector 100 comprises 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.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 Combined with Figures 8 and 9 As shown, in the present invention, the insulating body 1 comprises a mounting portion 11 for mounting on a circuit board (not shown), a docking portion 12 extending forward from the mounting portion 11, a plurality of first terminal slots 13 extending in the front-to-back direction, and a plurality of barriers 14 extending in the front-to-back direction, with one barrier 14 disposed between every two adjacent first terminal slots 13. The first terminal slots 13 penetrate the insulating body 1 in the front-to-back direction, and the barrier 14 extends forward from the mounting portion 11 to the front end surface 121 of the docking portion 12.

[0037] The docking portion 12 has a docking space 120 that is open forward to accommodate a docking element. The first terminal groove 13 is connected to the docking space 120 .

[0038] In this embodiment, the insulating body 1 has upper and lower rows of first terminal slots 13, and a partition wall 15 formed between the upper and lower rows of first terminal slots 13. The partition wall 15 extends along the transverse direction within the mounting portion 11 and separates the upper and lower rows of first terminal slots 13. Furthermore, the partition wall 15 extends forward to the front end surface of the mounting portion 11 and does not extend forward into the docking portion 12.

[0039] The rear side of the mounting portion 11 has a first mounting surface 111 , a second mounting surface 112 and a third mounting surface 113 spaced apart along the front-to-back direction, wherein the third mounting surface 113 , the second mounting surface 112 and the first mounting surface 111 are sequentially arranged along the front-to-back direction.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 9 As shown, in this embodiment, the first terminal slot 13 includes a through slot 131 that passes through the mounting portion 11 in the front-to-back direction, and a plurality of fixing slots 132 that communicate with the through slot 131. The fixing slots 132 are arranged in pairs and symmetrically. In this embodiment, the first terminal slot 13 has two pairs of fixing slots 132 spaced apart in the height direction, with the two fixing slots 132 in each pair being located on either side of the through slot 131 in the transverse direction. In the same first terminal slot 13, the fixing slot 132 on the upper side extends longer in the front-to-back direction than the fixing slot 132 on the lower side.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 5 to 9 As shown, the power terminal pair 2 is accommodated in the corresponding first terminal groove 13, and each of the power terminal pairs 2 includes two power terminals 21, namely a first terminal and a second terminal, and each power terminal 21 is a single component made of a single piece of metal plate. In addition, each power terminal 21 is provided with a holding portion 201 held in the first terminal groove 13, a plurality of contact portions 202 extending forward from one end of the holding portion 201, and a welding portion 203 extending from the other end of the holding portion 201, wherein the first terminal has a first holding portion, a first contact portion and a first welding portion, and the second terminal has a second holding portion, a second contact portion and a second welding portion. In addition, as Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the distance between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the height direction is greater than the distance between the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the height direction.

[0042] 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 contact portions 202 of the two power terminals 21 are arranged in an alternating pattern along the transverse direction. In other words, a gap exists between two adjacent first contact portions, allowing at least a portion of the second contact portion to pass through the gap and into the first terminal, allowing the second contact portion to make electrical contact with a mating component. Specifically, the height of the second contact portion is greater than the material thickness of the first contact portion, allowing the second contact portion to protrude from the outer surface of the first terminal through the gap.

[0043] 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 in the height direction when docking with the docking component.

[0044] When the contact portions 202 of the two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 are staggered in the height direction, during the process of mating with the docking element, the docking element first contacts the contact portion 202 of one of the two power terminals 21 and pushes the power terminal 21 to elastically move toward the other power terminal 21, and then the docking element contacts the contact portion 202 of the other of the two power terminals 21; specifically, when mating with the docking element, the docking element first contacts the contact portion 202 of one of the two power terminals 21 and pushes the contact portion 202 of the power terminal to elastically move in the height direction toward the contact portion 202 of the other power terminal.

[0045] The power terminal pairs 2 are arranged in two rows, one in the upper row and one in the lower row, facing each other along the height direction. The power terminal pairs 2 are arranged in pairs along the height direction to form a group. The two power terminal pairs 2 in each group are arranged facing each other and spaced apart along the height direction. In the front-to-back direction, the soldering portions 203 of the upper row of power terminal pairs are located behind the second mounting surface 112, while the soldering portions of the lower row of power terminal pairs are located between the second mounting surface 112 and the third mounting surface 113.

[0046] In this embodiment, each power terminal 21 has three contact portions 202 extending forward from its retaining portion 201 . The retaining portion 201 is a sheet-like structure parallel to the horizontal plane. The contact portion 202 is curved and has a contact area 2020 protruding toward the partition wall 15 .

[0047] The contact portions 202 of the power terminal pairs 2 located in the same row are arranged in two rows staggered along the front-to-back direction. At the same time, the contact areas 2020 of the contact portions 202 of the power terminal pairs 2 located in the same row are on or approximately on the same horizontal plane. Furthermore, the two adjacent contact portions 202 located in the same row are staggered along the front-to-back direction. In this way, when the docking element is inserted, the contact portions 202 staggered in two rows along the front-to-back direction can contact the docking element one after another to achieve multi-level and multi-contact point contact, making the contact more complete, enhancing the stability of its electrical connection and the stability of current transmission, and at the same time making the plug-in and pull-out force between the docking element and the docking element evenly distributed and reducing the heat generated on the contact surface.

[0048] The two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 are an outer terminal 211 (also known as the second terminal) and an inner terminal 212 (also known as the first terminal). Compared to the outer terminal 211, the retaining portion 201 and contact portion 202 of the inner terminal 212 are closer to the partition wall 15 of the insulating body 1. In the front-to-back direction, the contact portion 202 of the outer terminal 211 is positioned forward of the contact portion 202 of the inner terminal 212. The contact portion 202 of the outer terminal 211 contacts the mating component first, followed by the contact portion 202 of the inner terminal 212. This reduces insertion and removal force, improves insertion and removal feel, and prevents deformation and failure of the elastic contact arm after prolonged insertion and removal, thereby ensuring a long-lasting electrical connection.

[0049] The retaining portions 201 of the two power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 are spaced apart along the height direction and are installed and fixed in the same first terminal slot 13 from the rear side of the mounting portion 11 to the front. Each retaining portion 201 has outwardly protruding interference portions 2011 on both sides along the transverse direction. The interference portions 2011 interfere with the corresponding fixing slots 132 of the first terminal slot 13.

[0050] like Figure 7 As shown, from top to bottom, the lengths of the retaining portions 201 of the four power terminals 21 in each power terminal pair 2 along the front-to-back direction decrease sequentially. That is, in the two power terminals 21 in the upper row of power terminal pairs 2, the retaining portions 201 of the outer terminals 211 are longer in the front-to-back direction than the retaining portions 201 of the inner terminals 212; and in the two power terminals 21 in the lower row of power terminal pairs 2, the retaining portions 201 of the inner terminals 212 are longer in the front-to-back direction than the retaining portions 201 of the outer terminals 211. Furthermore, the retaining portions 201 of the inner terminals 212 in the upper row of power terminal pairs 2 are longer in the front-to-back direction than the retaining portions 201 of the inner terminals 212 in the lower row of power terminal pairs 2.

[0051] The welding portion 203 includes a plate-like portion 2031 that bends downward and extends from the rear end of the retaining portion 201 and a plurality of solder legs 2032 that extend downward from the bottom end of the plate-like portion 2031. In this embodiment, the plate-like portion 2031 is arranged parallel to the vertical plane, and the solder legs 2032 extend along the vertical direction to be inserted into an external circuit board (not shown).

[0052] Each power terminal 21 has a plurality of elastic contact arms 204 extending forward from the front end of its retaining portion 201. The contact portion 202 is located in front of the corresponding contact arm 204 to contact the docking element. The contact arm 204 extends forward through the first terminal slot 13 and is received within the docking portion 12. Specifically, the first terminal 212 includes a first retaining portion fixed to the insulating body 1 and a row of first elastic contact arms located on one side of the first retaining portion. A first contact portion is formed at the free end of each of the first elastic contact arms, wherein the gap is defined between the first contact portions. The second terminal 211 includes a second retaining portion fixed to the insulating body 1 and a row of second elastic contact arms located on one side of the second retaining portion. A second contact portion is formed at the free end of each of the second elastic contact arms.

[0053] The angle between the contact arm 204 of the outer terminal 211 and the horizontal plane is greater than the angle between the contact arm 204 of the inner terminal 212 and the horizontal plane. In this embodiment, the inner terminal 212 further includes a connecting arm 205 connecting its contact arm 204 to the retaining portion 201. The connecting arm 205 bends and extends in the opposite direction to the contact arm 204, so that the angle between them opens inward (i.e., toward the partition wall 15).

[0054] Specifically, taking the upper row of power terminal pairs 2 as an example, the connecting arm 205 extends forward and upward from the front end of the retaining portion 201, and the contact arm 204 extends forward and downward from the front end of the connecting arm 205, so that the angle between the contact arm 204 and the connecting arm 205 faces downward. Furthermore, the two retaining portions 201 of the upper row of power terminal pairs 2 and the portion located in front of the retaining portions 201 (including the contact arms 204, the connecting arm 205, and the contact portion 202) are arranged in mirror image symmetry with the two retaining portions 201 of the lower row of power terminal pairs 2 and the portion located in front of the retaining portions 201.

[0055] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 Combined with Figure 9 As shown, in this embodiment, the electrical connector 100 further has a plurality of signal terminals 3 located on one side of the power terminal pair 2 along the transverse direction, and the insulating body 1 further has a plurality of second terminal slots 16 located on one side of the first terminal slot 13 .

[0056] Each signal terminal 3 includes a fixing portion 31, a plug-in portion 32 extending from one end of the fixing portion 31, and a pin 33 extending from the other end of the fixing portion 31. The fixing portion 31 is inserted into and secured within the second terminal slot 16 from the rear side of the mounting portion 11. The plug-in portion 32, located at the front side of the fixing portion 31, protrudes into the docking portion 12 to achieve electrical connection with the docking device. In this embodiment, barbs 311 are provided on either side of the fixing portion 31. These barbs 311 interfere with the mounting portion 11 to secure the signal terminal 3 within the insulator body 1, preventing the signal terminal 3 from shaking when docked with the docking device and improving docking stability.

[0057] The electrical connector 100 of the present invention arranges the contact portions 202 of the two power terminals in the power terminal pair in a row along the height direction to form the same row of contact portions, and the multiple contact portions 202 of the two power terminals are alternately arranged in a cyclic manner along the horizontal direction, which can effectively increase the current channel, reduce the heat generation of the power terminal pair 2, and improve the transmission reliability of the electrical connector 100.

[0058] Please refer to Figures 10 to 13 FIG. 2 shows a second preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention. The electrical connector 100′ comprises an insulating body 1′ and a plurality of power terminal pairs 2′ fixed to the insulating body 1′. The basic structure and assembly relationship of the insulating body 1′ and the power terminal pairs 2′ are the same as those of the electrical connector 100 of the first preferred embodiment, and thus will not be described in detail here. Only the differences will be described below.

[0059] The top wall 17' of the insulating body 1' is defined by a plurality of first heat dissipation slots 171'. These first heat dissipation slots 171' extend through the top wall 17' in the height direction and communicate with the corresponding first terminal slots 13' on the inner sides thereof. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the top wall 17' is defined by two rows of first heat dissipation slots 171' aligned in the front-to-back direction. Each row of first heat dissipation slots 171' is arranged side by side in the transverse direction, and in the front-to-back direction, the first heat dissipation slots 171' in the front row are longer in the front-to-back direction than the first heat dissipation slots 171' in the rear row.

[0060] At least the upper power terminal 21' in each power terminal pair 2' has at least one second heat dissipation slot 206'. This second heat dissipation slot 206' is defined on the corresponding retaining portion 201' and extends vertically through the retaining portion 201'. In this embodiment, both power terminals 21' in each upper-row power terminal pair 2' have a second heat dissipation slot 206' defined on their retaining portions 201'. Of the two power terminals 21' in each lower-row power terminal pair 2', only the upper-row power terminal (i.e., the inner terminal 212' in the lower-row power terminal pair 2') has a second heat dissipation slot 206' defined on it.

[0061] Since the retaining portion 201' is fixed in the corresponding first terminal groove 13', the heat generated by the power terminal 21' after power is applied can be dissipated through the second heat dissipation groove 206', the first terminal groove 13' and the first heat dissipation groove 171', thereby preventing heat from accumulating inside the insulating body 1'.

[0062] At the same time, at least one third heat dissipation slot 207' is defined on the plate-shaped portion 2031' of each power terminal 21' in the upper row of power terminal pairs 2'. In the height direction, the third heat dissipation slot 207' on the outer terminal 211' is longer than the third heat dissipation slot 207' on the inner terminal 212'. Furthermore, the projections of the third heat dissipation slots 207' on the two power terminals 21' in each upper row of power terminal pairs 2' at least partially overlap on a vertical plane, and the projections of the third heat dissipation slots 207' on the vertical plane fall within the projections of the first terminal slots 13' in the lower row on the vertical plane. In other words, the third heat dissipation slots 207' are aligned with the first terminal slots 13' in the lower row along the front-to-back direction. In this embodiment, the projections of the third heat dissipation slots 207' on the inner terminal 212' on the vertical plane fall within the projections of the third heat dissipation slots 207' on the outer terminal 211' on the vertical plane. In this way, the outer heat dissipation channel is made larger, so as to quickly dissipate the heat on the power terminal.

[0063] Please refer to Figures 14 to 17 FIG. 2 shows a third preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention. The electrical connector 100 ″ includes an insulating body 1 ″, a plurality of power terminal pairs 2 ″ and signal terminals 3 ″ fixed to the insulating body 1 ″. The basic structure and assembly relationship of the insulating body 1 ″ and the power terminal pairs 2 ″ are the same as those of the electrical connector 100 in the first preferred embodiment, and thus will not be described in detail here. Only the differences will be described below:

[0064] The insulating body 1" has a first heat dissipation slot 171" formed in the front portion of its top wall 17" and extending in the front-to-back direction. These slots 171" are located above the corresponding contact portions 202" to expose them outward. The top wall 17" also has a plurality of slots 172" at its rear portion. These slots 172" communicate with the corresponding first terminal slots, and the rear portions of the power terminal pairs 2" protrude within these slots 172".

[0065] The outer terminal 211'' in each power terminal pair 2'' has a contact portion 202'' and a base portion 208'' located on the front side of its contact arm 204''. The contact portion 202'' and the base portion 208'' are both extended forward from the contact arm 204'', and the base portion 208'' is located on one side of the contact portion 202'' in the lateral direction. The base portion 208'' abuts against the first contact portion of the corresponding inner terminal 212''. In this embodiment, the contact portion 202'' of the outer terminal 211'' is torn downward from the side of the base portion 208'' and is curved inwardly so that its contact area 2020'' is roughly aligned with the contact area 2020'' of the corresponding inner terminal 212''. In addition, in this embodiment, the contact area 2020'' of the outer terminal 211'' and the contact area 2020'' of the corresponding inner terminal 212'' are staggered in the front-to-back direction. For further information, please refer to Figure 17 As shown, in the front-to-back direction, the contact area 2020 ″ of the contact portion 202 ″ of the outer terminal 211 ″ is disposed rearward of the contact area 2020 ″ of the contact portion 202 ″ of the inner terminal 212 ″.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 17 As shown, the inner terminal 212" also has a contact arm 204" and a connecting arm 205" connecting the contact arm 204" to the retaining portion 201". The angle between the contact arm 204" of the outer terminal 211" and the horizontal plane is greater than the angle between the contact arm 204" of the inner terminal 212" and the horizontal plane. In addition, the contact arm 204" and the connecting arm 205" of the inner terminal 212" both extend from front to back while extending upwardly. However, the angles between the contact arm 204" and the connecting arm 205" of the inner terminal 212" and the horizontal plane are different in size, and the angle between the connecting arm 205" and the horizontal plane is greater than the angle between the contact arm 204" and the horizontal plane.

[0067] When not docked with a docking element, the contact area 2020" of the outer terminal 211" is located on the inner side of the contact area 2020" of the corresponding inner terminal 212"; when docked with a docking element, the contact areas 2020" of the contact portions 202" of the power terminal pairs 2" in the same row are on the same horizontal plane.

[0068] At the same time, the inner terminal 212'' and the outer terminal 211'' of the power terminal pair 2'' are arranged in the height direction and have a fixing structure that combines them with each other so that the two are stacked and fixed. In this embodiment, the fixing structure is a protrusion 2112'' and a positioning groove 2121'' that cooperate with each other. Furthermore, the outer terminal 211'' has at least one protrusion 2112'' protruding toward the inner terminal 212'', and the inner terminal 212'' has a positioning groove 2121'' for the protrusion 2112'' to be inserted and fixed. In other embodiments, the fixing structures on the outer terminal 211'' and the inner terminal 212'' can also be interchanged.

[0069] The electrical connector 100'' further includes a positioning seat 4'' for simultaneously fixing the signal terminal 3'' and the power terminal pair 2'' in the insulating body 1''. The positioning seat 4'' is longitudinally shaped and has a plurality of through holes 41'' for the solder legs 2032'' and the pins 33'' to pass through.

[0070] 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 plurality of terminal slots extending in a front-to-rear direction, the power terminal pairs fixed in corresponding terminal slots of the insulating body and arranged in at least two rows along a height direction, each power terminal pair in each row comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, each of the first and second terminals having a contact portion, wherein the first terminal has a plurality of first contact portions located at one end thereof, and the second terminal has a plurality of second contact portions located at one end thereof, characterized in that: There is a gap between two adjacent first contact portions, and at least a portion of at least a part of the second contact portion can pass through the first terminal through the gap so that the second contact portion can electrically contact a docking element. The first terminal includes a first retaining portion fixed in the insulating body and a row of first elastic contact arms located on one side of the first retaining portion, and a first contact portion is formed at the free end of each first elastic contact arm, wherein the gap is provided between the first contact portions. The second terminal includes a second retaining portion fixed in the insulating body and a row of second elastic contact arms located on one side of the second retaining portion, and a second contact portion is formed at the free end of each second elastic contact arm. The first retaining portion and the second retaining portion of each power terminal pair are arranged in the height direction.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The contact portions of the two power terminals in each power terminal pair are staggered in the height direction. During the mating process with the docking element, the docking element first contacts the contact portion of one of the two power terminals and pushes the power terminal to elastically move toward the other power terminal, and then the docking element contacts the contact portion of the other power terminal.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The height of the second contact portion is greater than the material thickness of the first contact portion, so that the second contact portion protrudes from the outer surface of the first terminal via the gap.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein: A base portion is formed at the free end of the second elastic contact arm. The base portion and the second contact portion are both extended forward from the contact arm and are arranged side by side.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein: The base portion abuts against the first contact portion.

6. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: An included angle between the second elastic contact arm of the second terminal and the horizontal plane is greater than an included angle between the first elastic contact arm of the first terminal and the horizontal plane.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The insulating body has a mounting portion for mounting on a circuit board and a docking portion extending forward from the mounting portion. The retaining portions of the two power terminals in each power terminal pair are arranged along the height direction and are mounted and fixed in the same terminal slot from the rear side of the mounting portion to the front.

8. The electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first terminal and the second terminal are a single component made from a single piece of metal sheet.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The distance between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the height direction is greater than the distance between the first contact portion and the second contact portion in the height direction.

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