Terminal contact structure and connector

Abstract

The present invention relates to a terminal contact structure and a connector, the connector comprising an insulating housing and a terminal module assembled in the insulating housing, the terminal module comprising a terminal, a shielding sheet and an injection molded insert, wherein the terminal comprises a signal contact and a ground contact, and the signal contact head has symmetrical protrusions on both sides, and the protrusions are used to limit the deflection of the signal contact in the insulating housing. The terminal contact structure and connector of the new structure of the present invention reduce the deflection of the contact by protruding outward on both sides of the signal contact head, thereby avoiding the phenomenon that the contact point of the contact branch fails to make positive contact with the pin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of connectors, and particularly relates to a terminal contact structure and a connector using the elastic sheet structure. Background Art

[0002] Due to its characteristics, crosstalk is likely to occur between terminal signal contacts in high-speed connectors, thus affecting signal transmission. Moreover, the yaw of terminal signal contacts in the insulating housing often causes the phenomenon of "pin" (that is, the contacts of the elastic sheet branches do not achieve positive contact with the pin) when the male signal pins are inserted. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a terminal contact structure with a new structure, making the two sides of the head of the signal contact bulge outwards, thereby reducing the yaw amount of the signal contact and avoiding the phenomenon that the contacts of the contact branches do not achieve positive contact with the pin. At the same time, the present invention also provides a connector using this contact structure, achieving the purpose of anti-crosstalk between signal contact pairs and between adjacent signal contact pairs through the setting of signal holes in the insulating housing that are adapted to the signal contact pairs.

[0004] The object of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems are achieved by adopting the following technical solutions. A terminal contact structure according to the present invention includes a signal contact and a ground contact. The two sides of the head of the signal contact have symmetric bulges, and the yaw amount of the signal contact in the insulating housing is limited by the bulges located in front of the contacts.

[0005] The object of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems can also be further achieved by adopting the following technical measures.

[0006] In the aforementioned terminal contact structure, both the front ends of the signal contact and the ground contact form two contact branches separated by a gap, and the gap width between the two contact branches in the head region is smaller than that in the root region, so that the two contact branches can maintain independence and avoid being unable to be inserted and contacted simultaneously due to the excessive gap width in the head region.

[0007] In the aforementioned terminal contact structure, for a pair of adjacent contacts, the distance between their root regions is defined as L1, and the distance between their head regions is defined as L2, then L1 < L2 to reduce the impedance of the contact root region and strengthen the coupling between signal pairs.

[0008] In the aforementioned terminal contact structure, the root of the signal contact is located in the injection molding insert, and impedance notches for increasing the impedance at this location are symmetrically provided at the position where the roots of the signal contact pair are交接 with the terminal signal traces.

[0009] The purpose of the present invention and the technical problems solved therein are also achieved by adopting the following technical solutions. A connector proposed in the present invention comprises an insulating housing and a terminal module assembled in the insulating housing, wherein the terminal module comprises a terminal, a shielding sheet and an injection molded insert, wherein the terminal has the above-mentioned terminal contact structure.

[0010] The purpose of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems can be further achieved by adopting the following technical measures.

[0011] In the aforementioned connector, the insulating shell includes a pair of signal holes adapted to the terminal signal contact pair, the signal hole pair includes a signal spacer, and the signal spacer is used to separate adjacent signal contact pairs; the signal hole pair also includes a hole spacer, and the hole spacer is used to separate two signal contacts in the same signal contact pair.

[0012] In the aforementioned connector, the heights of the signal partitions and the hole partitions are at least higher than the heights of the contact positions of the corresponding terminal signal contacts, thereby achieving the independence of the various contacts.

[0013] In the aforementioned connector, the signal interval is lower than the hole interval, and the hole interval is at least higher than the bending transition stage between the signal contact head area and the root area, so as to reduce the crosstalk between the signal contact pairs.

[0014] In the aforementioned connector, the insulating housing further comprises an inter-terminal barrier for achieving spacing between adjacent terminal modules.

[0015] In the aforementioned connector, the portions where the hole partition and the signal partition are connected to the inter-terminal block are provided with reinforcing ribs, and the height of the reinforcing ribs is smaller than the height of the inter-terminal block.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects. By means of the above technical solution, the present invention can achieve considerable technical advancement and practicality, and has wide industrial utilization value, and has at least the following advantages:

[0017] The signal contact head of the present invention is symmetrically provided with protrusions on the outside, which cooperate with the signal hole of the insulating housing to limit the deflection of the signal terminal in the insulating housing to prevent the pin from falling off when the male pin is inserted (that is, the contact point of the contact branch fails to make positive contact with the pin).

[0018] In addition, the signal hole pairs of the insulating housing of the present invention are also provided with hole partitions, and the height of the hole partitions is at least above the bending transition stage of the signal contacts to optimize the crosstalk between the signal contact pairs. That is, the connector of the present invention has the advantages of stable signals and no crosstalk. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1It is a structural schematic diagram of the connector of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the connector of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the plugging and engaging of the connector of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a connector terminal module of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the connector terminal module of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the plug-in connection of the connector terminal module of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a terminal schematic diagram of the terminal module of connector A of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Side view of

[0027] Fig. 9 for Figure 7 A partial enlarged view of

[0028] Fig.10 This is a terminal schematic diagram of the terminal module of connector B of the present invention;

[0029] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the insulating housing of the connector of the present invention;

[0030] Fig.12 for Fig.11 A partial enlarged view of

[0031] Fig.13 It is a cross-sectional view of the connector of the present invention.

[0032]

Main component symbol description

[0033] 1: A terminal module

[0034] 2: B terminal module

[0035] 3: Insulation shell

[0036] 31: convex edge

[0037] 4: Gusset plate

[0038] 41: gusset boss

[0039] 5: Fixed piece

[0040] 6: Terminal

[0041] 61: Signal contact

[0042] 62: Ground contact

[0043] 63: Less ground signal contact

[0044] 64: Routing section

[0045] 65: Fisheye

[0046] 66: Impedance gap

[0047] 7: Shielding sheet

[0048] 71: Bending

[0049] 72: Rip

[0050] 73: Contact slot

[0051] 74: Shielding shrapnel

[0052] 75: Shielding convex hull

[0053] 76: Shielding Shell

[0054] 77: convex edge

[0055] 8: Injection molding

[0056] 81: Injection groove

[0057] 9: Female connector

[0058] 10: Male connector

[0059] 11: Head area

[0060] 12: Root Zone

[0061] 13: Contact

[0062] 14: Gap

[0063] 15: Contact branch

[0064] 16: Terminal block

[0065] 17: Few ground signal holes

[0066] 18: Signal hole pair

[0067] 19: Reinforcement

[0068] 20: Signal interval

[0069] 21: Hole interval

[0070] 22: Bump

[0071] 23: Male signal pin

[0072] 24: Male ground pin DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] In order to further explain the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the predetermined invention purpose, the specific implementation method, structure, characteristics and effects of the connector proposed according to the present invention are described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0074] See also Figure 1-13 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of each part of the connector of the present invention, the connector includes an insulating housing 3, a terminal module assembled in the insulating housing, and a gusset plate 4 and a fixing plate 5 for fixing the terminal module. When assembling the connector, the terminal module is first inserted into the insulating housing 3 in sequence, and then the fixing plate 5 and the gusset plate 4 are installed to respectively reinforce the crimping end and the bending part of the terminal module.

[0075] The terminal modules are composed of terminals 6, shielding sheets 7 and injection molded inserts 8. The terminals 6 include a wiring part and a contact part. The contacts are divided into signal contacts 61 for mating with the male signal pins 23 and ground contacts 62 for mating with the male ground pins 24. The signal contacts 61 appear in pairs to form a differential pair for transmitting signals, and adjacent signal contact pairs are separated by ground contacts 62. In the embodiment of the present invention, the signal contacts 61 and the ground contacts 62 are both spring structures.

[0076] The width of the head region 11 of the terminal signal contact 61 and the ground contact is smaller than the width of the root region 12 to balance the impedance value of the contact after the male and female mating. The head region 11 of the terminal contact of the present invention is a long straight section with a constant width, and the contact point 13 of the contact is located in the narrower head region 11.

[0077] Each contact of the terminal 6 has a gap 14 at the front end, thereby forming two contact branches 15, and the gap width in any contact head area 11 is smaller than the gap width in the root area, so as to ensure the independence of the contact branches 15 while avoiding the situation that the gap width in the head area is too large, causing one of the contact branches 15 to not contact the pin when the male and female are mated, resulting in failure of mating.

[0078] Since the contact 13 is located in the head area 11 of the contact, and after the male and female are mated, the position of the contact 13 is a low impedance point compared to other positions, and the distance between adjacent signal contacts 61 is greater than the distance between adjacent signal contacts 61 and the ground contact 62, the impedance at the contact 13 can be effectively improved.

[0079] For the adjacent terminal contacts mentioned above, the distance between their root regions 12 is defined as L1, and the distance between their head regions 11 is defined as L2. Then L1 < L2, that is, the distance between adjacent terminal contacts in the root region is less than the distance between them in the head region 11. Therefore, the symmetry centers of the head region 11 and the root region 12 of the contact are not on the same line, and there is a bending transition stage between the head region 11 and the root region 12 of the same contact. Thus, the impedance of the root region 12 of the contact can be effectively reduced, and at the same time, the coupling between signal pairs can be strengthened.

[0080] The root of the signal contact 61 of the present invention is located within the injection molding insert 8. At the position where the root of any pair of signal contacts 61 intersects with the signal terminal wiring part, impedance notches 66 for increasing the impedance at this place are symmetrically provided, and the notches 66 are located on the adjacent sides of the two signal contacts.

[0081] In the connector, the terminal signal contact 61 is located in the signal hole of the insulating housing. In order to reduce the gap between the signal contact 61 and the signal hole, symmetric protrusions 22 are provided on both sides of the head of the signal contact 61. The protrusions 22 limit the yaw amount of the contact, and further prevent the phenomenon that one of the contact branches of the contact does not contact during male-female mating. The protrusions 22 are located before the contact point 13.

[0082] The insulating housing 3 is injection-molded from LCP material and has a pair of signal holes 18 adapted to the signal contacts 61 of the terminals 6. The pair of signal holes 18 are provided with signal partitions 20 for realizing the interval between adjacent pairs of signal contacts 61 therein and hole partitions 21 for realizing the interval between the same pair of signal contacts 61, and the heights of the signal partitions 20 and the hole partitions 21 are at least higher than the contact positions of the corresponding terminal signal contacts, so that each contact is independent, thereby ensuring reliable contact between the contact and the pin during male-female mating.

[0083] Preferably, the signal partition 20 is lower than the hole partition 21, thereby increasing the impedance near the contact point to a certain extent. At the same time, since the top of the hole partition 21 is at least above the bending transition stage of the signal contact 61, after the terminals are assembled in the insulator, the bending transition sections of the two signal contacts are completely separated by the hole partition 21, and the crosstalk between the signal contact pairs can be reduced.

[0084] The insulating housing 3 is also provided with an inter-terminal partition 16 for separating adjacent layers of terminal modules. A reinforcing rib 19 is provided at the part where the corresponding hole partition 21 is connected to the inter-terminal partition 16. The height of the reinforcing rib 19 is lower than the height of the inter-terminal partition 16 to reduce the molding difficulty of the inter-terminal partition 16 and at the same time increase the strength of the inter-terminal partition 16. Chamfers are provided at the heads of the hole partition 21, the signal partition 20, and the reinforcing rib 19 to facilitate assembly.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal module includes an A terminal module 1 and a B terminal module 2, wherein the A terminal module 1 and the B terminal module 2 appear in pairs and are arranged in the form of ABABAB..., and the two terminal modules correspond to different terminals, corresponding to the A terminal and the B terminal respectively. The A terminal and the B terminal both include a signal contact 61 and a grounding contact 62, and the A terminal also includes a ground-less signal contact 63, except that there is no grounding contact 62 on the fisheye side of the ground-less signal contact 63, and the signal contact pairs of the other AB terminals have grounding contacts 62 on both sides. That is, the contact of the A terminal of the present invention is composed of a grounding contact 62, a signal contact 61, and a ground-less signal contact 63, and the B terminal is composed of a grounding contact 62 and a signal contact 61, wherein all the grounding contacts 62 have the same characteristics, and all the signal contacts 61 have the same characteristics. Since there is no ground contact on one side of the less ground contact 63 , the impedance there is higher than other parts during high-speed signal transmission. Therefore, the width of the less ground signal contact 63 is greater than that of the other signal contacts 61 to reduce the impedance of the less ground signal.

[0086] When the A terminal module 1 and the B terminal module 2 are assembled in the insulating housing 3, they are separated from each other by the terminal block 16. Among the signal hole pairs 18 adapted to the end signal contacts 61 in the insulating housing 3, except for the signal hole pairs adapted to the lesser signal contacts 63 with increased width of the A terminal, which need to increase the width size accordingly, the characteristics of other signal hole pairs 18 are the same.

[0087] In the embodiment of the present invention, the position corresponding to the shielding sheet 7 and the terminal grounding contact 62 is provided with a shielding convex 75 and a shielding spring 74 for successively cooperating and contacting with the male terminal ground 24 when the connector is plugged in. Each grounding contact 62 corresponds to a group of shielding convex 75 and shielding spring 74 distributed in front and back intervals along the length direction of the grounding contact. At least one side of any shielding convex 75 and shielding spring 74 is also provided with a shielding shell (i.e., shielding protruding structure) 76 for providing shielding for the pair of signal contacts 61. After the terminal module is assembled, the shielding shell 76 is directly opposite to the position of the signal contact 61 or the least signal contact 63 of the terminal, and the shell withdrawal direction (i.e., the protruding direction) is away from the signal contact 61 or the least signal contact 63. At this time, the shielding convex 75 and the shielding spring 74 are directly opposite to and in contact with the position of the grounding contact 62, and the protruding direction of the shielding convex 75 and the shielding spring 74 is close to the grounding contact 62.

[0088] The shielding bulge 75 of the present invention is a protrusion formed by stamping on the shielding sheet 7. The top of the shielding bulge 75 has a flat surface. After being assembled into a connector, when vertically observed from the plug-in end, the shielding bulge 75 needs to be exposed to the plug hole of the insulating housing 3 so that the male end ground pin 24 contacts the shielding bulge 75 when inserted from the plug hole. At the same time, the position of the shielding bulge 75 is required to be as close to the plug-in end as possible to optimize high-speed performance such as crosstalk and differential return loss. In actual applications, the contact area of ​​the terminal contact must correspond to the flat surface of the bulge so that the forces on both sides are balanced when the male end pin is inserted.

[0089] The shielding spring piece 74 and the shielding convex bump 75 appear in a group, and contact the ground pin 24 of the male end at the same time after the connector is fully plugged in. The shielding spring piece 74 is also stamped and formed by a metal shielding sheet, and the lifting height of the shielding spring piece 74 is required to be greater than the lifting height of the shielding convex bump 75, so as to contact the male end ground pin 24. In addition, the rear end of the shielding spring piece 74 is fixed, and the front end is a free end with a certain gap with the shielding sheet 7 body, so that the spring piece can be flexibly lifted up with the insertion of the ground pin, and in order to avoid the shielding spring piece from producing structural yield after lifting, the cantilever length of the shielding spring piece 74 is required to be greater than 1mm.

[0090] The shielding drawer 76 of the shielding plates 7 of the A terminal module and the B terminal module of the present invention are staggered with each other, and the shielding bulge 75 and at least a portion of the shielding spring 74 of one terminal module are directly opposite to a portion of the shielding drawer 76 of the other terminal module, so that after the male and female are matched, when the male ground pin 24 is inserted between the grounding contact 62 and the shielding bulge 75 and the shielding spring 74, together with the shielding plates 7 on both sides, the signal differential pair composed of the signal contact 61 and the male signal pin 23 is surrounded, forming a virtual shielding cavity, thereby realizing full enclosure shielding of the signal differential pair.

[0091] After the shielding sheet 7 of the present invention is assembled, its shielding drawer shell 76 corresponds to the signal hole pair 18 of the insulating shell, and is located outside the signal hole pair 18, and is adapted to the part of the insulator that connects the two signal intervals 20 of the signal hole pair. This part of the insulator cooperates with the signal contact to achieve reliable contact between the signal contact and the male signal pin. At this time, the shielding bulge 75 and the shielding spring sheet 74 are located in the groove for accommodating the grounding contact between the signal hole pair, and a hole for inserting the male ground pin 24 is formed between the grounding contact. The shielding sheet 7 is also provided with a convex edge 77 on the front end face of the shielding bulge 75, and the convex edge 77 is used to achieve seamless docking between the shielding bulge 75 and the insulating shell in the extension direction of the contact. In the embodiment of the present invention, the outer side of the insulating shell 3 corresponding to the shielding bulge is provided with a convex portion 31 adapted to the convex edge.

[0092] The convex edge 77 in the embodiment of the present invention is inserted into the inner side of the convex portion 31 to achieve seamless connection between the shielding sheet and the insulating housing. The arrangement of the convex edge 77 and the convex portion 31 enables seamless connection between the shielding convex 77 and the insulating housing through overlapping corresponding connection, thereby achieving reliable connection of the shielding.

[0093] The shielding sheet 7 of the present invention is also provided with a hot rivet stud perforation for the hot rivet stud on the injection molded insert 8 to pass through and realize the riveting of the two. The shielding sheet 7 has a fish eye that is not on the same plane as the shielding body, and the fish eye is connected to the shielding body through the bends 71 ​​on both sides of the fish eye root. The bends 71 ​​on both sides of the fish eye root are symmetrical relative to the fish eye, and the part of the fish eye root located between the bends 71 ​​on both sides is torn from the shielding body, and an opening is formed between the torn part 72 and the shielding body, and the opening cooperates with the injection molding groove 81 on the injection molded insert 8, and when the shielding sheet and the injection molded insert are riveted, the fish eye root area of ​​the shielding sheet is limited (limited at the left and right bends and the bottom torn part), and when the connector fish eye is crimped onto the printed circuit board, the fish eye of the shielding sheet 7 is prevented from retreating due to the force on the head.

[0094] The bends 71 ​​on both sides of the fish eye root of the present invention are formed by stamping and stretching from the shielding sheet 7 body. The width of the bend area is not less than 3 times the material thickness to ensure the structural strength here. The opening formed by tearing between the two bends cooperates with the injection molding groove to improve the shielding effect of the shielding sheet and prevent the fish eye of the shielding sheet from retreating due to the force on the head.

[0095] The shielding sheet 7 is provided with hot riveting stud perforations on both sides of the bend 71 at the root of the fisheye, and the injection molded insert 8 has a hot riveting stud at the corresponding mating position. The distance between the hot riveting stud and the tearing part 72 of the shielding sheet in the extending direction of the fisheye does not exceed 10 times the material thickness of the shielding sheet. After hot riveting at this part, the root of the fisheye can be fixed to prevent the fisheye from shrinking and bending under stress.

[0096] The raw material of the shielding sheet 7 of the present invention is a material strip, which is formed by stamping, wherein the surface where the fisheye is located is not in the same plane as the shielding sheet body. The processing process is that the fisheye part is first stamped and formed, and then the fisheye area is stamped into place as a whole. The two sides of the fisheye area are symmetrically bent with the connecting part of the shielding sheet body, and the corresponding bottom of the fisheye root is torn apart from the shielding sheet body. Since the bending 71 is symmetrical, the overall force is uniform and symmetrical when stamping this part, and it is easier to ensure the position and size of the fisheye, so as to facilitate the coordination with the opening of the printed circuit board. At the same time, the two sides of the fisheye part are connected to the shielding sheet, which increases the facing area of ​​the shielding sheet 7 and the terminal signal routing, increases the signal return path, and improves the high-speed transmission performance of the connector. The above-mentioned shielding structure not only ensures the position and size of the fisheye, but also improves the strength of the fisheye root, avoids the shrinkage and bending due to the force on the head when the fisheye is crimped, and at the same time increases the facing area of ​​the signal line, and improves the shielding effect of the shielding sheet on crosstalk between signals.

[0097] The buckle plate 4 of the present invention is provided with through holes that cooperate with each terminal module of the connector, and the buckle plate 4 is provided with a buckle plate boss 41 for cooperating with the pit formed after the shielding plate 7 is bent after the fisheye. When the buckle plate is buckled on the terminal module, the buckle plate boss 41 cooperates with the pit on the shielding plate. When the fisheye is crimped onto the printed circuit board, the displacement of the root bending area in the direction perpendicular to the shielding plate body is limited, thereby further preventing the fisheye from deforming and failing due to force.

[0098] A transverse rib is provided between the through holes on the gusset plate 4. On the connector, the transverse rib is arranged centrally relative to the fisheyes extending from the terminal signal wiring on both sides thereof, and is in interference contact with the contact groove 73 on the root of each fisheye on the shielding sheet 7, further fixing the root of the fisheye and improving the structural strength of the root of the fisheye.

[0099] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any form. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not used to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with the profession can make some changes or modify the technical contents disclosed above into equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A terminal contact structure, comprising a signal contact and a ground contact, characterized in that: The two sides of the head of the signal contact have symmetrical protrusions, and the deflection amount of the signal contact in the insulating housing is limited by these protrusions; Both the front ends of the signal contact and the ground contact form two contact branches separated by a gap, and the gap width between the two contact branches in the head region is smaller than that in the root region, so that the two contact branches can maintain independence and avoid being unable to be inserted and contacted simultaneously due to the excessive gap width in the head region; The protrusion is located in front of the contact point in the head region.

2. The terminal contact structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: For a pair of adjacent contacts, the distance between their root regions is defined as L1, and the distance between their head regions is defined as L2, then L1 < L2 to reduce the impedance of the root region of the contact and strengthen the coupling between signal pairs.

3. The terminal contact structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The root of the signal contact is located in the injection molding insert, and impedance notches for increasing the impedance at this position are symmetrically provided at the root of a pair of signal contacts and the position where they are connected to the terminal signal traces.

4. A connector, comprising an insulating housing and a terminal module assembled in the insulating housing, wherein the terminal module comprises a terminal, a shielding sheet and an injection molded insert, characterized in that: The terminal has the terminal contact structure described in any one of claims 1-3.

5. The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The insulating housing includes a pair of signal holes adapted to the terminal signal contact pair. The pair of signal holes includes a signal partition for separating adjacent signal contact pairs; the pair of signal holes also includes a hole partition for separating the two signal contacts in the same signal contact pair.

6. The connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The heights of the signal partition and the hole partition are at least higher than the height of the contact point position of the corresponding terminal signal contact, so as to achieve the mutual independence of each contact point.

7. The connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The signal partition is lower than the hole partition, and the top of the hole partition is at least higher than the bending transition stage between the head region and the root region of the signal contact to reduce the crosstalk between signal contact pairs.

8. The connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The insulating housing also has an inter-terminal partition for realizing the interval between adjacent terminal modules.

9. The connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: Reinforcing ribs are provided at the parts where the hole partition and the signal partition are connected to the inter-terminal partition, and the height of the reinforcing ribs is less than the height of the inter-terminal partition.

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