Electrical connector

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electrical connector, which comprises a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal modules. Each of the terminal modules includes an insulating body, a plurality of signal terminals held in the insulating body, and a plurality of ground terminals held in the insulating housing. The signal terminals are arranged as signal terminal pairs, and the ground terminals are located on opposite sides of each of the signal terminal pairs in the vertical direction. Each signal terminal includes a wide side and a narrow side, and each ground terminal includes a wide side and a narrow side. The signal terminal includes a docking end that cooperates with a docking connector, a mounting end mounted on a circuit board, and an intermediate portion between the mounting end and the docking end. The ground terminal includes a ground mating end that cooperates with the docking connector, a ground mounting end mounted on the circuit board, and a transition portion between the ground mounting end and the ground mating end. The wide sides and narrow sides of the signal terminals and the ground terminals all have coupling portions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a high-speed backplane connector used in the communication field.

Background Art

[0002] U.S. Patent No. US 6,988,902, which was authorized and announced on January 24, 2006, discloses a combination of a plug electrical connector and a socket electrical connector. The plug electrical connector and the socket electrical connector both include a plurality of columns of terminals. The terminals in each column include differential signal pairs and ground terminals disposed between adjacent differential signal pairs. The differential signal pairs in each column are staggered with the corresponding differential signal pairs in adjacent columns, and no metal shielding is provided between adjacent columns. Although the crosstalk can be reduced to a certain extent by the staggered arrangement of the differential pairs, and the transmission of lower differential signals of 6 Gbps and below can be achieved, with the increase in the transmission speed of differential signals, the current transmission speed of many differential signals has reached 25 Gbps, and even higher to 56 Gbps. Therefore, such a simple staggered arrangement is difficult to meet the transmission of high-speed signals.

[0003] Therefore, an improved electrical connector is needed to transmit differential signals of 56 Gbps or higher.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with high transmission speed and simple and reliable structure.

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electrical connector for being mounted on a circuit board and being capable of cooperating with a mating connector. The electrical connector includes a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal modules. Each terminal module includes an insulating body, a plurality of signal terminals held in the insulating body, and a plurality of ground terminals held in the insulating housing. The signal terminals are arranged as signal terminal pairs. The ground terminals are located on opposite sides of each signal terminal pair in the vertical direction. Each signal terminal includes a wide side and a narrow side. Each ground terminal includes a wide side and a narrow side. The signal terminal includes a docking end for cooperating with the mating connector, a mounting end mounted on the circuit board, and an intermediate portion between the mounting end and the docking end. The ground terminal includes a ground mating end for cooperating with the mating connector, a ground mounting end mounted on the circuit board, and a transition portion between the ground mounting end and the ground mating end. The intermediate portion and the docking end of the signal terminal pair are narrow-side coupled. The transition portion of the ground terminal shielding the signal terminal pair and the intermediate portion of the signal terminal are narrow-side coupled. The docking end of the signal terminal and the ground mating end of the ground terminal are narrow-side to wide-side coupled.

[0006] Compared with the prior art, the electrical connector of the present invention reduces the crosstalk problem between adjacent signal terminal pairs by directly coupling the signal terminal pair with the grounding terminals on both sides in different directions, improves the shielding effect of the electrical connector, and provides better conditions for the stable transmission of high-frequency signals.

Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the first electrical connector of the connector assembly according to the present invention and the second electrical connector mating therewith.

[0008] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a perspective view of the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector before mating as shown.

[0009] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a perspective view of the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector before mating from another perspective as shown.

[0010] Figure 4 is Figure 1 a partial exploded view of the first electrical connector as shown.

[0011] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a perspective view of a terminal pair of the first electrical connector as shown.

[0012] Figure 6 is Figure 4 a front view of a terminal pair of the first electrical connector as shown.

[0013] Figure 7 is Figure 1 a partial exploded view of the second electrical connector as shown.

[0014] Figure 8 is Figure 7 a partial exploded view of the second electrical connector from another perspective as shown.

[0015] Figure 9 is Figure 8 a partial exploded view of the second electrical connector from another perspective as shown.

[0016] Figure 10 is Figure 9 a partial exploded view of the first terminal module and the second terminal module of the second electrical connector as shown.

[0017] Figure 11 is Figure 10 a partial exploded view of the terminal module as shown.

[0018] Figure 12 is Figure 11 a further exploded view of the terminal module as shown

[0019] Figure 13 is Figure 12 A further exploded view of the terminal module shown in another direction.

[0020] Figure 14 is Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the connector assembly shown along the A-A direction when in the mating state.

[0021] Figure 15 is Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the connector assembly shown along the A-A direction when in the mating state.

[0022] Figure 16 is Figure 1 Shown is a partial exploded view of the first electrical connector of the connector assembly according to the present invention in a second embodiment.

[0023] Figure 17 is Figure 16 A further exploded view of some components of the first electrical connector shown.

[0024] Figure 18 is Figure 1 Shown is an exploded view of the first terminal module and the second terminal module that cooperate with each other of the second electrical connector of the connector assembly according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 19 is Figure 18 A perspective view of the ground terminal and the signal terminal of the terminal module cooperating with the docking connection.

[0026]

Main Component Symbol Explanation

[0027] Electrical connector assembly 100, First electrical connector 1

[0028] Second electrical connector 2, First circuit board 3

[0029] Second circuit board 4, Insulating housing 10

[0030] Terminal 20, Shielding sheet 30

[0031] Bottom wall 11, Side wall 12

[0032] Receiving space 13, Mounting hole 111

[0033] Support wall 113, Channel 115

[0034] Guide bar 121, Holding portion 21

[0035] Mounting portion 23, Cantilever 25

[0036] Contact portion 251, Slot 253

[0037] Mounting foot 231 Barbs 211

[0038] Wide barbs 215 Terminal pair 22

[0039] Main wall 31 Side wall 33

[0040] Contact spring piece 331 Contact projection 333

[0041] Main body part 310 First mounting part 311

[0042] First docking part 313 Grounding foot 317

[0043] Outer shell 40 Terminal module 50

[0044] Retaining part 49 Insulating body 60

[0045] Signal terminal 70 Grounding terminal 80

[0046] Grounding plate 90 Upper wall 413

[0047] Base body 41 Lower wall 414

[0048] Connecting wall 416 Receiving cavity 43

[0049] Positioning groove 421 Guide groove 431

[0050] Alignment hole 415 Lower edge 61

[0051] Upper edge 62 Front edge 63

[0052] Rear edge 64 Clamping rib 641

[0053] Clamping hole 494 Mounting groove 662

[0054] Signal terminal pair 710 Docking end 73

[0055] Mounting end 74 Middle part 75

[0056] Air gap 721 Grounding mating end 83

[0057] Grounding mounting end 84 Transition part 85

[0058] Connecting piece 851 Card slot 665

[0059] Clamping piece 95 First terminal module 51

[0060] Second terminal module 52 First guiding boss 511

[0061] Second guiding boss 521, first protrusion 513

[0062] Second protrusion 523, hole 433

Detailed implementation manners

[0063] As Figure 1-15 shown, the electrical connector assembly 100 of the present invention includes a first electrical connector 1 and a second electrical connector 2 that cooperates with the first electrical connector 1. The first electrical connector 1 is mounted on a first circuit board 3, and the second electrical connector 2 is mounted on a second circuit board 4. After the first electrical connector 1 and the second electrical connector 2 are mated, the transmission speed per channel can reach 112 Gbps or even higher.

[0064] The first electrical connector 1 includes an insulating housing 10, a plurality of terminals 20 held on the insulating housing 10, and a shielding sheet 30 held on the insulating housing 10 to shield the terminals.

[0065] The insulating housing 10 includes a bottom wall 11 and a pair of side walls 12 extending from the same side of the bottom wall 11 and spaced apart from each other. The bottom wall 11 and the two side walls 12 together define a receiving space 13. The bottom wall 11 includes a plurality of mounting holes 111 arranged in rows and columns and penetrating the bottom wall 11 for mounting the terminals 20 and the shielding sheet 30. The bottom wall 11 is provided with a plurality of support walls 113 protruding into the receiving space 13 for supporting the terminals 20. Each support wall 113 includes two channels 115. The side walls 12 are provided with guiding strips 121 for guiding the accurate insertion of the second electrical connector 2 into the receiving space 13.

[0066] The terminals 20 are mounted on the bottom wall 11 of the insulating housing 10 in a number of rows and columns. Each terminal 20 includes a holding portion 21 for holding on the bottom wall 11, a mounting portion 23 extending downward from the holding portion 21 for mounting on the first circuit board 3, a cantilever 25 extending upward from the holding portion 21 into the receiving space 13, and a contact portion 251 located at the front of the cantilever 25. A slotted opening 253 is provided on the cantilever 25, and the slotted opening 253 extends to the contact portion 251. The periphery of the slotted opening 253 is completely enclosed within the terminal 20. The cantilever 25 is received within the channel 115. By providing a slotted opening extending to the contact portion on the terminal 20, the contact area of the terminal is reduced, thereby reducing the capacitive effect, improving the impedance matching on the entire transmission path, and enhancing the shielding effect of the electrical connector. The mounting portion 23 includes mounting feet 231 having a fish-eye hole structure. The terminal 20 is formed by stamping and then bending from a metal flat plate material. Each terminal 20 includes a wide side of the plane where the metal flat plate is located and a narrow side cut from the flat plate material. Barbs 211 protruding outwardly are provided on the two narrow sides of the holding portion 21, and a wide barb 215 protruding from the wide side is provided on the wide side. The wide barb 215 is torn out from the wide side. Each terminal 20 is mounted in a mounting hole 111 on the bottom wall 11 and fixed to the bottom wall 11 by the barbs 211 and the wide barb 215. Two adjacent terminals 20 form a terminal pair 22 for transmitting a pair of differential signals. The coupling between the two terminals 20 forming the terminal pair 22 is a narrow-side coupling from the mounting portion 23 to the contact portion 251. The distance from the center of the contact portion 251 of one terminal 20 forming the terminal pair 22 to the center of the contact portion 251 of the other terminal 20 is a first dimension, and the distance between the center of the mounting portion 23 of one terminal 20 and the center of the mounting portion 23 of the other terminal 20 is a second dimension. The first dimension is less than the second dimension to reduce signal crosstalk between the terminal pair 22 and adjacent terminal pairs 22.

[0067] The shielding sheet 30 is formed by stamping a sheet metal material and then bending it. The shielding sheet 30 includes a main wall 31 and a pair of side walls 33 extending from both sides of the main wall in the same direction. The main wall 31 and the two side walls 33 surround a terminal pair 22 in three directions, shielding the terminal pair 22 from other terminal pairs 22. The main wall 31 is parallel to the wide side of the terminal pair 22 it shields, and a pair of the side walls 33 are respectively opposite to the corresponding narrow sides of the terminal pair 22. In this embodiment, the side of the shielding sheet 30 facing the terminal pair it surrounds is defined as the inner side, and the side opposite to the inner side is defined as the outer side. Each of the side walls 33 includes a contact spring piece 331, and each contact spring piece 331 includes a contact protrusion 333. The contact spring piece 331 extends towards the inner side, and the contact protrusion 333 protrudes towards the inner side. The shielding sheet 30 includes a main body portion 310, a first mounting portion 311 extending downward from the main body portion 310 for mounting on the first circuit board 3, and a first docking portion 313 extending upward from the main body portion 310 and entering the accommodation space 13. The shielding sheet 30 is directly fixedly mounted on the bottom wall 11 through the main body portion 310. The contact spring piece 331 is integrally stamped from the first docking portion 313. The size of the first docking portion 313 extending into the accommodation space 13 is larger than the size of the contact portion 251 of the terminal 20 extending into the accommodation space 13. Each of the side walls 33 includes a grounding pin 317.

[0068] The second electrical connector 2 includes a housing 40, a plurality of terminal modules 50 mounted in the housing 40 and arranged horizontally in alignment, and a holder 49 for fixing the terminal modules 50. Each terminal module 50 includes an insulating body 60, a plurality of signal terminals 70 held in the insulating body 60, a plurality of grounding terminals 80 held in the insulating body 60, and a ground plate 90 located on one side of the terminal module 50.

[0069] The housing 40 includes a base body 41 having a front mating surface 401, an upper wall 413 extending backward from the base body 41, a lower wall 414, and a pair of connecting walls 416 connecting the upper and lower walls. The upper wall 413, the lower wall 414, and the pair of connecting walls 416 together enclose and form an accommodation cavity 43. The front parts of a plurality of terminal modules 50 are received in the accommodation cavity 43 from back to front. The base body 41 includes positioning grooves 421 on the outer surfaces of the upper wall 413 and the lower wall 414. The positioning grooves 421 are used to cooperate with the guiding strips 121 on the first electrical connector 1. A plurality of guiding grooves 431 for guiding the alignment of the terminal modules 50 are provided on both the lower wall 414 and the upper wall 413 on one side of the accommodation cavity. Among them, the guiding grooves 431 on the upper wall 413 include holes 433 penetrating the upper wall. The base body 41 includes a plurality of alignment holes 415 penetrating the front mating surface 401 and the accommodation cavity 43 for receiving the terminals 20 and the shielding sheet 30 of the mating first electrical connector 1.

[0070] The insulating body 60 is sheet-shaped and includes a lower edge 61 arranged in the installation direction, an upper edge 62 opposite to the lower edge 61, a front edge 63 facing the docking electrical connector, and a rear edge 64 arranged opposite to the front edge 63. A clamping rib 641 is provided on the rear edge 64. The holding member 49 includes a clamping hole 494 for receiving the corresponding clamping rib 641. Therefore, each terminal module 50 is fixed integrally in a horizontally aligned manner through the holding member 49 and the housing 40. The insulating body 60 has a first side surface 66 and a second side surface 67 arranged opposite to each other in its thickness direction, and a plurality of installation grooves 662 are provided on the first side surface 66. The outer surface of the insulating body 60 is coated with a layer of wave-absorbing material.

[0071] The signal terminals 70 are integrally formed in the insulating body 60. The signal terminals 70 are arranged in the form of signal terminal pairs 710. Each signal terminal pair 710 is used to transmit a pair of differential signals. Each signal terminal 70 includes a docking end 73 extending out of the insulating body 60 in the docking direction, an installation end 74 extending out of the insulating body 60 in the installation direction and can be installed on the second circuit board 4, and an intermediate portion 75 between the installation end 74 and the docking end 73. The docking end 73 is perpendicular to the installation end 74. Each signal terminal 70 includes a wide side and a narrow side. The wide sides of the signal terminal pairs 710 are arranged in the same plane, and the signal terminal pairs 710 are narrow-side coupled from the installation end 74 to the docking end 73. Through holes that penetrate the intermediate portion and are closed at the periphery are provided in the intermediate portions of some of the signal terminals 70 for adjusting the impedance of the signal terminals. An air gap 721 for exposing the signal terminals 70 to the air is provided on the insulating body 60. The air gap 721 can be provided only on one side of the insulating body 60 or on both sides of the insulating body 60. The purpose is to expose the signal terminals 70 at the position of the air gap 721 to the air, and adjust the capacitance effect by the different dielectric constants of different materials to improve its characteristic impedance to meet 80 - 100 ohm. It can also be to implant a material with a dielectric constant different from that of the insulating body 60 at the position of the through hole or to adjust the capacitance effect by implanting an electrical component.

[0072] The grounding terminal 80 includes a grounding mating end 83 that mates with the first electrical connector 1, a grounding mounting end 84 mounted on the second circuit board, and a transition portion 85 between the grounding mounting end 84 and the grounding mating end 83. Each grounding terminal 80 is mounted in a corresponding mounting groove 662 on the insulating body 60. Grounding terminals 80 are provided on both sides of each differential signal terminal pair 710 in the vertical direction. A connecting member 851 that connects the grounding terminals 80 on both sides of the signal terminal pair 710 is provided at the connection between the grounding mating end 83 and the transition portion 85, and the connecting member 851 and the two grounding terminals 80 it connects are integrally stamped. The grounding mounting end 84 extends beyond the mounting end 74 of the signal terminal 70. Each grounding terminal 80 includes a wide side and a narrow side. The wide side of each grounding terminal 80 is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the wide side of the differential signal terminal pair 710 is located. The middle portion 75 of the signal terminal 70 is bent in a serpentine shape inwardly in the direction of the wide side of the grounding terminal 80, so as to make the physical structures of the signal terminal pairs 710 equal in length, and further make the electrical structures equal in length, so as to reduce the deviation of signal transmission to less than 0.20 picoseconds (ps). In this embodiment, each terminal module 50 includes two signal terminal pairs 710, and a pair of grounding terminals 80 connected to each other through a connecting member 851 are included on both sides of each signal terminal pair 710. The grounding terminals 80 are connected to each other through the connecting member 851, which reduces the crosstalk between adjacent signal terminal pairs 710. The grounding terminals 80 are in contact with the wave-absorbing material on the insulating body 60, so as to shield the signal terminal pair 710 and the adjacent signal terminal pair 710 and absorb the ineffective electromagnetic waves during the signal transmission process at the same time, improving the crosstalk and noise during the signal transmission process. When the first electrical connector 1 and the second electrical connector 2 are mated, the terminal pair 22 mates with the corresponding signal terminal 70 to form a signal path. The contact protrusion 333 on the contact elastic piece 331 on the shielding piece 30 of the shielding terminal pair 22 mates with the outside of the grounding mating end 83 of the corresponding grounding terminal 80 to shield the signal path composed of the terminal pair 22 and the corresponding signal terminal pair 710 throughout the path, and has a good effect of shielding electromagnetic crosstalk.

[0073] The grounding plate 90 is installed on the first side surface 66 of the insulating body 60. The grounding plate 90 and the connecting member 851 are disposed on the same side of the insulating body 60, and the connecting member 851 is located in front of the grounding plate 90 along the docking direction. A clamping groove 665 is provided on the insulating body 60, and a clamping piece 95 that cooperates with the clamping groove 665 is provided on the grounding plate 90. The grounding plate 90 is mechanically and electrically connected to the grounding terminal 80 through other processes such as assembly or welding, and the distance between the grounding terminal 80 and the grounding plate 90 in the lateral direction is less than 0.2 mm to reduce signal leakage, affect the signal transmission between adjacent signal terminal pairs 710, and prevent EMI.

[0074] A plurality of the terminal modules 50 include a first terminal module 51 and a second terminal module 52 that cooperates with the first terminal module 51. The first terminal module 51 and the second terminal module 52 are combined with each other through positioning holes and positioning posts. In the lateral direction, the signal terminal pairs 710 in the first terminal module 51 and the second terminal module 52 are staggeredly arranged at the mounting end 74 and the docking end 73 to improve the anti-interference ability of signal transmission. First guiding bosses 511 are respectively provided on the upper edge 62 and the lower edge 61 of the insulating body 60 of the first terminal module 51. Second guiding bosses 521 are respectively provided on the upper edge 62 and the lower edge 61 of the insulating body 60 of the second terminal module 52. A first protrusion 513 is provided on the first guiding boss 511 on each upper edge 62, and a second protrusion 523 is provided on the second guiding boss 521 on each upper edge 62. The combination of the first guiding boss 511 and the second guiding boss 521 cooperates with the same corresponding guiding groove 431 on the upper wall 413 and the lower wall 414 of the housing 40, and the first protrusion 513 and the second protrusion 523 cooperate with the same corresponding hole 433 on the upper wall 413 of the housing 40.

[0075] Reference Figure 16 and Figure 17, which is another embodiment of the first electrical connector of the present invention. Compared with the first embodiment, the first electrical connector 1' of this embodiment further includes a fixing block 200, and the terminal pair 22' and the shielding sheet 30' are integrally formed and fixed to the fixing block 200. The outer surface of the fixing block 200 is coated with a wave-absorbing material 201 to absorb the ineffective electromagnetic waves during the signal transmission process, and improve the crosstalk and noise during the signal transmission process. The mounting hole 111' on the bottom wall 11' cooperates with the fixing block 200 to fix a pair of terminals 20' and a shielding sheet 30' for shielding the pair of terminals 20' to the bottom wall 11'. In another embodiment of the present invention (not shown), after the terminal pair 22' is integrally formed and fixed to the fixing block 200, it is installed on the bottom wall through the fixing block 200, and the shielding sheets 30' are installed between the bottom walls 11'.

[0076] Reference Figure 18 and Figure 19 , which is another embodiment of the second electrical connector 2' of the present invention. Compared with the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the signal terminals 70' and the ground terminals 80' are integrally formed with the insulating body 60'. The wide sides of the ground terminals 80' are arranged in different planes. Specifically, between the transition portions 85' of the ground terminals 80' and the middle portions 75' of the signal terminals 70' on both sides of the columnar direction of the signal terminal pair 710' in the same terminal module 50, there is a narrow-side coupling, and between the mounting ends 74' of the signal terminals 70' and the ground mounting ends 84' of the ground terminals 80', there is a narrow-side coupling. Between the docking ends 73' of the signal terminal pair 710' and the ground grounding cooperation ends 83' of the ground terminals 80', there is a narrow-side to wide-side coupling.

[0077] The above is only the embodiment of the present invention, not all or the only embodiment. Any equivalent changes made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the technical solution of the present invention by reading the specification of the present invention are covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for mounting on a circuit board and mating with a docking connector, the electrical connector comprising a plurality of laterally disposed terminal modules, each terminal module including an insulating body, a plurality of signal terminals held in the insulating body, and a plurality of ground terminals held in the insulating housing, the signal terminals being arranged in signal terminal pairs, the ground terminals being located on opposite sides of each signal terminal pair in the vertical direction, each signal terminal including a wide side and a narrow side, each ground terminal including a wide side and a narrow side, the signal terminals including a docking end for mating with the docking connector, a mounting end mounted on the circuit board, and an intermediate portion between the mounting end and the docking end, the ground terminals including a ground mating end for mating with the docking connector, a ground mounting end mounted on the circuit board, and a transition portion between the ground mounting end and the ground mating end, characterized in that: There is narrow-side coupling between the middle part and the docking end of the signal terminal pair, narrow-side coupling between the transition part of the grounding terminal shielding the signal terminal pair and the middle part of the signal terminal, narrow-side to wide-side coupling between the docking end of the signal terminal and the grounding mating end of the grounding terminal, and both the signal terminal and the grounding terminal are integrally formed with the insulating body.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is narrow-side coupling between the mounting end of the signal terminal and the grounding mounting end of the grounding terminal.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each terminal module includes two signal terminal pairs, and each side of each signal terminal pair includes a grounding terminal.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The middle part of the signal terminal is provided with an opening that penetrates the middle part and has a closed periphery.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating body includes an air gap that exposes the signal terminal to the air.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: It further includes a grounding plate provided on one side of the insulating body.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The distance between the grounding plate and the grounding terminal is less than 0.2 mm.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal terminal pairs in two adjacent terminal modules are arranged in a staggered manner.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal module includes a first terminal module and a second terminal module spaced from the first terminal module, and two adjacent first terminal modules and second terminal modules are combined with each other through positioning holes and positioning posts.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, characterized in that: It further includes a housing for mounting each terminal module. The housing includes a base body, an upper wall and a lower wall extending from the same side of the base body. The lower wall and the upper wall are provided with a plurality of guiding grooves for guiding the alignment of the terminal modules and holes penetrating the upper wall. Each terminal module includes a lower edge facing the mounting direction and an upper edge opposite to the lower edge. Guiding bosses are respectively provided on the upper edge and the lower edge, and protrusions are provided on the guiding bosses. The guiding bosses of the first terminal module and the second terminal module combined with each other cooperate with the corresponding same guiding groove on the upper wall and the lower wall, and the protrusions on the first terminal module and the second terminal module combined with each other cooperate with the corresponding same hole on the upper wall.

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