Electrical connector

Abstract

The application discloses an electric connector, comprising a body and a plurality of terminal assemblies, the terminal assembly comprising a signal terminal, a ground terminal and a first shielding sheet; the signal terminal has a first contact area, which is arc-shaped; the ground terminal has a base and two side portions extending from the left and right sides of the base towards a mating cavity, the two side portions being located on the left and right sides of the first contact area, each side portion being provided with a second contact area, the second contact area being planar, the second contact area exceeding the first contact area in the forward and backward directions; the base is provided with a third contact area; the first shielding sheet has a bearing arm, the bearing arm being provided with a fourth contact area, the fourth contact area abutting against the base in the contact direction, and the third contact area abutting against the main body portion in the opposite direction of the contact direction. Since the second contact area exceeds the first contact area in the forward and backward directions, the second contact area shields the first contact area in the left-right direction, so that the signal terminal is prevented from crosstalk; the fourth contact area abuts against the base, so that the surface contact between the second contact area and a mating element is stable.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector that improves signal crosstalk. [Background Technology]

[0002] A conventional electrical connector includes a body having a recessed insertion cavity from front to back for inserting an electronic card. Multiple signal terminals and multiple ground terminals are fixed within the body. Each signal terminal has a first contact portion, and each ground terminal has a second contact portion. The first and second contact portions are arranged side-by-side, both being arc-shaped and exposed within the insertion cavity. When the electronic card is inserted into the cavity, the first and second contact portions abut against the metal fingers of the electronic card in the vertical direction. Due to manufacturing tolerances, the first and second contact portions cannot be perfectly aligned; that is, the first contact portion may slightly extend forward or backward beyond the second contact portion. Because the second contact portion is arc-shaped, a certain gap exists between the second contact portion and the metal fingers vertically. This gap causes signal crosstalk between the first contacts of the multiple signal terminals, affecting the signal transmission of the signal terminals. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electrical connector that ensures stable contact between the grounding terminal and the mating element to better shield the signal terminal.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] An electrical connector includes: a body, the body being recessed from front to back to form a mating cavity for accommodating mating elements; a plurality of terminal assemblies arranged in a left-right direction and respectively housed in the body, each terminal assembly including a signal terminal, a ground terminal, and a first shielding sheet; the signal terminal having a first contact area, the first contact area being arc-shaped in the left-right direction and located within the mating cavity for contacting the mating element; the ground terminal having a base and two side portions extending from the left and right sides of the base toward the mating cavity, the two side portions being located on the left and right sides of the first contact area, each of the side portions having a second contact area, the second contact area being planar and located within the mating cavity for surface contact with the mating element, the second contact area... Both forward and backward, the first contact area is extended beyond the first contact area. The direction in which the first and second contact areas contact the docking element is defined as the contact direction. The base is located on the side of the signal terminal opposite to the first contact area, and the base is provided with a third contact area. The first shielding sheet has a main body, which is located on the side of the base opposite to the side portion. A supporting arm extends from the main body towards the base. The supporting arm is provided with a fourth contact area. The fourth contact area abuts against the base along the contact direction and is located in front of the rear end of the second contact area. The third contact area abuts against the main body in the opposite direction of the contact direction and is located behind the first contact area.

[0006] Furthermore, the base has a protrusion facing the main body, the third contact area is located on the protrusion, and there is a gap between the base and the main body on the left and right sides of the protrusion.

[0007] Furthermore, the grounding terminal has a retaining portion located behind the mating cavity and on the side of the main body facing away from the base, thereby preventing the retaining portion from moving along the contact direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the fourth contact area is located in front of the first contact area.

[0009] Furthermore, the terminal assembly also includes a second shielding plate, which together with the first shielding plate surrounds the signal terminal. The second shielding plate has two side plates arranged opposite to each other, with the side portions located between the side plates. Along the contact direction, the distance between the two side portions gradually increases, and the side portions abut against the side plates.

[0010] Furthermore, the docking cavity has a rear wall; the second shielding sheet has a substrate, the substrate is located on the side of the signal terminal facing away from the base, the substrate extends forward beyond the rear wall, the side plates are connected to the left and right sides of the substrate, a clearance groove is provided between the substrate and the side plates, the clearance groove is connected at the connection between the substrate and the side plates, the side portion is received in the clearance groove, the rear end of the clearance groove forms a stop surface, the stop surface stops the side portion from moving backward.

[0011] Furthermore, it further includes conductive sheets, each conductive sheet having a plurality of limiting grooves arranged in a left-right direction; the side plate extends away from the substrate on the opposite side of the substrate to form an extension portion, and extends from the extension portion to form an abutment portion, the extension portion entering the corresponding limiting groove to limit the conductive sheet, and the abutment portion abutting the conductive sheet along the contact direction, so that each conductive sheet bridges a row of second shielding sheets arranged in a left-right direction.

[0012] Furthermore, a baffle is formed by bending and extending from the front end of the main body towards the docking cavity. The baffle is located in front of the signal terminal. A through groove passes through the baffle in the front-back direction. The front end of the base has a stop portion. The stop portion enters the through groove. There is a gap between the stop portion and the lower surface of the through groove. The through groove prevents the stop portion from moving towards the docking cavity.

[0013] Furthermore, the baffle is located in front of the side portion, and the baffle prevents the side portion from moving forward.

[0014] Furthermore, the through groove extends through the bend where the baffle connects to the main body in the opposite direction to the contact direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the base includes a connecting portion and an elastic portion extending rearward from the connecting portion. The connecting portion connects the two sides, and the width of the elastic portion in the left-right direction is smaller than that of the connecting portion. An insulating block is fixed to the signal terminal. The insulating block separates the elastic portion from the signal terminal. The insulating block has a recessed relief groove along the contact direction, which accompanies the elastic portion. There is a gap between the elastic portion and the insulating block. The third contact area is located behind the insulating block. The insulating block is blocked by a second shielding plate along the contact direction and by a first shielding plate in the opposite direction of the contact direction.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: the second contact area extends beyond the first contact area both forward and backward, so the required precision during the assembly of the grounding terminal and the signal terminal into the terminal assembly is reduced. It is only necessary to assemble the signal terminal and the grounding terminal into place, without the need for the high precision required by the prior art to align the signal terminal and the grounding terminal. It can also keep the second contact area from obscuring the first contact area in the left-right direction, ensuring that the two signal terminals on the left and right sides of the grounding terminal will not interfere with each other. Furthermore, the fourth contact area abuts against the base along the contact direction, providing a positive force to the second contact area, making the surface contact between the second contact area and the mating element more stable. [Attached Image Description]

[0017] Figure 1 This is an exploded perspective view of the body of the electrical connector of the present invention and the upper and lower rows of terminal assemblies.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector of the present invention after mating with the mating element;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A magnified view of position A in the middle;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the lower middle row terminal assembly from another perspective;

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Exploded view of the upper and middle row terminal assembly;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of a terminal assembly of the electrical connector of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a terminal assembly of the electrical connector of the present invention from another perspective.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a perspective view of a terminal assembly of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0025] Explanation of reference numerals in the accompanying drawings for the specific implementation methods:

[0026]

[0027]

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0028] To facilitate a better understanding of the purpose, structure, features, and effects of this invention, the invention will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] For the sake of accuracy, all directions mentioned in this article are defined as follows: the X-axis extends in the forward-backward direction (with the positive X-axis direction being forward), the Y-axis extends in the left-right direction (with the positive Y-axis direction being right), and the Z-axis extends in the up-down direction (with the positive Z-axis direction being up).

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown in Figure 2, the electrical connector 100 of the present invention is used for electrically connecting a docking element 200 (in this embodiment, the docking element 200 is an electronic card; in other embodiments, it can also be a docking connector). The electrical connector 100 includes a body 1, multiple rows of terminal assemblies 2, and multiple conductive plates 3 (in this embodiment, the terminal assemblies 2 are in four rows, and the conductive plates 3 are in four rows; however, this is not a limitation in other embodiments). Each row of terminal assemblies 2 is arranged in a left-right direction, and each conductive plate 3 connects to one row of terminal assemblies 2. The body 1 has two docking cavities 11 recessed from front to back for accommodating the docking element 200. Each docking cavity 11 has a rear wall 111. The two rows of terminal assemblies 2 located on opposite upper and lower sides of the same docking cavity 11 cooperate with each other to contact the same docking element 200.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown in Figure 5, each terminal assembly 2 includes a signal terminal 4, a ground terminal 5, a first shielding plate 6, and a second shielding plate 7. The ground terminal 5 is vertically positioned relative to the first shielding plate 6 and can move vertically relative to the first shielding plate 6. In this embodiment, the signal terminal 4 is multiple pairs of differential signal terminals (in other embodiments, this is not a limitation). The signal terminal 4 has a first contact portion 41, a conductive portion 42 located behind the first contact portion 41, and a connecting section 43 connecting the first contact portion 41 and the conductive portion 42. The first contact portion 41 extends into the docking cavity 11 and has a first contact area 411 that is arc-shaped in the front-back direction. The first contact area 411 is used to contact the docking element 200. Multiple insulating blocks 8 are injection molded in the connecting section 43. The insulating block 8 near the first contact portion 41 is recessed with a relief groove 81 along the contact direction.

[0032] like Figure 4As shown in Figure 5, the grounding terminal 5 has a base 51, which includes a connecting portion 511 and an elastic portion 512 extending rearward from the connecting portion 511. The connecting portion 511 is located on the side of the signal terminal 4 facing away from the first contact area 411. The front end of the connecting portion 511 has a forward-extending stop portion 53. Side portions 52 extend from the left and right sides of the connecting portion 511 toward the mating cavity 11, and the side portions 52 are flat. The side portions 52 are located on the left and right sides of the first contact portion 41. On one side, the side portion 52 has a planar second contact area 521. The second contact area 521 is used to contact the docking element 200 on the inner surface of the docking cavity 11. The second contact area 521 extends beyond the first contact area 411 both forward and backward. The direction in which the first contact area 411 and the second contact area 521 contact the docking element 200 within the same terminal assembly 2 is defined as the contact direction. The distance between the two side portions 52 gradually increases along the contact direction (i.e., the angle between the base portion 51 and the side portion 52 is greater than 90 degrees, such as...). Figure 6 As shown, α > 90°; in other embodiments, the included angle between the base 51 and the side portion 52 can also be 90 degrees; the clearance groove 81 clearances the elastic portion 512, and there is a gap between the elastic portion 512 and the insulating block 8, the width of the elastic portion 512 in the left-right direction is smaller than the width of the connecting portion 511; the base 51 is provided with a protrusion 513, the protrusion 513 is provided with a third contact area 5131, the third contact area 5131 is located in the first contact area 411 The base 51 is located behind and behind the insulating block 8. A bent portion 54 is formed by bending and extending from the base 51 away from the contact direction. A retaining portion 55 is formed by bending and extending backward from the bent portion 54 (of course, in other embodiments, the retaining portion 55 may also be formed by bending and extending forward from the bent portion 54). The bent portion 54 can prevent the grounding terminal 5 from moving backward. The retaining portion 55 is located behind the protrusion 513. The base 51 has tail portions 56 located on the left and right sides of the retaining portion 55.

[0033] like Figure 4 As shown in Figure 5, the first shielding plate 6 has two grounding pins Q arranged side by side for connecting a circuit board (of course, in other embodiments, the two grounding pins Q can also be located on the second shielding plate 7). The first shielding plate 6 has a main body 61, which is located on the side of the base 51 opposite to the side portion 52. The third contact area 5131 abuts against the main body 61 in the opposite direction to the contact direction, such as... Figure 7As shown, there is a gap between the base 51 and the main body 61 on the left and right sides of the protrusion 513; two sidewalls 62 are formed by bending and extending from the left and right sides of the main body 61 toward the second shielding plate 7; a supporting arm 63 is bent and extended from the main body 61 toward the connecting part 511, the supporting arm 63 is provided with a fourth contact area 631, the fourth contact area 631 abuts against the connecting part 511 along the contact direction, the fourth contact area 631 is located in front of the rear end of the second contact area 521, and the fourth contact area 631 is located in front of the first contact area 411; the main body 61 is provided with a through hole 611 that runs vertically through it, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the bent portion 54 passes through the through hole 611, and the fastening portion 55 is located on the side of the main body 61 facing away from the base 51 and behind the docking cavity 11, thereby the main body 61 prevents the fastening portion 55 from moving along the contact direction; a baffle 64 is formed by bending and extending from the front end of the main body 61 toward the docking cavity 11, the baffle 64 is located in front of the signal terminal 4 and the side portion 52, and the baffle 64 prevents the side portion 52 from moving forward (in other embodiments, the side portion 52 may also move forward beyond the baffle 64), a through groove 641 passes through the baffle 64 in the front-rear direction, the through groove 641 also passes through the bend where the baffle 64 connects to the base 51, the stopping portion 53 enters the through groove 641, there is a gap between the stopping portion 53 and the lower surface of the through groove 641, and the through groove 641 prevents the stopping portion 53 from moving toward the docking cavity 11. Figure 7 As shown, the second shielding plate 7 blocks the insulating block 8 along the contact direction (in this embodiment, the main body 61 of the first shielding plate 6 blocks the insulating block 8 in the opposite direction of the contact direction; of course, in other embodiments, the side wall 62 may have a notch, and the insulating block 8 may partially enter the notch so that one side of the notch blocks the insulating block 8 in the opposite direction of the contact direction).

[0034] like Figure 4As shown in Figure 5, the second shielding plate 7 and the first shielding plate 6 together surround the signal terminal 4. The second shielding plate 7 has a substrate 71, which is located on the side of the signal terminal 4 facing away from the base 51. The substrate 71 extends forward beyond the rear wall 111. The second shielding plate 7 also has two side plates 72 disposed on the left and right sides of the substrate 71. The side plates 72 are connected to the substrate 71. The side portions 52 are correspondingly located between the side plates 72 and abut against the side plates 72. The side walls 62 are located between the side plates 72 and are laser-welded together. The side plates 72 and the side walls 62 cooperate to shield the left and right sides of the signal terminal 4. After the docking element 200 is inserted into the docking cavity 11, there is a gap between the two side plates 72 and the docking element 200 in the vertical direction. Figure 8 As shown, a clearance groove 73 is provided between the substrate 71 and the side plate 72. The clearance groove 73 is connected at the connection between the substrate 71 and the side plate 72. The side portion 52 is partially received in the clearance groove 73. A stop surface 731 is formed at the rear end of the clearance groove 73, and the stop surface 731 prevents the side portion 52 from moving backward. The side plate 72 extends backward from the substrate 71 on the opposite side of the substrate 71 to form an extension portion 74. An abutment portion 75 extends backward from the extension portion 74 (in other embodiments, the abutment portion 75 may extend forward from the extension portion 74). The second shielding sheet 7 blocks the insulating block 8 along the contact direction (in this embodiment, the substrate 71 blocks the insulating block 8 along the contact direction; in other embodiments, the side plate 72 is provided with a notch, and the insulating block 8 partially enters the notch, so that one side of the notch blocks the insulating block 8 in the opposite direction of the contact direction).

[0035] The upper and lower rows of terminal assemblies 2 are symmetrically arranged about the docking cavity 11 except for the extension 74 and the abutment portion 75 of the second shielding plate 7.

[0036] like Figure 4 As shown in Figure 5, each conductive sheet 3 is made of metal, and the front end of each conductive sheet 3 is recessed with multiple limiting grooves 31 arranged in the left-right direction (of course, in other embodiments, the limiting grooves 31 can also be recessed from the rear end of the conductive sheet 3). The same row of extensions 74 enters the multiple limiting grooves 31 of the same conductive sheet 3, thereby restricting the left, right and forward movement of the conductive sheet 3. The abutting part 75 contacts the conductive sheet 3 along the contact direction so that the second shielding sheet 7 of the same row of terminal assemblies 2 are bridged together through the conductive sheet 3.

[0037] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0038] 1. The second contact area 521 extends beyond the first contact area 411 both forward and backward. Therefore, the required precision during the assembly of the grounding terminal 5 and the signal terminal 4 into the terminal assembly 2 is reduced. It is only necessary to assemble the signal terminal 4 and the grounding terminal 5 into place. Unlike the high precision requirement of the prior art, the signal terminal 4 and the grounding terminal 5 do not need to be aligned. The second contact area 521 can also keep the first contact area 411 from being obscured in the left-right direction, ensuring that the two signal terminals 4 on the left and right sides of the grounding terminal 5 will not interfere with each other. Furthermore, the fourth contact area 631 abuts against the base 51 along the contact direction, providing a positive force to the second contact area 521, making the surface contact between the second contact area 521 and the docking element 200 more stable.

[0039] 2. The third contact area 5131 abuts against the main body 61 in the opposite direction of the contact direction, so that the main body 61 provides a reaction force to the third contact area 5131 in the contact direction. Since the fourth contact area 631 is located in front of the first contact area 411 and the third contact area 5131 is located behind the first contact area 411, the combined force of the force of the fourth contact area 631 and the reaction force of the third contact area 5131 is closer to the area of ​​the second contact area 521 that is aligned with the first contact area 411, ensuring that there is no gap between the area of ​​the second contact area 521 that is aligned with the first contact area 411 and the docking element 200. Thus, the second contact area 521 better shields the first contact area 411 in the left-right direction, ensuring that the two signal terminals 4 on the left and right sides of the grounding terminal 5 do not interfere with each other.

[0040] 3. There is a gap between the base 51 and the main body 61 on the left and right sides of the protrusion 513, so that the grounding terminal 5 can be deflected in the left and right direction. When the docking element 200 is inserted into the docking cavity 11, the grounding terminal 5 can be deflected in the left and right direction because the height of the metal pads arranged in the left and right direction on the docking element 200 may be inconsistent in the up and down direction. The grounding terminal 5 can adjust the height position of the second contact area 521 of the left and right sides 52 according to the actual situation of the docking terminal, so that the second contact area 521 and the metal pad maintain stable surface contact.

[0041] The above detailed description is only an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the content of this invention's specification and illustrations are included within the patent scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, characterized by, include: A body, wherein the body is recessed from front to back to form a docking cavity for accommodating docking elements; Multiple terminal assemblies arranged in a left-right direction are respectively housed in the main body, and each terminal assembly includes a signal terminal, a ground terminal and a first shielding sheet; The signal terminal has a first contact area, which is arc-shaped along the front-back direction and located within the docking cavity for contacting the docking element. The grounding terminal has a base and two side portions extending from the left and right sides of the base toward the docking cavity. The two side portions are located on the left and right sides of the first contact area. Each side portion is provided with a second contact area. The second contact area is planar and located in the docking cavity for surface contact with the docking element. The second contact area extends beyond the first contact area in both forward and backward directions. The direction in which the first contact area and the second contact area contact the docking element is defined as the contact direction. The base is located on the side of the signal terminal opposite to the first contact area, and the base is provided with a third contact area; The first shielding plate has a main body located on the side of the base opposite to the side portion. A supporting arm extends from the main body toward the base. The supporting arm has a fourth contact area that abuts against the base along the contact direction and is located in front of the rear end of the second contact area. A third contact area abuts against the main body in the opposite direction of the contact direction and is located behind the first contact area.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The base has a protrusion facing the main body, the third contact area is located on the protrusion, and there is a gap between the base and the main body.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The grounding terminal has a retaining part located behind the mating cavity and on the side of the main body facing away from the base, thereby preventing the retaining part from moving along the contact direction.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The fourth contact area is located in front of the first contact area.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The terminal assembly further includes a second shielding plate, which together with the first shielding plate surrounds the signal terminal. The second shielding plate has two side plates arranged opposite to each other, with the side portions located between the side plates. Along the contact direction, the distance between the two side portions gradually increases, and the side portions abut against the side plates.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein: The docking cavity has a rear wall; the second shielding sheet has a base plate, the base plate is located on the side of the signal terminal facing away from the base, the base plate extends forward beyond the rear wall, the side plates are connected to the left and right sides of the base plate, a clearance groove is provided between the base plate and the side plate, the clearance groove is connected at the connection between the base plate and the side plate, the side portion is received in the clearance groove, the rear end of the clearance groove forms a stop surface, the stop surface stops the side portion from moving backward.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The device further includes conductive sheets, each of which has a plurality of limiting grooves arranged in a left-right direction; the side plate extends from the opposite side of the substrate to form an extension portion, and extends from the extension portion to form an abutment portion, the extension portion entering the corresponding limiting groove to limit the conductive sheet, and the abutment portion abutting the conductive sheet along the contact direction, thereby bridging each conductive sheet with a row of second shielding sheets arranged in a left-right direction.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A baffle is formed by bending and extending from the front end of the main body toward the mating cavity. The baffle is located in front of the signal terminal. A through groove passes through the baffle in the front-back direction. The front end of the base has a stop portion. The stop portion enters the through groove. There is a gap between the stop portion and the lower surface of the through groove. The through groove prevents the stop portion from moving toward the mating cavity.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The baffle is located in front of the side portion and prevents the side portion from moving forward.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The through groove extends through the bend in the main body of the baffle in the opposite direction to the contact direction.

11. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The base includes a connecting portion and an elastic portion extending rearward from the connecting portion. The connecting portion connects the two sides, and the width of the elastic portion in the left-right direction is smaller than that of the connecting portion. An insulating block is fixed to the signal terminal. The insulating block separates the elastic portion from the signal terminal. The insulating block has a recessed relief groove along the contact direction, which accompanies the elastic portion. There is a gap between the elastic portion and the insulating block. The third contact area is located behind the insulating block. The insulating block is blocked by a second shielding plate along the contact direction and by a first shielding plate in the opposite direction of the contact direction.

Images