Electrical connector assembly

Abstract

The application provides an electric connector assembly, which comprises an insulating body, a plurality of conductive terminals fixed in the insulating body and a locking member, the conductive terminals are used to be electrically connected with cables and comprise a first terminal group and a second terminal group arranged in two rows along the height direction, the first terminal group and the second terminal group are reversely arranged, the electric connector assembly further has an insulating member which integrally injection-molds the locking member and the two rows of conductive terminals, and the insulating member is arranged in the insulating body. The electric connector assembly is convenient to manufacture and has low cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of science and technology in the electronics industry, the size of electronic products is developing in a trend of becoming thinner, lighter and shorter. This requires the size of components of electronic products to become smaller and smaller, and the connector industry is the first to bear the brunt.

[0003] The next-generation USB Type-C connector is required to be smaller, which leads to stricter mechanical requirements and increased product design complexity. To meet the needs of thinner and lighter devices while ensuring product structural reliability, major manufacturers have launched corresponding structural designs.

[0004] Conventional USB Type-C electrical connectors consist of a plastic base, upper and lower rows of conductive terminals mounted on the base, and a locking element with a pair of locking arms. The plastic base comprises upper and lower bodies, and an insulating body injection-molded therewith. The upper and lower bodies are each injection-molded around the two rows of conductive terminals, with the locking element sandwiched between them. This requires three injection molding steps to complete the connector's terminal module, making the molding process cumbersome.

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to improve the existing electrical connector assembly to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly that is easy to manufacture and has a stable structure.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention, the present invention provides an electrical connector assembly, which includes an insulating body, a plurality of conductive terminals fixed in the insulating body and a locking member, the conductive terminals are used to electrically connect to the cable and include a first terminal group and a second terminal group arranged in two rows along the height direction, and the first terminal group and the second terminal group are arranged in reverse. The electrical connector assembly also has an insulating member that injection molds the locking member and the two rows of conductive terminals into one piece, and the insulating member is installed in the insulating body.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the locking member includes a crossbeam and a pair of locking arms extending forward from both ends of the crossbeam in the transverse direction. The crossbeam is buried in the insulating member, and the locking arms protrude from both sides of the insulating member in the transverse direction.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the insulating part has a main body, a first matching structure protruding from both sides of the main body in the lateral direction to match with the locking part, and a second matching structure protruding from both sides of the main body in the height direction to match with the insulating body.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first matching structure includes a pair of protrusions arranged opposite to each other, each of the protrusions extending in the front-to-back direction and sandwiched between the main body and the locking arm on the same side.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first matching structure further includes a pair of rear protrusions arranged opposite to each other, and the rear protrusions are accommodated in the clearance space on the rear side of the locking component.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the main body is provided with a through slot extending in a transverse direction, and the fixing portion of the conductive terminal and the crossbeam of the locking member are exposed outwardly from the through slot.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the main body further has at least one row of positioning holes located at the front side of the through slot to expose the fixing portion outward.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, each of the conductive terminals has a fixed portion, a contact portion extending forward from the fixed portion and protruding into the docking cavity of the insulating body, and a welding portion extending out of the insulating body, and the welding portions of the first and second terminal groups are staggered in the lateral direction.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the fixing portions of the two conductive terminals whose contact portions are aligned in the height direction are staggered in the transverse direction.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the fixing portion of each conductive terminal is offset in a lateral direction compared to the contact portion thereof.

[0017] Beneficial effects of the present invention: The conductive terminals and locking parts of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention are embedded in the insulating part at the same time, forming a whole and then installed in the insulating body, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the electrical connector assembly and reducing product costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A rear view of the electrical connector assembly is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 1An exploded perspective view of the electrical connector assembly shown.

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The electrical connector assembly is further exploded with the shielding housing removed.

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The electrical connector assembly is shown as a top view with the shielding shell and the insulating body removed.

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the insulating body of the electrical connector assembly.

[0024] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A side view of the insulating body of the electrical connector assembly is shown.

[0025] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the assembly of the conductive terminals and locking members of the electrical connector assembly when connected to the material strip.

[0026] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the conductive terminal and locking member when connected to the strip.

[0027] Figure 10 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the assembled insulating body and insulating member of the electrical connector assembly is shown.

[0028] Figure 11 It is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of another embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments do not limit the present invention, and any structural, methodological, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1 to 10 FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector assembly 100 of the present invention. Figure 11 Another embodiment of the electrical connector 100 of the present invention is shown. In the present invention, the electrical connector assembly 100 is used to connect to a cable (not shown), and includes an insulating body 1, a plurality of conductive terminals 2 fixed in the insulating body 1, and a locking member 3.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 3 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7 and Figure 10As shown, the insulating body 1 includes a base 11 located at the front thereof and a mounting portion 12 located at the rear side of the base 11. The mounting portion 12 protrudes outward from the rear of the base 11. The base 11 is generally elliptical and cylindrical in shape. A receiving space 1101 open to the front is formed on the inner side of the base 11 for the forward or reverse insertion of the docking socket connector.

[0032] A plurality of terminal receiving slots 1102 are respectively provided on the inner sides of the top wall 101 and the bottom wall 102 of the insulating body 1. The terminal receiving slots 1102 extend in the front-to-back direction to accommodate the conductive terminals 2. At the same time, the terminal receiving slots 1102 extend forward to the inner side of the base 11 and communicate with the receiving space 1101. In this embodiment, the terminal receiving slots do not penetrate the corresponding top wall 101 and bottom wall 102 of the insulating body 1 in the height direction. That is, when viewed from the top or bottom, the conductive terminals 2 are not exposed outside the top wall 101 or bottom wall 102 of the insulating body 1. Therefore, there is no need to use insulating mylar on the upper and lower sides of the insulating body 1, which reduces the number of parts, lowers the production cost of the product, and also reduces the number of assembly steps of the product, effectively improving the production efficiency of the product.

[0033] In addition, the insulating body 1 further comprises a plurality of partitions 103 connecting the top wall 101 and the bottom wall 102, and transverse walls 104 extending in the transverse direction and intersecting the partitions 103. The transverse walls 104 divide each partition 103 into upper and lower sections. The partitions 103 and transverse walls 104 intersect to form a plurality of receiving passages 105 through which the contact portions 23 of the conductive terminals 2 are inserted forward. The insulating body 1 further comprises a pair of connecting walls 106 arranged parallel to the partitions 103 and connected to the transverse ends of the transverse walls 104.

[0034] The insulating body 1 is provided with slots 13 on both sides in the lateral direction. A pair of the slots 13 are open laterally outward and extend forward from the rear end surface 120 of the insulating body 1 to the base 12. They are laterally connected to the receiving space 1101 on both sides of the base 11. The pair of connecting walls 106 are respectively arranged in the slots 13 on the same side.

[0035] The insulating body 1 further includes an installation space 14 recessed forward from its rear end surface 120 and mounting holes 107 communicating with the installation space 14. The height of the installation space 14 is greater than the height of the slot 13. Several mounting holes 107 are located on the rear side of the barrier 103 and the transverse wall 104 and are recessed outward from the inner surface of the top wall 101 or bottom wall 102, respectively.

[0036] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 Combined with the diagram Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the conductive terminals 2 are used to electrically connect to the cable and include a first terminal group 2a and a second terminal group 2b arranged in two rows along the height direction. The first terminal group 2a and the second terminal group 2b are arranged in opposite directions. The first terminals 21 and the second terminals 22 are arranged in the same manner as the conductive terminals in a standard USB Type C electrical connector. Furthermore, in the present invention, each row of the conductive terminals 2 contains twelve terminals, enabling the transmission of high-speed differential signals.

[0037] Specifically, each of the conductive terminals 2 comprises a fixing portion 21, a contact portion 23 extending forward from the fixing portion 21 and protruding into the receiving space 1101 of the insulating body 1, and a welding portion 24 extending out of the insulating body 1.

[0038] like Figure 5 As shown, the fixing portions 21 of the two conductive terminals 2 aligned in the height direction of the contact portions 23 are staggered in the lateral direction. Preferably, the fixing portions 21 of the two oppositely disposed conductive terminals 2 are completely staggered in the lateral direction so as to position the fixing portions 21 at the upper and lower sides thereof.

[0039] Preferably, the fixed portion 21 of each conductive terminal 2 is offset in the transverse direction relative to its contact portion 23, and is not completely misaligned in the transverse direction. That is, the projections of the contact portion 23 and the fixed portion 21 of the same conductive terminal 2 on the plane of the front face of the insulating body 1 still partially overlap. Furthermore, the fixed portions 21 of the conductive terminals 2 in the same row are misaligned in the same direction relative to their contact portions 23, and the misalignment direction of the fixed portions 21 of the first terminal group 2a relative to their contact portions 23 is opposite to the misalignment direction of the fixed portions 21 of the second terminal group 2b relative to their contact portions 23.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the welding portions 24 of the conductive terminals 2 are arranged in two rows in the height direction, the welding portions 24 of the conductive terminals 2 in each row are at the same height and arranged in a row in the transverse direction, and the welding portions 24 of the first and second terminal groups 2a and 2b are staggered in the transverse direction, which is not only beneficial for the positioning of the jig but also beneficial for the breaking off of the material strip.

[0041] The latch member 3 comprises a crossbeam 31 and a pair of latch arms 32 extending forward from each end of the crossbeam 31 in the transverse direction. The crossbeam 31 is a strip-shaped structure extending in the transverse direction. The latch member 3 is located in the center of the insulating body 1 in the height direction. In this embodiment, the latch member 3 also has solder pins 34 extending rearward from the crossbeam 31 beyond the rear end surface 120 of the insulating body 1 for soldering to a circuit board (not shown), thereby providing the latch member 3 with a grounding function. In this embodiment, the crossbeam 31, latch arms 32, and solder pins 34 are a one-piece structure made of metal.

[0042] The crossbeam 31 and locking arms 32 of the locking member 3 are bilaterally symmetrical, with the solder legs 34 extending in the same direction and positioned on either side of the circuit board in the height direction. Each locking arm 32 has a locking portion 321 protruding toward the other locking arm 32 to engage with the mating connector.

[0043] The locking member 3 further includes a pair of protrusions 35 extending forward from the front end of the crossbar 31 and a strip connection portion 36 located laterally to one side of the corresponding solder leg 34. In this embodiment, the strip connection portion 36 is located outside the solder leg 34 and does not extend rearward beyond the rear end surface 120 of the insulating body 1.

[0044] Please refer to Figures 2 to 5 and combined Figure 10 As shown, the electrical connector assembly 100 further includes an insulating member 4 formed by injection molding the locking member 3 and the two rows of conductive terminals 2 into one body, and the insulating member 4 is installed in the insulating body 1 .

[0045] When the conductive terminals 2 and the locking members 3 are embedded in the insulating member 4, the crossbeam 31 is embedded in the insulating member 4, the locking arms 32 protrude from both sides of the insulating member 4 in the lateral direction, the protruding portions 35 are completely embedded in the insulating member 4 and are not exposed to the outside, and the fixing portions 21 of the two rows of conductive terminals 2 are placed on both sides of the crossbeam 31 in the height direction.

[0046] The insulating member 4 has a main body 41, a first matching structure protruding from both sides of the main body 41 in the lateral direction to match with the locking member 3, and a second matching structure protruding from both sides of the main body 41 in the height direction to match with the insulating body 1.

[0047] The first mating structure includes a pair of opposing protrusions 421, each extending in the front-to-back direction and sandwiched between the main body 41 and the latch arm 32 on the same side. The first mating structure also includes a pair of opposing rear protrusions 422, each of which is received in the clearance space on the rear side of the latch member 3.

[0048] The second mating structure includes a plurality of latching protrusions 43 protruding upward or downward from the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 41. In this embodiment, a pair of latching protrusions 43 are formed on both the upper and lower surfaces of the main body 41. When the insulating member 4 is assembled into the insulating body 1, the front end of the insulating member 4 abuts against the rear surfaces of the barrier 103 and the transverse wall 104. The latching protrusions 43 slide into and are positioned in the corresponding mounting holes 107, and the locking arms 32 protrude laterally into the slots 13.

[0049] The main body 41 is provided with a through slot 412 extending in the transverse direction. The fixing portion 21 of the conductive terminal 2 and the crossbeam 31 of the locking member 3 are exposed outwardly through the through slot 412, facilitating positioning of the conductive terminal 2 and the locking member 3 using ejector pins (not shown) during injection molding of the insulating member 4. Preferably, the through slot 412 extends through the main body 41 in the height direction.

[0050] The main body 41 further has at least one row of positioning holes 413 located in front of the through slot 412 to expose the fixing portion 21. In the present invention, the positioning holes 413 include a row of first positioning holes 4131 located in the front and a row of second positioning holes 4132 located in the rear. The second positioning holes 4132 and the first positioning holes 4131 are offset in the transverse direction.

[0051] The fixing portion 21 includes a first fixing section 212 protruding from the front end of the insulating member 4 and a second fixing section 213 embedded within the insulating member 4. The second fixing section 213 extends straightly backward from the first fixing section 212 to ensure that the width of the fixing portion 21 remains consistent from front to back. The second fixing section 213 can be exposed through either the first positioning hole 4131 or the second positioning hole 4132.

[0052] The second fixing sections 213 of the two power terminals in one row are exposed outward from the corresponding second positioning holes 4132, and the second fixing sections 213 of the two power terminals in another row are exposed outward from the corresponding first positioning holes 4131; the second fixing sections 213 of the other two oppositely arranged conductive terminals on the inner side of the power terminals are also exposed outward from the first and second positioning holes 4131 and 4132 respectively.

[0053] During the process of injection molding the insulating part 4, the front of the conductive terminal 2 is positioned using the first fixing section 212 and the middle is positioned using the second fixing section 213, so that the front and middle parts of the conductive terminal 2 can be effectively positioned. The welding part 24 at the rear of the conductive terminal 2 and the material strip 71 connected thereto are exposed to the outside of the insulating part 4, and can also be effectively positioned.

[0054] The electrical connector assembly 100 also has a shielding shell 5 covering the outside of the insulating body 1 and a pair of metal springs 6 arranged between the insulating body 1 and the shielding shell 5, each of the metal springs 6 has a base plate 61 attached to the outside of the insulating body 1, a plurality of inner supporting springs 62 extending forward from the base plate 61 and protruding inward into the receiving space 1101, a plurality of outer supporting springs 63 protruding from the base plate 61 in a direction away from the receiving space 1101, and a pair of joints 64 located on both sides of the base plate 61 in the lateral direction to cooperate with the insulating body 1, the inner supporting springs 62 are used to abut against the grounding piece on the docking connector, and the outer supporting springs 63 abut against the inner surface of the shielding shell 5.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the electrical connector assembly 100 also has a pair of first material strips 71 respectively connected to the two rows of conductive terminals 2 and a second material strip 72 connected to the locking member 3. The first material strip 71 is only connected to the welding portion 24 of the corresponding row of conductive terminals 2, and the second material strip 72 is only connected to the material strip connecting portion 36 of the locking member 3.

[0056] Specifically, when manufacturing the electrical connector assembly 100, after the two rows of conductive terminals 2 and locking components 3 connected with corresponding material strips are stacked in the height direction, they are positioned by a jig and embedded in the insulating component 4. Afterwards, the first material strip 71 and the second material strip 72 are respectively broken off from the conductive terminals 2 and the locking components 3, and then the insulating component 4 is assembled from the back to the front in the insulating body 1 to complete the manufacture of the electrical connector assembly 100. This can simplify the manufacturing process of the electrical connector assembly 100 and make the structure of the conductive terminals 2 and the locking components 3 and the insulating component 4 more stable, thereby ensuring a more reliable electrical connection.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 11 As shown, in another embodiment of the present invention, the basic structure and assembly relationship of the electrical connector assembly 100' are similar to Figure 1 The electrical connector assembly shown is the same, the only difference is the structure of the shielding shell 5 '. The shielding shell 5 ' does not cover the mounting portion 12, that is, the mounting portion 12 is exposed to the rear side of the shielding shell 5 '. Other identical structures are not repeated here.

[0058] In the present invention, the conductive terminals 2 and the locking members 3 of the electrical connector assembly 100 are simultaneously embedded in the insulating member 4 to form a whole which is then assembled into the insulating body 1 , thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the electrical connector assembly 100 and reducing product costs.

[0059] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising an insulating body, a plurality of conductive terminals fixed within the insulating body, and a locking member, wherein the conductive terminals are used to electrically connect to a cable and include a first terminal group and a second terminal group arranged in two rows along a height direction, the first terminal group and the second terminal group being arranged in opposite directions, and characterized in that: The electrical connector assembly further comprises an insulating member integrally formed by injection molding the locking member and the two rows of conductive terminals. The insulating member is mounted within the insulating body. The locking member comprises a crossbeam and a pair of locking arms extending forward from opposite ends of the crossbeam in the transverse direction. The crossbeam is embedded within the insulating member, and the locking arms protrude from opposite sides of the insulating member in the transverse direction. The insulating member comprises a main body, a first mating structure protruding from opposite sides of the main body in the transverse direction for mating with the locking member, and a second mating structure protruding from opposite sides of the main body in the height direction for mating with the insulating body. The first mating structure comprises a pair of opposing protrusions, each extending in a front-to-rear direction and sandwiched between the main body and the locking arm on the same side. The first mating structure further comprises a pair of opposing rear protrusions, each of which is received in a clearance space at the rear of the locking member. The main body is provided with a through slot extending in the transverse direction, through which the fixing portions of the conductive terminals and the crossbeam of the locking member are exposed.

2. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The main body also has at least one row of positioning holes located at the front side of the through slot to expose the fixing portion outward.

3. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the conductive terminals comprises a fixing portion, a contact portion extending forward from the fixing portion and protruding into the docking cavity of the insulating body, and a welding portion extending out of the insulating body. The welding portions of the first and second terminal groups are staggered in the transverse direction.

4. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The fixing portions of the two conductive terminals whose contact portions are aligned in the height direction are staggered in the transverse direction.

5. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The fixing portion of each conductive terminal is offset relative to the contact portion thereof in a transverse direction.

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