A terminal assembly and an electrical connector

Abstract

A terminal assembly and an electrical connector, the terminal assembly being used for electrically connecting to a mating circuit board. The terminal assembly includes a terminal module and a positioning plate. The terminal module includes a plurality of terminal pieces, and the plurality of terminal pieces are stacked along their thickness directions. The positioning plate is combined on the surface of the terminal module close to the circuit board side, and the positioning plate limits and fixes each terminal piece, so that the terminal assembly and the electrical connector of the present application have better assembly accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication transmission, and particularly to a terminal assembly and an electrical connector.

Background Art

[0002] An electrical connector assembly allows a user of an electronic device or an external device to transfer data to or communicate with other devices and apparatuses. Generally, the electrical connector assembly includes a pluggable module received within a receptacle assembly, and the receptacle assembly includes a receptacle connector removably connected to the pluggable module. The receptacle assembly includes a metal cage having an internal compartment in which the pluggable module is received. The receptacle connector is held within the internal compartment of the cage for connection to the pluggable module when the pluggable module is inserted therein.

[0003] Pluggable modules are typically constructed according to established standards of size and compatibility (e.g., Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP), XFP, Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP), Micro Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (Micro QSFP), or QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Double Density)). The standards for XFP, QSFP, Micro QSFP, and QSFP-DD require that the module assembly be capable of transmitting data at high rates, such as 28 gigabits per second. The density, power output level, and signal transmission rate of such connector assemblies are all increasing, while the trend of miniaturization of the form factor makes the manufacturing process requirements continuously improve. For example, the assembly positioning accuracy requirements between a plurality of conductive terminals, especially at the end where the conductive terminal is docked with the circuit board. If there is a relatively large assembly accuracy error, it will directly affect the deviation of the docking position with the circuit board, thereby affecting the quality.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved terminal assembly and an electrical connector.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a new terminal assembly and an electrical connector with better assembly accuracy.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present application is realized through the following technical solutions:

[0007] A terminal assembly for electrically connecting to a docking circuit board, the terminal assembly includes a terminal module and a positioning plate. The terminal module includes a plurality of terminal pieces, and the plurality of terminal pieces are stacked along their thickness directions. The positioning plate is combined on the surface of the terminal module close to the circuit board side, and the positioning plate limits and fixes each terminal piece.

[0008] Further, a plurality of protruding portions are formed on one surface of the terminal module that is adhesively attached to the circuit board, and the positioning plate is limited and fixed to the protruding portions.

[0009] Further, the plurality of terminal pieces include signal terminal pieces and ground terminal pieces, wherein two signal terminal pieces are clamped between at least two adjacent ground terminal pieces, and at least one of the protruding portions is formed on each side of the two signal terminal pieces located between two adjacent ground terminal pieces that is adhesively attached to the docking circuit board.

[0010] Further, at least one pair of adjacent protruding portions are formed on the side of the two signal terminal pieces located between two adjacent ground terminal pieces that is adhesively attached to the docking circuit board.

[0011] Further, two adjacent protruding portions are arranged in a staggered manner along the insertion and extraction direction of the terminal assembly and the docking element, and two adjacent protruding portions are at least partially attached to each other along the thickness direction of the terminal piece.

[0012] Further, each signal terminal piece includes a plurality of signal terminals and an insulating sheet combined with the signal terminals, and the protruding portion on the signal terminal piece is formed by protruding from the insulating sheet.

[0013] Further, each signal terminal includes a signal fixing section buried in the corresponding insulating sheet, a signal contact section extending from one end of the signal fixing section out of the insulating sheet, and a signal docking section extending from the other end of the signal fixing section out of the insulating sheet. The signal contact section is used for electrical contact with the docking element, the signal docking section is used for electrical contact with the docking circuit board, and each protruding portion is correspondingly arranged with the signal docking section.

[0014] Further, each signal docking section protrudes out of the insulating sheet through the corresponding protruding portion.

[0015] Further, each ground terminal piece includes at least one ground terminal and a barrier sheet combined with the ground terminal. The ground terminal includes a ground fixing section buried in the corresponding barrier sheet, a ground contact section extending from one end of the ground fixing section out of the barrier sheet, and a ground docking section extending from the other end of the ground fixing section out of the barrier sheet. The ground contact section is used for electrical contact with the docking element, the ground docking section is used for electrical contact with the docking circuit board, the ground terminal passes through the positioning plate, the ground docking section protrudes out of the positioning plate, and a gap is formed between the protruding portions of the two signal terminal pieces on both sides of the ground terminal piece and the corresponding ground terminal, and the gap is filled with the positioning plate.

[0016] Further, docking grooves are formed at positions corresponding to the protruding portions on the positioning plate, and the protruding portions are matched, limited, and fixed to the docking grooves.

[0017] To achieve the above object, the present application is also implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0018] An electrical connector includes a terminal assembly and a metal cover as described in any one of the above. The terminal assembly further includes an insulating housing. The terminal module is combined within the insulating housing. The metal cover is disposed around the insulating housing. The insulating housing, the terminal assembly, and the metal cover together form an insertion space with an insertion opening for the insertion and extraction of a docking element.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: It has better assembly accuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a perspective view of the electrical connector shown from another angle;

[0022] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the terminal assembly and the insulating housing of the electrical connector of the present application when combined;

[0023] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the terminal module and the insulating housing of the electrical connector of the present application when combined and separated from the positioning plate;

[0024] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a partial enlarged view of Figure 4 showing an enlarged view of the structure within the dashed box in

[0025] Figure 6 is Figure 4 a perspective view from another angle;

[0026] Figure 7 is Figure 6 a partial enlarged view of Figure 6 showing an enlarged view of the structure within the dashed box in

[0027] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the terminal module, the insulating housing, and the positioning plate of the electrical connector of the present application when separated, and further shows a perspective view of the outermost grounding terminal piece when separated from the terminal module;

[0028] Figure 9 is an exploded view of the signal terminal piece and the adjacent grounding terminal piece of the electrical connector of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments of this application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in this application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] Here, it should also be noted that in order to avoid obscuring this application with unnecessary details, only the structures and / or processing steps closely related to some embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings, while other details less relevant to some embodiments of this application are omitted.

[0031] In addition, it should also be noted that the terms "comprise", "include", "have", or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device.

[0032] Please refer to Figures 1 to 9 As shown, a terminal assembly 100 disclosed in this application and an electrical connector (not labeled) including the terminal assembly 100 are provided. The electrical connector further includes a metal cover 5 disposed around the periphery of the terminal assembly 100. The metal cover 5 is formed of a metal plate and is generally enclosed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped tube shape with one end open. The terminal assembly 100 and the metal cover 5 jointly define a plug-and-play space (not labeled) having an insertion port for receiving a docking element (not shown) inserted through the insertion port, thereby realizing signal transmission between the docking element and the electrical connector disclosed in this application. The electrical connector disclosed in this application is correspondingly combined with a circuit board.

[0033] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the terminal assembly 100 includes an insulating housing 4, a terminal module 1 combined within the insulating housing 4, and a positioning plate 2 combined with the terminal module 1 and the insulating housing 4. The terminal module 1 includes a plurality of terminal pieces 11, and the plurality of terminal pieces 11 are stacked along their thickness directions. A plurality of protrusions 105 are formed on a surface of the terminal module 1 that is in contact with the circuit board, and the positioning plate 2 is combined on the surface of the terminal module 1 that is in contact with the circuit board and is limited and fixed to the protrusions 105. In addition, please refer to Figure 4As shown, in the present application, ears 21 are further formed on both side edges of the positioning plate 2 in the thickness direction of the terminal piece 11, and the ears 21 are correspondingly clamped on the outer side of the insulating housing 4 (actually, in order to make the appearance of the product regular, a groove 401 matching the ears 21 is formed on the outer side surface of the insulating housing 4). The positioning plate 2 is used for accurately positioning each terminal piece 11, and can more effectively control the problem that the positions of the terminal pieces 11 are inaccurate after stacking due to manufacturing tolerances, assembly tolerances, etc.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, several of the terminal pieces 11 include signal terminal pieces 111 and ground terminal pieces 112, and two signal terminal pieces 111 are clamped between two adjacent ground terminal pieces 112. At least one pair of adjacent protrusions 105 are formed on the side of the two signal terminal pieces 111 between two adjacent ground terminal pieces 112 that is in contact with the docking circuit board. The two adjacent protrusions 105 are arranged in a staggered manner along the insertion and extraction direction of the terminal assembly and the docking element, and the two adjacent protrusions 105 are at least partially attached to each other along the thickness direction of the terminal piece 11. In addition, each signal terminal piece 111 includes several signal terminals 101 and an insulating sheet 102 combined with the signal terminals 101, and the protrusions 105 on the signal terminal piece 111 are formed by the protrusion of the insulating sheet 102. Designed in this way, the positioning plate 2 can have a positioning effect on each terminal piece 11.

[0035] Please refer to Figures 3 to 9 As shown, each signal terminal 101 includes a signal fixing section 1011 buried in the corresponding insulating sheet 102, a signal contact section 1012 extending further from one end of the signal fixing section 1011 out of the insulating sheet 102, and a signal docking section 1013 extending further from the other end of the signal fixing section 1011 out of the insulating sheet 102. The signal contact section 1012 is used for electrical contact with the docking element, the signal docking section 1013 is used for electrical contact with the docking circuit board, and each protrusion 105 is correspondingly arranged with the signal docking section 1013. Each signal docking section 1013 passes through the corresponding protrusion 105 and protrudes out of the insulating sheet 102. Designed in this way, the positioning plate 2 can have a positioning effect on each signal docking section 1013.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown, each of the grounding terminal pieces 112 includes at least one grounding terminal 103 and a barrier piece 104 combined with the grounding terminal 103. The grounding terminal 103 includes a grounding fixing section 1031 embedded in the corresponding barrier piece 104, a grounding contact section 1032 extending further from one end of the grounding fixing section 1031 out of the barrier piece 104, and a grounding docking section 1033 extending further from the other end of the grounding fixing section 1031 out of the barrier piece 104. The grounding contact section 1032 is used for electrical contact with the docking element, and the grounding docking section 1033 is used for electrical contact with the docking circuit board. The grounding terminal 103 passes through the positioning plate 2, and the grounding docking section 1033 protrudes out of the positioning plate 2. A gap 1003 is formed between the protruding portions 105 of the two signal terminal pieces 111 located on both sides of the grounding terminal piece 112 and the corresponding grounding terminal 103, and the gap 1003 is filled with the positioning plate 2.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, nineteen terminal pieces 11 are stacked and combined in a single terminal assembly 100 in the present application, and one grounding terminal 103 is combined in each grounding terminal piece 112. The barrier piece 104 is formed by injection molding of an insulating material. Of course, in other embodiments, the barrier piece 104 can also be made of a conductive material, such as conductive plastic, or formed by powder metallurgy, or a conductive layer is formed at a local position after being formed by injection molding of an insulating material through processes such as electroplating and spraying. In addition, eight terminals are combined in one signal terminal piece 111, and the signal contact sections 1012 of the eight terminals are divided into two groups in the up and down direction.

[0038] Docking grooves 20 are formed at the positions of the positioning plate 2 corresponding to the protruding portions 105, and the protruding portions 105 and the docking grooves 20 are matched and limited for fixing. The grounding docking sections 1033 and signal docking sections 1013 of each terminal pass through the positioning plate 2 and protrude out. The metal cover 5 covers the periphery of the insulating housing 4, and the insulating housing 4, the terminal assembly, and the metal cover 5 together form an insertion space (not marked) with an insertion port (not marked), and the insertion space is used for the insertion and extraction of the docking element. The electrical connector of the present application is one of an SFP type socket connector, a CFP type socket connector, or a CXP type socket connector.

[0039] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and not to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present application can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

[0040] The above are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. Any equivalent changes made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the technical solution of the present application by reading the specification of the present application are covered by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A terminal assembly for electrically connecting to a mating circuit board. The terminal assembly includes a terminal module and a positioning plate. The terminal module includes a plurality of terminal pieces, and the plurality of terminal pieces are stacked along their thickness directions. It is characterized in that: The positioning plate is combined with the surface of the terminal module on the side close to the circuit board, and the positioning plate limits and fixes each terminal piece; A plurality of protruding portions are formed on the surface of the side of the terminal module in contact with the circuit board, and the positioning plate is limited and fixed to the protruding portions; The plurality of terminal pieces include signal terminal pieces and ground terminal pieces. At least two adjacent ground terminal pieces sandwich two signal terminal pieces. At least one of the protruding portions is formed on each of the two signal terminal pieces located between two adjacent ground terminal pieces on the side in contact with the mating circuit board; Among them, the protruding portions on the two signal terminal pieces located between two adjacent ground terminal pieces are arranged in a staggered manner along the insertion and extraction direction of the terminal assembly and the mating element, and at least partially fit together along the thickness direction of the terminal piece; A docking groove is formed on the surface of the positioning plate corresponding to the protruding portion, and the protruding portion is matched, limited and fixed to the docking groove; Each signal terminal piece includes a plurality of signal terminals and an insulating sheet combined with the signal terminals. The protruding portion on the signal terminal piece is formed by protruding from the insulating sheet; Each signal terminal includes a signal fixing section buried in the corresponding insulating sheet, a signal contact section further extending from one end of the signal fixing section out of the insulating sheet, and a signal docking section further extending from the other end of the signal fixing section out of the insulating sheet. The signal contact section is used for electrically contacting the mating element, and the signal docking section is used for electrically contacting the mating circuit board. Each protruding portion is correspondingly arranged with the signal docking section; Among them, in the signal terminal piece, two adjacent and fitting protruding portions are limited to the same docking groove. The protruding portion does not penetrate downward through the docking groove, and the lower surface of the protruding portion is covered by the positioning plate. Only each signal docking section penetrates through the corresponding protruding portion and protrudes out of the insulating sheet.

2. The terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each ground terminal piece includes at least one ground terminal and a barrier sheet combined with the ground terminal. The ground terminal includes a ground fixing section buried in the corresponding barrier sheet, a ground contact section further extending from one end of the ground fixing section out of the barrier sheet, and a ground docking section further extending from the other end of the ground fixing section out of the barrier sheet. The ground contact section is used for electrically contacting the mating element, and the ground docking section is used for electrically contacting the mating circuit board. The ground terminal penetrates through the positioning plate, and the ground docking section protrudes out of the positioning plate. A gap is formed between the protruding portions of the two signal terminal pieces on both sides of the ground terminal and the corresponding ground terminal, and the gap is filled by the positioning plate.

3. An electrical connector, comprising the terminal assembly according to claim 1 or 2 and a metal cover, characterized in that: The terminal assembly further includes an insulating housing. The terminal module is combined within the insulating housing. The metal cover is disposed around the insulating housing. The insulating housing, the terminal assembly, and the metal cover together form an insertion space having an insertion opening, and the insertion space is for the insertion and extraction of the docking element.

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