USB socket connector and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present application discloses a USB socket connector and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein the USB socket connector comprises: a terminal module, provided with an insulating body and a plurality of terminals fixed to the insulating body, the insulating body comprising a base and a tongue extending forward from the base, the base defining a relative upper surface and a lower surface; a metal shell, fixed around the periphery of the base, and defining together with the terminal module a plug-in and unplug space for inserting a docking module; a metal welding sheet, fixed to the base and forming a welding area protruding from the upper surface and / or the lower surface, the welding area correspondingly abutting against the inner wall surface of the metal shell and being fixed to the metal shell by welding; the metal welding sheet forms a step difference area at the position of the outer periphery of the welding area, and a gap is formed between the step difference area and the inner wall surface of the metal shell, so that the metal shell and the terminal assembly are stably fixed and the overall structure is stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of connectors, and in particular to a USB socket connector and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The prior art can refer to the Chinese invention patent application No. CN113161793A, which discloses a Type C USB socket connector, including a terminal module and a metal shell sleeved on the periphery of the terminal module. The terminal module includes an insulating body, a plurality of terminals fixed in the insulating body, and a middle plate. The insulating body includes a base and a tongue formed by extending forward from one end of the base. The metal shell is sleeved on the periphery of the base and defines together with the insulating body a plug-in and unplug space with an open end for inserting a docking module. The docking sections of the plurality of terminals are arranged in two rows and fixed on two opposite surfaces of the tongue and correspond one to one along the thickness direction of the tongue to form an upper row of terminals and a lower row of terminals. The middle plate is supported between the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals. The middle plate is exposed outside the tongue along the width direction of the tongue and is used to snap into contact with the docking module.

[0003] The metal shell in the above-mentioned prior art is directly sleeved on the periphery of the terminal module. The metal shell and the periphery of the terminal module are generally fixed by hard interference or mechanical snap fastening. This kind of fixed combination method is prone to problems such as unstable assembly and looseness between the terminal module and the metal shell.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new USB socket connector and a manufacturing method thereof to make up for the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a new USB socket connector, in which the metal shell and the terminal assembly are stably fixed and the overall structure is stable.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A USB socket connector, comprising:

[0008] The terminal module is provided with an insulating body and a plurality of terminals fixed to the insulating body, wherein the insulating body comprises a base and a tongue extending forward from the base, wherein the base is defined with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to each other;

[0009] A metal shell is fixed around the periphery of the base and defines together with the terminal module a plug-in space for inserting the docking module;

[0010] Each of the terminals comprises a fixed section fixed in the base, a contact section extending from one end of the fixed section and combined with the tongue and partially exposed from the tongue, and a butt joint section extending from the other end of the fixed section out of the insulating body;

[0011] A metal welding sheet, fixed to the base and formed with a welding area protruding from the upper surface and / or the lower surface, wherein the welding area is correspondingly abutted against the inner wall surface of the metal shell and fixed to the metal shell by welding;

[0012] The metal welding sheet forms a step area at the periphery of the welding area, and a gap is formed between the step area and the inner wall surface of the metal shell.

[0013] Furthermore, the step area is exposed outside the surface of the base.

[0014] Furthermore, the step difference area is arranged around the welding area.

[0015] Furthermore, the outer surface of the step area is flush with the upper surface and / or lower surface of the base.

[0016] Furthermore, a convex rib is formed at the front end position of the base in the insertion direction of the docking module, and the convex rib protrudes correspondingly from the upper surface and / or lower surface of the base. At least a portion of the convex rib abuts against the inner avoidance surface of the metal shell. The convex rib is located in front of the corresponding welding area along the insertion direction of the docking module and forms a gap between the convex rib and the welding area along the plug-in and unplug direction of the docking module.

[0017] Furthermore, the metal welding sheet is bent to form a fixing foot portion, and the fixing foot portion is inserted into and buried in the base portion.

[0018] Furthermore, the metal welding sheet includes a plurality of welding areas, the plurality of welding areas are integrally connected by a connecting section, and the fixing foot is formed by extending and bending the connecting section.

[0019] Furthermore, the two ends of the metal welding sheet along the width direction of the tongue are bent to form step-shaped step sections, and the step sections are correspondingly embedded and fixed in the base.

[0020] To achieve the above objectives, this application also provides the following technical solutions:

[0021] A method for manufacturing a USB socket connector comprises the following steps:

[0022] A. Provide a row of several lower row terminals, and form a lower row terminal module by integral injection molding, wherein the lower row terminal module is formed with several base initial parts arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the lower row terminals, the extension direction of the base initial parts is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the lower row terminals and the plugging direction of the docking module, and the free end of the base initial part is recessed to form a snap groove;

[0023] B. providing a row of several upper row terminals, and assembling and fixing the row of several upper row terminals to the lower row terminal module;

[0024] C. Provide a metal welding sheet, wherein the metal welding sheet is bent and extended to form a fixed foot, the metal welding sheet is formed with a step area and a welding area protruding from the surface of the step area, and the fixed foot is correspondingly inserted into the buckle groove to form a terminal module initial component;

[0025] D. Positioning the initial terminal module by a mold, forming the terminal module by integral injection molding, and forming a complete insulating body, wherein the insulating body includes a base and a tongue extending forward from the base, wherein the base is defined with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to each other, and the welding area protrudes from the upper surface and / or the lower surface;

[0026] E. Provide a metal shell, and sleeve the metal shell on the periphery of the base of the insulating body along the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module. The welding area corresponds to the inner wall surface of the metal shell and is fixed to the metal shell by welding, and a gap is formed between the step area and the inner wall surface of the metal shell.

[0027] Further, after performing step D, the step difference area surrounds the welding area and the outer surface of the step difference area is flush with the upper surface and / or lower surface of the base.

[0028] Further, after executing step D, the base forms a rib at the front end position in the insertion direction of the docking module, at least part of the rib abuts against the inner avoidance surface of the metal shell, the rib protrudes from the upper surface and / or lower surface of the base, and the rib is located in front of the corresponding welding area along the insertion direction of the docking module and forms a gap between the rib and the welding area along the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present application are: the metal housing and the terminal assembly are stably fixed and the overall structure is stable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the USB socket connector of the present application.

[0031] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The partial exploded perspective view of the USB socket connector shown specifically shows the perspective schematic diagram after the metal shell is separated from the terminal module.

[0032] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the USB receptacle connector is shown.

[0033] Figure 4It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a terminal module for applying for a USB socket connector.

[0034] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the terminal module of the USB socket connector of the present application, which mainly shows the positional matching relationship between the lower row terminal module, the upper row terminals and the metal welding sheet.

[0035] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Further exploded view of the middle terminal module.

[0036] Figure 7 It is a side view of the terminal module of the USB socket connector of the present application, which specifically shows the state of one of the established terminals, the middle plate corresponding to the established terminal, and the ground terminal when they are separated from the insulating body, mainly to show the structure of the established terminal and its positional relationship with the middle plate.

[0037] Figure 8 It is a top view of the terminal module of the USB socket connector of the present application, which specifically shows the state of one of the established terminals, the middle plate corresponding to the established terminal, and the ground terminal when they are separated from the insulating body, mainly to show the structure of the established terminal and its positional relationship with the middle plate.

[0038] Fig. 9 It is a top view of the USB socket connector of the present application.

[0039] Fig.10 It is Fig. 9 Section view along line AA.

[0040] Fig.11 It is Fig. 9 Sectional view along line BB.

[0041] Fig.12 yes Figure 7 Schematic diagram after the metal shell is separated.

[0042] Fig.13 yes Fig.11 Enlarged view of the structure within the dashed box.

[0043] Fig.14 yes Fig.12 Enlarged view of the structure within the dashed box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0045] For the accuracy of the expression of the entire application, all directions involved should be referred to as Figure 1 For reference, the direction of the X-axis is the width direction of the tongue 112 ; the direction of the Y-axis is the thickness direction of the tongue 112 ; and the direction of the Y-axis is the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module.

[0046] Please refer to Figures 1 to 14 As shown, a USB socket connector 200 disclosed in the present application includes a terminal module 1, a metal shell 2 matched with the terminal module 1, and a metal welding sheet 4. The terminal module 1 is provided with an insulating body 11, a plurality of terminals 12 fixed to the insulating body 11, and a middle plate 13. The insulating body 11 includes a base 111 and a tongue 112 extending forward from the base 111. The base 111 is defined with an upper surface 1111 and a lower surface 1112 opposite to each other.

[0047] Each of the terminals 12 includes a fixed section 121 fixed in the base 111, a contact section 122 extending from one end of the fixed section 121 and combined with the tongue 112, and a docking section 123 extending from the other end of the fixed section 121 out of the insulating body 11, wherein the contact section 122 is used to contact with a docking module (not shown, such as a docking connector), and the docking section 123 is used to contact with a docking circuit board 100. The metal housing 2 is disposed around the periphery of the terminal module 1, and defines together with the terminal module 1 a plug-in and unplug space 20 for inserting the docking module; specifically, the metal housing 2 is tightly combined with the periphery of the base 111.

[0048] In the present application, the USB socket connector 200 further includes a bottom metal shell 300, which covers the lower surface of the metal shell 2 and is spot-welded to the metal shell 2 on both sides. The USB socket connector 200 is assembled and welded to the circuit board 100 in a sunken plate manner.

[0049] Please refer to Figures 2 to 6 , Figures 10 to 14 As shown, the metal welding sheet 4 is fixed to the base 111, and a welding area 41 protruding from the upper surface and / or the lower surface is formed, and the welding area 41 is correspondingly attached to the inner wall surface of the metal shell 2 and fixed to the metal shell by welding; the metal welding sheet 4 forms a step area 42 at the position of the outer periphery of the welding area 41, and a gap 1114 is formed between the step area 42 and the inner wall surface of the metal shell. In the present application, the step area 42 is exposed outside the surface of the base, and the step area 42 is arranged around the welding area 41. The outer surface of the step area 42 is flush with the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the base.

[0050] Furthermore, the base 111 of the insulating body 11 is formed with a rib 1113 at the front end position in the insertion direction of the docking module, and the rib 1113 is correspondingly protruded from the upper surface 1111 and / or the lower surface 1112 of the base 111, and at least part of the rib 1113 is against the inner avoidance surface of the metal shell 2, and the rib 1113 is located in front of the corresponding welding area 41 along the insertion direction of the docking module and forms a gap 1115 between the welding area 41 and the docking module. The metal welding sheet 4 is bent to form a fixed foot 43, and the fixed foot 43 is inserted and buried in the base.

[0051] In the embodiments of the drawings of the present application, the lower surface 1112 of the base 111 is not provided with ribs 1113 . Of course, in other embodiments, the lower surface 1112 of the base 111 may also be designed to have the same structure as the upper surface 1111 , that is, provided with ribs 1113 .

[0052] In the present application, the metal welding sheet 4 includes three welding areas 41, which are integrally connected by a connecting section 44, and the fixing foot 43 is formed by extending and bending the connecting section 44. The two ends of the metal welding sheet 4 along the tongue width direction are bent to form a step-shaped step difference section 45, and the step difference section 45 is correspondingly buried and fixed in the base 111.

[0053] Through the structural design of the metal welding sheet 4 of the present application and its structural coordination with the insulating body 11 and the metal shell 2, the metal welding sheet 4 can be fixed at multiple points with the insulating body 11, and the metal welding sheet 4 can be fixed at multiple points with the metal shell 2, thereby improving the stability of the combination between the metal welding sheet 4 and the insulating body 11 and the metal shell 2. In addition, the design of the protruding welding area 41, the gap 1114, and the design of the interval gap 1115 can reduce the generation of foreign matter in the welding area and the impact on the welding effect; at the same time, the energy diffusion to the surrounding during welding is reduced, and the welding effect and firmness are improved; in addition, the step difference structure design between the welding area 41 and the step difference area 42 can make the structural strength of the welding area 41 higher and prevent deformation caused by high temperature during welding. The design of the convex rib 1113 can play a role in supporting the metal shell, and at the same time can prevent foreign matter or welding residue generated during welding from diffusing backward to the terminal docking section 123.

[0054] In the present application, the contact segments 122 of the plurality of terminals 12 are arranged in two rows and combined with two opposite surfaces of the tongue 112 and are defined as an upper row terminal group (not labeled) and a lower row terminal group (not labeled). The contact segments 122 located on one surface of the tongue 112 (the contact segments 122 of the upper row terminal group) correspond to the contact segments 122 located on the other surface of the tongue 112 (the contact segments 122 of the lower row terminal group) along the thickness direction of the tongue 112.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 4 As shown, the USB socket connector 200 of the present application is actually a non-full-pin USB-Type-C socket connector. Taking the upper row of terminal groups as an example, it includes eight terminals, which are four signal terminals 101 and two predetermined terminals 102 located on both sides of the four signal terminals 101. Among them, in the upper row of terminals 101, the two predetermined terminals 102 adjacent to the four signal terminals 101 are used as power terminals; and the two predetermined terminals 102 away from the four signal terminals 101 are used as ground terminals. Among them, in the lower row of terminals 101, the two predetermined terminals 102 adjacent to the four signal terminals 101 are used as power terminals; and among the two predetermined terminals 102 away from the four signal terminals 101, one of the predetermined terminals 102 is used as a ground terminal, and the other predetermined terminal 102 is used as a detection terminal.

[0056] Furthermore, in the present application, in order to achieve the ultimate high current transmission characteristics, the power terminals (predetermined terminals 102) in the upper row of terminals 101 and the lower row of terminals 101 are both thickened and widened. Specifically, the two corresponding power terminals along the thickness direction of the tongue 112 are thickened to be directly stacked and attached. Furthermore, a thinning section 124 thinner than other parts of the power terminal is formed on the contact section 122 of the power terminal, and a recessed groove 1241 is formed, and the insulating body 11 is filled with the recessed groove 1241. The recessed groove 1241 is formed on the surface of the power terminal adjacent to the corresponding terminal along the thickness direction of the tongue 112 (that is, the contact surface of the two stacked power terminals). Furthermore, the recessed grooves 1241 of the two power terminals opposite to each other along the thickness direction of the tongue 112 are arranged opposite to each other, and the recessed groove 1241 is located at one end of the contact section 122 adjacent to the insertion port. The design of the recessed groove 1241 can make the power terminal more firmly combined with the insulating body 11. Meanwhile, arranging the recessed groove 1241 at one end of the contact section 122 near the insertion opening can reduce the weakening of the overall high current bearing capacity of the power terminal after local thinning.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the power terminal forms a thin end 1202 at the front end in the direction of pulling out the docking module, and forms a step space 1203. The step space 1203 is formed on the surface of the power terminal away from the corresponding terminal (the power terminal arranged oppositely) along the thickness direction of the tongue 112. Along the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module, the projection of the step space 1203 partially overlaps with the projection of the recessed groove 1241, so as to further enhance the stability of the combination between the power terminal and the insulating body.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 6As shown, the power terminal is further extended along the width direction of the tongue 112 on the side away from the signal terminal 101 to form a widened portion 1201, and the widened portion 1201 is completely buried in the tongue 112. Furthermore, the recessed groove 1241 is located at the rear position of the widened portion 1201 in the insertion direction of the docking module.

[0059] Please refer to Figures 4 to 6 As shown, along the width direction of the tongue 112, the middle plate 3 is sandwiched between the outermost predetermined terminal 102 in the upper row of terminals and the outermost predetermined terminal 102 in the lower row of terminals. The middle plate 3 is attached to and electrically contacted with the corresponding grounding terminal, and the middle plate 3 is not electrically contacted with the detection terminal. Specifically, the position of the detection terminal corresponding to the middle plate 3 is thinned to form a recessed groove 1241 for giving way to the middle plate 3, ensuring that the detection terminal is completely disconnected from the middle plate 3. At the same time, the recessed groove 1241 of the detection terminal can also enhance the stability of the combination with the insulating body 11. Through the design of the present application, the USB socket connector 200 can achieve large current transmission, and the overall structure is stable, especially the combination strength of the terminal 2 and the insulating body.

[0060] The following describes a method for manufacturing the USB socket connector of the present application, which at least includes the following steps:

[0061] A. Provide a row of several lower row terminals, and form a lower row terminal module 6 by integral injection molding, wherein the lower row terminal module 6 is formed with several base initial parts 5 arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the lower row terminals, and the extension direction of the base initial part 5 is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the lower row terminals and the plugging direction of the docking module, and the free end of the base initial part 5 is recessed to form a snap groove 51;

[0062] B. providing a row of several upper row terminals, and assembling and fixing the row of several upper row terminals to the lower row terminal module 6;

[0063] C. Provide a metal welding sheet 4, wherein the metal welding sheet 4 is bent and extended to form a fixing foot 43, wherein the metal welding sheet 4 is formed with a step area 42 and a welding area 41 protruding from the surface of the step area 42, and the fixing foot 43 is correspondingly inserted into the buckle groove 51 to form a terminal module initial component 7;

[0064] D. Positioning the terminal module preform 7 by a mold, forming the terminal module 1 by integral injection molding, and forming a complete insulating body 11, wherein the insulating body 11 includes a base 111 and a tongue 112 extending forward from the base 111, wherein the base 111 defines an upper surface 1111 and a lower surface 1112 opposite to each other, and the welding area 41 protrudes from the upper surface 1111 and / or the lower surface 1112;

[0065] E. Provide a metal shell 2, and sleeve the metal shell 2 on the periphery of the base 111 of the insulating body 11 along the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module. The welding area 41 corresponds to the inner wall surface of the metal shell 2 and is fixed to the metal shell 2 by welding. A gap 1114 is formed between the step area 42 and the inner wall surface of the metal shell 2.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A USB socket connector, characterized in that: include: The terminal module is provided with an insulating body and a plurality of terminals fixed to the insulating body, wherein the insulating body comprises a base and a tongue extending forward from the base, wherein the base is defined with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to each other; A metal shell is fixed around the periphery of the base and defines together with the terminal module a plug-in space for inserting the docking module; Each of the terminals comprises a fixed section fixed in the base, a contact section extending from one end of the fixed section and combined with the tongue and partially exposed from the tongue, and a butt joint section extending from the other end of the fixed section out of the insulating body; A metal welding sheet, fixed to the base and formed with a welding area protruding from the upper surface and / or the lower surface, wherein the welding area is correspondingly abutted against the inner wall surface of the metal shell and fixed to the metal shell by welding; The metal welding sheet forms a step area at the periphery of the welding area, and a gap is formed between the step area and the inner wall surface of the metal shell; The base is formed with a convex rib at the front end position in the insertion direction of the docking module, and the convex rib protrudes from the upper surface and / or lower surface of the base accordingly. At least part of the convex rib is against the inner wall surface of the metal shell. The convex rib is located in front of the corresponding welding area along the insertion direction of the docking module and forms a gap between the convex rib and the welding area along the plug-in and unplug direction of the docking module.

2. The USB socket connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step area is exposed outside the surface of the base.

3. The USB socket connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step difference area is arranged around the welding area.

4. The USB socket connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the step area is flush with the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the base.

5. The USB socket connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The metal welding sheet is bent to form a fixing leg portion, and the fixing leg portion is inserted into and buried in the base portion.

6. The USB socket connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The metal welding sheet comprises a plurality of welding areas, the plurality of welding areas are integrally connected by a connecting section, and the fixing foot is formed by extending and bending the connecting section.

7. The USB socket connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two ends of the metal welding sheet along the width direction of the tongue are bent to form step-shaped step sections, and the step sections are correspondingly buried and fixed in the base.

8. A method for manufacturing a USB socket connector, characterized in that: The steps include: A. Provide a row of several lower row terminals, and form a lower row terminal module by integral injection molding, wherein the lower row terminal module is formed with several base initial parts arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the lower row terminals, the extension direction of the base initial parts is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the lower row terminals and the plugging direction of the docking module, and the free end of the base initial part is recessed to form a snap groove; B. providing a row of several upper row terminals, and assembling and fixing the row of several upper row terminals to the lower row terminal module; C. Provide a metal welding sheet, wherein the metal welding sheet is bent and extended to form a fixed foot, the metal welding sheet is formed with a step area and a welding area protruding from the surface of the step area, and the fixed foot is correspondingly inserted into the buckle groove to form a terminal module initial component; D. Positioning the initial terminal module by a mold, forming the terminal module by integral injection molding, and forming a complete insulating body, wherein the insulating body includes a base and a tongue extending forward from the base, wherein the base is defined with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to each other, and the welding area protrudes from the upper surface and / or the lower surface; After executing step D, a convex rib is formed at the front end of the base in the insertion direction of the docking module, at least part of the convex rib is against the inner wall surface of the metal shell, the convex rib correspondingly protrudes from the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the base, the convex rib is located in front of the corresponding welding area along the insertion direction of the docking module and a gap is formed between the convex rib and the welding area along the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module; E. Provide a metal shell, and sleeve the metal shell on the periphery of the base of the insulating body along the plugging and unplugging direction of the docking module. The welding area corresponds to the inner wall surface of the metal shell and is fixed to the metal shell by welding, and a gap is formed between the step area and the inner wall surface of the metal shell.

9. The method for manufacturing a USB socket connector according to claim 8, characterized in that: After executing step D, the step area surrounds the welding area and the outer surface of the step area is flush with the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the base.

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