Electric connector

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of connectors, in particular to an electric connector. The electric connector comprises a plurality of groups of electric connection assemblies distributed along a third direction and a main carrier used for combining the electric connection assemblies together, and each electric connection assembly comprises a lead frame, a terminal assembly arranged on the lead frame and a grounding piece arranged on a first side of the lead frame along the third direction. The terminal assembly comprises a plurality of signal terminals and grounding terminals which are horizontally distributed in the first direction, the length directions of the signal terminals and the grounding terminals extend in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the grounding terminals are connected with the grounding piece. The electric connector is characterized in that the first side face, facing the grounding piece, of the grounding terminal exceeds the first side face of the signal terminal, so that the first side face of the signal terminal is separated from the grounding piece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of connectors, and in particular to an electrical connector. Background Art

[0002] Electrical connectors use signal terminals to provide signal connections between electronic devices. Often, the tight spacing between signal terminals can lead to unintended interference, or crosstalk, between adjacent signal terminals. Crosstalk occurs when a signal terminal causes electrical interference with another signal terminal due to mixed electric fields, compromising signal integrity. As electronic devices become increasingly miniaturized and faster, high-speed, signal-integrity electronic communications are becoming increasingly commonplace, making crosstalk reduction a critical issue in electrical connector design.

[0003] One common technique for reducing crosstalk is to place a ground terminal between adjacent signal terminals in each row of terminal assemblies. Another common technique is to place a shielding structure, such as a grounding plate, between two adjacent rows of terminal assemblies. These shielding structures and ground terminals block the mixing of the terminals' electric fields, thereby reducing crosstalk.

[0004] However, the size, position, and spacing of the grounding terminals and shielding structures are closely related to the characteristic impedance of the signal terminals. For example, the distance between the shielding structure and the signal terminals, the distance between adjacent signal terminals, the volume of the signal terminals, and the volume of the grounding terminals all affect the characteristic impedance. The characteristic impedance of an electrical connector refers to the resistance exhibited by the connector during electrical signal transmission. Characteristic impedance is crucial to the performance and stability of electrical signal transmission. Mismatched characteristic impedances can lead to signal reflections, loss, and interference, thus impacting system performance.

[0005] Chinese patent application No. 202410611162.2 discloses an electrical connector comprising an upper terminal block and a lower terminal block, each of which includes signal terminals and ground terminals. Corrugated grounding plates are located on opposing sides of the upper and lower terminal blocks to shield crosstalk between the signal terminals. The corrugated grounding plates have crests and troughs, with the crests contacting the corresponding ground terminals and the troughs contacting the isolation plate. The crests of the corrugated grounding plates are designed to locate the plane of the terminal blocks at the crests, creating a predetermined distance between the signal terminals and the troughs, thereby matching the characteristic impedance of the signal terminals. However, this design presents several challenges: First, the corrugated grounding plate has multiple curved surfaces, increasing manufacturing complexity. Second, because all ground terminals of the electrical connector are located on a single plane, the corrugated grounding plate must be extremely flat. Otherwise, poor contact with the ground terminals can occur, affecting grounding performance and, in turn, reducing crosstalk resistance. Finally, the corrugated grounding plates are unsuitable for non-flat ground terminals and are difficult to use with curved or bent ground terminals. In addition, the aforementioned connector uses an electrical connection plug-in board disposed between the upper terminal group and the lower terminal group, and grounding is achieved through the electrical connection plug-in board, which further increases the cost. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrical connector.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted by the present invention is: providing an electrical connector, including several groups of electrical connection components distributed along a third direction and a main carrier for combining the electrical connection components together, the electrical connection components including a lead frame, a terminal component arranged on the lead frame, and a grounding plate arranged on a first side of the lead frame along the third direction, the terminal assembly including a plurality of signal terminals and a grounding terminal horizontally distributed along a first direction, the length directions of the signal terminals and the grounding terminals both extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the grounding terminal being connected to the grounding plate, the grounding terminal extending beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal toward the first side surface of the grounding plate, and the first side surface of the signal terminal and the grounding plate being spaced apart from each other.

[0008] Furthermore, the ground terminal includes a first section and a second section stacked on top of each other along a third direction, the first section is closer to the ground plate, and the first section extends beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal toward the ground plate;

[0009] The signal terminal and the ground terminal both have welding ends welded to the connection objects, and the welding end of the ground terminal is formed with a hollow thermal insulation part; the thermal insulation part includes a first groove arranged at the welding end of the first section and a second groove arranged at the welding end of the second section, and the notches of the first groove and the second groove are relative and enclosed to form a first thermal insulation hole that passes through the ground terminal along the first direction; the thermal insulation part also includes a second thermal insulation hole that passes through the second section along the third direction and a third groove arranged on the first section and connected to the second thermal insulation hole; a thermal insulation matching part is provided at a position corresponding to the thermal insulation part on the first lead frame, and the thermal insulation matching part includes a first filling part arranged corresponding to the position of the first thermal insulation hole, a second filling part arranged corresponding to the position of the second thermal insulation hole, and a third filling part arranged corresponding to the position of the third groove, and the first filling part, the second filling part and the third filling part are respectively embedded in the first thermal insulation hole, the second thermal insulation hole and the third groove.

[0010] Furthermore, the first section and the second section are configured as a split structure; or

[0011] The first section and the second section are integrally bent, and the second section is bent from one end of the first section in a direction away from the grounding plate and then stacked on a second side surface of the first section away from the grounding plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the ground terminal and the signal terminal are respectively stamped from metal plates of different thicknesses, the thickness of the ground terminal is greater than that of the signal terminal, and in the third direction, the signal terminal and the ground terminal are on the same horizontal plane away from the second side of the grounding plate, the first side of the ground terminal is conductively connected to the grounding plate, and the first side of the signal terminal is electrically isolated from the grounding plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the signal terminal and the ground terminal each have a welding end welded to a connection object, the welding end of the ground terminal is formed with a hollowed-out thermal insulation portion, and the thermal insulation portion passes through the welding end of the ground terminal along a first direction; the thermal insulation portion includes a first thermal insulation hole passing through the welding end of the ground terminal along the first direction; a thermal insulation matching portion is provided on the first lead frame at a position corresponding to the thermal insulation portion, and the thermal insulation matching portion includes a first filling portion provided at a position corresponding to the first thermal insulation hole and a second filling portion provided at a position corresponding to the second thermal insulation position, and the first filling portion and the second filling portion are respectively embedded in the first thermal insulation hole and the second thermal insulation hole;

[0014] The second side surface of the grounding plate facing the terminal assembly is configured as a horizontal plane; or the second side surface of the grounding plate facing the terminal assembly and the first side surface facing away from the terminal assembly are both configured as horizontal planes.

[0015] Furthermore, a rib is provided on the grounding plate at a position facing the second side surface of the terminal assembly and opposite to the grounding terminal, and the rib is connected to the first side surface of the grounding terminal;

[0016] The rib is formed by stamping from the first side surface toward the second side surface of the grounding plate;

[0017] There are multiple ribs corresponding to each ground terminal, and the multiple ribs are spaced apart along the length direction of the ground terminal;

[0018] Among the ribs corresponding to each grounding terminal, a first window penetrating the grounding plate is formed between two adjacent ribs, and the first window is used for concave-convex combination with the first side surface of the lead frame.

[0019] Furthermore, among the several ribs at the two end edges of the grounding plate, the first window between the ribs passes through the grounding plate in a direction away from the other end edge; the lead frame protrudes into the first window between the ribs at the two end edges along the first direction to combine with the concave and convex parts thereof.

[0020] Furthermore, a signal accommodating groove and a ground accommodating groove are provided on the second side of the lead frame away from the grounding plate for accommodating the signal terminal and the grounding terminal respectively, and the bottom surface of the grounding accommodating groove at least partially passes through the first side of the lead frame so that the grounding terminal can be connected to the grounding plate.

[0021] Furthermore, the electrical connection components are configured into two groups, the two groups of electrical connection components are mirror images of each other, the first sides of the two groups of electrical connection components are opposite to each other, and the second sides of the two groups of electrical connection components are opposite to each other, and the grounding plates of the two groups of electrical connection components are stacked and in contact with each other;

[0022] The two ends of the electrical connection component along the second direction are respectively configured as a front end and a rear end, the front ends of the grounding plate, signal terminal and grounding terminal all protrude forward from the front side of the lead frame, and the rear ends of the grounding plate, signal terminal and grounding terminal all protrude backward from the rear side of the lead frame; the second side of the front end of the grounding plate, the front side of the lead frame and the first side of the signal terminal together form a first recessed position, and the second side of the rear end of the grounding plate, the rear side of the lead frame and the second side of the signal terminal together form a second recessed position; the first recessed position and the second recessed position are used for concave-convex combination with the main carrier.

[0023] Furthermore, the main carrier has a covering frame covering the outside of the electrical connection component along the first direction, a front covering portion covering the front end of the electrical connection component, and a rear covering portion covering the rear end of the electrical connection component;

[0024] The front end covering portion has a first embedding groove for inserting the front ends of the grounding plates of the two sets of electrical connection components. The first embedding groove divides the front end covering portion into two first protruding portions arranged side by side along the third direction. The two first protruding portions respectively protrude into the first recessed positions of the two electrical connection components. The second side surfaces of the two first protruding portions are formed with a first signal covering groove for accommodating the front ends of the signal terminals and a first ground covering groove for accommodating the front ends of the ground terminals. The first ground covering groove is connected to the first embedding groove along the third direction.

[0025] The rear end covering portion has a second embedding groove for inserting the rear ends of the grounding plates of the two sets of electrical connection components. The second embedding groove divides the rear end covering portion into two second protruding portions arranged side by side along the third direction. The two second protruding portions respectively protrude into the second recessed positions of the two sets of electrical connection components. The second side surfaces of the two second protruding portions are formed with a second signal covering groove for accommodating the rear ends of the signal terminals and a second ground covering groove for accommodating the rear ends of the ground terminals.

[0026] In summary, the electrical connector of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) Improved anti-crosstalk performance: This solves the problem of unstable contact caused by various reasons such as manufacturing and self-elasticity of the corrugated grounding plate in the prior art, improves the connection performance between the grounding terminal and the grounding plate, allows the noise signal to quickly pass through the ground and return, and improves the anti-crosstalk performance of the electrical connector. (2) Optimization and reduction of manufacturing process complexity: The grounding plate only needs to be made into a conventional sheet structure, and a hole opening (first window) process is added during its manufacturing process. The manufacturing process is simple and there is no need to consider the tolerance of the corrugated grounding plate. (3) The second window at the first lead frame and the second lead frame is the punching position during the injection molding process, which not only solves the problem of terminal deviation during the injection molding process, but also realizes the function of the second window. There is no need to add two separate hole opening processes, which simplifies the manufacturing process and solves the problem of terminal deviation. (4) The rib structure design on the second side of the grounding plate. When the distance parameters between the signal terminal and the grounding plate are consistent, the setting of the rib can raise the height of the grounding terminal, thereby reducing the thickness of the grounding terminal and reducing the processing complexity of the grounding terminal. (5) The rib structure at both ends of the grounding plate can not only enhance the connection performance between the grounding plate and the terminal, but also form multiple concave and convex bonding surfaces on the edges of both ends of the grounding plate, thereby enhancing the bonding force between the grounding plate and the lead frame, improving the connection strength and stability of the electrical connector, and improving the service life of the electrical connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an embodiment of an electrical connector of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of AA in the figure.

[0030] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Only a cross-sectional view of the first electrical connection component is shown.

[0031] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Exploded diagram.

[0032] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first terminal component.

[0033] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the distribution of the first terminal assembly and the first grounding plate.

[0034] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of one of the grounding terminals.

[0035] Figure 8 yes Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first lead frame.

[0036] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 Enlarged schematic diagram of part B in the middle.

[0037] Figure 10 yes Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first grounding plate.

[0038] Figure 11 yes Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the covering frame of the main carrier.

[0039] Figure 12 yes Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the front end covering part of the main carrier.

[0040] The accompanying drawings in this specification are numeraled as follows:

[0041] First side direction a; second side direction b;

[0042] First electrical connection assembly A; first recessed position A1; second recessed position A2; first leadframe 100; signal receiving slot 10a; ground receiving slot 10b; signal pair receiving area 110; first protrusion 111; second window 120; thermal insulation mating portion 130; first filling portion 131; first space 1311; second space 1312; second filling portion 132; third filling portion 133; third space 1331; second protrusion 140; positioning protrusion 150; fifth groove 151; positioning post 161; positioning hole 162; first terminal assembly 200; signal terminal 20a; ground terminal 20b; first section 210; second section 220; thermal insulation portion 230; first thermal insulation hole 231; second thermal insulation hole 232; third groove 233; gap J; predetermined distance D; first ground plate 300; positioning hole 301; rib 310; first window 320; through hole 330;

[0043] Second electrical connection assembly B; second lead frame 100 ′; second terminal assembly 200 ′; second ground plate 300 ′;

[0044] Main carrier 400; covering frame 410; first covering portion 411; second covering portion 412; mating grooves 411a and 412a; third protrusion 412b; second avoidance groove 412c; third covering portion 413; fourth covering portion 414; front covering portion 420; guide portion 421; first embedded groove 422; first protrusion 423; first signal covering groove 4231; first ground covering groove 4232; second protrusion 424; rear covering portion 430; second embedded groove 431; second protrusion 432; second signal covering groove 4321; second ground covering groove 4322;

[0045] Docking part C1; installation part C2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clear, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of this application and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] The following disclosure provides a variety of different embodiments or examples for implementing the different features of the present invention. Specific examples of components and arrangements will be described below to simplify the present invention. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, in the following description, forming a first component above or on a second component may include an embodiment in which the first component and the second component are in direct contact, and may also include an embodiment in which other components may be formed between the first component and the second component so that the first component and the second component are not in direct contact. In addition, the present invention may repeat reference symbols and / or characters in multiple instances. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not, by itself, represent a relationship between the multiple embodiments and / or configurations.

[0048] Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "beneath," "below," "above," and "upper," may be used herein to readily describe the relationship of one element or component to another element(s) or component(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass various orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0049] In addition, the technical parts described in the present invention and the appended claims are mainly the technical parts improved by the present invention, which does not limit the object protected by the present invention to only having such technical parts. Other known necessary components (structures and / or methods) and / or non-essential components of the protected object other than the technical parts described in the present invention and the appended claims are not described in the present invention and the appended claims because they do not fall within the scope of improvement of the present invention. However, this does not mean that the object protected by the present invention does not have these known components.

[0050] See Figures 1 to 12 , Figures 1 to 12The structure of an embodiment of an electrical connector is exemplarily shown. In the embodiment shown, the electrical connector includes two electrical connection components distributed along a third direction (hereinafter referred to as the Z-axis direction to represent the third direction), and the two electrical connection components can be arranged in a mirror image relative to each other, with the first sides of the two sets of electrical connection components facing each other and the second sides facing each other, and the grounding plates of the two sets of electrical connection components stacked and in contact with each other. The two electrical connection components each include a lead frame, a terminal component provided on the lead frame, and a grounding plate. For ease of description, the two electrical connection components will be referred to as the first electrical connection component A (upper row component) and the second electrical connection component B (lower row component) respectively below, and the two have the same structure and are arranged in a mirror image from top to bottom. The electrical connector also includes a main carrier 400 (or frame) that combines or constrains the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B together to form an integral whole. After they are combined together, the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B are respectively located on two opposite sides of the main carrier 400.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the structure of the electrical connector is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the electrical connector may include multiple electrical connection components and a main carrier 400 that connects the multiple electrical connection components together. The multiple electrical connection components may be adjacent to each other or spaced apart. The number of electrical connection components depends on the application scenario or electronic device of the electrical connector. For example, the electrical connector may include only one electrical connection component.

[0052] See Figures 1 to 4The first electrical connection component A includes a first lead frame 100, a first terminal component 200, and a first grounding plate 300, and the second electrical connection component B includes a second lead frame 100', a second terminal component 200', and a second grounding plate 300' having the same structure or function. The first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B each have a first side surface and a second side surface distributed along a third direction. The first side surfaces of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B are opposite to each other, and the second side surfaces are opposite to each other. The first side surface is the side of each component facing the first side direction a, and the second side surface is the side of each component facing the second side direction b. Based on this, the first lead frame 100 and the second lead frame 100' each have opposite first side surfaces 101, 101' and opposite second side surfaces. That is, the first side surface of the first lead frame 100 (the lower side surface shown in the figure) is opposite to the first side surface (the upper side surface shown in the figure) of the second lead frame 100', and the second side surface of the first lead frame 100 is opposite to the second side surface of the second lead frame 100'. The first terminal assembly 200 and the second terminal assembly 200' each have opposing first sides and opposing second sides. That is, the first side of the first terminal assembly 200 is opposite to the first side of the second terminal assembly 200', and the second side of the first terminal assembly 200 is opposite to the second side of the second terminal assembly 200'. The first grounding plate 300 and the second grounding plate 300' each have opposing first sides and opposing second sides. That is, the first side of the first grounding plate 300 is opposite to the first side of the second grounding plate 300', for example, they are stacked and in contact with each other, and the second side of the first grounding plate 300 is opposite to the second side of the second grounding plate 300'.

[0053] The first terminal assembly 200 is disposed on the first lead frame 100, for example, on the second side (upper side) of the first lead frame 100, and the first grounding plate 300 is disposed on the first side (lower side) of the first lead frame 100. The second electrical connection assembly B is a mirror image of the first electrical connection assembly A. Therefore, the second terminal assembly 200' is disposed on the second lead frame 100', for example, on the second side (lower side) of the second lead frame 100', and the second grounding plate 300' is disposed on the first side (upper side) of the second lead frame 100'. Based on this, the first terminal assembly 200, the first lead frame 100, the first grounding plate 300, the second grounding plate 300', the second lead frame 100', and the second terminal assembly 200' are arranged in order from top to bottom. The first grounding plate 300 and the second grounding plate 300' can be attached to each other.

[0054] Since the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B have the same structural design, the first electrical connection component A is taken as an example to be described in detail below.

[0055] See Figure 5 The first terminal assembly 200 includes a signal terminal 20a and a ground terminal 20b (the signal terminals 20a and the ground terminals 20b are collectively referred to as terminals). Multiple signal terminals 20a and ground terminals 20b can be configured. Multiple signal terminals 20a and multiple ground terminals 20b are horizontally distributed along a first direction and spaced apart from each other, with a gap J between each adjacent two terminals. The first direction is, for example, the length direction or longitudinal direction shown in the figure. For convenience of description, the X-axis direction is used to represent the first direction below. The length direction (central axis direction) of each signal terminal 20a and ground terminal 20b is horizontally distributed along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second direction is, for example, the width direction or transverse direction shown in the figure. For convenience of description, the Y-axis direction is used to represent the second direction below. Therefore, the Y-axis direction can be used as the plug-in direction of the electrical connector and its first electrical connection component A. The end that is plugged into the docking electrical connector can be called the front end or the plug-in mating end (one end in the Y-axis direction), and the other end away can be called the rear end or the welding end (the other end in the Y-axis direction). The welding end is used to be welded to a grounded object such as a wire harness or a board (circuit board, substrate, backplane, etc.).

[0056] The signal terminals 20a form a signal pair of two, and a ground terminal 20b is provided on both sides of each signal pair or between each two adjacent signal pairs. The signal pairs can be configured as high-frequency differential signal pairs, and the ground terminals 20b prevent crosstalk between the high-frequency differential signal pairs of the first electrical connection component A. In the first terminal component 200 arranged along the entire X-axis, the terminals on the two sides are ground terminals 20b. If S represents the signal terminal 20a and represents the ground terminal 20b, the first terminal component 200 can be arranged according to GSS. Of course, the arrangement and combination of the signal terminals 20a and the ground terminals 20b are not limited to this, for example, they can also be arranged according to SGS, SSG, etc.

[0057] The signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b are respectively stamped from metal plates of different thicknesses. The ground terminal 20b is thicker than the signal terminal 20a. In the third direction, the signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b are located on the same horizontal plane away from the second side surface of the first ground plate 300. The first side surface of the ground terminal 20b is conductively connected to the ground plate, and the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a is electrically isolated from the first ground plate 300.

[0058] See Figure 6 and Figure 7The second side surfaces of the signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b are located in the same plane, and the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a is spaced apart from the first ground plate 300 by a predetermined distance D, thereby achieving characteristic impedance matching of the signal terminal 20a. The predetermined distance D is achieved by:

[0059] Method 1: Increase the thickness (dimension along the Z-axis) of the ground terminal 20b. For example, a thicker sheet material is used to make the ground terminal 20b, so that its second side surface is located on the same side as the signal terminal 20a, and its first side surface extends beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a toward the first grounding plate 300 and is connected to the first grounding plate 300. The first side surface of the signal terminal 20a and the first grounding plate 300 are separated by a predetermined distance D.

[0060] Method 2: A longer sheet of material is selected, bent, and stacked to form the ground terminal 20b. The ground terminal 20b comprises a first section 210 located closer to the first ground plate 300 along the Z-axis, and a second section 220 located further away from the first ground plate 300. The second section 220 is bent from one end of the first section 210 away from the first ground plate 300 and then stacked on the second side of the first section 210. The second side of the second section 220 is coplanar with the second side of the signal terminal 20a. The thickness of the second section 220 can be greater than that of the signal terminal 20a, allowing its first side to extend beyond the first side of the signal terminal 20a. Consequently, the first section 210 located on the first side of the second section 220 extends beyond the first side of the signal terminal 20a and connects to the first ground plate 300, thereby ensuring a predetermined distance D between the first side of the signal terminal 20a and the first ground plate 300.

[0061] Method 3: Two sheets are prepared and stacked together to form the ground terminal 20b. The sheet closer to the first grounding plate 300 is configured as the first section 210 of the ground terminal 20b, and the sheet farther from the grounding plate is configured as the second section 220 of the ground terminal 20b. This ensures that the ground terminal 20b extends beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a toward the first side surface of the first grounding plate 300 and contacts the first grounding plate 300. A predetermined distance D is maintained between the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a and the first grounding plate 300.

[0062] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, as used herein, "the ground terminal 20b is connected to or connected to the first ground plate 300" refers to a conductive connection. Depending on the needs, the ground terminal 20b can be in contact with or abut against the first ground plate 300 to achieve a conductive connection. Alternatively, the ground terminal 20b can be rigidly connected to the first ground plate 300, for example, by welding, to achieve a conductive connection.

[0063] Regardless of the above method, the first side surface of the ground terminal 20b can be made to extend beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a. Because the second side surface of the signal terminal 20a must be coplanar with the second side surface of the ground terminal 20b, the above method allows for a predetermined distance D between the signal terminal 20a and the first ground plate 300. The predetermined distance D is determined based on the protruding dimension of the ground terminal 20b beyond the signal terminal 20a, the desired characteristic impedance, the volume of the signal terminal 20a, the spacing between the two signal terminals 20a, and / or the volume of the ground terminal 20b. For example, the greater the distance between the signal terminal 20a and the first ground plate 300, the higher the characteristic impedance; the larger the volume of the signal terminal 20a (e.g., the wider the width), the lower the characteristic impedance; and the closer the spacing between the signal pairs, the lower the characteristic impedance.

[0064] Normally, the width of each terminal is very narrow. Relatively speaking, narrower terminals are more difficult to process, while wider terminals are easier to process but take up more space. Therefore, on this basis, the width of the terminals is comprehensively adjusted, and the width of the terminals is appropriately increased to facilitate processing and forming. As the width of the signal terminal 20a increases, its characteristic impedance is reduced. Therefore, in order to match the characteristic impedance, this embodiment increases the thickness of the ground terminal 20b and utilizes the rigid configuration that the second side surface of the signal terminal 20a and the second side surface of the ground terminal 20b are located in the same plane. The thickness of the ground terminal 20b is increased to achieve the purpose of making the distance D between the signal terminal 20a and the first grounding plate 300. The signal terminal 20a can be appropriately widened for ease of manufacturing, and the characteristic impedance can be adjusted to match the impedance of the connected electronic device.

[0065] This embodiment achieves the aforementioned objectives by improving the structure of ground terminal 20b. Compared to the prior art design of first ground plate 300 as a square-shaped ground plate, this embodiment has the following advantages: First, the ground plate can be manufactured in a conventional sheet or block shape, significantly reducing the difficulty of manufacturing the ground plate and eliminating the need to worry about poor contact with ground terminal 20b caused by excessive flatness. Second, it addresses the unstable contact problem of prior art wave-shaped ground plates due to various factors, such as manufacturing and inherent elasticity. This improves the connection between ground terminal 20b and the ground plate, allowing noise signals to quickly return through the ground, thereby enhancing the electrical connector's crosstalk resistance.

[0066] Please continue to see Figure 7The welding end of the ground terminal 20b is provided with a hollowed-out thermal insulation portion 230. This thermal insulation portion 230 isolates some of the high temperatures generated during welding between the welding end of the ground terminal 20b and the connecting object, addressing the problem of rapid heat dissipation caused by the large size and large heat transfer surface of the ground terminal 20b, and preventing deformation and other issues caused by the rapid heat dissipation. The thermal insulation portion 230 includes a first thermal insulation hole 231 extending along a first direction through the welding end of the ground terminal 20b. There may be one or more first thermal insulation holes 231. When there are multiple first thermal insulation holes 231, they are spaced apart along the length of the ground terminal 20b. Taking the structure of the ground terminal 20b described above as an example, the thermal insulation portion 230 includes a first groove provided along the welding end of the first section 210 and a second groove provided along the welding end of the second section 220. The notches of the first and second grooves face each other, enclosing the first thermal insulation hole 231, which extends along the length of the ground terminal 20b. The thermal insulation portion 230 is further configured to include a second thermal insulation hole 232 disposed along the Z-axis in the ground terminal 20b. The second thermal insulation hole 232 may extend through the first and / or second side surfaces of the ground terminal 20b along the Z-axis. Specifically, the second thermal insulation hole 232 may be configured as one or more (e.g., two) second thermal insulation holes 232 disposed on the second segment 220. The second thermal insulation holes 232 extend through the second segment 220 along the Z-axis and are located closer to the front end of the ground terminal 20b than the first thermal insulation holes 231. A third groove 233 is disposed in the second segment 220 at a position corresponding to the second thermal insulation hole 232. The third groove 233 communicates with the second thermal insulation hole 232 to further enhance thermal insulation performance. The second thermal insulation hole 232 not only provides thermal insulation but also enhances the bonding strength between the ground terminal 20b and the first leadframe 100.

[0067] See Figure 2 、 Figure 3 and Figure 8 The first lead frame 100 serves as a carrier for the first terminal assembly 200, supporting and securing the terminal assembly. The first lead frame 100 can be integrally injection-molded with the first terminal assembly 200, or can be molded first and then inserted into the first terminal assembly 200. The first lead frame 100 can be an insulator or an injection-molded part, and thus can also be referred to as an insulating body or a plastic part.

[0068] According to this embodiment, a signal receiving groove 10a for accommodating the signal terminal 20a is provided on the second side surface of the first lead frame 100 at a position corresponding to the signal terminal 20a, and a ground receiving groove 10b for accommodating the ground terminal 20b is provided at a position corresponding to the ground terminal 20b. The signal receiving grooves 10a and the ground receiving grooves 10b are spaced apart along the X-axis, and the length of each signal receiving groove 10a and ground receiving groove 10b is distributed along the Y-axis.

[0069] Based on the GSSG distribution method, a ground accommodating slot 10b is distributed on both sides (along the X-axis) of each adjacent pair of signal accommodating slots 10a. That is, the area between each pair of adjacent ground accommodating slots 10b is distributed with two signal accommodating slots 10a. Therefore, the area between each pair of adjacent ground accommodating slots 10b on the first leadframe 100 is configured as a signal pair accommodating area 110, which is formed with two signal accommodating slots 10a corresponding to the signal pair.

[0070] Based on the structure of the signal terminal 20a described above, the depth of the signal receiving groove 10a is less than the depth of the ground receiving groove 10b. When the signal terminal 20a is accommodated in the signal receiving groove 10a, the second side surface of the signal terminal 20a should at least be flush with the second side surface of the first lead frame 100, or the second side surface of the signal terminal 20a should protrude beyond the second side surface of the first lead frame 100, with the extent of the protrusion varying depending on the requirements of different embodiments. To increase the bonding strength between the signal terminal 20a and the signal receiving groove 10a, a fourth groove (not shown) or a first protrusion is provided on the first side surface of the signal terminal 20a, and a first protrusion 111 (the solution adopted in this embodiment) or a fourth groove is provided on the bottom surface of the signal receiving groove 10a.

[0071] Based on the aforementioned structure of the ground terminal 20b, namely, that the ground terminal 20b is thicker than the signal terminal 20a and protrudes toward the first ground plate 300, the depth of the ground receiving groove 10b (along the Z-axis) is greater than the depth of the signal receiving groove 10a. The depth of the ground receiving groove 10b can meet the following conditions: when the ground terminal 20b is accommodated therein, the second side surface of the ground terminal 20b is at least flush with the second side surface of the first lead frame 100, or the second side surface of the ground terminal 20b protrudes beyond the second side surface of the first lead frame 100. The extent of the protrusion varies depending on the requirements of different embodiments.

[0072] Based on the aforementioned structure of the grounding terminal 20b, in order to connect the grounding terminal 20b in the grounding accommodating groove 10b with the first grounding plate 300 located on the first side surface of the first leadframe 100, the bottom surface of the grounding accommodating groove 10b at least partially penetrates the first side surface of the first leadframe 100, allowing the grounding terminal 20b to connect to the first grounding plate 300. Specifically, at least one second window 120 is provided on the bottom surface of the grounding accommodating groove 10b, extending through the first leadframe 100 toward the first grounding plate 300. For example, three (but not limited to three) second windows 120 are provided on the bottom surface of the grounding accommodating groove 10b as shown. These three second windows 120 are spaced apart along the second direction on the bottom surface of the grounding accommodating groove 10b, with their first ends penetrating the first side surface of the first leadframe 100 and their second ends penetrating the bottom surface of the grounding accommodating groove 10b. The second window 120 is offset from the first window 320 of the first grounding plate 300, described below. The second window 120 is designed to accommodate a corresponding portion of the first grounding plate 300, thereby enhancing bonding strength. The second window 120 is a press-fit hole left during the injection molding of the first terminal assembly 200 and the first leadframe 100. The injection mold's press studs press against the grounding terminal 20b at this press-fit hole, preventing it from shifting. After molding, this press-fit hole directly serves as the second window 120 for bonding to the first grounding plate 300, resolving the issue of grounding terminal 20b shifting while also enhancing bonding strength with the first grounding plate 300.

[0073] Based on the aforementioned structure of the ground terminal 20b, the first leadframe 100 (ground receiving slot 10b) is provided with a thermally insulating mating portion 130 at a location corresponding to the thermal insulation portion 230 of the ground terminal 20b. This thermally insulating mating portion 130 engages with the thermal insulation portion 230 to reduce the diffusion rate of high temperatures. The thermally insulating mating portion 130 includes a first filling portion 131 corresponding to the first thermal insulation hole 231, a second filling portion 132 corresponding to the second thermal insulation hole 232, and a third filling portion 133 corresponding to the third groove 233. The first filling portion 131, the second filling portion 132, and the third filling portion 133 are all located at the rear end of the ground receiving slot 10b. The first filling portion 131 connects to the two sidewalls of the ground receiving slot 10b facing the X-axis, forming a first space 1311 between the first filling portion 131 and the bottom wall of the ground receiving slot 10b. This first space 1311 allows the portion of the first section 210 corresponding to the first groove to pass through. The second side surface of the first filling portion 131 is lower than the second side surface of the first leadframe 100, thereby forming a second space 1312 that is lower than the second side surface of the first leadframe 100. This second space 1312 is used to allow the portion of the second section 220 corresponding to the second groove to pass through. As a result, the first filling portion 131 conforms to the first thermal insulation hole 231, cooperating therewith to block high temperatures and prevent their rapid spread. The second filling portion 132 is configured as a first protrusion distributed along the third direction, configured to protrude into the second thermal insulation hole 232. The third filling portion 133 is formed at a position in the grounding accommodating groove 10b corresponding to the third groove 233 of the grounding terminal 20b. The third filling portion 133 is configured to have a shape that matches the third groove 233. The third filling portion 133 is connected to the first end face of the second filling portion 132 (an end face facing the first grounding plate 300), and a third space 1331 is formed between the third filling portion 133 and the bottom wall of the grounding accommodating groove 10b, which is used for the portion of the first section 210 corresponding to the third groove 233 to pass through.

[0074] Based on the aforementioned ground terminal 20b, ground receiving groove 10b, and first grounding plate 300 described below, at least one second protrusion 140 is provided on the first side surface of the first leadframe 100 at a position corresponding to the ground receiving groove 10b. The second protrusion 140 and the second window 120 are staggered along the second direction. The second protrusion 140 is positioned opposite the first window 320 of the first grounding plate 300. The second protrusion 140 is configured to fit into the first window 320 to increase the bonding strength between the first leadframe 100 and the first grounding plate 300. In this embodiment, there are three second protrusions 140, which are staggered with the three second windows 120 in the second direction.

[0075] Please continue to see Figure 8 The surface of the first lead frame 100 is provided with a positioning protrusion 150 for concave-convex engagement when combined with the main carrier 400. The positioning protrusion 150 can be configured to protrude from the second side surface of the first lead frame 100 along the X-axis direction. A first avoidance groove is formed on the positioning protrusion 150 corresponding to the portion of the signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b protruding from the second side surface of the first lead frame 100. The first avoidance groove passes through the positioning protrusion 150 along the second direction. The positioning protrusion 150 is also provided with a fifth groove 151 for increasing its bonding force with the main carrier 400. The fifth groove 151 is recessed from the second side surface of the positioning protrusion 150 toward the first side surface.

[0076] The first side surface of the first lead frame 100 is further provided with a positioning structure, which can be used for positioning when assembled with the first ground plate 300 and for installation and positioning when assembled with the second electrical connection component B. The positioning structure can be, for example, a positioning post 161 and / or a positioning hole 162 provided on the first side surface of the first lead frame 100.

[0077] See Figure 10 The first grounding plate 300 can be configured as a sheet-like structure that matches the shape of the first leadframe 100. The first grounding plate 300 can be a conventional sheet-like structure, and its first and second sides can both be horizontal planes, or the second side of the first grounding plate 300 can be configured as a horizontal plane. When the first grounding plate 300 is connected to the above-mentioned grounding terminal 20b, the grounding terminal 20b can be made to protrude toward the first side into the second window 120 and then connect with the first grounding plate 300. To facilitate the assembly and positioning of the first grounding plate 300 and the first leadframe 100, the first grounding plate 300 is also provided with a positioning portion, such as the two (but not limited to two) positioning holes 301 shown in the figure.

[0078] The first grounding plate 300 can be designed as follows: a rib 310 is provided on the second side of the first grounding plate 300 at a position directly opposite the grounding terminal 20b. The rib 310 is configured to connect (conductively connect) to the first side of the grounding terminal 20b. The rib 310 can be an elongated rib 310 matching the length of the grounding terminal 20b, or a rectangular rib 310 shorter than the grounding terminal 20b, a cylindrical rib 310, or other suitable ribs 310. The rib 310 has the following multiple functions: (1) the rib 310 can protrude into the second window 120 and cooperate with the concave and convex portion thereof, thereby increasing the bonding strength between the first ground plate 300 and the first lead frame 100; (2) after the rib 310 extends into the second window 120, it connects with the ground terminal 20b, allowing the ground terminal 20b to be connected to the first ground plate 300 through the rib 310, thereby improving the connection performance between the ground terminal 20b and the ground plate, allowing noise signals to quickly pass through the ground and return, thereby improving the anti-crosstalk performance of the electrical connector; (3) when the distance parameters between the signal terminal 20a and the first ground plate 300 are consistent, the provision of the rib 310 can raise the height of the ground terminal 20b, thereby reducing the thickness of the ground terminal 20b and reducing the processing complexity of the ground terminal 20b.

[0079] The rib 310 can be configured as a block-like structure protruding from the second side surface of the first grounding plate 300, or can be stamped from the first side surface toward the second side surface of the first grounding plate 300. When the rib 310 is stamped, it has an arched bridge-like structure that arches toward the second side surface.

[0080] Based on the aforementioned embodiment of multiple ground terminals 20b, the ribs 310 are configured as an array of ribs 310 corresponding one-to-one with the ground terminals 20b. The array of ribs 310 is spaced apart along the X-axis on the second side surface of the first ground plate 300. Each group of ribs 310 can be configured to include several ribs 310, for example, four ribs 310 (or one rib 310 for each ground terminal 20b), with the last three ribs 310 correspondingly projecting into the three second windows 120, with the first rib located on the front side of the first leadframe 100. The ribs 310 are spaced apart along the length of the ground terminals 20b.

[0081] Based on the structure of the second protrusion 140 described above, a first window 320 is formed between each two adjacent protrusions 310 of the plurality of protrusions 310 corresponding to each ground terminal 20b, thereby forming three first windows 320. The positions of the three first windows 320 correspond one-to-one with the three second protrusions 140 described above, and are configured to respectively engage with the three second protrusions 140 in a concave-convex manner, thereby achieving bonding between the first grounding plate 300 and the first leadframe 100 and increasing the bonding strength between the first grounding plate 300 and the first leadframe 100. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the quantitative terms used herein are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention, and the number of such terms may be adaptively increased or decreased according to the requirements of different embodiments.

[0082] The first grounding plate 300 is provided with a set of ribs 310 at each end along its longitudinal direction (X-axis). Within each set of ribs 310 (several ribs 310), first windows 320 between the ribs 310 extend through the first grounding plate 300, extending away from the other end, thereby forming a natural concave-convex bonding surface. The first leadframe 100 protrudes along a first direction into the first windows 320 between the ribs 310 at each end, thereby forming a concave-convex bonding surface.

[0083] Please continue to see Figure 3 The first terminal assembly 200 and the first leadframe 100 are molded in one piece using an injection molding process. The first grounding plate 300 is assembled to the first side of the first leadframe 100 to form a first electrical connection assembly A. After assembly, the front ends of the first grounding plate 300, signal terminals 20a, and grounding terminals 20b protrude forward from the front side of the first leadframe 100 in the second direction. The rear ends of the first grounding plate 300, signal terminals 20a, and grounding terminals 20b protrude rearward from the rear side of the first leadframe 100 in the second direction. The second side of the front end of the first grounding plate 300, the front side of the first leadframe 100, and the first side of the signal terminals 20a together form a first recessed area A1. The second side of the rear end of the first grounding plate 300, the rear side of the first leadframe 100, and the second side of the signal terminals 20a together form a second recessed area A2. The first and second recessed areas A1 and A2 are configured for convex-concave coupling with the main carrier 400. A through hole 330 is formed at the front end of the first grounding plate 300 and extends through the first grounding plate 300 along the Z-axis direction. The through hole 330 is used for concave-convex coupling with the main carrier 400 to increase coupling force.

[0084] See Figure 2 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 11 and Figure 12The main carrier 400 has a covering frame 410 covering the outside of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B along the X-axis direction, a front end covering portion 420 covering the front end of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B, and a rear end covering portion 430 covering the rear end of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B.

[0085] The covering frame 410 includes a first covering portion 411 covering the second side surface of the first electrical connection component A along the X-axis direction, a second covering portion 412 covering the second side surface of the second electrical connection component B along the X-axis direction, a third covering portion 413 covering the first end surface (one end facing the X-axis direction) of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B, and a fourth covering portion 414 covering the second end surface (the other end facing the X-axis direction) of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B (see FIG. Figure 4 The first covering portion 411, the second covering portion 412, the third covering portion 413 and the fourth covering portion 414 are connected end to end.

[0086] In the Y-axis direction, the dimensions of the first covering portion 411 and the second covering portion 412 are smaller than those of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B, and the first covering portion 411 and the second covering portion 412 are located in the middle section in the Y-axis direction, so that the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B are separated by the first covering portion 411 and the second covering portion 412 into a docking portion C1 located on the front side thereof and a mounting portion C2 (welding portion) located on the rear side thereof. Based on this, the electrical connector includes, based on its position and function, a docking portion C1 located on the front side of the first covering portion 411 and a mounting portion C2 located on the rear side of the second covering portion 412. The docking portion C1 is used for complementary plug-in mating with a docking electrical connector, and the mounting portion C2 can be welded to a board end to form a board-end connector, or can be welded to a wire end to form a wire-end connector.

[0087] In this embodiment, the position of the first covering portion 411 corresponds to the positioning protrusion 150 on the second side of the first lead frame 100. The position of the second covering portion 412 corresponds to the positioning protrusion 150 on the second side of the second lead frame 100'. The first covering portion 411 and the second covering portion 412 are both provided with matching grooves 411a and 412a, and the matching grooves 411a and 412a are used to match the corresponding positioning protrusions 150 in a concave-convex manner to increase the bonding area. The first covering portion 411 and the second covering portion 412 are both provided with a third protrusion 412b that protrudes into the corresponding fifth groove 151 at the position corresponding to the fifth groove 151 of the positioning protrusion 150.

[0088] In this embodiment, since each terminal protrudes from the second side surface of the corresponding lead frame, a second avoiding groove 412 c is further formed on the first covering portion 411 and the second covering portion 412 at a position corresponding to each terminal.

[0089] The front end of the front cover 420 is formed with a guide portion 421. The side surfaces of the guide portion 421 are inclined forward and toward the center to form an inclined guide surface, which improves the ease of mating with the mating electrical connector. The front cover 420 has a first engaging groove 422 into which the front ends of the first and second grounding plates 300, 300' are inserted. The first engaging groove 422 divides the front cover 420 into two first protrusions 423 arranged side by side along the Z-axis. The two first protrusions 423 respectively project into the first recessed positions A1 of the first and second electrical connection components A and B. A second protrusion 424 is also provided between the two first protrusions 423 at locations corresponding to the through-holes 330 of the first and second grounding plates 300, 300'. The second protrusion 424 connects between the two first protrusions 423 along the Z-axis.

[0090] A first signal covering groove 4231 is provided on the second side surfaces of the two first protruding portions 423, corresponding to the front end of the signal terminal 20a (the portion extending beyond the front end of the respective leadframes). The depth of the first signal covering groove 4231 matches the depth of the signal receiving groove 10a. The front end of the signal terminal 20a is positioned within the first signal covering groove 4231, with its second side surface exposed. A first ground covering groove 4232 is provided on the second side surfaces of the two first protruding portions 423, corresponding to the ground terminal 20b. The first ground covering groove 4232 communicates with the first embedding groove 422 along the Z-axis.

[0091] The rear end covering portion 430 has a second embedding groove 431 for the rear ends of the first grounding plate 300 and the second grounding plate 300' to be embedded therein. The second embedding groove 431 separates the rear end covering portion 430 into two second protruding portions 432 arranged side by side along the Z-axis direction. The two second protruding portions 432 respectively protrude into the second recessed positions A2 of the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B.

[0092] A second signal covering groove 4321 is provided on the second side surfaces of the two second protruding portions 432, corresponding to the rear end of the signal terminal 20a (the portion extending beyond the rear end of the respective leadframes). The depth of the second signal covering groove 4321 matches the depth of the signal receiving groove 10a. The rear end of the signal terminal 20a is positioned within the second signal covering groove 4321, with its second side surface exposed. Second ground covering grooves 4322 are also provided on the second side surfaces of the two second protruding portions 432, corresponding to the ground terminal 20b.

[0093] Based on the above embodiments, the electrical connector of the present invention may be manufactured using the following process:

[0094] Manufacturing the First Electrical Connection Assembly A: (1) Performing an injection molding process to integrally mold the first terminal assembly 200 and the first lead frame 100, and assembling the first ground plate 300 to the first side surface of the first lead frame 100. For example, the signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b are placed in an injection mold and integrally molded with the first lead frame 100. During the injection molding process, the injection mold has pressure posts that hold the signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b in place to prevent them from shifting. As a result, the molded first lead frame 100 is formed with pressure holes at the positions corresponding to the signal terminal 20a and the ground terminal 20b. Among them, the press-hole position corresponding to the ground terminal 20b on the first lead frame 100 is the second window 120 mentioned above. In this way, the problem of the ground terminal 20b being offset is solved and the function of the second window 120 is realized, thereby avoiding secondary drilling and reducing the complexity of the manufacturing process; (2) the first grounding plate 300 is placed on the first side surface of the first lead frame 100, so that the various ribs 310 of the first grounding plate 300 are aligned one by one with the second window 120, and the first windows 320 of the first grounding plate 300 are aligned one by one with the second protrusion 140 of the first side surface of the first lead frame 100, so that the first windows 320 and the second protrusion 140 are engaged, and the second windows 120 and the ribs 310 are engaged, thereby increasing the bonding force between the first grounding plate 300 and the first lead frame 100.

[0095] (2) Manufacturing of the second electrical connection component B: The manufacturing steps of the second electrical connection component B are the same as those of the first electrical connection component A. The second electrical connection component B is obtained by rotating the first electrical connection component A by 180 degrees.

[0096] (3) Component combination: Perform an injection molding process, place the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B into an injection mold, and laminate the first sides of the first grounding plate 300 of the first electrical connection component A and the first sides of the two grounding plates of the second electrical connection component B together, and then perform injection molding to obtain a main carrier 400 that holds the first electrical connection component A and the second electrical connection component B as a whole.

[0097] In summary, the electrical connector of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) Improved anti-crosstalk performance: This solves the problem of unstable contact caused by various reasons such as manufacturing and self-elasticity of the corrugated grounding plate in the prior art, improves the connection performance between the grounding terminal and the grounding plate, allows the noise signal to quickly pass through the ground and return, and improves the anti-crosstalk performance of the electrical connector. (2) Optimization and reduction of manufacturing process complexity: The grounding plate only needs to be made into a conventional sheet structure, and a hole opening (first window) process is added during its manufacturing process. The manufacturing process is simple and there is no need to consider the tolerance of the corrugated grounding plate. (3) The second window at the first lead frame and the second lead frame is the punching position during the injection molding process, which not only solves the problem of terminal deviation during the injection molding process, but also realizes the function of the second window. There is no need to add two separate hole opening processes, which simplifies the manufacturing process and solves the problem of terminal deviation. (4) The rib structure design on the second side of the grounding plate. When the distance parameters between the signal terminal and the grounding plate are consistent, the setting of the rib can raise the height of the grounding terminal, thereby reducing the thickness of the grounding terminal and reducing the processing complexity of the grounding terminal. (5) The rib structure at both ends of the grounding plate can not only enhance the connection performance between the grounding plate and the terminal, but also form multiple concave and convex bonding surfaces on the edges of both ends of the grounding plate, thereby enhancing the bonding force between the grounding plate and the lead frame, improving the connection strength and stability of the electrical connector, and improving the service life of the electrical connector.

[0098] The above embodiments merely represent preferred embodiments of the present invention. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent for this invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising: a plurality of electrical connection assemblies arranged along a third direction; and a main carrier for combining the electrical connection assemblies; the electrical connection assemblies comprising a lead frame, a terminal assembly disposed on the lead frame; and a ground plate disposed on a first side of the lead frame along the third direction; the terminal assembly comprising a plurality of signal terminals and a ground terminal horizontally arranged along a first direction; the lengths of the signal terminals and the ground terminals extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; the ground terminals connected to the ground plate; and characterized in that: The ground terminal extends beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal toward the first side surface of the ground plate, and the first side surface of the signal terminal is spaced apart from the ground plate.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The ground terminal includes a first section and a second section stacked on top of each other along a third direction, the first section is closer to the ground plate, and the first section extends beyond the first side surface of the signal terminal toward the ground plate; The signal terminal and the ground terminal both have welding ends welded to the connection objects, and the welding end of the ground terminal is formed with a hollow thermal insulation part; the thermal insulation part includes a first groove arranged at the welding end of the first section and a second groove arranged at the welding end of the second section, and the notches of the first groove and the second groove are relative and enclosed to form a first thermal insulation hole that passes through the ground terminal along the first direction; the thermal insulation part also includes a second thermal insulation hole that passes through the second section along the third direction and a third groove arranged on the first section and connected to the second thermal insulation hole; a thermal insulation matching part is provided at a position corresponding to the thermal insulation part on the first lead frame, and the thermal insulation matching part includes a first filling part arranged corresponding to the position of the first thermal insulation hole, a second filling part arranged corresponding to the position of the second thermal insulation hole, and a third filling part arranged corresponding to the position of the third groove, and the first filling part, the second filling part and the third filling part are respectively embedded in the first thermal insulation hole, the second thermal insulation hole and the third groove.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein: The first section and the second section are configured as a split structure; or The first section and the second section are integrally bent, and the second section is bent from one end of the first section in a direction away from the grounding plate and then stacked on a second side surface of the first section away from the grounding plate.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The ground terminal and the signal terminal are respectively stamped from metal plates of different thicknesses. The thickness of the ground terminal is greater than that of the signal terminal. In the third direction, the signal terminal and the ground terminal are located on the same horizontal plane away from the second side surface of the ground plate. The first side surface of the ground terminal is conductively connected to the ground plate, and the first side surface of the signal terminal is electrically isolated from the ground plate.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The signal terminal and the ground terminal each have a welding end welded to a connection object, the welding end of the ground terminal is formed with a hollowed-out thermal insulation portion, the thermal insulation portion passes through the welding end of the ground terminal along a first direction; the thermal insulation portion includes a first thermal insulation hole passing through the welding end of the ground terminal along the first direction; a thermal insulation matching portion is provided on the first lead frame at a position corresponding to the thermal insulation portion, the thermal insulation matching portion includes a first filling portion provided at a position corresponding to the first thermal insulation hole and a second filling portion provided at a position corresponding to the second thermal insulation position, the first filling portion and the second filling portion being respectively embedded in the first thermal insulation hole and the second thermal insulation hole; The second side surface of the grounding plate facing the terminal assembly is configured as a horizontal plane; or the second side surface of the grounding plate facing the terminal assembly and the first side surface facing away from the terminal assembly are both configured as horizontal planes.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: A rib is provided on the grounding plate at a position facing the second side surface of the terminal assembly and opposite to the grounding terminal, and the rib is connected to the first side surface of the grounding terminal; The rib is formed by stamping from the first side surface toward the second side surface of the grounding plate; There are multiple ribs corresponding to each ground terminal, and the multiple ribs are spaced apart along the length direction of the ground terminal; Among the ribs corresponding to each grounding terminal, a first window penetrating the grounding plate is formed between two adjacent ribs, and the first window is used for concave-convex combination with the first side surface of the lead frame.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein: Among the several ribs at both end edges of the grounding plate, the first window between the ribs passes through the grounding plate in a direction away from the other end edge; the lead frame protrudes into the first window between the ribs at both end edges along the first direction to be combined with the concave and convex parts thereof.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: A signal accommodating groove and a ground accommodating groove are provided on the second side of the lead frame away from the ground plate for accommodating the signal terminal and the ground terminal respectively. The bottom surface of the ground accommodating groove at least partially passes through the first side of the lead frame so that the ground terminal can be connected to the ground plate.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The electrical connection components are configured into two groups, the two groups of electrical connection components are mirror images of each other, the first sides of the two groups of electrical connection components are opposite to each other, and the second sides of the two groups of electrical connection components are opposite to each other, and the ground plates of the two groups of electrical connection components are stacked and in contact with each other; The two ends of the electrical connection component along the second direction are respectively configured as a front end and a rear end, the front ends of the grounding plate, signal terminal and grounding terminal all protrude forward from the front side of the lead frame, and the rear ends of the grounding plate, signal terminal and grounding terminal all protrude backward from the rear side of the lead frame; the second side of the front end of the grounding plate, the front side of the lead frame and the first side of the signal terminal together form a first recessed position, and the second side of the rear end of the grounding plate, the rear side of the lead frame and the second side of the signal terminal together form a second recessed position; the first recessed position and the second recessed position are used for concave-convex combination with the main carrier.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein: The main carrier comprises a covering frame covering the outside of the electrical connection component along a first direction, a front covering portion covering the front end of the electrical connection component, and a rear covering portion covering the rear end of the electrical connection component; The front end covering portion has a first embedding groove for inserting the front ends of the grounding plates of the two sets of electrical connection components. The first embedding groove divides the front end covering portion into two first protruding portions arranged side by side along the third direction. The two first protruding portions respectively protrude into the first recessed positions of the two electrical connection components. A first signal covering groove for accommodating the front end of the signal terminal and a first ground covering groove for accommodating the front end of the ground terminal are formed on the second side surfaces of the two first protruding portions, and the first ground covering groove is connected to the first embedding groove along the third direction; The rear end covering portion has a second embedding groove for inserting the rear ends of the grounding plates of the two sets of electrical connection components. The second embedding groove divides the rear end covering portion into two second protruding portions arranged side by side along the third direction. The two second protruding portions respectively protrude into the second recessed positions of the two sets of electrical connection components. The second side surfaces of the two second protruding portions are formed with a second signal covering groove for accommodating the rear ends of the signal terminals and a second ground covering groove for accommodating the rear ends of the ground terminals.

Images