Female end connector, male end connector, connector assembly and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a female end connector, a male end connector, a connector assembly and electronic equipment. The female end connector is connected with the male end connector in an inserted mode. The female end connector comprises a metal shell, a plurality of plastic blocks and a plurality of female end terminals. The metal shell comprises a surrounding plate and an end plate, and the end plate is fixed at one end of the surrounding plate along the plugging direction of the female end connector. The coaming is arranged on the peripheral side of the end plate in a surrounding mode, the coaming is enclosed in the inserting direction of the female end connector and the male end connector to form a cylindrical structure closed in the circumferential direction, and the end plate is connected to one end, in the inserting direction, of the cylindrical structure formed by the coaming. The end plate is provided with a plurality of connecting ports, and the plastic blocks are fixedly installed on the connecting ports of the end plate. The whole metal shell of the female end connector is of a metal structure and serves as a backflow ground and a shielding structure of the female end connector. The shielding effect of the female end terminals of the female end connector is good, the bandwidth of transmission signals of the female end connector is improved, the insertion loss of the signals is reduced, and the transmission rate of the signals is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic devices, and particularly to a female connector, a male connector, a connector assembly and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] An electronic device usually includes a plurality of electronic components, and signal transmission is required between the plurality of electronic components. Currently, a relatively common signal transmission method includes using a connector assembly to achieve connection.

[0003] With the continuous evolution of current electronic devices, the number of transmitted signals is increasing, and the rate is also getting faster. As an important part of signal transmission, the connector assembly also has an important impact on the operating rate of the electronic device. Therefore, higher requirements are also put forward for the signal transmission rate of the connector assembly. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides a female connector, a male connector, a connector assembly, an electronic device and a signal transmission method to improve the signal transmission bandwidth of the connector assembly, reduce the insertion loss of signals and improve the signal transmission rate, thereby improving the performance of the electronic device.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a female connector for plugging into a male connector. The female connector includes a metal housing, a plurality of plastic blocks, and a plurality of female terminals. The metal housing includes a surrounding plate and an end plate, and the end plate is fixed to one end of the surrounding plate along the plugging direction of the female connector. Specifically, the surrounding plate surrounds the periphery of the end plate, and the surrounding plate forms a circumferentially closed cylindrical structure along the plugging direction of the female connector and the male connector. The end plate is connected to one end of the cylindrical structure formed by the surrounding plate along the plugging direction. The surrounding plate and the end plate enclose a shielding cavity that extends along the plugging direction. The end plate has a plurality of connection ports, and the plastic blocks are fixedly installed in the connection ports of the end plate. The plastic blocks include insertion holes that penetrate the plastic blocks along the plugging direction for accommodating the male terminals of the male connector. The female terminals are installed in the metal housing and are opposite to the insertion holes. The female terminals are used to connect to the male terminals inserted into the insertion holes to achieve the connection between the female connector and the male connector. In the present application, the entire metal housing of the female connector is a metal structure, serving as the ground structure and shielding structure of the female connector. The terminals of the female connector may not include ground terminals, and the metal housing is used as the return ground of the female terminals of the female connector. In addition, the entire metal housing can be used as the shielding structure of the female connector, and the surrounding plate forms a cylindrical structure that can completely cover the female terminals on the circumferential side, resulting in a better shielding effect. A plastic block is provided between the metal housing and the female terminals, which isolates the female terminals from the ground structure, that is, it realizes the insulation between the signal terminals of the female connector and the return ground. The shielding effect of the female terminals of the female connector in the present application is better, which is beneficial to increasing the bandwidth of the signal transmitted by the female connector, reducing the insertion loss of the signal, and improving the signal transmission rate.

[0006] Specifically, the metal housing and the plastic blocks are fixedly connected by secondary injection molding, which is beneficial to simplifying the manufacturing process of the metal housing and the plastic blocks and can improve the fixing strength between the plastic blocks and the metal housing.

[0007] In a technical solution, the female connector includes a plurality of first terminal groups, and one first terminal group includes at least two female terminals. The female connector further includes a plurality of first metal sheets, which can also serve as the return ground and shielding structure. The first metal sheets are fixedly assembled on the plastic blocks and are located between adjacent first terminal groups. This enables shielding to be achieved in the connection area between different first terminal groups of the connector assembly, reducing signal crosstalk, and thus further improving the signal transmission rate of the connector assembly. In addition, the first metal sheets can also serve as the return ground of the female terminals, and each first metal sheet is located near the corresponding female terminal, so that the distance between the female terminal and the return ground is relatively short, resulting in better return and being beneficial to increasing the bandwidth of the signal transmitted by the connector assembly.

[0008] When specifically setting the above-mentioned first metal sheet, the first metal sheet is a U-shaped shielding sheet, and the U-shaped shielding sheet has a U-shaped groove. The above-mentioned U-shaped shielding sheet may include a bottom wall and two side walls. The female terminal is located in the U-shaped groove, and the bottom wall and the two side walls may be arranged on three sides of the female terminal, so that the first metal sheet shields the interference signals around the female terminal from three sides, and the shielding effect is better. In addition, in addition to the bottom wall, the side walls can also serve as the return ground of the female terminal to shorten the distance between the female terminal and the return ground and improve the signal transmission bandwidth of the connector assembly.

[0009] The above-mentioned first metal sheet may further include a contact, which is used to connect with the grounding structure of the male connector, which is beneficial to improving the electrical connection effect between the grounding structure of the male connector and the first metal sheet, enabling the connector assembly after insertion to achieve multi-point grounding return, and is also beneficial to forming a shielding cage for the shielding structure of the male connector and the shielding structure of the female connector, thereby improving the anti-interference performance.

[0010] In an alternative technical solution, the above-mentioned contact may be a spring piece or a convex structure of the first metal sheet, which is beneficial to simplifying the manufacturing process of the contact of the first metal sheet.

[0011] In a technical solution, the above-mentioned female connector may further include a conductive sheet and a second metal sheet. Among them, the conductive sheet includes a plurality of openings, and the above-mentioned openings are opposite to the connection ports. Specifically, the plurality of openings of the conductive sheet may be in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of connection ports of the end plate. One side of the conductive sheet is fixedly installed with the first metal sheet, and the other is fixedly installed with the second metal sheet. The above-mentioned second metal sheet is also located between adjacent first terminal groups and serves as the return ground and shielding structure of the female terminal. The above-mentioned first metal sheet and the second metal sheet are respectively electrically connected to the conductive sheet, thereby realizing a common ground structure. This is beneficial to improving the shielding effect and the distribution of the return ground and reducing signal crosstalk.

[0012] In an alternative technical solution, the second metal sheet may also be a U-shaped shielding sheet, which shields interference signals and serves as a return ground from three sides of the female terminal, improving the shielding effect and the return rate, so as to improve the signal transmission rate and bandwidth.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a male connector, which is used for plugging into a female connector. The male connector includes an insulating housing, a conductive element, and a plurality of male terminals. The insulating housing includes a mounting hole for mounting the male terminals, and the male terminals extend out of the mounting hole to facilitate insertion into the female connector. The conductive element has a plurality of receiving holes opposite to the mounting holes for receiving the male terminals, and the male terminals are arranged through the receiving holes and the mounting holes. The conductive element is mounted on the surface of the insulating housing facing the female connector, and the conductive element has a protruding portion at the edge of the receiving hole for extending into the jack of the female connector. The protruding portion of the male connector extends into the hole of the female connector, so that the circumferential gap between the male connector and the female connector is small, which is beneficial to improving the connection reliability between the male connector and the female connector. In addition, the cooperation between the protruding portion and the hole in the present application makes the positions of the female terminals and the male terminals relatively stable, and can also make the gap between the signal line and the shielding structure relatively uniform, so that the reference of the signal line is relatively uniform and continuous, which is beneficial to improving the signal transmission effect of the connector assembly.

[0014] In one technical solution, after the male connector and the female connector are plugged together, the conductive element is connected to the first metal sheet of the female connector at the protruding portion. The conductive element serves as a ground structure and can be grounded together with the first metal sheet, so that the connector assembly after plugging achieves full shielding in the mating area and can achieve multi-point ground return, improving the bandwidth and rate of signal transmission of the connector assembly.

[0015] In one technical solution, the conductive element is an elastic conductive element. The conductive element has a certain elasticity, so that when the female connector and the male connector are in a plugged state and the mating gap size has positive and negative fluctuations, the conductive element is reliably connected to the female connector. And it is beneficial to improving the connection reliability between the conductive element and the first metal sheet of the female connector, and improving the ground effect and shielding performance of the male connector and the female connector.

[0016] The male connector further includes a third metal sheet and a plurality of second terminal groups. Specifically, one second terminal group includes at least two male terminals, and the third metal sheet is located between two adjacent second terminal groups. It improves the signal transmission rate of the connector assembly, and the return of the male terminals is better, which is beneficial to improving the bandwidth of signal transmission of the connector assembly.

[0017] When specifically setting the above-mentioned third metal sheet, the third metal sheet includes a bottom plate, and the two side edges of the bottom plate respectively include bent side plates, and the bent side plates on both sides and the bottom plate are substantially formed into a U-shaped structure. The above-mentioned bent side plates are bent along the extending direction of the male terminal, specifically, the bent side plates are bent along with the bending of the male terminal. The distance between any position of the above-mentioned bent side plate and the adjacent male terminal is the same, so that the gap between the bent side plate and the male terminal remains uniform, and the distance between the third metal sheet and the male terminal is relatively close, which can reduce the size of the shielding cavity in the mating area of the male connector and the female connector, and can reduce the signal return path, achieve high-precision impedance matching, improve crosstalk and return loss at the same time, broaden the signal bandwidth and increase the signal transmission rate.

[0018] The bottom plate of the above-mentioned third metal sheet further includes a stepped surface. Specifically, the bottom plate includes a first part and a second part. The above-mentioned first part is located on the side of the second part facing the conductive element, and on the side of the bottom plate with bent side plates, the second part protrudes from the first part. This enables the structure of the third metal sheet to reduce the size of the shielding cavity while taking into account the compatibility of the male connector, and the return path of the male terminal is shorter, which is beneficial to improving the signal bandwidth of the connector assembly.

[0019] The above-mentioned male connector further includes a plurality of dielectric blocks. The dielectric blocks are installed between the bottom plate and the two bent side plates. The male terminals are fixedly installed on the dielectric blocks, and the width of the gap between the surface of the dielectric block facing the third metal sheet and the third metal sheet is the same. By setting the dielectric blocks, on the one hand, the male terminals are insulated from the third metal sheet, and on the other hand, the male terminals can be limited, so that the gap between the male terminals and the bent side plates remains uniform stably, and the impedance continuity is improved.

[0020] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes the female connector provided in the first aspect and the male connector provided in the second aspect. The above-mentioned female connector and male connector are plugged together, and the female terminals and the male terminals are connected. The connector assembly has a relatively high signal transmission rate and a relatively wide bandwidth.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, the present application also provides an electronic device. The electronic device includes a first electronic component, a second electronic component, and the connector assembly provided in the third aspect. The female connector of the connector assembly is installed on the first electronic component, the male connector is installed on the second electronic component, and the female connector and the male connector are plugged together. Thus, the connection between the first electronic component and the second electronic component is realized. The electronic device has a relatively fast communication rate and a relatively wide signal bandwidth.

[0022] Fifth aspect, the present application also provides a signal transmission method. This signal transmission method uses the connector assembly of the above fourth aspect to transmit signals. The male terminals of the male connector include a first power terminal and a first communication terminal, and the female terminals of the female connector include a second power terminal and a second communication terminal. The above signal transmission method specifically includes: transmitting a power signal between the first power terminal and the second power terminal; transmitting a communication signal between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal. Using this signal transmission method to transmit signals has a relatively high rate and a relatively wide bandwidth. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic component in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a connector assembly in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a female connector in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a female connector in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of a metal housing in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of a plastic block in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 8 It is a schematic partial structural diagram of a female connector in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of a first metal sheet in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 10a It is a schematic structural diagram of a conductive sheet in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 10b It is another schematic structural diagram of a conductive sheet in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 11 It is a partial preparation process of a female connector in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of a male connector in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the structure of the conductive element in the embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 14 Partial structure schematic diagram of the male terminal connector in the embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the structure of the third metal sheet of the male terminal connector in the embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second terminal group in the embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Reference numerals:

[0041] 100 - housing; 200 - electronic component;

[0042] 210 - first electronic component; 220 - second electronic component;

[0043] 300 - connector assembly; 1 - female terminal connector;

[0044] 11 - metal housing; 111 - enclosing plate;

[0045] 112 - end plate; 1121 - connection port;

[0046] 12 - plastic block; 121 - jack;

[0047] 13 - female terminal; 14 - first metal sheet;

[0048] 141 - contact; 15 - conductive sheet;

[0049] 151 - opening; 152 - protruding structure;

[0050] 153 - card slot; 16 - second metal sheet;

[0051] 2 - male terminal connector; 21 - male terminal;

[0052] 22 - insulating housing; 23 - conductive element;

[0053] 231 - receiving hole; 232 - protruding part;

[0054] 24 - third metal sheet; 241 - bottom plate;

[0055] 2411 - first part; 2412 - second part;

[0056] 242 - bent side plate; 25 - dielectric block;

[0057] X - First direction; Y - Second direction. Detailed implementation manners

[0058] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following will further describe this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "this", and "one" are also intended to include expressions such as "one or more", unless clearly indicated to the contrary in the context.

[0060] Reference to "an embodiment" or "a specific embodiment" etc. described in this specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of this application. The terms "include", "comprise", "have" and their variants all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0061] To facilitate understanding of the connector, housing, terminal, electronic component, and electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application, the following first introduces its application scenarios.

[0062] The electronic device in the embodiments of this application can be an electronic device such as a communication device (such as a router), a computing device (such as a server), a network device (such as a switch), or a storage device (such as a storage array), especially an electronic device with high-speed signal transmission requirements. This application does not limit the specific type of the electronic device, and as long as the electronic device that uses a connector to connect a chip to a circuit board can adopt the technical solution provided by this application.

[0063] For the convenience of description, in the embodiments of this application, the electronic device is taken as an example of a server for description. Figure 1 For the structural schematic diagram of an electronic device in the embodiments of this application, as Figure 1 shown, the above-mentioned electronic device may include a housing 100 and an electronic component 200 disposed in the housing 100. Specifically, when the above-mentioned electronic device is a cabinet server, the above-mentioned housing 100 can be understood as the cabinet of the cabinet server, and the electronic component 200 may include nodes. As Figure 1As shown, the above-mentioned electronic component 200 includes a first electronic component 210 and a second electronic component 220. The first electronic component 210 and the second electronic component 220 can be connected through a connector component 300 to transmit signals. As the rate of signals transmitted in electronic devices is getting higher and higher, therefore, the rate of signals transmitted between different electronic components is also higher. For example, the above-mentioned electronic component may include a chip, which may be an artificial intelligence (AI) chip or a graphics processing unit (GPU) for performing computing-intensive or memory-intensive business data processing such as artificial intelligence or high performance computing (HPC).

[0064] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic component in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a connector component in an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, in a specific embodiment, the above-mentioned connector component 300 includes a female terminal connector 1 and a male terminal connector 2 that can be plugged together. The female terminal connector 1 is installed on the first electronic component 210, and the male terminal connector 2 is installed on the second electronic component 220. The female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2 are plugged together to realize the connection between the first electronic component 210 and the second electronic component 220 and transmit signals.

[0065] As Figure 3 shown, in an embodiment, the above-mentioned connector component 300 includes a female terminal connector 1 and a male terminal connector 2, and the female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2 are plugged together to realize the electrical connection of the female terminal connector 1. In a specific embodiment, the above-mentioned connector component 300 is a direct plug-in connector component, that is, the extending directions of both the female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2 are the same as the plugging direction of the female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2.

[0066] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a female terminal connector in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a female terminal connector in an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the female terminal connector 1 in the embodiment of the present application includes a metal housing 11, a plurality of plastic blocks 12, and female terminals 13. Among them, the metal housing 11 serves as the support and base of the entire female terminal connector 1 for installing the above-mentioned plastic blocks 12 and female terminals 13.

[0067] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the metal housing in an embodiment of the present application. Please combineFigures 4 to 6 In a specific embodiment, the metal housing 11 includes a surrounding plate 111 and an end plate 112. The end plate 112 is fixed to one end of the surrounding plate 111 along the insertion direction of the female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2. Specifically, the end plate 112 is fixed to one end of the surrounding plate 111 along the insertion direction facing the male terminal connector 2. The surrounding plate 111 is connected to the periphery of the end plate 112. The surrounding plate 111 and the end plate 112 are enclosed and connected to form a shielding cavity, which extends along the insertion direction of the female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2, and the surrounding plate 111 is located on the peripheral side of the shielding cavity. In one embodiment, it can be understood that the surrounding plate 111 forms a closed shielding structure along the peripheral side of the shielding cavity, or it can also be understood that the surrounding plate 111 is enclosed to form a cylindrical structure, and the end plate 112 is fixed to one end of the cylindrical structure along the insertion direction. The end plate 112 has a plurality of connection ports 1121, and the connection ports 1121 penetrate through the end plate 112. The connection ports 1121 are opposite to the female terminal 13, and the female terminal 13 and the male terminal 21 of the male terminal connector 2 are connected through the connection ports 1121. The plastic blocks 12 are fixedly installed in the connection ports 1121 of the end plate 112. In a specific embodiment, a plurality of plastic blocks 12 and a plurality of connection ports 1121 are installed in one-to-one correspondence. Figure 7 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a plastic block in an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 7, In a specific embodiment, the plastic block 12 includes a jack 121 that penetrates the plastic block 12 along the insertion direction. The jack 121 is used to accommodate the male terminal 21 of the male connector 2. When the female connector 1 is inserted into the male connector 2, the male terminal 21 of the male connector 2 is inserted into the jack 121. The female terminal 13 is installed on the metal housing 11 and fixed to the metal housing 11. Specifically, the female terminal 13 is located in the shielding cavity of the metal housing 11. The female terminal 13 faces the jack 121 and is used to connect to the male terminal 21 of the male connector 2 inserted into the corresponding jack 121. When the female connector 1 is inserted into the male connector 2, the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 13 are in contact connection. In the embodiment of the present application, the entire metal housing 11 of the female connector 1 is a metal structure, serving as the ground structure and shielding structure of the female connector 1. In one embodiment, the terminals of the female connector 1 may not include a ground terminal, and the metal housing 11 is used as the return ground of the female terminal 13 of the female connector 1. In addition, the entire metal housing 11 can be used as the shielding structure of the female connector 1, which can completely cover the female terminal 13 on the peripheral side, and the shielding effect is better. A plastic block 12 is provided between the metal housing 11 and the female terminal 13, and the plastic block 12 realizes the isolation between the female terminal 13 and the ground structure, that is, realizes the insulation between the signal terminal of the female connector 1 and the return ground. The shielding effect of the female terminal 13 of the female connector 1 in the embodiment of the present application is better, which is beneficial to improving the bandwidth of the signal transmitted by the female connector 1, reducing the insertion loss of the signal and improving the signal transmission rate.

[0068] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the female connector in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a structure of the first metal sheet 14 in the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown in the figure, the female connector 1 provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a plurality of first metal sheets 14, and the first metal sheets 14 are fixedly assembled to the plastic block 12. The female terminals 13 of the female connector 1 include a plurality of first terminal groups, and one first terminal group includes at least two female terminals 13. For example, the above first terminal group may be a group of differential signal terminals. The above first metal sheet 14 is located between two adjacent first terminal groups. The signal shielding effect between adjacent first terminal groups is improved, and the situation of signal crosstalk is reduced. Therefore, the distance between adjacent first terminal groups can be set relatively close, which is beneficial to improving the miniaturization degree of the female connector 1. In addition, the first metal sheet 14 is assembled to the plastic block 12, and the first metal sheet 14 isolates adjacent first terminal groups in the area where the female terminals 13 in the first terminal group are connected to the male terminals 21, so that shielding is also achieved between different first terminal groups of the connector assembly 300 in the connection area, and the signal crosstalk is also small. Therefore, the transmission rate of the signal transmitted by the connector assembly 300 can be further improved. In addition, the above first metal sheet 14 can also be used as the return ground of the female terminal 13. The first metal sheet 14 is arranged on the side of the female terminal 13, and the first metal sheet exists at the position adjacent to each female terminal 13, so the return ground exists at the position adjacent to each female terminal 13. The distance between the female terminal 13 and the return ground is relatively close, so the return is better, which is beneficial to improving the bandwidth of the signal transmitted by the connector assembly 300.

[0069] Please continue to refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , in an embodiment, the above first metal sheet 14 is a U-shaped shielding sheet, and the U-shaped shielding sheet has a U-shaped groove, and the U-shaped groove extends along the extension direction of the female terminal 13. The above female terminal 13 is located in the U-shaped groove. In one case, it can be understood that the bottom wall and two side walls of the U-shaped groove can block the female terminal 13 from three sides, so that the interference signals around the female terminal 13 can be shielded from three sides, and the shielding effect is better. For the side of the female terminal 13 that is not blocked by the above U-shaped shielding sheet on the peripheral side, the female terminal 13 is adjacent to another adjacent first metal sheet 14 or adjacent to the surrounding plate 111 of the metal housing 11, so that the interference signals on the other side of the peripheral side of the female terminal 13 can be shielded.

[0070] Please continue to refer to Figure 9 , in a further embodiment, the above first metal sheet 14 includes a contact 141, and the contact 141 is used to connect to the grounding structure of the male connector 2, improving the electrical connection effect between the grounding structure of the male connector 2 and the first metal sheet, so that the inserted connector assembly 300 realizes multi-point grounding return, and is beneficial to forming a shielding cage between the shielding structure of the male connector and the shielding structure of the female connector, improving the anti-interference performance, so as to improve the transmission rate of the signal transmitted by the connector assembly.

[0071] In an alternative embodiment, the contact 141 may be a resilient piece or a convex structure of the first metal sheet 14. The arrangement of the contact 141 is beneficial to improving the connection reliability between the first metal sheet 14 and the grounding structure of the male terminal connector 2, and the first metal sheet 14 can be formed by processes such as stamping or sheet metal working, which is conducive to simplifying the manufacturing process of the first metal sheet 14.

[0072] When specifically manufacturing the first metal sheet 14, the first metal sheet 14 can be formed by sheet metal working, which is conducive to simplifying the manufacturing process of the first metal sheet 14.

[0073] When specifically assembling the first metal sheet 14, one side of the first metal sheet 14 facing the end plate 112 is snap-fitted with the plastic block 12.

[0074] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 8 , in an embodiment, the female terminal connector 1 further includes a conductive sheet 15 and a second metal sheet 16. Figure 10a This is a schematic structural diagram of the conductive sheet 15 in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 10b This is another schematic structural diagram of the conductive sheet 15 in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 10a and Figure 10b respectively show the schematic structural diagrams of the two side surfaces of the conductive sheet 15. As Figure 10a and Figure 10b shown, in an embodiment, the conductive sheet 15 includes a plurality of openings 151, and the openings 151 are opposite to the connection ports 1121. A female terminal 13 passes through the opposite openings 151 and connection ports 1121. One side of the conductive sheet 15 is fixedly installed with the first metal sheet 14, and the other side is fixedly installed with the second metal sheet 16. The second metal sheet 16 is also located between adjacent first terminal groups and can also serve as the return ground and shielding structure of the female terminal. Specifically, the first metal sheet 14 and the second metal sheet 16 can be electrically connected to the conductive sheet 15 respectively, so as to achieve a common ground structure. The first metal sheet 14 and the second metal sheet 16 are arranged adjacent to the female terminal 13 in the extending direction of the female terminal 13, which is beneficial to improving the shielding effect around the female terminal 13 and reducing signal crosstalk. And the common ground structure can be used as the return ground of the female terminal 13.

[0075] In a specific embodiment, the second metal sheet 16 may also be a U-shaped shielding sheet. The U-shaped shielding sheet has a U-shaped groove that extends along the extension direction of the female terminal 13. The female terminal 13 is located within the U-shaped groove. In one case, it can be understood that the bottom wall and the two side walls of the U-shaped groove can shield the female terminal 13 from three sides, thereby shielding the interference signals around the female terminal 13 from three faces, and the shielding effect is better. For the side of the female terminal 13 that is not shielded by the second metal sheet 16 on the peripheral side, the female terminal 13 is adjacent to another adjacent second metal sheet 16 or to the surrounding plate 111 of the metal housing 11, then the interference signals on the other side of the peripheral side of the female terminal 13 can be shielded.

[0076] As Figure 10a shown, a convex structure 152 is provided at a position corresponding to the opening 151 on one side surface of the conductive sheet 15. The convex structure 152 is used to connect the first metal sheet 14. Specifically, the first metal sheet 14 can be snap-fitted with the convex structure 152 to simplify the installation process of the first metal sheet 14. As Figure 10b shown, a card slot 153 is provided at a position corresponding to the opening 151 on the other side surface of the conductive sheet 15. The card slot 153 is used to connect the second metal sheet 16. Specifically, the second metal sheet 16 can be snap-fitted with the card slot 153 to simplify the installation process of the second metal sheet 16.

[0077] In specific application, one side of the female terminal 13 of the female connector 1 facing away from the end plate 112 of the metal housing 11 is connected to a cable. The cable has a cable shielding layer, and the second metal sheet 16 extends to the cable shielding layer and is electrically connected to the cable shielding layer to achieve a reliable shielding effect and form a common ground structure (return structure).

[0078] In a specific embodiment, the metal housing 11 and the plastic block 12 can be fixedly connected by secondary injection molding, thereby improving the connection reliability between the metal housing and the plastic block 12.

[0079] In another specific embodiment, the metal housing 11 and the plastic block 12 can also be fixedly connected by interference fitting or snap connection and other methods.

[0080] Figure 11 This is part of the preparation process of the female connector in the embodiment of the present application, as Figure 11As shown, in the process of specifically preparing the female terminal connector 1, a row of female terminals 13 can be selected first; the first injection molding process is used to fixedly connect the above-mentioned row of female terminals 13; the second metal sheet 16 is assembled, and the second metal sheet 16 can be assembled by a snap connection method specifically; the cable is welded to one end of the female terminal 13 close to the second metal sheet 16; the second injection molding process is used to fix the above-mentioned female terminal 13, the second metal sheet 16 and the cable to form a female terminal unit; the above-mentioned female terminal unit is assembled to the conductive sheet 15, and the second metal sheet 16 is electrically connected to the conductive sheet 15; the first metal sheet 14 is assembled on the side of the conductive sheet 15 facing away from the second metal sheet 16.

[0081] Figure 12 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of the male terminal connector in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 13 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of the conductive element in the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 12 and Figure 13 shown, in one embodiment, the male terminal connector 2 includes male terminals 21, an insulating housing 22, and a conductive element 23. Among them, the insulating housing 22 serves as the support and base of the entire male terminal connector 2, and is used to install the above-mentioned conductive element 23 and male terminals 21. The above-mentioned insulating housing 22 includes an installation hole, and the installation hole is used to install the male terminal 21 so that the male terminal 21 passes through the installation hole. The above-mentioned conductive element 23 includes a plurality of receiving holes 231, and the receiving holes 231 are opposite to the installation holes and are used to receive the above-mentioned male terminals 21. The conductive element 23 is installed on the surface of the insulating housing 22 facing the female terminal connector 1, and the receiving holes 231 are communicated with the installation holes. As Figure 12 and Figure 13 shown, the conductive element 23 has a protrusion 232 at the edge of the receiving hole 231, and the protrusion 232 is used to extend into the jack 121 of the female terminal connector 1. The protrusion 232 of the male terminal connector 2 extends into the hole of the female terminal connector 1, and this hole can be specifically located between the plastic block 12 and the metal housing 11. The circumferential gap between the male terminal connector 2 and the female terminal connector 1 is small, which is beneficial to improving the connection reliability between the male terminal connector 2 and the female terminal connector 1. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the cooperation between the protrusion 232 and the hole makes the positions of the female terminal 13 and the male terminal 21 relatively stable, and can also make the gap between the signal line and the shielding structure relatively uniform, so that the reference of the signal line is relatively uniform and continuous.

[0082] In one embodiment, the protrusion 232 of the above-mentioned conductive element 23 is connected to the first metal sheet 14 of the female terminal connector 1. Specifically, the above-mentioned conductive element 23 can be connected to the contact 141 of the first metal sheet 14. The conductive element 23 serves as a ground structure and is grounded together with the first metal sheet 14, so that the connector assembly 300 after plugging realizes full shielding in the mating area, and can realize multi-point ground return, improving the bandwidth and rate of signal transmission of the connector assembly 300.

[0083] In a specific embodiment, the conductive element 23 is an elastic conductive element. The conductive element 23 has a certain elasticity, so that when the female terminal connector 1 and the male terminal connector 2 are in a plugged state and there are positive and negative fluctuations in the mating clearance size, the conductive element 23 can freely rebound or compress within the insertion and extraction life. This enables the reliable connection between the conductive element 23 and the female terminal connector 1, and the tight coupling between the conductive element 23 and the first metal sheet 14, thus constructing a reliable common ground structure and good shielding performance.

[0084] Figure 14 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the male terminal connector in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 15 It is a structural schematic diagram of the third metal sheet of the male terminal connector in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 16 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second terminal group in the embodiment of the present application. As Figures 14 to 16 shown, the male terminal connector 2 further includes a third metal sheet 24 and a plurality of second terminal groups. One second terminal group includes at least two male terminal pins 21. For example, the above second terminal group can be a group of differential signal pins. In a specific embodiment, two male terminal pins 21 in a group of second terminal groups of the male terminal connector 2 are correspondingly connected to two female terminal pins 13 in a group of first terminal groups of the female terminal connector 1 one by one. The above third metal sheet 24 is located between two adjacent second terminal groups, and the third metal sheet 24 is electrically connected to the conductive element 23 to realize the grounding of the conductive element 23. This improves the signal shielding effect between adjacent second terminal groups, so that the distance between adjacent second terminal groups can be set closer, which is beneficial to improving the miniaturization degree of the male terminal connector 2. In addition, the above third metal sheet 24 can also be used as the return ground of the male terminal pin 21. The third metal sheet 24 is arranged on the periphery of the male terminal pin 21, so that the distance between the male terminal pin 21 and the return ground is relatively close, and the return is better, which is beneficial to improving the bandwidth of the signal transmitted by the connector assembly 300.

[0085] Please refer to Figure 14 and Figure 15, In one embodiment, the third metal sheet 24 includes a bottom plate 241, and bent side plates 242 are respectively provided at both side edges of the bottom plate 241. The bottom plate 241 and the bent side plates 242 are substantially formed into a U-shaped groove structure. The distance between any position of the bent side plate 242 along the extending direction and the adjacent male terminal 21 is the same. Here, "the same distance" refers to the ideal state or the design value. When the product is actually implemented, it may be affected by process tolerances or installation tolerances, etc., resulting in some differences in the distance between any position of the bent side plate 242 along the extending direction and the adjacent male terminal 21. That is, the bent side plate 242 deforms as the male terminal 21 bends, so that the gap between the bent side plate 242 and the male terminal 21 remains uniform, and the distance between the third metal sheet 24 and the male terminal 21 is relatively close. The size of the shielding cavity can be reduced in the mating area of the male connector 2 and the female connector 1, and the signal return path can be reduced, realizing high-precision impedance matching, improving crosstalk and return loss at the same time, broadening the signal bandwidth and increasing the signal transmission rate.

[0086] Please continue to refer to Figure 14 and Figure 15 , In one embodiment, the bottom plate 241 of the third metal sheet 24 further includes a stepped surface. Specifically, the bottom plate 241 includes a first part 2411 and a second part 2412. The first part 2411 is located on the side of the second part 2412 facing the conductive element 23, and on the side of the bottom plate 241 where the bent side plate 242 is provided, the second part 2412 protrudes from the first part 2411. In this embodiment, the first part 2411 of the third metal sheet 24 is used to connect with the conductive element 23, and its shape and size are adapted to the structure of the conductive element 23, and further adapted to the mounting hole of the insulating housing 22 to improve the compatibility of the male connector 2. And the second part 2412 protrudes from the first part 2411, so that the structure of the third metal sheet 24 is smaller, which is beneficial to reducing the size of the shielding cavity, and the return path of the male terminal 21 is shorter, which is beneficial to increasing the bandwidth of the signal transmitted by the connector assembly 300.

[0087] Please continue to refer to Figure 14 and Figure 16 , In one embodiment, the width of the male terminal 21 along the first direction X is greater than the thickness of the male terminal 21 along the second direction Y. The first direction X is the arrangement direction of the two side plates of the third metal sheet 24, or the arrangement direction of the two male terminals 21 of a second terminal group, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X. Specifically, the male terminal 21 is flat, and the width of the male terminal 21 is greater than the thickness of the male terminal 21. In this embodiment, the male terminal 21 is also thinned and bent, so that the distance between the male terminal 21 and the return ground is maintained stable, forming a tight coupling state, improving the insertion loss and crosstalk performance, enhancing the impedance continuity, and optimizing the impedance fluctuation.

[0088] Please continue to refer to Figure 14 and Figure 16 As mentioned above, the male terminal connector 2 further includes a plurality of dielectric blocks 25. The male terminals 21 are fixedly installed on the dielectric blocks 25. In a specific embodiment, the second terminal groups are installed in one-to-one correspondence with the dielectric blocks 25, and two male terminals 21 are installed and fixed on one dielectric block 25. The above-mentioned dielectric blocks 25 are installed on the third metal sheet 24, specifically between the bottom plate 241 and the two bent side plates 242, and the gap width between the surface of the dielectric block 25 facing the bent side plate 242 and the bent side plate 242 is the same. Here, "the same gap width" refers to the ideal state or the design value. When the product is actually implemented, it may be affected by process tolerances or installation tolerances, etc., resulting in some differences in the gap width between the surface of the dielectric block 25 facing the bent side plate 242 and the bent side plate 242. In a possible embodiment, the above-mentioned dielectric block 25 is in contact with the bent side plate 242. In the embodiment of the present application, the shape of the dielectric block 25 is substantially the same as the shape of the groove in the third metal sheet, so that the dielectric block 25 can be assembled in the third metal sheet more reliably. By providing the dielectric block 25, on the one hand, the male terminals 21 are insulated from the third metal sheet 24, and on the other hand, the male terminals 21 can be limited, so that the gap between the male terminals 21 and the bent side plate 242 can be stably maintained uniformly, improving impedance continuity.

[0089] The present application also provides a signal transmission method, which specifically uses the connector assembly provided by the present application to transmit signals. The above-mentioned male terminals 21 may specifically include a first power terminal and a first communication terminal, and the female terminals 13 include a second power terminal and a second communication terminal. Then the above-mentioned signal transmission method specifically includes: transmitting a power signal through the power terminals and transmitting a communication signal through the communication terminals. Specifically, a power signal is transmitted between the first power terminal and the second power terminal; a communication signal is transmitted between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal. Then when using the connector assembly provided by the present application, the first power terminal and the second power terminal of the connector assembly transmit a power signal, for example, to supply power to a device. The communication terminals and the second communication terminals of the connector assembly transmit communication signals, and the crosstalk generated between the signals is small. Therefore, the rate of the communication signals transmitted in the signal transmission method of the present application is high, and high-speed communication can be achieved, which is beneficial to improving the communication efficiency of users.

[0090] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A female connector for plugging into a male connector, characterized in that, it includes; a metal housing including a surrounding plate and an end plate, the end plate being fixed to one end of the surrounding plate along the plugging direction of the female connector, and the surrounding plate surrounding the periphery of the end plate, the surrounding plate and the end plate enclosing a shielding cavity, the shielding cavity extending along the plugging direction, and the end plate having a plurality of connection ports; a plurality of plastic blocks fixedly installed at the connection ports of the end plate; the plastic blocks include insertion holes for receiving male terminals of the male connector; female terminals installed in the metal housing and opposite to the insertion holes, the female terminals being used to connect with the male terminals inserted into the insertion holes.

2. The female connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, it includes a plurality of first metal sheets fixedly assembled to the plastic blocks, the female connector includes a plurality of first terminal groups, one of the first terminal groups includes at least two of the female terminals, and the first metal sheet is located between two adjacent first terminal groups.

3. The female connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, the first metal sheet is a U-shaped shielding sheet having a U-shaped groove, and the female terminals are located in the U-shaped groove.

4. The female connector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, the first metal sheet includes a contact for connecting with a grounding structure of the male connector.

5. The female connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, the contact is a spring piece or a convex structure of the first metal sheet.

6. The female connector according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, it further includes a conductive sheet and a second metal sheet, the conductive sheet includes a plurality of openings opposite to the connection ports; one side of the conductive sheet fixedly installs the first metal sheet, and the other fixedly installs the second metal sheet.

7. The female connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the metal housing and the plastic blocks are fixedly connected by secondary injection molding.

8. A male connector for plugging into a female connector, characterized in that, it includes: male terminals; an insulating housing including mounting holes for mounting the male terminals; a conductive element having a plurality of receiving holes opposite to the mounting holes for receiving the male terminals, the conductive element being installed on the surface of the insulating housing facing the female connector; the conductive element has a protruding portion at the edge of the receiving hole for extending into the insertion hole of the female connector.

9. The male connector according to claim 8, characterized in that, the conductive element is an elastic conductive element.

10. The male connector according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, it further includes a third metal sheet and a plurality of second terminal groups, one of the second terminal groups includes at least two of the male terminals, and the third metal sheet is located between two adjacent second terminal groups.

11. The male connector according to claim 10, characterized in that, The third metal sheet includes a bottom plate, and the two side edges of the bottom plate respectively include bent side plates, and the distance between any position of the bent side plates and the adjacent male terminal is the same.

12. The male connector according to claim 11, wherein, it further includes a plurality of dielectric blocks, the dielectric blocks are installed between the bottom plate and the two bent side plates, the male terminals are fixedly installed on the dielectric blocks, and the gap width between the surface of the dielectric blocks facing the third metal sheet and the third metal sheet is the same.

13. A connector assembly, wherein, it includes the female connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and the male connector according to any one of claims 8 to 12, and the female connector and the male connector are plugged together.

14. An electronic device, wherein, it includes a first electronic component, a second electronic component and the connector assembly according to claim 13, the female connector is installed on the first electronic component, the male connector is installed on the second electronic component, and the female connector and the male connector are plugged together.

15. A signal transmission method, wherein, using the connector assembly according to claim 13 to transmit signals, the male terminals include a first power terminal and a first communication terminal, the female terminals include a second power terminal and a second communication terminal, and the method specifically includes: transmitting a power signal between the first power terminal and the second power terminal; transmitting a communication signal between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal.

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