Electric connector

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric connector, and belongs to the field of cable connectors, the connector comprises a shell and a plurality of PCB cable assemblies detachably and fixedly connected with the shell, each PCB cable assembly comprises two PCBs, a cable and a plastic package seat, the cables and welding discs of the PCBs are welded and then are plastic-packaged in the plastic package seats, and the two PCBs are opposite to each other and are separated from each other. According to the electric connector, the double-layer PCB design is adopted, a complete and uninterrupted reference ground plane can be provided for each pair of differential signals, the exclusive ground wires are arranged on the PCBs for each pair of differential signals, meanwhile, the ground via hole arrays are arranged on the two sides of the wiring layer, a local shielding wall is formed, electromagnetic coupling between the adjacent differential signal pairs is isolated, and the reliability of the electric connector is improved. Compared with the prior art, crosstalk is restrained to an extremely low level, meanwhile, the overall contact resistance is reduced, conductor loss and dielectric loss are reduced, more stable impedance closer to a target is obtained, and the strict requirement for the excellent SI index under high-speed differential signals is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of cable connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the AI ​​server field, the demand for high-speed cable connectors for transmitting high-speed differential signals with a transmission rate of no less than 32Gbps in communication equipment and server equipment is also growing rapidly. Furthermore, there are increasing requirements for cable connectors to be high-density, high-speed, low-cost, and with excellent SI indicators, which existing cable connectors can hardly meet.

[0003] Currently, existing cable connectors generally use wire terminals that are formed by insert molding molds and then welded to the cable before being assembled and inserted into the guide housing. This type of cable connector has discontinuous and uncontrollable impedance, poor return loss, a sharp increase in insertion loss at high frequencies, and severe crosstalk. It is only suitable for low-frequency signals and cannot meet the stringent requirements for excellent SI performance under high-speed differential signals. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the issue that existing cable assemblies cannot meet the stringent requirements for excellent SI performance under high-speed differential signals, this application provides an electrical connector.

[0005] In one aspect of this disclosure, an electrical connector is provided, the connector comprising a housing and a plurality of PCB cable assemblies detachably and fixedly connected to the housing, the PCB cable assembly comprising: two PCB boards, cables and a molding compound, wherein the solder pads of the cables and PCB boards are soldered and then molded within the molding compound, the two PCB boards being opposite to and spaced apart.

[0006] Preferably, gold fingers are provided on the side of the PCB board facing away from the other PCB board, and the gold fingers include signal gold fingers and ground gold fingers.

[0007] Preferably, the housing structure has the following features: Reception holes are used to accommodate PCB cable assemblies; The partition is located between a pair of PCBs and abuts against the pair of PCBs.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes a resilient conductor that makes elastic contact with the resilient arm of the opposite connector to reduce the contact resistance of the resilient conductor of the opposite connector.

[0009] Preferably, the housing is further configured with: The contact surface abuts against the side of the PCB board facing the other PCB board; Guide surface, used to guide the connector and the other end connector to plug and connect; Mounting slots are used to mount elastic conductors.

[0010] Preferably, the contact surface and the guide surface are located on opposite sides of the partition arrangement direction, and the distance between a pair of contact surfaces is less than the distance between a pair of guide surfaces.

[0011] Preferably, the groove overlaps or partially overlaps with the signal gold fingers of the PCB board in the projection direction to improve the impedance of the gold fingers.

[0012] Beneficial technical effects: The electrical connector of this application adopts a double-layer PCB design, which can provide a complete and uninterrupted reference ground plane for each pair of differential signals. By equipping each pair of differential signals with a dedicated ground line on the PCB, and arranging ground via arrays on both sides of the wiring layer, a local shielding wall is formed, which isolates the electromagnetic coupling between adjacent differential signal pairs, suppresses crosstalk to an extremely low level, reduces the overall contact resistance, reduces conductor loss and dielectric loss, and obtains a more stable impedance that is closer to the target, meeting the stringent requirements of excellent SI performance under high-speed differential signals.

[0013] 2. PCB traces are extremely precise controllable impedance transmission lines with good impedance consistency. By accurately calculating the line width, line spacing, and dielectric thickness, excellent impedance and insertion loss performance can be achieved.

[0014] 3. The prototyping and manufacturing costs of PCBs are much lower than those of insert molding molds. Different density requirements can be achieved by changing the corresponding PCB board. The cost is low, the modular assembly design is highly efficient, and the competitive advantage is obvious. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the male connector of this application.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the connector public terminal of this application.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shell of the public end of this application.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 CC section view in the image.

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 EE section view in the image.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a male-end PCB cable assembly.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the female connector end of this application.

[0022] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the female connector end of this application.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the female end shell of this application.

[0024] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 DD section view in the image.

[0025] Figure 11 yes Figure 7 FF section view in the image.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the mother PCB cable assembly.

[0027] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the insertion of the male terminal and the male connector.

[0028] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram showing the separation of the male terminal and the male connector.

[0029] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the insertion of the female connector and the female end cap.

[0030] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram showing the separation of the female end and the female connector.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: A. Male connector terminal; 1A. Male end housing; 11A. Male end contact surface; 12A. Male end receiving hole; 13A. Male end partition; 14A. Male end mounting groove; 15A. Male end guide surface; 16A. Male end recess; 2A, Male PCB cable assembly; 21A, Male plastic sealer; 22A, Male cable; 23A, Male PCB board; 24A, Male gold fingers; 241A, Male signal gold fingers; 242A, Male grounding gold fingers; 3A. Male-terminated elastic conductor; B. Connector female terminal; 1B. Female end housing; 11B. Female end contact surface; 12B. Female end receiving hole; 13B. Female end partition; 14B. Female end mounting groove; 15B. Positioning plate; 16B. Female end guide surface; 17B. Female end groove; 2B, Female PCB cable assembly; 21B, Female plastic seal; 22B, Female cable; 23B, Female PCB board; 24B, Female gold fingers; 241B, Female signal gold fingers; 242B, Female grounding gold fingers; 25B, Positioning slot; 3B. Elastic conductor at the female end; X, male connector; y, female connector; Detailed Implementation

[0032] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore detailed descriptions of them will be omitted. Furthermore, the drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0033] This application discloses an electrical connector comprising a housing and multiple PCB cable assemblies detachably and fixedly connected to the housing. Each PCB cable assembly includes two PCB boards, cables, and a molding compound. The solder pads of the cables and PCB boards are soldered together and then molded within the molding compound. The two PCB boards are opposite to each other and spaced apart. This design ensures a stable and reliable connection between the cables and PCB boards, with good sealing performance.

[0034] The PCB board has gold fingers on the side opposite to the other PCB board. The gold fingers include signal gold fingers and ground gold fingers.

[0035] Specifically, the housing has a receiving hole and a partition. The receiving hole is used to receive PCB cable assemblies; the partition is located between a pair of PCBs and abuts against the pair of PCBs.

[0036] Furthermore, the electrical connector also includes a resilient conductor that elastically contacts the resilient arm of the opposite connector to reduce the contact resistance of the resilient conductor of the opposite connector. In this case, the housing also includes an abutment surface, a guide surface, and a mounting groove. The abutment surface abuts against the side of the PCB facing another PCB; the guide surface guides the connector and the opposite connector to plug into each other; and the mounting groove is used to mount the resilient conductor.

[0037] Preferably, the contact surface and the guide surface are located on opposite sides of the partition arrangement direction, and the distance between a pair of contact surfaces is less than the distance between a pair of guide surfaces. The groove overlaps or partially overlaps with the PCB board signal gold fingers in the projection direction to increase the gold finger impedance.

[0038] The electrical connector in this embodiment adopts a double-layer PCB design, which can provide a complete and uninterrupted reference ground plane for each pair of differential signals. By equipping each pair of differential signals with a dedicated ground line on the PCB, and arranging ground via arrays on both sides of the wiring layer, a local shielding wall is formed, which isolates the electromagnetic coupling between adjacent differential signal pairs, suppresses crosstalk to an extremely low level, reduces the overall contact resistance, reduces conductor loss and dielectric loss, and obtains a more stable impedance that is closer to the target, meeting the stringent requirements of excellent SI performance under high-speed differential signals.

[0039] The structure of an electrical connector will be described in detail below through a specific embodiment.

[0040] In one specific embodiment of this disclosure, an electrical connector is proposed, such as... Figures 13-16 As shown, it includes a male connector A and a female connector B. The male connector A is plugged into the male connector x, and the female connector B is plugged into the female connector y.

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the male terminal A of the connector includes a male terminal housing 1A and multiple male terminal PCB cable assemblies 2A and male terminal elastic conductors 3A that are detachably and fixedly connected to the male terminal housing 1A.

[0042] In practice, the detachable and fixed connection takes the form of a plug-in connection, which facilitates the quick assembly of the male PCB cable assembly 2A and the male elastic conductor 3A onto the male housing 1A.

[0043] When there are multiple male-terminal PCB cable assemblies 2A and multiple male-terminal elastic conductors 3A, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, multiple male-terminal PCB cable assemblies 2A and male-terminal elastic conductors 3A are regularly arranged on the male-terminal housing 1A, such as being arranged in parallel at equal intervals or in a rectangular array. This design facilitates the connection between the male terminal A of the connector and the male terminal connector x.

[0044] The specific structure of a male-terminal PCB cable assembly 2A is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, it includes a male molding base 21A, a pair of male PCBs 23A arranged in parallel at intervals, and a male cable 22A. The pair of male PCBs 23A arranged in parallel at intervals are connected to the male molding base 21A. On the side of the male PCBs 23A facing away from the other male PCB 23A, there are multiple male gold fingers 24A arranged in a straight line at intervals. The male gold fingers 24A include male signal gold fingers 241A and male ground gold fingers 242A. Two male signal gold fingers 241A are arranged between two adjacent male ground gold fingers 242A. The male cable 22A is connected to the male PCBs 23A.

[0045] In practice, after the male PCB board 23A and the male cable 22A are connected, they are fixedly connected to the male molding base 21A after being formed by Insert Molding.

[0046] In the embodiments disclosed herein, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the connector female end B includes a female end housing 1B and multiple female end PCB cable assemblies 2B and female end elastic conductors 3B that are detachably and fixedly connected to the female end housing 1B.

[0047] In practice, the detachable and fixed connection takes the form of a plug-in connection, which facilitates the quick assembly of the female PCB cable assembly 2B and the female elastic conductor 3B onto the female housing 1B.

[0048] When there are multiple female PCB cable assemblies 2B and multiple female elastic conductors 3B, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, multiple female PCB cable assemblies 2B and female elastic conductors 3B are regularly arranged on the female housing 1B, such as parallel arrangement at equal intervals, rectangular array arrangement, etc. This design facilitates the connection between the female connector B and the female connector y.

[0049] The specific structure of a female PCB cable assembly 2B is as follows: Figure 12 As shown, it includes a female end molding base 21B, a pair of female end PCBs 23B arranged in parallel at intervals, and a female end cable 22B. The pair of female end PCBs 23B arranged in parallel at intervals are connected to the female end molding base 21B. On the side of the female end PCBs 23B facing the other female end PCB 23B, a plurality of female end gold fingers 24B are arranged in a straight line at intervals. The female end gold fingers 24B include female end signal gold fingers 241B and female end ground gold fingers 242B. Two female end signal gold fingers 241B are arranged between two adjacent female end ground gold fingers 242B. The female end cable 22B is connected to the female end PCBs 23B.

[0050] In practice, after the female PCB board 23B and the female cable 22B are connected, they are fixedly connected to the female plastic seal 21B after being formed by Insert Molding.

[0051] As can be seen, the electrical connector of this application adopts a double-layer PCB design, which can provide a complete and uninterrupted reference ground plane for each pair of differential signals. By equipping each pair of differential signals with a dedicated ground line on the male and female PCBs, and arranging ground via arrays on both sides of the wiring layer to form a local shielding wall, the electromagnetic coupling between adjacent differential signal pairs is isolated, crosstalk is suppressed to an extremely low level, and the overall contact resistance is reduced, conductor loss and dielectric loss are reduced, resulting in a more stable impedance that is closer to the target impedance, meeting the stringent requirements of excellent SI performance under high-speed differential signals.

[0052] Furthermore, PCB traces are extremely precise, controllable impedance transmission lines with excellent impedance consistency. By accurately calculating trace width, spacing, and dielectric thickness, superior impedance and insertion loss performance can be achieved. The prototyping and manufacturing costs of PCBs are far lower than those of insert molding molds. Different density requirements can be met by simply changing the corresponding PCB board, resulting in low cost, modular assembly design, high assembly efficiency, and a clear competitive advantage.

[0053] Furthermore, such as Figures 3-5 As shown, the male end housing 1A has the following structure: Male terminal receiving hole 12A is used to accommodate male terminal PCB cable assembly 2A, providing space for the assembly of male terminal PCB cable assembly 2A; The male terminal partition 13A is located between a pair of male terminal PCBs 23A and abuts against the pair of male terminal PCBs 23A to ensure that the male terminal PCBs 23A are assembled securely and positioned accurately, so that they do not wobble when the male terminal A and male terminal x of the connector are plugged in.

[0054] like Figures 3-5 As shown, there are multiple male end partitions 13A, which are arranged in parallel at equal intervals, and each male end partition 13A corresponds to the assembly of a male end PCB cable assembly 2A.

[0055] By adopting the above technical solution, the male PCB cable assembly 2A and the male housing 1A are stably and securely detachably fixed together. After the male PCB cable assembly 2A is assembled, it will not wobble relative to the male housing 1A. The assembly is reliable and the positioning is accurate, laying a solid foundation for achieving excellent SI indicators.

[0056] Furthermore, such as Figures 3-5 As shown, the male end partition 13A has the following structure: The male terminal contact surface 11A abuts against the side of the male terminal PCB board 23A facing another male terminal PCB board 23A. It is used to guide the installation of the male terminal PCB board 23A and limit the position of the male terminal PCB board 23A, ensuring that the male terminal PCB cable assembly 2A will not wobble relative to the male terminal housing 1A after the assembly is completed, and that the assembly is reliable and the positioning is accurate. The male guide surface 15A is used to guide the male terminal A of the connector and the male connector x to be plugged in and connected, so as to facilitate and quickly complete the plugging and connection of the male terminal A of the connector and the male connector x. Male mounting slot 14A is used to install male elastic conductor 3A.

[0057] By adopting the above technical solution, electrical connectors can be assembled quickly.

[0058] Furthermore, such as Figures 3-5 As shown, the male end contact surface 11A is constructed with multiple spaced male end grooves 16A. The groove depth g of the male end groove 16A is less than the distance a between a pair of male end contact surfaces 11A on a male end partition 13A. The design of the male end groove 16A is beneficial to improving the impedance.

[0059] Furthermore, such as Figures 9-11 As shown, the female end housing 1B has the following structure: The female end receiving hole 12B is used to receive the female end PCB cable assembly 2B and provides space for the assembly of the female end PCB cable assembly 2B. The female end partition 13B is located between two adjacent female end PCB cable assemblies 2B and abuts against the two closest female end PCB boards 23B on the two female end PCB cable assemblies 2B to ensure that the female end PCB board 23B is firmly assembled and accurately positioned, so that it does not wobble when the female end connector y and the connector female end B are plugged in and connected.

[0060] like Figures 9-11 As shown, there are multiple female end partitions 13B, which are arranged in parallel at equal intervals, and a female end PCB cable assembly 2B is assembled between two adjacent female end partitions 13B.

[0061] By adopting the above technical solution, the female PCB cable assembly 2B and the female housing 1B are stably and securely detachably fixedly connected. After the female PCB cable assembly 2B is assembled, it will not shake relative to the female housing 1B. The assembly is reliable and the positioning is accurate, laying a solid foundation for achieving excellent SI indicators.

[0062] Furthermore, such as Figures 9-11 As shown, the mother end partition 13B has the following structure: The female end contact surface 11B abuts against the side of the female end PCB board 23B that is opposite to the other female end PCB board 23B. It is used to guide the installation of the female end PCB board 23B and limit the position of the female end PCB board 23B, so as to ensure that the female end PCB cable assembly 2B will not shake relative to the female end housing 1B after the assembly is completed, and the assembly is reliable and the positioning is accurate. The female end guide surface 16B is used to guide the female end connector y and the female end B of the connector to be inserted and connected, so as to facilitate and quickly complete the insertion and connection of the female end connector y and the female end B of the connector. The female end mounting slot 14B is used to install the female end elastic conductor 3B.

[0063] By adopting the above technical solution, electrical connectors can be assembled quickly.

[0064] Furthermore, such as Figures 9-11 As shown, the female end contact surface 11B is constructed with multiple spaced female end grooves 17B. The groove depth k of the female end groove 17B is less than the distance j between a pair of female end contact surfaces 11B on a female end partition 13B. The distance j between a pair of female end contact surfaces 11B on a female end partition 13B is less than the distance h between a pair of female end guide surfaces 16B. The design of the female end groove 17B is beneficial to improving the impedance.

[0065] Furthermore, such as Figure 10 As shown, a positioning plate 15B is provided in the female end receiving hole 12B. The positioning plate 15B is located between a pair of female end PCB boards 23B and abuts against the pair of female end PCB boards 23B, as shown. Figure 12 As shown, a positioning groove 25B for accommodating a positioning plate 15B is provided between a pair of female PCB boards 23B.

[0066] By adopting the above technical solution, the connection between the female PCB cable assembly 2B and the female housing 1B is enhanced to be more stable and secure.

[0067] In the embodiments disclosed herein, such as Figures 3-5 As shown, the male end housing 1A is constructed with a plurality of male end partitions 13A arranged in parallel at equal intervals. Each male end partition 13A is constructed with a pair of male end contact surfaces 11A and male end guide surfaces 15A. The pair of male end contact surfaces 11A and male end guide surfaces 15A are respectively located on both sides of the arrangement direction of the male end partitions 13A.

[0068] In the embodiments disclosed herein, such as Figures 9-11 As shown, the female end housing 1B is constructed with a plurality of female end partitions 13B arranged in parallel at equal intervals. Each female end partition 13B is constructed with a pair of female end contact surfaces 11B and female end guide surfaces 16B. The pair of female end contact surfaces 11B and female end guide surfaces 16B are respectively located on both sides of the arrangement direction of the female end partitions 13B.

[0069] like Figure 5 As shown, the distance a between a pair of male end contact surfaces 11A on a male end partition 13A is less than the distance b between a pair of male end guide surfaces 15A.

[0070] like Figure 11 As shown, the distance d between the two closest female end contact surfaces 11B on two adjacent female end partitions 13B is greater than the distance b between the two closest female end guide surfaces 16B.

[0071] Preferred, such as Figure 5As shown, the maximum spacing e of the male gold fingers 24A of a pair of male PCB boards 23A on the male PCB cable assembly 2A is greater than the spacing b of a pair of male guide surfaces 15A on a male partition 13A.

[0072] like Figure 11 As shown, the distance f between the female gold fingers 24B of a pair of female PCB boards 23B on the female PCB cable assembly 2B is less than the distance b between the two closest female guide surfaces 16B on the two adjacent female partitions 13B.

[0073] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," "third," and similar terms used in this application specification and claims do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. The terms "an" or "a" and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms "comprising" or "including" and similar terms mean that the elements or objects preceding "comprising" or "including" encompass the elements or objects listed following "comprising" or "including" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. "Above," "below," "left," "right," etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0074] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, characterized in that, The connector includes a housing and multiple PCB cable assemblies that are detachably and fixedly connected to the housing. The PCB cable assembly includes two PCB boards, cables, and a molding compound. The solder pads of the cables and PCB boards are soldered and then molded in the molding compound. The two PCB boards are opposite to each other and spaced apart.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The PCB board has gold fingers on the side opposite to the other PCB board. The gold fingers include signal gold fingers and ground gold fingers.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shell structure includes: Reception holes are used to accommodate PCB cable assemblies; The partition is located between a pair of PCBs and abuts against the pair of PCBs.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a resilient conductor that makes elastic contact with the resilient arm of the opposite connector to reduce the contact resistance of the resilient conductor of the opposite connector.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The shell is also constructed with: The contact surface abuts against the side of the PCB board facing the other PCB board; Guide surface, used to guide the connector and the other end connector to plug and connect; Mounting slots are used to mount elastic conductors.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The contact surface and the guide surface are located on opposite sides of the partition arrangement direction, and the distance between a pair of contact surfaces is less than the distance between a pair of guide surfaces.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The contact surface is constructed with at least one groove, the depth of which is less than the distance between a pair of contact surfaces.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The groove overlaps or partially overlaps with the signal gold fingers on the PCB board in the projection direction, which is used to increase the impedance of the gold fingers.

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