Connectors

Abstract

The present invention discloses a connector, comprising a shell and a terminal group, wherein the shell is a conductor and has a connecting end and a fixed end, the terminal group comprises a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of grounding terminals, wherein the plurality of grounding terminals comprises at least a first grounding terminal, the length of the first grounding terminal is less than 50% of the length of the longest signal terminal, and the first grounding terminal is directly or indirectly electrically connected to a grounding surface to achieve grounding, the grounding terminal is greatly shortened, and does not need to pass through the fixed end to connect to a circuit carrier, thereby greatly improving the resonance problem caused by the excessive length of the grounding terminal and improving the quality of signal transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a connector. Background Art

[0002] The electrical connector of the prior art has multiple terminals inside, and electromagnetic interference often occurs between the multiple terminals. In order to reduce electromagnetic interference, the existing connector includes multiple strip-shaped metal conductive terminals (hereinafter referred to as terminals), and the multiple terminals include multiple signal transmission terminals and multiple grounding terminals. Each grounding terminal will extend with the signal terminal and be welded on the solder pad of the PCB board to achieve the effect of signal transmission and grounding. In order to improve the shielding of high-frequency noise, some individual connector designs are also seen to punch out the metal shell of the connector and form one or more conductor pins integrally formed with the metal shell. The conductor pins can be folded inward and electrically connected to the aforementioned grounding terminals to increase the grounding points to improve the grounding efficiency, thereby further reducing electromagnetic interference.

[0003] However, as the transmission rate continues to increase, the signal frequency used by the signal line is also getting higher and higher. The above-mentioned design is no longer sufficient to cope with the serious ground loop resonance and crosstalk problems caused by frequencies above 10GHz, making it impossible to further improve the signal quality and the transmission bandwidth of the cable. On the other hand, taking the above-mentioned design as an example, the design requires cutting of the shell, the shell needs to be specially made, and the overall design of the connector needs to be adjusted accordingly, which lacks applicability and cannot be applied to various connectors.

[0004] Therefore, the problem faced by the present invention is how to propose a design that can be widely used in various connectors and can fundamentally solve the loop resonance and crosstalk problems of high-frequency signals above 10 GHz without making too many adjustments to the shells of various existing connectors. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide an improved connector.

[0006] The applicant has found that one of the key factors for the ground loop resonance and crosstalk problems of high-frequency signals in connectors above 10 GHz is the length of the ground terminal in the connector. The longer the ground terminal, the more serious the resonance and crosstalk problems. Therefore, the core spirit of the present invention is to shorten the length of part or all of the ground terminals in the connector (cut them short / use shorter ones), which can effectively and fundamentally alleviate the ground loop resonance and crosstalk problems of high-frequency signals in connectors above 10 GHz.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a connector, including a shell and a terminal group, the shell is a conductor and has a connecting end and a fixed end, the terminal group includes multiple signal terminals and multiple grounding terminals, the multiple grounding terminals have at least a first grounding terminal, the length of the first grounding terminal is less than 50% of the length of the longest signal terminal, and the first grounding terminal is directly or indirectly electrically connected to a grounding surface to achieve grounding.

[0008] In some embodiments, preferably, the ground surface is a surface of the housing.

[0009] As a specific implementation manner, the first grounding terminal passes through the housing and is electrically connected to the housing.

[0010] In some embodiments, preferably, the number of the grounding terminals is multiple, and the multiple grounding terminals include at least one second grounding terminal, the length of the second grounding terminal is less than 50% of the length of the longest signal terminal, and the second grounding terminal is directly or indirectly electrically connected to another grounding surface to achieve grounding.

[0011] As a specific implementation, the connector further includes a partition plate, which is also a conductor, the terminal groups are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the partition plate to form two rows, and the other grounding surface is the surface of the partition plate.

[0012] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the second technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a connector, including a shell and a terminal group, the shell is a conductor and has a connecting end and a fixed end, the terminal group includes a plurality of signal terminals and at least one grounding terminal, one end of the signal terminal is exposed from the connecting end, and the other end of the signal terminal extends from the fixed end; one end of the grounding terminal is exposed from the connecting end, and the other end of the grounding terminal does not extend from the fixed end; wherein the grounding terminal is electrically connected to the shell.

[0013] In some embodiments, preferably, the length of the ground terminal is less than 50% of the length of the longest signal terminal.

[0014] In some embodiments, preferably, each of the signal terminals includes at least two turning portions.

[0015] In some embodiments, preferably, the connector also includes a partition plate, which is also a conductor, and the terminal groups are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the partition plate to form two rows. There are multiple grounding terminals, and at least one of the grounding terminals is electrically connected to the partition plate.

[0016] In some embodiments, preferably, the partition plate is electrically connected to the housing.

[0017] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art: In the connector of the present invention, the grounding terminal is greatly shortened and is electrically connected to the shell to achieve local grounding. The grounding terminal does not need to pass through the fixed end to connect to the PCB, which greatly improves the resonance problem caused by the excessive length of the grounding terminal, effectively improves the high-frequency signal ground loop resonance and crosstalk problems of the connector, and improves the quality of high-frequency signal transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Attached Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure of the connector of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ;

[0019] Attached Figure 2 The three-dimensional structure of the connector of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ;

[0020] Attached Figure 3 For the attachment Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the AA direction;

[0021] Attached Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the invented connector after removing the outer shell Figure 1 ;

[0022] Attached Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the invented connector after removing the outer shell Figure 2 ;

[0023] Attached Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the invented connector after removing the outer shell Figure 3 ;

[0024] Attached Figure 7 For attachment Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure after further omitting the insulating base;

[0025] Attached Figure 8 For attachment Figure 6 A side view structural schematic diagram of;

[0026] Attached Fig. 9 For the attachment Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the BB direction;

[0027] Among them: 1-housing; 11-connecting end; 11A-connecting opening; 12-fixed end; 13-main body; 2-insulating base; 21-upper plate; 22-lower plate; 3-partition plate; 4-signal terminal; 4a-head; 4b-body; 4c-tail; 5-grounding terminal; 51-first grounding terminal; 51a-head; 51b-tail; 52-second grounding terminal; 52a-head; 52b-tail; 6-protective layer; B-circuit carrier. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The applicant has found that the core of the high-frequency signal ground loop resonance and crosstalk problems of connectors above 10 GHz lies in the length of the ground terminal in the connector. The longer the ground terminal, the more serious the resonance and crosstalk problems. Therefore, one of the core spirits of the present invention is to shorten the length of part or all of the ground terminals in the connector (cut them short or use shorter terminals) and then ground them, which can effectively and fundamentally alleviate the high-frequency signal ground loop resonance and crosstalk problems of connectors above 10 GHz. Based on this inventive spirit, a specific embodiment will be selected from the various feasible designs of the present invention to be further explained.

[0029] First, it should be emphasized that although the present invention is more effective when applied to signals with frequencies above 10 GHz, the design can still be applied to connectors with frequencies below 10 GHz, and the present invention does not impose additional restrictions on the frequency of the connector. In addition, the three-dimensional auxiliary drawings of the present invention are all output in parallel projection according to the three-dimensional engineering drawings of the actual product, so the proportions of the components in each three-dimensional auxiliary drawing are real and accurate values. Figure 1 , 2 The measured dimensional ratios of the components and the relationships between the components are part of the disclosed content of this case.

[0030] See also Figures 1 to 9 A connector is shown. In this example, the connector is a high-frequency, high-speed connector with a transmission frequency higher than 10 GHz. More specifically, it is a female and board-end connector of Display Port (DP) that complies with the 2019 DisplayPort 2.0 standard. Its shape and size are specified in the standard and will not be described in detail. It should be emphasized that the connector of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned products. When necessary, the present invention can be freely transferred to any connector with similar requirements. In addition, it is not limited to board-end connectors. When necessary, similar designs of the present invention can also be applied to line-end connectors.

[0031] In this example, the connector mainly includes a conductive housing 1 (or simply housing 1), an insulating base 2, a partition plate 3, and a terminal set (mainly including a plurality of signal terminals 4 and a ground terminal 5). Other components such as latches that are not directly related to the problem to be solved in this case will be omitted.

[0032] In this example, the conductive housing 1 is formed by bending and punching a single conductive metal plate, that is, it is formed in one piece. However, it can also be formed by combining multiple conductive or non-conductive elements when necessary.

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the housing 1 of the connector can be roughly divided into a connecting end 11, a fixing end 12 and a main body 13 according to the functions. The connecting end 11 is used to connect with other connectors; the fixing end 12 is used to allow the terminal group in the housing 1 to extend and be soldered to a pad on a circuit carrier B (such as a PCB) for electrical connection; the main body 13 is used to connect the connecting end 11 and the fixing end 12 and maintain the positions of the two. Figure 1 , 2 For example, the connection end 11 is located at the upper end of the connector, the fixed end 12 is located at the lower end of the connector, and a connection opening 11A is provided at the connection end 11 to allow an external wire end connector to be inserted therein. In addition, the inner side of the housing 1 may include a protective layer 6; the protective layer 6 may be formed by pouring plastic into the inner side of the housing 1 and curing it; or by using a plastic plate or the like to isolate the terminal group therein from the outside.

[0034] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, when the terminal group of the connector is welded to the external circuit carrier B, the maximum distance between any two points on the entire housing 1 along the normal vector direction of the working surface of the circuit carrier B (hereinafter referred to as the vertical direction) is the maximum height D2 of the connector; at the same time, the maximum distance between any two points on the inner end surface of the connection opening 11A of the connection end 11 of the connector along the aforementioned vertical direction is the maximum height D1 of the connection end 11; the maximum height D2 of the connector is greater than 3 times or more of the maximum height D1 of the connection end 11. Furthermore, a lock hole plate 111 extends vertically downward from the end of the connection opening 11A of the connection end 11, and a screw hole is provided in the center of the lock hole plate 111, allowing it to be fixed to other external components via a screw.

[0035] Terminal group is the general term for multiple terminals. Figure 7In this example, the so-called terminal is, for example, a long thin sheet conductor (such as metal) conducting element for conducting signals or electrical energy. In addition, when necessary, the terminal can also refer to a comb-shaped conductor structure with a plurality of connecting end structures protruding outwards and connected at the bottom. The present invention does not impose any restrictions on this. According to the function, the terminal group specifically includes a plurality of signal terminals 4 for transmitting signals and a plurality of grounding terminals 5 for grounding. In this example, if Figure 7 As shown, the signal terminal 4 can be roughly divided into three parts: the head 4a, the body 4b and the tail 4c. The body 4b extends roughly in the vertical direction, while the head 4a and the tail 4c extend horizontally from the upper and lower ends of the body 4b in different directions. That is, each signal terminal 4 includes two turning parts, which are respectively formed at the junction of the head 4a and the body 4b, and the junction of the body 4b and the tail 4c, so that the lateral profile of the signal terminal is roughly Z-shaped. In the terminal group, the signal terminal pair composed of each two signal terminals 4 is separated by two grounding terminals 5 for grounding to prevent mutual interference between the signal pairs. The length of the head 4a of the signal terminal 4 can be more than 4 times that of the tail 4c of the signal terminal 4. In this example, the height of the body 4b in the vertical direction is about 2 to 3 times the length of the head 4a, but the present invention is not limited to this. When necessary, the shape of each terminal can be adjusted according to needs.

[0036] In addition, the insulating base 2 can be made by an injection molding process and formed in one piece, and its front end includes an upper plate 21 and a lower plate 22 extending forward. The upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 include a plurality of slots facing upward and downward, respectively. According to different designs, the relationship between the insulating base 2 and the terminal group can be divided into two types: pre-installation or post-installation. Pre-installation, for example, means that the insulating base 2 is directly formed on each terminal by the embedded molding process in injection molding; post-installation means that the insulating base 2 is first molded and then the terminal group is inserted into it. In this example, the pre-molding method is adopted to optimize the stability of each signal terminal 4 and improve the signal transmission quality.

[0037] If the formed insulating base 2 and each terminal are separated, it can be seen that the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 respectively include a plurality of channels that penetrate the front and rear ends of the insulating base 2 and are connected to each slot, and each channel is connected to each slot of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22. With this design, the front end of each terminal can be exposed through each slot of the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22. The upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 are used to fix the position of each terminal and isolate the signal terminals 4 placed therein from each other. The term "A is exposed from / through / relative to B" in the present invention is defined as meaning that A is not completely covered by B.

[0038] In this example, the partition plate 3 is an integrally formed metal plate, the middle portion of which is flat and the two sides are bent inward to form vertical walls. The partition plate 3 is used to isolate the electromagnetic waves emitted by the signal terminals placed in the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 from interfering with each other.

[0039] In this example, the partition plate 3 is formed between the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22 of the insulating base 2. In fact, the partition plate 3 can be installed first or installed later. Installing first means that the partition plate 3 is directly formed on the insulating base 2 by embedding molding on the partition plate 3 so that the two are fixed to each other. Installing later means that when the insulating base 2 is formed, a gap is reserved between the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22, and the partition plate 3 is embedded from the front end of the gap during assembly to fix it between the upper plate 21 and the lower plate 22. In this example, the design of installing first is adopted.

[0040] One end of the head 4a of the signal terminal 4 is exposed from the connecting end 11 so that it can be connected to an external connector; one end of the tail 4c of the signal terminal 4 extends from the fixed end 12 so that it can be electrically connected to other components (such as a PCB). The multiple grounding terminals 5 include at least a first grounding terminal 51 and at least one second grounding terminal 52. When the length of the first grounding terminal 51 is less than 50%, 35% and 20% of the length of the longest signal terminal 4, the effect is gradually improved, and the first grounding terminal 51 is directly or indirectly electrically connected to a grounding surface to achieve grounding. The grounding surface here, for example, can be either the housing 1 or the partition plate 3. To be more specific, if Figure 3 , 4 It can be seen that the front end of the first grounding terminal 51 is exposed from a slot of either the upper plate 21 or the lower plate 22, and the other end is not bent and extends horizontally until it contacts the inner surface of the housing 1 and is electrically connected to the ground. In some other embodiments, the first grounding terminal 51 can be further configured to penetrate the housing 1 and be electrically connected to the housing 1 to achieve grounding.

[0041] Depend on Figure 7 It can be seen that the tail 4c of the signal terminal 4 extends out of the fixed end portion 12 to be electrically connected to the circuit carrier B, but the first grounding terminal 51 and the second grounding terminal 52 have been shortened and grounded to the housing 1 or the partition plate 3, so they will not extend out of the housing 1. The head 51a of the first grounding terminal 51 and the head 52a of the second grounding terminal 52 will still be exposed from the connecting end portion 11 to be electrically connected to the grounding terminal or pad of the external connector.

[0042] All signal terminals 4 and ground terminals 5 are installed in the insulating base, and all signal terminals 4 and ground terminals 5 are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the partition plate 3 to form two rows. In this case, "A extends from B" means that at least a part of the nail extends from the inside of B to the outside. For example, if the first ground terminal 51 penetrates and protrudes from the housing 1, the first ground terminal 51 extends from the housing 1.

[0043] In addition, when the length of the second grounding terminal 52 is less than 50%, 35% and 20% of the length of the longest signal terminal 4, the effect is gradually improved, and the second grounding terminal 52 is directly or indirectly electrically connected to another grounding surface to achieve grounding. Specifically, the other grounding surface is the surface of the partition plate 3. Figure 7 It can be seen that in this design, the tail 52b of each second grounding terminal 52 penetrates the upper plate 21 or the lower plate 22 through a through hole (not shown) on the upper plate 21 or the lower plate 22 to be electrically connected to each surface of the partition plate 3 to achieve the grounding effect. At the same time, the first grounding terminal 51 is also connected to the partition plate 3 so that the partition plate 3 and the housing 1 are grounded and connected. The first grounding terminal 51 can be connected to the partition plate 3 by, for example, bending the first grounding terminal 51 so that it contacts the partition plate 3; or, using an electrical connection element such as solder to connect the two, or as Figure 7 As shown, the partition plate 3 is folded and stamped to form a convex point on its surface to be electrically connected to the first grounding terminal 51. Alternatively, the partition plate 3 can be connected to the housing 1 through other components, or it can be directly in contact with the housing 1 for connection, and the present invention does not impose any restrictions on this. In addition, in addition to the first grounding terminal 51 and the second grounding terminal 52 whose tails do not pass through the housing 1, the grounding terminal 5 can also include a third grounding terminal (not marked) that passes through the housing 1 and is electrically connected to the circuit carrier B. In summary, in this case, each grounding terminal 5 in the connector can adopt any of the following three or other feasible grounding designs, one is that the grounding terminal 5 is shortened and grounded to the housing 1; the second is that the grounding terminal 5 is shortened and grounded to the partition plate 3; the third is that the grounding terminal 5 is not shortened, and is extended like the signal terminal 4 and grounded to the circuit carrier B.

[0044] In some other embodiments, all the grounding terminals 5 may be electrically connected to the housing 1 to achieve grounding; all the grounding terminals 5 may be electrically connected to the partition plate 3 to achieve grounding. In other embodiments, the partition plate 3 may be electrically connected to the housing 1, so that the grounding terminal 5 is indirectly electrically connected to the housing 1.

[0045] In summary, in the connector of the present invention, the grounding terminal 5 is greatly shortened and is grounded nearby by being electrically connected to the housing 1 or to the partition plate 3. The grounding terminal 5 does not need to pass through the fixed end 12 to connect to the circuit carrier B, which greatly improves the resonance problem caused by the excessive length of the grounding terminal 5 and improves the quality of signal transmission.

[0046] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it. They cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connector, comprising a housing and a terminal set, wherein the housing is a conductor and has a connecting end and a fixed end, and the terminal set comprises a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of ground terminals. Features: The signal terminal includes three parts: a head, a body and a tail. The body extends substantially in a vertical direction. The head and the tail extend laterally from the upper and lower ends of the body in different directions. The height of the body in the vertical direction is 2 to 3 times the length of the head. The plurality of grounding terminals include at least a first grounding terminal, the length of the first grounding terminal is less than 50% of the length of the longest signal terminal, and the first grounding terminal is directly or indirectly electrically connected to a grounding surface to achieve grounding, and the grounding surface is a surface of the housing; The plurality of grounding terminals include at least one second grounding terminal, the length of the second grounding terminal is less than 50% of the length of the longest signal terminal, and the second grounding terminal is directly or indirectly electrically connected to another grounding surface to achieve grounding, The connector further comprises a partition plate, the partition plate is a conductor, the terminal groups are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the partition plate to form two rows, the other grounding surface is the surface of the partition plate, The first grounding terminal and the second grounding terminal are both shortened and grounded to the housing or the partition plate, and the first grounding terminal and the second grounding terminal do not extend out of the housing; The connector further comprises an insulating base, in which all the signal terminals and the grounding terminals are mounted. The insulating base is made by injection molding process and is integrally formed. The front end thereof includes an upper plate and a lower plate extending forward. The upper plate and the lower plate have a plurality of grooves facing upward and downward, respectively. The partition plate is formed between the upper plate and the lower plate of the insulating base and is electrically connected to the housing.

2. The connector according to claim 1, Features: One end of the signal terminal is exposed from the connecting end, and the other end of the signal terminal is extended from the fixing end.

3. The connector according to claim 1, Features: Each of the signal terminals includes at least two turning parts.

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