Electric connector and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric connector which comprises an insulation body, a plurality of conductive terminals and a pair of metal reinforcing pieces, the conductive terminals and the metal reinforcing pieces are fixedly arranged on the insulation body, the insulation body comprises a tongue plate located at the front end, a tail portion located at the rear end and a base portion, and the conductive terminals comprise an upper row of terminals and a lower row of terminals. The insulating body comprises a first fixing block, a second fixing block and an outer insulator, the pair of metal reinforcing pieces and the first fixing block are integrally formed to form a first form assembly, and the second fixing block, the first form assembly and the lower row of terminals are integrally formed to form a second form assembly. The upper row of terminals are assembled on the first fixing block and the second fixing block in the second form assembly to form a third form assembly, the outer insulator and the third form assembly are integrally formed to form the insulation body fixedly holding the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals, on the basis that production and manufacturing are easy, the size of a product is further reduced, and the production cost is reduced. And the miniaturization trend is conformed. The invention further provides a manufacturing method of the electric connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of connector technology, and in particular to an electrical connector and its manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] USB Type-C interfaces are widely used in electrical connectors across various industries for charging and high-speed data transmission. According to industry standards, the physical carrier of this interface is a Type-C plug and socket, supporting reversible insertion and resolving the issue of Micro USB's unidirectional insertion leading to damage when inserted incorrectly. While existing USB Type-C interfaces meet the trend towards miniaturization in product design, the structural design of existing Type-C sockets is approaching its physical limits to meet the further miniaturization demands. A new Type-C socket is needed to overcome space limitations, improve signal transmission stability, and better meet customized requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrical connector and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an electrical connector comprising an insulating body, a plurality of conductive terminals fixed to the insulating body, and a pair of metal reinforcing members. The insulating body includes a tongue at the front end, a tail at the rear end, and a base connecting the tongue and the tail. The plurality of conductive terminals include an upper row of terminals and a lower row of terminals. The insulating body further includes a first fixing block, a second fixing block, and an outer insulator. The pair of metal reinforcing members are integrally formed with the first fixing block to form a first-form assembly. The second fixing block is integrally formed with the first-form assembly and the lower row of terminals to form a second-form assembly. The upper row of terminals is assembled on the first and second fixing blocks in the second-form assembly to form a third-form assembly. The outer insulator is integrally formed with the third-form assembly to form an insulating body that holds the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals.

[0005] Furthermore, the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals each include a contact portion at the front end, a welding portion at the rear end, and a connecting portion connecting the contact portion and the welding portion. A pair of metal reinforcing members are located between the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals in the vertical direction. Each metal reinforcing member includes a main body portion at the front end and a welding foot at the rear end.

[0006] Furthermore, the first fixing block and the main body of the pair of metal reinforcing members are integrally formed. The upper and lower surfaces of the first fixing block are provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal mounting slots. Clamping walls are provided on both sides of each terminal mounting slot to clamp and fix the connection part of each conductive terminal.

[0007] Furthermore, when viewed in the front-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the clamping walls of the upper and / or lower terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block extend beyond the connecting portion in the vertical direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the clamping wall of each terminal mounting groove forms a cover portion at least partially covering the connection portion at its vertical end.

[0009] Furthermore, the connecting portion of each terminal in the upper row of terminals is respectively engaged with the upper row of terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block near its contact portion, and the connecting portion of each terminal in the lower row of terminals is respectively engaged with the lower row of terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block near its contact portion.

[0010] Furthermore, the second fixing block is integrally formed with the rear end of each of the metal reinforcing members and the connection part of each terminal in the lower row of terminals near its welding part. The upper surface of the second fixing block is provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal fixing grooves, and clamping walls are provided on both sides of each terminal fixing groove to clamp and fix the connection part of each conductive terminal.

[0011] Furthermore, when viewed in the front-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the clamping walls of several terminal fixing slots of the second fixing block extend beyond the connecting portion in the vertical direction.

[0012] Furthermore, the clamping wall of each terminal fixing groove forms a cover portion at least partially covering the connecting portion at its vertical end.

[0013] Furthermore, the connection portion of each terminal of the upper row of terminals is respectively engaged with the terminal fixing groove of the second fixing block near its welding portion.

[0014] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is: to provide a method for manufacturing an electrical connector, comprising the following steps: The first step involves providing a pair of metal reinforcing members and a first fixing block, and integrally molding the first fixing block and the pair of metal reinforcing members into a single unit to form a first-form component. The second step involves providing a lower row of terminals and a second fixing block, and integrally molding the second fixing block with the lower row of terminals and the first form component to form the second form component. The third step is to provide the upper row of terminals and assemble the upper row of terminals onto the first fixing block and the second fixing block of the second form component to form the third form component; The fourth step involves providing an outer insulator, which is then integrally molded with the third-form component to form the electrical connector.

[0015] Furthermore, in the first step, the upper and lower surfaces of the first fixing block are provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal mounting slots; in the second step, the upper surface of the second fixing block is provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal fixing slots, and the connecting part of the lower row of terminals is assembled to the lower row of terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block; in the third step, the connecting part of the upper row of terminals is assembled to the upper row of terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block and the terminal fixing slots of the second fixing block.

[0016] Furthermore, clamping walls are provided on both sides of the transverse direction of each terminal mounting groove and on both sides of the transverse direction of each terminal fixing groove. In the second step and / or the third step, the clamping walls of the terminal mounting groove and the terminal fixing groove are formed by means including but not limited to hot melting to form a covering portion that at least partially covers the connection portion.

[0017] Furthermore, the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals each include a contact portion at the front end, a welding portion at the rear end, and a connecting portion connecting the contact portion and the welding portion. Each of the metal reinforcing members includes a main body portion at the front end and a welding foot at the rear end. In the first step, the main body portion of each of the metal reinforcing members is fixed to both sides of the first fixing block. In the second step, the connecting portion of each of the lower row of terminals near the welding portion and the rear end of each of the metal reinforcing members are fixed to the second fixing block.

[0018] The electrical connector and its manufacturing method of the present invention have the following advantages: Since the electrical connector does not use any metal shell structure fixed to the outside of the insulating body, and the connector itself is smaller in size in all dimensions, it can better adapt to customized requirements; In addition, since at least three integral molding processes are used, it is beneficial for the connector to adopt a 24-pin solution that conforms to the USB Type C interface standard, which can be adapted to more solutions compared to a one-time integral molding solution; Furthermore, since the first fixing block and the second fixing block are integrally molded with the terminals in batches, and the upper row of terminals are also assembled and fixed in between, compared with the existing method of injecting plastic bodies of the upper and lower rows of terminals in batches and then using simple stacking, the structure of the present invention can further reduce the thickness of the base and tail of the insulating body in the vertical direction, thereby further reducing the size of the product while meeting the requirements of easy manufacturing, and conforming to the trend of miniaturization. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the electrical connector of the present invention viewed from another direction.

[0021] Figure 3 This is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 An exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of the present invention, viewed from another direction.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first form of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A perspective view of the first-form component of the electrical connector of the present invention viewed from another direction.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second form of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A perspective view of the second-form component of the electrical connector of the present invention viewed from another direction.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the third form of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 10 This is a perspective bottom view of the third form component of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 11 yes Figure 10 A cross-sectional view along line AA when the electrical connector of the present invention is not provided with a cover.

[0030] Figure 12 yes Figure 10 A cross-sectional view along line BB when the electrical connector of the present invention is not provided with a cover.

[0031] Figure 13 yes Figure 10 A partial cross-sectional view taken along line AA when the electrical connector of the present invention is provided with a cover portion.

[0032] Figure 14 yes Figure 10 A partial cross-sectional view along line BB when the electrical connector of the present invention is provided with a cover portion.

[0033] Figure 15 yes Figure 10 A perspective bottom view of the electrical connector of the present invention.

[0034] The diagrams in the instruction manual are labeled as follows: Electrical connector-100; Insulating body-1, tongue-12, base-13, tail-14, first fixing block-21, terminal mounting slot-22, second fixing block-23, terminal fixing slot-24, clamping wall-25, first covering part-26, second covering part-27, third covering part-28, outer insulator-29; Conductive terminal-3, upper row terminal-31, lower row terminal-32, contact part-301, connecting part-302, soldering part-303, signal terminal-S, grounding terminal-G, power terminal-P; Metal reinforcement-4, main body part-41, solder foot-42; First form assembly-50, second form assembly-60, third form assembly-70, recess-8. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] The following disclosure provides various embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the invention. Specific examples of components and arrangements will be described below to simplify the invention. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. For example, in the following description, forming a first component above or on a second component may include embodiments where the first and second components are in direct contact, or embodiments where other components may be formed between the first and second components such that the first and second components are not in direct contact. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or characters may be repeated in various instances of the invention. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations.

[0037] Furthermore, spatial relation terms such as "below," "under," "below," "above," and "above" may be used herein to readily describe the relationship between one element or component and another element (or component) or component (or component) as shown in the figure. In addition to the orientations shown in the figure, spatial relation terms will encompass various different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be positioned in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and will be interpreted accordingly through the spatial relation descriptors used herein.

[0038] Furthermore, the technical parts described in this invention and the appended claims are primarily the improved technical parts of this invention, and do not limit the object protected by this invention to only having these technical parts. Other known essential components (structures and / or methods) and / or non-essential components of the object protected, besides the technical parts described in this invention and the appended claims, are not included in this invention and the appended claims because they do not fall within the scope of improvements of this invention; however, this does not mean that the object protected by this invention does not possess these known components.

[0039] Please refer to Figures 1 to 15 As shown, the present invention provides an electrical connector 100, which is a Type-C socket for mounting on a circuit board (not shown) and can be inserted in both directions. The electrical connector 100 includes an insulating body 1, a pair of metal reinforcing members 4 fixed to both sides inside the insulating body 1, and a plurality of conductive terminals 3 fixed to the insulating body 1.

[0040] Please refer to Figures 1 to 15 As shown, the plurality of conductive terminals 3 include an upper row of terminals 31 and a lower row of terminals 32, which are respectively fixed to the upper and lower sides of the insulating body 1. Both the upper row of terminals 31 and the lower row of terminals 32 include grounding terminals G located at their outer ends, and a plurality of power terminals P and signal terminals S located between the two grounding terminals G. The upper and lower rows of terminals 32 are of the same number and are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, thereby achieving the purpose of connection in both forward and reverse directions. Each conductive terminal 3 extends in the front-to-back direction and includes a contact portion 301 at the front end, a welding portion 303 at the rear end, and a connecting portion 302 connecting the contact portion 301 and the welding portion 303.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the insulating body 1 includes a tongue plate 12 at the front end, a tail portion 14 at the rear end, and a base portion 13 connecting the tongue plate 12 and the tail portion 14. The connection portions 302 of the upper row terminals 31 and the lower row terminals 32 are exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue plate 12, respectively, and the welding portions 303 of the upper row terminals 31 and the lower row terminals 32 are exposed side by side on the lower surface of the tail portion 14 in the front-rear direction.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 1 to 12 and Figure 15 As shown, a pair of metal reinforcing members 4 are respectively fixed to both sides of the insulating body 1 and located between the upper row of terminals 31 and the lower row of terminals 32. When viewed in the vertical direction, the pair of metal reinforcing members 4 overlap with at least the corresponding upper row of grounding terminals G and lower row of grounding terminals G. The outer surfaces of the pair of metal reinforcing members 4 are exposed on both sides of the tongue plate 12. Each of the metal reinforcing members 4 includes a main body 41 located at the front end and a welding foot 42 located at the rear end.

[0043] Please refer to Figures 3 to 14 As shown, the insulating body 1 includes a first fixing block 21, a second fixing block 23, and an outer insulator 29. The first fixing block 21 and the front end of the outer insulator 29 together form the tongue plate 12, the middle part of the outer insulator 29 forms the base 13, and the second fixing block 23 and the rear end of the outer insulator 29 together form the tail 14. The upper and lower surfaces of the first fixing block 21 are each provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal mounting slots 22 located at the rear end, with the upper and lower rows of terminal mounting slots 22 corresponding to the upper row of terminals 31 and the lower row of terminals 32, respectively. Clamping walls 25 are provided on both sides of each terminal mounting slot 22 to fix the conductive terminals 3. The upper surface of the second fixing block 23 is provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal fixing slots 24, which correspond to the upper row of terminals 31. Clamping walls 25 are also provided on both sides of each terminal fixing slot 24 to fix the conductive terminals 3.

[0044] Please refer to Figures 3 to 6 As shown, the first fixing block 21 and the main body 41 of the pair of metal reinforcing members 4 are integrally formed, i.e., the first form component 50. The pair of metal reinforcing members 4 are fixed to both sides of the first fixing block 21. Please refer to... Figures 7 to 8As shown, further, the first form component 50 and the lower row of terminals 32 are integrally formed as one unit via the second fixing block 23, i.e., the second form component 60. At this time, the connecting portions 302 of each terminal in the lower row of terminals 32 are respectively engaged with the lower row of terminal mounting slots-22 of the first fixing block 21 near their contact portions 301. The connecting portions 302 of each terminal in the lower row of terminals 32 are fixed within the second fixing block 23 near their welding portions 303. The rear end of the metal reinforcement 4 is also fixed within the second fixing block 23, and the welding feet 42 of the metal reinforcement 4 extend downwards and protrude from the lower surface of the second fixing block 23. Thus, the metal reinforcement 4 and the lower row of terminals 32 are assembled and fixed together via the first fixing block 21 and the second fixing block 23. The welding portions 303 of the lower row of terminals 32 protrude from the lower surface of the second fixing block 23 and extend horizontally backwards.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 9 As shown, the upper row of terminals 31 is further assembled onto the first fixing block 21 and the second fixing block 23 in the second form component 60 to form the third form component 70. The connecting portions 302 of each terminal of the upper row of terminals 31 are respectively engaged with the terminal fixing slots 24 of the second fixing block 23 near their welding portions 303, thereby achieving the assembly and fixation of the second form component 60 and the upper row of terminals 31.

[0046] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 9 As shown, the outer insulator 29 is integrally formed with the third-form component 70, namely the electrical connector 100. The outer insulator 29 covers the connection portion 302 of the first fixing block 21, the upper row of terminals 31 and the lower row of terminals 32, and part of the second fixing block 23. The lower surface of the second fixing block 23 is exposed at the lower end of the tail portion 14 of the outer insulator 29.

[0047] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 and Figure 15 As shown, the welding of each of the metal reinforcing members 4 extends downward from the lower ends of both sides of the tail 14. The welding portions 303 of the upper row terminals 31 and the lower row terminals 32 are arranged in two rows in the same plane in the front-back direction. The welding portion 303 of the lower row terminals 32 is located in front of the welding portion 303 of the upper row terminals 31.

[0048] Please refer to Figures 13 to 14As shown, when the upper row of terminals 31 is assembled into the second-form component 60, when viewed in the front-rear direction, the clamping wall 25 of the upper row of terminal mounting grooves-22 of the first fixing block 21 extends upward beyond the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31 in the vertical direction. The top end of each clamping wall 25 of the upper row of terminal mounting grooves-22 can be formed by means including but not limited to heat fusion to form a first covering portion 26 that at least partially covers the top surface of the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31. The first covering portion 26 can be a continuous portion formed by connecting the top ends of all the clamping walls 25 of the upper row of terminal mounting grooves-22 to cover the top surface of the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31, or it can be a series of discontinuous first covering portions 26 extending laterally from the top ends of each clamping wall 25 of the upper row of terminal mounting grooves-22 to partially cover the top surface of each connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31. Since the upper row of terminals 31 is assembled onto the second-form component 60, and will be integrally molded with the outer insulator 29 in the next step, the upper row of terminals 31 may be subjected to impact and shift in position during injection molding. Therefore, the first cover 26 can fix the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31 before injection molding the outer insulator 29 to prevent the upper row of terminals 31 from shifting in position.

[0049] Please refer to Figures 13 to 14 As shown, to further improve the fixing stability of the upper row of terminals 31, the clamping wall 25 of the terminal fixing groove 24 of the second fixing block 23 extends upward in the vertical direction above the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31. The top end of each clamping wall 25 of the upper row of terminal fixing grooves 24 can be formed by means including but not limited to hot melting to form a second covering portion 27 that at least partially covers the top surface of the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31. The second covering portion 27 is similar to the first covering portion 26. It can also be a continuous portion formed by connecting the top ends of the clamping walls 25 of all the terminal fixing grooves 24 to cover the top surface of the connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31, or it can be a discontinuous plurality of second covering portions 27 extending laterally from the top end of each clamping wall 25 of the terminal fixing groove 24 to partially cover the top surface of each connecting portion 302 of the upper row of terminals 31. With the joint fixation of the first cover 26 and the second cover 27, the upper row of terminals 31 can be more firmly fixed to the first fixing block 21 and the second fixing block 23.

[0050] Please refer to Figures 13 to 14As shown, since the lower row of terminals 32 is integrally formed with the first form component 50 by the second fixing block 23, the fixing of the lower row of terminals 32 is more secure than that of the upper row of terminals 31. However, the connecting part 302 of the lower row of terminals 32 near the contact part 301 is still fixed to the first fixing block 21 by assembly. This means that the lower row of terminals 32, which is only covered and fixed by the connecting part 302 near the welding part 303, still has the risk of positional displacement at the front end during the subsequent injection molding of the outer insulator 29. Therefore, when viewed in the front-back direction, the clamping wall 25 of the lower row of terminals mounting groove-22 of the first fixing block 21 extends downward beyond the connecting part 302 of the lower row of terminals 32 in the vertical direction. The bottom end of each clamping wall 25 of the lower row of terminals mounting groove-22 can form a third covering part 28 that at least partially covers the bottom surface of the connecting part 302 of the lower row of terminals 32 by means including but not limited to hot melting. The third covering portion 28 can be similar to the first covering portion 26 and the second covering portion 27. It can be a continuous portion formed by connecting the bottom ends of the clamping walls 25 of all the lower row terminal mounting slots-22 to cover the bottom surface of the lower row terminal 32 connecting portion 302. Alternatively, it can be a series of discontinuous third covering portions 28 extending laterally from the bottom ends of each clamping wall 25 of the lower row terminal mounting slots-22 to partially cover the bottom surface of each upper row terminal 31 connecting portion 302. Thus, the lower row terminals 32 are covered and fixed at two positions of the connecting portion 302, achieving a more secure fixation.

[0051] The applicant believes that the above-mentioned method of forming the covering part is existing technology and there are many methods, so it is sufficient to achieve the purpose of forming the covering part, and will not be elaborated here.

[0052] The purpose of the electrical connection provided by this invention is to further adapt to the needs of miniaturization and meet more customer customization requirements. In this embodiment, the electrical connection does not include a metal shell surrounding the insulating body 1, thus allowing the electrical connector 100 to meet the needs of special customized applications. In this embodiment, when viewed perpendicularly in the vertical direction, the height of the electrical connector 100 is less than 1.20 mm. For example, if the height of the electrical connector 100 is 1.16 mm, then the thickness of the base 13 of the electrical connector 100 in the vertical direction is 1.16 mm.

[0053] Referring to Figures 1-2, recesses 8 are provided on both sides of the position between the base 13 and the tail 14 of the insulating body 1, respectively, extending laterally inward. These recesses 8 can be fitted and fixed to other external components to ensure the electrical connector 100 is fixed in all directions. Furthermore, the soldering portions 303 of each terminal of the electrical connector 100 can be soldered to the circuit board using SMT (Surface Mount Technology), while the soldering feet 42 of the metal reinforcing member 4 are mounted to the circuit board using through-hole soldering. This combination of methods ensures strong soldering.

[0054] Please refer to Figures 1 to 15 As shown, to achieve the goals of miniaturization and customization of the electrical connector 100, the manufacturing process of the electrical connector 100 provided by this invention includes the following steps: The first step is to provide a pair of metal reinforcing members 4 and a first fixing block 21, and to integrally form the first fixing block 21 and the pair of metal reinforcing members 4 into one piece to form a first form component 50. The second step is to provide a lower row terminal 32 and a second fixing block 23, and to integrally form the second fixing block 23 with the lower row terminal 32 and the first form component 50 to form the second form component 60. The third step is to provide the upper row of terminals 31 and assemble the upper row of terminals 31 onto the first fixing block 21 and the second fixing block 23 of the second form component 60 to form the third form component 70. The fourth step is to provide an outer insulator 29, which is integrally formed with the third-form component 70 to form the electrical connector 100.

[0055] Between the second and fourth steps, the top ends of each clamping wall 25 of the upper terminal mounting groove-22 of the first fixing block 21 can form a first covering portion 26 to fix the top surface of the connecting portion 302 of the upper terminal 31; the top ends of each clamping wall 25 of the terminal fixing groove 24 of the second fixing block 23 can form a second covering portion 27 to fix the top surface of the connecting portion 302 of the upper terminal 31; and the bottom ends of each clamping wall 25 of the lower terminal mounting groove-22 of the first fixing block 21 can form a third covering portion 28 to fix the bottom surface of the connecting portion 302 of the lower terminal 32. The formation of the first covering portion 26, the second covering portion 27, and the third covering portion 28 can be performed before the start of the fourth step, in order to better fix the upper terminal 31 and the lower terminal 32. In this invention, since the lower row terminal 32 and the second fixing block 23 are integrally formed, a stable fixation is already achieved. Therefore, only one of the first covering part 26 or the second covering part 27 is needed to fix the upper row terminal 31. However, when the first covering part 26, the second covering part 27, and the third covering part 28 are all provided, the upper row terminal 31 and the lower row terminal 32 each have two stable fixing positions in the front-back direction, thereby achieving a better fixing effect.

[0056] The above embodiments merely illustrate preferred implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body, a plurality of conductive terminals held in the insulating body, and a pair of metal reinforcing members, the insulating body comprising a tongue at a front end, a tail at a rear end, and a base connecting the tongue and the tail, the plurality of conductive terminals comprising an upper row of terminals and a lower row of terminals, characterized in that, The insulating body further includes a first fixing block, a second fixing block, and an outer insulator. A pair of metal reinforcing members are integrally formed with the first fixing block to form a first-form component. The second fixing block is integrally formed with the first-form component and the lower row of terminals to form a second-form component. The upper row of terminals is assembled on the first and second fixing blocks in the second-form component to form a third-form component. The outer insulator is integrally formed with the third-form component to form an insulating body that holds the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals.

2. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower rows of terminals each include a contact portion at the front end, a welding portion at the rear end, and a connecting portion connecting the contact portion and the welding portion. A pair of metal reinforcing members are located between the upper and lower rows of terminals in the vertical direction. Each metal reinforcing member includes a main body portion at the front end and a welding foot at the rear end.

3. The electrical connector as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The first fixing block and the main body of the pair of metal reinforcing members are integrally formed. The upper and lower surfaces of the first fixing block are provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal mounting slots. Clamping walls are provided on both sides of each terminal mounting slot to clamp and fix the connection part of each conductive terminal.

4. The electrical connector as described in claim 3, characterized in that: When viewed in a front-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the clamping walls of the upper and / or lower terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block extend beyond the connecting portion in the vertical direction.

5. The electrical connector as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The clamping wall of each terminal mounting slot forms a cover portion at least partially covering the connection portion at its vertical end.

6. The electrical connector as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting portion of each terminal in the upper row of terminals is engaged with the upper terminal mounting slot of the first fixing block near its contact portion, and the connecting portion of each terminal in the lower row of terminals is engaged with the lower terminal mounting slot of the first fixing block near its contact portion.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The second fixing block is integrally formed with the rear end of each of the metal reinforcing members and the connection part of each terminal in the lower row of terminals near its welding part. The upper surface of the second fixing block is provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal fixing grooves, and clamping walls are provided on both sides of each terminal fixing groove to clamp and fix the connection part of each conductive terminal.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: When viewed in a front-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the clamping walls of several terminal fixing slots of the second fixing block extend beyond the connecting portion in the vertical direction.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The clamping wall of each terminal fixing groove forms a cover portion that at least partially covers the connection portion at its vertical end.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: The connection portion of each terminal in the upper row of terminals is respectively engaged with the terminal fixing groove of the second fixing block near its welding portion.

11. A method for manufacturing an electrical connector, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The first step involves providing a pair of metal reinforcing members and a first fixing block, and integrally molding the first fixing block and the pair of metal reinforcing members into a single unit to form a first-form component. The second step involves providing a lower row of terminals and a second fixing block, and integrally molding the second fixing block with the lower row of terminals and the first form component to form the second form component. The third step is to provide the upper row of terminals and assemble the upper row of terminals onto the first fixing block and the second fixing block of the second form component to form the third form component; The fourth step involves providing an outer insulator, which is then integrally molded with the third-form component to form the electrical connector.

12. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector as described in claim 11, characterized in that: In the first step, the upper and lower surfaces of the first fixing block are provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal mounting slots; in the second step, the upper surface of the second fixing block is provided with a plurality of horizontally arranged terminal fixing slots, and the connecting part of the lower row of terminals is assembled to the lower row of terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block; in the third step, the connecting part of the upper row of terminals is assembled to the upper row of terminal mounting slots of the first fixing block and the terminal fixing slots of the second fixing block.

13. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector as described in claim 12, characterized in that: Each terminal mounting slot has clamping walls on both sides of its lateral direction, and each terminal fixing slot has clamping walls on both sides of its lateral direction. In the second step and / or the third step, the clamping walls of the terminal mounting slot and the terminal fixing slot are formed by means including but not limited to hot melting to form a covering portion that at least partially covers the connection portion.

14. The method for manufacturing an electrical connector as described in claim 11, characterized in that: The upper and lower rows of terminals each include a contact portion at the front end, a welding portion at the rear end, and a connecting portion connecting the contact portion and the welding portion. Each metal reinforcement includes a main body portion at the front end and a welding foot at the rear end. In the first step, the main body portion of each metal reinforcement is fixed to both sides of the first fixing block. In the second step, the connecting portion of each lower row of terminals near the welding portion and the rear end of each metal reinforcement are fixed to the second fixing block.

Images