Electrical connector

Abstract

An electrical connector for connecting a cable to a circuit board, comprising a base provided with an upwardly open receiving groove and a plurality of terminal modules stacked in parallel and inserted downwardly into the receiving groove. Each of the terminal modules is connected to a plurality of cables, and the terminal module includes a plurality of conductive terminals welded to the cables, an insulator covering the plurality of conductive terminals, and a conductive carrier provided with a plurality of grooves for receiving the insulator. Each of the conductive terminals is provided with a terminal leg extending downwardly from the insulator, and the terminal leg is connected to the circuit board. The horizontal ends of the conductive carrier are provided with protruding blocks, and there is a gap between the protruding blocks and the aforementioned circuit board. When the electrical connector is removed from the aforementioned circuit board, a disassembly jig can be inserted into the aforementioned gap for disassembly operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for connecting a cable to a circuit board. Background Art

[0002] The utility model announcements CN210607748U and CN210866602U of Dongguan Xuntao Electronics Co., Ltd. disclose a sheet type wire-to-board connector and a housing connector for assembling a plurality of stacked sheet type wire-to-board connectors together. In this design, the disassembly bump is provided on the end cover, and the end cover and the sheet type wire-to-board connector are separate parts. During disassembly operations, the end cover may be disengaged from the sheet type wire-to-board connector, resulting in the possibility of difficult disassembly or even disassembly failure. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem solved by this application is to provide a wire-to-board connector with good disassembly structural strength and reliable structure.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, this application provides an electrical connector for connecting a cable to a circuit board, including a base provided with an upwardly open receiving groove and a plurality of terminal modules stacked in parallel and inserted downward into the receiving groove. Each of the terminal modules is connected to a plurality of cables. The terminal module includes a plurality of conductive terminals welded to the cable, an insulator covering the plurality of conductive terminals, and a conductive carrier sheet provided with a plurality of grooves for receiving the insulator. Each of the conductive terminals is provided with a terminal leg extending downward from the insulator, and the terminal leg is connected to the circuit board. The horizontal ends of the conductive carrier sheet are provided with protruding blocks, and there is a gap between the protruding blocks and the aforementioned circuit board. When the electrical connector is removed from the aforementioned circuit board, a disassembly jig can be inserted into the aforementioned gap for disassembly operations.

[0005] As a further design, the base is provided with a horizontal bottom wall and two side walls extending perpendicular to the bottom wall. The two side walls are provided with guide grooves, and the metal carrier sheet is provided with guide ribs. When the terminal module is inserted into the base, the guide ribs cooperate with the guide grooves to limit the terminal module to be inserted into a predetermined position.

[0006] As a further design, the guide rib is provided with a wedge-shaped latch, and the base is provided with a latch hole at the bottom wall of the guide groove. When the terminal module is inserted into the base, the wedge-shaped latch first expands the two side walls, and after the terminal module is inserted into the base, the wedge-shaped latch slides into the latch hole to achieve a latching fit.

[0007] As a further design, the conductive carrier is a metal die-casting. The conductive carrier is provided with a fixing groove with an upward opening. The electrical connector further includes a fixing connection piece perpendicular to the terminal die piece. The fixing connection piece is a metal part and has a connection body extending perpendicular to the terminal die piece and a fixing foot extending downward from the connection body for inserting into the fixing groove.

[0008] As a further design, each cable includes two signal conductors and two ground conductors extending from one end of the cable. The corresponding conductive terminals connecting the cable include two ground terminals connecting the two ground conductors and two signal terminals connecting the two signal conductors. All the conductive terminals of each terminal die piece are arranged in a horizontal direction. The four conductive terminals connected by the same cable are arranged adjacent to each other, and the two signal terminals are in the middle position, and the two ground terminals are in the two end positions.

[0009] As a further design, the insulator includes a first molding part and a second molding part. The first molding part is a plastic embedded and molded to cover each conductive terminal. Each conductive terminal includes an intermediate part covered in the first molding part and a cable welding part extending upward from the first molding part. The second molding part is a plastic formed by embedded molding, that is, after the first molding component formed by fixing the first molding part and welding the conductive terminals to the cable is placed in the conductive carrier, it is integrally molded in the groove of the conductive carrier.

[0010] As a further design, the adjacent ground terminals of two adjacent cables are connected into one body. A guiding hole is provided in the middle of the two connected ground terminals. The conductive carrier is provided with a guiding post inserted into the guiding hole. When the terminal component fixed in the first molding part is installed in the metal carrier, the guiding hole and the guiding post are in guiding cooperation.

[0011] As a further design, the connected ground terminals are provided with connection holes near the terminal feet and the cable welding parts. The conductive carrier is provided with connection posts at positions corresponding to the connection holes. The connection holes and the connection posts are in interference fit to achieve stable grounding. The height of the guiding post exceeds that of the connection post to play a better guiding role. At the same time, the guiding post is a rectangle elongated in the up and down direction to better prevent crosstalk between signals of adjacent cables.

[0012] As a further design, the conductive carrier includes a positioning block on the upper side of the first molding part. The positioning block cooperates with the first molding part during the process of placing the first molding component into the conductive carrier to play a positioning role.

[0013] As a further design, the first molding part is provided with a relief hole to avoid the guiding post and the connection post and facilitate the jig to press near the guiding post and the connection post. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic view of the electrical connector base in being disassembled.

[0016] Figure 3 is Figure 1 an exploded view of the electrical connector shown in .

[0017] Figure 4 is Figure 3 an exploded view from another perspective of the one shown in .

[0018] Figure 5 is Figure 3 and Figure 4 an exploded schematic view of the terminal die shown in (for clear display, the first forming part and the second forming part are shown as non - separate parts, but actually the first forming part and the second forming part do not separately form parts).

[0019] Figure 6 is Figure 5 a perspective view of the conductive carrier sheet in .

[0020] Figure 7 is Figure 4 a perspective view of the conductive terminal and the cable in .

[0021] Figure 8 is Figure 7 a perspective view of the first forming assembly after the first forming part of the conductive terminal and the cable in .

[0022] Figure 9 is Figure 8 a perspective view of the first forming assembly placed at the predetermined position of the conductive carrier sheet shown in in . Figure 6 after being placed in the predetermined position of the conductive carrier sheet shown in .

[0023] Figure 10 is Figure 9 a perspective view of the terminal die after forming the second forming part in .

[0024] Figure 11 is Figure 1 a partial cross - sectional view in the A - A direction in .

[0025] Figure 12 is Figure 10 a cross - sectional view in the B - B direction in . Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0026] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, and examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. On the contrary, they are merely examples of devices consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0027] The terms used in the present application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present application. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present application should have the ordinary meanings understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. The terms "first", "second" and similar terms used in the specification and claims of the present application do not denote any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms such as "a" or "an" do not denote a quantity limitation, but mean that there is at least one. "Plurality" or "several" means two or more. Unless otherwise indicated, terms such as "front", "rear", "lower" and / or "upper" are for convenience of description only and are not limited to one position or a spatial orientation. The terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the elements or items appearing before "comprising" or "including" cover the elements or items listed after "comprising" or "including" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or items. The terms such as "connected" or "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, and may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The singular forms "a", "the" and "said" used in the specification and claims of the present application are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] Referring to Figures 1 to 12 , shown is an electrical connector 100 in accordance with the present application for connecting a cable 101 to a circuit board (not shown). The electrical connector 100 includes a base 10 having an upwardly open receiving groove, a plurality of terminal modules 20 stacked in parallel and inserted downwardly into the receiving groove, and a fixed connection piece 30 fixing the upper ends of the plurality of terminal modules. Each upper end of the terminal module 20 is connected to a plurality of cables 101. The terminal module 20 includes a plurality of conductive terminals 22 welded to the cable 101, an insulator 24 covering the plurality of conductive terminals 22, and a conductive carrier 28 having a plurality of grooves 280 for receiving the insulator 24. Each of the conductive terminals 22 has a terminal leg 252 extending downwardly from the insulator 24, and the terminal leg 252 is connected to the circuit board.

[0029] As Figure 6 shown, the conductive carrier sheet 28 is a metal die-casting, and fixing grooves 283 with upward openings are provided at both ends thereof. The fixed connection sheet 30 is a metal part formed by blanking a metal plate. The fixed connection sheet 30 has a connection body 32 extending from the terminal die sheet 20 and fixing feet 34 extending downward from the connection body 32 for inserting into the fixing grooves 283.

[0030] As Figure 7 shown, each cable 101 includes two signal conductors 104, 106 and two ground conductors 102, 108 extending from one end of the cable. The signal conductors 104, 106 are used to transmit differential signals. The corresponding conductive terminals 22 connecting the cable 101 include two ground terminals 222, 228 connecting the two ground conductors 102, 108 and two signal terminals 224, 226 connecting the two signal conductors 104, 106. All the conductive terminals 22 of each terminal die sheet 20 are arranged in a horizontal direction. The four conductive terminals 22 connecting the same cable 101 are arranged adjacent to each other, and the two signal terminals 224, 226 are in the middle position, and the two ground terminals 222, 228 are at both ends.

[0031] Figure 5 The insulator 24 shown in Figures 6 to 10 includes a first formed part 242 and a second formed part 246, and is actually formed by two overmolding processes. The specific forming method is as Figures 6 to 10 shown. First, the formed conductive carrier sheet 28, conductive terminals 22 and cable 101 are provided, and the cable 101 is welded to the conductive terminals 22. Then, the conductive terminals 22 and the cable 101 are overmolded to form the first formed part 242, so that the first formed part 242 covers the middle part 254 of each conductive terminal 22, forming a first formed component as Figure 8 shown. Each conductive terminal 22 includes a cable welding part 256 extending upward from the first formed part 242. Then, as Figure 9 shown, the first formed component shown in Figure 8 is placed in the groove 280 of the conductive carrier sheet 20, and the second formed part 246 is formed by insert molding. The second formed part 246 wraps the cable welding part 256 of the conductive terminal 22 and the two signal conductors 104, 106 and the two ground conductors 102, 108 extending from one end of the cable 101, playing a role in protecting the solder joints. As another alternative implementation method, the conductive terminal 22 can also be overmolded with the first formed part 242 first, and then the cable 101 is welded to form the first formed component.

[0032] The adjacent ground terminals 228 connecting two adjacent ones of the cables 101 are connected as a whole. A guiding hole 253 is provided in the middle of the integrally connected ground terminals 228. The conductive carrier sheet 280 is provided with a guiding post 282 inserted into the guiding hole 253. When the first forming assembly is installed into the metal carrier sheet 28, the guiding hole 253 and the guiding post 282 are in guiding cooperation.

[0033] The integrally connected ground terminals 228 are provided with two connection holes 255 near the terminal pins 252 and the cable welding parts 256. The conductive carrier sheet 28 is provided with connection posts 284 at positions corresponding to the two connection holes 255. The connection holes 255 and the connection posts 284 are in interference fit to achieve stable grounding. The height of the guiding post 282 exceeds that of the connection post 284 to play a better guiding role. At the same time, the guiding post 282 is a rectangle elongated in the up and down direction to better prevent crosstalk between adjacent differential signals.

[0034] The conductive carrier sheet 28 is further provided with a positioning block 286 on the upper side of the first forming part 242. The positioning block 286 cooperates with the first forming part 242 during the process of putting the first forming assembly into the conductive carrier sheet 28 to play a positioning role. The first forming part 242 is provided with an avoidance hole 244. The avoidance hole 244 avoids the guiding post 282 and the connection post 284 and facilitates the jig to press near the guiding post 282 and the connection post 284, thereby preventing deformation caused by excessive interference force.

[0035] The second forming part 246 includes a welding protection part 243. The welding protection part 243 covers the cable welding parts 256 of one of the cables 101 corresponding to the four conductive terminals 222, 224, 226, and 228. The second forming part 246 further includes a connection part 247 connecting the welding protection parts 243 horizontally and a cable protection part 245 extending upward from the welding protection parts 243 respectively.

[0036] As Figure 5 、 Figure 6 And Figure 10 As shown, the groove 280 of the conductive carrier sheet 28 is opened forward. When the terminal dies 20 are stacked and combined together, the front side of the differential signal of the rear terminal die 20 is shielded and isolated by the conductive carrier sheet 28 of the front terminal die 20. However, there is no conductive carrier sheet 28 on the front side of the foremost terminal die 20. Therefore, the electrical connector 100 is also designed with a shielding sheet 40 formed by blanking a metal plate. The shielding sheet 40 is arranged on the front side of the foremost terminal die 20. As Figure 4 And Figure 11As shown, the shielding sheet 40 is provided with a convex shell 44 protruding toward the avoidance hole 244 at the position of the avoidance hole 246 of the terminal die sheet 20. The convex shell 44 is provided with a receiving hole 440 at the position corresponding to the guide post 282. The guide post 282 is inserted into the receiving hole 440 for interference fit. The side wall of the receiving hole 440 is provided with convex points 442, and the convex points 442 enhance the interference fit between the receiving hole and the guide post. As Figure 4 、 Figure 10 and Figure 12 shown, a fixing tab 402 is further provided on the upper side of the shielding sheet 40 and is bent toward the terminal die sheet 20. The second forming portion 246 is provided with a relief hole 248 at the corresponding position, and the conductive carrier sheet 28 is provided with an interference hole 289 at the corresponding position. The fixing tab 402 passes through the relief hole 248 and is inserted into the interference hole 289. The shielding sheet 40 is fixed to the terminal die sheet 20 through the interference fit between the fixing tab 402 and the interference hole 289 and between the convex shell 44 and the guide post 282.

[0037] Referring to Figure 7 , the terminal pin 252 of each conductive terminal 22 is a fish-eye hole structure. After the electrical connector 100 is installed on the circuit board, the terminal pin 252 is in interference fit with the conductive through-hole of the circuit board, so as to achieve electrical connection. To ensure the stability of the electrical connection, there are certain requirements for the interference amount and insertion and extraction force between the terminal pin 252 and the conductive through-hole. Since there are a large number of terminal pins, there is a great force when disassembling and assembling the electrical connector and the circuit board. In the prior art patent of Xuntao, the protruding block acting on the disassembly and assembly jig and the terminal die sheet are separately designed into two parts, and there is a risk of separation of the two parts during the removal process. Therefore, in this application, please refer to Figure 3 、 Figure 6 and Figure 12 , protruding blocks 288 are provided at both horizontal ends of each conductive carrier sheet 28. There is a gap between the lower side of the protruding block 288 and the aforementioned circuit board. When the electrical connector 100 is removed from the aforementioned circuit board, a disassembly jig (not shown) can extend into the aforementioned gap for disassembly operations. Of course, during the installation process, the protruding block 288 can also be pressed to press the terminal pins 252 of the electrical connector 100 into the circuit board.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 12, the base 10 is provided with a horizontal bottom wall 14 and two side walls 12 extending perpendicular to the bottom wall 14. The two side walls 12 are provided with guide grooves 122, and the metal carrier 28 is provided with guide ribs 290. When the terminal die 20 is inserted into the base 10, the guide ribs 290 cooperate with the guide grooves 122, so as to limit the terminal die 20 to be loaded in a predetermined position. The guide ribs 290 are provided with wedge-shaped blocks 292, and the base 10 is provided with snap holes 120 at the bottom wall of the guide grooves 122. When the terminal die 20 is inserted into the base 10, the wedge-shaped blocks 292 first expand the two side walls 12. After the terminal die 20 is inserted into the base 10, the wedge-shaped blocks 292 slide into the snap holes 120 to achieve snap fit. The bottom wall 14 has a bottom hole 140, and the terminal legs 252 of the signal terminals 224 and 226 pass through the bottom hole 140 and do not contact the base 10.

[0039] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments by using the above-disclosed technical content within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, as long as it does not depart from the content of the technical solution of the present invention, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for connecting a cable to a circuit board, characterized in that: It includes a base provided with an upwardly open receiving groove and a plurality of terminal modules that are stacked in parallel and inserted downward into the receiving groove. Each of the terminal modules is connected to a plurality of cables. The terminal module includes a plurality of conductive terminals welded to the cables, an insulator coated outside the plurality of conductive terminals, and a conductive carrier sheet provided with a plurality of grooves for receiving the insulator. Each of the conductive terminals is provided with a terminal leg extending downward from the insulator, and the terminal leg is connected to the circuit board. The horizontal two ends of the conductive carrier sheet are provided with protruding blocks, and there is a gap between the protruding blocks and the aforementioned circuit board. When the electrical connector is removed from the aforementioned circuit board, a disassembly jig can extend into the aforementioned gap to perform the disassembly operation; The base is provided with a horizontal bottom wall and two side walls extending perpendicular to the bottom wall, and the two side walls are provided with guide grooves; both ends of each of the conductive carrier sheets are respectively provided with guide ribs. When the terminal module is inserted into the base, the guide ribs cooperate with the guide grooves to limit the terminal module to be inserted into a predetermined position; The side wall is located below the protruding block, and the protruding block protrudes from the side wall along the arrangement direction of the conductive terminals; The conductive carrier sheet is provided with an upwardly open fixing groove, and the electrical connector further includes a fixing connection sheet perpendicular to the terminal module. The fixing connection sheet is a metal part and has a connection body extending perpendicular to the terminal module and a fixing leg extending downward from the connection body for inserting into the fixing groove.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide rib is provided with a wedge-shaped clamping block, and the base is provided with a clamping hole at the bottom wall of the guide groove. When the terminal module is inserted into the base, the wedge-shaped clamping block first spreads the two side walls, and after the terminal module is inserted into the base, the wedge-shaped clamping block slides into the clamping hole to achieve a clamping fit.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conductive carrier sheet is a metal die-casting.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each cable includes two signal conductors and two ground conductors extending from one end of the cable. The corresponding conductive terminals connecting the cable include two ground terminals connecting the two ground conductors and two signal terminals connecting the two signal conductors. All the conductive terminals of each terminal module are arranged in a horizontal direction. The four conductive terminals connected to the same cable are arranged adjacent to each other, and the two signal terminals are in the middle position, and the two ground terminals are at both ends.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The insulator includes a first molding part and a second molding part. The first molding part is a plastic that is embedded in the molding and covers each conductive terminal. Each conductive terminal includes a middle part that is covered in the first molding part and a cable welding part that extends upward from the first molding part. The second molding part is a plastic that is formed by embedding molding, that is, a first molding component that is formed after the first molding part is fixed and the conductive terminal is welded to the cable. After being placed in the conductive carrier, it is integrally molded in the groove of the conductive carrier.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The adjacent grounding terminals of the two adjacent cables are connected as one, a guide hole is provided in the middle of the two grounding terminals connected as one, and the conductive carrier is provided with a guide column inserted into the guide hole, and when the terminal assembly fixed by the first molding part is installed in the conductive carrier, the guide hole and the guide column are guided and matched.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The integrated grounding terminal is provided with a connecting hole close to the terminal foot and the cable welding part, and the conductive carrier is provided with a connecting column at a position corresponding to the connecting hole. The connecting hole and the connecting column are interfered with to achieve stable grounding. The height of the guide column exceeds that of the connecting column to play a better guiding role. At the same time, the guide column is a rectangle that is elongated in the up and down directions to better prevent crosstalk between adjacent cable signals.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 7, characterized in that: The conductive carrier includes a positioning block located on the upper side of the first molding portion. The positioning block cooperates with the first molding portion during the process of placing the first molding component into the conductive carrier to play a positioning role.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first forming portion is provided with an avoidance hole, and the avoidance hole avoids the guide column and the connecting column, and facilitates the jig to press near the guide column and the connecting column.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, characterized in that: The electrical connector is also designed with a shielding sheet formed by cutting metal plates, and the shielding sheet is arranged on the front side of the frontmost terminal mold. The shielding sheet is provided with a convex shell protruding toward the avoidance hole at the avoidance hole position corresponding to the terminal mold, and the convex shell is provided with a receiving hole at the position corresponding to the guide column, and the guide column is inserted into the receiving hole for interference fit, and the side wall of the receiving hole is provided with a convex point, and the convex point enhances the interference fit between the receiving hole and the guide column. The upper side of the shielding sheet is also provided with a fixed convex sheet bent toward the terminal mold, and the second molding part is provided with a clearance hole at the corresponding position, and the conductive carrier is provided with an interference hole at the corresponding position. The fixed convex sheet is inserted into the interference hole through the clearance hole, and the shielding sheet is fixed to the terminal mold by the interference fit between the fixed convex sheet and the interference hole and the convex shell and the guide column.

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